The High Latitudes Oceanography Group (GOAL) contributes to the understanding of the relationship between the physical / chemical environment, marine microorganisms, and top predators of the trophic chain (marine mammals) in the Southern Ocean. Understanding these relationships is crucial for assessing the effect of global environmental changes on each segment. In addition, the difficulty of access to the marine environment in the Southern Ocean requires specific and efficient planning to determine the possible effects of global changes on that area. It is necessary initially to understand the oceanic variability due to natural and / or climatic processes, so that the effects can subsequently be isolated due to global changes. These can only be obtained through multi-annual, long-term programs for the collection and analysis of biotic and abiotic data from the marine environment. Therefore, integrated studies of the marine ecosystem, aiming at its relation with the current picture of global changes, are GOAL’s permanent objectives.
