NSF Web Site
U.S . An tar ctic P ro gr am , 2 0 04 –
20 0 5
OCEAN AND CLIMATE SYSTEMS
I. Ae ron o m y an d Astro p hy sics
The U.S. ice brea king re sea rch ship La ur ence M. Go uld is
use d by U.S. Antar ctic Pr ogra m scie ntists to support
resea rch including o cea no graphy and ma rine biolo gy . It
is a lso use d to tra nspo rt per so nne l fro m Punta Are na s,
Chil e, to P alm er Sta tion. ( NSF/ USA P pho to by J effr ey
Kietzma nn, Ray the on P ola r Serv ice Cor p. )
II . Bio log y an d Me di cin e
II I. Lo n g -Te rm Eco lo g ical
Rese arch
IV. O cea n an d C lim a te S ystem s
V. G eo lo gy a nd Ge op h ysics
VI. Gl acio lo gy
VII . Arti sts an d W rite rs
Pr og ra m
PD F Ver sion
OP P h om e p ag e
Ant arcti c S cien ce s S ectio n
Po la r Re se ar ch S up p or t S ecti on
U.S . An n ua l An tar ctic T re aty
Ex cha n ge o f In fo rm a tio n
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Ov erv iew
Anta rctic Tro po sphe re Chemistr y Inve stiga tion (AN TC I).
Sola r r adiatio n pro ce sses on the e ast a nta rctic pla te au.
Anta rctic M eteo ro logical Re sear ch Ce nte r (2002–2005) .
Mea sur eme nts of va riatio ns in a tmospheric ox ygen/nitro ge n a nd argo n/ nitr ogen
ratio s in ca rbon diox ide co ncentratio n in rela tion to the ca rbon cy cle and clima te.
Pro cesses dr iving spatia l a nd tempo ral v aria bili ty of surface pCO 2 in the Dra ke
Passa ge .
AnSlo pe —Cross -slo pe ex cha nges at the Antar ctic Slo pe F ront.
In situ me asure ments o f halo gen o xides in the tro po spher e.
South P ole m onitor ing fo r cli matic change— U.S. Depar tment of C omm erce N OAA
Clima te Monito ring and Diagnostic Labo rato ry.
The Drak e Pa ssage High- De nsity XB T/ XCTD P rogra m.
Colle ction of a tmo spheric ai r fo r the N OAA/CM DL wo rldwide fla sk -sa mpling
ne twork .
Tra cers of bio logical pro ductivity a nd ga s e xchange .
Oper atio n o f an ae roso l sa mpling system a t P alme r Statio n.
Anta rctic a uto ma tic we ather sta ti on progra m: 2004 –2007.
Sola r/wind- po were d instrumenta ti on mo dule de velo pment fo r po lar e nv ironme ntal
resea rch.
Southern Oce an curr ent o bse rva tions and a coustic Doppler current pr ofiling from
U.S. a nta rctic r esea rch v essels.
Physics a nd me cha ni cs of the bre ak up of wa rm Antarctic Sea ice : In situ
exper iments and mo deling.
Overview
Though it bo rders the world's major o cea ns, the So uthe rn
Oce an syste m is lik e no other in the wo rld, with 4 time s
more wate r than the Gulf Strea m and 400 time s m ore than
the M ississippi Riv er. It is a se a where a ve rage tem pe rature s
do no t re ach 2 °C in the summ er, wher e ev en the wa ter itself
is so distinctiv e tha t i t can be identified tho usa nds of m iles
awa y in currents tha t o riginated he re. The se Antarctic
Botto m W ate rs pro vide the majo r so urce of co oling for the
world's ocea ns. In fact, if the Ea rth is a hea t e ngine,
Anta rctica sho uld be vie wed a s i ts circulato ry coo ling
co mpone nt.
The clima te in Antarctica is also unique , linke d a s it is to the
extre me co nditio ns of the la nd, ice, a nd sea belo w the
tr oposphere ( the inner re gio n o f the atmo sphe re, up to
be twee n 11 and 16 k ilome ters) . This oce an/a tmo spher e
enviro nment de fine s a nd co nstra ins the ma rine bio sphe re
and in turn ha s a dyna mic re latio nship w ith the glo bal oce an
and with w eathe r a ll ov er the planet. Few ma jor ene rgy
exchanges on Ea rth ca n be calculate d without fa ctoring i n
the se essential a nta rctic phenom ena. As such, the y are bo th
an indicato r a nd a com po nent o f clima te change .
The Ocea n and C limate S ystem P rogra m spo nso rs resea rch
tha t will impro ve unde rstanding of the high- latitude o cea n
enviro nment, including the global ex change o f hea t, sa lt,
water , and tr ace e leme nts; ther e is a lso an emphasis on se a ice dy na mics, a s we ll a s the dynamic behav ior a nd
atmo spher ic chem istr y of the tro po sphe re. Ma jo r pr ogra m
elem ents include the follo wing:
A re sea rche r atta che s a n
instrume nt to a te the red
ba lloo n to me asure the
cha racte ristics o f wate r
vapo r in the lowe r tw o
kilo mete rs o f the
atmo spher e at
Amundsen –Sco tt South
Po le Sta tion, Antar ctica .
z Phys ic al oceano grap hy: The dy na mics and
kinema tics o f the pola r o cea ns; the intera ction of such ( NSF/ USA P pho to by J eff
Ingles, Ra ytheo n P ola r
fo rces as wind, so la r ra dia tio n, and hea t e xchange;
Serv ices Corp. )
water - mass pro ductio n a nd mo difica tion pro cesses;
ocea n dynam ics a t the pack -ice edge ; and the effect
of pol ynya s o n ve nti latio n.
z Chemical oc eanography: The che mical com po sition of se a wa ter and its global
diffe re ntia tion; re actio ns amo ng chemica l e leme nts and co mpounds in the o ce an;
fluxe s o f ma teria l, within o cean ba sins a nd at the ir bo undar ies; and the use of
che mical tra cers to ma p oce anic pro cesses acr oss a range of te mpor al and spatia l
sca les.
z Sea-ice dynamics : The mate rial chara cteristics of se a ice , fr om the lev el of the
individual crysta l to the la rge -sca le patte rns o f fr ee zing, defor matio n, and
melting.
z Meteorolo gy: Atmo sphe ric cir cula tion sy stems and dynam ics, incl uding the
energy budget; a tmospheric che mistry ; tra nspo rt o f a tm ospheric contam ina nts to
the a nta rctic; and the ro le of large a nd meso scale syste ms in the glo bal ex cha nge
of hea t, mo me ntum, and tra ce co nstitue nts.
