The Southern Ocean (SO) seafloor hosts one of the most unique and highly endemic benthic ecosystems on Earth shaped by extreme seasonality, long evolutionary isolation, and strong environmental gradients (Gutt et al. 2004, Griffiths et al. 2024). While understanding of spatial patterns in the distribution of benthic communities grows (Jansen et al. 2025), the functional roles and ecological dynamics of benthic taxa and communities remain poorly resolved across different habitats (Convey et al. 2014, Griffiths et al. 2024). This limited baseline knowledge is particularly concerning as Antarctic benthic ecosystems respond to the recent, rapid changes in sea-ice dynamics, primary production, water-mass structure and sedimentation regimes (Quartino et al. 2013, Gutt et al. 2015, Sahade et al. 2015, Pineda-Metz et al. 2020, Brasier et al. 2021, Aromokeye et al. 2024). Climate-change associated modifications, such as warming, acidification, food supply and input, as well as cryospheric retreat, are expected to shift the balance of benthic taxa, potentially threatening cold-adapted, range-restricted species (Moreley et al. 2020, Griffiths et al. 2024).
Environmental changes have proceeded unevenly across regions and depth zones in the SO. East Antarctica, the Weddell Sea, and the Ross Sea remain among the coldest seabed environments globally, shaped by more persistent ice-cover and low temperatures (~0 to – 2°C), whereas the West Antarctic Peninsula experiences earlier sea-ice retreat, warmer conditions, and is strongly affected by warm Circumpolar Deep Water incursions and intense iceberg scours (Barnes et al. 2011, Clarke et al. 2011, Griffiths et al. 2017, Eayrs et al. 2019). These contrasting conditions create distinct benthic assemblages, across the Weddell Sea with different food-input shaped by variable ice regimes in the Weddell Sea (Säring et al. 2022). Despite this ecological complexity, less than 1% of Antarctic benthic species have been identified using integrative (taxonomically and molecular) approaches (Barnes & Tarling 2017), and even less is known about ecosystem dynamics (functions & processes) and the services they provide.
Existing benthic surveys are uneven in spatial coverage, methodology and time periods, limiting the ability to compare coastal, shelf, deep-sea responses to climate drivers, and to quantify benthic ecosystem processes, such as bentho-pelagic coupling, nutrient cycling and carbon sequestrations at the seafloor. Indeed, the magnitude, seasonality, and regional variability of vertical carbon fluxes, and their impact on benthic ecosystem structure and functioning, remain as major uncertainties, especially at a circumpolar scale and during different seasons (e.g., winter months).
Within this context, the working group SO-BEDS aims to integrate benthic observations, harmonize sampling strategies, and link ecological patterns with environmental drivers. By fostering and coordinating collaboration across nations, platforms, and research disciplines, SO-BEDS will enable the Antarctic community to generate comparable benthic-relevant data across coastal, shelf, and deep-sea environments within overlapping time windows. Such synchronized efforts are essential for distinguishing spatial from temporal variability, identifying biodiversity and blue-carbon hotspots and vulnerable regions, and establishing a robust foundation for detecting and predicting ecosystem shifts.
SO-BEDS directly supports the mission of Antarctica InSync and other initiatives (e.g., SCAR ANTOS) by addressing how benthic ecosystems respond to linked physical–biogeochemical–ecological processes and by providing the coordinated framework necessary for long-term, circumpolar monitoring and modelling of benthic change in a rapidly shifting SO.
To achieve the overarching goals, SO-BEDS will focus on several specific and coordinated objectives:
We will develop and implement standardized, ‘FAIR-by-design’ protocols for sampling, data processing, quality control (QC), and metadata management to ensure data comparability, reliability, and long-term usability across national and international Antarctic benthic ecosystem research teams.
Further we aim to establish a coordinated network of long-term monitoring seabed sites across representative Antarctic regions, spanning coastal (linked to ANTOS) to deep-sea habitats. This network will characterize the spatial and temporal variability of benthic biodiversity, community structure, and ecosystem functions and processes, and will generate a consistent circumpolar baseline for assessing future seafloor changes in the SO.
