DOCSLIB.ORG

New Fossil Vertebrates from Seymour Island, Antarctic Peninsula

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
New Fossil Vertebrates from Seymour Island, Antarctic Peninsula • A number of ammonites were collected above the KIT References boundary as defined by dinocysts. This apparent di- achroneity of the KIT boundary between different groups of Zinsmeister, W.J. 1982. First U.S. expedition to the James Ross Island marine organisms highlights the problem of no formalized area, Antarctic Peninsula. Antarctic Journal of the U.S. 17(5), 63-64. Antarctic Jour- definition of the KIT boundary and illustrates the problem of Zinsmeister, W.J. 1985. 1985 Seymour Island Expedition. defining the KIT boundary in a section where there was con- nal of the U.S. 19(5), 41-42. tinuous deposition. This research was supported by National Science Foundation grant DPP 84-16783. terrestrial bird, the first postcranial skeleton of a penguin-like New fossil vertebrates from Seymour bird, and a lower mandible of a small crocodilian. All of the Island, Antarctic Peninsula fossils were recovered from the La Meseta Formation of late Eocene age (approximately 40 million years old). The whale material comprises part of the skull and the ver- MICHAEL 0. WOODBURNE and JUDD A. CASE, tebrae and ribs of much of the thoracic region. The material is well preserved and shows that it pertains to a basiliosaurine, a member of the archaeocete (ancient-toothed whale) group. Ac- Department of Earth Sciences University of California cording to Ewan Fordyce, University of Otago, New Zealand, Riverside, California 92521 who collected the specimens, these remains constitute the best documentation of this kind of whale in the Southern Hemi- sphere. The animal, which apparently lived in shallow marine DAN S. CHANEY waters, may have been about 10 meters long. The specimens are now under study by Fordyce. U.S. National Museum A wide variety of nominally marine penguin-type birds has Smithsonian institution been recovered in this and past seasons from Seymour Island. Washington, D.C. 20560 The partial postcranial skeleton recovered this time will en- hance functional comparisons between these ancient birds and their modern counterparts. The 1986-1987 field season on Seymour Island (figure 1) A large (about 2 meters tall), predaceous terrestrial (flightless) yielded new remains of an extinct whale, a large flightless bird that apparently pertains to the phororhacoid group lived on Seymour Island in the late Eocene, as shown by a portion of its beak recovered this season (Case, Woodburne, and Chaney in press-a). The group is also known from South America, from SOBRAL FM the Oligocene to the present (Marshall 1978). Although modern representatives are about the size of a road-runner, the ancient RV-82001 birds were of large size and apparently filled the ecological SEYMOUR IS. L/ MESETA niche of a large carnivore in the Eocene and Oligocene. Al- I + + FM. though the legs were relatively slender, the body and head were / RV-8405 massive, as shown in reconstructions based on South American fossils (figure 2). A. H1 CROSS VALLEY FM The Seymour Island material pre-dates the known age of the group in South America, and some of the bird footprints re- LOPEZ de BE RTODANO ported from yet earlier Eocene (approximately 46 million years FORMATION SOBR ago) rocks on King George Island (Covacevich and Rich 1982; NNNNNNNNN FM Watts 1982) may pertain to this group, as well. In any case, the presence of such derived birds in the american and antarctic Southern Hemisphere indicates that their ancestors must have inhabited this region well before the time the fossils reported here were preserved. Furthermore, the flightless nature of these I I I I I birds requires a solid overland pathway by which they dis- 0 I 2 3 4 5 K persed between South America and peninsular Antarctica. This strengthens the proposals made earlier (Woodburne and Figure 1. Map of Seymour Island and the Antarctic Peninsula region. The La Meseta Formation is of late Eocene age. All other rock units Zinsmeister 1984; Case, Woodburne, and Chaney in press-b) are older (Late Cretaceous to Paleocene). Fossil localities produced for the existence of such a land connection, based on the pres- marsupials, crocodiles, and plants (RV-8200) and the phororhacoid ence in La Meseta rocks of two kinds of marsupials and bird (RV-8405). The whale site is just below the "F" in La Meseta Not hofagus (southern beech) plants. The presence in these same Formation. ("Km" denotes "kilometer? "Fm? denotes "formation.") deposits of small crocodiles is consistent with this proposal, ANTARCTIC JOURNAL although the marine habitus of some modern crocodiles ren- ders the proposed terrestrial adaptation for the Seymour croco- dile a little more speculative. The Seymour Island form is, however, the first crocodilian known from Antarctica (Gas- parini 1980). This work is partially supported by National Science Founda- tion grants DPP 82-15493 and 85-21368. -Alm References Case, J.A., M.O. Woodburne, and D.S. Chancy. In press-a. A gigantic phororhacoid (?) bird from Antarctica. Journal of Paleontology. Case, J.A., M.O. Woodburne, and D.S. Chaney. In press-b. A new genus of polydolopid marsupial from Seymour Island, Antarctic Peninsula; Paleogene differentiation of the land mammal fauna; land mammal dispersal in the southern hemisphere. In R.M. Feldmann and M . O. Woodburne (Eds.), (Geology and Paleontology of Seymour Island, Antarctic Peninsula.) (Geological Society of America, Memoir.) Covacevich, V., and P.V. Rich. 1982. New bird ichnites from Fildes Peninsula, King George Island, West Antarctica. In C. Craddock (Ed), Antarctic geoscience. