pdf IP098: Marine Ecosystem Assessment for the Southern Ocean (MEASO) - Key Findings and Recommendations

ATCM XLV and CEP XXV 2023, Helsinki, Finland

Information Paper

IP098: Marine Ecosystem Assessment for the Southern Ocean (MEASO) - Key Findings and Recommendations

Submitted: 28 April 2023

Summary:

The Marine Ecosystem Assessment for the Southern Ocean (MEASO) is a core program of Integrating Climate and Ecosystem Dynamics of the Southern Ocean (ICED), which is co- sponsored by IMBeR and SCAR. It has been an open participatory, multidisciplinary up-to-date assessment of status and trends in Southern Ocean ecosystems for use by policy makers, scientists and the wider public. To date, it has involved over 200 scientists from across the Antarctic and Southern Ocean scientific community (18 countries, >50% female, >40% early career), contributing to 25 research articles published in a special research topic in Frontiers journals (greater than 200,000 views, 38,000 downloads). The international network and outputs of MEASO have direct relevance for a number of priorities and actions in the CEP in relation to its Climate Change Response Work Program and the Five-Year Plan. This paper presents key findings from MEASO on how Southern Ocean species and ecosystems are already being affected by climate change and what the future looks like; where to find fuller explanations behind these conclusions; options for managers to protect these ecosystems and enhance their resilience; suggested processes for a wider participation in protecting the Southern Ocean; and priorities for scientific research to support management into the future.

ATCM - Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting
CEP - Committee for Environmental Protection
45th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting
29 May - 8 June 2023