PALMER STATION SCIENCE SITREP NOVEMBER 1997 NEWS FROM THE LAB. Rob Edwards, Senior Assistant Supervisor, Laboratory Operations November exhibited large changes in weather and environmental conditions at Palmer Station. We started the month with severe stratospheric ozone depletion and a high UV index, but by Thanksgiving the ozone hole had dissipated. We had heavy snow cover throughout the month, with frequent snows in the first two weeks, though rapid melting has begun with warmer weather during the last week. The heavy brash ice which surrounded station broke up mid-month, and all groups have been able to take advantage of the good boating conditions which followed. With the open water, local wildlife has appeared in great numbers, most noticeably the elephant seals, and adelie and gentoo penguins. Last month I forgot to mention our local time changes during October, first as we sprung ahead with Chilean daylight time, and again as the U.S. fell back to standard time. We are now -3 hours GMT, 2 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time. Of course, changes in solar zenith and daylength continue apace, with the sun below the southern horizon for only a few hours in the evening. The delay of the R/V L.M. Gould has required some creative solutions to the transport of personnel and supplies to station. The M/V World Discoverer visited the station twice, bringing nine USAP participants south, and redeploying eight on their way home. These visits added two early tour groups to an already busy summer schedule. Still, with the assistance of research divers on station we were able to set up the display aquarium, always a popular spot on the station tour. During November, Palmer Laboratories supported a maximum of 22 researchers from nine science projects. A temporary reconfiguration of lab space was necessary to accomodate this large group. Due to the cooperation of everyone on station, researchers and support staff, all projects were able to successfully maintain their research schedules. The discussion and review of possible safety and health upgrades to the BioLab Building was the hot topic this month among station management and researchers. A number of personnel from the National Science Foundation, Antarctic Support Associates, and the Palmer Area User Committee are contributing to the planning process. It is hoped that plans can be finalized soon, with the remodeling work to begin this coming winter. S-003 OZONE DEPLETION, UV-B RADIATION AND VASCULAR PLANT PERFORMANCE IN ANTARCTICA. Thomas A. Day, Department of Plant Biology and The Center for the Study of Early Events in Photosynthesis, Arizona State University, Tempe AZ 85287-1601. PERSONNEL ON STATION: Christopher T. Ruhland, Fusheng Xiong and Erin C. Vining. Field team members arrived at Palmer Station on November 13 on board the M.V. World Discoverer. Heavy pack ice during the first week limited our access to Stepping Stones Island, the site of our field study. During this time, field team members unpacked the lab and cut 25 additional treatment cages, reinforcing bar and several hundred filters that modify UV radiation and temperature in our treatments. The first visit to Stepping Stones Island occurred on November 22. Both reproductive and vegetative shoots of Deschampsia antarctica (hair grass) and Colobanthus quitensis (pearlwort) were tagged on the northeastern side of Stepping Stones Island from stands that had recently emerged from under snowcover to examine possible re-greening of shoots from the previous season. Radiation manipulation filters were placed on treatment cages as they emerged from the snow in the main plots of the field experiment. Several hundred tillers of Deschampsia antarctica and Colobanthus quitensis were tagged for the initial census used in Demographic Growth Analysis. In addition, several Colobanthus quitensis plants were brought back to the lab for biomass analysis. Excellent support was provided by ASA and other science personnel throughout the inital phase of our field season. S-007 UV-PHOTOBIOLOGY OF PLANKTONIC DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES OF ANTARCTIC BENTHIC INVERTEBRATES. Deneb Karentz, University of San Francisco and Isidro Bosch, State University of New York, Geneseo. PERSONNEL ON STATION: Isidro Bosch, Deneb Karentz, Mario Pineida, David Krakowski and Ross Hein We have continued our focus on the sea star Psilaster charcoti, and the sea urchin Sterechinus neumayeri, as model systems to examine the effects of UV and ozone depletion on the ecology of invertebrates. Psilaster was reproductively active through October and into mid- November, while the reproductive activity of Sterechinus started in mid November and extends into December. Due to ice cover, our efforts during the first half of November were devoted primarily to laboratory experiments and outdoor work was limited to the aquarium deck tanks. Bonaparte Point was open on Nov 10. Experimental equipment and sampling gear (UV spectroradiometer, SCUBA) was hauled by sled to the point, and two experiments with underwater light profiles were completed before Arthur Harbor was freed of ice on Nov 19. Taking advantage of open water in Arthur Harbor and Hero Inlet we have undertaken an extensive effort to carry out experiments in situ and