Response of the Southern Ocean global ecosystem to physical and trophic constraints

[from "http://www.belspo.be/belspo/antar/orp/b21-23_uk.stm"]

The research consists of a multidisciplinary study of the biodiversity
and productivity of the global ecosystem of the Southern Ocean in a
context of variation of the environmental and climatic conditions. It
develops an approach based on the analysis of sub-ecosystems at
specific time and space scales and on the interconnection of these
systems by means of a proper modelling.

The studied sub-ecosystems are:

1. The planktonic ecosystem, which is the target of the study of
the processes relating to biodiversity, dynamics and
phyto-zooplanktonic interactions (specific scale : water column and
ice layer);

2. The pelagic ecosystem, with which is associated the
macrozooplankton and in particular the krill (specific scales : Ross
Sea and decade);

3. The ecosystem of the higher trophic levels (specific scales :
Southern Ocean and century).

It relates to the conceptualization, the parameterization and the
validation of a coupled 3D numerical model integrating the whole of
the physical and biological processes which control the dynamics and
the variability of the global ecosystem of the Southern Ocean.

The biological module of this model will be primarily centred on the
zooplankton (in particular the krill) and the higher predators, but
will take into account phytoplanktonic variables limiting the feeding
of the herbivores.

In a second step, the coupled 3D model will be applied to the
evaluation of the response of this ecosystem according to various
scenarios of forcing taking account of natural factors as well as
anthropogenic.