PALMER STATION SCIENCE SITREP FEBRUARY 2001 William R. Fraser, SSL NEWS FROM THE LAB. Cara Sucher, Sr. Asst. Supervisor, Laboratory Operations February was a busy month at Palmer Station, with a wide variety of visitors and much scientific activity. In early February, a nine-person U.S. Treaty Inspection Team arrived at Palmer on the GOULD. The team included representatives from the EPA, State Department, and NSF. Although this was not an official Treaty Inspection, the team was given a tour and provided with detailed information about the station as if it were an actual inspection. The team and vessel crew were invited to a pizza dinner, and the Inspection Team leader gave an informal talk concerning the Antarctic Treaty System. Dr. Polly Penhale, Program Manager for Antarctic Biology and Medicine and the NSF representative on Station, departed Palmer with the Inspection Team. The GOULD arrived again at the end of the month bringing half of the winter-over personnel. The same day, Palmer Station hosted a visit by a German/Swiss Treaty Inspection Team and Rear Admiral Ian Forbes, Flag Officer Surface Flotilla, U.K. Royal Navy. The Admiral arrived via helicopter from the HMS ENDURANCE, and departed the same afternoon on a BAS Twin Otter bound for Rothera Base. Dr. Colin Harris, a member of the U.K.-U.S.A. Special Protected Areas task force was also on Station to survey Litchfield Island and Biscoe Point. Dr. Harris gave a special science lecture about his work and what it means for an island to have “Special Protected Area” status. The tourist program at Palmer Station concluded for the season, with the last of the scheduled cruise ship visits occurring towards the end of the month. All in all there were 12 cruise ship and 5 yacht visits, with over 1300 tourists visiting station. Additionally, personnel from one Argentinian and two Chilean naval vessels, three BAS Twin Otters and one zodiac from Vernadsky were received on station this season. Warm weather continued through February, with average temperatures of 2.6°C and a very balmy high of 8.7°C. We had about the same number of rainy days as last month, though almost 10mm more precipitation than January (31.7mm). Surprisingly, the number of sunny days increased slightly, with five partly cloudy and two clear days for the month. Average wind speed was 9 kts, with peak gusts at just under 50 kts. Boating access continued almost without restriction, occasionally hampered by wind. Brash ice was quite prevalent towards the end of February due to very active glacier calving. The following programs were involved in research at Palmer Station: BP-013-O LONG TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH (LTER) ON THE ANTARCTIC MARINE ECOSYSTEM: AN ICE-DOMINATED ENVIRONMENT (SEABIRD COMPONENT). William R. Fraser, Principal Investigator, Biology Department, Montana State University. Personnel on station: William R. Fraser, Donna L. Patterson and Chris Denker. Continued good access to our island study sites during February has allowed us to maintain the timely acquisition of the LTER Seabird Component core data. During the month we completed much of our work associated with the foraging ecology of Adelie Penguins, including diet sampling and telemetry to determine foraging trip durations. With the completion of our work on Adelie Penguin fledging weights, we also concluded our research on breeding biology and reproductive success. Testing of several satellite-linked transmitters (PTTs) and other instruments in preparation for deployment on Adelie Penguins for the GLOBEC program continued at the end of the month, as were preparation to begin late season diet sampling of Adelie, Chinstrap and Gentoo penguins. A variety of area-wide censuses related to these species were also completed by the end of the month. As in past seasons, we have continued the acquisition of basic data on the demography, breeding biology and foraging ecology of Giant Petrels, Kelp Gulls, Blue-eyed Shags and Brown and South Polar Skuas. These data add to several species-specific time series that began in the mid-1970s. Our work in February benefited greatly from the able assistance provided by Raytheon Polar Services Company employees Jeff Bechtel and Steve Navarro, and from additional help provided by science groups 016 and 028. BP-016-0 LONG TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH (LTER) ON THE ANTARCTIC MARINE ECOSYSTEM: AN ICE-DOMINATED ENVIRONMENT (PHYTOPLANKTON COMPONENT). Maria Vernet, Principal Investigator, Scripps Institute