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press. Gasparini, Z.de. 1980. South American Mesozoic Crocodiles. Mesozoic Vertebrate Life 1, 66-72. Marshall, L.G. 1978. The terror bird. Field Museum of Natural History Bulletin, 49, 6-15. Sinclair, W.J., and M.S. Farr. 1932. Ayes of the Santa Cruz beds. Reports - of the Princeton University Expeditions to Patagonia, q7(2), 157-238. Watts, D.R. 1982. Potassium-argon ages and paleomagnetic results from King George Island, south Shetland Islands. In C. Craddock, (Ed.), Antarctic geoscience. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press. Figure 2. Reconstruction of an extinct phororhacoid bird similar to Woodburne, MO., and W.J. Zinsmeister. 1984. The first land mammal the Seymour Island form (adapted from Sinclair and Farr, 1932, Plate from Antarctica and its biogeographic implications. Journal of Paleon- A). tology, 58(4), 913-948. Late Cretaceous fossils from The Cretaceous strata is exposed on the steep slopes below the basaltic flows that cap the island. Talus from overlying Cockburn Island collected during the basalts cover most of the flanks of the island. The Cretaceous 1986-1987 expedition to the Antarctic sediments are exposed only in the small gullies cut through the Peninsula talus deposits. A section was measured through the Cretaceous JEFFREY D. STILWELL and WILLIAM J. ZINSMEISTER Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Purdue University West Lafayette, Indiana 47907 During the Swedish South Polar Expedition 1901-1903, Nor- denskjoid (1905) and Andersson (1906) reported the occurrence of late Cretaceous and early Tertiary sediments on the flanks of Cockburn Island (figures 1 and 2). Although Cockburn Island (64°13S 56°50W) is only approximately 3.2 kilometers from Seymour Island, virtually no systematic work has been done on the island since Anderssons paper in 1906. During the course of the 1986-1987 expedition to Seymour Island, two excursions were made to Cockburn Island to investigate the stratigraphy Figure 1. Cockburn Island, Antarctic Peninsula. James Ross Island and paleontology of the Cretaceous and Tertiary strata. in background. View to the south. 1987 REVIEW 5.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Depositional Settings of the Basal López De Bertodano Formation, Maastrichtian, Antarctica
    Revista de la Asociación Geológica Argentina 62 (4): 521-529 (2007) 521 DEPOSITIONAL SETTINGS OF THE BASAL LÓPEZ DE BERTODANO FORMATION, MAASTRICHTIAN, ANTARCTICA Eduardo B. OLIVERO1, Juan J. PONCE1, Claudia A. MARSICANO2, and Daniel R. MARTINIONI1 ¹ Laboratorio de Geología Andina, CADIC-CONICET, B. Houssay 200, CC 92, 9410 Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. E-Mail: [email protected] 2 Dpto. Cs. Geológicas, Universidad Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria Pab. II, C1428 DHE Buenos Aires. ABSTRACT: In Snow Hill and Seymour islands the lower Maastrichtian, basal part of the López de Bertodano Formation, rests on a high relief, erosi- ve surface elaborated in the underlying Snow Hill Island Formation. Mudstone-dominated beds with inclined heterolithic stratification dominate the basal strata of the López de Bertodano Formation. They consist of rhythmical alternations of friable sandy- and clayey- mudstone couplets, with ripple cross lamination, mud drapes, and flaser bedding. They are characterized by a marked lenticular geometry, reflecting the filling of tide-influenced channels of various scales and paleogeographic positions within a tide-dominated embayment or estuary. Major, sand-rich channel fills, up to 50-m thick, bounded by erosive surfaces probably represent inlets, located on a more central position in the estuary. Minor channel fills, 1- to 3-m thick, associated with offlapping packages with inclined heterolithic stratification pro- bably represent the lateral accretion of point bars adjacent to migrating tidal channels in the upper estuary. Both types of channel fills bear relatively abundant marine fauna, are intensively bioturbated, and are interpreted as a network of subtidal channels. In southwestern Snow Hill Island, the minor offlapping packages have scarce marine fossils and bear aligned depressions interpreted as poor preserved dinosaur footprints.
