PALMER STATION SCIENCE SITREP JAN 1997 WILLIAM R. FRASER, SSL NEWS FROM THE LAB Alice Doyle, Senior Assistant Supervisor, Laboratory Operations The early part of the month was filled with preparation for the annual LTER cruise. Upon the arrival of the R/V POLAR DUKE at Palmer Station for the cruise, all worked busily to assure that the tasks of all the groups involved (S-016, Vernet; S-028, Ross/Quetin; S-032, R. Smith; S-035, Fraser; S-046, Karl) were accomplished during the 48 hour portcall. Support continued throughout the month as the ship sailed in the inshore waters and when they were docked on station for a brief portcall before the Live >From Antarctica broadcast. Marian Moyher, the Palmer Station Supervisor Laboratory Operations completed a familiarization visit to McMurdo and the Crary lab. Laboratory and science support with personnel not only in CSEC, but also in diving, mechanical, construction, cargo, field support, SEH and helo ops. As many differences as there are between Palmer and McMurdo, there were also a surprising number of similarities with some issues, including facilities maintenance and available lab and storage space. An ad hoc meeting of the PAUC with on-site PIs, the National Science Foundation Science Representative and Laboratory and Operations staff was conducted mid month. This meeting helped Laboratory Services identify current users needs and discuss future ideas for Palmer Station science support. If you would like to see minutes from this meeting, please contact me at doyleal@palmer.usap.nsf.gov. A precipitation gauge was installed into the on station automated weather system. This installations completes the current goals for the weather system (as requested by S-003, Tad Day). This system is composed of the following sensors: Licor 1000-16 Air temperature, Licor Quantum sensor, Licor pyranometer sensor, Vaisala relative humidity sensor, and a precipitation gauge. A comparison between the new automated system and the current synoptic weather readings will begin in the coming weeks. S-003 OZONE DEPLETION, UV-B RADIATION AND VASCULAR PLANT PERFORMANCE IN ANTARCTICA. Thomas A. Day, Department of Botany and The Center for the Study of Early Events in Photosynthesis, Arizona State University. PERSONNEL ON STATION: Thomas A. Day, Christopher T. Ruhland, and Fusheng Xiong. Studies continued on the influence of UV radiation and warming on the performance of the two antarctic vascular plants Deschampsia antarctica (hair grass) and Colobanthus quitensis (pearlwort). Diurnal patterns of photosynthesis and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters were measured on several days in January on plants under our 90 treatment cages that selectively remove different wavebands of UV radiation and modify temperatures. Both species experienced midday depressions in photosynthesis due to high air temperatures, in agreement with our findings from last season. Soil respiration rates were also measured. Plants were also potted and brought to the laboratory where detailed measurements of photosynthetic gas-exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence induction kinetics were made at several temperatures. Both species displayed positive photosynthetic rates at subfreezing air temperatures. On 21 January we conducted our first reproductive census of the season. Reproductive structures of both species were more developed under warming treatments. We also counted capsules that remained on pearlwort plants from last season. About 1000 of these capsules were collected to assess seed production, seed mass and viability. At the beginning of the month we set out several small frames that modify UV radiation regimes and temperatures around seedlings of both species. Seedlings under each frame were counted and future censuses will allow us to determine how these factors influence seedling survivorship. On 19 January we visited Biscoe Point in conjunction with S-013 field members. Excellent support was provided by ASA and other science personnel on station through the month. S-013 CHANGES IN ADELIE PENGUIN POPULATIONS AT PALMER STATION: EFFECTS OF LONG TERM HUMAN DISTURBANCE AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE. William R. Fraser, Montana State University. PERSONNEL ON STATION: John C. Carlson, Donna Patterson, William R. Fraser (shared with S-035). The conceptual model guiding this aspect of our research is described for S-035. Tourist numbers, movements and distribution on Torgersen Island were documented through censuses and mapping during the month of January. Aquisition of these data will continue through 15 February. Data collection on habitat-specific reproductive success and demography at 770 nest sites located at 66 Adelie colonies was completed on 31 January as part of an effort to document the effects of variability in the terrestrial nesting habitat. Data have not yet been examined to determine preliminary trends. In this study, human activity--tourism and research--is treated as a component variable in a matrix of variables being employed to define nesting