Research Objectives:
The overall objectives of the Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) program at Palmer Station are to document and understand the seasonal cycles of primary production, krill recruitment, Adélie penguin breeding and microbial biogeochemical processes in the nearshore regime of the coastal Antarctic ecosystem.
This project is the 'prey' component of the Palmer LTER. The research focuses on the effects of physical processes, particularly interannual differences in the extent of pack ice, on macrozooplankton. The emphasis is on processes such as recruitment and production in antarctic krill, and interactions among krill, its food sources and its predators. Fieldwork is conducted at Palmer Station and onboard the R/V Laurence M. Gould.
Objectives for the research program sited at Palmer Station are to survey with bioacoustics on a twice-weekly basis and collect krill on a weekly basis to establish a time series of seasonal progression in availability, demography, physiological condition and production (growth) of antarctic krill. Work includes acoustic surveys using a Zodiac, sampling zooplankton and krill with nets, conducting experiments in the lab, diving in early spring to collect young-of-the-year krill associated with pack ice, conducting underwater/ice surveys with the CCD underwater video camera, and sampling the under-ice surface.
Onboard the Gould, the overall objective is to continue the now 13-year long LTER time series on the regional scale grid of hydrographic stations. Specific activities include:
+ Occupying the full LTER grid of stations including the inshore and offshore stations,
+ Recovering and redeploying a long-term sediment trap array,
+ Conducting surveys of oceanographic properties and bird observations within the Adélie penguin foraging area near Palmer Station,
+ Sampling deep water properties at on-grid and far-field (off-grid) stations in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current
+ Visiting Rothera Station of the British Antarctic Survey on Adelaide Island, allowing British colleagues to use LMG for one day of local hydrographic sampling,
+ Conducting censuses and obtaining data on seabird foraging ecology from a field camp on Avian Island,
+ Occupying Arthur Harbor stations to maintain Palmer Station seasonal sampling and cross-calibrate shore- and LMG-based sampling activities.
+ Deploying a suite of surface ARGOS floats to diagnose the current velocity field in the sampling gradient, and
+ Monitoring penguin breeding colonies near Anvers, Renaud and Adelaide Islands.
