Project Title

PAL-LTER: Ecological Response to "Press Pulse" Disturbances Along a Rapidly Changing West Antarctic Peninsula

Summary

Event Number:
C-019-N/P
NSF / OPP Award 2224611

Program Director:
Dr. William Ambrose

ASC POC/Implementer:
Ryan Steiner / Jamee Johnson

Principal Investigator(s)

Dr. Oscar Schofield
oscar@marine.rutgers.edu
Rutgers University
Institute for Marine & Coastal Sciences
New Brunswick, New Jersey

Project Web Site:
https://pallter.marine.rutgers.edu/

Location

Supporting Stations: Research Vessel, Palmer Station
Research Locations: Palmer Station

Description

Seasonal sea ice-influenced marine ecosystems at both poles are characterized by high productivity concentrated in space and time by local, regional, and remote physical forcing. These polar ecosystems are among the most rapidly changing on Earth. The Palmer Long-Term Ecological Research (PAL-LTER) seeks to build on three decades of research along the West Antarctic Peninsula to gain new mechanistic and predictive understanding of ecosystem changes in response to disturbances spanning long-term, subdecadal, and higher frequency “pulses” driven by a range of processes, including long-term climate warming, natural climate variability, and storms. These disturbances alter food web composition and ecological interactions across temporal and spatial scales that are not well understood. Researchers will contribute fundamental understanding of how population dynamics and biogeochemical processes are responding within a polar marine ecosystem undergoing profound change.

Field Season Overview

The two-member team will continue to study seasonal and local-scale processes at Palmer Station. The team will conduct water sampling and optical surveys twice per week in collaboration with the Van Mooy (C-045) group, EK80 echo sounder surveys in collaboration with other Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) groups, and incubation experiments. The Palmer lab manager will assist with year-round weekly sampling for chlorophyll at the station's seawater intake (SWI) in the pump house. The team will deploy a Slocum glider (if available) periodically during the season via Zodiac or other rigid hull inflatable boats (RHIBs). A conductivity, temperature, depth (CTD) cast with no water sampling will be required during the deployment and recovery.

Deploying Team Members