Moreover, we will quantify spatial and temporal (seasonal, inter-annual, decade scales) variability in benthic biodiversity patterns and ecosystem responses to environmental drivers (e.g., temperature, sea-ice cover, primary productivity). By comparing responses within and between coastal, shelf and deep-sea systems, we will identify regions and habitats that are particularly sensitive to environmental and climate change, including potential biodiversity hotspots and other areas under threat.
Finally, SO-BEDS will strengthen collaboration, networking, and capacity building within the benthic research community. We will create new opportunities for international collaborations and provide exchange activities for ECRs, fostering an open and inclusive environment for data sharing and joint scientific progress.
The working group SO-BEDS will investigate benthic ecosystems across nearshore embayment, continental shelves, slopes and abyssal plains spanning a range of different ice-cover regimes from persistently ice-covered to ice-free regions, and ice-shelf fronts including the marginal ice zone. These environments represent a range of physical and ecological conditions and are expected to differ strongly in their response to ongoing climate change. Our approach integrates biological, biogeochemical, and physical measurements to capture ecosystem structure, functioning, and processes (e.g., carbon-flux related processes).
The main target variables listed below represent key examples rather than an exhaustive set. Additional variables may be incorporated during the Antarctica Insync process. A detailed and harmonized variable list is currently under development:
Together, these example variables and properties would collectively capture the biodiversity and ecosystem dynamics that regulate benthic responses to environmental change and support essential ecosystem services and driving productivity. Thus, these form the foundation and core focus of SO-BEDS circumpolar monitoring and synthesis efforts.
A combination of in situ sampling and observation, automated measurements, and remote-sensing tools will be applied to achieve high-resolution, standardized datasets across spatial and temporal scales of the benthic ecosystem.
All measurements and sampling will follow standardized protocols and intercalibrated methodology.
Workshops involving all project partners will define criteria for organizing and harmonizing existing datasets and ensure that data are directly comparable across sites and time periods. This process will include defining common metadata structures, units of measurement, and data QC.
For the new data to be collected during the upcoming field seasons, partners will agree on a standardized set of variables (core parameters), sampling designs, analytical methods, and data recording protocols, regarding ship-based and land-based sampling. SO-BEDS will coordinate closely with the upcoming InSync SOOS Data Management working group, as well as with existing SOOS and ANTOS data management teams, to align these standards with the existing best practice and to ensure compliance with the data requirements.
The implementation of shared procedures will facilitate the integration of datasets generated by different teams, enabling robust joint analyses. Ultimately, this standardization will strengthen the comparability and reproducibility of results following the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable), and will enhance our collective capacity to identify circumpolar pattern, ecosystem responses, long-term trends and draw meaningful conclusions about benthic ecosystems across regions in the Southern Ocean.
The SO-BEDS working group is highly relevant and aligned with several SCAR (Scientific Committee of Antarctic Research) Expert Groups and Scientific Research Programs, that coordinate sustained scientific observation, data integration, and biological and environmental assessment in the SO and Antarctic coastal regions, e.g., SOOS (Southern Ocean Observing System) and ANTOS (the Antarctic Near-Shore and Terrestrial Observation System). Through its focus on long-term benthic observations, regarding ecosystem dynamics and services, SO-BEDS will strengthen the current underrepresented benthic component of these observing efforts across coastal, shelf and deep-sea environments. Harmonized, FAIR principles datasets generated from SO-BEDS can feed to SOOSmap and complementary data infrastructures as well as to SOOS Regional Working Groups, such as those focused on the West Antarctic Peninsula, the Ross Sea and the Weddell Sea and Dronning Maud Land, thereby enhancing spatial and temporal coverage and supporting climate-relevant assessments. It connects to the SCAR Expert Group on Antarctic Biodiversity Informatics (ABI) through its emphasis on standardized, accessible, and interoperable biodiversity data, and to the SCAR Expert Group ANTOS through its focus on coastal environmentally variability and ecosystem responses. By addressing circumpolar benthic biodiversity patterns linked with ecosystem processes and functions, the working group SO-BEDS contributes to the goals of the proposed SCAR Scientific Research Program C-CAGE (Changes in Circumpolar Antarctic Gradients in Ecosystems), which aims to understand and predict future impacts of environmental changes upon Antarctic and SO ecosystems. Furthermore, it aligns with the SCAR Scientific Research Program Ant-ICON (Integrated Science to Inform Antarctic and Southern Ocean Conservation) due to its contribution and relevance to ongoing and future conservation and management planning, identification of ecologically significant areas, and delivery of data products needed for evidence-based policy making.
