PALMER STATION SCIENCE MONTHLY REPORT February 2005 NEWS FROM THE LAB Robin Ross, Station Science Leader The month of February began with the end-of-cruise port call for the Palmer Long-Term Ecological Research program (LTER). Palmer LTER personnel from the ARSV Laurence M. Gould moved to station to continue seasonal sampling (n = 9). The ASRV LM Gould left on 2 February 2005 with the NSF Representative (Dr. Marie Bundy, Assistant Program Director for Antarctic Biology and Medicine), 3 Raytheon Polar Services personnel, and 13 scientists from station, including all the members of B-256- P, a project to investigate the physiological and molecular mechanisms of stress tolerance in a polar insect. Remaining on station were 36 personnel, 14 scientists from 7 projects, and 22 RPSC personnel. In addition, data continues to be gathered for 11 other projects by Johan Booth, the Palmer Station Research Associate, with some assistance from the station physician Will Silva. During February, three cruise ships (Professor Multanovskiy, Orion, Clipper Adventurer), 3 yachts (Lone Ranger, Vaďheré, Sarah Vorwerk) and two Argentine vessels, the ARA Puerto Deseado and the ARA Suboficial Castillo (Argentine Navy) visited Palmer Station. The R/V Puerto Deseado visited twice, once to visit the station and ask questions about the Bahia Paraiso, the Argentine wreck about 0.5 mi from station, and the second time to sample water from around the wreck. Personnel from station visited both the Lone Ranger and the R/V Puerto Deseado. High winds and precipitation were a minor hindrance to scientific activities during the first two weeks of the month. Precipitation for February alone was 114.1 mm melted and 12 cm snowfall. However, this time frame also contained the wettest 29 days on record (Feb 1 - Mar 1, Julian Days 32-60) since reliable weather records began in 1990. Precipitation was just barely greater than the same time period in 2002 (145.8 vs 140.9 mm melted). Air temperature averaged 1.6°C and ranged from a maximum of 9.8°C to -2.2°C. Wind averaged 11 kts predominantly from the north to northwest with gusts over 50 kts. High winds the week of 7 Feb made regular sampling impossible. One important note: Of the three Automated Weather (AWS) Systems monitored using the TeraScan (Bonaparte Point, Hugo Island, and Racer Rock), only Bonaparte Point is transmitting. On 15 Feb the seawater system, which serves both the aquarium room and station needs, suffered a major decrease in pressure during a low tide. During the ensuing attempt to return pressure to station, a massive influx of very small bubbles into the tanks containing Antarctic krill caused a high mortality in a group of krill being held in a long-term experiment. A continuing influx of small bubbles during the sequence of low tides that week helped identify the source of the problem - a leak in the seawater intake line on the Arthur Harbor side of the pump house. On 21 Feb on the low tide, the check valve in question was inspected, the rusty and missing nuts replaced, and the problem solved. On 25 Feb we had a meeting of scientists and RPSC personnel to discuss the lessons learned and to design an improved response to future losses in seawater pressure. Detailed reports by science groups are below. B-003-P: RESPONSE OF TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS ALONG THE ANTARCTIC PENINSULA TO A CHANGING CLIMATE Thomas A. Day, Principal Investigator, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ. Personnel on station: David M. Bryant, Sarah Strauss, Michell Thomey Measurements in our climate manipulation treatments in plots containing contain tundra microcosms or cores continued this month. Our objective in this study is to determine how warming and additional precipitation affect tundra productivity, carbon balance and nutrient cycling. Monitoring of microclimate in the plots to quantify our manipulations concluded at the end of this month. Weekly measurements of CO2 and water vapor flux from cores continued through the month, providing us estimates of net microcosm CO2 exchange, respiration and evapotranspiration. These flux measurements concluded at the end of the month, as did collection of precipitation inputs and soil leachate outputs from cores. Censusing to monitor the vegetative and reproductive growth and development of the two flowering plant species in our microcosms, Deschampsia antarctica and Colobanthus quitensis, continued and will conclude over the coming month. We began harvesting cores from our experiment on February 25. Harvests will allow us to determine the above- and belowground biomass of each plant species in each core, as well as allocation to reproductive structures. They will also provide data on litter mass. These samples will be returned to our home institution for analysis of nutrient concentrations and stable isotope ratios. Prior to harvests, we are also extracting microarthropods (midge larvae, mites and springtails) from cores. We are harvesting about 5 cores a day with a total of 80 cores to be harvested by the end of our field season. Photos of 90 plots in our previous climate-manipulation experiments at Stepping Stones were taken in late February. These photos allow continued assessments of plant species cover in each plot since 1995. A study of the spatial distribution of soil