PALMER STATION SCIENCE SITREP JUNE 1996 The following science projects were active at Palmer Station during the month: S-016 LONG TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH (LTER) ON THE ANTARCTIC MARINE ECOSYSTEM: AN ICE DOMINATED ENVIRONMENT. PHYTOPLANKTON COMPONENT. Dr. Maria Vernet, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Marine Research Division, La Jolla, CA. No personnel were on station. Station personnel collected and filtered weekly water samples for later analysis of chlorophyll content. S-028 LONG TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH (LTER) ON THE ANTARCTIC MARINE ECOSYSTEM: AN ICE DOMINATED SYSTEM. SECONDARY PRODUCTION COMPONENT. Drs. Robin M. Ross & Langdon B. Quetin, Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA. No personnel were on station. Station personnel transferred both the cultures living on station and several new cultures sent down on R/V POLAR DUKE to replace some cultures that had died. The light cycle was reset to mimic the natural winter light. These cultures are being cultivated throughout the winter for krill grazing experiments. S-036 EVOLUTION OF AN OXYGEN-BINDING HEMOPROTEIN IN AN UNIQUE ENVIRONMENT: MYOGLOBIN IN THE HEMOGLOBINLESS ANTARCTIC ICEFISHES. Dr. Bruce D. Sidell, University of Maine, Orono, ME Personnel on station: Thomas Moylan, Kristin O'Brien On 2 June, R/V POLAR DUKE arrived at Palmer Station from Punta Arenas carrying field team members O'Brien and Moylan. During 3-5 June, trawling operations were carried out aboard R/V POLAR DUKE in Dallmann Bay (vicinity of Astrolabe Needle) for capture of fish specimens. Dallmann bay was ice-free and seas calm during fishing operations. A total of 34 bottom trawls were conducted in a 38 hour period, at an average fishing depth of 150 meters. This fishing trip was conducted in conjunction with project S-037 (Detrich). Fish specimens collected during this trip have been summarized in the June S-037 SITREP (R/V POLAR DUKE Cruise 96-5) and will not be repeated here. Animals were transported to Palmer Station and transferred to the station's aquarium to be held for experimentation. During the month of June, station-based laboratory science activities progressed on several fronts. 1) Tissues from C. aceratus, C. gunnari and N. coriiceps were sampled and fixed for subsequent study by electron microscopy at our CONUS laboratory. 2) Measurements of the activity of a key enzyme of energy metabolism (phosphofructokinase) were made in the heart ventricle and oxidative skeletal muscles from C. aceratus, C. rastrospinosus and G. gibberifrons. This study is part of a larger effort to determine how the loss of hemoglobin and myoglobin affects metabolic capacity in these fishes. 3) Tissues were collected from the Channichthyid icefishes C. aceratus, C. gunnari, C. rastrospinosus, and P. georgianus, and the Nototheniid species N. coriiceps and G. gibberifrons. The tissues were frozen in preparation for transport back to our CONUS institution where further enzymatic and molecular analysis will take place. On 20 June R/V POLAR DUKE returned to Palmer Station having conducted fishing operations 19-20 June in Dallmann Bay. Species and numbers of fish collected were similar to those listed in the S-037 SITREP mentioned above. In combination, results of our experiments should shed light upon the physiological significance of the loss of myoglobin and the mechanisms of gene expression of this protein, which shows very large variance in its expression among the channichthyid icefishes. Success of our season to date has been greatly enhanced by excellent support from ASA personnel, crew and master of R/V POLAR DUKE and the support personnel of Palmer Station. They are all gratefully acknowledged. S-037 STRUCTURE, FUNCTION, AND EXPRESSION OF COLD-ADAPTED TUBULINS AND MICROTUBULE-DEPENDENT MOTORS FROM ANTARCTIC FISHES. Dr. H. William Detrich, Northeastern University, Boston, MA. Personnel on station: H.W. Detrich (P.I.), G. di Prisco, A. Donovan, B. Giardina, S.K. Parker, and A. Saeed The goals of our research program are to understand, at the molecular level, the adaptations that enhance the function and expression of tubulins, microtubule motors, and globins from Antarctic fishes. Our 1996 field season began with the arrival of H.W. Detrich (NU), G. di Prisco (CNR, Naples, Italy), A. Donovan (Harvard University), B. Giardina (CNR, Rome, Italy), and S.K. Parker (NU) at Palmer Station on 2 June (R/V POLAR DUKE Cruise 96-5). During the period 3-5 June, laboratory set-up was accomplished and a short fishing trip to Dallmann Bay was conducted. Fish specimens collected included the icefishes Chaenocephalus aceratus (ca. 30), Champsocephalus gunnari (6), Chionodraco rastrospinosus (7), and Pseudochaenichthys georgianus (1), the Antarctic rockcods Gobionotothen gibberifrons (ca. 150), and Notothenia coriiceps (ca. 25), and miscellaneous notothenioid fishes (Parachaenichthys charcoti, Notothenia nudifrons, etc.). Subsequently, four research projects were initiated: 1) evaluation of conditions for primary culture of fin, brain, and head kidney cells from C. aceratus, N. coriiceps, and G. gibberifrons; 2) analysis of tubulin and globin gene promoters by transfection of luciferase reporter constructs into appropriate cultured cells; 3) characterization of cell lineages in the blood and hematopoietic tissues of red-blooded notothenioids (N. coriiceps, G. gibberifrons, P. charcoti, etc.) and white-blooded icefishes (C. aceratus, C. gunnari, C. rastrospinosus); and 4) developmental analysis of globin-gene switching in red-blooded notothenioid fishes (G. gibberifrons, N. nudifrons, P. charcoti). The first two projects will continue to the end of our field season (8 August departure). Projects 3 and 4 were completed during June, and the results will be analyzed in detail after redeployment to our home institutions. In addition, samples