to collect larvae from the plankton for analysis. With the departure of Ross Hein on Nov 24, diving opertions for the project have ended. A total of 17 dives were made since Sept 19, 13 dives were under fast ice or consolidated pack ice. The eggs and embryos of Psilaster are large and yolky. Flotation rates measured in the laboratory for various siblings and developmental stages suggest that eggs and embryos live near the water's surface. This hypothesis was supported by in situ digital video determinations of flotation rates at 10 m depth. In-water light measurements taken under consolidated pack (by SCUBA divers) and in open water indicate that Psilaster would be subject to high but variable intensities of UV in surface habitats. The results of many experiments testing the UV tolerance of this species (3 in situ, 20 outdoor, 16 artificial light) show a wide range of responses, indicating extensive individual variation which is probably related to differences in egg biochemical composition (carotenoid and lipid content, which we are measuring). In situ experiments showed that under high light and low ozone conditions extensive damage as deep as 5 meters in the water column could occur. Adults of the sea urchin Sterechinus neumayeri became fully gravid this month. The eggs of this specie are negatively buoyant. Video analysis indicates that at spawning the eggs settle temporarily to the bottom. However, the embryos and larvae have been found in surface waters. With an abundant supply of gametes we were able to complete a series of 11 outdoor experiments and 4 in situ experiments as well as laboratory dose responses. Analyses of morphological and DNA damage in these samples will follow. Our experimental approach addresses questions of UV tolerance by embryos with different concentrations of sunscreen compounds (MAAs) and by different developmental stages held at different depths in Hero Inlet. Experiments were carried out on days with high ozone and days with low ozone overhead. Analyses of MAA concentration in ova spawned by urchins from deep and shallow habitats showed a higher MAA content in shallow animals. Our tests comparing the UV tolerance of these different populations have been carried out, and data analysis has begun. Additional work has been continuing on the MAA content of various tissues of the limpet Nacella concinna. Weekly intertidal collections of adults are being analyzed for the presence of specific UV-absorbing compounds, the mycosporine-like amino acids. This monitoring program will help us in documenting the responses of this dominant shallow water species to UV stress. Since open water developed and boating became possible, we have resumed our efforts to characterize the distribution and abundance of larval plankton in the water column relative to hydrographic conditions (Temperature, salinity, UV). Larvae of the common sea star (Odontaster) and the pilidium larvae of nemertean worms are the most abundant meroplankters. Odontaster larvae appear to be equally abundant in the top 20 m of the water column, including the uppermost layer from the surface to 3 m. Larvae collected from these surface layer have been isolated and are now being analyzed for DNA damage. S-010 NEW APPROACHES TO MEASURING AND UNDERSTANDING THE EFFECTS OF ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION ON PHOTOSYNTHESIS OF ANTARCTIC PHYTOPLANKTON. Patrick J. Neale, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center PERSONNEL ON STATION: Richard F. Davis, Jennifer J. Fritz, Patrick J. Neale The second month of field activities for this project was completed at Palmer Station. The project uses new techniques to measure and interpret the spectral and temporal dependence of phytoplankton photosynthetic response to ultraviolet radiation (UV, 280-400 nm). Experiments with the "photoinhibitron", a new spectral incubator, continued in November. In this incubator, eighty aliquots of as much as 20 ml can be simultaneously incubated in eight different broad-band spectral regimes. The irradiance source is a 2.5 kW Xenon lamp, which is directed through long-pass cutoff filters with nominal cutoff wavelengths of 280, 295, 305, 320, 335, 350, 370 and 395 nm. Spectral irradiance in the incubator is measured using a spectroradiometer system with a fiber optic probe that is calibrated on site with a 1000W standard lamp. On the 19th of November, the ice finally cleared out of Arthur Harbor, allowing boat operations to occur. During the whole month, Arthur Harbor waters were sampled eight times for photosynthetic rate measurements (radiocarbon incorporation), four of which were bucket samples obtained near the seawater intake on Gammage Point or off Bonaparte Point. When zodiac operations were possible after November 19th, a station midway between Bonaparte Point and Torgerson Island was established. Results continue to suggest that the incubator performs quite well, with acceptable levels of sample variation despite a substantial dichotomy in the flora of large (greater than 100 micron) forms such as the diatom Corethron sp. and small swimming Crytophyte algae (less than 30 um). On two of the above mentioned occasions, experiments were conducted on ice algae samples, containing high densities of various diatom species and Phaeocystis