Image 1: Sand fleas
(amphipod crustaceans) under nearshore ice in the Beaufort Sea. Ice-associated
amphipods are a major food source for Arctic cod, in turn the main prey for ice
seals.
Photo credit: Shawn Harper, University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Image 2. The bean-sized swimming snail, Limacina
helicinia, occurs in both Arctic and Antarctic waters. It spins a mucus-net off
its paddle-like foot-wings to trap algae and other small particles on which it
feeds. Credit Russ Hopcroft, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Census of Marine
Life.
Image 3. Up to 4 cm long, the shell-less pteropod
or swimming snail, Clione limacina, found in both Arctic and Antarctic waters,
preys exclusively on its fellow shelled pteropods, such as Limacina helicinia
(above). Credit Russ Hopcroft, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Census of Marine
Life.
Image 4. Arctic krill, Thysanoessa raschii, was
found in high densities under sea ice in the Arctic and its marginal seas, where
they feed seasonally on algae associated with the sea ice, similar to the
behavior of the Antarctic Krill. Credit Russ Hopcroft, University of Alaska
Fairbanks, Census of Marine Life.
Image 5: Calycopsis borchgrevinki, is one of the
more common hydromedusae encountered in Antarctic waters. This marble-sized
jellyfish was photographed during the CEAMARC 2008 expedition aboard the Umitaka
Maru to the Antarctic, part of a joint CAML/ArcOD/CMarZ effort. Credit: Russ
Hopcroft, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Census of Marine Life.
Image 6: Chionodraco hamatus, one of the Antartic’s ice fish, can withstand
temperatures that freeze the blood of all other types of fish. This finger-lengthed
juvenile was photographed during the CEAMARC 2008 expedition aboard the Umitaka
Maru to the Antarctic, part of a joint CAML/ArcOD/CMarZ effort. Credit: Russ
Hopcroft, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Census of Marine Life.
Image 7: Sand-fleas such as Hyperoche capucinus, are common predators swimming
in polar waters. This specimen, about the width of a finger, was photographed
during the CEAMARC 2008 expedition aboard the Umitaka Maru to the Antarctic,
part of a joint CAML/ArcOD/CMarZ effort. Credit: Russ Hopcroft, University of
Alaska Fairbanks, Census of Marine Life.
Image 8: The nemertean Pelagonemertes rollestoni, hunts for zooplankton prey
that it will harpoon with a dart attached to the tongue coiled within it. It
yellow stomach reaches out to feed all parts of the body. About 3 cm long, it
was photographed during the CEAMARC 2008 expedition aboard the Umitaka Maru to
the Antarctic, part of a joint CAML/ArcOD/CMarZ effort. Credit: Russ Hopcroft,
University of Alaska Fairbanks, Census of Marine Life.
Image 9: The ghost-like sea-angel Platybrachium antarcticum, flies through the
deep Antarctic waters hunting the shelled pteropods (another type of snail) on
which it feeds. This 3 cm long slug was photographed during the CEAMARC 2008
expedition aboard the Umitaka Maru to the Antarctic, part of a joint CAML/ArcOD/CMarZ
effort. Credit: Russ Hopcroft, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Census of Marine
Life.
Image 10: Census of Marine Life Arctic researchers have discovered more than 50
gelatinous zooplankton living in the arctic, about a quarter of which are new to
the Arctic Ocean or new to science. Credit: Russ Hopcroft, University of Alaska
Fairbanks, Census of Marine Life.
Image 11: Mimonectes sphaericus is a commensial amphipod crustacean living upon
jellyfish and their kin in both the Arctic and Antarctic. The large sword-like
antennae only occur on males. Credit: Russ Hopcroft, University of Alaska
Fairbanks, Census of Marine Life.
Image 12: The US Coast Guard Cutter Healy often has to break its way through
ice, here in the Bering Sea. The Healy provides excellent support to many Arctic
scientific expeditions in the Amerasian Arctic. Credit: Rolf Gradinger,
University of Alaska Fairbanks, Census of Marine Life.
Image 13: The RV Polarstern breaks a path through the Southern Ocean. Operated
by the Alfred V. Wegener Institure, the Polarstern provides an excellent
platform for exploring below the Antarctic ice. Credit: J. Ziegler, Census of
Antarctic Marine Life.
Image 14: Census explorers often dangerous conditions from icy decks, huge
waves, to encounters with polar bears to advance knowledge about marine life in
the polar regions. Credit: Victoria Wadley, Australian Marine Science, Census of
Marine Life.
Image 15: Elizabeth Siddon dives below the ice in the Canada Basin, tethered to
a tender for her safety. Credit: Shawn Harper, University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Image 16: A remotely operated vehicle equipped with a video camera was used to
record life in the Southern Ocean during an expedition aboard the Aurora
Australis. Shown here is scientist Rob Beaman removing the camera from its
waterproof case. Credit S. Mouge
Image 17: Sampling intensity varies widely at the polar regions. Shown here is
northern polar region fish data available in OBIS, the Census database. White
indicates areas where little or no data. Red indicates a high value of records
are available, blue low. Credit: Edward Vanden Berghe, OBIS.
Image 18. Census of Antarctic Marine Life ship tracks during IPY, which ran from
March 2007-March 2009.
Image 19: The copepod Gaetanus brevispinus has a world-wide distribution, but is
most commonly collected in polar waters where its cold-water habitat comes
closer to the ocean’s surface. In mid-latitudes it occurs as deep as 3000 m.
Credit: Russ Hopcroft, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Census of Marine Life.
Image 20: Ice sampling camp - Sea ice sampling in nearshore fast ice near
Barrow, Alaska. Snow machines, sleds and polar bear watch are essential support
for Arctic research. Rolf Gradinger, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Census of
Marine Life.
Image 21. Twenty years ago the shores of inner basins of the Arctic Hornsund
fjord (Svalbard archipelago) were barren, as solid fast ice staying in average
of 8-9 months per year scoured all the macroorganisms. Today, with the fast ice
present no more than 4-5 months algae are climbing up the shore creating a new,
rich habitat in the former desert. Marcin Gorski, ArcOD.