of brain, testis, head kidney, spleen, and liver were collected and frozen for subsequent analysis at our respective laboratories. A. Saeed (NU) arrived on station on 20 June (R/V POLAR DUKE Cruise 96-6) to continue, with S. Parker, the first two research projects. [During southbound transit of Cruise PD96-6, fishing operations were conducted at Dallmann Bay (19-20 June), yielding fish species and numbers similar to those obtained during Cruise 96-5.] On 23 June, H.W. Detrich, G. di Prisco, A. Donovan, and B. Giardina departed Palmer Station for CONUS. A. Ramsey (NU) will arrive in early July (R/V POLAR DUKE Cruise 96-6A) to initiate our fifth project, the enzymatic characterization of the microtubule motor kinesin. Given the accomplishments of June and further progress in July/August, we anticipate a productive and successful conclusion to our 1996 field studies. S-091 GLOBAL SEISMOGRAPH STATION AT PALMER STATION. Dr. Rhett Butler, Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS), U.S. Geological Survey, Albuquerque, NM. No personnel were on station. The system has been monitored by the station science technician. The IRIS system failed to record data for approximately four hours on 15 June due to a communications problem between the DP and the DA. S-106 STUDIES OF LIGHTNING-INDUCED ELECTRON PRECIPITATION OF THE IONOSPHERE. Dr. Umran S. Inan, Stanford University. No personnel were on station. The system has been monitored by the station science technician. Several adjustments were made to the TVLF narrowband system at the request of the grantee. Descriptive entries in the CONFIG.TXT file were modified to bring them into agreement with the hardware settings. S-254 CHLORINE-AND BROMINE-CONTAINING TRACE GASES IN ANTARCTICA. Dr. R.A. Rasmussen, Oregon Graduate Institute for Science and Technology, Portland, OR No personnel were 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 austral-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-257C COLLECTION OF ATMOSPHERIC AIR FOR THE NOAA\CMDL WORLDWIDE FLASK SAMPLING NETWORK. Dr James T. Peterson, Environmental Research Laboratories, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Boulder, CO No personnel were 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; Dr. Colin Sanderson, Department of Energy-Environmental Measurements Laboratory, New York, NY 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. T-312 TERASCAN SATELLITE IMAGING SYSTEM. Dr. Robert Whritner, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, CA No personnel were on station. The system has been operated by the station science technician. Throughout the month of June, the TeraScan system collected, archived, and processed DMSP and NOAA telemetry, maintaining a schedule of 15-17 passes per day. NOAA telemetry was archived for S-032, and readings were collected from the Hugo Island and Bonaparte Point AWSs in support of the LTER project. T-513 UV MONITORING NETWORK. Charles Booth, Biospherical Instruments, Inc. No personnel were on station. The system has been operated by the science technician. Throughout the month, raw irradiance data were collected daily and transmitted to BSI, and preliminary irradiances and integrals were produced in support of Science. An absolute scan was performed on 17 June with the site standard lamp. The GPS that provided time failed early in the month and then began to cause errors in the AXSS every time it was queried. Removal of the GPS cable into the AXSS itself eliminated the AXSS errors, and time is being updated manually when the computer clock drift warrants correction. The WWW deterrent failed on 26 June due to wear on the output shaft of the driving motor. The spare motor was discovered also to have the same pattern of wear, and the WWW unit has been removed from the roof. ASA - SCIENCE SUPPORT NEWS, PALMER STATION ASA is purchasing a radiometer system from Biospherical Instruments. The system consists of a Ground-based Ultraviolet Radiometer (GUV-511), a Profiling Ultraviolet Radiometer (PUV-500B), an additional INPUT for a transmissometer (future purchase), a natural Fluorescence Sensor (PUV-683), a lowering frame, cables and a travel case. The GUV measures five-channel surface UV cosine irradiance and is temperature controlled for low-ambient temperature environments. The deckbox comes with a RS-232 output and software, and laptops can be reserved from the lab. The PUV measures vertical profiles up to a 200 meter water depth, logging cosine irradiance, water temperature and depth. The deckbox also comes with a serial interface and software, and is battery powered for remote operation. Each radiometer will have its own deckbox. The deckboxes will be configured so that both radiometers can be used separately with its respective deckbox or both can be operated off one deckbox. Note that the GUV deckbox runs on AC power only. When the system is being used remotely and the GUV plugged into the PUV deckbox, battery-powered, but not temperature-controlled, operation results. The system should be available on station early September, 1996, and will be used extensively this season. In Denver, the Regional Denver Planning meetings were held this month. The topic that affects all Palmer Station based grantees is lab allocation space for the 1996-97 season. All affected groups were sent individual e-mail correspondences. Mr. Brad Gore has been hired as the new Instrument Technician, Laboratory Operations, Senior (ITLO). Brad received his bachelor's of science degree in Biochemistry from the University of Arizona in 1986. Since then, he has worked at Biosphere II as a Senior Analytical Chemist and more recently at a biotechnology company in Boulder, Colorado. His technical expertise will be a great addition to the support on station this season. Brad's Palmer Station deployment should run from September through mid-March. Brad's email address is gorebr.asa@asa.org.