habitat characteristics. Low level aerial photography of colonies ended by 31 January and is being used to map habitat features using GPS/GIS technologies. S-016 LONG TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH ON THE ANTARCTIC MARINE ECOSYSTEM: AN ICE-DOMINANTED ENVIRONMENT (Phytoplankton Component). Maria Vernet, Scripps Institution of Oceanography. PERSONNEL ON STATION: Personnel on Station: Wendy Kozlowski, Jeffrey Walker (split position with S-028 and S-032). Personnel are aboard the Polar Duke as part of the annual LTER cruise. S-019 REPRODUCTIVE ENDOCRINOLOGY OF FREE-LIVING ADELIE PENGUINS ON TORGERSEN ISLAND, ANTARCTICA. Carol Vleck and Theresa Bucher, Iowa State University. PERSONNEL ON STATION: Carol Vleck, Lori Ross and David Lott. During the month of January we continued our monitoring of marked penguins on Torgersen Island, carrying out complete surveys of banded birds on 24 days. We also made a trip to Dream Island on Jan 21 to obtain samples from low-visitation penguin colonies. This trip followed an unsuccessful attempt to reach Dream the previous day that was stymied by boat problems and considerable brash ice. The former (if not the latter) was remedied by the able assistance of boating coordinator, Randy Sliester. The month of January was also noteworthy for the presence of the "Live from Antarctica-2" film crew which visited both our field site and laboratory to film the research team in action. S-019's interactions with the crew culminated with our participation in the second live broadcast from Humble Island and Palmer Station to public television stations throughout the US. During this broadcast we hope to have enlightened the viewing school children about life and science in Antarctica, while we ourselves learned a great deal about the wonders of modern satellite communication. We finished collection of samples from brooding parents in our incubation period manipulation experiment on Torgersen Island and also obtained samples from 5 birds that were sitting on infertile eggs for periods in excess of 10 days past the normal hatch date and from 6 unrelieved birds that were brooding dead or moribund chicks. We continued our challenges with a penguin model (to simulate a territorial intrusion) of 3 penguin pairs in the chick-brooding stage. In addition, we obtained samples from 7 failed pairs that were defending a territory following a 2-minute challenge and from 5 non-breeding individuals participating in natural fights within the colony. The level of testosterone and corticosterone in these failed breeders will be compared with the level of these hormones in birds attending chicks. In order to test for diel rhythms of hormone release in birds experiencing nearly 24 hours of light, we obtained sampled from 41 individuals in the brood stage of reproduction. These samples were obtained at 4-hour intervals throughout a 24-hr period, with each bird sampled one time. This activity required that we camp on Torgersen on the night of January 5 in order to obtain the nighttime samples. The able assistance of ASA employee Don Ellis with the generator to run the centrifuge and with the recording of data was most helpful during this late-night vigil. To assess the effect of heavy tourist visitation and accumulated science impact we obtained serial plasma samples during handling for 30 minutes from 34 penguins (10 adults in the brood stage and 24 chicks). These stress samples were taken directly after the visit of approximately 100 tourists to the colonies (6 chicks), on the two days following tourist visits (5 adults, 12 chicks) and on a remote site, Dream Island (5 adults, 6 chicks). Adults were not sampled on the day of the tourist visit because winds in excess of 40 knots forced us to stop. Sampling on Dream Island was greatly facilitated by the able assistance of ASA employee Tim Cully. We also obtained blood samples from 21 adults feeding chicks and from 20 chicks of known age, mass and molt condition. Finally, we obtained samples from 44 failed birds that had lost their eggs or chicks but continued to stay in the colonies (often with a mate) on the old nest site for most of January. For each blood sample collected we also measured hemoglobin concentration and hematocrit and prepared a blood smear for differential white blood cell count. The level of free fatty acids and plasma osmolality was measured in 82 samples as indicators of metabolic and hydration state. S-028 LONG-TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH ON THE ANTARCTIC MARINE ECOSYSTEM: AN ICE-DOMINATED SYSTEM (Prey Component). Robin M. Ross and Langdon B.Quetin, University of California, Marine Science Institute, Santa Barbara. PERSONNEL ON STATION: Janice Jones (shared with S032), Karen Haberman (shared with S032), Jeffrey Walker (shared with S032 and S016). Personnel are aboard the Polar Duke as part of the annual LTER cruise. S-032 LONG-TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH (LTER) ON THE ANTARCTIC MARINE ECOSYSTEM: AN ICE DOMINATED ENVIRONMENT (Modeling Component). Ray Smith, University of