Antarctic Research Program Research Articles

Characteristic atmosphere and ocean interaction in the coastal and marine environment inferred from infrasound at Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica - observation and initial data -

Characteristic features of infrasound waves observed in the Antarctic reveal physical interaction involving surface environments around the continent and Southern Ocean. In December 2015, an infrasound array (100 m spacing) by three sensors (Chaparral Physics Model 25, with a detectable frequency range of 0.1-200 Hz), together with a broadband barometer (Digiquartz Nano-Resolution Model 6000-16B Barometer, with a detectable frequency range of 0-22 Hz) were installed at Jang Bogo Staion, Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica by the Korea Arctic and Antarctic Research Program (KAARP). The initial data recorded by the broadband barometer contain characteristic signals originated by surrounding environment, including local noises such as katabatic winds. Clear oceanic signals (microbaroms) are continuously recorded as the background noises with predominant frequency around 0.2 s at the austral summer on December. Variations in their frequency context and amplitude strength in Power Spectral Density had been affected by an evolution of sea-ice surrounding the Terra Nova Bay. Microbaroms measurement is a useful tool for characterizing ocean wave climate, complementing other oceanographic, cryospheric and geophysical data in the Antarctic. Continuous infrasound observations in Terra Nova Bay attain a new proxy for monitoring environmental changes such as the global warming, involving cryosphere dynamics, as well as the volcanic eruptions in Northern Victoria Land, Antarctica.

Species of Antarctoscyphus Peña Cantero, García Carrascosa and Vervoort, 1997 (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa: Symplectoscyphidae) collected by US Antarctic expeditions: biogeographic implications

ABSTRACTAntarctoscyphus is one of the most characteristic genera of Antarctic benthic hydroids, with nine of the 10 known species considered to be endemic to the Antarctic; only Antarctoscyphus elongatus is also present in the sub-Antarctic region of Kerguelen. Accordingly, the genus was considered to have an Antarctic–Kerguelen distribution. Here we present the results of the study of the species of Antarctoscyphus collected from different Antarctic areas and from the Magellan region, during several expeditions under the United States Antarctic Research Program between 1958 and 1986. A scanning electron microscopy survey of all known species of the genus was carried out. Eight of the 10 known species of Antarctoscyphus were found in the collection, with A. spiralis and A. elongatus being the most frequently found species, whereas A. biformis, A. fragilis and A. gruzovi were found only once. The type material of A. biformis was reviewed and re-described. This study represents the second records for A. biformis and A. fragilis. The new records allow updating of the biogeographic knowledge on the distribution of several species: A. mawsoni, so far considered endemic to East Antarctica, and A. asymmetricus, considered endemic to West Antarctica, are here considered to have a Circum-Antarctic distribution. Additionally, A. fragilis, previously considered endemic to the Weddell Sea, is now considered to have a West Antarctic–Patagonian distribution, as it was recorded off the Pacific Magellan region. The records gathered here allow us to change the distribution pattern of the genus from Antarctic–Kerguelen to Pan-Antarctic. The study has allowed us to increase the known bathymetric range for some species, some reaching much deeper waters than previously known. Hence, A. fragilis, A. grandis and A. mawsoni, hitherto considered shelf species, are reported from bathyal bottoms of the continental slope. A general discussion on the bathymetric and geographic distribution of all known species is included.www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:1C7ED3F2-3FF1-4C5C-85BB-FAAF557AC2ED

The evolution of New Zealand's Antarctic research programme since 1957

ABSTRACTNew Zealand's Antarctic research began during the 1957/1958 International Geophysical Year. This analysis explains how and why it has evolved. There have been two phases: 1957 until 1991, when the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research and the universities were the key research organisations, and after 1991, when the publicly funded research sector became more diverse. International collaborations have been important throughout. Funding decision processes have progressed from a bottom-up curiosity-driven approach to a more complex system of regular contests. Since 1991, the focus has been on coherent strategies and the outcomes sought. Funding criteria are well-defined and contests are widely accepted as fair and transparent. Reviews and evaluations have been positive. Collaborative organisational interactions dominated decision-making during the early period. Bureaucratic politics is most evident in post-1991 organisational changes. The quality of the research strategies has improved in terms of defining outcomes sought and appropriate measures of progress towards them. However, New Zealand's Antarctic research funding is currently dispersed. It needs better coordination. Collaborative research should be emphasised in areas where New Zealand has established a strong reputation taking account of both national and global priorities if New Zealand's international research standing is to be maintained and enhanced.