colonies. The study of the temporal dependence of photosynthetic response to UV using the pulse amplitude modulated (PAM) fluorometry technique also continued. This instrument is performing well on Arthur Harbor samples, however we still concentrate samples (using Nitex screens) to obtain sufficient signal levels. The chlorophyll concentration in our samples in general, has been less than 2 milligram per cubic meter. An overall goal of our work is to refine models for predicting the effect of UV, in particular the variation in UV-B (280 to 320 nm) due to ozone depletion, on Antarctic primary productivity. Implementation of the model requires high-resolution spectral data on incident UV, as well as spectral attenuation through water and ice. The Biospherical Instruments (BSI) SUV-100 monitors the long-term variation of incident spectral UV at Palmer Station, and is currently operating at a 15 min sampling interval. During S-010 deployment October through December 1997, this record is being supplemented by a Smithsonian Institution SR-18 UV-B spectroradiometer, situated next to the SUV-100. This radiometer measures incident insulation over the spectral range of 290 to 324 nm with 2 nm resolution (FWHM) and at 330 nm at 10 nm resolution. The sample rate is fourteen spectra per minute which are averaged over one minute periods. With respect to UV measurement in the water column, the BSI PUV and the Satlantic OCP-100 were deployed on two different days at multiple sites within the 2 mile radius around Palmer Station. The Satlantic OCP measures surface downwwelling irradiance and upwelling radiance to estimate spectral reflectance in the UV and PAR wavelengths, while the PUV determines determines attenuation coefficients for downwelling UV and PAR. During November we also conducted measurements of the diurnal variation of photosynthesis in Arthur Harbor samples incubated in outside tanks that either transmit or omit UV. We also continued to collaborate with S-002 (Mopper and Kieber) to measure rates of photochemical peroxide production, hydroxy radical production and effects of nitrite addition in sample water from Arthur Harbor under exposure to irradiance in the photoinhibitron. This data will be used to construct several polychromatic action spectra. We also conducted further tests of a system to scrub radioactive carbon dioxide gas produced during the photosynthesis measurements. We would again like to thank the Palmer Station staff for helping out in all phases of operations, particularly Rob Edwards and John Powell for instrument support, Steve Navarro for skillful construction with plexiglas, and in particular, Jerry McCarty for his timely assistance when the 2.5 kW lamp went south, which has allowed us to continue our experiments. LONG-TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH ON THE ANTARCTIC MARINE ECOSYSTEM: AN ICE DOMINATED ENVIRONMNET The central hypothesis of the Palmer Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) project is that the annual advance and retreat of sea ice is a major physical determinant of spatial and temporal changes in the structure and function of the antarctic marine ecosystem. Evidence shows that this dynamic variability of sea ice has an important, perhaps major, impact on all levels of the food web. LTER research is investigating hypotheses that sea ice is a major factor regulating seasonal primary production; the dynamics of the microbial loop and particle sedimentation; krill abundance, distribution and recruitment; and survivorship and reproductive success of apex predators. Two primary methods of sampling are used by the LTER to document interannual variability in the physical parameters and key biological components of the marine ecosystem: (1) An annual cruise that covers a large geographical area from Anvers to Adelaide Island and to 200 km offshore for a brief period from January to mid-February, and (2) an annual field season that samples the small geographical area within 3.5 km of Palmer Station, but for a longer time period covering the austral summer season from mid October through mid March. LTER components at Palmer Station during November were S-013, S-016, S-028 and S-032. S-013 LONG-TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH (LTER) ON THE ANTARCTIC MARINE ECOSYSTEM: AN ICE-DOMINATED ENVIRONMENT (Seabird Component). William R. Fraser, Montana State University Bozeman, MT. PERSONNEL ON STATION: Peter Duley, Matt Irinaga The 19th of November was the first day in which we were able to access any of our Island study sights. Pack ice remained in the area due to several weeks of very light winds. When the ice formed it was a conglomeration of loose unconsolidated brash. It was determined that sea ice travel would be unsafe. Several trips over the glacier to assess kelp gull nesting attempts and numbers at Short Cut Point and Hero Inlet were made during the early part of November. Through these observations it was discovered that several color banded Kelp Gulls were present at the recruitment stage of nesting. It was determined that some of these birds were banded at Palmer 15 to 20 years ago. Population counts on Torgerson, Humble, Litchfield, Cormorant, and Christeen Islands were started on 19 November to determine the total number of birds