An international team of scientists, including ACE CRC pteropod biologist Donna Roberts, has been recognized for compiling an atlas that maps the location of thousands of Southern Ocean species. Dr Roberts is the lead author of the pteropod chapter for the Biogeographic Atlas of the Southern Ocean, which has been awarded the Census of Marine Life Cosmos Prize. The atlas deals with at least 6400 Southern Ocean species compiled under the auspices of the Census of Antarctic Marine Life and the SCAR (Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research) Marine Biodiversity Information Network. The atlas covers the geographic distribution patterns and processes of phyto- and zooplankton, macroalgae and zoobenthos, nekton, birds and mammals south of 40°S. It will contribute significantly to the modelling of biogeographic distributions in the context of environmental changes, providing information for science, conservation, monitoring and sustainable management in the Southern Ocean. The atlas will be published later this year and a dynamic online version hosted by biodiversity.aq will follow.

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