A history of McMurdo Station through its architecture

ABSTRACTMcMurdo Station, Antarctica, is a US Federal research facility operated year-round by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Its primary mission is to support scientific research, but it also provides logistical air and ground support for South Pole Station, seasonal field sites and nearby stations operated by other countries. It is the largest station in Antarctica, supporting up to 1,200 people. While McMurdo Station has a long scientific legacy, the facility also has an interesting architectural and engineering history that spans 60 years and has its antecedents in the ‘heroic age’ of exploration (1898–1916) and the Little America expeditions (1929–1958). Here, I describe the history of the built environment of McMurdo Station to clarify how it evolved from a temporary air station in the late 1950s to its current role as the flagship research facility of the US Antarctic Research Program (USAP). This historical review may provide insights that are useful as the station continues to transform and evolve, allowing it to continue its scientific mission into the 21st century.

Distributional records of Antarctic fungi based on strains preserved in the Culture Collection of Fungi from Extreme Environments (CCFEE) Mycological Section associated with the Italian National Antarctic Museum (MNA)

This dataset includes information regarding fungal strains collected during several Antarctic expeditions: the Italian National Antarctic Research program (PNRA) expeditions “X” (1994/1995), “XII” (1996/1997), “XVII” (2001/2002), “XIX” (2003/2004), “XXVI” (2010/2011), the Czech “IPY Expedition” (2007–2009) and a number of strains donated by E. Imre Friedmann (Florida State University) in Copyright Laura Selbmann et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. MycoKeys 10: 57–71 (2015) doi: 10.3897/mycokeys.10.5343 http://mycokeys.pensoft.net A peer-reviewed open-access journal

Host-shift speciation in Antarctic symbiotic invertebrates: further evidence from the new amphipod species Lepidepecreella debroyeri from the Ross Sea?

Lepidepecreella debroyeri n. sp. (Amphipoda, Lysianassoidea) is described from specimens collected at Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea, Antarctica) in the framework of several scientific expeditions of the Italian National Antarctic Research Program. This amphipod is an obligate parasite of the regular sea urchin Sterechinus neumayeri (Meissner, 1900) and also occurs at diving depths. L. debroyeri n. sp. shares with Lepidepecreella andeep Berge, Vader & Lockhart, 2004, an abyssal species described for the Weddell Sea, an almost identical morphology and ecological traits, being both associated with sea urchins of two different families. This close relationship could be the result of a host-shift phenomenon that occurred during the high number of glacial cycles, possibly rendering the preferred host unavailable. L. debroyeri n. sp. shows a high degree of variation in terms of sex ratio and population structure between different host specimens, a fact that could be related to a great mobility of this small parasitic amphipod. The new amphipod species is itself the subject of a hyperparasitic interaction, carrying tantulocarid crustaceans on the pleopods. This represents the first record of a symbiotic interaction between a tantulocarid and an amphipod for the Southern Ocean.

Charles Swithinbank

Charles Swithinbank

The first 25 years of the hydrology of the Onyx River, Wright Valley, Dry Valleys, Antarctica

ABSTRACTThis paper summarises the first 25 years of data on hydrological work carried out each summer on the Onyx River, Wright Valley, by summer teams of field hydrologists of the New Zealand Antarctic Research Programme. The assignment expanded from the single water-level recording weir site near Lake Vanda to a second site near the Wright Lower Glacier together with a number of tributary stream measurements that were installed as the programme progressed. This work was carried out together with Dry Valleys lake level and glacial measurements and is as of much historical as of scientific interest as it contains much inaugural Antarctic hydrology work.

Around the World

In science news around the world, the National Park Service decides not to introduce mainland wolves to rescue the declining wolf population on Lake Superior's Isle Royale, Japanese researchers plan to resume controversial whaling in 2015, Australia's Antarctic research program faces budget cuts, and more.

Establishing Korean Polar Data Management Policy and Its Future Directions

Korea implemented its Antarctic research program in 1987 and diversified to the Arctic in 2002. Since the development of the Joint Committee on Antarctic Data Management, Korea has acknowledged the importance of data management. The launch of the Korea Polar Research Institute in 2004 also saw establishment of the Korea Polar Data Center (KPDC), which outlines and executes a Polar Data Management Policy. KPDC has set up an Information Technology infrastructure and has developed a metadata management system. However, there is still a long way to go, especially in terms of raising researcher recognition for improving data registration and sharing.