attempting to breed. Reproductive study sites for Adelies were also set up on Torgerson (120 nests), Humble (100 nests), Cormorant (50 nests), and Christeen (50 nests). Snow deprivation measurements were made on all Islands. Peak egg numbers and all protocol associated with peak egg laying were completed for the inshore islands as of this writing. Arrival dates for Brown Skuas were documented on Cormorant, Christeen, Litchfield, and Humble islands. As of 28 November no eggs have been laid. Marine Mammal observations have been made throughout the period. Minke Whale numbers around the Palmer area are up from what was seen and recorded last year. There are many juvenile Elephant seals hauling out on Torgerson island this year creating pathways through some of the colonies and disrupting Adelie behavior. Our first tourists to visit Torgerson Island arrived on 23 November on the World Discoverer. This is the earlist date that tourists have been ashore on Torgerson Island. 63 people came ashore in 2 groups. Observations were made every 20 minutes to record any human disturbance, none was noted. 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: Wendy Kozlowski, Michael Crowder S-016 arrived on station 13 Nov, and began unpacking and getting laboratory, deck and zodiac equipment set up for sample collection and processing. The Legend set up was completed and tested, deck and aquarium incubators for primary productivity experiments were calibrated, and the HPLC was set up and calibration of the instrument has begun. Water was collected for productivity testing on 20 and 22 Nov, and the first sampling run of the season was 24 Nov, with full profile sampling done at Palmer inshore station B. With a few minor bugs worked out, sampling was done again the following day at Palmer inshore station E. On full sampling days, water is collected at 50% ambient light depth for short term, gross primary production experiments, picoplankton sample filtration and preservation, netplankton sample preservation, and with station B water, transparent exopolysaccharide filtration. Water from six depths (corresponding to 100%, 50%, 25%, 10%, 5%, and 1% of ambient light) at both stations is collected and filtered for particulate carbon and nitrogen and HPLC pigment analysis, used in 24 hour, simulated in situ productivity experiments, and samples are frozen for nutrient analysis. S-028 LONG-TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH (LTER) ON THE ANTARCTIC MARINE ECOSYSTEM: AN ICE-DOMINATED ENVIRONMENT (Prey Component). Langdon B. Quetin and Robin M. Ross, University of California, Santa Barbara PERSONNEL ON STATION: Langdon Quetin, Janice Jones (shared with S-032), Doug Conlin (shared with S-032) Personnel arrived at Palmer Station November 13 on the World Discoverer to begin sampling for the season. The immediate activities of offloading gear from the ship and moving into the station went well with much appreciated help from ASA. Both sampling zodiacs and all their associated equipment went together smoothly, and letting us "spread out" in the boat house was much appreciated, especially due to the crowded conditions in the labs. All is working smoothly except for the acoustic gear. However, thanks to the efforts of Sheldon Blackman on station and good communication with BioSonics, we are optimistic that the problem will be diagnosed and resolved by early December. In mid-September the fast ice blew out of Arthur Harbor, but was replaced by pack ice within days. Due to light winds until mid November, the pack ice consolidated and remained until it was blown out of the vicinity of Palmer Station November 19. Since November 19 the vicinity of Palmer Station has remained clear of ice and our sampling has been done from zodiacs. The unusual situation of having accessible, consolidated pack ice in Hero Inlet and Arthur Harbor provided us three opportunities to sample and observe Antarctic krill in association with the pack ice habitat. Abundances of krill found under the ice were greater than found during any of our past winter cruises and previous opportunities at Palmer Station. Two cohorts, AC0 and AC1, were found, and krill collected November 18 and 23 (last remaining ice in the back of Arthur Harbor) were staged, measured and preserved for later analysis (CHN, protein, lipid) and their growth assessed in the laboratory. In anticipation of an LTER winter cruise in May/June, an uderwater digital video system was used to video tape krill behavior under the ice and the results look very promising. S-032 LONG-TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH (LTER) ON THE ANTARCTIC MARINE ECOSYSTEM: AN ICE DOMINATED ENVIRONMENT (Modeling, Optical, Ice, Hydrography Component). Ray Smith, University of California, ICESS, Santa Barbara PERSONNEL ON STATION: Janice Jones (shared with S-028), Doug Conlin (shared with S-028) S-032 arrived at Palmer Statioin on November 13 aboard the M/V World Discoverer. Our gear was quickly offloaded and we were able to begin unpacking and setting up immediately. The computers have been set up in lab 2 and have been successfully linked to the Palmer network. ROZE, the electronic zodiac was set up outside over a period of several days of great weather. Water was sampled from the tip of Bonaparte Point, from Gamage