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University of California Santa Barbara
Marine Science Institute
Santa Barbara, California
Dates in Antarctica:
Late October to late March
Supporting Stations: ARSV Laurence M. Gould, Palmer Station
Research Locations: Palmer boating area, Palmer LTER sampling grid
Project Description:
The overall objectives of the Palmer-LTER projects are to document and understand the seasonal cycles of primary production, krill recruitment, Adelie penguin breeding, and microbial biogeochemical processes in the near-shore regime of the coastal antarctic ecosystem. This project continues a long-term effort to characterize the distribution and abundance of zooplankton and micronekton in the LTER summer study region. Field team members will study the effects of physical processes, particularly interannual differences in the extent and dynamics of pack ice, on macrozooplankton. The emphasis is on recruitment and production in Antarctic krill and interactions between the krill, its food sources, and its predators.
Overview:
The season will consist of a Palmer Station program and the annual LTER summer cruise aboard the R/V Laurence M. Gould (LMG08-01). During the research cruise, project team members will make net trawls from a Zodiac inflatable boat, and they will use SCUBA diving to collect krill and conduct underwater video surveys of krill schools and their food. LMG nets tows will also be used to collect zooplankton, krill, and fish larvae for on-board experiments. Team members will conduct bioacoustic surveys to locate and map krill schools.
At Palmer Station, the team members plan to use a specially equipped Zodiac inflatable boat to conduct acoustic surveys and locate krill schools. Researchers will use the acoustic survey data to estimate krill biomass, school distribution, and size. Researchers will also conduct CTD/Fluorometer vertical profiles within the krill schools and collect water from within the schools for analysis of chlorophyll a and particulate carbon. Field team members will use SCUBA diving to collect krill and establish a time series of seasonal progression in availability, demography, physiological condition, phytoplankton ingestion, and growth. Captured animals will be used in growth experiments in the Palmer Station aquarium. Antarctic phytoplankton cultures will also be incubated in the laboratory and aquarium. Frozen krill specimens will be shipped to the home institution for future analyses.
Deploying Team Members:
Langdon Quetin (Co-PI)
Robin Ross (PI)
Robin Ross (PI)
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