Bulletin Vol. 11 No. 1 Autumn 1986 ANTARCTICA

Bulletin Vol. 11 No. 1 Autumn 1986 ANTARCTICA

AMKRCTJC Bulletin Vol. 11 No. 1 Autumn 1986 ANTARCTICA 500 1000 Kilometres ANTARCTIC PENINSULA *fO O 100 km MJP Q 100 mis rft" 1 Comandanle Ferraz ouazil 2 Henry Arctowski poland 3 Teniente Jubany anqentina 4 Artigas ubuguav 5 Teniente Rodollo Marsh chile Bellingshausen ussn Great Wall china 6 Capitan Arturo Prat cmiu 7 General Bernardo O'Higgins chile 8 Esperanza argentine 9 Vice Comodoro Marambio Argentina 10 Palmer usa SOUTH 11 Faraday uk 12 Rothera uk SHETLAND 13 Teniente Carvaial chile 14 General San Martin augenhna ISLANDS NEW ZEALAND ANTARCTIC SOCIETY MAP COPYRIGHT ANTARCTIC (successor to "Antarctic News Bulletin) Vol. 11 No. 1 Autumn, 1986 Issue Number: 121 Contents ANTARCTIC is published quarterly by the Polar Activities New Zealand Antarctic Society Inc., 1978. New Zealand Australia 13 ISSN 0003-5327 France 16 South Korea 17 Editor: Robin Ormerod United Kingdom 19 Please address all inquiries, contributions United States 23 etc. to the Editor, P.O. Box 2110, Wellington, New Zealand. General Ice traps ships 25 Registered at P.O. Headquarters, as a Australian yachtsmen 31 magazine. Vinson Massif 32 Project Blizzard (cover story) 34 Sub-antarctic 37 Special feature: "Erlangen" 39 Food cache 43 Rare medal 47 Obituary 49 Books 52 © No part of this publication may be reproduced in any way without the prior permission of the publishers. Antarctic Autumn, 1986 NZARP Heavy science programme completed Forty research projects covering a wide range of atmospheric, earth and life sciences have been approved by government for the 1986/87 season of the New Zealand Antarctic Research Programme. They include a continuation of the CIROS (Cenozoic investigations in the Western Ross Sea) during which it is hoped to obtain core samples which should complete a record of sedimentation in McMurdo Sound from the present day through to pre-glacial times and pro vide important information on past changes in world climate and the history of the Antarctic ice sheet. CIROS is sponsored jointly by Victoria This year the party includes Mr G.B. University of Wellington, and the Crocker of Cambridge. It is the first time a Geophysics and Antarctic Divisions of the foreign scientist has wintered with the New Department of Scientific and Industrial Zealanders since 1959. Research. They are just two of the Gov The New Zealand team comprises C.R. ernment departments which will participate in next season's programme in addition to McDonald, assistant base engineer six universities. (Tokoroa), R.W. Paterson, technician (New Plymouth), D. Wilkinson, technician (Well Scott Base reconstruction programme will involve the completion of a light workshop ington), M.J. Harman, technician (Welling ton), B.D. Hiscock, mechanic (Temuka), complex erected last year and the con S.C. Pardoe, electrician (Napier), S.M. struction of a new garage complex with an area of some 1,000 sq. metres. This repre Loney, postmaster (Alexandra), P.S. sents the seventh stage of the project begun Purves, Post Office technician (Hamilton), in 1976 and due for completion in 1990. S.J. Mosley, chef (Auckland) and R.A. Work will, as usual, be undertaken by Ant Balm, dog handler (Arthurs Pass). arctic Division, the Ministry of Works and The departure of the last of the summer Development and New Zealand Army team concluded a successful season for the Engineers. New Zealand Antarctic Research pro Last season's activities officially conclud gramme which involved 41 scientific pro jects and number of supporting program ed at 3pm on February 8 when the outgo mes. ing summer leader Peter Cresswell hand ed over to Jim Rankin of Kumara who will be officer in charge for this, his third winter Ecosystems on the ice and second as leader. Drs Warwick Vincent and Clive How The last of the summer team to leave ard-Williams of the Taupo Research Labo Antarctica included deputy leader at Scott ratory, Division of Marine and Freshwater Base John Parsloe and the team at Hallett Sciences, DSIR completed the third and Station who returned to McMurdo on final season of study of the stream USCGC Polarstar and flew home to Christ ecosystems of the McMurdo Sound area. church on 19 February leaving twelve men The team accompanied by Gillian S. at Scott Base for the long Antarctic winter. Wratt, an Antarctic Division field assistant. Autumn, 1986 Antarctic spent 13 weeks in the field working from sis by Dr Stephen de Mora. Stuart Camp bases near Lakes Fryxell, Vanda and Miers bell and Alan Grout was prevented by in and on the Wolcott Glacier. They focussed strument problems and data on samples re on experimental assays to determine the turned to New Zealand is not yet available. factors controlling microbial growth in Ant From atmospheric measurements at arctic streams. Vanda they found lead to be below detec Detailed photosynthetic and respiratory tion limits