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Antarctic Troposphere Chemistry Investigation
(ANTCI).
Fred Eis ele, Douglas Davis, Y uhan g W ang, David Tan, and L. Greg Huey, Georgia
Inst it ute of Techn olo gy; Richard Arimoto, New Mexico Stat e Un iversity; Detlev
Helmig, Un iversity o f Co lorado-Bou lder; Manuel H utt erli and Roger Bales,
University of Ariz ona; Jack Dib b, Universit y of New H amp shire; Don ald Blake,
University of California -Irvine; and Rich ard Sh ett er and Roy Mauldin, N ational
Cent er for At mo sph eric Res earch.
We will study sulfur chemistry in the a ntarctic atmo sphe re to e nha nce o ur unde rstanding
of the proce sses tha t co ntro l tropo spheric le vel s o f rea ctive hydro ge n ra dicals, re activ e
nitro gen, sulfur, and o the r trace specie s for the further purpo se of improv ing the clima tic
inte rpr eta ti on o f sulfur - ba sed signals in anta rctic ice -co re re cords. Spe cifical ly, we will be
mak ing observ atio ns o f re activ e hy dr ogen radicals, sulfuric a cid a nd its sulfur precursor s,
and the flux o f ultrav iole t r adiatio n. The re sul ts we deriv e will le ad to a fa r more
co mprehe nsiv e under sta nding o f a nta rctic a tmospheric che mistry , as we ll a s the factor s
tha t influe nce the le vel s a nd distributions o f clima te prox y spe cies in a nta rctic ice co res.
Our ma jo r scie nce obje ctives include :
z eva luating the pr oce sse s that contro l spring a nd sum mer le vel s o f re active
radicals in the atm osphe ric surfa ce l aye r at the S outh P ole ,
z assessing how re pr esentativ e prev iously obta ine d So uth Po le a nd coa sta l
mea sure me nts are in the large r co nte xt of po lar plate au pro cesses, and
z
inv estigating the re lative impo rta nce o f the ox ida tive proce sses inv olv ed i n the
co ast -to -pla tea u tra nspor t o f reduced sulfur and de te rmining the principa l
che mical tra nsitio n re gio ns.
Secondar y obje ctive s include inve stiga ting sno w/firn che mical species that undergo
exte nsiv e ex cha nge with the a tmo spher e and a sse ssing the diffe rent che mical form s o f
the tra ce ele ments and their re latio nships to le ve ls o f o zone and o ther ox ida nts.
Atmospheric sulfur che mistry is importa nt in clim ate change beca use both na turally a nd
anthr opogenica lly emitte d sulfur co mpo unds fo rm minute pa rticles in the atm osphe re
(so - ca lled a ero sols) that refle ct sol ar ra dia tion, pro duce atm osphe ric ha ze and a cid rai n,
and affect ozo ne deple tion. These sulfa te pa rticles ma y a lso act as conde nsatio n nucle i
fo r w ater v apor a nd enhance glo bal clo udiness. The pr imar y na tur al sources of sulfur are
volca nic e missions a nd dimethylsulfide pro ductio n by oce anic phytopla nk ton.
On the m illennial time sca le, the v aria bili ty and backgro und le vel o f atm osphe ric ae roso ls
ca n be re co nstructe d from ice co res. It is, howe ve r, nece ssary to understand ho w the
physica l a nd chemica l enviro nment of the proce ss a ffects the rela tive co nce ntra tions of
the o xidatio n pro ducts that beco me buri ed in the ice . (O–176–M/S; N SF/ OPP 02–30246,
NSF/ OPP 02 –29633, NSF /OPP 02–29605, NSF /OPP 02–30046, NSF /OPP 02–30051,
NSF/ OPP 02 –30117, and N SF/OP P 02–30178)
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Solar radiation processes on the east antarctic
plateau.
Steph en G. Warren an d Thomas C. Gren fell, University of Was hingt on.
This pro je ct is an expe rime nta l study of so lar ra di atio n proce sses ne ar the sur fa ce at
Concor dia B ase at Dom e C, the Fr ench-Italia n statio n in Ea st Antar ctica . It will be ca rrie d
out in co opera tion with the La bo rato ire de Glacio logie et Geo phy si que de l'Enviro nment in
Gre noble, Fra nce . The e mpha sis is o n the reflectio n o f sunlight by snow and the
tr ansmission of sunlight through clouds. The observ atio ns we gather will be rele va nt to
clim ate , re mote sensing, and the phy sics o f ice and sno w.
Obser vatio ns o f the angula r pa ttern of so lar ra diatio n re fle cted from the snow surfa ce will
allo w us to va lida te info rma tion fro m sa te llite -de rive d ra dia nce s. U si ng radiativ e transfer
modeling thro ugh the atm osphe re , we will re co ncile mea sured surface -reflectio n
functio ns with the e mpirical functio ns obtaine d from the Adva nce d Ve ry -High- Reso utio n
Radiom ete r o n the pola r o rbi ti ng sa tellite s o f the Na tiona l Oce anic a nd Atmo spher ic
Adm inistra tion. ( O –201 –M; NSF /OP P 00 –03826)
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Antarctic Meteorological Research Center (2002–
2005).
Charles R. S tearns , Univers it y of Wisc ons in -Madis on.
