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The Netherlands Polar Programme and the Dirck Gerritsz Laboratory

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The Netherlands Polar Programme and the Dirck Gerritsz Laboratory Earth and Life Sciences (ALW) Netherlands Polar Programme: the Dirck Gerritsz Laboratory The Netherlands Polar Programme and the Dirck Gerritsz Laboratory The Netherlands Polar Programme (NPP) is a research programme that funds Dutch scientific research into and at the polar regions. The assessment of the research proposals together with the realisation and coordination of the NPP has been assigned by the financiers to NWO, and NWO’s Division for the Earth and Life Sciences has assumed responsibility for this. The NPP has set up the Dirck Gerritsz Laboratory at the British Antarctic Survey’s Rothera Research Station in Antarctica. Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research Definition of the problem The polar regions are very sensitive to climate change: they form the heart of the climate system. Climate change in the polar regions has major physical, ecological, social and economic consequences that extend far beyond their boundaries. Due to the worldwide atmospheric and oceanic circulation systems, changes in the polar regions are felt throughout the world. A good understanding of these changes is important for the Netherlands; for example, as a low-lying country the Netherlands is vulnerable to sea level rises. Dirck Gerritsz Laboratory at Rothera Research Station NWO has set up the Dutch mobile research facility at the British research station Rothera on the Antarctic Peninsula. With this laboratory the Netherlands has become a fully fledged research partner within international polar research. Antarctica is a unique research environment where the consequences of climate change can be clearly measured without the disruptive influences of people. NWO is collaborating on Antarctica with the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). What the labs look like The Dirck Gerritsz Laboratory is made up of four independent laboratory units each of which is housed in a sea container. The laboratories are located in a docking station, which provides electricity, an Internet connection, water, shelter and storage space. The docking station also protects the laboratories from the weather conditions. With funding from the NPP, BAS constructed the docking station and the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) constructed the four mobile laboratories. The laboratories have a basic design of two workbenches, a fume cupboard, a sink and storage cupboards. Each lab is also fitted with additional equipment in accordance with the specific requirements of the individual research projects. The Dirck Gerritsz Laboratory extends the research capabilities of the British Rothera Research Station. Naming There are four mobile laboratories with the names Annunciation, Love, Faith and Hope. The names are taken from five ships (the fifth ship was called Loyalty) that set sail from Rotterdam in 1598 in search of a trade route via South America to Asia. The ship Annunciation commanded by Dirck Gerritszoon Pomp was blown southwards when sailing close to the southern tip of South America. Gerritsz then saw the snow-capped mountainous landscape which looked ‘like the country of Norway’. He possibly saw the South Shetland islands, and so was the first to set eyes on Antarctica. The entire research facility therefore bears the name Dirck Gerritsz Laboratory. Research Personnel and specific equipment for the initial use of the laboratory were selected during a funding round held by NWO-ALW. In May 2011, five research proposals were awarded funding. These research projects will start in the Antarctic summer of 2012-2013 and will be the first to make use of the Dirck Gerritsz Laboratory together with three proposals for broader research on Antarctica. These 5 research projects cover the subjects of climate change, glaciology, marine ecology and oceanography. Development of the labs Although it is not a new concept within the world of scientific research, a lot of work had to be done before a standard sea container could be converted into a laboratory. Adapting the containers to the conditions in Antarctica proved particularly challenging for the technicians at NIOZ. They worked together with a specialised refrigeration company (JM Services) which built a special experimental facility to test the labs. Besides aspects such as good insulation, ventilation (Antarctica is very dry) and the placing of a window, the designers paid particular attention to reliability and robustness; repairing a lab in Antarctica would be very expensive of course. Once the project proposals for the labs had been approved in May 2011, the researchers also had to submit details of the other adaptations needed for their specific project proposal. The four laboratories The laboratories have been designed in standard sea containers that are 6.06 m long, 2.44 m wide and 2.89 m high. Optimum use is made of the space inside the laboratories to maximise the room available for the researchers and their research. The laboratories give the researchers the opportunity and space to use their own research equipment, including an Internet connection. Annunciation and Hope have been equipped as ‘Dry labs’, each with their own specific requirements, Love has been equipped as a ‘Clean Lab’ and Faith as a ‘Wet Lab/Culturing Lab’. The researchers can use several labs for their research. 