    [Show full text]
  • Antarctic Peninsula
    Hucke-Gaete, R, Torres, D. & Vallejos, V. 1997c. Entanglement of Antarctic fur seals, Arctocephalus gazella, by marine debris at Cape Shirreff and San Telmo Islets, Livingston Island, Antarctica: 1998-1997. Serie Científica Instituto Antártico Chileno 47: 123-135. Hucke-Gaete, R., Osman, L.P., Moreno, C.A. & Torres, D. 2004. Examining natural population growth from near extinction: the case of the Antarctic fur seal at the South Shetlands, Antarctica. Polar Biology 27 (5): 304–311 Huckstadt, L., Costa, D. P., McDonald, B. I., Tremblay, Y., Crocker, D. E., Goebel, M. E. & Fedak, M. E. 2006. Habitat Selection and Foraging Behavior of Southern Elephant Seals in the Western Antarctic Peninsula. American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2006, abstract #OS33A-1684. INACH (Instituto Antártico Chileno) 2010. Chilean Antarctic Program of Scientific Research 2009-2010. Chilean Antarctic Institute Research Projects Department. Santiago, Chile. Kawaguchi, S., Nicol, S., Taki, K. & Naganobu, M. 2006. Fishing ground selection in the Antarctic krill fishery: Trends in patterns across years, seasons and nations. CCAMLR Science, 13: 117–141. Krause, D. J., Goebel, M. E., Marshall, G. J., & Abernathy, K. (2015). Novel foraging strategies observed in a growing leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx) population at Livingston Island, Antarctic Peninsula. Animal Biotelemetry, 3:24. Krause, D.J., Goebel, M.E., Marshall. G.J. & Abernathy, K. In Press. Summer diving and haul-out behavior of leopard seals (Hydrurga leptonyx) near mesopredator breeding colonies at Livingston Island, Antarctic Peninsula. Marine Mammal Science.Leppe, M., Fernandoy, F., Palma-Heldt, S. & Moisan, P 2004. Flora mesozoica en los depósitos morrénicos de cabo Shirreff, isla Livingston, Shetland del Sur, Península Antártica, in Actas del 10º Congreso Geológico Chileno.
    [Show full text]
  • Federal Register/Vol. 84, No. 78/Tuesday, April 23, 2019/Rules
    Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 78 / Tuesday, April 23, 2019 / Rules and Regulations 16791 U.S.C. 3501 et seq., nor does it require Agricultural commodities, Pesticides SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The any special considerations under and pests, Reporting and recordkeeping Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978, as Executive Order 12898, entitled requirements. amended (‘‘ACA’’) (16 U.S.C. 2401, et ‘‘Federal Actions to Address Dated: April 12, 2019. seq.) implements the Protocol on Environmental Justice in Minority Environmental Protection to the Richard P. Keigwin, Jr., Populations and Low-Income Antarctic Treaty (‘‘the Protocol’’). Populations’’ (59 FR 7629, February 16, Director, Office of Pesticide Programs. Annex V contains provisions for the 1994). Therefore, 40 CFR chapter I is protection of specially designated areas Since tolerances and exemptions that amended as follows: specially managed areas and historic are established on the basis of a petition sites and monuments. Section 2405 of under FFDCA section 408(d), such as PART 180—[AMENDED] title 16 of the ACA directs the Director the tolerance exemption in this action, of the National Science Foundation to ■ do not require the issuance of a 1. The authority citation for part 180 issue such regulations as are necessary proposed rule, the requirements of the continues to read as follows: and appropriate to implement Annex V Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 Authority: 21 U.S.C. 321(q), 346a and 371. to the Protocol. et seq.) do not apply. ■ 2. Add § 180.1365 to subpart D to read The Antarctic Treaty Parties, which This action directly regulates growers, as follows: includes the United States, periodically food processors, food handlers, and food adopt measures to establish, consolidate retailers, not States or tribes.