and the levels of volatile mercury measurements made with a portable infra to be less than a quarter of the New red gas analyzer showed that the various Zealand values. stream communities had different light re quirements for optimal growth. A nutrient Trace gas analysis enrichment assay, using equipment deve Further samples of air were collected for loped for Arctic streams, demonstrated trace gas analysis by Dr Tom Clarkson and that the stream life was not limited by technican Keith Rodgers of the Meteor nitrogen or phosphorous supply. ological Service in Wellington. This was an A wide range of biochemical assays in extension of the work begun as a pilot study cluding bacterial DNA synthesis, lipid pro last season to determine the presence of duction, photosynthetic and product man-made gasses — fluorocarbons and biosynthesis and glucose metabolism showed that the stream algae and bacteria hydrocarbons — in the Antarctic at mosphere. It is part of a project to increase though tolerant of the cold water the understanding of global climate. temperatures (0 to 5 deg c). were not Crucial to the study is the building up of especially adapted to these conditions. an atmospheric profile which involves col Gillian Wratt completed a series of algal, lection of samples from varying heights. bacterial and nitrogen cycling assays on Using a pump powered from the helicopter Lakes Bonney and Vanda. air is sucked into stainless steel cannisters Additional work in this programme was through a tube attached to the helicopter carried out on the Alph River which flows Keith Rodgers taking air samples from a United down the western margin of the Koetlitz States Navy helicopter as part of the atmospheric Glacier, and which is perhaps the south trace programme. ernmost flowing water system in the world. Photo: Antarctic Division, DSIR The environmental survey of the Alph River revealed a biologically rich microbial community and an unusually constant dis charge (about 1 cu.m per second) by com parison with other southern Victoria Land streams. A preliminary survey of the physical, chemical and biological properties of the McMurdo Ice shelf meltwater pools and streams was conducted early in the season, and again in mid-January. Trace metals Samples of the waters of Lakes Fryxell Vanda and Bonney were to be tested for the presence of trace metals by scientists from Auckland University Chemistry De partment who sought to determine the bio logical — metal interaction of the biological community in the lakes. Preliminary analy- Antarctic Autumn, 1986 skid. In the laboratory the air is injected into Davey. Both are from the Geophysics Divi a gas chromatograph and the gases sepa sion of DSIR in Wellington. They were rated. joined by Georg Delisle from the Federal Eight flights were made in December Geological Survey, West Germany and and January; two up to 15,000 ft., on each assisted in the field by Brian Smith of Ant of which nine samples were collected and arctic Division, Christchurch. six to between 8 and 10,000 ft. on which an The loading of the crust by young average of seven samples were collected volcanic massif has been studied in the making a total of 60. Hawaii area. There, beneath the extruded The scientists, were looking particularly volcanics, the lithosphere (crust) is for Freon 12, a fluorocarbon used in deflected downwards beneath the load aerosol cans and as a refrigerant. Prelimi and there are compensating upwarps at nary investigations undertaken with newly 200 to 300 km from the centre of the load, installed equipment at the Scott Base labo like an elastic plate underlain by a weak ratory indicated an approximate 5 percent fluid. Unlike Hawaii, however, where the increase, since last year, in fluorocarbons oceanic lithosphere is relatively undisturb which is in keeping with global trends. ed, the Ross Island archipelago has Other samples brought to New Zealand will erupted into a region of crustal complexity. be further analysed for fluorocarbons and It is thought that the Transantarctic also for the presence of hydrocarbons. This Mountains front represents some sort of latter part of the study is believed to be the suture zone between east and west Antarc first of its kind in Antarctica. tica with east Antarctica being a high stand ing region to the geographical west of Radiation monitoring McMurdo with an estimated crust thickness of 40 km. East of McMurdo it may be as thin as 24 km. Thus the area 100 to 200 km Routine daily climatic recording of direct west of this is one of transition of crustal and diffuse solar radiation, wind, types. Data already collected west of Ross temperature pressure and atmospheric Island confirms this but to the east and the turbidity were maintained at Scott Base by area particularly around the Ross Island ar Don Wilkinson, of Wellington, as part of a chipelago information is sparse.

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