First Results from the Arecibo Galaxy Environment Survey

The Arecibo Galaxy Environment Survey (AGES) is one of several HI surveys using the new Arecibo L-band Feed Array (ALFA) at Arecibo. Over the next few years, it will cover fields in a wide variety of environments, ranging from the Local Void through isolated galaxies, galaxy pairs and galaxy groups to the Virgo Cluster, with higher sensitivity, higher velocity resolution and higher spatial resolution than previous HI surveys. This will enable the environmental dependance of the HI Mass Function (HIMF) to be determined and will also allow low HI-mass, and high HI-mass to light ratio objects to be discovered. Here we present an overview of the survey and initial results from the first survey field, observed in January 2006.