This document has been archived. National Science Foundation U.S. Antarctic Program 1999-2000 National Science Foundation U.S. Antarctic Program 1999-2000 i CONTENTS U.S. Antarctic Program, 1999-2000 . .ii Aeronomy and Astrophysics . 1 Biology and Medicine . 12 Antarctic Pack Ice Seals . 25 Long-term ecological research . 28 Environmental Monitoring Program . 31 Geology and Geophysics . 32 Cape Roberts International Drilling Project . 47 Glaciology . 51 Siple Dome Ice Coring . 55 International Trans-Antarctic Scientific Expedition . 57 Ocean and Climate Systems . 60 ii During the 1999-2000 austral summer and the Station by a team of scientists from the PROGRAM,U.S. ANTARCTIC 1999-2000 2000 austral winter, the U.S. Antarctic Program United States, New Zealand, Italy, Australia, will support more than 800 researchers and the United Kingdom, and Germany other participants in the U.S. Antarctic Program • long-term ecological research in the at three year-round stations (McMurdo, McMurdo Dry Valleys and in the Palmer Amundsen-Scott South Pole, and Palmer), Station region of the Antarctic Peninsula aboard two research ships (Laurence M. Gould and Nathaniel B. Palmer) in the Ross Sea and in Science teams also will use networks of the Antarctic Peninsula region, at remote field automatic weather stations, automated geo- camps, and in cooperation with the national physical observatories, ultraviolet-radiation antarctic programs of the other Antarctic Treaty monitors, and a high-altitude, long-duration nations. These projects, funded and managed balloon that will circumnavigate the continent by the National Science Foundation (NSF), are and carry instruments for an optical investiga- part of the international effort to understand tion of solar activity. the Antarctic and its role in global processes. Eight teachers from U.S. elementary, mid- NSF also supports research that can be best or dle, and high schools will join researchers on only performed in Antarctica. eight projects this austral summer as part of The scientists who will conduct the proj- NSF’s Teachers Experiencing Antarctica (TEA) ects described in this book come primarily project. TEA immerses teachers in research as from U. S. universities and have won NSF part of their professional development and to support in response to Antarctic Research create a polar learning community of teachers, Program Announcement and Proposal Guide students, school districts, and researchers. (NSF 99-93; http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/get- U.S. Antarctic Program investigators volunteer pub?nsf9993). Operational resources in to include TEA participants in their field par- Antarctica also are used to support scientists ties; NSF selects the teachers competitively. from other Federal agencies. The Antarctic Artists and Writers Program Highlights of this year's austral summer provides opportunities for painters, photogra- research include: phers, writers, and others to use serious writ- ing and the arts to increase understanding of • the first year of the 5-year multi-disciplinary the Antarctic and America's heritage there. The International Trans-Antarctic Expedition, 1999-2000 austral summer includes a novel on which integrates meteorology, remote sens- science and scientists for middle-grade chil- ing, ice coring, glaciology, and geophysics dren; a photographic book; natural sound to learn more about West Antarctica's role recordings; and underwater photography in in the global change McMurdo Sound. • a 52-day Antarctic Pack Ice Seal research Logistics to support these projects cruise to study how changes in the environ- includes heavy-lift, ski-equipped C-130 air- ment cause fluctuations in the abundance, planes operated by the New York Air National growth patterns, life histories, and behavior Guard, ski-equipped Twin Otter airplanes • a study of microbes found in snow samples chartered from a Canadian firm, and C-141 from the South Pole to determine if they are and C-5 air-planes provided by the U.S. Air indigenous to the interior of Antarctica and to Force between New Zealand and McMurdo learn more about their biology and ecology Station. Contract helicopters are headquar- • continued support of the Center for Astro- tered at McMurdo to provide operational physical Research in Antarctica at the geo- and close science support. Ground vehicles graphic South Pole operated and maintained by an NSF contrac- • measuring, monitoring, and studying atmos- tor, provide specialized science support and pheric trace gases associated with the annual other services. Annually, a U.S. Coast Guard depletion of the ozone layer above Antarctica. icebreaker opens a channel to McMurdo and • the third year of drilling and related geolog- provides science support. A tanker and a ical work at Cape Roberts near