Expressions of Intent for International Polar Year 2007-2008 Activities

Expression of Interest Details

PROPOSAL INFORMATION

Winter algal communities: year-round phytoplankton studies at Palmer Station  (Pal-Flow)

Outline
Summer community structure, abundance and production of Antarctic phytoplankton are expected to be highly correlated with winter communities during the previous season. As the ice melts at the end of the winter, particles contained in the ice, nutrients and organic matter are released into the water column. This process, called “seeding” of the water column, is believed to provide the initial cells to start phytoplankton growth as the waters become ice-free. To a lesser extent, this same process occurs during the winter during intermittent melting events. Similarly, the water column acts as source of cells to initiate the ice community as the ice forms during fall. Thus, the boundary between ice and the water column is an active one. The lack of winter studies in Antarctica limits our knowledge on the physical and biological processes associated with the seeding of the water column by ice as well as the climatic conditions that controls them. In this IPY Letter of Intent we propose to study water column communities and the ice-water column processes during melting and freezing periods during the winter of 2007 and 2008 at Palmer Station. We request to extend science at the station during winter and establish a year-round science study in order to characterize ice and water column phytoplankton communities. Research will be carried out at the station and the sampling obtained from new instrumentation connected to the existing seawater intake. We propose to acquire an automated flow-through microscope to identify and quantify planktonic particles from 2-200 micrometers, both autotrophic and heterotrophic. In addition, we propose to isolate new phytoplankton and ice algae species year round in order to extend the number and type of cultures available to the scientific community. The legacy from this project will be three fold: (1) a database of year-round phytoplankton and ice alga species abundance from coastal Antarctic waters, (2) new algal species from a culture collection such as the Guillard Collection at Bigelow Laboratories, and (3) real-time data on phytoplankton communities available through the internet on a daily basis from Palmer Station.

What significant advance(s) in relation to the IPY themes and targets can be anticipated from this project?
(1) A year-round sampling will extend and complement existing studies on summer populations to include late fall, winter and early spring. (2) The Western Antarctic Peninsula is undergoing rapid climate change, in particular warming of winter air temperatures. Results from this study will help predict biological communities if the winter sea ice continues to recede. (3) Ice dynamics have been tied to El Nino events. It is predicted that summer phytoplankton populations influenced by the sea ice will also response to large scale climatic events in other regions of the globe.

What international collaboration is involved in this project?
Year-round science from Palmer Station (64 46.770 S, 64 04.350 W on the Antarctic Peninsula) will be extended North and South to King George Island and Marguerite Bay, respectively. The Argentinian Bases in Melchior and Jubany (Potter Cove) and the British Station in Rothera (67 35.5 S, 68 09.5 W) acquire complementary year-round data.

FIELD ACTIVITY DETAILS

Geographical location(s) for the proposed field activities:
Palmer Station is located on the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP), (64 46.770 S, 64 04.350 W). This area is rich in historical summer data dating for 60 years ago and growing exponentially in the last 20 years. The paucity of biological winter data is critical to advance to the next level of knowledge.

Approximate timeframe(s) for proposed field activities:
Arctic: n/a
Antarctic: 12/2006 to 03/2009            

Significant facilities will be required for this project:
New logistics are required for this project: (1) year round presence of scientific personnel at Palmer Station, in particular extending summer research to the winter, between April and September. (2) A new flow-through microscope with automated particle counter and video identification software.

Will the project leave a legacy of infrastructure?
New instrumentation connected to the sea water intake at Palmer Station will increase the present capability of measuring physical (salinity and temperature) and chemical (chlorophyll a) variables to include biological variables (cell abundance and composition). Once the system is installed and automated it can continue taking data with minimum maintenance. (Other Legacy is included in Project Summary).

How is it envisaged that the required logistic support will be secured?
Own national polar operator

Has the project been "endorsed" at a national or international level?
This Expression of Interest is in the process of being considered by the U.S. National Committee for IPY.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND STRUCTURE

Is the project a short-term expansion (over the IPY 2007-2008 timeframe) of an existing plan, programme or initiative or is it a new autonomous proposal?
New

This is an autonomous project. Results will be published in collaboration with other existing projects in the area: (1) Polar Remote Interactive Marine Observatory (PRIMO) at Palmer Station, and (2) Palmer-Long Term Ecological Research Program.

How will the project be organised and managed?
The project will be lead and organized by Dr. Maria Vernet from Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO). She will carry out the research at Palmer Station and organize the national and international collaborations with existing projects and expected new IPY projects. Logistics in the field will be provided by the US Antarctic Project (USAP).

What are the initial plans of the project for addressing the education, outreach and communication issues outlined in the Framework document?
Outreach will be implemented in two ways: (1) a real time access of time series changes in cells composition and abundance via BioInformatics, SIO, (2) development of middle- and high-school science projects (in the US and other countries) using the data available from this project.

What are the initial plans of the project to address data management issues (as outlined in the Framework document?
Data Management will be done within the infrastructure of BioInformatics at Scripps Institution of Oceanography where Science, Social Sciences and Outreach efforts are merged in an Ocean Bio Informatics program led by K. Baker. Data becomes public immediately after quality control.

How is it proposed to fund the project?
A proposal will be submitted to the Office of Polar Programs at the National Science Foundation during 2005 for funding for the 2007-2009 field season (March 2007 to March 2009).

Is there additional information you wish to provide?

PROPOSER DETAILS

Maria Vernet
Scripps Institution of Oceanography - Integrative Oceanography Division
9500 Gilman Drive
Mail Code 0218
92093
USA

Tel: 858-534-5322
Mobile: no
Fax: 858-534-2997
Email:

Other project members and their affiliation