H-55 



PRACTICAL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RESEARCH PROGRAMME 



3.3.2 Treatment of pelagic samples 



Preliminary treatment of the biological material collected is best carried out on board 

 research vessels and then transferred to a sorting centre. However, analyses which must be made 

 soon after collection, especially those which require precision weighting, are probably best done 

 at an Antarctic shore station. 



The biochemistry of the key organisms in the offshore regions at different trophic levels 

 has yet to be described in any detail. Analyses of body tissue components are required to show 

 seasonal variations and changes at different life stages. 



3.3.3 Near-shore hydrography 



The wide geographical distribution of coastal stations in the Southern Ocean facilitates 

 year-round, simultaneous and standardized observations of the physical, chemical and biological 

 parameters of coastal waters. These observations wiU complement data gathered during the 

 offshore programme. 



The routine techniques should be simple and unsophisticated in order to ensure the 

 maximum participation by nations engaged in research in the Antarctic. Measurements should 

 be made at fixed stations covering a long time series, as far as possible throughout the year. 

 They should be taken at defined intervals and at standard depths. The most important 

 parameters to be measured are: temperature, salinity, basic nutrients, light penetration, 

 chlorophyll concentration, and concentration of suspended inorganic material, but it is 

 desirable to make observations of as many relevant parameters as possible. 



It is important to discover how measurements taken near the coast in such a programme 

 might differ from the data collected by oceanographic vessels. Therefore, as far as possible it 

 will be necessary to initiate projects to quantify the differences between neritic and offshore 

 waters, to describe the interaction between the near-shore and offshore environments and to 

 determine the magnitude or trend of any differences between them. 



3.3.4 Ecological studies and experimental research at shore stations 



Research will centre on investigations of the growth, metabolism, biochemistry, behaviour 

 and reproductive biology of plankton and nekton species. The important potential research 

 opportunities are: 



1 . Near-shore species. 



(a) Broad based energy budget modelling of the near-shore water column in order to 

 identify the principal components, the main routes and rates of energy flow, and 

 its potential contribution to the offshore ecosystem. 



(b) Research on the trophodynamics of large concentrations of breeding seals and 

 birds and their impact on the neritic and offshore ecosystems. 



(c) Research on the biology of species which have part of their life cycle in near-shore 

 waters but also comprise potential offshore living resources (eg, Notothenia 

 rossii). 



(d) Research on accessible neritic species which are closely related to important 

 offshore species (eg, the neritic euphausiid, Euphausia crystallorophias). 



2. Offshore species. 



(a) Research on offshore species such as Euphausia superba held in aquaria at shore 

 bases, including experiments on metabolism, growth, feeding and food assimi- 

 lation rates. 



(b) The provision of cultures of offshore phytoplankton for basic studies on the 



