PALMER STATION SCIENCE MONTHLY REPORT October 2003 NEWS FROM THE LAB Cara M. Sucher, Sr. Assistant Supervisor, Laboratory Operations Palmer Station officially opened the 2003-04 science season with the arrival of the ASRV Laurence M. Gould on October 16th. Eleven scientists with six research projects arrived ready to hit the ground running. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't quite so agreeable. Heavy brash ice followed by high winds kept boating to a minimum for most of October. Grantees took this time as an opportunity to set up their labs and to prepare for the busy season to come. The science lecture series began with Heidi Geisz (B-013-P/B-198- P) presenting an overview of LTER science conducted at Palmer Station and on the Gould. Other talks included the RPSC Research Associate speaking on UV radiation, ozone, and their affects on human health. The weather has been pretty typical for October, with skies mostly cloudy and temperatures ranging from -13.1°C to 5.4°C. We've had quite a few windy days including a maximum gust of 62 knots on the 28th. 15cm of snow fell in October as well as over 53mm of rain. The following projects conducted research at Palmer Station during September: B-013-P: PALMER, ANTARCTICA LONG-TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH PROJECT: LONG-TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH ON THE ANTARCTIC MARINE ECOSYSTEM: CLIMATE MIGRATION, ECOSYSTEM RESPONSE AND TELECONNECTIONS IN AN ICE-DOMINATED ENVIRONMENT: SEABIRD COMPONENT William R. Fraser, Principal Investigator, Polar Oceans Research Group, Sheridan, MT. B-198-P: MONITORING THE EFFECTS OF TOURISM AND ENVIRONMENTAL VARIABILITY ON ADELIE PENGUINS AT PALMER STATION, ANTARCTICA William R. Fraser, Principal Investigator, Polar Oceans Research Group, Sheridan, MT. Personnel on station: Heidi Geisz, Cindy Anderson, Dan Evans Following the calm crossing in the Drake Passage and a smooth put in of the COPA field camp, we arrived at Palmer Station in the afternoon of 16 October to find ice in the harbor to the horizon. Though we could not get to the field due to ice, we were able to set up our lab and take the Boating I class, Boating II pending weather. Intermittent ice and wind during the following week delayed our field-work, so we conducted intertidal limpet size distribution analyses, skua scat analyses, field tested our satellite electronics and continued to maintain our field equipment and notebooks. Due to unprecedented spring weather subsequent to October 24, our first day in the field, we have acquired data at regular intervals. We obtained Adelie penguin arrival counts, initiated our studies on Adelie penguin breeding biology and monitored brown skua arrival on all five of our local study islands. Two colonies of blue-eye shags were also censured regularly. Snow depth transect measurements collected on the Adelie inhabited islands have indicated a great reduction in snow accumulation when compared to the last two breeding seasons. General data collected daily includes surveys of the local marine mammals and notes regarding seabirds passing through our area. R.P.S.C support has been incredible in helping us get set up this year. Special thanks to Doug Fink for having our zodiacs ready, Cara Sucher and Barb Watson for having the labs in great shape, Bob Jirschele and Jeff Gustofson and the FEMC for assistance with crucial field gear maintenance and all the other individuals who have helped get us in the field this year. B-016-P: PALMER, ANTARCTICA LONG-TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH PROJECT: LONG-TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH ON THE ANTARCTIC MARINE ECOSYSTEM: CLIMATE MIGRATION, ECOSYSTEM RESPONSE AND TELECONNECTIONS IN AN ICE-DOMINATED ENVIRONMENT: PHYTOPLANKTON ECOLOGY COMPONENT Maria Vernet, Principal Investigator, Scripps Institution of Oceanography B-032-P: PALMER, ANTARCTICA LONG-TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH PROJECT: LONG-TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH ON THE ANTARCTIC MARINE ECOSYSTEM: CLIMATE MIGRATION, ECOSYSTEM RESPONSE AND TELECONNECTIONS IN AN ICE-DOMINATED ENVIRONMENT: BIO-OPTICS, REMOTE SENSING, SEA ICE COMPONENT Raymond C. Smith, Principal Investigator, ICESS, University of California at Santa Barbara Personnel on station: Wendy Kozlowski, Karie Sines, Peter Horne and Bryan White (Scripps Institution of Oceanography) Personnel arrived on station on October 16 after a smooth and pleasant crossing, with stops and Copa, Deception Island and Port Lockroy being the highlights of the trip. Ice remained in the harbor through the 25th, allowing the group to complete unpacking, laboratory setup and boating one training. High winds kept us station-bound, but water column sampling was completed on the 30th, with a trip to stations E and B. The phytoplankton component of the core sample set as designated by the Palmer Long Term Ecological Research group scientists includes filtration for particulate carbon and nitrogen, pigment analysis using high performance liquid chromatography, measurement of dissolved inorganic nutrients, and estimation of primary production by measurement of 14C uptake using an on- deck incubator to simulate in situ conditions. Additional samples are being collected for measurements of surface 18O levels, for experiments on the effects of microzooplanton grazing on chlorophyll biomass, and for production estimates of phytoplankton after exposure to natural UV radiation. Continuous, daily data is collected on photosynthetically available and ultra violet radiation, as well as measurements of photosynthetic efficiency using a Chelsea Fast Repetition Rate Fluorometer. The bio-optical component of the LTER collects CTD (conductivity, temperature and density, outfitted with a transmissometer and fluorometer also) and PRR (Profiling Reflectance Radiometer) data at all water column sampling times. Samples are collected and analyzed for discrete chlorophyll a levels, and we are attempting to deploy an Ocean Sensors Autonomous Profiling Vehicle (APV) at a mooring near Station A in Arthur Harbor. The instrument suffered some damage in shipping, but was deployed from the 26th through the 29th. We are still attempting to repair individual components to get the system completely functional. We would like to thank the Palmer Lab Staff for their efficient help in lab move-in and the boating coordinator and carpenters for their assistance in platform adjustments for the new PRR. An especially large thank you goes out to the comms/electronics technician, Jeff Kietzmann for his long hours of help with