The group of Polar Phytoplankton Ecology constructed the multidisciplinary framework for the Southern Ocean ecosystem. Based on studying the changes in the physical and chemical conditions of the Southern Ocean across different inter-annual periods, they explore the impacts of these changes on the community succession of phytoplankton and primary productivity, so as to predict the changing trends of the Southern Ocean ecosystem under the global climate change.

Conduct long-term and large-scale observations in the polar seas by using new ocean observation technologies. The primary productivity survey data of the Ross Sea in Antarctica over several decades are systematically obtained, revealing the seasonal variation patterns of the succession process of phytoplankton populations in the Ross Sea of Antarctica. The above achievements support the estimation of primary productivity in polar seas and the optimization of biogeochemical models.