    [Show full text]
  • A NTARCTIC Southpole-Sium
    N ORWAY A N D THE A N TARCTIC SouthPole-sium v.3 Oslo, Norway • 12-14 May 2017 Compiled and produced by Robert B. Stephenson. E & TP-32 2 Norway and the Antarctic 3 This edition of 100 copies was issued by The Erebus & Terror Press, Jaffrey, New Hampshire, for those attending the SouthPole-sium v.3 Oslo, Norway 12-14 May 2017. Printed at Savron Graphics Jaffrey, New Hampshire May 2017 ❦ 4 Norway and the Antarctic A Timeline to 2006 • Late 18th Vessels from several nations explore around the unknown century continent in the south, and seal hunting began on the islands around the Antarctic. • 1820 Probably the first sighting of land in Antarctica. The British Williams exploration party led by Captain William Smith discovered the northwest coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. The Russian Vostok and Mirnyy expedition led by Thaddeus Thadevich Bellingshausen sighted parts of the continental coast (Dronning Maud Land) without recognizing what they had seen. They discovered Peter I Island in January of 1821. • 1841 James Clark Ross sailed with the Erebus and the Terror through the ice in the Ross Sea, and mapped 900 kilometres of the coast. He discovered Ross Island and Mount Erebus. • 1892-93 Financed by Chr. Christensen from Sandefjord, C. A. Larsen sailed the Jason in search of new whaling grounds. The first fossils in Antarctica were discovered on Seymour Island, and the eastern part of the Antarctic Peninsula was explored to 68° 10’ S. Large stocks of whale were reported in the Antarctic and near South Georgia, and this discovery paved the way for the large-scale whaling industry and activity in the south.
    [Show full text]
  • Numbers of Adelie Penguins Breeding at Hope Bay and Seymour Island Rookeries (West Antarctica) in 1985
    POLISH POLAR RESEARCH (POL. POLAR RES.) 8 4 411—422. 1987 Andrzej MYRCHA", Andrzej TATUR2» and Rodolfo del VALLE3) " Institute of Biology, Warsaw University, Branch in Białystok, 64 Sosnowa. 15-887 Białystok, POLAND 2) Department of Biogeochemistry, Institute of Ecology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Dziekanów Leśny. 05-092 Łomianki. POLAND 31 Instituto Antarctico Ąrgcntino, Cerrito 1248. Capital Federal, ARGENTINA Numbers of Adelie penguins breeding at Hope Bay and Seymour Island rookeries (West Antarctica) in 1985 ABSTRACT: At the turn of October 1985, the abundance of breeding Adelie penguins was estimated at the Hope Bay oasis on the Antarctic Peninsula and on Seymour Island. In the Hope Bay rookery, 123850 pairs of penguins were recorded, beginning their breeding at the end of October. Data so far obtained indicate a continuous increase in the number of birds sat this rookery. On the other hand, the Seymour Island colony consisted of 21954 pairs of Adelie penguins. Clear differences in the geomorphological structure of areas occupied by penguins in those two places are discussed. No gentoo penguins were detected in either of the colonies. Key words: Antarctica. Hope Bay, Seymour Island, Adelie penguins. 1. Introduction Birds occurring in south polar regions for long have attracted much attention due to their importance in the functioning of the marine Antarctic ecosystem. The great abundance of these few species makes them play a significant role in the economy of energy of the Southern Ocean (Croxall 1984, Laws 1985). Among these birds penguins are dominant, comprising over 90% of the bird biomass in this region. The Adelie penguins, in turn, are one of the most numerous of the Antarctic species.
