Southampton - The School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences and Stony Brook Southampton will present an interesting talk on Antarctic ecosystem in its "Critical Issues Facing the World's Oceans" lecture series. The popular series regularly attracts nearly 100 audience members.

Dr. Darcy Lonsdale, an Assistant Professor in Stony Brook University's School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, will discuss a trip during the austral summer of 2008 where graduate students and faculty crossed icy waters from New Zealand to Antarctica to study its food web and research the Ross Ice Shelf, the furthest global point south navigable by ship. Her talk, titled "Antarctica: Our Experience at the Bottom of the World," will take place on Friday, April 3, at 7:30 p.m. in Stony Brook Southampton's Duke Lecture Hall. A reception will follow.

The Ross Sea is a highly productive ecosystem within the Southern Ocean, although it mainly has only had "top and base" food web research done until now. The group strived to learn more about what makes up the rest of the Antarctic food web, especially focusing on microbial and crustacean glaciers.

The work objectives of this research are still in progress; however, it is recommended that anyone interested should come to the presentation. For further information, call 631-632-5046.