The Antarctic Mete or olo gica l R esea rch C enter (AM RC) wa s cre ate d in 1992 to im pro ve
access to mete or olo gica l da ta fro m the Anta rctic. The AMRC's missio n is to co nduct
resea rch in observ atio nal me teo rol ogy and the stewa rdship of m eteo ro logical data , alo ng
with prov iding da ta and e xpert a ssista nce to the a nta rctic co mmunity to suppo rt r esea rch
and o pe ratio ns. The AM RC fulfills its mission by
z co ntinuing to ma intain and ex pand, as appropria te, the lo ng -te rm re co rd o f a ll
mete oro logical data o n Antar ctica and the a djace nt So uther n Ocea n and m ak e
the se da ta av aila ble to the scientific co mmunity fo r multidisciplinary use (specia l
attentio n will be giv en to obtaining data no t nor mally o r rea dily av aila ble by other
mea ns) ;
z co ntinuing to gener ate sa te llite products, spe cifica lly, but not limite d to, antar cti c
co mposite im agery , a nd ex pa nd and impro ve o n them a s much a s po ssible ;
z co nducting re se ar ch in o bse rva tiona l me teo ro logy, especially with regar d to
clim ato logical a na lyse s a nd ca se studie s; a nd
z co ntinuing to co nduct a nd ex pa nd, a s a ppro priate , educatio na l a nd public
outrea ch a ctiv ities asso ciated with a nta rctic me teo rol ogy and re late d fields.
Using av aila ble mete oro lo gica l inter active pro cessing softwa re a nd other standard
co mputing to o ls, we will colle ct data fro m all a va ilable source s for proce ssing, a rchiving,
and distributio n. The missio n o f the AMRC not only include s the o ppor tunity to a dv ance
the k no wledge of antarctic mete or olo gy , but with the free ava ila bility o f its da ta ho ldings,
the AM RC giv es other s the opportunity to a dv ance the fro ntiers of all antar ctic science.
Continuing e duca tional o utre ach activitie s o n m eteo ro logy and the Antar ctic, an
impo rta nt com po ne nt o f this wo rk, have the pote nti al to ra ise the scie nce litera cy of the
ge ne ral public, a s w ell as the le vel o f K–12 scie nce educa tion. ( O–202–M/P /S; N SF/ OP P
01 –26262)
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Measurements of variations in atmospheric
oxygen/nitrogen and argon/nitrogen ratios in
carbon dioxide concentration in relation to the
carbon cycle and climate.
Ralph F. Keeling, Scripps Ins titut io n o f O ceanog rap hy, Universit y of C alifornia –
San Dieg o.
Ox ygen, the mo st a bundant e lem ent o n Ear th, co mprises abo ut a fifth of the
atmo spher e. B ut much o f the Ea rth's o xyge n re si de s in o the r che mical species (in wate r,
rock s, and m ine rals) a nd, of co urse , in the flor a and fauna that recy cl e it ( bo th directly
and as ca rbo n diox ide) through photo sy nthe sis a nd respiratio n. Thus, scientists a re
inte reste d in m easuring the concentra tion of mo lecula r o xy ge n a nd carbon dio xide in air
sa mples; o ur pro je ct include s a subse t o f sa mple colle ctio ns being m ade at a ser ies of
ba seline sites aro und the wo rld.
These data sho uld he lp impro ve e stimate s o f the pr ocesse s wher eby o xyge n is cy cled
thro ugho ut the glo ba l ecosy stem, spe cifica lly thro ugh photo synthe sis a nd atmo sphe ric
mixing ra tes, and a lso impro ve pre dictio ns of the ne t e xchange rate s o f car bo n diox ide
with biota , o n la nd and in the o ceans. A n impor tant par t o f the me asure ment pro gram
entails de ve loping abso lute sta ndar ds fo r o xyge n-in-air to ensure stable lo ng -te rm
ca libratio n. In a dditio n, we a re conducting surv ey s o f the ox ida tive o xy ge n/ carbon ra ti os
of both terre strial - and ma rine -ba sed o rganic ca rbon, hoping to im pro ve the qua ntita tive
ba sis for linking the geo che mical cycle s o f o xyge n a nd carbon dio xide.
These re sul ts should help enhance our under sta nding o f the proce sses tha t re gula te the
buildup of ca rbon dio xide in the a tmosphere a nd of the change proce sse s, especia lly
clim ate change, that regulate e colo gi ca l functi ons o n la nd and se a. ( O–204–P; N SF/A TM
00 –00923)
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Processes driving spatial and temporal variability
of surface pCO 2 in the Drake Passage.
Taro Takahas hi, Columbia U niversity, an d J org e L S armient o, P rincet on
University.
The So uther n Ocea n is an im po rtant compo ne nt o f the glo ba l ca rbon budget. Low surfa ce
te mpera tures with co nse quently lo w ver tica l stability , ice form atio n, and high winds
pro duce a v ery a ctive e nv ironme nt for the ex cha nge o f gase ous ca rbon dio xide be twee n
the a tmospheric and o cea nic re se rv oirs. The Drak e Pa ssage is the nar rowe st point
thro ugh which the A nta rctic C ircum po lar Curre nt a nd its associa ted fro nts must pa ss a nd
is the mo st efficient l ocatio n for the me asurem ent o f la titudinal gr adients o f gas
exchange.
We will ex pa nd the mea sur eme nt suite and le ngthen the time se rie s o f disso lve d car bo n
dio xide gas (pCO 2) a long with occasio nal tota l ca rbon dio xide (TCO 2) in surfa ce wate rs o n
tr ansects of Dra ke P assage. This ex pa nde d suite w ill include the a dditio n of an oxy gen
pro be to the pCO 2 syste m, a s we ll as the addition of nutrient and ca rbo n-13
mea sure me nts to the discre te TCO 2 sa mple s no w co llecte d on regular ly schedule d
tr ansects on the U .S. Antarctic Pro gr am re sear ch ship Laurence M. Gould.
