PALMER STATION SCIENCE MONTHLY REPORT April 2005 NEWS FROM THE LAB Janice O'Reilly, Winter Assistant Supervisor, Laboratory Operations April was a month of transitional activity, bringing many science personnel and a turnover of support staff at Palmer Station. As the summer support crew left station, the winter staff promptly assumed their new job duties. While summer grantees packed materials, cleaned labs, and completed final outbrief activities, incoming grantees quickly set up their lab spaces in preparation for research. On April 7 the ASRV LAURENCE M. GOULD brought members of B-390-P to collect bathymetric data for the Polar Remote Interactive Marine Observatory (PRIMO) project. Also arriving on station was the Meteorologist Technician to install an automated back up system for the weather observing instruments and to assist with calibrations and testing of the primary weather observing system (PalMOS). Several scientists spent only a few days on station during the port call to complete brief projects. A-357-P installed a magnetometer, an extension of the existing South American Meridional B-field Array (SAMBA) project; B-038-E established research plots at Humble Island, Old Palmer, and Anvers Island for microbial studies; and marine researchers observed leopard seal behavior and recorded underwater acoustics within the Palmer boating area. Many of the grantees also provided an interesting spectrum of science lectures during the four-day port call. The ASRV LAURENCE M. GOULD again returned to Palmer station early April 25 bringing members of B-036-P (Sidell). The ASRV LAURENCE M. GOULD departed the evening of April 26 for a two-day fishing cruise, the first of three fishing expeditions which would supply specimens for their research. April's weather started as an extension of March's soggy, slushy mix of rain, sleet, and snow, but soon turned colder and drier. By the end of the month the average temperature had fallen to a couple degrees below freezing, solidifying the mud and snow pack. The high for the month was +5.8C, the low -6.0C, and overall average -1.1C. Total melted precipitation was 30mm, less than half of the previous month, and much of it came down as fluffy snow - to the delight of the Palmer's skiers. Total snowstake accumulation at the end of the month stood at 32cm, not quite enough to cover the backyard rocks but 13cm deeper than the statistical average over the past 14 years. With the dry weather also came frequent days of clear or partially-clear skies and generally calm winds, facilitating both science and construction activities. Occasional low pressure fronts spiced up some days with snow flurries and winds gusting above 40 knots (max was 44), but the overall average wind speed for the month was a casual 9 knots. As the air temperatures have fallen and daylight hours diminished, the ocean temperature has also drifted lower. It was slightly above freezing at the beginning of April, and by the end of the month it had dropped to an average of approximately -0.5C. The clear, cold nights have also been excellent for star gazing, with Jupiter rising brightly in the evenings and a full moon reflecting off a calm, open ocean. Icebergs continue to prowl on the horizon, with a particularly dramatic tabular berg wedged-in at the nearby Joubin Islands, but only a couple of bergs have grounded within the 2-mile boating limit. The glacier ringing Arthur Harbor quieted as the melting season ended, with building-shaking calvings becoming more infrequent late in the month. Brash ice has been moderate, the only surprise being a band of thick pancake ice appearing briefly on the 22nd. Overall, boating has not been limited by sea ice. Detailed reports by science groups are below. B-390-P: DEVELOPMENT OF A POLAR REMOTE INTERACTIVE MARINE OBSERVATORY (PRIMO) NEAR PALMER STATION ON THE WESTERN ANTARCTIC PENINSULA Scott Gallager and Vernon Asper, co-Principal Investigators Personnel on Station: Scott Gallager, Vernon Asper, Keith von der Heydt and Greg Packard The B-390 team traveled to Palmer Station with the purpose of evaluating the options for placement of the PRIMO (Polar Remote Interactive Marine Observatory) system, locate a suitable deployment site, and characterize the seafloor conditions along all potential cable routes. A secondary objective was to install a thermosalinograph (TSG) system in the aquarium room plumed into the raw seawater system to allow continuous measurement and display of temperature, salinity, and chlorophyll fluorescence on a local website mirrored to Woods Hole. The TSG system also allowed us to become familiar with the Information Technology system at Palmer and Denver in preparation for installation if the PRIMO observatory next year. The team arrived at the Station on April 7th and immediately unpacked our gear, including a submersible video camera, Furuno echosounder, and the REMUS AUV (Autonomous Undersea