CASP will integrate the various regional stratigraphies to achieve a unified circum-Antarctic seismic stratigraphic model that in turn can be linked to available rock sample record to determine ages, lithostratigraphies and paleoenvironments. The goal is to derive a well-resolved paleobathymetric grid. This project will also help define potential future drill sites for IODP and other platforms at key locations around the Antarctic margin. Through unified interpretation of geophysical data sets collected around Antarctica CASP addresses basic questions relating to the behaviour of Antarctic ice sheets and the geological evolution of the Antarctic margin including: How extensive were past advances of Antarctic ice sheets across the margin and how did they relate to changes in the overall ice volume? How does the Antarctic continental crust respond to ice volume changes during glacial to interglacial cycles? How has the growth of the Southern Ocean affected global circulation and paleoclimate evolution? What feedback controls exist between tectonics, landscape and climate?Activities in last 15 months: Eastern Antarctic margin (CASP) workshop: Granada, SP, June 2008. Cross-checking different interpretation and possible correlation among Australia, Italian, Russian and the rest of SDLS data sets Circum-Antarctic Stratigraphy and Paleobathymetry (CASP) Workshop: SCAR-IASC IPY Open Science Conference, 9 July 2008 Eastern Ross Sea Working group established common database and map projection Funding for ROSSMAP in New Zealand was secured in August as part of IPY project Funding for ROSSMAP in USA Funding for was secured in Germany for data integration of data from the Weddell Sea and Bellingshausen/Amundsen Sea/E Ross Sea sectors as part of IPY PLATES & GATES.Upcoming activities: Reprocessing on key USGS lines in Victoria Land Basin to establish connection from ANDRILL (AND-1 and AND-2) and CRP sites in McMurdo Sound to the proposed ANDRILL Coulman High site (ROSSMAP). Compilation of existing seismic data from the Bellingshausen and Amundsen Sea. Establishing links to eastern Ross Sea with planned profiles from RV Polarstern in early 2010 (AWI, Germany). Linkage of stratigraphy of the existing Weddell Sea seismic grid with that of eastern Dronning Maud Land and Enderby Land margins (AWI, Germany, and VNIIGeologia, Russia). Jan/Feb 2009: Russian seismic survey in Eastern Antarctica Detailed geodynamic modelling and lithospheric loading/subsidence processes of the Southern Ocean and backstripping techniques for paleobathymetric and paleotopographic reconstructions. The aim is to calculate paleocurrent simulations for relevant time slices and regions, in particular the two major gateways. Ongoing results and preliminary comparison among different regions will be presented at the ACE symposium of Granada (Spain) Sept. 2009 IODP Ross Sea Proposal