Report of the night session "Progress in Research into Sea Ice Biota of the Antarctic Ocean" presented at the Spring Meeting of the Oceanographic Society of Japan, 2015

Abstract

The workshop "Progress in Research into Sea Ice Biota of the Antarctic Ocean" was held on 24 March 2015 at Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology (TUMSAT) as a night session under the joint sponsorship of the Oceanographic Society of Japan. The aim of the workshop was to share information regarding the physical processes of ice formation and melting, and the organisms associated with sea ice, and to discuss the ecological significance of sea ice biota. Five presentations were delivered on various topics related to Antarctic sea ice. The potential importance of sea ice biota in the Antarctic marine ecosystem was emphasized throughout the workshop. Also discussed was a future feasibility study of sea ice biota as biological indicators of the physical processes of sea ice formation. A total of 28 scientists and students attended the session.