Project Title

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

Summary

Event Number:
C-024-P
NSF / OPP Award 2224611

Program Director:
Dr. William Ambrose

ASC POC/Implementer:
Ryan Steiner / Jamee Johnson

Principal Investigator(s)

Dr. Ari Seth Friedlaender
ari.friedlaender@ucsc.edu
University of California Santa Cruz
Institute of Marine Sciences
Santa Cruz, California

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

Location

Supporting Stations: 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 natural 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 science team will deploy two participants to Palmer Station for the 2026-27 austral summer. Field operations will focus on multidisciplinary research to study the behavior, ecology, distribution, and abundance of marine mammals in the waters around the station. Researchers will routinely conduct visual surveys, collect photogrammetric images of whales, collect remote biopsy samples using crossbows, and deploy motion-sensing and video-recording suction cup tags to whales. Additionally, the science team will be working collaboratively with other Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) groups to accomplish shared goals.

Deploying Team Members