PALMER STATION SCIENCE SITREP JULY 1998 NEWS FROM THE LAB. Diane Wetterlin, Winter Assistant Supervisor, Laboratory Operations The Bio Lab Store move and paperwork is finally complete. This has allowed tasks in other areas of the lab to be accomplished. The aquarium was tackled next because the plumbers were ready to start putting in the sprinkler system. Since lab 9 was in such disarray you could hardly walk into it and it would be such a great sense of accomplishment when done, we completed it next. Lab 6 had the next greatest upheaval, with the asbestos abatement and the microscope cabinet and many spare parts now being stored there, we hit that one next. The physical inventory is completed in Lab 6, now all the information needs to be entered into the inventory database. From here I plan to start at Lab 8 and work my way back to lab 1. I suspect that the remaining labs will go quite quickly. The electricity is in and the walls are up, and several of them painted, in the former Bio Lab Store. There are now three distinct offices. A support beam was moved to make room for the exit at the end of the hall. The alcove, just outside the former SSL office, for the copy machine and printer has been completed. They have even temporarily put carpet down and moved the machines into place. Since I knew the =93critter report=94 was due soon and I hadn=92t been outside much, I thought I better go scope the situation out. I took a walk to Boneparte Point via the glacier. As I stood on the far side (from the station) where the glacier meets the land on Boneparte, I was bombarded by group after group of Snow Petrels with an occasional group of terns. They would hang close to the glacier and then with no advanced warning came soaring around the corner. There were anywhere from two to seven in a group. Most of them came by so close and low, I made eye contact with them as they flew by. All morning long they came from the Southeast, flying tantalizingly close to me and then off over Palmer station. I don=92t know where they were coming from or where they were going but I am glad that I was in their flight pattern. The curious thing was that all the Cormorants I saw were going in the opposite direction, to the Southeast. I also saw a couple sets of Giant Petrels who looked like they were trying to get squatters rights to a rock. They would sit and do their head-bobbing dance and occasionally, for a change of pace, stand and dance. At the same time there was, by my assumption, a young Giant Petrel (he was all dark) flying a figure eight pattern, again and again, crossing over these birds then out around Diana=92s island in Kristie Cove. Besides these I saw three Wedell seals (still no tags), two Fur seals, two adults and one young Elephant seal with a Sheathbill pestering them. Although it was cold, -6C when I left at 8:30am, the sun was out and the wind not much more than a gentle breeze, giving everyone here at the station a very mentally uplifting and exquisite day off. Later, I heard there was a pod of 5 Orca whales that were between Bonaparte Point and the station, doing some spy hopping. For short intervals in July it looked as though we might have some ice form. For a few days the winds would be calm and the temperature was low. The pancake ice started forming a connecting matrix. It was getting close but just when you think this is it, a storm would hit with 50-knot winds (such as July 30) and blow it all out. By the end of the month the temperature averaged out to =963.4C, much warmer than last years -7.8C and the wind averaged at 12 knots. We had less snow in July, 47cm, then last month 63cm but the days of precipitation (23 days of PPT with 21 days of that being snow) did not vary greatly from last month (21 and 17 respectively). The days are lengthening, by 8:30AM it is bright enough to work outside and the light last until 4:00PM. Before you know it we will have light for our entire workday. BO-085-O GPS CONTINUOUS OPERATION REFERENCE STATION. J. Mullins, U.S. Geological Survey The station science technician has monitored the system. During the month GPS data was collected continuously, converted daily to a RINEX format, compressed, and transmitted to the US Geological Survey in Reston, VA. An inventory of the system hardware and software was conducted in support of upcoming events. GO-091-O GLOBAL SEISMOGRAPH STATION AT PALMER STATION. R. Butler, Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) The station science technician has operated the system. Seismic events were recorded throughout the month. A planned power outage on 24 July resulted in a small loss of data; the system has been operating normally in all other respects. AO-106-O STUDIES OF LIGHTNING-INDUCED ELECTRON PRECIPITATION OF THE IONOSPHERE. U. Inan, Stanford University The station science technician has monitored the system. The Stanford receiver records very low frequency (VLF) radio waves for studying ionospheric and magnetospheric natural phenomena. Synoptic recordings were disabled for approximately 2 hours on 24 July due to a planned power outage. Final measurements of the antenna loop lengths and positions were determined. The system is operating normally. OO-204-O MEASUREMENTS OF ATMOSPHERIC O2 IN RELATION TO THE GLOBAL CARBON CYCLE. Ralph Keeling, Scripps Institution of Oceanography 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. OO-254-O CHLORINE-AND BROMINE-CONTAINING TRACE GASES IN ANTARCTICA. R.A. Rasmussen, Oregon Graduate Institute for Science and Technology 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. OO-264-O COLLECTION OF ATMOSPHERIC AIR FOR THE NOAA\CMDL WORLDWIDE FLASK SAMPLING NETWORK. James T. Peterson, Environmental Research Laboratories, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 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. OO-275-O UM/DOE-EML REMOTE ATMOSPHERIC MEASUREMENTS PROGRAM. C. Sanderson, Department of Energy, Environmental Measurements Laboratory The station science technician has operated the system. One sample filter was exposed for the duration of each week, and a weekly schedule of calibration, background, and sample counts was maintained. The RAMP system is part of a global network seeking to characterize the quantity and distribution of radionuclide particles occurring both naturally and artificially in the atmosphere. OO-283-P ANTARCTIC AUTOMATED WEATHER STATIONS. Charles Stearns, University of Wisconsin Automated Weather Station (AWS) transmissions were monitored from Bonaparte Point, Hugo Island, and RACER Rock using the TeraScan system. Spare AWS batteries were charged and tested; an inventory of the batteries and system hardware was provided to ASA and the grantees. TO-513-O UV MONITORING NETWORK. C. Booth, Biospherical Instruments, Inc. The station science technician has operated the system. Throughout the month, raw irradiance data scans were collected daily and transmitted to BSI, and preliminary irradiances and spectral integrals were produced in support of Science. Scheduled absolute calibration scans were performed, and the station science technician assisted Biospherical Instruments with Palmer's synoptic weather data records. The system is operating normally. TERASCAN SATELLITE IMAGING SYSTEM. R. Whritner, Scripps Institution of Oceanography The station science technician has operated the system. Throughout the month, the TeraScan system collected, archived, and processed DMSP and NOAA satellite pass telemetry, maintaining a schedule of 17-19 passes per day. NOAA and DMSP telemetry was archived for S-032 when the LTER grid was clear._