PALMER STATION SCIENCE SITREP DEC 1995 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. We are conducting our main experiment on the east island of Stepping Stones were we have about 80 radiation exclusion frames in place. We are using the frames to hold filters that exclude UV-B radiation, or UV-A and UV-B radiation over existing vegetation. Some of the frames also increase temperatures around vegetation. We have also incorporated two additional treatments into this study: plants under some open or unfiltered frames receive either supplemental water or fertilizer every two weeks. The frames and filters continue to hold up to the rigors of Antarctic weather very well; this had been a major concern. We have been monitoring air and soil temperatures, relative humidity, as well as visible, UV-A and UV-B radiation with microclimatic sensors and dataloggers. Our measurements have confirmed that our filter frames are providing the desired microclimate modifications. For much of December we have been collecting baseline data on the two vascular plant species we are studying under our filter frame treatments (Antarctic hairgrass, Deschampsia antarctica; Antarctic pearlwort, Colobanthus quitensis). This includes detailed measurements, mapping, photographing and tagging of several hundred plant shoots which we will monitor and use to quantify the growth rates of these species. We have also begun field physiological measurements primarily dealing with photosynthetic efficiency of these species. This has involved measuring leaf carbon dioxide uptake or photosynthesis with a portable infrared gas analysis system we have customized for use with these species, and also measuring chlorophyll induction kinetics on leaves with a pulse amplitude modulated fluorometer which gives us estimates of photosynthetic electron transport efficiency. We have set up a second experiment in an area directly behind Palmer Station on Gamage Point. This experiment is a scaled down version of our main experiment at Stepping Stones. We are using radiation exclusion frames to filter out UV-B over existing Antarctic hairgrass plants. Additionally, some of these plants receive supplemental water. We are making similar measurements on these plants as those in our main experiment on Stepping Stones. The proximity of this site to the Station allows us to continue collecting data when our main study site on Stepping Stones in inaccessible due to weather or ice. We have also incorporated measurements on mosses into this second experiment. There is no Antarctic pearlwort in the immediate vicinity of the station, and therefore we are not addressing this species in this second experiment. It is interesting to note, however, that previous publications addressing the vegetation of Arthur Harbor do not mention Antarctic pearlwort being present on Gamage Point. Hence we were surprised in December, when we discovered a small population of Antarctic pearlwort on Gamage Point behind Palmer Station. Our initial assessment of this population is that it is doing well and probably expanding, since it contains several young individuals. If time permits we hope to map this population, along with some others in the Arthur Harbor area. We have set up an infrared gas analysis system in our laboratory at Palmer Station which allows us to measure photosynthetic rates of intact plants that we bring inside from populations around the station. We designed a water-cooled plexiglass cuvette or chamber to place plants in during measurements, and Mark Melcon (ASA carpenter) built the chamber. Along with a light source (slide projector) and neutral density filters, the chamber allows us to control light and temperature levels during measurements and enables us to determine the photosynthetic light response and the photosynthetic temperature response of both vascular plant species we are studying. ASA personnel and other science event researchers on station continue to provide excellent support and advice, and have helped us successfully implement a challenging set of field experiments. Special thanks go to Mark Melcon (ASA carpenter) for assistance in several aspects of equipment design and fabrication, Greg Schaffer (ASA computer technician) and Janice Jones (S-045R and S-045F) for helping us resolve computer software problems, Herb Baker (ASA boating coordinator) for boating support, particularly over the holidays, and Marian Moyher (ASA lab supervisor) for all around science support. 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 (through 17 DEC), Theresa Bucher, Wendy Reed, Asrun Krismundsdottir During December 1995 we were unable to reach our study colonies on Torgersen Island on a total of eight days including one continuous six day block from December 18th through December 23rd when brash ice packed into Arthur Harbor made access impossible. Unfortunately this was during the peak hatching period of the Adelie penguins. Ideally, we would know the exact hatch dates for the eggs of every pair we are following. Nevertheless, we have been mostly successful in obtaining the information and samples we desire. We have banded a total of 405 birds to date (including rebands of sprung or lost bands), mostly pairs, but this number includes the single birds on Christine and Dream Island that were bled serially for analysis of stress hormone levels. It also includes six yearling birds which were caught, banded and bled. Every day that we have access to Torgersen Island we census all the sub-colonies in which we have banded birds and record the presence or absence of individuals, the number of eggs and/or chicks and any other pertinent observations we might make. During the month of December we collected an additional 337 blood samples while continuing 1) to follow our focal pairs during the latter portion of the incubation period and into the brood/guard stage of the reproductive cycle, 2) to bleed failed breeders from focal pairs which we observe intermittently in the various colonies, 3) to bleed opportunistically birds undergoing unusually long incubation bouts, 4) to bleed the few yearling birds we have seen and 5) to complete our serial sampling of incubating birds and begin serial sampling of brooding birds on Torgersen Island. We began taking small blood samples from selected chicks to use for later DNA analysis of parentage. We placed PIT (Passive Injectable Transponders) tags in some of these chicks and marked them with a non-toxic livestock dye. These procedures are designed to allow us to follow a limited number of chicks of known age and parentage and obtain a few blood samples during the creche and molt stages. 