of Oceanography. Personnel on station: Wendy Kozlowski, Karie Sines, Karen Pelletreau, and Michael Thimgan Due to nearly perfect weather for boating, Palmer inshore water sampling at stations B and E was completed eight times during the month of February. Production measurements show the lowest average production for the season thus far, with levels at about a fifth of what they were during the highly productive month of January. Diatoms are still being found in the water column, with continued presence of Rhizoselenia sp. and Thalassiosira sp., as well as the re-appearance of Eucampia sp. and Coscinidiscus sp.. In the absence of BP-032 staff on station, BP-016 has taken over collection of PRR (Profiling Reflectance Radiometer) and CTD data, and has taken over routine fluorometric analysis of chlorophylls. This chlorophyll analysis shows a maintained low level trend, similar to that seen in production measurements. Injection of all LTER January cruise samples for pigment analysis ( using HPLC) was also completed this month, and samples were delivered to the LMGould for nutrient analysis during the 01-02 science cruise. BP-028-0 LONG-TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH (LTER) ON THE ANTARCTIC MARINE ECOSYSTEM: AN ICE-DOMINATED SYSTEM (PREY COMPONENT). Robin M. Ross and Langdon B.Quetin, Principal Investigators, Marine Science Institute, University of California at Santa Barbara. Personnel on station: Robin Ross, S. Oakes and Jordan Watson. Activities this month fall into three categories: (1) twice-weekly standard acoustic transects within 3.7 km of station; (2) grazing experiments with young Antarctic krill feeding both on phytoplankton settled on surfaces and suspended in seawater; and (3) analysis of samples from spawning frequency experiments done on board ship during the 01January Palmer LTER cruise. Acoustic targets were scarce during the first 3 weeks of the month, and consisted primarily of dense phytoplankton mats and the larvae of the euphausiid Thysanoessa sp. During the last week of February small numbers of aggregations of Antarctic krill reappeared. The krill were large (> 40 mm) and feeding well. In the laboratory, efforts focused on finalizing the protocol for Antarctic krill feeding on surfaces, to simulate feeding on ice surfaces in the winter. Ingestion rates for krill < 30 mm were higher than those for krill feeding on suspended matter in the water column in previous experiments. Analysis of the preserved samples of eggs released by females during spawning frequency experiments showed that this season the size range of eggs from different females was large, from 580 µm to 640 µm. The volume of eggs released by a single female in one spawning episode was higher than in all previous years of this 9-year time series except 1996. BP-032-O LONG TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH (LTER) ON THE ANTARCTIC MARINE ECOSYSTEM: AN ICE-DOMINATED ENVIRONMENT (OPTICS COMPONENT). Raymond C. Smith, Principal Investigator, ICESS, University of California at Santa Barbara. No personnel on station; please refer to BP-016-0 for current information. GO-052-P GPS CONTINUOUS OPERATION REFERENCE STATION. J. Mullins, Principal Investigator, U.S. Geological Survey. The Science Technician operates and maintains on-site equipment for the project. During the month of February, GPS transmissions were collected continuously, converted daily to a RInEx format, compressed and transmitted to the US Geological Survey in Reston, VA. 15- second differential GPS data for 24 and 25 February were made available to Dr. Colin Harris, a member of the UK-USA Special Protected Areas task force surveying Litchfield Island and Biscoe Point. GO-091-P GLOBAL SEISMOGRAPH STATION AT PALMER STATION. R. Butler, Principal Investigator, Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS). The Science Technician operates and maintains on-site equipment for the project. Global seismic events were recorded throughout the month. AO-106-P STUDIES OF LIGHTNING-INDUCED ELECTRON PRECIPITATION OF THE IONOSPHERE. U. Inan, Principal Investigator, Stanford University. The Science Technician operates and maintains on-site equipment for the project. The Stanford receiver records very low frequency (VLF) radio waves for studying ionospheric and magnetospheric natural phenomena. OO-204-O MEASUREMENTS OF ATMOSPHERIC O2 IN RELATION TO THE GLOBAL CARBON CYCLE. Ralph Keeling, Principal Investigator, Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Air samples are collected on