PALMER STATION SCIENCE MONTHLY REPORT February 2004 Hugh Ducklow, Station Science Leader NEWS FROM THE LAB Hugh Ducklow, Station Science Leader The departure of the Gould on 02 February following the LTER cruise signaled the arrival of late summer here at Palmer Station. Research activity continued unabated however, with a full complement of LTER scientists (including 4 PI's) and the arrival of the first members of the B- 022-P (Amsler, Baker, McClintock) team on 16 February. We lost few days to high winds, which prevent boating; but rain severely hampered work with nesting birds. The temperature peaked at +7C on the 27th. Winds reached 53 knots on Feb 02, but averaged 8 knots for the month. There were 6 cm of snow, bringing the 2004 total to 9 cm. The annual census of fledging Adelie penguin chicks is an important event here, and most Station personnel assisted the birders (B-013-P) with their work. By the end of the month nearly all the Adelies had left the local rookeries for the winter. With the end of the breeding season, the restrictions on visiting the local islands were lifted, and Palmerites quickly began to revisit the islands, off limits to most of us during the rest of the season. Visits by several cruise vessels provided variety in the past month, and a chance for many of us to visit with passengers and crew, see the ships and get free drinks. These visits also provide a valuable opportunity for outreach, informing passengers about Antarctic research, regional climate change and local ecology. The highlight was the return visit by Holland- America's Amsterdam on 07 February. Nearly the entire science party on station accompanied Station Manager Bob Farrell and Sr. Asst. Lab Supervisor Cara Sucher to the vessel, where we spent several hours in the ship's auditorium, answering questions from over 1200 passengers. Palmer Station's own social schedule was busy too. Traditional cross-town barbecues and pizza parties marked the arrivals of the Gould, and the annual Neanderthal Cafe party, Art Show and Improv Night rounded out a busy month at Palmer Station. The following projects conducted research at Palmer Station during February: 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. BO-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, Mark Lefens and Bill Fraser. The Laurence M. Gould's return at the end of the LTER cruise and subsequent shuttle run to Punta Arenas added Heidi Geisz and Mark Lefens to our field team; Cindy Anderson, Dan Evans, Brett Pickering and Jordan Watson returned to Chile. January's extraordinary weather unfortunately deteriorated through much of February, making working conditions in the field extremely difficult and generally disrupting our abilities to maintain our sampling schedules. As a result, some of our on-going work ended with fewer samples than anticipated. This included instrument deployments on Adélie penguins and diet-related work in particular. Fortunately, the Humble Island telemetry work, which provides the key data on Adélie Penguin foraging trip durations and is mostly automated, was not impacted by weather conditions, hence this project was closed out successfully. In February we also started and finished our work on Adélie penguin chick fledging weights and completed studies on the breeding biology and diets of Chinstrap and Gentoo penguins. As last season, our LTER field team aboard the LMG also obtained diet samples and instrumented Adélie penguins at two locations south of Palmer Station near Renaud and Adelaide islands. Although the diet samples are still being processed, the PTT record is providing a continuing look at aspects of the foraging ecology of this species in these two regions. As in past seasons, we 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. Giant Petrel chick banding also began during the last week of the month. Tourist visits ended at Palmer on February 24 with the arrival and departure of the Orion. Coincident with this last visit, we ended our tourist impact studies on Torgersen Island. Data based on this study is being used to support experiments dealing with habituation of Adelies to human presence. Our work this month benefited greatly from virtually all Raytheon employees, who pitched to assist us through some of the worst weather we have experienced in many years. We could not have accomplished as much as we did without this help. 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, Peter Horne, Erin Bostrom and Eli Loomis (Scripps Institution of Oceanography) The annual summer LTER cruise ended with our arrival at Palmer Station on February first. Following a busy but efficient port call when the labs were moved off the ship and back to station, the LMG departed for Punta Arenas on the second. After a day of rest, and another of high winds, inshore zodiac sampling began once again with stations B and E on the 6th. Full profiles at both stations were completed five more times this month, station E was sampled in profile one additional time, and due to high winds, three surface-only samplings were also done this month. We also completed three microzooplankton grazing experiments, and one dissolved organic carbon production experiment. Preliminary results of standard primary production and chlorophyll a (biomass indicator) estimates show monthly averages returning to early season levels. Qualitative analysis of ring net samples during