We visited places that have rarely or never been documented before. Many of our findings confirm our worst fears; that once-pristine Antarctic ecosystems are changing drastically. But fortunately some of our findings in the Weddell Sea also offer hope.

Our team conducted research in the remote Weddell Sea. This is the site of a vast proposed Marine Protected Area (MPA), which was originally proposed nearly a decade ago by the Antarctic Ocean Commision (CCAMLR) but has still not been delivered.

To understand how the Antarctic Ocean is faring, Stony Brook scientists monitored the breeding of two of its integral residents: Adélie and gentoo penguins. Penguins are sentinel species, which means that the state of their colonies can tell us a lot about the changing health of an ecosystem. This was the reason why our team turned to them for clues on how climate change, industrial fishing and other pressures may be impacting the Antarctic.