PALMER STATION SCIENCE SITREP NOV I995 The following science projects were active at Palmer Station during the month: S-003 OZONE DEPLETION, UV-B RADIATION AND VASCULAR PLANT PERFORMANCE IN ANTARCTICA. Thomas Day, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, 85287. PERSONNEL ON STATION: Thomas Day, Carl Grobe, Christopher Ruhland. Following a smooth Drake Passage crossing aboard the R/V POLAR DUKE, we arrived at Palmer Station 22 November, 1995. Although we brought along over 10 trunks filled with equipment and supplies, everything arrived on schedule and intact, due in part to the excellent assistance of the folks at AGUNSA and ASA. Once on station offloading, orientation, and set up went surprisingly quick, thanks to the very efficient Palmer Station support personnel, starting with Marian Moyher. On our second day on station, we assessed our field sites with the assistance of Eric Holm (S-0454F). One of our concerns was that vascular plants would be snow covered this early in the season; however, this was not an issue as we found well over 60% of the area at our primary field site (Stepping Stones) was snow-free. Both vascular plants we are studying (Antarctic hairgrass and Antarctic pearlwort) are beginning to "green up": they are producing new shoots and synthesizing chlorophyll. To my surprise, we found some hairgrass individuals have seed stalks or influorescences from last year that are still green and have yet to release seeds. Apparently these seeds are continuing to mature into a second year or growing season, which is unusual. This trait would be very advantageous as the growing seasons here are often so short that production of viable seeds may well be uncommon over a single growing season. After making some last minute revisions to the design of our radiation exclusion frames, and testing methods of anchoring the frames so as they would withstand strong winds, we constructed about 80 frames and anchor systems. We received excellent assistance from Mark Melcon, the ASA carpenter, who helped us not only in the construction of the frames, but provided invaluable suggestions for anchoring schemes and also located material on station that was available for the anchors. During the last few days in November we were able to install the frames at Stepping Stones. A total of 70 frames were put in over existing vegetation, with 10 frames or replicates for each of 7 treatments: (1) exclude UV-A and UV-B, (2) exclude UV-A and UV-B and warm, (3) exclude UV- B, (4) exclude UV-B and warm, (5) UV transparent filter, (6) UV transparent filter and warm, (7) open frame (no filter). The UV exclusions are achieved by wrapping flexible plastic films or filters (with desired UV transmission characteristics) around part of the frames, while warming is achieved by wrapping the filters completely around the frames and trapping longwave radiation. From test runs we estimate that under sunny skies this should warm air temperatures by 2-4 degrees C at plant height. All frames and filters survived their first 30 knot wind storm at Stepping Stones with no damage. Since 27 November we have had micrometeorological sensors in place in the backyard of the Station near T5 in order to do final tests of sensors and to cross reference our UV-A and UV-B dosimeter outputs with the output of the NSF spectroradiometer. While we calibrated these sensors before leaving Arizona State, we will do this on a monthly basis to insure that these dosimeters do not solarize or change their UV response over the course of the field season. I have been in contact with the technicians (Kevin Bliss and Glenn Grant) on station who are managing the NSF spectroradiometer, as well as Biospherical Instruments (C.R. Booth), and they are aware of our intentions and are working with us to provide the data we need. Within the next few weeks our micrometeorological stations will be placed at Stepping Stones to quantify the microclimate under the frames in our UV/temperature treatments. We are making final adjustments to our portable photosynthesis system, which mainly involves modifying the measurement chambers we have made. The plants here are slightly smaller than the individuals we have grown in environmental growth chambers at Arizona State, and hence we need to downsize our chambers slightly. I anticipate us making initial physiological measurements in early December. This will involve measuring leaf carbon dioxide uptake and chlorophyll induction kinetics in the field to estimate carbon assimilation and photosynthetic electron transport efficiency. We also will mark leaves and shoots, and photograph plants which will enable us to estimate growth rates through next season. Lastly, we gave a tour of our field site to the film crew (John Allen and Russ Nichols, Signature Video) and briefed them about our research, as well as some things investigators coming to Palmer Station for the first time might wish to consider. In summary, the field component of S-003 is up and running, and data collection will begin shortly. Our quick field site deployment would not have been possible without the outstanding support of ASA personnel, both at Palmer Station and on the Polar Duke, as well as the assistance and advice of other science-event personnel on Station. S-019 REPRODUCTIVE ENDOCRINOLOGY OF FREE-LIVING ADELIE PENGUINS AT TORGERSEN ISLAND, ANTARCTICA. Carol Vleck, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011. PERSONNEL