AS ONE OF THE HARSHEST AND MOST REMOTE REGIONS ON THE PLANET THE ROSS SEA ANTARCTICA HAS PROVED DIFFICULT TO STUDY ESPECIALLY DURING WINTER. CHALLENGING ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS HAVE ALSO CONTRIBUTED TO THIS REGION BEING AMONG THE LAST REMAINING LARGE INTACT MARINE ECOSYSTEMS WITH GLOBALLY SIGNIFICANT POPULATIONS OF APEX PREDATORS INCLUDING SEALS WHALES AND PENGUINS. DUE TO ITS IMPORTANCE MUCH OF THE REGION WAS DESIGNATED FOR PROTECTION AS THE ROSS SEA REGION MARINE PROTECTED AREA (RSRMPA) IN 2016 BY THE COMMISSION FOR THE CONSERVATION OF ANTARCTIC MARINE LIVING RESOURCES (CCAMLR). IT IS THE LARGEST MARINE PROTECTED AREA IN THE WORLD WITH A CENTRAL GOAL OF PROTECTING THE MARINE ECOSYSTEM AND STRENGTHENING RESILIENCE TO THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE. AD LIE PENGUINS BREEDING ON ROSS ISLAND IN THE SOUTHWEST ROSS SEA ARE KNOWN TO MIGRATE AND WINTER OVER AN AREA THAT INCLUDES THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE ROSS SEA REGION. THIS FACT ALONG WITH THEIR POSITION NEAR THE TOP OF THE FOOD CHAIN MAKES AD LIES IDEAL SENTINELS FOR MONITORING ECOSYSTEM CHANGE AT BROAD SCALES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. INDEED AD LIE PENGUINS ARE CONSIDERED A KEY INDICATOR SPECIES BY THE CCAMLR ECOSYSTEM MONITORING PROGRAM. THE WINTER PERIOD ENCOMPASSES NEARLY TWO-THIRDS OF THE ADELIE PENGUIN ANNUAL CYCLE YET VERY LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THEIR ECOLOGICAL NEEDS DURING THE WINTER BLACK BOX. THIS LACK OF INFORMATION MEANS THAT WINTER HABITAT USE OF AD LIE PENGUINS AND OTHER PREDATORS WAS LARGELY UNACCOUNTED FOR DURING THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE RSRMPA. HOWEVER RECENT ADVANCES IN ANIMAL-BORNE BIO-LOGGERS AS WELL AS IN NASA S REMOTE SENSING DATA PRODUCTS MEANS OPENING UP THE WINTER BLACK-BOX IN THE ROSS SEA IS NOW WITHIN REACH. OUR PRIMARY RESEARCH OBJECTIVES ARE TO: 1) ASSESS THE DEPENDENCE OF ROSS SEA AD LIE PENGUIN MIGRATION ON SEA ICE MOVEMENTS AND THE STRENGTH OF OCEAN CURRENTS (THE ROSS GYRE); 2) IDENTIFY IMPORTANT FORAGING AREAS AND CHARACTERISTICS FOR ROSS SEA AD LIE PENGUINS DURING THE AUSTRAL WINTER; AND 3) ASSESS WHETHER THE RSRMPA GENERAL PROTECTION ZONE (WHICH WILL BE UNFISHED) INCLUDES IMPORTANT PENGUIN WINTER FORAGING HABITAT BOUNDARIES AND ZONES ESPECIALLY COMPARED WITH ADJACENT AREAS THAT WILL RECEIVE DIFFERING DEGREES OF FISHING INTENSITY. LEVERAGING EXISTING EFFORTS TRACKING WINTERING AD LIE PENGUINS THIS PROPOSED RESEARCH PROJECT WILL CONNECT PENGUIN LOCATION AND DIVING DATA DATA WITH NASA-DERIVED REMOTELY-SENSED CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ROSS GYRE SEA ICE MOVEMENT LOCATION OF POLYNYAS (AREAS OF PERSISTENT OPEN WATER) AND OTHER SEA ICE AND OCEAN HABITAT CHARACTERISTICS. THESE DATA WILL BE USED TO DEVELOP ECOLOGICAL MODELS OF WINTER HABITAT USE AND ASSESS HOW PENGUINS MAY ADJUST THEIR MIGRATION AND FORAGING PATTERNS TO COPE WITH ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATIC VARIABILITY. OUR PROJECT ADDRESSES TWO TARGETS UNDER THE U.N. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDG): TARGET 14.2: TO SUSTAINABLY MANAGE AND PROTECT MARINE AND COASTAL ECOSYSTEMS TO AVOID SIGNIFICANT ADVERSE IMPACTS INCLUDING BY STRENGTHENING THEIR RESILIENCE (...) TO ACHIEVE HEALTHY AND PRODUCTIVE OCEANS AND TARGET 14.5: TO CONSERVE AT LEAST 10 PERCENT OF COASTAL AND MARINE AREAS (...) BASED ON THE BEST AVAILABLE SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION. BY FILLING KEY ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE GAPS FOR AN IMPORTANT INDICATOR SPECIES THIS PROJECT WILL INFORM MORE EFFECTIVE ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT OF THE RSRMPA (SDG INDICATOR 14.2.1) IMPROVING EFFICACY OF THE WHOLE SYSTEM INCLUDING FOR OTHER TOP PREDATORS LIKE SEALS AND WHALES. OUR PROJECT MEETS NASA INTERESTS IN UTILIZING REMOTELY SENSED DATA TO INCREASE NATIONAL CAPABILITIES TO PREDICT NATURAL HAZARDS TO MANAGE RESOURCES USING REMOTE SENSING TECHNOLOGIES AND TO DEVELOP KNOWLEDGE FROM THESE DATA TO INFORM ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY.