Return-Path: palmer@atsvax.rsmas.miami.edu Return-Path: Received: from atsvax.rsmas.miami.edu by crseo.ucsb.edu (4.1/SMI-4.4-Crseo Special) id AA03574; Mon, 4 Apr 94 10:51:15 PDT Date: Mon, 4 Apr 94 17:47:10 GMT From: palmer@atsvax.rsmas.miami.edu Message-Id: <940404174710.2580ba54@atsvax.rsmas.miami.edu> Subject: PALMER SCIENCE SITREP - March 94 To: palmer_science@atsvax.rsmas.miami.edu, peterspe.asa@asa.org, kiyotaki.asa@asa.org, spraybka.asa@asa.org, woodba.asa@asa.org, smithgl.asa@asa.org, evansjo.asa@asa.org, woodke.asa@asa.org, owensk.asa@asa.org X-St-Vmsmail-To: MSG%"PALMER_SCIENCE",MSG%"PETERSPE.ASA@ASA.ORG",MSG%"KIYOTAKI.ASA@ASA.ORG",MSG%"SPRAYBKA.ASA@ASA.ORG",MSG%"WOODBA.ASA@ASA.ORG",MSG%"SMITHGL.ASA@ASA.ORG",MSG%"EVANSJO.ASA@ASA.ORG",MSG%"WOODKE.ASA@ASA.ORG",MSG%"OWENSK.ASA@ASA.ORG" SEND PLM090.APR MSG%"PALMER_SCIENCE",MSG%"PETERSPE.ASA@ASA.ORG",MSG%"KIYOTAKI.ASA@ASA.ORG",MSG%"SPRAYBKA.ASA@ASA.ORG",MSG%"WOODBA.ASA@ASA.ORG",MSG%"SMITHGL.ASA@ASA.ORG",MSG%"EVANSJO.ASA@ASA.ORG",MSG%"WOODKE.ASA@ASA.ORG",MSG%"OWENSK.ASA@ASA.ORG" PALMER SCIENCE SITREP - March 94 R 041608Z APR 94 FROM: John Booth P A L M E R S T A T I O N A N T A R C T I C A TELEMAIL::PALMER.STA PHONE/FAX: 011-874-150-3157 SPAN::PALMER@ATSVAX.SPAN TELEX: 5841503157 PNHG INTERNET::PALMER@ATSVAX.RSMAS.MIAMI.EDU CC EMAIL::ANTARCTIC.OPS, NSF.DPP.OCEANOPS, P.PENHALE, T.DELACA, R.HANSON, E.HOFMANN, R.BOOTH, O.HOLM.HANSEN, G.MITCHELL, M.VERNET, M.HUNTLEY, R.WHRITNER, D.KARL, W.FRASER, B.SIDELL, W.DETRICH, M.KENNICUTT, K.DUNTON, W.STOCKTON, L.QUETIN, R.ROSS, Sea.Space, W.TRIVELPIECE, R.SMITH.UCSB, GMCC.BOULDER(pass to B.Mendonca), F.AZAM, R.RADTKE, S.WEILER, SPOLE, DUKE, NATPALMER, VLF@STAR.SPAN, ASAHQ, NSFMCM (includes all McMurdo addresses) KARENTZD@ALM.ADMIN.USFCA.EDU, CHAPPELL@UCRACC.SPAN, J.PROSPERO, TFOSTER@UCSCC.UCSC.EDU, DALLUGE@ATMOS.OGI.EDU, N.SWANBERG, ENELSON%MINES.BITNET@SDS.SPAN, R.BIDIGARE, SRCFNSF@CMV.DSIR.GOVT.NZ (includes all CHCH addresses). CC EMAIL::PETE PETERSON, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, PENINSULA OPS ANN PEOPLES, OPERATIONS MANAGER KIRK KIYOTA, ASST OPERATIONS MANAGER JOHN EVANS, SCIENCE MANAGER GLEN SMITH, SCIENCE LAB SUPERVISOR SKIP OWEN, MARINE OPS MANAGER KEVIN WOOD, PENIN MANAGER KATHI SPRAYBKA, MARINE OPS ADMIN BARB WOOD, PENIN OPS ADMIN Responding: Please insert in message, all CAPS, with the ! in column 1: !TO PAL SCIENCE, LABMANAGER, SCITECH, ADMIN PALMER STATION SCIENCE SITREP MARCH 1994 S-013 LONG-TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH (LTER) ON THE ANTARCTIC MARINE ECOSYSTEM: AN ICE-DOMINATED ENVIRONMENT (SEABIRD COMPONENT). William R. Fraser, Montana State University Personnel on station: William Fraser, Donna Patterson High winds and bad weather prevented safe boating conditions on five days during the month of March. Field work for the 1993- 94 season was completed on 22 March and all S-013 personnel departed Palmer Station aboard the Polar Duke on 23 March. Cormorant censuses were completed on 01 March, coincident with fledging of the last chicks. Although Cormorants exhibited high breeding success (1.83 chicks per pair), breeding pairs on Cormorant Island have decreased by approximately 65% since 1989. This decrease is attributed to the Bahia Paraiso oil spill. Giant petrel chick banding was completed by 15 March; 344 chicks were banded out of an initial population of 405 breeding pairs. Breeding success was thus estimated to be approximately 0.85 chicks per pair. Field work on Kelp Gulls was completed on 18 March with a final census of active nests and the collection of limpet shells at designated study sites. Breeding success in this species was high this season (1.90 chicks fledged per pair) in areas not originally oiled during the oil spill. Within the oil spill area another colony on Limitrophe Island went extinct. South Polar Skua study sites on Shortcut Island were visited on 3/09 and 3/17 to band remaining chicks, obtain final weights and measurements, and to determine fledging success. Of the original 60 pairs that attempted to breed this season, 17 fledged chicks, suggesting a productivity of .28 chicks per pair. Diet samples were collected on both dates for otolith identification to be used as part of a seasonal comparison in food availability. The South Polar Skua study on Bonaparte Point was concluded as well, with 7 fledglings being produced from 24 active territories for a productivity of .29 chicks per pair. The conclusion of studies with Brown Skuas indicated poor breeding success as well, with 0.69 chicks fledged per pair. A new pair of Brown