    [Show full text]
  • A Palynological Analysis of Seymour Island and King George Island Off
    Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Master's Theses Graduate School 2015 A Palynological Analysis of Seymour Island and King George Island off the Antarctic Peninsula: A Dating and Climatic Reconstruction Caven Madison Kymes Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses Part of the Earth Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Kymes, Caven Madison, "A Palynological Analysis of Seymour Island and King George Island off the Antarctic Peninsula: A Dating and Climatic Reconstruction" (2015). LSU Master's Theses. 392. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses/392 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Master's Theses by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A PALYNOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF SEYMOUR ISLAND AND KING GEORGE ISLAND OFF THE ANTARCTIC PENINSULA: A DATING AND CLIMATIC RECONSTRUCTION A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in The Department of Geology and Geophysics by Caven Madison Kymes B.S., Louisiana State University, 2013 December 2015 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES……………………………………………………………………………. iii LIST OF FIGURES …………………………………………………………………………... iv ABSTRACT ..………………………………………………………………………………… v CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION TO ANTARCTIC EARTH SCIENCE ……………..…….. 1 1.1 Thesis style ………………………………………………………………………………... 1 1.2 Brief overview of projects and materials studied …………………………………………. 1 1.3 Antarctic Cenozoic history …...…………………………………………………………… 3 CHAPTER 2.
    [Show full text]
  • Paleogene Corals from Seymour Island, Antarctic Peninsula
    PALEOGENE CORALS FROM SEYMOUR ISLAND, ANTARCTIC PENINSULA JAROSLAW STOLARSKI Stolarski, J. 1996. Paleogene corals from Sey mour Island , Antarctic Peninsula. In: A. Gaidzicki (ed.) Palaeontological Results of the Polish Antarctic Expeditions. Part 11. ­ Pala eontologia Polonica 55, 51- 63. From the Sobral Formation (Paleoce ne) of Seymour Island solitary coralla of ?Aulocyathus Marenzeller, 1904 (suborder Caryophylliina) and branch fragments of Madrepora sobral Filkorn, 1994 (suborder Faviina) are described. In the overlying strata of the La Meseta Formation (Eocene) sclerac tinian coral fauna comprises solitary Caryophylliina tCrispa­ totrochus antarcticus sp. n., Caryo phyllia sp., Flabellum sp.) and colonial Dendrophylliin a tTubastra ea sp.). Reported are also octocoral holdfa sts. The genera recorded from both formations are known also from modern seas. Crispatotrochus antarcticus sp. n. is the earliest representative of the genus. ?Aulocya thus and Tubastraea have no other fossil record. K e y wo r d s : ScIeractinia, Octocorallia, taxonomy, Sobral Formation, La Meseta For­ mation, Tertiary, Antarctica. Jar oslaw Stolarski.Tnstytut Paleobi ologii PAN, Aleja Zw irki i Wigury 93, 02- 089 Warszawa, Poland. Received 6 Nove mber 1995, accep ted 15 Decem ber 1995 52 JAROSlAW STOLARSKI CONTENTS Introduction 52 Acknowledgement s 52 Geologica l setting 53 Systematic part . 54 Order Scleractini a BOURNE. 1900 54 Suborder Faviina VAUG IIA N et WELLS, 1943 54 Family Oculinidae GRAY. 1847 .. 54 Genus Madrepora LINNAEUS. 1758 54 Suborder Caryophylliina VAUG IIA N et WELLS. 1943 54 Family Caryophylliidae DANA. 1846 .. 54 Genus Caryophyllia LAM ARCK. 1816 54 Genus Aulo cyathu s MAR ENZELLER. 1904 55 Genus Crispatotrochus TENI SON WOODS.