Two sho rt cruises (4 to 5 day s) will also be de dicated to prov iding a ba seline for surface
mea sure me nts with wa ter col um n profile s o f TCO 2 , pC O 2, nutrie nts, ox ygen, a nd carbo n­
13. The co ntinuatio n a nd expa nsio n o f the Dr ake Passa ge tim e serie s wil l co ntribute to
achiev ing tw o ma in goa ls:
z quantifying the spa tial a nd te mpor al va riability a nd trends o f surface pCO 2, TC O 2 ,
oxy gen, nutr ients, and ca rbon- 13 in four ma jo r regime s in the Dra ke P assa ge
be twee n Ma rch 2002 and J une 2007 and
z understa nding the do minant pr ocesse s that contribute to v aria bili ty in surfa ce
pCO 2 a nd the re sulting a ir -se a flux o f CO 2 in the Dra ke P assage.
We will test the hy po the sis that the mea n a nnual surface wa te r pCO 2 in the Dra ke
Passa ge i s dete rmined by the de gre e o f winter mix ing. This has special significance in
light of two sce na rio s that ma y affe ct the v entilatio n o f deep wate r in the So uthe rn
Oce an:
z a de crea se in wa ter -co lumn stra tifica tion with o bse rva tions of highe r zo nal winds
or
z an incre ase in stra tificatio n due to higher pr ecipitatio n a nd global wa rming.
If winter mix ing de term ine s the me an annua l pCO 2 in the Dra ke P assage , the incre ase in
atmo spher ic pCO 2 will hav e little e ffect on se a surfa ce pCO 2. Beca use the So uthe rn Ocea n
is a sink for anthropo ge nic car bo n, further studi es to unde rstand the proce sse s tha t
de termine this uptak e and its re spo nse to climate change ar e ne eded. Our time ser ies
studies re pr esent the highest co nce ntratio n o f pCO 2 me asure ments e ve r made both
te mpor ally a nd spatia lly in the So uther n Ocea n and so a re a n esse ntia l first step.
Mor eov er , our study will ma ke high- quality surface pCO 2 a nd discre te mea sureme nts o f
nutrie nts and ca rbo n -13 av aila ble to he lp va lidate biogeo chemica l m odeling e ffor ts, as
well as pr ov ide base line da ta for studie s throughout the So uthe rn Ocea n. (O –214–L/N ;
NSF/ OPP 03 –38248 and N SF/ OPP 03–38155)
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AnSlope—Cross-slope exchanges at the Antarctic
Slope Front.
Arnold L. Gordon, Stan ley S . Jac obs, Mart in Vis beck, William M. S methie, and
Peter Sch los ser, Lamont -Doherty Eart h Obs ervat ory, Co lumb ia Univers ity;
Alejandro H. O rs i and Thomas W hitwort h, Texas A&M Univers it y; R. Dale
Pillsbu ry, O reg on Stat e Un iversity; an d Laurence Pad man, Earth and S pace
Res earc h.
The impor tance of co ld wa ter ma sses o riginating in the Anta rctic to the global o ce an
cir cula tion and clima te is no w understo od, but the proce sse s by which these wa ter
masses ente r the dee p oce an circulatio n a re not. Our progra m will a ddre ss this i ssue.
Our prima ry go al is to ide ntify the principa l physical pro ce sses that go ve rn the tra nsfer o f
she lf-modified dense wa ter into interm ediate a nd deep lay ers of the a djace nt dee p
ocea n. At the sa me time , we se ek to unde rstand the com pe nsa tor y po lewa rd flo w o f
water s from the o ceanic regime . The upper continental slope is the cri ti ca l gate way for
the e xchange of shel f and dee p o cean wate rs. H ere the topo gr aphy , v elo city, a nd de nsity
fie lds asso ciated with the nea rly ubiquitous Anta rctic Slope Fro nt ( ASF) must str ongl y
influence the a dv ective a nd turbule nt tra nsfer o f wate r pr opertie s betwe en the shelf a nd
ocea nic re gim es.
We will jo in the re sea rch icebre ak er Na tha nie l B. P alme r for three tr ansects o ve r a 12- to
14 -month per iod be ginning in a ustra l summ er 2003 and use an inte gr ated observ atio nal
and mo de ling progra m to achiev e four obje ctive s:
z de termine the me an str ucture a nd principal scale s o f v aria bili ty of the ASF a nd
estima te its ro le on cross -slo pe e xchange s a nd mix ing of a dja cent wa ter ma sses;
z de termine the influe nce o f slo pe to po graphy on fro ntal lo catio n and o utflo w of
de nse shelf wate r;
z establish the ro le of fro ntal insta bilities, benthic bo undary la ye r tra nspo rts, tides,
and o the r o scillato ry proce sses on cro ss- slo pe adve ction a nd flux es; a nd
z assess the e ffect of dia pycnal (shea r- driv en and double- diffusiv e) mix ing, l ater al
mixing, and no nli ne aritie s o n the ra te of desce nt and fa te of o utflo wing, ne ar fre ezing shelf wa ter.
Our me asurem ents will focus o n the o ute r co ntine nta l she lf and uppe r slo pe of the
no rthwester n Ro ss Se a. W e will also ta ke benthic floa t m ea sure me nts and dev elo p the
te chniques fo r pa ram eter izing cro ss-fro nt e xchange s in regio na l and global mo dels.
Ongoing studies by Italia n a nd Germa n r esea rchers will co mplem ent o ur w ork a nd
pro vide a te st - be d for our para mete rizatio ns o f cro ss- fro nt e xchange . Sy ne rgistic
pro je cts will sam ple fo r ge ochemica l tr acer s, nutrients, a nd ox ygen iso topes; m ake ca sts
to mea sur e oce an micr ostructur e; inve sti ga te surfa ce -water pro pe rties duri ng tra nse cts
to and from N ew Ze ala nd; a nd surv ey the nea r -surface e nv ironme nt, including el eme nts
of its eco system a nd sea ice field.