Skuas appeared to have formed on Cormorant Island, but they did not breed this season. The male of the pair is a known-age individual banded by Dr. D. Parmelee in the mid-1980's. Marine mammal censuses continued throughout the month with two all-island censuses of fur seals taking place on 1-3 March and 10-11 March. Fur seals within the study area increased by a factor of three between the two dates, with the second census totaling over 1850 animals. An additional census (20 March) on Litchfield Island alone indicated the presence of 874 fur seals on that date, an increase of approximately 30% since the last census was done on Litchfield on 11 March. The continued increase in fur seals is having detrimental effects on most of the area's vegetation; Litchfield Island alone has lost about 40% of its original vegetation cover in the last two decades. On 8 March a helicopter from the HMS Endurance landed on Hermit Island. The helicopter remained in the area for approximately five minutes, during which time nesting birds in the area were scattered. Out of nine giant petrel chicks banded on 3/2, only five were found on 3/11. S-014 ENERGETICS OF THE ADULTS AND LARVAE OF ANTARCTIC KRILL, EUPHAUSIA SUPERBA. Langdon Quetin and Robin Ross, University of California, Santa Barbara Personnel on station: Johana Squier Algal monocultures were maintained in anticipation of experiments to be performed during the next few months. Inventory of items on station was conducted. Personnel also assisted in water collection, filtration and HPLC analysis conducted by S-028. S-016 LONG-TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH (LTER) ON THE ANTARCTIC MARINE ECOSYSTEM: AN ICE-DOMINATED ENVIRONMENT (PRODUCTION COMPONENT). Barbara B. Prezelin, University of California, Santa Barbara. Personnel on Station: T.J. Evens For S-016, the month of March, 1994 continued with HPLC (High Pressure Liquid Chromatography) analysis of stored water samples. HPLC data was then imported to spreadsheets for further study. During HPLC analysis and data import, T.J. Evens of S-016 trained S-028 scientists in the methods of using the HPLC machines. Techniques and maintenance were also discussed. Prior to the March 23 northbound ship's departure, S-016 HPLC sample runs were completed and the data sent to Santa Barbara. The lab was packed up and organized, and the S-016 scientist departed Palmer Station on the northbound ship. S-028 LONG-TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH (LTER) ON THE ANTARCTIC MARINE ECOSYSTEM: AN ICE-DOMINATED ENVIRONMENT (PREY COMPONENT). Robin Ross and Langdon Quetin, University of California, Santa Barbara. Personnel on station: Robin Ross, Tim Newberger, Karen Haberman, Jeanette Zamon, Truc Nguyen Weekly acoustic transects of the Palmer nearshore grid continued through mid-March, as did weekly targetted tows for krill. In addition, several krill schools were acoustically mapped. Standard weekly zooplankton tows were performed, and samples were sorted. There was a paucity of krill schools detected acoustically during March compared to February, and minimal numbers were caught in targetted tows. Growth rate experiments and collections for chemical composition and condition factor could not be done, due to lack of krill. Weekly water samples were conducted at stations B-J, with samples collected at 4-6 depths per station, and water filtered for HPLC, CHN, nutrient and ammonia analysis. Several krill grazing experiments were conducted, focused upon comparing ingestion rates and assimilation efficiencies of Phaeocystis to the diatom Thalassiosira. Mixture experiments to determine whether selective feeding occurs were also conducted. Experiments are currently being analyzed using fluorometry and HPLC, as well as examining preserved and frozen samples collected during the experiment. In addition, algal cultures were maintained for these experiments. Data entry and inventory were also conducted to keep records up to date. S-032 LONG-TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH (LTER) ON THE ANTARCTIC MARINE ECOSYSTEM: AN ICE-DOMINATED ENVIRONMENT (OPTICS COMPONENT). Ray Smith, University of California, Santa Barbara. Personnel on station: Tim Newberger, Sharon Stammerjohn Weekly sampling of the water column in the oceanographic zodiac (ROZE) continued through mid-March. This included CTD measurements (conductivity, temperature, depth, and chlorophyll fluorescence) and OFFI (optical free fall instrument) deployment at the 10 Palmer LTER nearshore stations. Data analysis and preliminary processing were kept