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Polar Discovery: Bering Sea Ecosystem

March 12, 2009

The Arctic ecosystem has a unique, complex food web that is fashioned by its distinctive plankton, animal species, and environmental factors. Copepods, like the one above, are a critical link in the food web. Join a team of researchers, led by Carin Ashjian of WHOI, on the next Polar Discovery expedition as they examine fish, seabirds, marine mammals and even humans to learn more about how the changing climate may affect this delicately balanced ecosystem. Follow daily dispatches from the team aboard the icebreaker Healy beginning April 4, 2009.
(Photo courtesy of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Archives)