From: "Palmer Labs" Organization: Palmer Station, Antarctica To: palmer_science@asa.org Date: Wed, 3 Mar 1999 17:17:14 -0000 Subject: Palmer February Science Monthly PALMER STATION SCIENCE SITREP FEBRUARY 1999 William R. Fraser, SSL NEWS FROM THE LAB. Ken Doggett, Sr. Asst. Supervisor, Laboratory Operations February saw the return of several of the Station's science groups marking the end of the annual LTER science cruise (LMG99-1) aboard the R/V LAURENCE M. GOULD. The portcall went smoothly and the ship returned to Palmer at the end of the month for the start of the LMG99-2 cruise. Science group GO-052-P (Mullins) completed the Palmer Station portion of their project and departed Station. Permanent survey markers were placed on islands in the Palmer area for use as GPS reference points. Additional surveying will be performed by ASA personnel to achieve further locational accuracy of the markers as directed by the group's field team member. Future work to be done by this project, at the USGS, will produce new and more accurate mapping of the islands. Weather in February was good for boating on the majority of days and was very productive for science. Peak wind gusts were recorded at 57 knots during a storm on the 3rd of the month, averaging 10 knots from the North. Rain accompanied by strong winds pelted Station for the last week culminating with a one centimeter snowfall on the last day of the month. The high temperature for the month came on the 22nd at +9.2 C (47F!) and the low of -1.7 C on the 7th with an average daily temperature of +2.2 C. Fur seals are the animal of the month as their census continues to climb. Whale sightings were made on most days: Humpbacks were seen in Arthur Harbor (from my bedroom window!) and Minkes were sighted from the galley windows on numerous occasions. The following programs were involved in research at Palmer Station: BO-003-O IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON ANTARCTIC VASCULAR PLANTS: WARMING AND UV-B RADIATION. Thomas A. Day, Principal Investigator, Department of Plant Biology and The Center for the Study of Early Events in Photosynthesis, Arizona State University. Personnel on station: Thomas A. Day, Christopher T. Ruhland, Fusheng Xiong, Jenny S. Lin. Research continued on the influence of warming and UV-B radiation on the two species of Antarctic vascular plants, Deschampsia antarctica and Colobanthus quitensis. We have completed the experiment on Gamage Point where we were examining the effects of enhanced UV-B on potted plants. We have finished extracting DNA from leaf samples collected in November and December (430 total) and these samples will be transported back to Arizona State University to determine UV-B-induced pyrimidine dimer formation. Final measurements on biomass were made from a subset of the original plants to determine if plants exposed to enhanced levels of UV-B in the spring can recover during the remainder of the growing season. In addition, photosynthetic measurements are being conducted on plants from under our treatments using an infrared gas analyzer. Remaining plants were harvested and dried for determination of UV-B-absorbing phenylpropanoid concentrations via HPLC. In addition to mature plants, seedlings were grown under these treatments at Gamage Point and have been harvested to examine UV-B effects on growth and development. Sampling continued at the easternmost island of Stepping Stones, our long term field site where we have been manipulating levels of UV-B radiation and temperatures around naturally growing plants for four field seasons. Final measurements of growth were conducted on about 1000 previously tagged tillers of Deschampsia antarctica and 1000 shoots of Colobanthus quitensis in late February. We also conducted a second census on number and developmental stage on over 2000 reproductive structures on these plants. We are planning our final reproductive census and collection of viable seeds in early March. Collection of vegetation and soil samples were completed in both species under each of our 90 treatment frames at the site. These samples will be analyzed for plant and soil nutrient levels, isotope ratios as well as invertebrate populations. These invertebrate samples were collected using a modification of the Tullgren extraction procedure and have yielded high numbers of invertebrates. In addition to our sample coring under treatment frames, samples have been removed from outside our plots to examine net primary productivity in both species of Antarctic vascular plants. We thank ASA personnel at Palmer Station for excellent support of BO-003-O throughout the month of February. BP-013-O LONG TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH (LTER) ON THE ANTARCTIC MARINE ECOSYSTEM: AN ICE-DOMINATED