Fig. 11. Conceptual diagram illustrating past conditions vs. present conditions in the marginal ice zone west of the Antarctic Peninsula in the spring season (October to November). Spring conditions are inherently light-limited due to low solar zenith angles (SZA). Past conditions with lower wind speeds and shallower mixed layer depth (MLD) provided more favorable conditions for spring surface phytoplankton accumulation compared to present conditions.

New paper on changing phytoplankton phenology along the Antarctic Peninsula

In a recent paper, Jessica Turner, a PAL collaborator and Postdoctoral Associate at the University of Connecticut, found that phytoplankton blooms are starting later rather than earlier over time, likely driven by increased wind mixing. Her…
Fig. 3. Photos of example items found (A) A 185 mL bottle of Bona Forte fertilizer for houseplants (in Russian), (B) 100 mL metal bottle of Ethylchloride for pain relief (in Spanish) (left) and an unidentifiable metal bottle (right), (C) what appears to be a Dunlop Mens Purofort Thermo Wellington Boot, which is steel toe and protects under cold conditions, (D) estimated 40 lbs. of line, buoy (~ 2 m diameter) and cloth/mesh (note the human for scale), and (E) a Master Kong plastic water bottle cap (in Chinese). All items pictured were found in the Joubins Islands with BCE, A, and D on island 76, 12 and 18, respectively.

New Paper on marine debris found near Palmer Station

In a new paper,  Katherine Gallagher, Gina Selig, and Megan Cimino document their recent observations of marine debris around Palmer Station in Antarctica. Last season, they found 135 pieces of marine debris along the shore, and near the…
A map of the receding glacial terminus behind Palmer Station, over the last 60 years.

New Paper: 60 years of glacial retreat behind Palmer Station

In a new short paper, Megan Cimino, Marissa Goerke, and Shavonna Bent document how the Marr Glacier behind Palmer Station has retreated over the past 60 years. They found that the glacier has retreated about 7.7 meters per year, which…

New Paper: Remote sensing of sea surface glacial meltwater on the Antarctic Peninsula shelf

As the glaciers in Antarctica and especially along the West Antarctic Peninsula melt, it is important to understand where the meltwater is going, and how it will affect the oceanic ecosystem. In the latest issue of Frontiers in Marine Science,…
Conceptual diagram showing the seasonal progression of heat and salt fluxes and related feedback processes that control sea-ice formation and melt.

New Paper: Influence of seasonally varying sea-ice concentration and subsurface ocean heat

Do you love 1-D ocean-sea ice models? Then check out the latest paper by Ben, Darren, Scott, Doug and Sharon. Kudos to the team! For more, check out the abstract and citation below. Processes driving changes in sea-ice seasonality and…

New Paper: Krill body size drives particulate organic carbon export in West Antarctica

This week's issue of Nature includes a new article from PAL LTER team members Rebecca Trinh, Hugh Ducklow, Debbie Steinberg, and Bill Fraser. Congratulations to the team! For more, check out the abstract and citation below. The export…

New Paper: Depth drives the distribution of microbial ecological functions in the coastal western Antarctic Peninsula

Congrats to Avishek Dutta and the team for their recent paper in Frontiers in Microbiology. Here's the abstract... The Antarctic marine environment is a dynamic ecosystem where microorganisms play an important role in key biogeochemical…
Overview of fish and top predator presence and activity patterns in the Palmer Station region. Top predator occupancy patterns are estimated from visual sightings, Palmer Station monthly reports, and literature reviews (caveats are discussed in the text).
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New Paper: Long-term patterns in ecosystem phenology near Palmer Station

Congratulations to Megan Cimino and many other members of the PAL team who just had a new paper published in Ecosphere. Here's a quick snippet... We show that sea ice retreat and increasing photoperiod in the spring trigger a sequence…
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Antarctic research links warming to fish decline

A long-term study in the Southern Ocean reveals a correlation among warming waters, decreased sea ice and reduced abundance of Antarctic silverfish. These small fish are important prey for penguins, seals and other marine life. The study…
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New Publication from Graduate student (VIMS) Andrew Corso

Graduate student (VIMS) Andrew Corso with co-authors used a novel 25-year time series to model the effects of environmental variability on larvae of a keystone species, the Antarctic Silverfish (Pleuragramma antarctica). Antarctic Silverfish…
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Blooming Antarctica

story by Helen Hill for MITgcm The Southern Ocean plays a critical role in the global carbon cycle by acting as a major sink for CO2. In particular, coastal regions around Antarctica can be understood to play an outsize role, with…
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Exciting research published!

Heather Kim (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) published a new modeling manuscript in the Journal of Biogeosciences.  Her manuscript titled “Modeling polar marine ecosystem functions guided by bacterial physiological and taxonomic traits.”…