AnSlo pe cruise III (N BP04 -08), the final cruise of this pr oject, is the " late w inte r"
co mpone nt. We plan to occupy a s m any CTD/ LADCP ( Conductiv ity Te mpera tur e
De pth/L owe red Acoustic Doppler Curre nt P rofile r) statio ns as po ssible acro ss a nd alo ng
the ASF in the R oss Se a. These include a tr ansect ne ar prev iously deploy ed bo ttom moo red a rray s o f curre nt, temper ature, conductivi ty , a nd pr essure sensors. Sy ne rgistic
pro je cts will sam ple fo r ge ochemica l tr acer s, nutri ents, a nd ox ygen iso topes; m ak e ca sts
to mea sur e oce an m icrostructure; inve stiga te sur fa ce wate r pro pe rtie s dur ing transects
to and from N ew Zea land; and surv ey the near -surface e nviro nm ent, including e leme nts
of its eco system a nd sea ice field. ( O–215–N; N SF/OP P 01–25172, NSF /OPP 01–25521,
NSF/ OPP 01 –25523, NSF /OPP 01 –25084, N SF/OP P 01–25431, and N SF/OP P 01–25602)
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In situ measurements of halogen oxides in the
troposphere.
Linnea M. Avallone, Univers ity of Colorado –Bou lder.
The phe no me no n o f sudden and co mplete bounda ry - laye r ozo ne l oss has been observ ed
at many nor the rn high- latitude site s a nd mo re re cently in Antar ctica . Sim ulta neo us
observ atio ns of other species indica ted tha t o zone lo ss wa s o fte n tie d to increa ses in
po lluta nts, suggesting a r ela tionshi p to the transport of po lluted a ir fro m the nor the rn
co ntine nts into the mor e pri stine a rctic e nv iro nm ent. H owe ve r, subse que nt studie s
sho wed tha t the ozo ne loss phe no mena in the Arctic are tightly link ed to cata lytic ga sphase ha logen chemistr y sim ilar to that re spo nsible for Antar ctica 's o zone hole . Although
the e xa ct me cha nism fo r the sudden bo unda ry -laye r ozo ne lo sse s r ema ins unce rta in, it is
cle ar ly link ed to active bro mine. Mo deling studie s sugge st that the ultim ate so urce o f
bro mine is se a sa lt, which under go es transform atio n when it is air bo rne in particula te
fo rm or dissolv ed in surfa ce sno w.
Sno w is both an i mpo rta nt source a nd sink for re activ e br omine . W ide spre ad bro mine
activa tion in coa stal re gio ns see ms to coincide with the a ve rage edge of the a nnua l se a
ice . P rev ious mea sur eme nts o f halo ge n o xides, o zone , and nitro gen o xides hav e rev ea led
tha t McM ur do Sta tion do es inde ed se e som e significant o zone lo ss e vents, ma ny dir ectly
rela ted to lo cal pollutio n (per ha ps powe r pla nt e missions). Ther e were a lso a numbe r of
low ozo ne pe riods during a nd imm ediate ly after la rge so uthe rn sto rms. These bea r
further study .
We will atte mpt to a nswe r thr ee que stions:
z Ho w o fte n is sur fa ce ozo ne a t McMurdo Statio n a ffecte d by lo cal po llution?
z What rea ctive bro mine compounds a re pr esent and ca n we identify the ir source
(s)?
z Ho w m uch is the snow sur fa ce dir ectly affecting ozo ne?
The re lative ly clea n a nta rctic e nviro nment, far from m ost sources o f anthropo ge nic
so urces of nitro gen o xides and hy dro car bo ns, will a llow us to bette r co nstrain the na tura l
role o f snow - and ice -co ve red surfa ce s o n the bounda ry - laye r ozo ne budge t. As se a -ice
co ve rage changes in re spo nse to a cha nging clima te, the fre quency a nd dura tion of
bo undary -laye r ozo ne l oss r ela ted to the a va ilability of bro mine gase s deriv ed fro m sea
sa lt m ay change as we ll. A mo re thoro ugh understa nding o f the na tur e and me cha nism
(s) for bounda ry -laye r ozo ne l osses will lea d to better wa ys to predict the impact of
future clima te cha nge o n the che mical co mpo sition of the high- latitude tr oposphere . (O–
251 –M; NSF /OP P 04 –11437)
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South Pole monitoring for climatic change—U.S.
Department of Commerce NOAA Climate
Monitoring and Diagnostic Laboratory.
David Hofman n, C limate M onitorin g an d D iagn ost ic s Lab orat ory, Nat ion al
Oceanic and Atmos pheric Administ rat ion .
For mo re than 30 ye ars, the N atio nal Oceanic and Atm osphe ric Administratio n ha s bee n
co nducting studie s to dete rmine and a ssess the long-te rm buildup o f trace a tmo spher ic
co nsti tue nts tha t influe nce clim ate change and the ozo ne lay er. Tim e- se rie s a na lyse s o f
long- te rm data pro vide insight into se ver al phe no me na o f particula r inte rest, including:
z se aso na l and tem po ra l v aria tions in gree nho use ga se s,
z the depletio n o f stra tosphe ric ozo ne ,
z tr ansantar ctic tra nspor t a nd de po sition,
z the inter pla y of trace gase s a nd ae roso ls with sola r a nd te rrestria l radiatio n fluxe s
tha t o ccur o n the po lar plate au, a nd
z the dev elo pm ent o f pola r strato spher ic clo uds ove r Antarctica.
Pro je ct scientists mea sur e ca rbon dio xide, me tha ne , ca rbo n mo nox ide , stable iso topic
ratio s o f car bo n diox ide and me tha ne, a ero sols, ha loca rbo ns, and o ther tra ce
co nsti tue nts. Flask sa mples a re colle cted a nd re turne d fo r anal ysis, while co ncurre nt in
situ me asure ments o f ca rbo n dio xide, nitro us o xide, se lecte d halo carbo ns, ae roso ls, sola r
and ter restria l r adiatio n, wate r va po r, surface and str atospheric ozo ne, w ind, pre ssure ,
air and snow te mpe ra ture s, a nd atmo spher ic mo isture ar e made. Air sample s a re a lso
co llecte d a t P alme r Statio n.
