The Netherlands Polar Programme and the Dirck Gerritsz Laboratory

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Earth and Life Sciences (ALW) Netherlands Polar Programme: 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 quantity 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. Consequently the levels of iron and other trace ele- and Life Sciences has assumed responsibility for this. ments, such as manganese, cobalt, nickel, copper and zinc, in the seawater and sea ice are changing. 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 The NPP 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 Figure 1. The temperature on Rothera Research Station and the nearby Faraday Station varies from year to year. Nevertheless a clear warming up the disruptive influences of people. NWO is collaborating on trend is visible. Data from John Turner (British Antarctic Survey) and col- Antarctica with the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). leagues from the SCAR Reader project. Personnel and specific equipment for the initial use of the laboratory were selected during a funding round. In May These six trace elements are vital for every living organism. 2011, five research proposals were awarded funding together Very small quantities of trace elements form part of nutrition with three proposals for broader research on Antarctica. and they are at the foundation of entire ecosystems. Even the Researchers will start using the Dirck Gerritsz Laboratory in the unicellular algae in the sea need these six trace elements to be Antarctic summer of 2012-2013. able to grow. The algae (phytoplankton) absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) from the seawater and use energy from sunlight to produce organic substances. As a result of this photosynthesis the algae grow; every 48 hours they divide into two new cells which then grow and divide again, etc. The algae are the only source of food for krill (small shrimp-like animals), which in turn are the food for seabirds (penguins and albatrosses) and the sea mammals (seals, whales), which in turn are prey for the really big predators of the sea such as the leopard seal and killer whale. Everything that lives around the sea is ultimately dependent on the sufficient availability of dissolved trace elements in the seawater.

We still know very little about the levels of these metals Figure 3. Map of the sea boundary of the Sheldon glacier that has become increasingly smaller during the period 1947-2001 (Cook et al., 2005, around the Antarctic Peninsula. This research project will for Science). Ryder Bay is the area of sea close to the glacier in the much bigger the first time measure the levels of these metals in seawater Marguerite Bay. The inset maps show the position of Adelaide Island in West Antarctica and the position of West Antarctica in the world. and sea ice in Marguerite Bay, Antarctica. At the same time, other researchers at the Dirck Gerritsz Laboratory will study the growth of the algae. The local Sheldon glacier (Figure 2) is Contact thought to function as a source of metals for the seawater in The contact person for the Netherlands Polar Programme the bay. The glacier shears across the rocks and acquires trace is Liesbeth Noor, tel. +31 70 344 08 20, [email protected]. For elements from these by means of erosion. further information please see www.nwo.nl/npp.

Figure 2. The Sheldon glacier flows into the sea close to Rothera. The edge of the glacier sticks out above the water as a wall of ice. Sometimes a large piece breaks off forming an iceberg as can be seen in the foreground. © British Antarctic Survey

Over the past 60 years the glacier has become a lot smaller due to global warming (Figure 3). This has probably resulted in a decreased supply of dissolved metals to the sea. Researchers from Utrecht University will study the changes to the ice cap and glaciers in the entire area and will try to predict how this ice cap and the glaciers will continue to change during the course of the 21st century. Together the researchers will predict how the supply of dissolved metals will change and consequently how this will effect the growth of algae and therefore the numbers of seabirds and sea mammals in West Antarctica.

NWO Earth and Life Sciences

Netherlands Polar Programme: the Dirck Gerritsz Laboratory Research project Antarctic algae

Antarctic algae in a changing world and the This factsheet is about the research project into changes in the consequences of this for the food chain composition of Antarctic algae and how this affects the food Realisation: Dr Corina Brussaard, Tristan Biggs (PhD), chain. Zoi Farenzena (student), NIOZ Project Antarctic algae What is the Netherlands Polar Programme? For this project NIOZ researchers, under the leadership of Dr The Netherlands Polar Programme (NPP) is a research Brussaard, will investigate how changes in the composition of programme that funds Dutch scientific research into and at Antarctic algal species (as a consequence of climate change) the polar regions. The assessment of the research proposals are influencing the functioning of the food web. 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.