1. Annunciation The temperature in this container will be kept between 15 °C and 20 °C. It is a dry lab and therefore suitable for the use of a wide range of analytical instruments. Besides the standard equipment the lab also contains a laminar flow cabinet. 2. Hope This lab has a mass spectrometer that can quantify climate gases in the atmosphere. There is also a culturing cabinet with plasma lamps that provide the daylight spectrum. 3. Love This lab is for carrying out analytical work that demands a high degree of accuracy. It has therefore been equipped with special filters in the air-processing system to ensure that the air entering the container is dust free. The lab is intended for work under clean conditions, free of contamination from metals, so that analyses on uncontaminated samples can be carried out later. In addition to the standard fittings this lab has two laminar flow cabinets. 4. Faith This wet lab has an incubation unit to study effects on the composition of Antarctic algal species. This unit allows the researchers to vary the pCO2 (partial pressure of carbon dioxide), pH (degree of acidity), temperature, salt level and turbidity, for example. Water samples will also be processed in the lab. Environment and sustainability The basic assumption of the Antarctic Treaty is that the member states will cause as little damage as possible to the Antarctic environment. The Netherlands has first of all applied this concept by not setting up its own base but instead making use of the existing infrastructure of BAS. Furthermore, various features in the design of the Dirck Gerritsz Laboratory ensure that it consumes as little energy as possible. This minimises the demand it places on the British energy generator that generates electricity on site using diesel. Sustainability also plays an important role in the energy supply of the Dirck Gerritsz Laboratory. For example, solar panels have been placed on the docking station’s roof and the laboratories have a heat pump: this extracts heat from the air outside and blows colder air back outside again, a sort of reverse fridge. As the mobile laboratories can be transported, then should the need arise, they can be placed elsewhere in a few years time instead of new laboratories having to be constructed. 2010 2011 Conditions at Rothera Rothera lies on the Antarctic Peninsula, a point on the continent that extends towards South America. In the summer the average temperature is between 0 °C and 5 °C and in the winter between -5 °C and -20 °C. The peninsula therefore has a relatively mild climate. In the 2012 laboratories the temperature is between 15 °C and 22 °C. About 100 people work at the British base during the summer and about 20 during the winter. Although the landscape seems quite inhospitable, the sea supports a rich variety of life including penguins, whales and seals. Antarctic Treaty Under the Antarctic Treaty, the continent remains uninhabited and no military or economic activities may take place. Various countries, however, have territorial claims that are sometimes reinforced by the construction of research stations. The treaty was established in 1959 and since then about 45 countries have signed it. The Netherlands became a signatory in 1990 and has a consultative status. As a signatory, the Netherlands is required to carry out scientific research and this is realised through the Netherlands Polar Programme. Funding NWO and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science invested extra money in the Netherlands Polar Programme so that the Dirck Gerritsz Laboratory could be realised. Including the two associated funding rounds a total of M€ 8.5 in additional funding was provided. NWO Earth and Life Sciences Netherlands Polar Programme: the Dirck Gerritsz Laboratory Research project Trace metals Iron and other dissolved trace elements in This factsheet is about the research project into trace metals in the seawater of Marguerite Bay, seawater. West Antarctica Realisation: Prof. Hein de Baar, Dr Johann Bown (postdoc), Project Trace metals Patrick Laan (technician), NIOZ Professor de Baar will carry out measurements into the quan- tity of trace elements in seawater. This project makes use of the What is the Netherlands Polar Programme? mini-lab ‘Love’. The Netherlands Polar Programme (NPP) is a research pro- The West Antarctic Peninsula is one of the most rapidly gramme that funds Dutch scientific research into and at the warming locations in the world (Figure 1). Glaciers are melting polar regions. The assessment of the research proposals and quickly, large once-permanent ice fields are disappearing into the realisation and coordination of the NPP has been assigned the sea and each year the sea ice is present for less long in the by the financiers to NWO, and NWO’s Division for the Earth winter.
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