These me asure ments allo w us to de term ine the ra tes at which co nce ntra tions of the se
atmo spher ic co nstituents cha nge; the y also point to like ly sources, sink s, and budge ts.
We colla bora te with clima te mo de lers and dia gno sticia ns to e xplore ho w the ra tes of
cha nge for these para me ters affe ct clim ate. (O –257–S; NSF /N OA A a gre em ent)
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The Drake Passage High-Density XBT/XCTD
Program.
Janet Sprintall, Scripps Ins titu tion of O ceanog rap hy, Universit y of C alifornia –
San Dieg o.
We will study the sea sonal to intera nnua l v aria bi lity and lo ng -te rm change in upper ocea n te mpera ture and geo str ophic tra nspo rt in the Dra ke P assa ge by me ans o f highde nsity se ctio ns o bta ined o n e ach cro ssing of the re sea rch ship Laurence M. Gould.
Close ly spa ced te mpera tur e and sa linity m ea sure me nts are curre ntly co llecte d on six to
eight cro ssings a y ea r during which scientific shipbo ard pe rsonnel la unch e xpendable
ba thy the rmo gr aphs ( XBTs) , supplem ented by e xpendable conductiv ity -te mpera ture de pth ( XCTD) pro be s.
The info rma tion we ga ther fr om these studie s wi ll le ad to the e sta blishm ent o f a highquality da tabase with which to study the ma gnitude and depth o f penetra tion of se aso na l
signals, the co nnectio ns to a tmospheric fo rcing, and the e ffects of inte rannua l v aria tions
such a s tho se associa ted w ith the Anta rctic C ircum po lar W ave . These sectio ns will
supple me nt the appr ox imate ly 20 sectio ns o bta ined since Septem be r 1996. Co ntinuing
da ta analy sis is carr ied o ut in co oper atio n with the Argentine Antarctic Institute in
Bue nos Aire s. ( O–260 –L; NSF /OPP 00 –03618)
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Collection of atmospheric air for the NOAA/CMDL
worldwide flask-sampling network.
David Hofman n, C limate M onitorin g an d D iagn ost ic s Lab orat ory, Nat ion al
Oceanic and Atmos pheric Administ rat ion .
The Na tiona l Oce anic a nd Atmo spher ic Administratio n ha s bee n co nducti ng studies to
de termine a nd assess the long- te rm buildup o f tra ce atmo sphe ric co nstitue nts tha t
influence clima te cha nge a nd the o zone lay er. Tim e- se rie s a na lyse s o f long-te rm data
pro vide insight into sev era l pheno mena o f particular inter est, including:
z se aso na l and tem po ra l v aria tions in gree nho use ga se s,
z the depletio n o f stra tosphe ric ozo ne ,
z tr ansantar ctic tra nspor t a nd de po sition,
z the inter pla y of trace gase s a nd ae roso ls with sola r a nd te rrestria l radiatio n fluxe s
tha t o ccur o n the po lar plate au, a nd
z the dev elo pm ent o f pola r strato spher ic clo uds ove r Antarctica.
Per sonnel at Pa lmer Sta tion colle ct a ir sa mples to be a naly zed for car bo n diox ide,
methane , carbo n mo no xide , and sta ble i so topic ra tios of carbon dio xide a nd methane .
Flask s a re also co llecte d for a na lysis of ha loca rbons, nitrous ox ide , a nd other tra ce
co nsti tue nts.
These me asure ments allo w us to de term ine the ra tes at which co nce ntra tions of the se
atmo spher ic co nstituents cha nge; the y also point to like ly sources, sink s, and budge ts.
We colla bora te with clima te mo de lers and dia gno sticia ns to e xplore ho w the ra tes of
cha nge for these para me ters affe ct clim ate. (O –264–P; N SF/N OAA a gre em ent)
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Tracers of biological productivity and gas
exchange.
Steven Emerson, Univers ity of Was hin gton .
The ex po rt of ca rbon fro m the surface o f the oce an is o ne of the proce sses co ntrolli ng
the a tmospheric partia l pre ssure o f ca rbo n diox ide (pCO 2), which gre atly influe nce s the
Ea rth's clima te. Cha nge s in atmo sphe ric pCO 2 o ve r gla cia l time scale s a re often
inte rpr ete d as a re spo nse to changes in the oce an's bio logical ca rbo n pump. Mo de ls o f
the pump a re limite d by our understa nding o f the me cha nism s that contro l it in diffe rent
are as of the o cean. Sa tellite co lor ima ges ho ld grea t pro mise for deter mining the
bio logical pum p globally , but o nly i f the images can be v alidate d by field mea sur eme nts.
To date , this ca libr atio n has be en achiev ed in o nly fo ur place s in the o cea n: the lo ng te rm time se ries loca tions a nd pa rts o f the Equato r.
Our goa l, there fo re, is to de vel op e xperi mental me tho ds o f impro ving o ur k no wle dge o f
the o cea n's bi olo gica l ca rbon pump. We will use an upper- ocea n o xy ge n ma ss bala nce
method to de term ine the biolo gically pro duced flux of orga nic carbo n from the eupho tic
zo ne o f the oce an. In pre vio us re sea rch, we approa che d the problem by me asuring a
suite o f gases at a H awa ii site a nd by in situ me asure ments o n a m oo ring.
We will build on the se studies to impro ve me tho ds for dete rmining net biolo gica l o xy ge n
pro ductio n so that the y can be used in diffe rent a re as of the o ce an. W e will also build o n
our analy tic a bility to de termine nitro ge n, ar go n, and neo n in sea wa ter to chara cterize
physica l m echanisms like bubble proce sse s that influe nce the flux and satura tion sta te o f
oxy gen in the uppe r o cean. Accura te me asurem ents a nd a simple mo de l ca n be use d to
de termine the fractio n o f ga s supersa tur atio n caused by bubble proce sses in surfa ce
water s. We wi ll me asure this value a s a functio n of wind spe ed on se ve ral short cruises
in the Dr ake P assage.
