Subantarctic and Antarctic Marine Ecosystems: outlining patterns and processes in a changing ocean.

Ecological and social vulnerabilities were important criteria in the decision to engage in research in austral high latitude systems, such as Subantarctic (SA) and Antarctic (ANT) regions. These areas are not only sensitive to climate change, but they are also experiencing increasing impacts from tourism, harvesting, and intensive aquaculture of both shell- and fin-fish. Despite awareness of the magnitude of these drivers, consequences for marine ecosystems in the SA and ANT regions are not well understood. This insufficient understanding stems partially from the prevalence of disciplinary science, which leads to a limited and partial comprehension of complex phenomena that require an interdisciplinary perspective The Research Center on Dynamics of High Latitude Marine Ecosystems (IDEAL) was created to tackle these complex challenges and put into perspective the state of the art of marine science in the Chilean South Patagonia (CSP) and West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) regions. The contributions gathered in the present special issue embody a necessary effort to present and discuss the latest advances in research, focusing on emerging issues related to various environmental, oceanographic, ecological, physiological, and social processes across different ecosystems in SA and ANT regions. The results highlighted in this special issue aim at responding to how environmental uncertainties will affect basic system functions and, therefore, ecosystems services and the wellbeing of coastal communities.