McMurdo cargo ship, operated by the Military Sealift iii U.S. ANTARCTIC PROGRAM,U.S. ANTARCTIC 1999-2000 Command, bring fuel, cargo, and equipment each January. Continuing the modernization and improve- ment of Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, crews will prepare the foundations for a replacement laboratory that will be built on supports above the icey plateau and will begin the exterior of a new power plant, the interior of which will be completed over the austral winter. The South Pole Safety and Environmental Project (a $25-million undertaking) and the South Pole Station Modernization Project (a $128-million initiative) will replace the existing 24-year-old station by 2005. This book is arranged by scientific discipline, except for sections focused on multi-investigator, multi-disciplinary research projects and a short list of technical projects in the table below. The order reflects the organization of the Antarctic Sciences Section of NSF's Office of Polar Programs, which funds projects in biology, medical research, ocean sciences, climate studies, geology and geophysics, glaciology, aeronomy, astronomy, and astrophysics. Related information products that are pro- duced or funded by NSF include: • Press releases issued by the Foundation’s Public Affairs Office to describe specific research progress. See the NSF World Wide Web page at http://www.nsf.gov or call 703-306-1070. • Antarctic Journal of the United States review issues, which contain short reports by inves- tigators about research recently performed in Antarctica. These issues are online (http://www.nsf.gov/od/opp/antarct/jour- nal) and are available in print from the Office of Polar Programs ([email protected]). iv Technical projects supporting the 1999-2000 USAP antarctic field program PROGRAM,U.S. ANTARCTIC 1999-2000 Project title Project manager, affiliation Polar Ice Coring Office(PICO) Hot-water drilling at the South Pole for Karl Kuivinen, the AMANDA project (TA-150-A) University of Nebraska Karl Kuivinen, PICO ice-core drilling at Siple Dome (TI-150-B) University of Nebraska Automatic Geophysical Observatory (AGO)— Jay Burnside, servicing and installation (TO-296-O) Antarctic Support Associates Steve Currier, Synthetic Aperture Radar project; (TO-308-O) NASA Wallops Flight Facility Robert Whritner, McMurdo Sound Metsat Station— Arctic and Antarctic refurbishment of Terascan satellite reception & Research Center, Scripps processing system at Palmer Station (TO-312-O) Institution of Oceanography Charles Booth, UV-monitoring network (TO-513-O) Biospherical Instruments, Inc. Artists and Writers Program projects, 1999-2000 U.S. Antarctic Program Project title Participant Novel for middle-grade children on Lucy Jane Bledsoe, science and scientists (WO-007-O) Berkeley, California Photography book documenting the Stuart Klipper, U.S. Antarctic Program (WO-009-O) Minneapolis, Minnesota Douglas Quinn, Natural sound recordings (WO-004-O) Petaluma, California Underwater photography, Norbert Wu, McMurdo Sound (WO-317-O) Pacific Grove, California v U.S. ANTARCTIC PROGRAM,U.S. ANTARCTIC 1999-2000 U.S. Antarctic Program, 1999-2000 Sites of major activities Number of projects to be supported during 1999-2000 1 AERONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS including a particular interest in the sun AND ASTROPHYSICS AERONOMY The polar regions have been called Earth’s and cosmic rays. Astrophysical studies are window to outer space. Originally, this term primarily conducted at Amundsen-Scott applied to aurora and other dynamic events South Pole Station or on long-duration staged as incoming solar plasmas encoun- balloon flights launched from McMurdo. tered the Earth’s geomagnetic fields. Because of its unique properties, the polar Virtually all research projects sponsored upper atmosphere becomes a virtual screen by this program benefit from (indeed most on which the results of such interactions can require) the unique physical conditions found be viewed (and through which evidence of only in the high latitudes, yet their ramifica- other processes can pass). More recently, tions extend far beyond Antarctica. High- this concept has been extended to refer to latitude astrophysical research contributes the “ozone hole” in the polar atmosphere. to the understanding of Antarctica’s role in As scientists have verified an annual loss of global environmental change, promotes inter- ozone in the polar stratosphere, a window disciplinary study of geosphere/biosphere previously thought “closed” (stratified ozone interactions in the middle and upper atmos- blocking the sun’s ultraviolet rays) is now phere, and improves understanding of the known to “open” in certain seasons. critical processes of solar energy in these For astronomers and astrophysicists, the regions. Life exists on