Dirck Gerritsz Laboratory at Rothera Research Station The NPP 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. © Corina Brussaard – working in a lab container Antarctica is a unique research environment where the consequences of climate change can be clearly measured without Antarctica is completely surrounded by the Southern Ocean. the disruptive influences of people. NWO is collaborating on This is the only ocean that circles the entire world and in so Antarctica with the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). doing connects three oceans with each other. Consequently processes in Antarctica influence the physics, chemistry and Personnel and specific equipment for the initial use of the biology of all oceans in the world and these processes are laboratory were selected during a funding round. In May important for our understanding of the earth’s climate. The 2011, five research proposals were awarded funding together Antarctic Peninsula is rapidly warming up; what consequences with three proposals for broader research on Antarctica. does climate change have for the functioning of the polar Researchers will start using the Dirck Gerritsz Laboratory in the ecosystem in the sea? Antarctic summer of 2012-2013. grazing krill. The lipid composition is important for a successful overwintering. These data can provide valuable insights into how the ecologically important Antarctic waters respond to climate changes. Knowing more about the Antarctic algae will ultimately contribute to predictions about krill fishing or the prevalence of whales.

The waters around the Antarctic Peninsula are mostly teeming with life. Algae are at the base of most food chains in the sea. In the vicinity of the Antarctic Peninsula algae are the source of food for krill, for example. These are small crayfish and prawns that together represent an enormous quantity of biomass. It is the vital supply of food for many animals that live around Antarctica. Changes in the quantity of algae and in their species composition therefore have major consequences for the higher positions in the food chain: for krill and consequently all the animals that eat krill as well.

There are indications that the quantity and species composition of the algae in Antarctic waters are changing. The stratified structure of the water column is changing because the upper- most water layer is becoming warmer, the wind is increasing and more fresh water is floating on the surface due to melting ice. The species composition is also dependent on whether the algae are eaten or whether they die from viral infections. If the unicellular algae die from a viral infection, the cell content is released for digestion by bacteria and other small organisms © Corina Brussaard – preparing to collect samples (the microbial food web). That stops the organic carbon from going to the grazers, which in turn form the food source for whales for example. The survival chances for these grazers Contact also depend on differences in the cell components of the algal The contact person for the Netherlands Polar Programme groups. The composition of lipids, in particular, differs per algal is Liesbeth Noor, tel. +31 70 344 08 20, [email protected]. For species. Algae, however, differ in their sensitivity for grazing further information please see www.nwo.nl/npp. and viral infections. For this project, experiments will be done in the mini-labs ‘Faith’ and ‘Annuciation’. Researchers will keep the water temperature for these experiments near freezing point to prevent the microorganisms dying from stress. The researchers will use rubber boats to collect water samples (see photo).

The researchers will study the algal growth, the mortality rates due to viral infections and grazing, and the lipid composition of both infected and non-infected algal species as well as NWO Earth and Life Sciences

Netherlands Polar Programme: the Dirck Gerritsz Laboratory Research project Ryder Bay

The influence of glacial meltwater on This factsheet is about the research project into the effect of marine microbial communities in glacial meltwater on marine microbial communities in Ryder Ryder Bay, Antarctica. Bay, Antarctica. Realisation: Prof. Anita Buma, Patrick Rozema (PhD), Ronald Visser, University of Groningen

What is the Netherlands Polar Programme? 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.

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. A frame with sensors performs continuous measurements of the temperature and light intensity, for example, in the water column up to a depth of Due to the worldwide atmospheric and oceanic circulation 100 metres.© Anita Buma 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 Project Ryder Bay Netherlands is vulnerable to sea level rises. Professor Buma from the University of Groningen will investigate the effect of glacial meltwater on marine communities Dirck Gerritsz Laboratory at Rothera Research in Ryder Bay; the foot of the Sheldon glacier lies in this bay Station close to Rothera. These communities are made up of microbial The NPP has set up the Dutch mobile research facility at the organisms such as phytoplankton and bacteria. For this study British research station Rothera on the Antarctic Peninsula. water samples will be processed in the mini-lab ‘Faith’. With this laboratory the Netherlands has become a fully fledged research partner within international polar research. In recent years there has been a considerable rise in tem- Antarctica is a unique research environment where the con- perature on the West Antarctic Peninsula. As a result of this sequences of climate change can be clearly measured without the glaciers are visibly retreating. The associated increase in the disruptive influences of people. NWO is collaborating on meltwater will strongly influence the marine communities. Antarctica with the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). However, it is not yet known how these microbial organisms Personnel and specific equipment for the initial use of the will be affected and what will change. Phytoplankton form the laboratory were selected during a funding round. In May basis of the ecosystem and the food chain in the sea. They use 2011, five research proposals were awarded funding together sunlight to grow and are a source of food for larger organisms with three proposals for broader research on Antarctica. which in turn are also eaten. Therefore changes at a micro- Researchers will start using the Dirck Gerritsz Laboratory in the scopically small scale have large visible effects. Antarctic summer of 2012-2013. be analysed to study the influence of environmental factors. The RaTS monitoring programme has been running since 1998 and offers a unique insight into microbial diversity throughout all seasons.