nutrients was initiated in February on the drained lakebed northeast of the Old Palmer Station site. This study seeks to determine the spatial pattern of nutrients available to colonizing vegetation on a former glacial lakebed, drained following glacial recession in 2002. We have also continued regular correspondence with 7th grade biology classes at St. Clair Middle School, St. Clair, MN answering questions from these classes on science in Antarctica. We thank personnel at Palmer Station for their continued support during the month. Special thanks to Cara Ferrier and Rebecca Shoop for assistance at Stepping Stones, Steve Barten, Rebecca Shoop and Ken Navarro for logistical support, Vinny Gordon for boating support and coordinating taxi service for field activities, Bill Hance for field communications, and Chris Vitry and Shayne Clausson for assistance in resolving computer issues. Kerry Kells provided assistance with field data recording. Barb Watson and Cara Sucher have been very helpful with the provision of lab equipment, chemicals and supplies. Jeff Gustafson and Kelsi Griswold provided fabrication assistance. BP-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 Dr. William R. Fraser, Principal Investigator, Polar Oceans Research Group, Sheridan, MT. BO-198-O: MONITORING THE EFFECTS OF TOURISM AND ENVIRONMENTAL VARIABILITY ON ADELIE PENGUINS AT PALMER STATION, ANTARCTICA Dr. William R. Fraser, Principal Investigator, Polar Oceans Research Group, Sheridan, MT. (Combined report for B-013-P and B-198-O) Personnel on station: Cindy Anderson, Dan Evans, Heidi Geisz, Geoff Gilbert, Peter Horne, and Brett Pickering. February was marked by great changes in both the avian populations and their researchers at Palmer Station. The return of the ARSV Laurence M. Gould at the end of the LTER Cruise brought Peter Horne and Brett Pickering back to Station. Cindy Anderson, Heidi Geisz and Geoff Gilbert returned home at the beginning of the month. Conditions during February were extremely wet, which did not preclude us from getting out to area islands. However, conditions were often too wet for us to work with giant petrel and skua chicks. Adélie penguin work during February came to an end as their chicks fledged. During the month Adélie chick counts and measurements were performed at area islands as the birds prepared to fledge. The Humble Island telemetry study, which monitors duration of foraging trips of adult Adélies, continued to the end of the month. We were able to recover several satellite transmitters from penguins on Humble Island. Adelie, gentoo and chinstrap penguin chick numbers were also monitored at Dream and Biscoe Islands. The tourist ship Orion visited Palmer Station. Coincident with this visit, we monitored Torgersen Island to obtain data on tourist flow, and to compare aspects of Adélie penguin reproductive biology and ecology with control sites not visited by tourists. This effort continues work done in past seasons as part of a long-term monitoring study to look at human impacts. After the Adélies fledged we began collecting sediment traps located on several of the penguin islands. Giant petrel chick banding also commenced during the later part 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. 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 Dr. Maria Vernet, Principal Investigator, Scripps Institution of Oceanography Personnel on station: G. Jessica Spence and Karie Sines (Scripps Institution of Oceanography) Personnel from B-016-P returned to station 01 February after the summer 2004-2005 LTER cruise. All lab supplies and equipment were moved from the LM Gould back to station by 02 February at which point most of the setup was complete. The LM Gould left Palmer Station for Punta Arenas 02 February carrying with her our fearless leader and team members Eli Loomis and Austen Thomas, all of whom will be sorely missed. Sampling of Palmer inshore stations E and B was resumed 05 February. Palmer inshore stations E and B were sampled in complete profile seven times during the Month of February, with one additional sampling of station B due to bottle failure. Preliminary results of standard primary production estimates show the monthly average to be at (station E) or below (station B) those of when we began sampling at the start of the 2004-2005 summer season. A pulse in production at both stations E and B was observed 17-21 February with an additional jump in production occurring at station B 22-24 February. We would like to extend our gratitude to the entire RPSC staff for all their help in our VERY rapid move back to station. 