COMMISSION FOR THE CONSERVATION COMMISSION POUR LA CONSERVATION OF ANTARCTIC MARINE LIVING RESOURCES DE LA FAUNE ET LA FLORE MARINES DE L'ANTARCTIQUE _____________________________________________ ________________________________________________ КОМИССИЯ ПО СОХРАНЕНИЮ COMISIÓN PARA LA CONSERVACIÓN DE МОРСКИХ ЖИВЫХ РЕСУРСОВ АНТАРКТИКИ LOS RECURSOS VIVOS MARINOS CCAMLR ANTÁRTICOS SC-CAMLR-XXXIII/BG/02 19 September 2014 Original: English Agenda Item No. 5.2 Scientific background document in support of the development of a CCAMLR MPA in the Weddell Sea (Antarctica) – Version 2014 Delegation of Germany _______________________ This paper is presented for consideration by CCAMLR and may contain unpublished data, analyses, and/or conclusions subject to change. Data in this paper shall not be cited or used for purposes other than the work of the CAMLR Commission, Scientific Committee or their subsidiary bodies without the permission of the originators and/or owners of the data. To be completed by the Secretariat: Document No.: SC-CAMLR-XXXIII/BG/02 Date submitted: Original Language: To be completed by the author: Meeting: SC-CAMLR-XXXIII Agenda Item No(s): 5.2 Title Scientific background document in support of the development of a CCAMLR MPA in the Weddell Sea (Antarctica) – Version 2014 Author(s) Delegation of Germany Address(s) Name and email address of person submitting paper: [email protected] Published or accepted for publication elsewhere? Yes No x If published or in press, give details: To be considered for publication in CCAMLR Science?1 Yes No x 1 By indicating that the paper is to be considered for publication in CCAMLR Science, the authors have agreed that the paper can be considered by the Editorial Board of the journal and that, if the paper is accepted for peer review, it is the responsibility of the authors to ensure that permission to publish data and cite unpublished working group papers has been received. Abstract Germany intends to present the Scientific Committee the background document that provides the scientific basis for the evaluation of marine protected areas (MPAs) in the Weddell Sea. Please note, that the current state of the background document presents a comprehensive yet incomplete first version concerning chapters that have to be (further) developed or revised. The contents and structure of the document reflect also its main objectives, i.e. (i) to set out the general background and context of the establishment of MPAs, (ii) to describe the boundaries of the Weddell Sea MPA Planning Area, (iii) to inform on the data retrieval process, (iv) to provide - for the first time- a comprehensive, yet succinct, general description of the Weddell Sea ecosystem to reflect the state of the science, and additionally to present the results of the various preliminary scientific analyses that were carried out so far within the framework of the MPA Weddell Sea project, and finally (v) to describe future work beyond the development of the scientific basis for the evaluation of a Weddell Sea MPA. This paper is presented for consideration by CCAMLR and may contain unpublished data, analyses, and/or conclusions subject to change. Data in this paper shall not be cited or used for purposes other than the work of the CAMLR Commission, Scientific Committee or their subsidiary bodies without the permission of the originators and/or owners of the data. Scientific background document in support of the development of a CCAMLR MPA in the Weddell Sea (Antarctica) – Version 2014 This report has been compiled by members of the German Weddell Sea MPA project team and by experts from other CCAMLR member states and acceding states: K. Teschke1, M.N. Bester2, H. Bornemann1, A. Brandt3, P. Brtnik4, C. de Broyer5, E. Burkhardt1, G. Dieckmann1, H. Flores1,3, D. Gerdes1, H.J. Griffiths6, J. Gutt1, S. Hain1, H. Hellmer1, H. Herata7, E. Isla8, K. Jerosch1, R. Knust1, K.-H. Kock9, R. Krause1, G. Kuhn1, P. Lemke1, A. Liebschner10, K. Linse6, H. Pehlke1, A. Petrov11, M. Schröder1, K.V. Shust11, S. Schwegmann1, V. Siegel9, R. Timmermann1, P.N. Trathan6, A. van de Putte5, J. van Franeker12, I.C. van Opzeeland1, H. von Nordheim10 & T. Brey1 1 Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany 2Mammal Research Institute, Dep. of Zoology and Entomology, Univ. of Pretoria, South Africa 3 Zoological Institute and Museum, Biocentre Grindel, University of Hamburg, Germany 4 German Oceanographic Museum Stralsund, Germany 5 Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, Belgium 6 British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, United Kingdom 7 Federal Environment Agency, Section II 2.8, Dessau-Roßlau, Germany 8 Institut of Marine Science-CSIC, Barcelona, Spain 9 Johann Heinrich von Thünen Institute, Institute of Sea Fisheries, Hamburg, Germany 10 German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, Isle of Vilm - Branch Office, Putbus, Germany 11 Russian Federal Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography, Moscow, Russia 12 Institute for Marine Resources and Ecosystem Studies, Den Burg (Texel), The Netherlands Please note that some chapters are incomplete yet and must be developed further Delivery of text pending: R. Knust1, P. Lemke1 Text delivered, but not yet incorporated in BG paper: K.V. Shust10 1 Contents Abstract .................................................................................................................................................................... 0 1. Background and relevant international agreements ......................................................................................... 3 1.1 Global conventions and organisations .................................................................................................... 4 1.2 Antarctic Treaty and Environment Protocol ........................................................................................... 6 1.3 CCAMLR ............................................................................................................................................... 7 1.3.1 MPA planning domains ................................................................................................................. 7 1.3.2 Relevant CCAMLR conservation objectives ................................................................................ 7 2. Boundaries of the Weddell Sea MPA Planning Area ...................................................................................... 9 3. Data sets ......................................................................................................................................................... 11 3.1 Environmental parameters .................................................................................................................... 12 3.1.1 Bathymetry & Geomorphology ................................................................................................... 12 3.1.2 Sedimentology ............................................................................................................................. 12 3.1.3 Oceanography .............................................................................................................................. 12 3.1.4 Sea ice .......................................................................................................................................... 13 3.2 Ecological parameters ........................................................................................................................... 13 3.2.1 Chl-a concentration ...................................................................................................................... 13 3.2.2 Pelagic ecosystem ........................................................................................................................ 13 3.2.3 Benthic ecosystem ....................................................................................................................... 14 3.2.4 Birds ............................................................................................................................................. 15 3.2.5 Marine Mammals ......................................................................................................................... 15 4. Description of the Weddell Sea ecosystem ................................................................................................... 23 4.1 Environmental parameters .................................................................................................................... 23 4.1.1 Bathymetry & Geomorphology ................................................................................................... 24 4.1.2 Sedimentology ............................................................................................................................. 28 4.1.3 Oceanography .............................................................................................................................. 31 4.1.4 Sea ice .......................................................................................................................................... 34 4.1.5 Pelagic regionalisation ................................................................................................................. 37 4.2 Ecological parameters ........................................................................................................................... 39 4.2.1 Chlorophyll-a concentration .......................................................................................................