Antarctic ecosystems: an extreme environment in a changing world

book reviews ISSN 1948‐6596 Antarctic ecosystems: an extreme environment in a changing world Alex D. Rogers, Nadine M. Johnstone, Eugene J. Murphy and Andrew Clarke (editors), 2012, Wiley‐Blackwell. 564 pp. £85.00 (hardback) ISBN 9781405198400. This book arises from a meeting held in the Royal Society (London) and the material has, as it says at the start, been “originally published as an issue of the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 1 … but has been materially changed and updated”. From perusal of the refer‐ ence lists there is evidence for updating of some of the chapters, but I must confess to not having comprehensively compared this one with the ear‐ lier‐published. Suffice to say, this is a wide‐ranging account of all the material from the original ver‐ sion, plus a bit more, between a single set of cov‐ ers. The book covers an Introduction to Antarctic ecology in a changing world (one chapter), then Terrestrial and freshwater habitats (Part 1, three chapters), Marine habitats and regions (Part 2, eight chapters), Molecular adaptations and evolu‐ tion (Part 3, three chapters) and Conservation and management (Part 4, two chapters). From this, it is clear that there is a strong marine emphasis to the book, but this is not really a bias as much as a reflection of the amount of understanding of the marine versus terrestrial and freshwater habitats. The authorship includes many notable ex‐ perts in the field, numbering 78 in total, the geo‐ graphical distribution of which is worth noting: only five are or were based in the southern hemi‐ sphere. None of these was from either a South American country or New Zealand, despite signifi‐ cant Antarctic research programmes in both re‐ gions. Nearly half of the authors were either based at the British Antarctic Survey or had passed through that organisation in the relatively recent past. The book has been edited to a high and consistent standard throughout, as would be ex‐ pected since it is based on a rigorously reviewed and edited scientific journal. Each chapter does as the title indicates, by both describing the ecosys‐ tems and then discussing how they might re‐ spond, or how they are responding, to environ‐ mental change. The book is a valuable reference source and summary of existing knowledge. Al‐ though research advances, and despite the five years since most of the material was first pub‐ lished, this book is likely to remain topical for sev‐ eral years because the logistical constraints of conducting research in the Antarctic tend to de‐ termine progress. From my understanding, the only Antarctic ecosystem that is not covered in the book, but which is likely to provide us with genuinely new information, is that of the sub‐ glacial lakes, but we may need to wait a few more years before there is enough new information from that habitat to merit a review. As an institu‐ tional library purchase, I would recommend this book. David Hopkins Heriot‐Watt University, Edinburgh, UK david.hopkins@hw.ac.uk 1 2007. Vol. 362 (1477 & 1488) frontiers of biogeography 5.1, 2013 — © 2013 the authors; journal compilation © 2013 The International Biogeography Society

Mass and heat balance of snowpatches in Basen nunatak, Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica, in summer

AbstractAn experimental study concerning the mass and heat balance of snowpatches was performed during the Finnish Antarctic Research Programme (FINNARP) 2004 and 2010 summer expeditions to Basen nunatak (73°03′ S, 13°25′ W). Data were collected from a snow stake line, snow pits and automated weather and snow recording systems. One 100 m perennial snowpatch and several smaller seasonal patches (<10 m) were monitored. Snow thickness decreased by 4.0–6.3 mm d−1 due to sublimation, compression and, close to lateral boundaries, meltwater runoff. The vertical mass loss was 1–2 mm snow water equivalent (SWE) d−1 and the lateral decay was −10 cm d−1. The net radiation was 20.2 W m−2 and the mean latent heat flux was −15.5 W m−2 .The mean surface energy flux was 4.9 W m −2 and the heat loss to the ground was 1.5 W m−2. Thin snow decayed faster due to surface thermomechanical erosion and melt from the bottom where the soil was heated by the solar radiation. Between the summers of 2004 and 2010, the thickness of the perennial snowpatch decreased by 230 mm.

