The “Biogeographic Atlas of the Southern Ocean” is a legacy of the International Polar Year (2007-2009) contributed by 147 scientists from 91 institutions under the coordination of the Census of Antarctic Marine Life (CAML) and the SCAR Marine Biodiversity Information Network (SCAR-MarBIN). This Atlas is entirely based on the content of the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) and the geospatial portal of SCAR-MarBIN/Antarctic biodiversity portal (www.biodiversity.aq), the Antarctic component of the Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS). This Atlas is an excellent example of valuable exploitation and recognition of efforts made by the numerous contributors to both WoRMS and OBIS.
 
This comprehensive Atlas (510 pages, large format) presents a collection of 66 chapters describing the distribution patterns and processes of most Southern Ocean organisms and key communities – from microplankton to whales - illustrated by more than 800 distribution maps and 250 pictures and graphs. The Atlas covered the Southern Ocean at large, south of the Sub-Tropical Front, but focused in particular to the Antarctic region, south of the Antarctic Polar Front.

The Atlas relies on the analysis of a unique expert-validated database, including 1.07 million occurrence records - from the Antarctic continent to latitude 40°S - for 9,064 benthic and pelagic species from about 434,000 distinct sampling locations.
 
The Atlas is available on www.amazon.co.uk: (direct link: De Broyer C., Koubbi P., Griffiths H.J., Raymond B., Udekem d’Acoz C. d’, Van de Putte A.P., Danis B., David B., Grant S., Gutt J., Held C., Hosie G., Huettmann F., Post A., Ropert-Coudert Y. (eds.), 2014. Biogeographic Atlas of the Southern Ocean. Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, Cambridge, 510 pp.