Vehicle). Our plan was to set up two teams in separate Zodiacs with one team working on a general bathymetric survey of the Palmer safe boating area using the Furuno and gathering bottom images with the camera as well as CTD data from the station Seacat, while the other team would deploy and track REMUS on a daily basis. REMUS is equipped to gather high resolution bathymetry, sidescan sonar images, video images, CTD, optical backscatter data, and upward and downward looking ADCP current data along its transect lines. Upon our arrival at Palmer, it was discovered that the lithium ion rechargeable batteries for REMUS had not arrived, causing us to focus on the other activities. We outfitted two boats to do the bathymetry work, one using the Furuno that we brought along and another using an older model that was in the Station's inventory. The second boat was also used to deploy the camera system which was towed slowly along the seafloor at an altitude of roughly 1m using illumination provided by two dive lights fitted with optical diffusers. These efforts focused on the Hero Inlet area, Arthur Harbor and the area in which we propose to deploy the cable that will connect PRIMO to the Station. During the time between our arrival and the delivery of REMUS' batteries on April 25th, continuing good weather allowed us to gather over 102,000 bathymetric soundings along 750 km total transect length, mostly from the boat with the newer system because it was able to survey at a much higher boat speed. These data were gathered on a spacing of 100 m in the outlying areas and 50 m or less in the areas of interest, covering the area extending from Palmer to just beyond the Outcast Islands to the southwest and slightly beyond Laggard Island to the southeast. The data were gridded on an spacing of 0.001 degree and used to produce a variety of contour and three-dimensional representations of the bathymetry for use in evaluating potential cable routes and deployment sites. The deployments of the video camera provided us with excellent (black and white) recordings of the seafloor at depths to 150 m and at several stations including the LTER Station E, but mostly focused on the immediate Palmer area. The seafloor near Palmer is mostly boulders with attached macrophytes and numerous limpets, but pockets of fine sediment exist in deeper areas. A substantial concentration of brittle stars was found to the southwest of the pier, but otherwise the fauna consisted of sponges, gastropods, echinoderms and occasional fish and mysids. Our main interest in these images was to look for signs of iceberg scour, indicating locations that should be avoided for a cable route. While we found many areas that appeared to have been spared by these impacts, some of the deeper areas in the main channel leading to the Station appeared to have been recently impacted, including scour to depths approaching 100 m. When batteries became available on the next ship, given the limited time available REMUS was programmed to concentrate on the immediate Arthur Harbor area and the proposed cable route to survey likely areas for the PRIMO system, including a 120 m deep depression just southeast of Surge Rocks. After several successful deployments, REMUS was nearly lost on April 30 when, after detecting a fault in its battery systems, REMUS executed an abort command and headed for its predetermined recovery location. Unfortunately, the direct path between its location and that position took it between Eichorst Island and Surge Rocks and up a vertical escarpment that its maximum rise rate was unable to accommodate, causing it to collide with the seafloor and become entangled in seaweed at a depth of 27 m. To free it, we used the video camera system to dislodge it from the seaweed by locating it visually and then dropping the camera framework onto the vehicle and then carefully dragging it along the seafloor until REMUS was freed and floated to the surface. As this is written, we are on the Gould for the purposes of deploying a current meter mooring at the PRIMO site, collecting continuous ADCP data over a 24 hour period, and using the Station's Seacat CTD to gather physical and optical data over a tidal cycle at a site in the main channel. These data will be used to help design the PRIMO profiling vehicle so that it can function in the currents experienced in this area. Draft Bathymetry Contour Map of Palmer Small Boating Area B-036-P: COLD BODY TEMPERATURE AS AN EVOLUTIONARY SHAPING FORCE IN THE PHYSIOLOGY OF ANTARCTIC FISHES. Bruce D. Sidell, Principal Investigator, University of Maine. Personnel on station: Kimberly Borley, Filippo Garofalo, Jody Wujcik, Bruce Sidell We arrived at Palmer Station on 25 April, one calendar day later than our original schedule due to a 10 hour delay in sailing and a lively crossing of the Drake Passage. Immediately upon arrival at Palmer Station, our group began to set