Dynamical influence of gravity waves generated by the Vestfjella Mountains in Antarctica: radar observations, fine-scale modelling and kinetic energy budget analysis

ABstractGravity waves generated by the Vestfjella Mountains (in western Droning Maud Land, Antarctica, southwest of the Finnish/Swedish Aboa/Wasa station) have been observed with the Moveable atmospheric radar for Antarctica (MARA) during the SWEDish Antarctic Research Programme (SWEDARP) in December 2007/January 2008. These radar observations are compared with a 2-month Weather Research Forecast (WRF) model experiment operated at 2 km horizontal resolution. A control simulation without orography is also operated in order to separate unambiguously the contribution of the mountain waves on the simulated atmospheric flow. This contribution is then quantified with a kinetic energy budget analysis computed in the two simulations. The results of this study confirm that mountain waves reaching lower-stratospheric heights break through convective overturning and generate inertia gravity waves with a smaller vertical wavelength, in association with a brief depletion of kinetic energy through frictional dissipation and negative vertical advection. The kinetic energy budget also shows that gravity waves have a strong influence on the other terms of the budget, i.e. horizontal advection and horizontal work of pressure forces, so evaluating the influence of gravity waves on the mean-flow with the vertical advection term alone is not sufficient, at least in this case. We finally obtain that gravity waves generated by the Vestfjella Mountains reaching lower stratospheric heights generally deplete (create) kinetic energy in the lower troposphere (upper troposphere–lower stratosphere), in contradiction with the usual decelerating effect attributed to gravity waves on the zonal circulation in the upper troposphere–lower stratosphere.

Notes on the species of Perkinsiana (Polychaeta: Sabellidae) from Antarctica with the description of P. brigittae sp. nov.

Nine nominal species are known from Antarctica and adjacent waters that have been assigned to the genus Perkinsiana(Polychaeta: Sabellidae). Taxonomic notes for these species are provided. Currently, only six species are considered valid:Perkinsiana antarctica (Kinberg), P. decorata (Rullier), P. borsibrunoi Giangrande and Gambi, P. magalhaensis(Kinberg), P. milae Giangrande and Gambi and P. pusilla (Johansson); P. antarctica (Gravier) is incertae sedis; P. littoralis(Hartman) is a suggested synonym of P. magalhaensis (Kinberg) and P. antarctica (Gravier), while Potamilla antarcticachristenseni Augener probably belongs to the genus Notaulax. Perkinsiana is amended based on the presence of a palmatemembrane and radiolar flanges, and three types of abdominal chaetae. The new species Perkinsiana brigittae sp. nov. ishere described from collections taken by the U. S. Antarctic Research Program (USARP) at Wilkes Station. A taxonomic key for species of Perkinsiana from Antarctica is provided.

Mesoscale distribution of protozooplankton communities and their herbivory in the western Scotia Sea of the Southern Ocean during the austral spring

The distribution and structure of protozooplankton communities and the impact of their grazing on phytoplankton during spring were studied as part of the 15th Korean Antarctic Research Program in the western Scotia Sea. Water mass identities were determined based on physicochemical properties, with four regions identified: north of the Polar Front (NPF), Polar Front (PF), South of the Polar Front (SPF), and the South Antarctic Circumpolar Current region (SACCr). Physicochemical characteristics of the water column significantly influenced the distribution and structure of phytoplankton and protozooplankton communities. The NPF was characterized by relatively warmer water, low nutrient, low chlorophyll a (chla), and pico-sized phytoplankton predominance (i.e., cyanobacteria and eukaryotic picoflagellates). Nano-sized phytoplankton such as Phaeocystis antarctica and Cryptomonas sp. dominated in the SACCr with its colder water, higher nutrient, and higher chla concentrations. Despite the relatively slightly high chla concentration in the PF, micro-sized phytoplankton, especially diatoms, were abundant. Large changes in protozooplankton biomass and community were observed between water masses. Heterotrophic nanoflagellates including choanoflagellates and nanociliates declined in abundance from the NPF to SACCr, whereas heterotrophic dinoflagellates (HDF) and microciliates increased in abundance from the NPF to SACCr. Ciliates declined in importance from the NPF to SACCr, accounting for over 50% of the total protozooplankton biomass in the NPF. In contrast, HDF comprised over 50% of the total in the SPF, PF, and SACCr. The depth-integrated protozooplankton biomass ranged from 443.2 to 934.0mgCm−2, and was highest in the PF and lowest in the NPF. These relationships suggest that the spatial variation in the community and biomass of protozooplankton appears to be primarily governed by the community and size structure of phytoplankton. Protozooplankton consumed an average of 76.9% of daily phytoplankton production. Therefore, protozooplankton were the major consumers of the diverse phytoplankton community, and protozooplankton grazing is one of the most important loss processes affecting phytoplankton biomass and composition during spring in the western Scotia Sea.

