Hot Spots in the Ice: New Tools for Exploring Ecosystem Value

This paper presents two new web tools that have been developed in relation to a US NASA-funded project which sought to better understand the importance of polynyas for sustaining Antarctic marine ecosystems. The first web tool is a platform which features multi-media storytelling combined with visualizations of results from a newly developed Antarctic Ecosystem Value (AEV) Index. The second web tool is a shiny app which is meant to contextualize and quantify the AEV index along with other areas important to biodiversity in the Southern Ocean. These tools can be used to better understand ecologically important areas in the Southern Ocean. There will be a lunch event on Thursday October 23rd, 2025 introducing these webtools to the CCAMLR community.