    [Show full text]
  • Eocene Ecosystem of Seymour Island, Antarctica Eo Ceń Ski Ekosystem Wyspy Seymour, Antarktyka
    Andrzej GAZDZICKI POLISH POLAR STUDIES Institute of Paleobiology XXVI Polar Symposium Polish Academy of Sciences Twarda 51/55, OO-SIS'Warsaw POLAND Lublin, June 1999 EOCENE ECOSYSTEM OF SEYMOUR ISLAND, ANTARCTICA EO CEŃ SKI EKOSYSTEM WYSPY SEYMOUR, ANTARKTYKA ABSTRACT The Seymour Island explored by the Swedish South Polar Expedition at the beginning of this century has proved to be one of the key fossil localities in Antarcti- ca. The first documented fossils from Antarctica were collected from this small remote island in December 1892 during the voyage of the Norwegian whaling ship Jason headed by Captain C.A. Larsen. The stratigraphic marine sequence on the island extends from the Upper Cretaceous Lopez de Bertodano Formation through the Paleocene Sobral, Wiman and Cross Valley formations to the Eocene La Mese- ta Formation. Over 900 species of micro- and macrofossils have been described from this island, and out of these more than 200 are new to science. The La Meseta Formation, exposed in the north-eastern part of Seymour Island represents about 800 m of nearshore sandstones and siltstones, which preserve an exceptional record of the Eocene-?earliest Oligocene life. Throughout the forma- tion microfossils (palynomorphs, diatoms, foraminifers, ostracods), invertebrates (corals, molluscs, crabs, bryozoans, brachiopods, in a number of fossiliferous hori- zons. Many representatives of the above groups have the first fossil record in the La Meseta Formation. Paleoecological associations with diverse fossil assemblages indicate a tempe- rate marine environment for the La Meseta Formation. Paleobotanical studies sug- gest that the terrestrial paleoenvironment during the Eocene was heavily vegeta- ted (Nothofagus-podocarp forest) and had a humid, temperate or cold-temperate climate similar to present-day southern South America.
    [Show full text]
  • Brachiopods from the Eocene La Meseta Formation of Seymour Island, Antarctic Peninsula
    BRACHIOPODS FROM THE EOCENE LA MESETA FORMATION OF SEYMOUR ISLAND, ANTARCTIC PENINSULA MARIA ALE KSA NDRA BITNER Bitner, M.A. 1996. Brachi opods from the Eoce ne La Meseta Formation of Sey mo ur Island , Antarc tic Peninsul a. In: A. Gai dz icki (ed .) Palaeon tological Result s of the Polish A ntarctic Exped itions. Part 11. - Palaeont ologia Polonica SS, 65-100. Th e rem arkabl y diverse brachi opod assemblage fro m the Eocene La Meseta Formatio n of Seymour (Murarnbio) Islan d, Antarctic Penin sul a, co nta ins nineteen ge nera and twent y four spec ies. Four genera and eight spec ies are new, i.e. Basiliola minuta sp. n., Tegu lorhynchia ampullacea sp. n., Parapli cirhvn chia gazdz icki! ge n. et sp. n.. Seymourella ow eni ge n. et sp. n., Ge n. et sp. n., Mu rravia foster! sp. n., Macandrevia cooperi sp. n., and Laquethiris curiosa gen . et sp. n. A new subfamily Sey mo urinae is prop osed for the species Seymo u­ rella oweni. Genera Basiliola. Hemithiris, Parapli cirhynchia. Seymourella, Murravia, Ma ­ gel/a, Stetho thyris, Macandrevia, and Laqu ethiris are reported for the first tim e from the La Meseta Formatio n, although Hemithiris and Magella have been already noted from the Terti ary strata of adjacent Coc kburn Island. So me of the ge nera tBasiliola, Hemithiris. Notosaria, Murra via, Stethothyri s, Macand revia i described herein represent the oldest OCC UITences of the genus, thu s ex ten ding their stratig raphical ranges, which suggests that Sey mo ur Island might play an important role in the evolution of man y bruchi opod taxa from where they spread north wards before the development of the circum-A ntarc tic current in the Oligoccne time.