repairing the PRR and APV systems. BP-028-P: PALMER, ANTARCTICA LONG-TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH PROJECT: LONG-TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH ON THE ANTARCTIC MARINE ECOSYSTEM: CLIMATE MIGRATION, ECOSYSTEM RESPONSE AND TELECONNECTIONS IN AN ICE-DOMINATED ENVIRONMENT: PREY COMPONENT. Robin Ross and Langdon Quetin, Principal Investigators, Marine Science Institute, University of California at Santa Barbara Personnel on station: Dan Martin (team leader/tech), Kristen Green (tech/volunteer) (Marine Science Institute, University of California at Santa Barbara). Our field team arrived at Palmer Station on the evening of 16 October after helping POC John Evans with season-opening logistics at Copa. Upon arrival we found extensive but loose pack ice in the Palmer region. The ice persisted for nearly a week as we established ourselves on station, geared the lab for handling samples, and set about taking advantage of the opportunity to collect larval krill from beneath the ice. Driven by variable winds and tidal exchange, the pack ice continually changed its density along shore. The ice itself was mostly yellowed and laden with microbes, apparently in its final phases of melting away for the season. When conditions were favorable we set up our dive program to collect larvae associated with the ice, eventually completing eight dives. The operation began with several orientation dives for one member, as this was her first polar experience. Although the first dives revealed few to no krill, we eventually came upon several small aggregations large enough to collect. From these samples we were able to start a growth experiment and process individuals for CHN and physiological/chemical condition analyses, thus initiating a valuable early season (post-winter/pre-bloom) data set for the larval stage. The week following alternated between days of high winds that drove away the sea ice, and those calm enough to establish boating operations. After set-up and training, our first zodiac-based trawl and acoustic searches for krill turned up little in the Palmer region. Coupled with our dive observations, it is not too surprising that we are finding few larvae given the low spawning indices from last season (as revealed during the Jan'03 LTER cruise). During inclement weather we processed preserved samples and prepped for the upcoming LTER cruise. We look forward to the rest of the season, and to the continued excellence in support received by our science project. BP-045-O: PALMER, ANTARCTICA LONG-TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH PROJECT: LONG-TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH ON THE ANTARCTIC MARINE ECOSYSTEM: CLIMATE MIGRATION, ECOSYSTEM RESPONSE AND TELECONNECTIONS IN AN ICE-DOMINATED ENVIRONMENT: MICROBIAL/BIOGEOCHEMISTRY COMPONENT Hugh Ducklow, Principal Investigator, School of Marine Science, The College of William and Mary Personnel on station: Lauren Rogers and Mary Turnipseed The objectives of our component of PAL-LTER are to characterize the seasonal dynamics of heterotrophic prokaryotes and the chemical composition and sources of particulate and dissolved organic matter in the nearshore environment of the Antarctic Peninsula. This is the second year of this project. We arrived on station on 17 October 2003. After a week of setting up our lab and the radioisotope lab and waiting for a favorable wind to blow the brash ice out of the inlet, we began our routine seasonal sampling 27 October 2003. We collect water samples semiweekly, from Stations B and E of the LTER inshore grid for measurements of prokaryote abundance, bacterial production and dissolved organic carbon. Large volume (~40 liter) particulate organic matter samples (for lipid biomarker analysis) have been taken twice from Station A. The Shimadzu Total Organic Carbon Analyzer was tested and runs well. We thank the many individuals who have assisted in getting us to Palmer and helping us get started this season: in particular Barb Watson for helping test the Total Organic Carbon Analyzer and Doug Fink for working hard to set up our boat for early season sampling, and Rob Edwards and Cara Sucher for preseason organization and materials acquisition. G-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. G-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. This month, the vacuums on the seismometers were pumped down and the masses re-centered. 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. O-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. O-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. O-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. O-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. A-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. This month, new software was installed on the VLF Broadband Continuous machine that sends regular data images back to Stanford. 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. T-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. 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). T-513-O ULTRAVIOLET SPECTRORADIOMETER NETWORK Charles Booth, Principal Investigator, Biospherical Instruments, Inc The Science Technician operates and maintains on-site equipment for the project. This month new software was installed on the UV system-monitoring computer to allow Biospherical Instruments remote access to their system. A BSI SUV-100 UV spectroradiometer 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. A BSI GUV-511 filter radiometer, which has 4 channels in the UV and 1 channel in the visible for measuring Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR), has recently been installed next to the SUV-100. During September and October, data from the GUV-511 instrument were made available on a daily basis on the project's website www.biospherical.com/nsf/ . The figure below shows UV Index and total column ozone for the months September and October, measured by SUV-100 and GUV- 511. Total ozone data from NASA's Earth Probe TOMS satellite is also depicted. Palmer Station was under the ozone hole (defined as total ozone below 220 DU, see dashed line in figure) for most of September and part of October. During this period, the UV Index reached values as high as 7, which is comparable to typical spring values in San Diego. From 10/14/03 onward, ozone at Palmer was above 220 DU, and UV Index values dropped despite the continuing increase in solar elevation. 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. The digitally recording anemometer replaced the analog recording anemometer this month as the instrument of record.