ENVIRONMENT (SEABIRD COMPONENT). William R. Fraser, Principal Investigator, Biology Department, Montana State University. Personnel on station: William R. Fraser, Donna L. Patterson and Matt Irinaga. Continued good access to our island study sites during February has allowed us to maintain the timely aquisition of the LTER Seabird Component core data. During the month we completed all research associated with the foraging ecology of Adelie Penguins, including diet sampling and the estimation of foraging trip durations. As in past seasons, Euphausia superba was the dominant component of the diet, but foraging trip durations increased by 33% relative to last year. In February we also completed Adelie chick banding and our work on fledging weights. As in past season, we have continued the aquisition 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. Special thanks are due to ASA's Sheldon Blackman for outstanding assistance with our telemetry studies and to other ASA personnel in general for their help with our work this month. BP-016-0 LONG TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH (LTER) ON THE ANTARCTIC MARINE ECOSYSTEM: AN ICE-DOMINATED ENVIRONMENT (PHYTOPLANKTON COMPONENT). Maria Vernet, Principal Investigator, Scripps Institute of Oceanography. Personnel on Station: Jennifer White, Karen Weinbaum We arrived on station February 12th and lab set up began immediately. Our first sample day was February 16th and we have sampled three more times since then for a total of four full days. All core data sets were collected from both stations B and E on these days. We have also begun the preliminary stages of packing and preparing our equipment for shipment and use on the winter LTER cruise. BP-028-0 LONG-TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH (LTER) ON THE ANTARCTIC MARINE ECOSYSTEM: AN ICE-DOMINATED SYSTEM (PREY COMPONENT). Robin M. Ross and Langdon B.Quetin, Principal Investigators, Marine Science Institute, University of California at Santa Barbara. Personnel on station: Tracy Shaw and Justin Smith We arrived at Palmer on February 12 after the LTER cruise and commenced unloading and setting up our labs and zodiacs. Our first sampling day was February 16 when we did our station E to A acoustics transect. Winds and heavy brash ice impeded our efforts to do an acoustics run between stations J-F on February 18, but we were able to successfully complete that transect on February 19. We did not see any krill during the E-A acoustics run and saw only a few schools during the J-F transect. Weather prevented us from sampling again until February 26, on which day we completed acoustics transects from E-A and F-J, but saw no krill. On February 17 there were large numbers of krill at the Palmer boat ramp which we caught with dip nets and used for a length frequency sample and a growth rate experiment. To compare the krill at the dock with other krill in the area we took the trawl boat out that afternoon and spent 1.5 hours searching for krill swarms with no success. We continue to regularly see aggregate salps at or near the surface of the water, sometimes still linked together in chains of several animals, although we have not seen an acoustic signal that suggests there are large swarms of salps in this area. At Palmer we are analyzing and processing samples from the LTER cruise. Pigment extraction was completed from frozen krill samples and about half of the salp gut pigment samples collected during the cruise have been processed. Justin is working hard processing krill egg production samples and we hope to start measuring krill from shipboard growth rate experiments early next week. We are also planning to stage ovaries of female krill collected during the LTER cruise to add to our six-year data set on krill reproductive conditions and their relationship to ice conditions. It will be particularly interesting to see the results for this year since the ice area and extent in the LTER study area were both the lowest they've been since this study began. BP-032-O LONG TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH (LTER) ON THE ANTARCTIC MARINE ECOSYSTEM: AN ICE-DOMINATED ENVIRONMENT (OPTICS COMPONENT). Raymond C. Smith, Principal Investigator, ICESS, University of California at Santa Barbara. Personnel on station: Karen W. Patterson, Andrew King, Christian McDonald Personnel returned to station on February 12th at the conclusion of the LTER annual cruise. Two days were spent moving equipment back into the lab at Palmer and setting up the zodiac for post-cruise sampling. A last-minute change in personnel occurred, as Karen Patterson needed to go north to Punta Arenas to have a medical problem checked out. Andrew King stayed on station and continued a reduced sampling scheme until the ship returned