up to date. Materials were packed for storage at Palmer Station, and other items were prepared for retro to AGUNSA Warehouse or CONUS. All items left on station were inventoried. On March 23, all personnel departed Palmer Station on the Polar Duke. S-091 PALMER IRIS SEISMOLOGY. R. Butler/G. Holcomb, U.S. Geological Survey, Albuquerque, NM No personnel were on station. The system has been monitored by the station science technician. The station continued to be plagued by impulsive events of widely variable frequency and intensity. The north-south component stopped producing data on March 21. A reset of the DP computer failed to restore the data stream, and further actions are pending. S-106 VERY LOW FREQUENCY (VLF) REMOTE SENSING OF THUNDERSTORM AND RADIATION BELT COUPLING TO THE IONOSPHERE. U. Inan, Stanford University. No personnel were on station. The system has been operated by the station science technician. Both narrowband and broadband data acquisition systems performed flawlessly throughout the month. Several IF gains and the clock frequency standard were adjusted. The posts supporting the cable running from the VLF hut to the antenna on the glacier were reseated in the glacial ice. S-254 CHLORINE- AND BROMINE-CONTAINING TRACE GASES IN ANTARCTICA. R.A. Rasmussen, Oregon Graduate Institute for Science and Technology. There are no personnel on station. Air samples are taken on a weekly basis by the station physician. The samples are returned to the Institute for analysis of a number of trace components, especially chlorine- and bromine-containing gases. These elements have been implicated in the chemical processes that contribute to the astral-spring depletion of the ozone layer over Antarctica. This work will contribute to a better understanding of the buildup of trace constituents, particularly those of high-latitude marine origin. S-257 SOUTH POLE MONITORING FOR CLIMATE CHANGE. James T. Peterson, Palmer Station, Environmental Research Laboratories, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. There are no personnel on station. Air samples are taken on a weekly basis by the station physician. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory team continue long-term measurements of trace atmospheric constituents that influence climate. The Palmer Station air samples are returned to the NOAA laboratory for analysis of trace constituents, including carbon dioxide. These measurements are part of NOAA's effort to determine and assess the long-term buildup of global pollutants in the atmosphere. These data will be used to determine how the rate of change of these parameters affects climate, particularly by including them in climate model studies. S-275 UM/DOE-EML REMOTE ATMOSPHERIC MEASUREMENTS PROGRAM. J. Prospero/T. Snowdon, University of Miami; C. Sanderson/N. Chui, EML/DOE N.Y. No personnel were on station. The system has been operated by the station science technician. One sample filter was exposed for the duration of each week, and a weekly schedule of calibration, background, and sample counts was maintained. The sampling pump was off for a total of four and a half hours on March 11 due to a tripped circuit breaker. T-312 TERASCAN SATELLITE IMAGING SYSTEM. R. Whritner, Scripps Institute of Oceanography, La Jolla, CA. No personnel were on station. The system has been operated by the station science technician. DMSP and NOAA telemetry were collected, processed, and archived. Large scale weather images were produced in support of Science and local boating operations. Several ice images were produced in support of Marine Operations. T-313 UV MONITORING EXPERIMENT. C. Booth, Biospherical Instruments, Inc. Tim Lucas was on station from March 17 - March 23 The annual BSI site visit took place from March 17 - March 23. Following a closing set of absolute calibrations, the instrument was removed and disassembled. Various components were replaced, and after a bench test the system was reinstalled. Another set of absolute calibrations was then run. Other system improvements included the installation of a new Spectralink controller to allow easier absolute calibrations, the installation of a GPS receiver to provide accurate time, and the delivery of a faster data processing computer. Throughout the month, raw irradiance data were collected daily and transmitted to ATSVAX for BSI, and preliminary irradiance data and inferred ozone abundances were produced in support of Science. High voltage levels and the scan schedule were adjusted in response to the darkening sky conditions. 04152802.607 PLM090.APR