ON STATION: Carol Vleck, Theresa Bucher, Wendy Reed, and Asrun Krismundsdottir During November 1995 we were able to reach our study colonies on Torgersen Island on 22 days. Until November 5 we accessed the island via the sea ice (with many thanks to Don Ferris and Ken Earle). Beginning on November 8 all access was via zodiacs (with many thanks to Herb Baker). In addition we made two afternoon trips to Christine Island (via zodiac) and one trip to Dream Island (via the Polar Duke and zodiacs) to sample from relatively undisturbed penguin colonies. To date we have banded 355 Adelie penguins. During the month of November we handled 402 birds (including repeat handling of focal individuals). Eighty-nine penguins were banded, weighed, and measured, but not bled. We have 54 pairs of focal birds nesting on Torgersen Island. During the courtship phase each focal pair was observed for 50-90 minutes for a total of 117 "penguin-hours" of observation. We are following an additional 108 pairs of banded birds, about one-third of which will serve as controls for our blood-sampling procedures. On each day that we visited the island we surveyed all our banded pairs to determine presence/absence of individuals, laying dates of eggs, and attentiveness on the eggs. By the end of November most of these birds were one-third to one-half way through incubation. During November we collected a total of 244 blood samples for reproductive and/or stress hormone analysis. Many of these were repeat samples from focal birds that are sampled at 10 to 15-day intervals. Twenty-two birds were serially bled over 30 minutes to analyze the effects of handling on stress hormone levels. About half of these birds where on either Christine or Dream island and the others were on Torgersen Island. Twelve of these birds were in the incubation phase, and the others were in the arrival or courtship phase. In 4 newly arriving individuals we used deuterium dilution to estimate water and fat content. In 17 non-focal, incubating males we obtained blood samples at approximately 5-day intervals through the first long bout of incubation. We obtained blood samples from 7 females just as they were returning to the nest after their first foraging bout, but before they began incubation, and then we obtained another sample usually within the first 24 hours of their first incubation bout. S-045F LONG TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH PROJECT (LTER) ON THE ANTARCTIC MARINE ECOSYSTEM: AN ICE DOMINATED ENVIRONMENT (SEABIRD COMPONENT). William R. Fraser/Wayne Z. Trivelpiece, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana 59717. PERSONNEL ON STATION: Eric Holm, John Carlson, Karen Carney Local island access was possible 19 days out of the month. Heavy ice and/or high winds were the reasons for not being able to get out on the other days. During station bound days we did skua and cormorant diet analysis. ADELIES Population counts on Torgersen, Litchfield, and Humble islands were completed in early November. Reproductive study sites for were set up by mid November with 80 sites on Torgersen, 42 sites on Humble, and 15 on Litchfield Islands. Fitness of the breeding population was complete by November 19. The breeding population was censused just after peak egg lay occurred on November 20. SOUTH POLAR SKUAS South polar skuas started arriving during the third week of November. The population is still very low with more arriving every day. The first visit to Shortcut Island on November 20 revealed 15 males had arrived thus far. Three excursions aboard the Polar Duke allowed our group to obtain critical data on Biscoe Point, Dream Island, and the Joubin Islands. We are very grateful for the assistance given to us by the Captain, crew and ASA personnel aboard the Polar Duke. High winds would have prevented us from going to Dream Island and Biscoe Point during the narrow window at peak egg lay for Adelie penguins. S-045R LONG-TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH ON THE ANTARCTIC MARINE ECOSYSTEM: AN ICE-DOMINATED SYSTEM. Robin M. Ross and Langdon B. Quetin, University of California, Marine Science Institute, Santa Barbara, California 93106. PERSONNEL ON STATION: Langdon Quetin (PI, Field Leader), Janice Jones (shared with 045S), Laird MacDonald. Langdon and Janice did a dive at the seawater intake to do a weight checkout on 31 Oct. All divers dove for krill in the pack ice at Palmer dock on 17 Nov. Animals from these dives were measured and frozen for physiological condition studies back in Santa Barbara. All divers dove for krill in the pack ice at Palmer dock on 18 Nov. Animals from these dives were used in the first Larval IGR experiment as well as frozen for cc/cf studies back in Santa Barbara. Acoustic transects using ROZE were completed from A-E on 20 and 28 Nov, while transects from F-J were completed on 21 and 29 Nov. No krill were seen on the A-E transects, but there were blue traces on both F-J transects near Spume Island. We are having some trouble with the DAT recording of these transects but hope to have the problem remedied soon. The trawl zodiac, Rubber Duke, has been set up and everything is running smoothly. Due to brash ice, the first trawl was not completed until 23 Nov. This was a test trawl and we brought up enough larval krill to run our second IGR experiment. Animals from this trawl were also measured and frozen for cc/cf studies