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, Donna Patterson The month of December went as planned except for the days starting 12-17 through 12-23 when sea ice in the harbor prevented any boating. The Adelie penguin reproductive sites were followed each day on Humble and Torgersen Islands for possible hatch dates and losses. The only days missed were the ones mentioned above which, unfortunately occurred during peak hatch. South Polar and brown skua study sites were visited every five days. To date nearly all the brown skuas have hatched and the south polar skuas have all laid. The south polar skuas are showing signs of having a very successful breeding season. Cormorant nests continue to be monitored every five days in conjunction with Adelie reproductive success work on Cormorant and Christine Islands. The giant petrel census commenced on 12-26 and will continue until 1-8. Marine mammal observations are continuing to be documented for the area. Two separate sightings of orcas occurred this month, one pod of five and another pod of eight. The Humble Island telemetry project was set up early in the month with the help of Jim Hamlin and the Palmer Station communications department. Donna Patterson arrived on station on December 16. 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: Janice Jones (shared with 045S), Laird MacDonald (through 17 DEC), Tracy Shaw, Claudia Mengelt Krill were caught 01 DEC 2-3nm east of Hugo Island during a series of four sea ice dives. Animals from these dives were measured for length frequency and frozen for physiological condition studies back in Santa Barbara. Ice prevented regular acoustic sampling of A-E on 04Dec. Acoustic runs were completed from A-E on 05 DEC and from J-F on 06 DEC. Krill schools were observed on both transects along with the familiar "blue line" phenomenon. The trawl zodiac was taken out 06 DEC to attempt tows of the "blue line". Three trawls were done in the H-I-J area but no krill were caught. Standard tows at A-B, D-E, and F-G were done 08 DEC. I-J was not done due to brash ice on 08 DEC, but was completed 09 DEC. A-E acoustic run was completed 11 DEC. Krill were observed at the end of the transect but weather prevented us from returning to the area to target tow. J-F acoustic run was done 15 DEC, one krill school was observed near Spume Island. A targeted tow was done near a large iceberg off Bonaparte point 15 DEC, animals from this tow were used to set up the fourth IGR experiment and a length frequency was done. The brash ice moved back in 16-17 DEC, and did not leave until 25 DEC. Sampling was not done 25 DEC due to high winds. Acoustics transects were completed from A-C/D on 26 DEC, the sea ice line kept us 0.8nm from station D, and from J-F 29 DEC. No krill were observed in either transect. We searched for krill on 26 DEC and did two unsuccessful targeted tows. Standard tows were completed from A-B, D-E and F-G on 30 DEC. I-J was not done due to brash ice. The new console was installed in the trawl zodiac on 31 DEC - the boat has been christened "Kriller" with the addition of a 25W radio and krill stencils. Many thanks to Commander for the beautiful job on this console. Thanks also to Brian in comms for the fast setup/installation of the radio. 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, Jim Vanyo We continue to take ice pictures from the roof of GWR for documentation of ice movement. A CTD cast and water collection was done at LTER station 600.040 on 02 DEC from RV Polar Duke. Ice prevented full sampling on 04 DEC, but we did get water from station B as well as Bonaparte Point and Gamage Point for chlorophyll and salinity determinations. Full sampling runs were completed from B-E on 05 DEC and from F-J on 06DEC. Water collected by S045V from B-E on 08 DEC was processed for chlorophyll and salinity. Full sampling runs were completed from B-E on 13 DEC and from F-J on 15 DEC. Water collected by S045V from B-E on 16 DEC was processed for chlorophyll and salinity. The brash ice came in 16/17 DEC and did not leave until 25 DEC. During this station-bound period, we collected water from Bonaparte Point and Gamage Point on 19 DEC for chlorophyll and salinity measurements. On 26 DEC we could only reach stations B and C due to the sea ice. We sampled F on 28 DEC but returned to station due to high winds and seas. Water collected by S045V from B-E on 28 DEC was processed for chlorophyll and salinity. Full sampling run from F-J was completed on 29 DEC. 