ANTARCTIC PENINSULA »/9 0 1JO km yj? 0. IfiO mis ^ 8 1 Comandante Ferraz brazil 2 Henry Arctowski folano 3 Teniente Jubany Argentina 4 Artigas uruouay 5 Teniente Rodolfo Marsh chile Bellingshausen ussn Great Wall china 6 Capitan Arturo Prat chile 7 General Bernardo O'Kiggtns chile 8 Esperanza argentine 9 Vice Comodoro Marambio Argentina 10 Palmer usa SOUTH 11 Faraday uk 12 Rothera uk 13 Teniente Carvajal chile SHETLAND 14 General San Martin Argentina ISLANDS JOOkm NEW ZEALAND ANTARCTIC SOCIETY MAP COPYRIGHT ANTARCTIC (successor to "Antarctic News Bulletin) Vol. 11 Nos. 9 & 10 Issues 129 & 130 Contents Polar Activities New Zealand 358 ANTARCTIC is published quarterly by the Australia 366, 395 New Zealand Antarctic Society Inc., 1978. India 370 ISSN 0003-5327 Italy 371 Japan 376 Editor: Robin Ormerod South Korea 378 Sweden 379 Please address all editorial inquiries, con United States 380 tributions etc to the Editor, P.O. Box 2110, Wellington, New Zealand. Telephone: (04) 791-226 International International: + 64-4-791-226 Oil surveys 374* Fax: (04) 791-185 383 International +64-4-791-185 Treaty Inspections All administrative inquiries should go to General Bulletin "Co-ordinator", P.O. Box 1223, Tourism 389 Christchurch. Bahia Paraiso 391 Back and missing issues, P.O. Box 1223, Vinson Massif 393 Christchurch. Skiers at Pole 394 Dick Smith at Pole 395 Chapel built 396 Discovery restored 398 Society News 404 © No part of this publication may be reproduced Cover: An anenome found 15 metres beneath the in any way without the prior permission of the pub surface at Cape Armitage. See story pages 358 and lishers. 359. Photo: Dr Chris Battershill. 'Note: The second part of the minerals article appears in our next issue. See Vol. 11 No. 8 page 340. Antarctic Vol. 11 No. 9&10 NZARP Two part study yields clinical and environmental information In a two part study New Zealand scientists have extended the search for new pharmaceutically useful chemicals to the Antarctic and gathered information which may have important implications for pharmaceutical development of anti-cancer drugs as well as initiating a monitoring programme for the Antarctic sea-floor ecosystem. The team, led by Drs John Blunt and Murray Munro, are from the Marine-Chemistry Group working at the Chemistry Department, University of Canterbury. Advantage was taken of the unique nature of the benthic (bottom) sea life beneath the ice around Ross Island to pursue a number of novel investigations, which have included examination of the ecological aspects ofthe sponge community which characterises much of the benthos (bottom life) and the collection of samples of invertebrates for assessment of antiviral or antitumour activity. Much of the benthic life in Antarctic waters tropical reef communities benthic organisms comprises diverse sponge communities which in the Antarctic are comparatively are stable over long periods of time. Individual competitively naive in that they are seldom sponges may live unchanged in size or shape attacked by natural marine viruses and for hundreds of years in the constant bacteria or experience competitive conditions of light and temperature. They are interactions. It has been found from work however sensitive to disturbance and are around New Zealand that those species which therefore ideal environmental indicators. possess the best chemicals in terms of In 1987 a team led by Dr Chris Battershill, pharmaceutical use are those which occur in a marine biologist, and comprising researchers densely encrusting communities where Greg Smith and Nic Nevin, accompanied by competition is rife. Without such competition Antarctic Division's diving supervisor Mr Antarctic invertebrates have no real need for Trevor Dick from Dunedin made a series of toxic chemicals. This finding is in marked dives over three weeks at Cape Armitage. contrast to about 40 percent of those species Two permanent quadrats of ten by ten metres taken from other waters. square were pegged out on the sea floor 25 This summer the research team led by Dr metres below the surface. The areas within Chris Battershill returned for a longer the quadrats were mapped and all the large expedition with Dr Nigel Perry, a chemist, invertebrates within them counted and researchers Reyn Naylor and Greg Smith and measured. Fifty gram samples were taken Rowan Strickland, the Antarctic Division from 35 species, (all but the rarest) and each diving supervisor for 1988 from the Water was photographed under water and in the Quality Division, MAF, Rotorua. Scott Base laboratory. Colour and texture They planned to examine in detail how the were noted and any physiological peculiarities sponge communities at Cape Armitage may were recorded. Mapping results provided have originated and how their structure was baseline environmental data while the samples maintained as well as continuing the collection were sent to Christchurch for bioassay of anti- identification and chemical analyses of each tumour anti-viral activity. species. The reef in front of Scott Base, at As was expected very little bioactivity was Pram Point, a steeply sloping