By de ve loping a cor rela tion be twee n bubble fl ux a nd wind spe ed, we wil l be able
cha racte rize the bubble pro cess in loca tions whe re it is no t possible to me asure gase s
and to impro ve e stimate s o f the biolo gically pro duced oxy gen flux fr om the oce an by
using clima tolo gica l surfa ce ocea n o xy ge n conce ntra tions. U nde rstandi ng the ma rine
bio logical pum p we ll e no ugh to inco rpor ate it into o cean- atmo spher e mode ls will grea tly
enha nce the a bil ity to pre dict clima te. (O –271 –L; OCE 02–42139)
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Operation of an aerosol sampling system at
Palmer Station.
Colin G. S anderson , U.S. Dep art ment of Energy, Environment al Measu remen ts
Labo rat ory.
Radionuclide s, so me of which occur na turally in the surface a ir, a re ato ms emitting
radioa ctive e ne rgy. I t is the se, as well as nucl ear fallo ut a nd any accidenta l re lea ses of
radioa ctivity , that the Env ironme ntal Mea sureme nts La bo ra tory 's ( EM L's) Rem ote
Atmospheric Me asurem ents P rogra m (RAM P) is de signed to detect and mo nitor.
Since 1963, EM L, which is pa rt of the U .S . Departm ent o f Energy, has run the Global
Sampling N etwo rk to mo nitor sur fa ce air. The RA MP syste m pro vide s o n-site a naly si s in
13 differe nt lo ca tions aro und the wo rld, including Pa lme r S ta tion. Using a high- volume
aer oso l sa mple r insta lled in 1990, a ga mma ra y spe ctrom ete r, a nd a link to the Na tiona l
Oce anic a nd Atmo sphe ric Administra tion's AR GOS sa te llite syste m, we w ill co ntinue to
sa mple the air at P alme r Sta tion fo r a nthr opogenic radio nuclides. Our da ta ar e analy zed
and a rchiv ed at EM L a nd contribute significantly to its da ta base o n ra dio nuclide s. (O –
275 –P; N SF/DOE a gr ee ment)
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Antarctic automatic weather station program:
2004 –2007.
Charles R. S tearns and George A. Weidner, Un iversity o f Wisc ons in –Madis on.
A netwo rk o f nea rly 50 a uto matic we ather statio ns (AW S) has be en e sta blishe d o n the
antarctic continent a nd sev era l surro unding isla nds. These facilitie s we re built to me asure
surface wi nd, pressure , tem pe rature , and humidity. Some of them a lso tra ck o ther
atmo spher ic v aria bl es, such a s snow accumulatio n a nd incide nt sola r ra dia tio n.
The data they co llect are tr ansmitted via sate llite to a number o f ground statio ns a nd put
to se ve ral uses, including opera tiona l we ather fore casting, accumulatio n o f clima tolo gica l
reco rds, ge ne ra l re sea rch, and specific suppo rt of the U .S. Anta rctic P ro gr am, e spe cia lly
the Lo ng- Te rm Eco logical Re sea rch Pr ogra m a t M cMurdo and P alme r Statio ns. The AW S
ne twork ha s gro wn from a sm all -sca le progra m in 1980 into a significant, e xtre mely
relia ble da ta re triev al syste m tha t has prov en indispe nsable fo r bo th for ecasting a nd
resea rch. This project ma inta ins a nd augm ents the AW S a s nece ssa ry . (O –283–M;
NSF/ OPP 03 –38147)
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Solar/wind -powered instrumentation module
development for polar environmental research.
An thon y D. Hans en, Magee Sc ient ific Co mp any.
We will de ve lop and te st a self -co ntained, tra nspo rtable mo dule that will pr ov ide a
she ltere d, temper ature - co ntrolle d interi or e nv ironme nt for standar d, rack - mounted
equipme nt. Ele ctric po wer will be pr ov ide d by sola r pa ne ls a nd a wind genera tor , backe d
up by batte ries with se ver al da ys' capacity . The m odule will offe r bo th a lternating a nd
dire ct curre nt for interna l a nd ex te rnal use and will include data lo gging a nd
co mmunicatio ns capa bility fo r practica l a pplica tion in a pola r enviro nment.
At So uth Po le Statio n, McM urdo Sta tion, a nd alm ost all other inhabited ca mps in
Anta rctica, aircra ft, he licopter s, ground v ehicles, die se l ge ne rato rs, a nd other so ur ces
rele ase e xhaust, which ca n affect the e nviro nm ent. The co llectio n o f re al -tim e pollutio n
da ta at do wnwind loca tions can be used to assess the a mount o f pollutio n a nd the
effe cti vene ss of effo rts to improv e air quality. At this time, optima l place me nt of
mea suri ng instrume nts is sev er ely limite d by the ava ila bility o f powe r and shelte r, a
limitatio n that this mo dule is intended to o ve rcom e.
Altho ugh de signed to fa cilitate m ea sure me nts at the S outh P ole , the mo dule will be
he lpful in a va riety o f o the r situa tions whe re re mo te ly lo ca ted equi pme nt is to be use d
fo r l ong- te rm mo ni to ring o f e nv ironme ntal phe no me na . The m odule will ha ve no
emissio ns at all a nd the refo re will no t a ffe ct the envir onme nt that it is de signe d to study .
Also, it can be pla ced a ny where it is ne eded. ( O–314–M; N SF/DBI 01–19793)
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Southern Ocean current observations and
acoustic Doppler current profiling from U.S.
antarctic research vessels.
Eric Firin g, Un iversity o f H awaii –Manoa, an d Teresa K. Ch eres kin , Univers it y of
California –San Dieg o.