on February 26th at which time Andrew departed and Karen and Christian McDonald returned to station. Zodiac sampling at stations B and E occurred twice weekly after the cruise. CTD, PRR and chlorophyll samples were collected at both stations on all four sampling trips, while spectral light absorption by particulate and dissolved organic material was only sampled on the last zodiac sampling day of the month. Twice weekly surface chlorophyll samples were also collected at Bonaparte and Gamage Points. Ken Doggett has taken over the continuous weekly chlorophyll sampling from the seawater intake. Daily ice observations from the roof of GWR have been resumed as well. With the end of the month comes the reality that the season is nearing the end and it is time to start thinking about packing. WO-004, ARTISTS AND WRITERS Personnel on station: Lucia Deleiris I am progressing well on "Hidden Worlds", the children's book to be published by National Geographic in the United States and Frances Lincoln in the U.K. Meredith Hooper returned in February on LMG 99-1, bringing her completed text to present to the publishers, along with a copy of my rough drawings, visual layout for the book, and several completed illustrations. This month I continue to produce final illustrations for the book using the first hand references available at Palmer Station. I have been working from many field sketches that I produce on the islands from direct observation of the wildlife in their environment. These drawings reflect the various changes in the wildlife throughout the progressing season. Because the book emphasizes the dependency of all wildlife on the abundance of underwater life, including the plankton, I have found many related resources of use here at Palmer Station. Ross Hein provided me with some excellent video footage of underwater life he took during previous dives for science teams. By setting up a Zodiac tow, he helped me collect local zooplankton for reference. Krill and many of the benthic species already in the aquarium have provided excellent direct references, which I am able to place in their natural settings with the help of the video footage. Scientists, as always, have been helpful in providing background information and in checking the work for accuracy. Bill Fraser has generously helped us by checking the text and rough drawings and providing consultations throughout the development of the book. Recently, I have been consulting with Donna Patterson who has shared her expertise in Giant Petrels and provided me with further reference material. GO-052-O GPS CONTINUOUS OPERATION REFERENCE STATION. J. Mullins, U.S. Geological Survey. The station science technician has monitored the system. During the month GPS data was collected continuously, converted daily to a RINEX format, compressed, and transmitted to the US Geological Survey in Reston, VA. The GPS station was used this month to transmit correctors to a roving GPS. Data from the GPS base station was also used in post processing to accurately determine the position of newly installed survey markers on seven of the nearby islands. GO-091-O GLOBAL SEISMOGRAPH STATION AT PALMER STATION. R. Butler, Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS). The station science technician has operated the system. Global seismic events were recorded throughout the month. All operations during the month were normal. AO-106-O STUDIES OF LIGHTNING-INDUCED ELECTRON PRECIPITATION OF THE IONOSPHERE. U. Inan, Stanford University. The station science technician has monitored the system. The Stanford receiver records very low frequency (VLF) radio waves for studying ionospheric and magnetospheric natural phenomena. The playback head on the Ampex reel to reel tape deck was aligned for the broadband synoptic VLF recording system. The guy ropes holding up the VLF antenna on the glacier were re-tensioned several times, due to melting and shifting ice. OO-204-O MEASUREMENTS OF ATMOSPHERIC O2 IN RELATION TO THE GLOBAL CARBON CYCLE. Ralph Keeling, Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Air samples are collected on a semi-weekly basis by the station physician. The samples are return shipped to Scripps for analysis of O2 and CO2 content. The goal of the program is to resolve seasonal and interannual variations in atmospheric O2 (detected through changes in O2/N2 ratio) which can aid in the determination of rates of marine biological productivity and ocean mixing and aid in the separation of the global sink for anthropogenic CO2 into terrestrial and oceanic components. The program involves air sampling at a network of sites in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Palmer Station is especially well situated to resolve signals due to carbon cycling in the Southern Ocean. OO-254-O CHLORINE-AND BROMINE-CONTAINING TRACE GASES IN ANTARCTICA. R.A. Rasmussen, Oregon Graduate Institute for Science and Technology. 