This article was created as part of a topic workshop of SPP1158 Antarctic Research.

Polar ecosystems are experiencing amongst the most rapid rates of regional warming on Earth. This publication discusses ‘omics’ approaches to investigate polar biodiversity, including the current state of the art, future perspectives and recommendations. A community road map to generate and more fully exploit multi-omics data from polar organisms is proposed. These data are needed for the comprehensive evaluation of polar biodiversity and to reveal how life evolved and adapted to permanently cold environments with extreme seasonality. In this publication it is argued that concerted action is required to mitigate the impact of warming on polar ecosystems via conservation efforts, to sustainably manage these unique habitats and their ecosystem services, and for the sustainable bioprospecting of novel genes and compounds for societal gain.

Clark, M.S., Hoffman, J.I., Peck, L.S. et al. Multi-omics for studying and understanding polar life. Nature Communications 14, 7451 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-43209-y

Article review in the journal Polarforschung: Graiff, A. and Ehrlich, J.: Article review: Multi-omics for studying and understanding polar life, Polarforschung, 92, 25–26, https://doi.org/10.5194/polf-92-25-2024, 2024.