The Weddell Sea in Antarctica plays a crucial role in the regulation of the planet’s climate with an important participation in geochemical cycles, however we are still lacking a lot of data to understand how it functions and how it affects marine microbiomes in this region and those connected through the currents present there.
What happens in the Weddell Sea, and how will a better understanding of its functioning help us model the evolution of the ocean, its health and its contributions to ecosystem services over time?
To answer these questions, today we are talking to Alessandro Tagliabue who was chief scientist on board of Tara as they chased around icebergs in Antarctica. Alessandro is a professor from the University of Liverpool, in the United Kingdom, as an ocean biogeochemist, he is interested in how the cycling of resources in the sea affects biological activity and vice-versa.
During our conversation Alessandro explains the challenges that exist in studying this region, and why it is so important to study it to better understand the ocean’s health, its evolution and functioning. He recounts the conditions in which the team worked together to collect the samples and data, and the life on board, witnessing amazing wildlife in this very special region of the Atlantic Ocean.
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