Census of Antarctic Marine Life
Encyclopedia
The Census of Antarctic Marine Life (CAML) is a field project of the Census of Marine Life
that researches the marine biodiversity of Antarctica, how it is affected by climate change, and how this change is altering the ecosystem of the Southern Ocean.
The program started in 2005 as a 5-year initiative with the scientific goal being to study the evolution of life in Antarctic waters, to determine how this has influenced the diversity of the present biota
, and use these observations to predict how it might respond to future change.
CAML has collected its data from 18 Antarctic research vessels during the International Polar Year
, which is freely accessible at Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research Marine Biodiversity Information Network (SCAR-MarBIN). The Register of Antarctic Marine Species has 9,350 verified species
(16,500 taxa) in 17 phyla, from microbes to whales. For 1500 species the DNA barcode is available.
The information from CAML is a robust baseline against which future change may be measured .
Census of Marine Life
The Census of Marine Life was a global network of researchers in more than 80 nations engaged in a 10-year scientific initiative to assess and explain the diversity, distribution, and abundance of life in the oceans...
that researches the marine biodiversity of Antarctica, how it is affected by climate change, and how this change is altering the ecosystem of the Southern Ocean.
The program started in 2005 as a 5-year initiative with the scientific goal being to study the evolution of life in Antarctic waters, to determine how this has influenced the diversity of the present biota
Biota
Biota may refer to:* Biota , the plant and animal life of a region* Biota , a superdomain in taxonomy* Biota , an evergreen coniferous tree, Platycladus orientalis* Biota , an avant-prog band from Colorado, USA...
, and use these observations to predict how it might respond to future change.
CAML has collected its data from 18 Antarctic research vessels during the International Polar Year
International Polar Year
The International Polar Year is a collaborative, international effort researching the polar regions. Karl Weyprecht, an Austro-Hungarian naval officer, motivated the endeavor, but died before it first occurred in 1882-1883. Fifty years later a second IPY occurred...
, which is freely accessible at Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research Marine Biodiversity Information Network (SCAR-MarBIN). The Register of Antarctic Marine Species has 9,350 verified species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
(16,500 taxa) in 17 phyla, from microbes to whales. For 1500 species the DNA barcode is available.
The information from CAML is a robust baseline against which future change may be measured .