A five-year research project shows climate change as the driver for shifts in the ecosystem and species of the Southern Ocean and coastal Antarctica.
More than 200 scientists from 19 countries spent half a decade studying trends in the region to compile the Marine Ecosystem Assessment for the Southern Ocean, released on Wednesday.
It is the first in-depth report of its kind.
There were more than 40 key findings and one of the most significant was the long-term maintenance of the region can only be achieved by urgent global action to address climate change and ocean acidity.
It found movements and activities of humans are threatening the ecosystem while habitats are changing due to ocean warming.
The way species will react to that is uncertain but the likely decline of Antarctic krill would impact the entire ecosystem, the assessment stated.
The report called for investment into year-round monitoring of the entire ocean and models to understand habitat changes.
It is intended to inform policy makers and politicians, co-convenor Andrew Constable from the University of Tasmania said.
The report is different from previous research efforts as they were made for various different international organisations, however this is intended to be easily used by all bodies.
"We were trying to understand how are ecosystems changing and in particular, what do policy makers need to know to be prepared for the future in ocean systems?" Dr Constable said.
"(The assessment) tells us what are the big messages that need to be accounted for, what plans need to be made to ensure the resilience of Southern Ocean ecosystems and what are the science priorities to better help make decisions in the future."
Co-convenor Jess Melbourne-Thomas from the CSIRO said the area has copped most of the global temperature rise.
“As well as its fundamental importance to biodiversity, the Southern Ocean is crucial to human welfare by providing us with food and helping to control our climate,” Dr Melbourne-Thomas said.
More than 25 journal papers were created as part of the project.
Dr Constable said there was already interest in producing a second report, which could take up to seven years to complete.