Organizing polar science: Canada’s attempt at developing a national Antarctic programme

As the last Arctic state to accede to the Antarctic Treaty after 27 years of its enforcement, Canada is a major Arctic country that operates as a non-consultative party member outside the decision-making machinery of the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS). Canada has no national polar research organization or a coordinated polar research strategy or polar science policy (unlike most other Arctic states). The absence of these hinders the development of a national Antarctic research programme, let alone a national Arctic research plan. Has the lack of a coordinated Canadian approach to science in the Arctic affected the development of a long-term Canadian Antarctic research programme? While the recently proposed Canadian High Arctic Research Station may be seen as filling the gap of a national Arctic research centre, its mandate, however, is focused on the development of Canada’s Arctic science and technology priorities in which Antarctica does not feature. More than a decade has passed, but a fully fledged Canadian Antarctic Research Program (CARP) has yet to be realized. Antarctica has failed to attract enough interest to warrant federal dollars to support a long-term Canadian research programme in Antarctica. The article traces the origins and development of Canada’s Antarctic interests, and examines how the federal government responded in organizational terms to the political challenges and the scientific opportunities of Antarctica.

Bryozoa collected by the United States Antarctic Research Program: new taxa and new records

Thirty-two species of cheilostomate Bryozoa are described and illustrated from 26 stations sampled by the United States Antarctic Research Program, including 29 new species and two new genera. A further new genus is introduced for two species formerly attributed to Osthimosia Jullien, 1888. One station was located in the Ross Sea and three in the cold temperate South Pacific; 14 stations were sampled in the region of the Scotia Arc, south of the Antarctic Convergence, and eight from the subantarctic southwest Atlantic, mostly in the vicinity of Tierra del Fuego. Nine new species were present in the Antarctic samples, whereas those from the southwest Atlantic yielded 18 new species and the two new genera. Three of the new subantarctic species are attributed to genera formerly considered to be Antarctic endemics, while the two newly assigned species of Osthimosia are presently known only from Antarctic localities.

Об истории отечественных исследований Антарктики

A brief overview of Ukrainian scientific works investigating the history of antarctic research is presented, and a scheme of periodization of the history proposed. We analyzed how the history of Ukrainian efforts in Antarctica is reflected in the encyclopedias and educationalpublications in recent years. The rational for further development of historically focused research as part of the National Antarctic research program is offered.

Comparative depth distribution of corallimorpharians and scleractinians (Cnidaria: Anthozoa)

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 397:63-70 (2009) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps08271 Comparative depth distribution of corallimorpharians and scleractinians (Cnidaria: Anthozoa) Daphne G. Fautin1,*, John M. Guinotte2, James C. Orr3 1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Research Center, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045, USA 2Marine Conservation Biology Institute, 2122 112th Ave NE, Suite B-300, Bellevue, Washington 98004, USA 3Marine Environment Laboratories (MEL-IAEA), 4, Quai Antoine 1er, MC-98000 Monaco, Monaco *Email: fautin@ku.edu ABSTRACT: We assessed whether CaCO3 concentration of seawater may be relevant to the occurrence of members of Corallimorpharia and Scleractinia, which are very similar except for the possession by scleractinians of a calcareous skeleton. In collections of both the Challenger Deep-sea Expedition 1872–1876 and the US Antarctic (Research) Program, average depth of occurrence was significantly greater for corallimorpharians than for scleractinians. We also compared depth of occurrence relative to the position of the aragonite saturation horizon (ASH) at many localities from which specimens were collected. Nearly 25 and 50% of stations at which scleractinians were collected were below the ASH for the Antarctic and Challenger stations, respectively; 50 and 100% of the Antarctic and Challenger stations at which corallimorpharians were collected were below the ASH, respectively. Statistical analyses of these data to test whether there is a difference in the depth, relative to the ASH, at which scleractinians and corallimorpharians occur indicate a difference for the Challenger but not the Antarctic stations; more data are needed. The scleractinians that tolerate living below the ASH belong to a minority of the genera recorded in the surveys, and do not include species considered important in forming bioherms; those that occur deepest are solitary. Some deep-sea scleractinians may be unaffected by shoaling of the ASH that is predicted across all ocean basins in the near future, some may be confined to water shallower than is now the case, and others may cease producing a skeleton, becoming morphologically indistinguishable from corallimorpharians. KEY WORDS: Corallimorpharia · Scleractinia · Corals · Sea anemones Full text in pdf format PreviousNextCite this article as: Fautin DG, Guinotte JM, Orr JC (2009) Comparative depth distribution of corallimorpharians and scleractinians (Cnidaria: Anthozoa). Mar Ecol Prog Ser 397:63-70. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps08271 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 397. Online publication date: December 17, 2009 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2009 Inter-Research.