We will build on a successful 5 -yea r colla bo ra ti on tha t dev elo pe d the capability to
routinely a cquire , proce ss, and a rchive o cean curre nt me asurem ents fro m hull- mounted
shipbo ar d aco ustic Doppler curre nt profiler s (A DC Ps) on bo ar d the rese arch ships
Na tha nie l B. Pa lmer a nd Laurence M. Gould. We will e nha nce the te chnical capabilitie s o f
the pro gra m thr ough new softwar e dev elo pm ents a nd ha rdwar e acquisitio n. Also, we will
co ntinue the co llection and dissem ina tion of a quality - co ntrolle d data se t o f uppe r-ocea n
curre nt v elo cities and a co usti c back sca tter in the sparse ly sample d and re mo te Southern
Oce an, a n a rea that play s a n impo rtant role in the glo ba l ocea n circulatio n. In additio n,
we will perfo rm scie ntific ana lyses of upper -ocea n curre nt structure i n Dra ke P assage.
One o f our short - te rm objective s is to dev elo p the ongoing data co llection pr ogra m so i t
ca n be ma inta ined wi th a minimum of perso nne l a nd re so urces and so the obser va tions
be co me publicly a va ilable in a tim ely ma nne r.
Our long -te rm objective s a re to :
z mea sure the se aso na l a nd intera nnual va ria bility o f uppe r- ocea n curre nts in the
Dra ke P assa ge ,
z co mbine this info rma tion with simila r temper ature o bse rva tions to study the
var iability in the hea t e xchange, a nd
z cha racte rize the velo city and a coustic ba ck scatter structure in the So uthe rn Ocea n
on a v ar iety o f time a nd spa ce sca les.
With new dua l -fre que ncy ADCP ca pa bility ga ined thro ugh the a cquisition and installa tion
of 38 k ilohe rtz ( kH z) pha se d- arra y Doppler sona rs, in a dditio n to the ex isting 150 kH z
ADC P capability, the ma ximum profiling ra nge will increa se to abo ut 1,000 me ters (m )
under goo d sea a nd scatter ing co nditio ns while ma intaining highe r v ertica l re solutio n in
the uppe r 300 m . N ew softwar e de ve lopments will impro ve the ability to m easure
curre nts while the shi ps are in ice . The co llectio n, qua lity control, rea l- tim e pr oce ssing,
and dissemina tion o f this high- quality da ta set allo w these o bserv atio ns to be used to
suppo rt ongoing a nta rctic scie nce pro gr ams and m ake the data ea sily acce ssi ble for
co nducting re tr ospective analy ses, planning future o bse rva tions, a nd va lida ting
nume rical mo de ls.
Finally , after the ship lea ve s dry dock , we will re pla ce the curre nt logging computer with
a ne wer o ne a nd upgra de the a cquisition and pro ce ssing softwar e to accom mo da te the
ne w sy stem. ( O–315 –N and O –317–L; NSF /OPP 03–37375 and N SF/ OPP 03–38103)
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Physics and mechanics of the breakup of warm
Antarctic Sea ice: In situ experiments and
modeling.
John Demps ey, Clarks on Univers it y, and David C ole, U.S. Army Co ld Regio ns
Res earc h and Engineerin g Labo rat ory.
We will investigate the bre akup o f a nta rctic se a ice in M cM ur do So und i n light of rece nt
findings i ndicating that the fr acture stre ngth o f first- yea r ice is stro ngly dependent on
size , that the defor matio n a nd fra cture on the sca le of te ns o f me ters is influe nce d by
microstructural va ria tion (or a ni so tro py ), a nd that the cha ra cte ristic fla ws o f sea ice
(such as br ine dra inage fea tur es) give rise to le ngth sca les rele va nt to tra nsitio ns in
fra ctur e be ha vio r.
We will investigate the follo wing to pics:
z co uple d defor matio n-diffusio n influe nce s o n the fr acture of sea ice (due to fluid
tr anspo rt withi n the ice matri x),
z the influe nce of lo ading ra te ve rsus spe cime n size on fr acture behav ior ,
z fra ctal de scripti ons o f the fa ilure surfa ces, a nd
z a ne w cy clic lo ading geo metr y tha t should be ne fit the co nstitutive m easure ments.
The direct tensile cyclic loa ding ge ome try we will use will allo w co nstitutive te sting to be
co nducted indepe ndent of fra cture te sting a nd at significantly higher stre ss le vels than
were pre vio usly a tta ined. W e will mak e combined acoustic emissio n (A E) , pore fluid
pre ssure , cra ck -opening- displace ment, a nd fr acture surfa ce ro ughne ss me asure ments fo r
each test, ther eby enabling qua ntitative co mpar iso n betwe en de fo rma tion and AEde duced fra ctur e energy a nd the fra ctal dime nsio n. The a bility o f se a wate r a nd brine to
be tra nspo rted within the ice ma trix will be ex amined bo th theo retica lly and
exper imenta lly to fo rmula te a suita ble po ro ela stic fracture me cha nics mo del.
Our findings will giv e impor tant insight into the underly ing me cha nisms o f ice brea kup
and will significantly impro ve the re liability o f mo de ls o f this pro cess. In addi tio n, o ur
work wi ll impro ve the unde rstanding o f a nd ability to mo del the de fo rma tion a nd fra ctur e
of a nta rctic se a ice at scale s a pplica ble to the brea kup o f ice shee ts.
We will invo lve two gra duate students, a nd eve ry e ffort will be ma de to recruit the m
fro m underr eprese nte d groups. The se students will participate in Cla rkso n Univ ersity's K –
12 Pro je ct -Based Le arning P artner ship Pro gr am. CDs will be pr oduce d, and a W eb pa ge
will be ma intained to bro ade n the disse minatio n o f rese arch and e ducatio nal mate ria l.
Mor eov er , a differ ent K –12 teache r wi ll be invite d for ea ch o f the thr ee trips pla nned. ( O–
316 –M; NSF /OP P 03–38226)
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