Point and from the seawater pumphouse for chlorophyll and salinity. These first samples were shore samples collected on 19 Nov 97. ROZE sampling commenced November 25 at station B. We did CTD and PRR casts and collected surface water samples for chlorophyll and salinity analyses. S016 collected water samples from various depths for us as well. On November 26 we sampled at station E. CTD and PRR casts were completed as well as surface water sampling. S016 collected water from various depths for us to do chlorophyll and salinity analyses. Data from both stations was successfully sent by FTP to UCSB. The fluorometer calibration has not been completed yet due to equipment malfunction. S-035 CHANGES IN ADELIE PENGUINE POPULATIONS AT PALMER STATION: EFFECTS OF LONG-TERM HUMAN DISTURBANCE AND ENVIRONMANTAL CHANGE. William R. Fraser, Montana State University Bozeman, MT. PERSONNEL ON STATION: Peter Duley, Matt Irinaga See S-013. S-035 and S-013 are closely coordinated so one report is filed for both projects. S-085 GPS CONTINUOUS OPERATION REFERENCE STATION. J. Mullins, U.S. Geological Survey PERSONNEL ON STATION: Kevin Bliss (ASA science technician) The month of November was a trying time for the GPS CORS project. During the month, two motherboards in two completely different machines failed while running the GPS-Base data collection software. Since this was the third CPU/motherboard to fail in less than two months on the CORS system, it was decided that another computer should not be put at risk until the cause of this reoccurring problem was found and corrected. As a result, data collection was down completely, from 07 November through 17 November. On 18 November, while still not certain as to the cause of the previous failures, it was decided that two potential, but still unproven causes could be eliminated by doing the following; 1) installing an NT certified Compaq 486DX 66 MHz, as previous computers were not Windows NT certified, and 2) replacing the potentially faulty APC UPS that was shipped with the original system with both a Best UPS and a Sola line conditioner. Using the above components, the computer managed to collect data for the remainder of the month without any further failures. As the Compaq computer is a "loaner" from Infosys, a replacement Dell NT Certified computer has been ordered for the project and will be shipped down after extensive testing at Ashtech. On 24 November it was determined that the baud rate on the serial connection between the Z-12 receiver and the PC was too slow, and this was responsible for intermittent data loss. The baud rate was increased from 9600 to 19200, and this immediately cleared up the problem. S-091 GLOBAL SEISMOGRAPH STATION AT PALMER STATION. R. Butler, Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) PERSONNEL ON STATION: Kevin Bliss (ASA science technician) On 07 November, the DP inexplicably switched from tape /MT0 to /MT1. The system then began a log flush, writing records at an unacceptably slow rate. To clear the problem, the log files were deleted and the DP rebooted. Normal operation followed. S-106 STUDIES OF LIGHTNING-INDUCED ELECTRON PRECIPITATION OF THE IONOSPHERE. U. Inan, Stanford University PERSONNEL ON STATION: Kevin Bliss (ASA science technician) The system has been monitored by the station science technician. Several times throughout the month, norrowband data collection was inexplicably truncated. After the third abnormal session the computer's power was cycled. Normal narrowband data collection followed. S-204 MEASUREMENTS OF ATMOSPHERIC O2 IN RELATION TO THE GLOBAL CYCLE. Ralph Keeling, Scripps Institution of Oceanography PERSONNEL ON STATION: Jim Litch (ASA physician) Air samples were collected on a semi-weekly basis. 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 PERSONNEL ON STATION: Jim Litch (ASA physician) Air samples were collected on a weekly basis and 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 PERSONNEL ON STATION: Jim Litch (ASA physician) Air samples were taken on a weekly basis. 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 PERSONNEL ON STATION: Kevin Bliss (ASA 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 PERSONNEL ON STATION: Kevin Bliss (ASA science technician) Throughout the month of October, the TeraScan system collected, archived, and processed DMSP and NOAA telemetry, maintaining a schedule of 15-17 passes per day. NOAA and DMSP telemetry were archived for S-032 when the LTER grid was clear. AWS transmissions were monitored from Bonaparte Point, Hugo Island, and RACER Rock. Additionally, DMSP and AVHRR telemetry was processed to help both the World Discoverer and the R/V Able J. access the local ice conditions. During the month of November, hard disk sd1 and tape drive ncht0 failed and were replaced with the site spares. On 26 November, the preliminary SeaWiFS decoding module was installed, but data collection was not yet underway for lack of a SunOS compatible SeaWiFS framing patch. T-513 UV MONITORING NETWORK. C. Booth, Biospherical Instruments, Inc. PERSONNEL ON STATION: Kevin Bliss (ASA 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 calibration scans were performed on 05 November and 20 November. During the month, the WWW Bird Deterrent failed and was replaced with the station spare.