back in Santa Barbara. We also did a double trawl - using ROZE to acoustically identify blue patches and the Rubber Duke to tow through these patches to see what was there. We brought up enough larval krill to do a length frequency. Standard zooplankton tows were carried out at stations A-B, D-E, F-G, and I-J on 30 Nov. S-045S LONG-TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH (LTER) ON THE ANTARCTIC MARINE ECOSYSTEM: AN ICE DOMINATED ENVIRONMENT. Ray Smith, University of California, ICESS, Santa Barbara, CA 93106. PERSONNEL ON STATION: Janice Jones (shared position with S-045R), Brady Seely Zodiac testing began 11 Nov. After several false starts and software glitches, our first full sampling run from B-E was completed on 16 Nov. Due to brash ice, stations F-J could not be sampled that week. Brady Seely arrived on station 22 Nov aboard R/V Polar Duke. Full runs of stations B-E were also completed on 20 Nov and 28 Nov while stations F-J were successfully sampled on 21 Nov and 29 Nov. Water samples collected by S045V on 16, 20, 23, 28 and 30 Nov were processed for chlorophyll and salinity. Ice pictures are being taken daily from the roof of GWR in order to monitor local ice movement. All equipment is functioning properly and sampling is being carried out smoothly and efficiently. Thanks go to Brian in comms for setting up the 25W radio on ROZE, and to Commander for his help with the battery boxes and the antenna mount. S-045V LONG-TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH ON THE ANTARCTIC MARINE ECOSYSTEM: AN ICE-DOMINATED ENVIRONMENT (PHYTOPLANKTON COMPONENT). Maria Vernet, Scripps Institution of Oceanography. PERSONNEL ON STATION: Wendy Kozlowski, Cristine Moraes, Jonah Rosenfield, During the first two weeks of November, the ice remained in the harbor, and we were unable to get out in the zodiacs to collect samples. The time was continued to be spent on laboratory work - HPLC standard curve and column calibrations continued and methods and protocol for UV deck incubations were carried out. Data sheets and protocol notebooks were updated for cruise personnel, as well as vials labeled in preparation for January. Water sampling began for the season on November 16, when we were able to collect water from all four stations of the Palmer in-shore grid, with complete profiles at stations B and E and surface samples, as well as 50 meter samples for salts and chlorophyll at stations C and D. Stations B through E were again sampled on the 20th, but due to brash ice, we were only able to get to stations D, C and B on the 23rd. On Tuesday the 28th and again on Thursday the 30th, all four stations were sampled. With the arrival of the Polar Duke on the 21st, Jonah Rosenfield joined the group, and has taken over major responsibility for the primary productivity experiments. Cristine Moraes has continued to work on all nutrient analyses, and with the replacement autosampler, again has all four analysis channels running. The Palmer inshore stations will continue to be sampled during December, and preparations for the January LTER cruise will continue as well. S-091 PALMER IRIS SEISMOLOGY. R. Butler/G. Holcomb, U.S. Geological Survey, Albuquerque, NM. No personnel were on station. The system has been operated by the station science technician. Seismic events throughout the month were recorded. The departing science technician performed vacuum and mass position maintenance on all three instruments, and the incoming science technician installed a new version of the IRIS software, as provided by USGS. The system was quickly returned to normal operation after both maintenance procedures, with very little loss of data. S-106 VERY LOW FREQUENCY (VLF) REMOTE SENSING OF THUNDERSTORM AND RADIATION BELT COUPLING TO THE IONOSPHERE. U. Inan, Stanford University. No personnel were on station. The system has been operated by the station science technician. Synoptic, narrow band and broad-band recordings of VLF signals were made on a daily basis. Science technician turnover included a complete description of all VLF operational anomalies during the past season, and also a synopsis of power outage procedures and recovery. The incoming science technician has successfully taken over the VLF operations and maintenance tasks. S-254 CHLORINE- AND BROMINE-CONTAINING TRACE GASES IN ANTARCTICA. R.A. Rasmussen, Oregon Graduate Institute for Science and Technology, Portland, Oregon, 97291. No personnel were on station. Air samples are taken on a weekly basis by the station physician. The samples are returned to the Institute for analysis of a number of trace components, especially chlorine- and bromine-containing gases. These elements have been implicated in the chemical processes that contribute to the austral-spring depletion of the ozone layer over Antarctica. This work will contribute to a better understanding of the buildup of trace constituents, particularly those of high-latitude marine origin. S-257C COLLECTION OF ATMOSPHERIC AIR FOR THE NOAA/CMDL WORLDWIDE FLASK SAMPLING NETWORK. James T. Peterson, Environmental Research Laboratories, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Boulder, CO 80303-3328. No personnel were on station. Air samples are taken on a weekly basis by the station physician. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory team continue long-term measurements of trace atmospheric constituents that influence climate. The Palmer Station air samples are returned to the NOAA laboratory for analysis of trace constituents, including carbon dioxide. These measurements are part of NOAA's effort to determine and assess the long-term buildup of global pollutants in the atmosphere. These data will be used to determine how the rate of change of these parameters affects climate, particularly by including them in climate model studies. S-275 UM/DOE-EML REMOTE ATMOSPHERIC MEASUREMENTS PROGRAM. J. Prospero/T. Snowdon, University of Miami; C. Sanderson/ N. Chui, EML/DOE N.Y. No personnel were on station. The system has been operated by the station science technician. One sample filter was exposed for the duration of each week, and a weekly schedule of calibration, background, and sample counts was maintained. All operations were normal. T-312 TERASCAN SATELLITE IMAGING SYSTEM. R. Whritner, Scripps Institute of Oceanography, La Jolla, CA. No personnel were on station. The system has been operated by the station science technician. Images and data were collected from DMSP and NOAA satellites using the TeraScan system, maintaining a schedule of 15 passes per day. Additional processing was performed to collect AWS data was from the Bonaparte Point and Hugo Island automatic weather stations in support of the LTER project. Infrared, visible and passive microwave imagery was provided in support of R/V Polar Duke and R/V Nathaniel B. Palmer science and operations. T-513 UV MONITORING EXPERIMENT. C. Booth, Biospherical Instruments, Inc. No personnel were on station. The system has been operated by the station science technician. Throughout the month, raw irradiance data were collected daily and transmitted to BSI. Preliminary irradiance data and inferred ozone abundances were produced in support of Science. As a part of the science technician turnover, a joint absolute calibration was performed, and a complete description of the system operations during the past season was provided. DAVIS STATION SCIENCE SITREP NOV 1995 S-038 FORAGING ECOLOGY AND REPRODUCTIVE ENERGETICS OF ANTARCTIC PETRELS. Wesley W. Weathers, University of California, Davis, CA 95616 PERSONNEL ON STATION: Peter Hodum, Jane Wilson, Dr. Karen Gerhart. Three members of our team boarded the ice breaker Aurora Australis in Hobart, Tasmania on 15 Sep. We reached Davis Station, Antarctica on 20 Oct, and spent the first week assisting with the yearly resupply of the station and organizing our field gear. On 29 Oct, we flew to Hop Island, where Peter and Jane began monitoring petrel numbers at each of the breeding colonies. Karen returned to Davis, where she began determining metabolic rates of adult petrels. The four petrel species that breed on Hop Island mate and lay eggs with slightly staggered timing. Each day, Jane and Peter censused the study colonies, counting birds present and noting their breeding status. By late October when we arrived, most of the Antarctic Petrels had already mated and departed from Hop on their pre-laying exodus. They began returning to the colony about 14 November and over 30 eggs had been laid by 23 Nov. Numbers of Cape Pigeons and Southern Fulmars were low when personnel first arrived on the island, but increased over the next few weeks. Many of the fulmars had to excavate snow from their nesting sites. There were no Snow Petrels present on Hop Island on 29 October; however, numbers increased from 31 Oct onwards, and peaked approximately 9 Nov. Most Snow Petrels had completed mating and had left the colony by 14 Nov. In addition, Peter and Jane noted the first Adelie Penguin egg on 5 Nov, and saw the first Wilson's Storm-Petrel on 6 Nov. At Davis, Karen spent a week becoming familiar with the respirometry equipment and collecting preliminary data on the thermoneutral zone and standard metabolic rate of Snow Petrels. Since travel by sea ice was good and numbers of Snow Petrels at nearby Bluff Island were quickly peaking, she then began capturing 2 petrels each morning at Bluff Island. Oxygen consumption rate was determined for each bird at several temperatures, then each pair of birds was returned to the island in the evening. After determining standard metabolic rate of 10 Snow Petrels, she began to repeat the procedure with Cape Pigeons. Recorded metabolic rates were unusually low, however. Following extensive email consultations with Dr. Weathers, Karen built a ethanol lamp to verify the accuracy of the respirometry measurements. Lamp calibrations revealed that the respirometry system underestimated oxygen consumption by a constant factor. We suspect that the factory calibration of the mass flow meter is in error by a factor of 0.54. Metabolic determinations are continuing with periodic recalibrations of the equipment. The flow meter will be thoroughly recalibrated upon its return to UC Davis. Metabolic rates of Snow Petrels are temperature independent between 15-24 C; above this range Snow Petrel VO2 increases due to heat stress. Within this thermoneutral zone the basal metabolic rate (BMR) of ten 293-g Snow Petrels averaged 57.4 +/- 2.1 kJ/d; which is only 36% of the value predicted by Ellis' 1984 seabird equation. The BMR of three 448-g Cape Petrels averaged 216 +/- 34.6 kJ/d. Ellis' 1984 allometric equation predicts a value of 214 kJ/d for a seabird of this mass. Thus, the BMR of Snow Petrels is remarkably low, whereas that of Cape Pigeons is average for a seabird of its mass. 04231054.263 PLM316.DEC