cliff plunging to recorded. Unlike species from temperate or over 150 metres was surveyed to provide 358 Vol. 11 No. 9&10 Antarctic comparative data and more samples. predators chiefly starfish, urchins and three One hundred and twenty-nine dives were species of fish. Further permanent quadrats completed at five locations in order to survey were established. Sediment traps were the diversity of reef types in the area around installed to measure sedimentation rates, Ross Island. Most work was carried out at changes in which can disturb the sensitive Cape Armitage on the shallow sloping gravel sponge dominated reefs. These will enable reef in about 20 to 0 metres of water. A 1.5 other scientists in future to assess any changes. metre diameter hole was drilled by the By comparing last year's results, the Americans through two metres of ice after two scientists found that in general the overall metres of snow had been cleared from around stability of the communities were confirmed. the site to increase light penetration. The Unlike their temperate and tropical second major site below Scott Base at Pram counterparts the species appeared to have Point supported the richest benthic never been threatened by competitive community yet seen in Antarctica. Strong overgrowth by neighbours or attacked by currents characterised the area and the predators. The hypothesis that they needed formation of pressure ridges close inshore no defensive chemicals, a finding which made access through the ice difficult. accounted for the apparent lack of bioactivity, Additional locations included Turtle Rocks was supported. This finding was subsequently directly adjacent to McMurdo Station and a tested by grafting small pieces of allogeneic dive through the Scott Base seawater intake tissue onto sponges. In most cases hosts hole to install a tide gauge. demonstrated an immune response evident The permanent quadrats set up at Cape in the production of toxic chemicals. Such Armitage in 1987 were rephotographed and production of bioactive chemicals by counts made of the abundance of benthic completely naive organisms is considered ANTARCTIC HERITAGE TRUST Field work, Ross Island, Antarctica 1989-90 As part of the Trust's ongoing building conservation programme applications are invited from interested persons to fill four vacancies during the 1989-90 summer season. Applicants must demonstrate proven experience in building conservation, historical archaeology and museum science. Some experience in mountaineering, photography and architecture and also a knowledge of polar history would be desirable. Successful applicants must be physically and medically fit to work in Antarctica and be prepared to work as volunteers. They will be required to attend the pre-Antarctic Training Camp in August. Applications should be sent to the Antarctic Heritage Trust by 18 March, 1989: P.O. Box 13-247 Christchurch New Zealand 359 Antarctic Vol. 11 No. 9&10 important and has implications in research of invertebrates and fish are closely associated chemical models from marine natural with the sponge community and in turn products which may have use in support higher levels of the food chain. pharmaceutical development. The only conceivable threat to this Information on the ecology of Antarctic reef community is from man. Any human activity communities is also of significance to the which could possibly increase rates of whole Antarctic marine ecosystem but the sedimentation on the sea floor from land links between the benthic sponge communities runoff or blown dust for instance, would and the higher vertebrates, including marine probably have devastating effects on the reef mammals are poorly understood. ecosystem. High densities of mobile benthic Trackways and fossils help unravel geological history Arthropod track-ways on surfaces typical of a sandy ocean floor, plant fossils of the Devonian period, new exposures of Aztec siltstones and a 65 kilogram fragment of a nickel-iron meteorite found first by a party from Waikato University in 1978 were among the discoveries of a team comprising Margaret Bradshaw of Canterbury Museum, Fraka Harmsen, a New Zealander lecturing at the University of California, and Martin Kirkbride from the University of Canterbury. They were working on the 400 million year old Devonian sediments of the otherwise unfossiliferous lower Beacon Supergroup in the Darwin Mountains, Cook Mountains and Britannia Range of southern Victoria Land for seven weeks of the season. Ray Waters, an Antarctic Division field leader accompanied the party which travelled some 510 kilometers with two Grizzley toboggans and four sledges, visited 13 localities and measured nearly five kilometers of geological section. The objective of the expedition was to working in the area, was successfully put into extend knowledge of the Devonian trace the field at a site on the Darwin Glacier fossils of the Taylor Group in the Darwin between Collosseum Ridge and Richardson Glacier area and relate them to earlier work Hill with 3,803 kilograms of equipment at in the Dry Valley region and to use the trace 3pm local time.