Scientists from research institutions around the world convened for expeditions in 2005 and 2006 aboard the icebreaker Nathaniel B. Palmer to the Ross Sea near Antarctica, which teems with small plants, known as algae, in spring and summer. The algae have an impact on Earth's climate by using carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, from the atmosphere and then taking carbon down to the depths when they die and sink. The CORSACS (Controls on Ross Sea Algal Community Structure) project, funded by the National Science Foundation, explored the myriad factors that regulate the Ross Sea ecosystem. (Yuanyuan Feng, University of Delaware )[back]
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