    [Show full text]
  • Climate in the Vicinity of Ross Island, Antarctica
    tic antarc OFTHE IIUNITED I 1 [8: 1 Uur 19 @=I U STATES March 1985 National Science Foundation Volume XX—Number 1 Climate in the vicinity of Ross Island, Antarctica Historically, the expense of occupying research stations in Antarctica has con- strained the acquisition of meteorological data. Only three interior and 29 coastal stations report meteorological observations on the continent. This limits the data base used to forecast the weather and address questions concerning the circulation, energy exchanges, and dynamics of the antarctic atmosphere. Figure 1. Charles Stearns stands by the auto- matic weather station located at Laurie site (on the Ross Ice Shelf about 10 kilometers east of Cape Crozier) in December 1981. The view is towards the southeast. The shrouded temperature sensor is in the center of the horizontal spar; the satellite antenna is on Figure 2. Whitlock AWS on the crest of Franklin Island in the Ross Sea. The view is towards the the left end of the spar. The batteries are southwest. buried in the snow. In this issue... scientists Although in the early 1970s Climate in the vicinity of Ross from Stanford University tested unmanned Island, Antarctica ............ geophysical observatories in Antarctica, NASA scientist joins the 25th these units were designed primarily for Japanese Antarctic Research ionospheric observations and collected only Expedition, 1983-1984 ........ limited amounts of meteorological data Environmental data listing (Sites, 1973). A prototype automatic available .................. 13 World Data Center-A for weather station, also developed by Stan- Glaciology: functions and ford University researchers, began operat- services..................... 14 ing at the South Pole in February 1975.
    [Show full text]
  • First Ground Visit to the Emperor Penguin Aptenodytes Forsteri Colony at Snow Hill Island, Weddell Sea, Antarctica
    193 FIRST GROUND VISIT TO THE EMPEROR PENGUIN APTENODYTES FORSTERI COLONY AT SNOW HILL ISLAND, WEDDELL SEA, ANTARCTICA FRANK S. TODD,1 SUSAN ADIE2 & JOHN F. SPLETTSTOESSER3 1Ecocepts International, 8958 Kobe Way, San Diego, California 92123, USA ([email protected]) 2Quark Expeditions, 1019 Post Road, Darien, Connecticut 06820, USA 3PO Box 515, Waconia, Minnesota 55387, USA Received 1 December 2004, accepted 13 December 2004 During its first tourist cruise of the 2004/05 austral summer season, Montalti (2000). The colony was on fast ice about 350–400 m from the Russian icebreaker Kapitan Khlebnikov visited the Antarctic the low ice cliffs of the south coast of Snow Hill Island (Fig. 1). Peninsula and Weddell Sea. On 9 November 2004, the ship Icebergs provided protection from the prevailing wind, a feature encountered fast ice on the east side of Snow Hill Island (64°28'S, common to many Emperor Penguin colonies. The colony was 57°15'W), with no leads or openings observed to the south. composed of about six sub-groups, which appeared to have moved Emperor Penguins Aptenodytes forsteri have been observed for short distances as evidenced by guano deposits. many years by staff on tourist vessels and occupants of scientific stations in the northern Antarctic Peninsula. Hence, it had been All helicopter flights to transport 65 passengers plus seven suspected that a colony existed to the south within the Weddell Sea expedition staff to and from the colony area were closely monitored (Coria & Montalti 2000). On 2 January 1990, for example, at least by qualified staff to ensure that the penguins showed no adverse 35 Emperor Penguins (mostly adults) were observed at various reactions.
    [Show full text]
  • United States Antarctic Activities 2001-2002
    United States Antarctic Activities 2001-2002 This site fulfills the annual obligation of the United States of America as an Antarctic Treaty signatory to report its activities taking place in Antarctica. This portion details planned activities for July 2001 through June 2002. Modifications to these plans will be published elsewhere on this site upon conclusion of the 2001-2002 season. National Science Foundation Arlington, Virginia 22230 November 30, 2001 Information Exchange Under United States Antarctic Activities Articles III and VII(5) of the ANTARCTIC TREATY Introduction Organization and content of this site respond to articles III(1) and VII(5) of the Antarctic Treaty. Format is as prescribed in the Annex to Antarctic Treaty Recommendation VIII-6, as amended by Recommendation XIII-3. The National Science Foundation, an agency of the U.S. Government, manages and funds the United States Antarctic Program. This program comprises almost the totality of publicly supported U.S. antarctic activities—performed mainly by scientists (often in collaboration with scientists from other Antarctic Treaty nations) based at U.S. universities and other Federal agencies; operations performed by firms under contract to the Foundation; and military logistics by units of the Department of Defense. Activities such as tourism sponsored by private U.S. groups or individuals are included. In the past, some private U.S. groups have arranged their activities with groups in another Treaty nation; to the extent that these activities are known to NSF, they are included. Visits to U.S. Antarctic stations by non-governmental groups are described in Section XVI. This document is intended primarily for use as a Web-based file, but can be printed using the PDF option.
    [Show full text]