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 Drs. Robin Ross and Langdon Quetin, Principal Investigators, Marine Science Institute, University of California at Santa Barbara Personnel on station: Langdon Quetin, Robin Ross The sampling strategy initiated in January continued in February with a change in personnel and the addition of bioacoustic measures of zooplankton biomass, primarily Antarctic krill, along transects connecting Stations A-E and F-J twice a week. The BioSonics DT-X echosounder was in use on the LTER cruise in January. Sampling of krill aggregations included length frequency determinations, an assay for microalgae ingestion, and digestive gland condition factor, a longer-term indication of nutrition. Twice during February, the relationships among total length - wet weight - dry weight were also determined. Nine krill schools were sampled. Krill schools were rare within the boating limits for about 10 d in the middle of February, a pattern observed most years. In addition, on 28 February krill were observed at the surface in Hero Inlet and washed up on the rocks in the intertidal, providing a ready food source for the gulls and skuas. This "intertidal krill day" is an annual event, in late February or early March. This year the phenomena persisted for multiple days. Unfortunately about 80% of the known age krill that were being maintained in separate corrals in the aquarium room under ambient conditions of food and temperature died due to the malfunction of the seawater system on 15 February. The few survivors were temporarily removed and kept in the environmental room while the seawater system was being repaired. Then they were replaced in the corrals where they will hopefully remain over the winter. 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 Dr. Raymond C. Smith, Principle Investigator, ICESS, University of California at Santa Barbara Personnel on station: Gregory Quetin and Lyndon Valicenti B-032 and B-016 conduct water column sampling as a team. Stations B and E were both sampled for a depth profile of chlorophyll seven times during February, and B was sampled one additional day due to bottle failure. During the 2nd week of February weather restricted sampling to a single day, instead of the planned twice a week. Chl integrated to the 0.5% light level generally increased throughout the month at station E, with no distinct peaks, but two peaks in chl were seen at station B. Values at the end of the month were the highest of the season, 124 µg chl m-2 at station B and 116 µg chl m-2 at station E. 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 Dr. Hugh Ducklow, Principal Investigator, School of Marine Science, The College of William and Mary Personnel on station: Taylor Heyl and Bob Daniels During the month of January, we continued our regular sampling at stations E and B in the Palmer Station vicinity. Surface temperature has been similar between E and B or slightly colder at B. The temperature has been above 0.0 degrees C at both stations. Bacterial activity as observed with uptake of both thymidine and leucine is greatest at the surface and 15 m depths. Activity has continued to be slightly greater at Station B compared to E for all sample days except for February 14 when production was slightly higher at station E at the surface. Sampling had to be postponed at least 3 times due to high winds and on the week of the 6th we were only able to get out one day to sample. Large volume filtrations from the pump house for lipid biomarkers continue to be performed on a weekly basis, without interference from weather or sea ice. Thank you to Greg Quetin, Tim Kramer, and Kelsi Griswold for assistance in the field this month. 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 epoch interval GPS data files were collected continually at station PALM, compressed, and transmitted to the NASA/CDDIS in Greenbelt, MD. A change to the remote file server used for the daily transfer of data files was implemented, and assistance was provided to South Pole in troubleshooting their difficulties with a similar change. The Z-12 rover was used in RTK/CPD mode in conjunction with a surveyors transit to survey numerous features along the face of the glacier across Arthur Harbor from Palmer Station. This work is part of an ongoing project to track the position of the glacier face over the years. The Z-12 rover was used in RTK/CPD mode to collect "surface mapping" data of areas of the backyard as part of an informal project to produce a topographical map of as much of Gamage Point as possible. 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. The vertical mass was recentered on 01 February. O-202-P ANTARCTIC METEOROLOGICAL RESEARCH CENTER (AMRC) SATELLITE DATA INGESTOR. Charles Stearns, Principal Investigator, University of Wisconsin The Research Associate operates and maintains on-site equipment for the project. The AMRC SDI computer processes satellite telemetry received by the Palmer Station TeraScan system, extracting Automated Weather Station information and low-resolution infrared imagery and sending the results to AMRC headquarters in Madison, WI. O-204-P 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-P 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-P DHS-EML REMOTE ATMOSPHERIC MEASUREMENTS PROGRAM (RAMP). Colin Sanderson, Principal Investigator, Department of Homeland Security, Environmental Measurements Laboratory 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. The Research Associate operates and maintains on-site equipment for the project. In response to a request from the grantee, a current list of consumable supplies with inventory levels, consumption rates, and projected "run-out" dates was provided. 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 and Hugo Island were monitored using the TeraScan system, with only Bonaparte Point currently operational. AWS data received was also forwarded to UCSB for B-032-P (Smith). Three spare batteries were checked for capacity and recharged; all were in good condition. 