PALMER STATION SCIENCE MONTHLY REPORT August 2003 NEWS FROM THE LAB Sonja Wolter, Winter Assistant Supervisor Prescript: One last time for good measure... The United States Antarctic Program (USAP) is undergoing a network migration, which has affected e-mail addresses. Please note that the current address for the Palmer Station Laboratory Supervisor is palmer.labs@usap.gov The relative quiet of July continued through the early part of August at Palmer Station, but this was interrupted on August 20 by a whirlwind, 23-hour visit from the R/V GOULD. During the ship's port call, station members were busy with cargo, orientation for the new station crew members, a science lecture by Konrad Steffan (O-309-L), and of course, a party. Members of Steffan's research group were eager to commence their fieldwork, so the LMG departed early on the 21st, heading in the direction of Marguerite Bay. Palmer's population of 20 now includes four new FEMC workers who have begun alterations to the laboratories. Their tasking includes replacing the fume hood fans with quieter models, and installing a Digital Data Control (DDC) system with additional ductwork to improve heating and ventilation. Overall, the successful completion of these projects should make the labs quieter and more comfortable. The zodiacs are still in storage, so wildlife sightings include only the immediate Palmer Station and Bonaparte Point areas. A few signs of spring's imminent arrival have been spotted, including nesting behavior by Giant Petrels, and fighting between young Elephant Seals. The clear winner in the "Most Difficult To Miss" category was an elephant seal that parked herself outside BioLab for over a day at the end of August. And an unusual visitor for this month included a Fur Seal - the only one seen since May. Other wildlife noted during August included: Leopard Seals; Crabeater Seals; Blue-Eyed Shags; Kelp Gulls; Snow Petrels; Sheathbills; and several appearances of flying insects (suspected to be non-native) in the galley. August weather overall could be described as windy, cloudy and wet. The month brought 110.9 mm of precipitation, including significant rainfall, on 30 of the month's 31 days. Approximately 73 cm of snow fell and accumulated to a maximum 66 cm near the end of the month. Average cloud coverage was 96%, which translated to 30 cloudy days and only one clear day. Temperatures reached as high as +5.7ºC and as low as -10.6ºC. Winds gusted to a maximum of 72 knots and averaged 18 knots for the month. The following projects conducted research at Palmer Station during August: GO-052-P GPS CONTINUOUSLY OPERATING REFERENCE STATION Jerry Mullins, Principal Investigator U.S. Geological Survey The Science Technician operates and maintains on-site equipment for the project. Throughout the month, 15-second GPS epoch data was collected continually at station PALM, compressed, and transmitted to the USGS in Reston, VA. This month 2-Hz data was also collected in support of scientific ice-survey flight operations. GO-090-P GLOBAL SEISMOGRAPH NETWORK (GSN) SITE AT PALMER STATION Rhett Butler, Principal Investigator Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) The Science Technician operates and maintains on-site equipment for the project. Station PMSA is one of more than 130 sites in the GSN, monitoring seismic waves produced by events worldwide. Data files are recorded to tape and also sent to the USGS in real time. The vertical mass was re-centered this month. OO-204-O A STUDY OF ATMOSPHERIC OXYGEN VARIABILITY IN RELATION TO ANNUAL TO DECADAL VARIATIONS IN TERRESTRIAL AND MARINE ECOSYSTEMS Ralph Keeling, Principal Investigator Scripps Institution of Oceanography Air samples are collected on a semiweekly 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 sent to Scripps where the analysis of O2 and CO2 content takes place. OO-264-O COLLECTION OF ATMOSPHERIC AIR FOR THE NOAA\CMDL WORLDWIDE FLASK SAMPLING NETWORK David Hofmann, Principal Investigator Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory 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 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 (RAMP) Colin Sanderson, Principal Investigator Department of Energy, Environmental Measurements Laboratory The Science Technician operates and maintains on-site equipment for the project. 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. 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 AUTOMATIC WEATHER STATIONS (AWS) Charles Stearns, Principal Investigator University of Wisconsin The Science Technician monitors data transmissions for the project. AWS transmissions from Bonaparte Point, Hugo Island, and RACER Rock were monitored using the TeraScan system. The RACER Rock anemometer is broken. The Hugo Island AWS is not currently transmitting. The Bonaparte Point AWS failed during the month and was repaired. AO-306-P GLOBAL THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY AND ITS EFFECTS ON THE RADIATION BELTS AND THE LOWER IONOSPHERE Umran Inan, Principal Investigator Stanford University The Science Technician operates and maintains on-site equipment for the project. The Stanford equipment receives and records Very Low Frequency (VLF) radio waves in order to study natural ionospheric and magnetospheric phenomena, as well as to study the distribution of the lightning strikes that are a principle source of natural VLF signals. Broadband synoptic data was recorded on a schedule of 3 out of every 15 minutes each day, and broadband continuous data was collected for 6 hours/day. Narrowband continuous data was collected for 6 hours each day. Additional broadband data was collected this month to overlap with specific satellite passes. TO-312-O TERASCAN SATELLITE IMAGING SYSTEM Dan Lubin, Principal Investigator Scripps Institution of Oceanography The Science Technician operates and maintains on-site equipment for the project. Ice images were made in support of Marine and Aerial ice- survey operations this month. Throughout the month, the TeraScan system collected, archived, and processed DMSP and NOAA satellite telemetry, capturing approximately 25 passes per day. Weekly 85GHz SSM/I "ice concentration" images were produced and transferred to UCSB for BP-032-P (Smith). TO-513-O ULTRAVIOLET SPECTRORADIOMETER NETWORK Charles Booth, Principal Investigator Biospherical Instruments, Inc The Science Technician operates and maintains on-site equipment for the project. The BSI UV monitor produces full sky irradiance spectra ranging from the atmospheric UV cutoff near 290nm up to 605nm, four times per hour, while the sun is above the horizon. TIDE GAGE Tony Amos, Point of Contact The University of Texas Marine Science Institute The Science Technician operates and maintains on-site equipment for the project. Tide height and seawater temperature and salinity are monitored on a continual basis by a gage mounted at the Palmer Station pier. METEOROLOGY The Science Technician acts as chief weather observer, and compiles and distributes meteorological data. Each day, three synoptic weather observations were performed, coded, and sent to Rothera Station via HF radio. At the end of the month, a summary report was prepared and sent to interested parties. The Science Technician is working with the RPSC meteorologist, project engineer, and Coastal Environmental Systems, the maker of the software, to establish automated synoptic report generation.