up laboratory space so that we could initiate experiments shortly after our upcoming fishing trip. Personnel at Palmer Station and aboard the LM Gould moved rapidly and efficiently to complete cargo operations and, by late afternoon of 26 April, we were underway bound for fishing in Dallmann Bay. Trawling and deployment/recovery of baited fish pots were carried out from early AM of 27 April through the late evening of 28 April and we returned to Palmer Station with specimens of several notothenioid fish species at first light on 29 April. Fish were immediately transferred to the Palmer Station Aquarium. (Please see weekly science report from the LM Gould for a list of species captured.) In the ensuing 5 day period, tissues were harvested and frozen for continuation of our survey of myoglobin expression in hearts of red-blooded notothenioid species and for subsequent purification of parvalbumin protein from white muscle tissue. Because of interesting differences in the vascular densities and patterns between red-blooded notothenioids and hemoglobinless icefishes that we observed in previous seasons, we have also been executing preparations in which the vascular system of the animal is filled with a radio-opaque latex compound, Microfil(. These specimens are then fixed and preserved for subsequent microscopic examination and quantification of vascular structures. Our Italian colleague, Filippo Garofalo is conducting experiments with isolated, perfused hearts of icefishes to determine regulatory mechanisms of cardiovascular function. We also have initiated a series of pilot experiments to determine the suitability of implanted Alzet osmotic pumps for continuous infusion of pharmacologic agents to intact fish. On Monday 2 May, the LMG left the dock at Palmer Station for local bathymetric work in support of Projects B-047-M and B-390-P in the Palmer Basin. Our project took advantage of this opportunity to set baited fish pots at two depths in the area (ca. 500 m and ca. 75 m.); these pots were recovered on the morning of 3 May and fish were returned to Palmer Station. Shallow pots yielded a sizable catch of Notothenia coriiceps while the deeper set pots contained multiple specimens of notothenioids tentatively identified as Trematomus hansoni and Lepidonotothen kempi. On 4 May, Sidell departed Palmer Station, again bound for Dallmann Bay to capture more fishes. Borley, Garofalo and Wujcik remained at Palmer Station conducting laboratory experiments. Fishing operations (trawling and baited pots) commenced at ca. 1530 on 4 May and were terminated at ca. 1000 on 6 May. We returned to Palmer Station at 1500 on 6 May and transferred our catch to the Palmer Station aquarium. The catch from this fishing effort needs to sustain our experiments for the next two week period until the ship returns from S. America after its imminent departure from Palmer Station on 8 May. It was impossible to accommodate these animals in the Aquarium Room tanks made available to our project and necessitated use of outdoor tanks, always a risky proposition at this time of year when cold northerly winds can threaten freezing of the seawater supply. We are monitoring this situation closely. We are very appreciative of the excellent support provided by RPSC and ECO personnel both on board the LM Gould and at Palmer Station. It is particularly gratifying to see how well these groups are interacting and what a great overall atmosphere exists both shipboard and at the Station. PALMER STATION RESEARCH ASSOCIATE MONTHLY REPORT April 2005 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. The GPS system operated flawlessly throughout the month, as usual. Discussions are underway about upgrading the obsolete rover GPS. The rover has seen considerable use lately, and interest in precision real-time kinetic (RTK) GPS mapping of locations in the Palmer vicinity continues to grow each year. 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. In preparation for the transition to the IMS (International Monitoring System) facility being built at Palmer, the station Research Associate and Communications Technician assessed the feasibility of extending the seismic system's current fiber-optic link from the old laboratory to the new one. The seismic system has continued working well; one software glitch was detected by the Research Associate and corrected remotely by the Albuquerque Seismological Lab, and a power cabling issue was found and fixed by the station electricians. 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. 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, with only Bonaparte Point currently operational. 