Ross Sea Environment and Ecosystem Voyage 2019

New Zealand carried out a 40-day voyage to the Ross Sea from 8 January to 16 February 2019 using the research vessel Tangaroa. The purpose of this multi-disciplinary research voyage was to increase knowledge about key environmental and biological processes in the Ross Sea region of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean, and thereby improve understanding of ecosystem function and likely responses to future change. The focus was on providing information relevant to the recently established Ross Sea region Marine Protected Area to allow scientific evaluation of its ecological status, spatial adequacy, and effectiveness. The eight voyage objectives spanned topics ranging from oceanography to bacteria to whales.