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 three out of every 15 minutes each day, and broadband continuous data was recorded for at least six hours per day. Narrowband continuous data was collected for 12 hours each day. Enhanced whistler activity was observed occasionally, though generally infrequently, throughout the month, and extra DVDs were burned with broadband continuous data from these periods. With the completion of the MINIS balloon campaign conducted from Sanae station, burning of all collected broadband continuous data files to DVD was halted on 03 February. Several days worth of minute-by-minute summary spectrograms were transferred to the grantees. Early in the month the narrowband computer experienced a series of spontaneous lockups. Investigation uncovered the failure of a CPU cooling fan, which was replaced, restoring the system to normal uninterrupted operation. At the request of the grantees, additional regular intervals of broadband data are now being burned to DVD to assist in correlating lightning strikes with terrestrial gamma-ray flashes detected by satellite. At the request of the grantees, a full day of narrowband data was ftp'd to Stanford. On 15 February, the posts supporting the lower half of the VLF cable run on the glacier were replanted and the ice pedestal underneath the antenna base was chipped away. On 28 February, upper run posts and all antenna tower guy posts were replanted, the tower base was shimmed, and guy- rope tensions were adjusted to keep the tower in a secure vertical position. Melting of the glacier in the summer months necessitates periodic replanting of support posts. 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-2 satellite telemetry, capturing approximately 25-30 passes per day. A weekly 85GHz SSM/I ice concentration image was produced and transferred to UCSB for B-032-P (Smith). Image generation continued in support of cruise LMG05-02, with approximately 20 locally captured images of the Larsen and S. Orkney Islands regions provided. Additionally, true-color visible images posted on the NASA/MODIS web site were examined daily, and a total of 10 appropriately cropped sections of those images were also provided to the vessel. A last-minute request was received from McMurdo Weather, as relayed by the McMurdo TeraScan Operator, for images to support weather predictions for Twin Otter flights between South Pole and Rothera. A viewing "master" was produced, and processing and delivery scripts were enabled to automate the task for the desired two weeks of coverage. Numerous extraneous files and directories were deleted from the TeraScan computer. A backup data tape from the local archive was copied when the grantee reported difficulties in reading the original tape at Scripps. 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 four channels in the UV and one channel in the visible for measuring Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR), is located next to the SUV-100. Data from the GUV- 511 instrument is made available on a daily basis on the project's website at http://www.biospherical.com/nsf. Scheduled absolute calibrations were performed on 14 and 27 February. The control computer was rebooted twice on 22 February to install software updates. 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. Tide modeling analysis was completed, at least for the nonce, with the production of a model incorporating 35 separate harmonics. Fewer than half of those are needed to provide high-quality predictions, but all are arguably identifiable in the accumulated data of 2002-2004. The model accounts for ~90% of the variance in Palmer's water level; when barometric pressure changes are included, almost 98% of the variance is explained. Hourly and extrema prediction files were produced through 2020. Two minor display errors were fixed in the data acquisition program. A project to determine the WGS-84 ellipsoidal height of Palmer's mean sea level was concluded. Based on seven measurements, the MSL height is 15.00 +/- 0.02 meters; this error limit is for random error; any systematic error based on an incorrect ellipsoidal height of the PALM GPS benchmark is not included. METEOROLOGY The Research Associate acts as chief weather observer, and compiles and distributes meteorological data. At the end of the month a summary report is prepared and sent to interested parties. Weather data collected using the automated electronic system is archived locally and forwarded semimonthly to the University of Wisconsin for archiving and further distribution. Synoptic reports are automatically generated every six hours by the Palmer Meteorological Observing System (PalMOS) and emailed to the NOAA for entry into the Global Telecommunications System (GTS). Current weather observations for all Antarctic stations, including Palmer, are available on the web at: http://www.wunderground.com/global/AA.html. Odd high wind gust readings were observed on 18/19 February. While the weather was extremely unsettled at the time of the gusts, and both visibility and temperature exhibited dramatic changes in synch with the gusts, the sheer magnitude of the gusts makes them suspicious, but without any obvious instrumental failure to account for the effect, the working assumption is that they really did occur. The Belfort visibility sensor was calibrated.