California, ICESS, Santa Barbara. PERSONNEL ON STATION: Janice Jones (shared with S-028), Karen Haberman (shared with S032), Jeffrey Walker (shared with S- 028 and S-016). Personnel are aboard the Polar Duke as part of the annual LTER cruise. S-035 LONG TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH ON THE ANTARCTIC MARINE ECOSYSTEM: AN ICE-DOMINATED ENVIRONMENT (Seabird Component). William R. Fraser, Montana State University PERSONNEL ON STATION: Peter Duley and William R. Fraser (shared with S-013). A key assumption guiding LTER seabird research is that the persistence of any seabird population reflects the coincident availability of suitable nesting and foraging habitats. Variability in one or both of these habitats is thus viewed as being an important determinant of change in the magnitude and/or direction of seabird populations. Within this conceptual model, research by the seabird component of the LTER focuses on understanding how the physical environment influences the abundance and distribution of prey on which these predators depend. The terrestrial aspects of this model are embraced in the scope of objectives described for S-013, with which the LTER seabird work shares resources, personnel and data. Both programs also contribute to the broader, international objectives of the CCAMLR Ecosystem Monitoring Program, which in the U.S. falls under the direction of the National Marine Fisheries Service. LTER-related field work on Adelie Penguins encompasses three categories: breeding biology, foraging ecology and demography. Studies on breeding biology and demography were completed by the end of the month. Preliminary results suggest decreases in the number of breeding pairs (-17%) and in colony-specific chick production (-14%), but not in the number of chicks creched per breeding pair (1.40 vs. 1.41 in 1996). Parts of Torgersen Island exhibited much larger decreases than those reported here; possible causal factors are still being assessed. Research on foraging ecology is expected to continue through mid-February, but diets to date have consisted of Euphausia superba exclusively. Thirty- six transmitters were also deployed on 7 January to determine Adelie Penguin foraging trip durations. The solar-powered remote data retrieval system installed during the 1995-96 season was tested and upgraded by Sheldon Blackman. This remote link has again proven invaluable and no data have been lost due to weather. The telemetry work will continue into February. Baseline breeding and population data on other area seabirds were, as in the past, obtained opportunitically to maintain continuity in databases that in some cases span more than two decades. Brown and South Polar skuas, Cormorants, Giant Petrels and Kelp Gulls are the focus of these efforts. South Polar Skuas are exhibiting a complete reproductive failure; there are not enough data available on other species to discern trends at this writing. A rare sighting of two Southern Right Whales occurred on 25 January and Humpback whales have been extremely abudant. We would like to thank the Palmer Station staff for continued support during the month of January. Sharon Delsack, Tim Cully, Dan Weinstein, Alice Doyle, Mary Lenox and Robert Carlson assisted with field work and special thanks to Randy Sliester for excellent boating support. Eric Holm departed Palmer Station on 11 January, joining Karen Carney as participants in the seabird component of the LTER cruise. S-091 GLOBAL SEISMOGRAPH STATION AT PALMER STATION. R. Butler, Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) No personnel were on station. The system has been monitored by the station science technician. New software was loaded onto the IRIS system. Among other changes, the new software is designed to eliminate the data gaps that had been observed sporadically over the last six months. While the software was loading, a visit was made to the vault, where the bell jar vacuums and mass positions were examined. The Z mass was returned to center. Following the installation of the new software, the magnification level of the short period filter, as seen on both the laser helicorder emulations and the screen display, increased by a factor of ten. An older version of a filter parameter file was retrieved from a previous software tape and reinstalled on the DP and DA computers to return the "gain" setting to its accustomed value. On 13 January, the DP experienced a tape error while doing a log flush. The system successfully switched to the other tape drive and repeated the flush. On 26 January, the station experienced a failure in the communications link between the DA and DP computers. After much component swapping, the problem was determined to be in a fiber jumper that was no longer passing light. A replacement jumper was installed, and the system was restored to normal operation. S-106 STUDIES OF LIGHTNING-INDUCED ELECTRON PRECIPITATION OF THE IONOSPHERE. U. Inan, Stanford University. No personnel were on station. The system has been monitored by the station science technician. Narrowband recording sessions