PALMER STATION SCIENCE MONTHLY REPORT May 2005 NEWS FROM THE LAB Janice O'Reilly, Winter Assistant Supervisor, Laboratory Operations The month of May was full of activity with frequent port calls from the R/V LAURENCE M GOULD. On May 8, the B-390-P (Asper) team departed Palmer Station. On May 22 the R/V LAURENCE M GOULD returned with an additional team member for B-036-P (Sidell) and new personnel for special assignments. Two fishing cruises occurred at the end of the month, as summarized in the B-036-P (Sidell) report below. Several personnel were deployed to Palmer Station for completing special tasks: the Biomedical Technician serviced the equipment in the medical clinic, the Hazardous Equipment Inspector conducted testing of science and station equipment, and the Hazardous Waste Specialists assessed, inventoried and safely packed chemicals in preparation for the hazardous waste operation scheduled for June. The IMS construction crew completed the walls and some of the roof of the IMS building. They've adhered to a tight schedule in order to finish the roof and begin the siding before most of the crew leave in June. The dry, calm weather pattern that started in April continued throughout May, with sustained high pressure systems and frequent clear or partially-clear days. When the sun rose above the glacier in the early afternoon, the sky was often clear enough for direct sunlight to illuminate the station. With a lighter cloud cover came less precipitation and colder temperatures. Melted precipitation, both rain and snow, was 27mm, less than half of the normal yearly average of 56mm. Except for a few storm fronts that produced slippery sheets of freezing rain, most of it was is the form of snow. The total snowfall was 27cm, again less than the average of 36cm. The cold, crisp days preserved the cover of accumulated snow; at the end of the month the snow stake was reading 47cm, versus the normal end-of-month average of 29cm. The average temperature was -2.8C, slightly colder than the usual May average of -2.2C. Outdoor activities, construction, science, and recreation, all benefited from the calm weather. The average wind speed for May was a leisurely 5 knots. By comparison, the average wind speed for May in 2004 was 10 knots, and 11 knots in 2003. Lacking strong storm fronts, the maximum wind gust topped out at only 46 knots, hardly the typical blustery pattern for this time of the year. Sea water temperatures have been floating around the -0.9 to -1.5 range, cold enough to freeze a layer of ice over Hero Inlet and form pancake ice in the ocean around the station. Even so, with the light winds and generally good weather, boating conditions continued to be favorable through the end of the month. The fledging of the last giant petrel marked the end of this season's Humble Island Giant Petrel studies. The smallest bird had finally gained enough strength to fledge its icy nest by the end of the month. The fur seal, Adelie and gentoo penguin populations gradually dwindled throughout the month. People continued to report sightings of snow petrels, sheathbills, blue-eyed shags, kelp gulls, Antarctic terns, elephant seals and an occasional leopard seal. The following projects conducted research at Palmer Station during May: 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, Kristin O'Brien, Jody Wujcik, Bruce Sidell During early May, personnel from our project participated in fishing activities aboard the L.M. Gould, which were inadvertently included in the SitRep for April and will not be repeated here. During the period between 8 May and 22 May, when the Laurence M. Gould was away from Palmer Station for its return voyage to S. America, our group focused upon preparing materials and conducting experiments with fish captured during the 2-6 May fishing activities. Because of a combination of the limited supply of animals, natural attrition of specimens from capture stress and the longer than usual absence of the vessel from Palmer Station, we exhausted our supply of experimental animals a couple of days prior to the return of the vessel. To ensure productive use of our time until the ship returned, we shifted our activities to analyses that otherwise would have been performed at our home laboratories (e.g. enzyme assays, blood nitrate determinations). On 22 May, the LMG returned to Palmer Station carrying field team member Kristin O'Brien of the University of Alaska. Cargo operations commenced immediately upon docking of the vessel. Essential cargo and that impeding deck operations were offloaded quickly and efficiently by combined efforts of LMG personnel and Palmer Station logistics personnel. Field party members of B-036 who had remained at Palmer Station during the South American port call of the vessel (Borley, Garofalo, Sidell, Wujcik) boarded the vessel along with several volunteer helpers from Palmer Station and we left the dock by 1530 on 22 May on our first fishing trip of the cruise. After trawling at a location S. of Low Island and also in Dallmann Bay, the LMG returned to Palmer Station on 1330 on 25 May and the catch of fish was transferred to the Palmer aquarium. During our time in the Palmer laboratories in May, we were able to accomplish both experiments and sample preparation and also perform some exploratory pilot procedures aimed at future work. Tissues were prepared for continuation of our survey of myoglobin (Mb) expression in hearts of white- and red-blooded notothenioid species and for subsequent purification of parvalbumin protein from white muscle tissue. Wujcik was able successfully to complete fills of the vascular system of >50 fishes from white-blooded (Chaenocephalus aceratus, Champsocephalus gunnari) and red-blooded (Trematomus hansoni, Notothenia coriiceps, Parachaenicthys charcoti) notothenioid species. These will be the subject of subsequent analyses at our home laboratory to quantify vascular patterns in the species. Borley executed a series of pilot experiments aimed at maintenance of retinal tissue from white- and red-blooded species in culture and in the presence and absence of bioactive compounds that may affect vascular growth. Garofalo completed a series of experiments with isolated, perfused hearts from Mb+ and Mb- species to compare their performance and response to vasoactive compounds. O'Brien prepared both mitochondrial preparations from hearts of red- and white-blooded species and fixed both cardiac and skeletal muscle tissues for subsequent electron microscopic analyses. In another trial set of experiments, we were successful in surgically implanting Alzet osmotic pumps in the peritoneal cavities of 6 icefish, which were maintained in healthy condition for up to 8 days after surgery with a 0% mortality rate. In future experiments, this technique will be used to deliver inhibitors of the enzyme nitric oxide synthase. By Friday, 3 June, we began to dismantle our laboratories and pack and inventory items for both overwinter storage and for retrograde transportation to our home laboratories. In typical fashion, however, we pressed on until the last possible moment. Animals subject to both surgery and injection of vasoactive compounds continued to be processed until noon on 4 June, when we ceased laboratory operations. Members of our project embarked onto the LMG and we left the dock at Palmer Station at 1000 on Sunday 5 June. We consider our season to have been very successful, in significant part due to the exceptional support offered by RPSC personnel at Palmer Station and both RPSC and ECO personnel aboard the LMG. These groups were flexible, responsive and coordinated their activities in an exemplary fashion during our season. We are greatly appreciative of their efforts and have enjoyed working with them this year. PALMER STATION RESEARCH ASSOCIATE MONTHLY REPORT May 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. 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. As the ambient temperature drops, the Research Associate has been closely monitoring the performance of the seismic system. The forced-balanced seismometers used at Palmer work by keeping a pivoting inertial mass stationary with respect to the earth. As the earth moves during a seismic event, the mass is electronically "forced" to keep pace, and the electrical current required for the forcing is used as a measure of the ground motion. The vertical component, in particular, is sensitive to temperature changes because the mass is buoyed up by air. Although the instrument is mounted in an evacuated bell jar, there is always a small amount of air present. As the air cools and becomes heavier the mass if further buoyed, changing the calibration of the instrument. 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 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. Additional data recordings, the first of many to come, were made in support of the DEMETER (Detection of Electro-Magnetic Emissions Transmitted from Earthquake Regions) experiment, and coincident with overhead passes of the DEMETER satellite. The DEMETER payload is carried aboard a French microsatellite platform, and its primary scientific objective is to search for the presence of electric and magnetic signals in the high atmosphere related to seismic and/or volcanic activity, as well as characterizing neutral atmosphere and ionosphere disturbances related to seismic activity before and after such events, as well as searching for related cases of charged particle precipitation. Data collected with Palmer's VLF receiver may complement the DEMETER experiment. A full description of the project can be found at: http://smsc.cnes.fr/DEMETER/index.htm. 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 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. The first full month of data collection from the magnetometer has gone well, and coincided with a major geomagnetic storm. Observed effects also included a curious square-wave signal pattern, soon determined to be caused by nearby construction on the IMS building. The electrical current of an arc welder flowing through the building's steel frame induced a magnetic field. Each welding rod took a consistent amount of time to use, followed by an inactive interval when the rod was replaced, resulting in a regular on/off pattern visible on the magnetometer. 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). Significant solar storms during the month of May produced dramatic images of auroras, taken with the DMSP satellites' visible sensors. Palmer is far to the north of the auroral oval, so auroras are uncommon here, but satellite imagery can reveal the extent and brightness of the events as well as visually showing the complexity of the earth's magnetic field lines. The Palmer Research Associate also assisted the P.I. with related proposal planning by providing electronic maps of Palmer and the vicinity, and historical weather data. 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 May. Scanning still occurs during the few daylight hours left, but the system is now dormant most of the day. 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. Network testing caused the system to temporarily shut down; the problem was soon corrected and the tide gage resumed collecting data. 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.