The two field studies in this research project will be carried out at the same time as other Dutch and British projects. This collaboration will provide a detailed picture of the effect of meltwater on the marine communities. This effect will be investigated at a local level in Ryder Bay. The knowledge generated, however, will also be important at a worldwide level because global warming can result in increased meltwater at many locations and therefore influence the food chain in the sea.

Rothera Research Station © BAS Contact The contact person for the Netherlands Polar Programme Using advanced techniques, including Denaturing Gradient Gel is Liesbeth Noor, tel. +31 70 344 08 20, [email protected]. For Electrophoresis (DGGE), possible shifts in the microbial diversity further information please see www.nwo.nl/npp. can be observed. Each species has a unique sequence and composition of DNA. DGGE can distinguish all phytoplankton and bacteria species on the basis of their DNA. This technique can be used to determine which species are present at a given moment under specific conditions. With such data the effect of melting glaciers on the diversity of microbial species can clearly be seen.

An example of a DGGE. The vertical lines are the water samples taken at various times, the dark bands are the DNA of individual species. This is how the researchers identify the different species.© Anita Buma

Two field studies will be conducted in Ryder Bay close to Rothera. The researchers will also participate in the Rothera Oceanographic and Biological Time Series (RaTS) monitoring programme of the British Antarctic Survey. Over a period of three years the microbial composition of the water samples will NWO Earth and Life Sciences

Netherlands Polar Programme: the Dirck Gerritsz Laboratory Research project Freshwater flow

Freshwater flow and climate change on This factsheet is about the research project into freshwater the Antarctic Peninsula flow and climate change on the Antarctic Peninsula. Realisation: Dr Carleen Tijm-Reijmer, Melchior van Wessem (PhD), Wim Boot (technician), Utrecht University – Institute for Marine & Atmospheric Research Utrecht (IMAU)

Dirck Gerritsz Laboratory at Rothera Research Figure 1: The location of the various weather stations. The measure- Station ments can be followed live at www.projects.science.uu.nl/iceclimate/aws/ The NPP has set up the Dutch mobile research facility at the antarctica_data.html ©AMRC British research station Rothera on the Antarctic Peninsula. With this laboratory the Netherlands has become a fully fledged research partner within international polar research. Project Freshwater flow Antarctica is a unique research environment where the con- Under the leadership of Dr Tijm-Reijmer, scientists from sequences of climate change can be clearly measured without Utrecht University (IMAU) will investigate freshwater flow and the disruptive influences of people. NWO is collaborating on climate change on the Antarctic Peninsula. The research is not Antarctica with the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). directly related to the Dirck Gerritsz Laboratory; Rothera is Personnel and specific equipment for the initial use of the the operating base for visiting the weather stations set up by laboratory were selected during a funding round. In May Dutch researchers on the Antarctic Peninsula that are necessary 2011, five research proposals were awarded funding together for this research (See Figure 1). with three proposals for broader research on Antarctica. Researchers will start using the Dirck Gerritsz Laboratory in the The Antarctic Peninsula is a mountain chain covered in ice Antarctic summer of 2012-2013. which stretches from the mainland of Antarctica towards South America. It is the only part of Antarctica where, due the to The meteorological measurements will be carried out from relatively mild climate, a considerable quantity of meltwater various types of measurement platform such as manned leaves the hydrological system of glaciers. Furthermore, the stations, automatic weather stations and aeroplanes (Figure temperature on the Antarctic Peninsula has risen more than 2). Some of the manned stations have a set of measurements the global average in recent decades. Consequently the flow that go back a long way (1957/58). These therefore provide of freshwater into the oceans has increased. This flow of valuable information about the changes that have occurred in freshwater causes the sea level to rise, influences ocean cur- the area. Radiosondes provide information about the vertical rents, lets the surrounding ice plates break up and also forms structure of the atmosphere and the automatic weather an important link in the Antarctic ecosystem. This effect will be stations measure the climate of the ice plates on the east side investigated at a local level on the Antarctic Peninsula but the of the peninsula, where no manned stations are located (see research is of worldwide importance. Figure 1).

A regional climate model at high resolution must provide a regional picture of the atmospheric and surface conditions and, in particular, the amount of melting, refreezing and snowfall. Topography determines the snowfall to a large extent. A high resolution is therefore needed due to the complex topography of the peninsula (see Figure 3). This model is modi- fied to provide a good simulation of the exceptional climate conditions of glaciated areas.