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 Personnel on site: Jeff Chang (for site visit and antenna relocation) 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 nine hours per day. Narrowband continuous data was collected for 12 hours each day. The antenna move, begun during the previous month, was completed. The new VLF antenna location is at the very end of the trail on the glacier behind the station, almost doubling the distance from structures and activities (for enhanced noise reduction). Additional benefits from the new location include a more-level mounting platform, a higher altitude, and also skirting crevassed areas by a greater distance. The altitude is important because the top of the glacier may be colder, helping to stabilize the antenna base and guy-posts during the summer melting season. The Research Associate assisted the grantee with the final system calibration following the antenna move, and with subsequent installation and evaluation of new data collection software. All VLF data is either burnt to DVD-R discs on a daily basis or FTP'd directly back to Stanford. Malfunctioning DVD burners on two machines were swapped out -- and fixed -- on two of the VLF data collection PCs. A-357-P EXTENDING THE SOUTH AMERICAN MERIDIONAL B-FIELD ARRAY (SAMBA) TO AURORAL LATITUDES IN ANTARCTICA Eftyhia Zesta, Principal Investigator, University of California Los Angeles Personnel on site: Mark Moldwin (for initial system installation) The station Research Associate maintains the on-site system. The three-axis fluxgate magnetometer is one in a chain of longitudinal, ground-based magnetometers extending down though South America and into Antarctica. The primary scientific goals are the study of ULF (Ultra Low Frequency) waves and the remote sensing of mass density in the inner magnetosphere during geomagnetically active periods. Palmer's magnetometer is also a conjugate to the Canadian Poste de la Baleine station, allowing the study of conjugate differences in geomagnetic substorms and general auroral activity. During a brief port call, the magnetometer was positioned and secured in the "backyard" bedrock behind Palmer Station. The magnetometer connects to an A/D (analog to digital) component and PC in the nearby VLF hut. Data is collected and archived automatically on the PC, and retrieved remotely by the grantees. The Research Associate monitors the system, checking on it daily. A few initial PC hardware difficulties were quickly overcome and the installation went remarkably well afterwards. It has since been collecting data successfully. T-312-P 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). With the decreasing daylight hours, the DMSP (Defense Meteorological Support Program) satellites have switched from high-resolution visible imagery to hi-res infrared. Visible images from both DMSP and NOAA are still available during all times of the year, but because these polar-orbiting satellites have orbits timed so that they typically pass overhead in either the morning or evening hours, visible images now show little more than dark outlines of clouds and land forms. The exceptions are images that show auroras encircling the continent, and cities or fishing fleets in South America. ORBVIEW (SeaWiFS) pass collections have ended for the season. The SeaWiFS sensor "sees" strictly in visible-light, and requires a minimum sun zenith angle for accurate imagery. No ice or weather imagery was required this month for cruise operations. T-513-P 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 throughout April. The system has been operating well, automatically reducing scans in response to decreased daylight hours. 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. Last year, during snow removal operations, the cable and conduit for the tide gage were accidentally severed and patched back together. This month, with the help of the station electricians a new section of conduit and cable were installed. 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 twice each month 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. The RPSC Meteorologist Technician installed the MAWS301 weather station during the week of April 18-22. It features an ultrasonic anemometer, a barometer, and a temperature/RH sensor. It will serve as a back-up to the PALMOS weather station. It was installed on the same tower at Gammage Point as the PALMOS system. The installation of the sensors and the housing for the data logger was completed with the help of FEMC and the Comms Tech. The Comms Tech also assisted in laying the communications cable between the tower and the weather office. An electrician spliced the existing power cable that ran to PALMOS and added an extra receptacle for plugging in the MAWS301 system. The one setback in the installation was the discovery that the data logger was not functioning properly. Another one has been shipped to the station and will arrive on LMG05-06SB. The Science Tech will install the new data logger after it arrives. This should complete the installation and the MAWS301 should be up and running providing redundant wind, pressure, temperature, and humidity data. ?? ?? ?? ?? 1