a semi-weekly basis by the station physician. The goal of this project is to resolve seasonal and interannual variations in atmospheric O2 (detected through changes in O2/N2 ratio) which can aid in determining rates of marine biological productivity and ocean mixing. The results are also used to help determine the terrestrial and oceanic distribution of the global anthropogenic CO2 sink. The program involves air sampling at a network of sites in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Palmer Station is especially well situated for resolving signals of carbon cycling in the Southern Ocean. Samples taken from the station are return-shipped to Scripps where the analysis of O2 and CO2 content takes place. OO-254-O CHLORINE-AND BROMINE-CONTAINING TRACE GASES IN ANTARCTICA. R.A. Rasmussen, Principal Investigator, Oregon Graduate Institute for Science and Technology. Air samples are collected on a weekly basis by the station physician. Samples are returned to the Oregon Graduate Institute for analysis of a number of trace components, mostly chlorine-and bromine-containing gases. These elements in particular 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. David Hofmann, Principal Investigator, Environmental Research Laboratories, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Air samples are collected on a weekly basis by the station physician. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory team continues its long-term measurements of carbon dioxide and other climate-relevant atmospheric gases. The Palmer Station air samples are returned to the NOAA laboratory for analysis as part of NOAA's effort to determine and assess the long-term buildup of global pollutants in the atmosphere. Data from this experiment will be used in modeling studies to determine how the rate of change of these parameters affects climate. OO-275-O DOE-EML REMOTE ATMOSPHERIC MEASUREMENTS PROGRAM. C. Sanderson, Principal Investigator, Department of Energy, Environmental Measurements Laboratory. The Science Technician operates and maintains on-site equipment for the project. The Remote Atmospheric Measurements Program (RAMP) is part of a global network seeking to characterize the quantity and distribution of radionuclide particles occurring both naturally and artificially in the atmosphere. One sample filter was exposed for the duration of each week, and a weekly schedule of calibration, background and sample counts was maintained. OO-283-P ANTARCTIC AUTOMATED WEATHER STATIONS. Charles Stearns, Principal Investigator, University of Wisconsin . Automated Weather Station (AWS) transmissions from Bonaparte Point, Hugo Island, and RACER Rock were monitored using the TeraScan system. The Bonaparte Point unit continued to send an invalid wind speed, presumably due to a CPU failure, the Hugo Island unit currently is not broadcasting, and reception of broadcasts from the RACER Rock unit has been erratic since 06/07 October. Repair of the AWSs is contingent on the arrival of new parts and on vessel scheduling to access the remote sites. R-035 TIDE GAUGE. Tony Amos, Point of Contact,The University of Texas Marine Science Institute. A new tide gauge was installed at Palmer Station in January 2001. This month, a revised algorithm was installed in the tide gauge computer and weekly calibrations with a SeaBird CTD were performed. Contact Tony for long-term data, predictions and interpretation (afamos@utmsi.utexas.edu). TO-312-O TERASCAN SATELLITE IMAGING SYSTEM R. Whritner, Principal Investigator, Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The Science Technician operates and maintains on-site equipment for the project. Throughout the month of February, the TeraScan system collected, archived and processed DMSP, NOAA, and encrypted SeaWiFS satellite pass telemetry, maintaining a schedule of 20- 25 passes per day. NOAA, DMSP, and encrypted SeaWiFS 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. Ice images of Marguerite Bay and Alexander Island were produced for BP-013-O to determine if sea ice impacts foraging patterns of Giant Petrels. TO-513-O UV MONITORING NETWORK. C. Booth, Principal Investigator, Biospherical Instruments, Inc. The Science Technician operates and maintains on-site equipment for the project. Throughout the month, daily raw irradiance data scans were collected and transmitted to BSI, and preliminary irradiances and spectral integrals were produced for on-site researchers. Calibration scans were performed as scheduled, this month on lamps 200W007 and M700.