Research vessel Tangaroa 2023 Ross Sea Antarctic voyage, 15 January – 23 February 2023

This paper provides a summary of the New Zealand research voyage to the Ross Sea region in January-February 2023 on RV Tangaroa (voyage code TAN2302). The over-arching purpose of this multi-disciplinary research voyage was to increase knowledge about key environmental and biological processes in the Ross Sea region of the Southern Ocean, and thereby improve understanding of ecosystem function and resilience. The focus was on providing information about the Ross Sea region Marine Protected Area (MPA) to allow scientific evaluation of its ecological status, spatial adequacy, and effectiveness. The specific objectives of the 2023 New Zealand Ross Sea voyage were: (1) Microbial planktonic communities; (2) Biogeochemistry; (3) Coastal marine processes; (4) Bioconstructional ecosystems; (5) Bioinformatics and phylogenetics of peracarid crustaceans; (6) Convergence of molecular adaptation in Antarctic marine invertebrates; (7) Oceanography; (8) Antarctic canyons; (9) Underway mapping; (10) Mesopelagic fish; (11) Fluid systems analysis; (12) Zooplankton; (13) Climate and atmospheric processes; (14) Cetaceans; (15) Media and outreach. Two further New Zealand research voyages on RV Tangaroa to the Ross Sea region are scheduled for 2025 and 2027. International scientists interested in participating or collaborating on these future voyages are welcome to contact the authors of this paper for more information.