11. Discussion

King and Harangozo (1998) have discussed the trends in climate change in the WAP and identified two possible factors as causes for the interannual variability in the temperature record: atmospheric-ice-ocean interactions, and variability in maritime versus continental control on climate.
The increased maritime influence during recent decades is clear from the data, whereas the mechanisms underlying atmospheric-ice-ocean interactions and the causative factors involved remain to be elucidated.
The life histories of various polar marine species are synchronized with the seasonality of sea ice (e.g. Smith and others, 1995). Sea ice is responding to climate change and this physical forcing on the biological community is evident (REF?).
Furthermore, sea ice is a complex habitat, exhibiting various physiochemical and biological characteristics, and sea ice biological communities respond to distinct microenvironments and go through various stages of succession during the growth, evolution and decay of sea ice (e.g. Dieckmann and others, 1990).
With respect to these various sea ice habitats, here is preliminary evidence that the dynamical process by frazil-pancake formation as described by Ukita & others (2000) may form a distinct habitat not previously described.