the month continue to show the presence of chain forming diatoms (primarily Thalassiosira sp.), with other large diatoms (Corethron sp. Coscinidiscus sp., and Rhizosolenia sp.) also still present. B-022-P: THE CHEMICAL ECOLOGY OF SHALLOW-WATER MARINE MACROALGAE AND INVERTEBRATES ON THE ANTARCTIC PENINSULA Charles Amsler and James McClintock, Principal Investigators, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Bill Baker, Principal Investigator, University of South Florida Personnel on station: Chuck Amsler, Maggie Amsler, Anne Fairhead, Kevin Peters, Hla Win The first five members of our field team arrived at Palmer on LMG04-02 very late in the day on 16 February. Initial efforts centered on setting up the lab, dive locker, and our portion of the aquarium building as well as on mandatory boat training. We completed our diving equipment check out dives on 19 Feb. and took advantage of a very good low tide on 20 February to collect intertidal green algae to be used in artificial foods later in the season. During February our group completed 17 dives including 10 in Kristie Cove to set up an experiment examining the effect of increased ultraviolet radiation on brown algal metabolites that can have defensive roles against both ultraviolet radiation and herbivores. In addition, three of the other dives (at Eichorst Island) were to collect plants for use in this experiment. Experimental set up was completed on 28 February and we have and will continue to make two to three maintenance dives per week on the experiment during the six weeks it will be running. Two February dives targeted sea stars to be used as feeding bioassay "taste testers" and one dive was made to collect specific marine macroalgae and invertebrates for defensive chemistry analysis. Lab set up was completed during the last week in February. Secondary metabolite purification and/or quantification using both colorimetric, HPLC, and GC techniques were begun in February and are ongoing. Preparations for laboratory feeding bioassays were nearly complete by the end of the month. We are grateful for the generous and professional assistance of numerous RPSC staff. Doug Fink, Barb Watson, and Cara Sucher deserve special thanks for facilitating our field and laboratory operations. Andy Martinez, Jeff Gustafson, and Ryan Wallace provided expert technical support in constructing the concrete substrates used in our Kristie Cove experiment. B-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: Langdon Quetin, Robin Ross, Alison Haupt Personnel Movements: Robin Ross arrived at the station after the return of the annual LTER cruise February 1 replacing Alison Haupt who departed with the Laurence M. Gould February 2. This month has been primarily devoted to experimental work with krill in the aquarium and environmental rooms. Phytoplankton cultures were at high enough concentrations to begin feeding experiments to test a new protocol for shipboard use. We also continued to fish for krill in the area, measuring whole body fluorescence and length frequency. Both activities continue to go well. We have also weighed all the frozen samples from the annual LTER cruise and analyzed the whole body fluorescence of krill from the process stations. February 2 we were visited by Dr. Tom Frazer, University of Florida, aboard the Spanish ship Las Palmas. Tom is working at the Spanish base, Juan Carlos I, on Livingston Island and is collaborating with us on the krill feeding experiments. We provided him with phytoplankton cultures and krill from our stocks at Palmer Station. All continues to go very well at the station. Thanks everyone. B-045-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: MICROBIAL/BIOGEOCHEMISTRY COMPONENT Hugh Ducklow, Principal Investigator, School of Marine Science, The College of William and Mary Personnel on station: Hugh Ducklow and Lauren Rogers We continued all our routine sampling activities during the month, with few interruptions by the weather. During the last two weeks in February we documented a rapid increase in bacterial activity, with leucine incorporation rates at Stations B and E reaching their highest summertime levels since January-February, 2002. Leucine incorporation rates peaked at ~60 pmol per liter per hour between 19-24 Feb, then declined. We have made some progress operating the Total Organic Carbon Analyzer, characterizing deep ocean DOC in the WAP vicinity at ~39-41 ?M. Most samples suggest moderate surface enrichments in the range 45- 55 ?M. The TOC Analyzer has not yet shown consistent performance; so these results are preliminary. We cooperated with B-016-P on several DOC release experiments, investigating the production of fresh DOC by healthy phytoplankton. Release rates are usually low, less than 10% of the net primary production rates. This finding is consistent with our bacterial production estimates (<10% of PP). Special thanks this month to Doug Fink and Mike Jayred for keeping our boat safe from leopard seals throughout the attack season. G-052-P GPS CONTINUOUSLY OPERATING REFERENCE STATION. Jerry Mullins, Principal Investigator, U.S. Geological Survey The Research Associate 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. The mobile "rover" GPS unit was used to map the glacier terminus in the backyard behind the station. Every year, near the end of the seasonal melting cycle, the Research Associates have been mapping the edge of the glacier with a high-accuracy GPS. This year, to give a very rough average, the glacier terminus has retreated about 5 meters in many places. G-090-P GLOBAL SEISMOGRAPH NETWORK (GSN) SITE AT PALMER STATION. Rhett Butler, Principal Investigator, Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) The Research Associate 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 real-time to the U.S. Geological Survey. Of special interest this month was the major earthquake in Iran, recorded on Palmer Station's seismic system. 