A dedicated workshop focusing on the identification of benthic Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs) for the SO (Towards Essential Biodiversity Variables for Antarctic Seafloor Fauna) is planned for the SCAR Open Science Conference 2026 in Oslo. The workshop will be co-led by Jan Jansen (UTAS) and Friederike Weith (AWI), both members of this working group SO-BEDS. Its outcome will directly support the SO-BEDS objective of identifying core regions of high ecological significance and vulnerable regions to guide future monitoring and conservation priorities.
From a data management perspective, SO-BEDS will support the mission of the SCAR Standing Committee on Antarctic Data Management (SCADM) by developing shared standardized protocols and promoting interoperable databases in line with the FAIR data principles.
SO-BEDS will also contribute to CCAMLR’s environmental and ecosystem monitoring efforts, by providing ecosystem information regarding seafloor processes and dynamics relevant to management decisions in a rapidly changing SO.
By fostering cross-disciplinary and multinational collaboration, SO-BEDS will connect researchers and institutions working within and across coastal, shelf, slope and deep-sea habitats in the SO under a common framework for standardized sampling, data management and sharing. This integration will strengthen communication and coordination across the global benthic research community and related crosscutting fields, ensuring that benthic biodiversity patterns, ecosystem dynamics and services and their responses to environmental change are systematically captured and incorporated into future assessments. In doing so, SO-BEDS complements and strengthens the objectives and aims of SCAR, CCAMLR, and SOOS, contributing tangible improvements collaboration, data quality, and scientific understanding of some of the most sensitive and unique benthic regions on this planet.
| Timeframe | Task |
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| Phase 1 (2025-2027) Foundation & Harmonization/ Coordination | Focus: community/network building, expression of interest, research theme and protocol development and coordination Late 2025:
Early-Mid 2026:
Mid-Late 2026:
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| Phase 2 (2027-2029): Coordinated Observation and Sampling/ Survey | Focus: joint field campaigns, training, data QA/ QC workshops
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| Phase 3 (2029 – up to 4/5 years): Synthesis and Dissemination | Focus: joint analyses, publications, policy-relevant output, long-term legacy
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SO-BEDS is inherently integrative. We maintain active collaboration and exchange with the SOBIS Working Group (lead by Chester Sands), which focusses on using whole genome approaches to determine benthic biodiversity distribution patterns. While SOBIS emphasizes biogeographic patterns with genetics, SO-BEDS complements and considerably expands these efforts by addressing benthic ecosystem function and processes and, importantly, ecosystem services provided by benthic ecosystems.
Our combined abiotic and biotic approach to evaluating benthic ecosystem biodiversity, dynamics and services data (Theme 4) will provide essential biological context for other Antarctica Insync Working Groups These include those focused on Antarctic coastal regions (Theme 3), for example by providing ecosystem structure (e.g., biodiversity identities) insights to understand pelagic-benthic coupling processes in regions with melting ice shelves. Further, our data on ecosystem processes and ice-driven impacts will link to Working Groups addressing Ice Sheet Melt (Theme 3) and Sea Ice Decline (Theme 2), as well as Working Groups related to carbon and element cycles (Theme 1). In addition, by linking physical drivers to the carbon cycle, we provide critical information for Working Groups addressing Anthropogenic Signatures (Theme 5).
We will collaborate actively via joint workshops and shared data platforms to ensure our outputs amplify the impact of the entire Antarctica InSync program.