ASM Sci. J., Vol. 3, No. 2, 2009

First I would like to thank the Editorial Board of the ASM Sc. J. for inviting me to be their Guest Editor for this special issue of theJournal devoted to polar sciences. As the Director of the Malaysian Antarctic Research Programme (MARP) it is a pleasure to see howthe Programme has grown. When the idea of establishing the Programme was undertaken by the Task Force on Antarctic Research underthe Academy in 1998, one of the main worries of the members was the sustainability of the Programme. This sustainability is supportedon two pillars: one is the continued funding of research by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI); and the otheris the support of the researchers participating in the programme from all the universities and research institutions in Malaysia. MARP’ssuccess is very much dependent on these two pillars and to date I have to commend MOSTI and the researchers for the support that theyhave given.In trying to develop polar research, one of the major constraints that Malaysian scientists face is the lack of local logistics support.Malaysia has no base to embark on its own scientific programme in Antarctic or the Arctic. As such, we are very much dependent on thegoodwill of our international partners. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our international partners, namely Antarctica NewZealand, Australian Antarctic Division, British Antarctic Survey, Japanese National Institute of Polar Research, Korean Polar ResearchInstitute, Instituto Antartico Argetino, Instituto Antarctico Chile, Instituto Antarctico Equador, South Africa National Antarctic Programand National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research of India. We are also thankful to the Scientific Committee of Antarctic Researchand Asian Forum on Polar Sciences for all the support and co-operation given to enable our scientists to embark on polar research.It is with pride that I note that our scientists and their post-graduate students have embraced our polar research initiatives withso much enthusiasm. Some spent more than two months away from their loved ones in order to undertake field work in the extremeenvironment of Antarctic. They had to assimilate different cultures and food, and for some post-graduate students the field trip was theirfirst trip overseas. However, most of them would love to be given a second and maybe a third chance to go back to Antarctic for theirfield work. MARP is lucky to have such an enthusiastic group of scientists and young researchers.However, in pursuing their love of science some have paid a higher price than others. I would like to record our condolences to thefamily of the late Omar Pozan who died while undergoing training (diving) in Tasmania for a scientific expedition.As in any scientific venture, the proof of success is in the scientific output i.e. publications and post-graduate training. In this area,MARP has been able to produce three refereed conference proceedings and a number of papers in refereed international journals suchas Polar Biology and Journal of Geophysical Research. We have trained three PhD students and there are now more than fifty postgraduates pursuing research under MARP. A testimony to this active research is that the Academy of Sciences Malaysia has kindlyundertaken to produce this special issue of their Journal devoted to polar research undertaken under the MARP and our internationalcollaborators. This issue is a demonstration of how far polar sciences in Malaysia has advanced and can be used as a milestone of ourprogress. It is my hope that R&D in Malaysian polar sciences will be further expanded and deepened so that Malaysia will be consideredas a leader in certain niche areas such as microbiology, biodiversity and tropical-polar interactions in the ocean and atmosphere. Alreadysome of our researchers are active in helping polar research developments in the field of microbiology for some of our Latin Americanpartners. We are now an active member of SCAR committee on capacity building, education and training, and helping the developingcountries in the SCAR community. I am sure this issue will not only be of interest to the Malaysian but also the international communityof polar scientists. Finally, I would like to thank again the Academy of Sciences for undertaking this special issue on Malaysian polarsciences in their prestigious Journal; acknowledge the 22 reviewers for their evaluation of the 13 articles, and Kanesan Solomalai forediting and finalizing the editorial processing of this issue.