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. OO-264-O COLLECTION OF ATMOSPHERIC AIR FOR THE NOAA\CMDL WORLDWIDE FLASK SAMPLING NETWORK. James T. Peterson, Environmental Research Laboratories, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 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. This data will be used to determine how the rate of change of these parameters affects climate, particularly by including them in climate model studies. OO-275-O UM/DOE-EML REMOTE ATMOSPHERIC MEASUREMENTS PROGRAM. C. Sanderson, Department of Energy, Environmental Measurements Laboratory. The station science technician has operated the system. One sample filter was exposed for the duration of each week, and a weekly schedule of calibration, background, and sample counts was maintained. 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. OO-283-P ANTARCTIC AUTOMATED WEATHER STATIONS. Charles Stearns, University of Wisconsin. The station science technician has monitored the sites. Automated Weather Station (AWS) transmissions were monitored from Bonaparte Point, Hugo Island, and RACER Rock using the TeraScan system. The Hugo Island AWS site stopped transmitting on 1/21/99. The problem will be diagnosed when a ship is next able to get to the site. The R/V LAURENCE M. GOULD was not able to stop and attempt repairs on the Hugo Island Automatic Weather Station during the LTER cruise. A wiring problem was diagnosed and repaired at the Bonaparte Point AWS site so that the solar panel now charges the batteries correctly. TO-312-O TERASCAN SATELLITE IMAGING SYSTEM. R. Whritner, Scripps Institute of Oceanography. The station science technician has operated the system. TO-312-O TERASCAN SATELLITE IMAGING SYSTEM. R. Whritner, Scripps Institute of Oceanography The station science technician has operated the system. Throughout the month, the TeraScan system collected, archived, and processed DMSP and NOAA satellite pass telemetry, maintaining a schedule of 17-20 passes per day. SeaWiFS satellite pass telemetry was also collected and archived in its decrypted format. NOAA and DMSP telemetry was archived for BP-032-O when the LTER grid was clear of clouds. A copy of SeaWiFS pass data for the time period covering the LTER cruise was given to LTER personnel. Ice images were generated when skies were clear for use by the R/V LAURENCE M. GOULD and R/V NATHANIAL B. PALMER in navigation. Two 4GB hard drives and 2 DDS3 tape drives were installed in the TeraScan system, making the system more robust and easier to use. The near real time satellite imagery being displayed on a monitor in the Communications center was modified to include larger scale images so boating parties can better estimate future weather conditions. A 63 mile long iceberg is being tracked. It has moved from over 300 miles WSW of Palmer station to a point about 180 miles W of Palmer Station. TO-513-O UV MONITORING NETWORK. C. Booth, Biospherical Instruments, Inc. The station science technician has operated the system. Throughout the month, raw irradiance data scans were collected daily and transmitted to BSI, and preliminary irradiances and spectral integrals were produced in support of Science. Scheduled absolute calibration scans were performed, and the system is operating normally. A new version of the post processing software was installed on the office PC. Post processing will now occur on the office PC instead of the control and acquisition PC. SYNOPTIC WEATHER OBSERVATIONS. Antarctic Support Associates The precipitation bucket was moved about 6' due to remodeling of the wooden walkway where it was installed. More progress was made on packaging Palmer weather data from April 1989 through 1998. Quality control checks revealed some errors in the data. It is hoped that these errors can be corrected using the original data sheets at which time the packaged data will be made available. (Ancillary) TIDE GAUGE. Tony Amos, University of Texas The station science technician has monitored the system. An electrical junction box was replaced by the station electrician requiring that the tide gauge cable be cut and resoldered together. This connection is now housed in a weatherproof box which will protect it from the salt spray. A bug in the display program was fixed so that the daily tides are displayed correctly on a monitor in the Communications center. Ken ========================== Ken Doggett Laboratory Services Palmer Station, Antarctica 64.77 South, 64.07 West United States Antarctic Program -------------------------- LABMAN@palmer.usap.nsf.gov INMARSAT voice: 011-874-336-857-710 fax: 011-874-336-857-712 ==========================