PALMER STATION SCIENCE MONTHLY REPORT March 2005 NEWS FROM THE LAB Cara Ferrier, Senior Assistant Supervisor, Laboratory Operations There was a very busy port call this month. The ARSV Laurence M. Gould arrived on March 19th, bringing 19 winter-overs, including Glenn Grant (Research Associate) and Janice O'Reilly (Winter Assistant Supervisor, Lab Operations). There were port call site visits by the RPSC Director of Facilities (Dan Mazzio), RPSC Director of Environmental Health and Safety (Scott Myers), and a food inspector (Budd Dodge). Three riggers are on station until April 11th, removing the VHS antenna and assisting Jeff Chang (A-306-P Inan) in moving the VLF antenna to the top of the glacier. Departing station were all members from B-028-P (Quetin/Ross), B-003-P (Day), and B-013-P (Fraser), and 12 RPSC personnel, on March 24th. After leaving Palmer Station the ARSV LMG went to Peterman Island to remove equipment and cargo. There are five scientists currently on station (B-045-P and B-016-P) and data continues to be gathered for 11 other projects by Johan Booth and Glenn Grant, the Palmer Station Research Associates, with some assistance from the station physicians, Will Silva and Kelvin Mar. Precipitation for March was 69.1 mm melted and 32 cm snowfall. Air temperature averaged 0.5 degrees C and ranged from a maximum of 5.6 degreesC to -1.2 degrees C. Wind averaged 10 kts predominantly from the north to northeast with gusts over 64 kts. On March 23rd, a sheathbill was observed on station. Several more have arrived since then. During March, two yachts (Yacht Philos, Le Chemin Du Cygne) and one Argentine navy vessel, the ARA Almirante Irizar, visited Palmer Station. B-016-P: PALMER, ANTARCTICA LONG-TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH PROJECT: Long-Term Ecological Research on the Antarctic marine ecosystem: Climate migration, ECOSYSTEM response and teleconnections in an ice-dominated environment: PHYTOPLANKTON ECOLOGY COMPONENT Dr. Maria Vernet, Principal Investigator, Scripps Institution of Oceanography Personnel on station: G. Jessica Spence, Lyndon Valicenti, and Karie Sines (Scripps Institution of Oceanography) Sampling of Palmer inshore stations E and B continued through the month of March ending on 01 April. During this last month of the 2004-2005 summer season, Palmer inshore stations E and B were sampled in complete profile nine times (including the 01 April sampling). The remaining days on station were spent packing up laboratory and boating equipment. Preliminary sampling results show primary production estimates for the month of March to be well below those observed in February. Station E averaged 412mgC/m2, down from 1117mgC/m2 for February, and Station B 321mgC/m2 which averaged 1058mgC/m2 in February. These estimates are very close to averages observed in March of the 2003-2004 season. Biomass, as indicated by chlorophyll measurements, showed the same declining trend seen in production. Averages dropped from 89ug/m2 and 93ug/m2 in February, for stations E and B respectively, to 51ug/m2 and 36ug/m2. We would like to extend our gratitude to the entire RPSC staff for all their help during our field season. Special thanks to the boating coordinator, Vinny Gordon, and the logistics crew, Cathy Borowsky and Ben Toth, for all their help in the packing process! It's been a great season. B-045-P: PALMER, ANTARCTICA LONG-TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH PROJECT: Long-Term Ecological Research on the Antarctic marine ecosystem: Climate migration, ECOSYSTEM response and teleconnections in an ice-dominated environment: Microbial/biogeochemistry component Dr. Hugh Ducklow, Principal Investigator, School of Marine Science, The College of William and Mary Personnel on station: Taylor Heyl and Bob Daniels Relatively good weather and open water allowed our group to conduct regular near-shore sampling at stations E and B in the Palmer Station vicinity during the month of March. Surface temperature has always been colder (mean = -0.3) at station B than at station E (mean = 0.5). Bacterial activity as observed with uptake of both thymidine and leucine is greatest at surface and 15 m depths than at greater depth in the water column. Activity has continued to be slightly greater at Station B compared to E for all sample days. Sampling was postponed only twice due to high winds and large swells. There was no interference from ice during this month. Large volume filtrations from the pump house seawater intake for lipid biomarkers were performed on a weekly basis, without interference from weather or sea ice. We thank the many individuals who have assisted in helping us complete a successful sampling season at Palmer Station, in particular Vinny Gordon for keeping our Zodiac in good condition and for improving and maintaining our sampling platform and meter wheel. Thank you to Cara Ferrier for organization and materials acquisition throughout the second half of this season. We are also grateful to FEMC, especially Jeff Gustafson and Kelsi Giswold, for their artful and timely construction of a large wooden box to transport the Organic Carbon Analyzer back to the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. Thanks also goes to Tim Kramer and Ildi Incze for quickly responding to our radiation and reagent waste needs during our end of season packing. Thank you also to Greg Quetin for assistance in the field this month. 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. A new computer was installed as the data acquisition machine, replacing a computer that, while it had continued to acquire data without difficulty, might still have been infected by a previous virus and malware outbreak, as it refused to execute an autoscheduled end-of-day batch file. The Z-12 rover was used in RTK/CPD mode to survey the terminus of the glacier in the rocky area behind Palmer. This work is part of an ongoing project to track the position of the glacier face over the years. The Z-12 rover was used in RTK/CPD mode to collect "surface mapping" data of areas of the backyard as part of an informal project to produce a topographical map of as much of Gamage Point as possible. 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. The magnitude 8.7 earthquake in northern Sumatra on March 28th was recorded strongly on Palmer's seismic system. Station PMSA contributed data to help refine the event size and position. 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 and Hugo Island were monitored using the TeraScan system, with only Bonaparte Point currently operational. AWS data received was also forwarded to UCSB for B032P (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. Enhanced whistler activity was observed occasionally, though generally infrequently, throughout the month, and extra DVDs were burned with broadband continuous data from these periods. New 4x4 posts were painted and transported to and planted in the glacier. Hardware was installed on the posts to support a messenger wire, which was then hung and tensioned. Connectors were soldered to new sections of signal cable, which were then joined together to form one 5000' cable. This cable was hung from the messenger wire in its run along the glacier, and laid out on the rocks of the Palmer backyard area in front of the glacier. 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 B032P (Smith). One final DMSP visible image of each area of interest (Larsen Ice Shelf and South Orkney Islands) was produced at the beginning of the month in support of cruise LMG05-02. Numerous DMSP visible images were produced in the middle of the month in support of planning for the upcoming SHALDRIL cruise NBP05-02. A cropped "true color" MODIS satellite image of the area around the Lemaire Channel and Petermann Island was provided to personnel on the R/V LAURENCE M. GOULD to assist in planning for their upcoming visit to Petermann. 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 SUV100 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 SUV100. 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 on 12 and 25 March, with the latter being the quarterly triple-lamp calibration. After many years of reliable service, the venerable Syquest drive was removed from the system. Several times during the month the GUV reported a COM5 timeout error when trying to open its daily data file. This problem has been seen sporadically in the past, and the solution remains the same: simply to stop and then restart data acquisition. 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. 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. Five weeks of temperature data were provided to the Electrician for integration into a power consumption study. A year's worth of monthly summaries were provided to an engineer with the environmental firm of Metcalf & Eddy. One system hardware malfunction was diagnosed and repaired: rain and sea spray had entered a sensor connector, shorting the contacts and causing a brief loss of data.