were abnormally short on 03 and 06 - 08 January. In the last of these sessions only an hour of data was originally recorded, but the program was restarted following the unscheduled termination, and an additional ten hours were collected. The batteries were replaced in the UPS on 04 January. At the direction of the grantees, a number of charting parameters were adjusted on the narrowband system. The new parameters allow for more detailed observation of small fluctuations on the frequencies that most commonly yield interesting results. The scrape flutter idler bearings on the Ampex tape recorder were adjusted on 23 January. As a result of rapid glacier melting, the antenna tower had moved downhill about 18 inches and was perched on an ice pinnacle of about the same size. On 28 January the ice pinnacle was chipped away, and the antenna was dragged back uphill to its normal location. The guy ropes were then retensioned. On 30 January, a broken rope between an antenna loop post and its anchoring rock was replaced. The broken rope had allowed the post to lean inward as it melted loose, resulting in excessive loop droop. S-204 MEASUREMENTS OF ATMOSPHERIC O2 IN RELATION TO THE GLOBAL CARBON CYCLE. Ralph Keeling, Scripps Institution of Oceanography No personnel were on station. Air samples are collected on a semi-weekly basis by the station physician. The samples are return shipped to Scripps for analysis of O2 and CO2 content. The goal of the program is to resolve seasonal and interannual variations in atmospheric O2 (detected through changes in O2/N2 ratio) which can aid in the determination of rates of marine biological productivity and ocean mixing and aid in the separation of the global sink for anthropogenic CO2 into terrestrial and oceanic components. The program involves air sampling at a network of sites in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Palmer Station is especially well situated to resolve signals due to carbon cycling in the Southern Ocean. S-254 CHLORINE-AND BROMINE-CONTAINING TRACE GASES IN ANTARCTICA. R.A. Rasmussen, Oregon Graduate Institute for Science and Technology 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 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. C. Sanderson, Department of Energy, Environmental Measurements Laboratory 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. T-312 TERASCAN SATELLITE IMAGING SYSTEM. R. Whritner, Scripps Institution of Oceanography No personnel were on station. The system has been operated by the station science technician. Throughout the month of January, the TeraScan system collected, archived, and processed DMSP and NOAA telemetry, maintaining a schedule of 15-17 passes per day. NOAA and DMSP telemetry was archived for S-032 when the LTER grid was clear. AWS transmissions were monitored from Bonaparte Point, Hugo Island, and RACER Rock. A mostly clear DMSP visible image covering the LTER grid was processed and ftped to UCSB for possible use in the LfA project. T-513 UV MONITORING NETWORK. 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, and preliminary irradiances and integrals were produced in support of Science. Scheduled absolute scans were performed on 02 and 29 January. Following the scheduled scan on 02 January, the mercury lamp holder was removed from the roofbox and a hole for a set screw was drilled and tapped in it. The lamp holder, with new set screw in place to prevent the lamp from moving, was then returned to the instrument. After this operation, another absolute scans was performed. Early in the month, a new UV monitor control computer was received and set up. The computer did not work initially, but the Science Technician located a number of connections that had been jarred loose when the drive cage came loose during shipment, and after these were fixed, the computer started working. Software versions B and C were downloaded from BSI and installed. After a period of testing, the new computer was installed on 15 January. The new instrument control program runs under Windows NT. A few minor problems were encountered during installation, but overall the process went quite smoothly. The collection of batch files and C programs that streamline daily preliminary data processing was transferred to the new control computer. Minimal alterations were necessary to accommodate the new data formats, though some of the data distribution issues remain to be addressed. On 24 January, the control program and monochromator position became unsynchronized. The monochromator position was determined by physical examination, and the program's reading was corrected, after which a wavelength calibration scan was performed. On 31 January, the HP power supply that provides current for the internal response lamp failed. Troubleshooting to identify the problem and determine if it can be repaired on site is underway under directions from BSI. BSI will also provide an updated version of the new control program that will allow the new program to control the old style (backup) power supply, at which point response scans will be resumed.