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 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. Air samples are collected on a weekly basis by the station physician. O-275-O DOE-EML REMOTE ATMOSPHERIC MEASUREMENTS PROGRAM (RAMP). Colin Sanderson, Principal Investigator, Department of Energy, Environmental Measurements Laboratory The Research Associate 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 Research Associate monitors data transmissions for the project. AWS transmissions from Bonaparte Point, Hugo Island, and Racer Rock were monitored using the TeraScan system. AWS data received was also forwarded to UCSB for B-032-P (Smith). A-306-P GLOBAL THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY AND ITS EFFECTS ON THE RADIATION BELTS AND THE LOWER IONOSPHERE. Umran Inan, Principal Investigator, Stanford University The Research Associate 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 recorded for 6 hours/day. Narrowband continuous data was collected for 12 hours each day. February is typically one of the rainiest months at Palmer, and this year was no exception. The VLF antenna, mounted on the glacier, becomes unstable as the rain and all-too-infrequent sunshine melt the ice. After weeks of rain and melting, the base of the antenna is left perched on an ice pedestal. The guy-wire posts supporting it also become loose and may even fall out of their holes. With the assistance of RPSC personnel, the post holes were all re-drilled and the guy-wires tensioned properly. The base of the antenna was lifted using jacks and the ice pedestal chipped out from underneath it. The base was then lowered back down into a secure position. This is always a precarious operation, but it was completed safely and the antenna is now seated firmly on the ice again. As February came to a close the rain started turning into snow, which is welcome: we don't want to have to service the antenna again this year. Meanwhile, VLF data collection continued uninterrupted. This month a special test, aimed at inducing precipitation of radiation belt electrons, was conducted by Stanford using a VLF transmitter in Hawaii. This test was supported by the Palmer Research Associate with additional data recordings to determine the success of the experiment. T-312-O TERASCAN SATELLITE IMAGING SYSTEM. Dan Lubin, Principal Investigator, Scripps Institution of Oceanography The Research Associate operates and maintains on-site equipment for the project. Throughout the month, the TeraScan system collected, archived, and processed DMSP, NOAA and Orbview (SeaWiFS) satellite telemetry, capturing approximately 25 passes per day. Weekly 85GHz SSM/I ice concentration images were produced and transferred to UCSB for B-032-P (Smith). Imagery products were provided to the R/V LAURENCE M. GOULD and B-228-L (Mitchell). Additionally, images showing sea ice concentration and distribution were produced for O-124-L (Gordon) and G-092-O (Domack); these groups are interested in the distribution of pack ice in the Weddell Sea, South Orkney Islands, and Larsen Ice Shelf regions in preparation for cruise LMG04-04 in late April. T-513-O ULTRAVIOLET SPECTRORADIOMETER NETWORK Charles Booth, Principal Investigator, Biospherical Instruments, Inc The Research Associate operates and maintains on-site equipment for the project 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. Data from the GUV-511 instrument is made available on a daily basis on the project's website www.biospherical.com/nsf/ . Two absolute scans occurred during February, but otherwise all UV monitor operations were normal. Absolute scans are normal too, but they require a special testing apparatus (with a calibrated light source) to be mounted above the optical collector. An absolute scan takes about an hour to complete, during which time no daylight scans are acquired. TIDE GAGE Tony Amos, Point of Contact, The University of Texas Marine Science Institute The Research Associate operates and maintains on-site equipment for the project. Tide height, seawater temperature and salinity are monitored on a continual basis by a gage mounted at the Palmer Station pier. METEOROLOGY The Research Associate acts as chief weather observer, and compiles and distributes meteorological data. At the end of the month a summary report was prepared and sent to interested parties. Weather data collected using the automated electronic system is archived locally and forwarded weekly to the University of Wisconsin for their forecasting models and data records. Synoptic reports are automatically generated every 6 hours by the Palmer Meteorological Observing System (PALMOS) and emailed to the NOAA for entry into the Global Telemetry Stream (GTS). Current weather observations for all Antarctic stations, including Palmer, are available on the web at: http://www.wunderground.com/global/AA.html.