PALMER STATION SCIENCE SITREP JULY 2000 NEWS FROM THE LAB Brett C. Pickering, Winter Assistant Supervisor, Laboratory Operations. July was a quiet science month at Palmer Station, as there were no grantee personnel on station and the lab manager was gone due to a family emergency. The station was busy with the GWR remodel effort. Brash and sea ice have moved in and out of Hero inlet and Arthur Harbor several times during the month, but no fast ice had been formed. The weather has been mild and snowfall unimpressive. The average temperature was –3.2 C with extremes of 4.5 C and –10 C. Average wind speed was 9 knots with a maximum gust of 60 knots. Precipitation fell 23 days with a melted accumulation of 25.3 mm. The maximum snow cover was 33 cm. Wildlife still in the vicinity of the station include: Leopard Seals, Weddel Seals, Southern Elephant Seals, Sheath Bills, Giant Petrels, Imperial Shags, Kelp Gulls, Antarctic Petrels, Snow Petrels, Pintado Petrels, and Adelie Penguins. BP-032-0 LONG-TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH ON THE ANTARCTIC MARINE ECOSYSTEM: AN ICE-DOMINATED ENVIORNMENT (BIO-OPTICAL COMPONENT) R. Brown, University of California, Santa Barbara Station personnel have taken water samples from Palmer Station's seawater intake. The samples have been filtered for chlorophyll-a analysis in a darkened laboratory and stored in a freezer for subsequent processing. GO-052-P GPS CONTINUOUS OPERATION REFERENCE STATION. J. Mullins, U.S. Geological Survey The station science technician has monitored the system. During the month, GPS transmissions were collected continuously, converted daily to a RInEx format, compressed, and transmitted to the US Geological Survey in Reston, VA. GO-090-P GLOBAL SEISMOGRAPH STATION AT PALMER STATION. R. Butler, Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) The station science technician has monitored the system. Global seismic events were recorded throughout the month. AO-106-P 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. During the second half of the month, there were many periods of enhanced activity on the narrowband systems. On those days that showed interesting events, special plots were prepared and sent to the grantees. Several broadband spectrograms of periods of special interest were also prepared and sent. 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 traceconstituents, 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. This 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 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 The station science technician has monitored the local sites. Automated Weather Station (AWS) transmissions were monitored from Bonaparte Point, Hugo Island, and RACER Rock using the TeraScan system. The Bonaparte Point unit continued to send an invalid wind speed, presumably due to a CPU failure. TO-312-O 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 18-23 passes per day. NOAA and DMSP telemetry were archived for BP-032-O when the LTER grid was clear of clouds. 85 GHz SSM/I ice concentration images were produced and sent to BP-032-O on a weekly basis. Several tapes sent to the archive at AARC with telemetry from December 1999 and January 2000 were discovered upon receipt to be corrupted, so copies were made from the rotating Palmer on-site backup and sent to the researchers. 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. Absolute calibration scans were performed as scheduled. The Palmer Station section of the upcoming Network Operations Report was reviewed and suggestions were made to improve its accuracy. The auxiliary Eppley sensors were releveled.