The researchers will establish the quantity of fresh water on the Antarctic Peninsula over the past 30 years using measurements and a climate model. The project seeks answers to the following questions: 1. How much melting occurs on the glaciers and ice plates? 2. How important is the refreezing of meltwater in the cold Figure 3. Topography of the Antarctic Peninsula at 5.5 km resolution (this project, left) and at 27 km resolution (previous simulation, right). snow? 3. How much water actually leaves the glacier (runoff)? 4. Have the amounts of melting, refreezing and runoff changed in recent years due to the warming up of the Contact Antarctic Peninsula? The contact person for the Netherlands Polar Programme Researchers will use meteorological measurements and a is Liesbeth Noor, tel. +31 70 344 08 20, [email protected]. For regional atmospheric climate model to determine the size of further information please see www.nwo.nl/npp. the freshwater runoff and with that find the answers to the aforementioned questions. NWO Earth and Life Sciences

Netherlands Polar Programme: the Dirck Gerritsz Laboratory Research project Climate gases

Seasonal dynamics of climate gases in the This factsheet is about the research project into the seasonal Antarctic coastal area dynamics of climate gases in the Antarctic coastal area. Realisation: Dr Jacqueline Stefels, Dr Maria van Leeuwe (postdoc), Desiree den Os (postdoc), University of Groningen Project climate gases In the mini-lab ‘Hope’ the plant physiology research group of What is the Netherlands Polar Programme? the University of Groningen will study the seasonal dynamics The Netherlands Polar Programme (NPP) is a research of climate gases in the Antarctic coastal area. A mass spectro- programme that funds Dutch scientific research into and at meter will monitor the climate gases and the researchers will the polar regions. The assessment of the research proposals carry out various experiments to study a range of processes in together with the realisation and coordination of the NPP has detail. been assigned by the financiers to NWO, and NWO’s Division for the Earth and Life Sciences has assumed responsibility for this.

Dirck Gerritsz Laboratory at Rothera Research Station Drilling for ice cores © Jacqueline Stefels (University of Groningen) The NPP 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 What happens in the atmosphere at the poles determines the fledged research partner within international polar research. climate on earth to a large extent. Around Antarctica many Antarctica is a unique research environment where the con- climate gases are released naturally during algal blooms in the sequences of climate change can be clearly measured without spring, when the sea ice melts and the days become longer. the disruptive influences of people. NWO is collaborating on Over the past few decades rapid warming up has occurred Antarctica with the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). along the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. This is causing Personnel and specific equipment for the initial use of the major changes in the sea ice coverage and algal blooms. How laboratory were selected during a funding round. In May this influences the production of climate gases is not yet 2011, five research proposals were awarded funding together known. with three proposals for broader research on Antarctica. Researchers will start using the Dirck Gerritsz Laboratory in the In this project researchers will examine the seasonal dynamics Antarctic summer of 2012-2013. of the anti-greenhouse gas dimethyl sulphide (DMS). In collaboration with British colleagues the brominated compounds (compounds containing the element bromine), which chemi- cally react with DMS in the atmosphere, will also be investigated. These data can be used to improve climate models.

The polar regions are important ‘hotspots’ for the production of DMS due to the environmental conditions present: it is very cold, as a result of which sea ice develops. Algae that grow in or on the sea ice can only do so thanks to special adaptations to their metabolism. DMS and related compounds play an important role in that. Besides algae, bacteria and even small grazers have been found to store these compounds to defend themselves against the cold and salty environment.

Fragmentary measurements made in the past have revealed that there is a considerable seasonal dynamics in the concen- tration of DMS. However, more detailed and quantitative data are needed to test the models properly. Most of the activity is expected during the spring and summer and then water samples will be collected along the coast every week. Special equipment will be used to measure the production and breakdown of DMS as this information is particularly important for climate models.

Algal growth on ice © Jacqueline Stefels (University of Groningen) Contact The contact person for the Netherlands Polar Programme is Liesbeth Noor, tel. +31 70 344 08 20, [email protected]. For The unicellular algae and bacteria produce DMS. When the further information please see www.nwo.nl/npp. ice melts in the spring, many of these substances are released and disappear into the atmosphere. In the atmosphere, DMS is converted into sulphate. This forms the nuclei around which water vapour can condense and small mist drops can develop. These can grow further into clouds that block out sunlight. The algae can therefore influence the earth’s climate. This is a natural process which ensures that the earth does not warm up too much. If brominated compounds are created at the same time, the atmospheric processes change. Then no clouds can be formed and so the sunlight is no longer blocked. Contact Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) Division of Earth and Life Sciences

Visiting address: Laan van Nieuw Oost-Indië 300 2593 CE The Hague

Postal address: P.O. Box 93510 2509 AM The Hague

Contact: The contact person for the Netherlands Polar Programme is Liesbeth Noor tel. +31 70 344 08 20 [email protected]

For further information please see www.nwo.nl/npp