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, December sampling began on the second of the month with an overnight trip to the vicinity of Hugo Island and water collection from the Polar Duke at large scale grid location 600.040. Samples were preserved for HPLC, CHN and nutrient analysis upon return to Palmer Station. Palmer inshore sampling continued during the week of the fourth, with two complete transects from stations E to B, and a single run to station B when the ice kept us from sampling at the remaining stations. Station B was again sampled for productivity/growth experiments on the twelfth, and Stations E, D and C were sampled the following day, but quick moving brash beat us to station B, preventing sampling there. On Saturday to sixteenth we were able to get the last complete transect in before ice moved back into the harbor for the entire week of the seventeenth. We were once again able to get out on the 26th to stations B and C, on the 27th to station B, and on the 28th for a full run from E to B. All instrumentation in the lab is now running smoothly; new quench curves and cross-calibrations were performed on the liquid scintillation counters in lab four and in the "rad van" that will be on the January LTER cruise. Cleaning and preparation for the move to the van from lab four were completed during this month while the van resided at Palmer. All remaining possible pre-cruise preparations were completed during this month as well. Oh yes, and very enjoyable Christmas and New Year's celebrations, including some incredible feasts, creative gifts and much laughter, were had by all! S-091 PALMER IRIS SEISMOLOGY. R. Butler/G. Holcomb, U.S. Geological Survey, Albuquerque, NM. No personnel were on station. During the month, a mislabeled seedname was found in the aqcfg file of the recently installed USHEAR software. After consulting ASL, it was determined that this would be corrected during a scheduled tape change. Once the seedname was corrected, a new error message appeared. As of December 31, actions were still pending, awaiting instructions from Albuquerque. On 22 December, the GPS clock was unable to attain a satellite lock. A local reset of the clock restored normal operation. 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. All Stanford VLF operations were normal. 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. All DEAN/RAMP operations were normal. T-312 TERASCAN SATELLITE IMAGING SYSTEM. R. Whritner, Scripps Institute of Oceanography, La Jolla, CA. No personnel were on station. The TeraScan system collected, archived, and processed DMSP and NOAA telemetry, maintaining a schedule of 15-17 passes per day. AWS data was collected from the Hugo Island and Bonaparte Point automatic weather stations in support of the LTER project. Satellite imagery was provided in support of the R/V Polar Duke, and DMSP telemetry was archived for S-045S. During the month, a total of 22 scheduled passes were lost due to a combination of soft and hard hangs of the Sun SPARCstation. The Bonaparte Point AWS was no longer transmitting data as of 28 December. Basic troubleshooting was performed, but as of 31 December further actions were still pending. T-513 UV MONITORING EXPERIMENT. C. Booth, Biospherical Instruments, Inc. No personnel were on station. All UV monitor operations were normal. Preliminary irradiances, integrals, and deduced ozone abundances were calculated on a daily basis in support of science. On 01 December and 18 December, absolute calibrations were performed using the seasoned lamp and site standard lamp respectively. DAVIS STATION SCIENCE SITREP DEC 1995 Report of activities at Davis Station during the month S-038 FORAGING ECOLOGY AND REPRODUCTIVE ENERGETICS OF ANTARCTIC PETRELS. Wesley W. Weathers, University of California, Davis CA 95616 PERSONNEL ON STATION: Peter Hodum, Karen Gerhart, Jane Wilson, Catherine Bone Karen completed the respirometry work on adult snow petrels and cape petrels at the beginning of December. She then moved the respirometry system to Hop Island in preparation for the second phase of the metabolism research. Once chicks begin hatching in early January, Karen will be determining resting metabolic rates on all four species. She will be measuring chick metabolic rates throughout the nestling period. Peter and Jane have been based on Hop since the end of October. They have been following the fates of marked nest sites for each of the four species. Egg laying dates were determined for approximately one hundred nests of each species and adult birds at these nests were marked with picric acid. This marking enables us to follow the cycling of adults incubating eggs and determine the length of each incubation stint. Antarctic petrels began laying on 19 November, peaked on 24 November, and finished on 29 November. Snow petrels began laying on 27 November, peaked on 1 December, and finished on 8 December. Cape petrels began laying on 27 November, peaked on 5 December, and finished on 12 December. And southern fulmars began laying on 6 December, peaked on 12 December, and finished on 16 December. An interesting development this season is that all four species have had a reduced breeding effort compared to the previous two breeding seasons. Of pairs of snow and Antarctic petrels that had eggs the previous two seasons only 60% laid an egg this season. And only approximately 80% of the cape petrels and fulmars are breeding this season. Incubation patterns thus far do not differ from those of the previous two seasons and there is no indication of unusually high desertion rates. In mid-December Karen shifted to Hop and Catherine arrived on the mid-season voyage. The entire team is now based on Hop. Until the chicks hatch, Karen will be running adult Antarctic petrels and fulmars in the respirometry system in order to obtain resting metabolic rates. Peter has begun the incubation stage doubly labelled water component on cape and snow petrels. This will provide information on the energy expenditure of incubating adults. At present we are waiting for chicks to hatch to move into the focal part of the field season. The Adelies seem to be having a successful season thus far with the majority of nests still having two chicks. By this time last year most nests were down to one chick. Based on the well fed appearance of most chicks, Adelies are having no trouble finding food thus far. The decreased breeding effort by the 07123353.138 PLM461.JAN