Palmer Station

Figure lA. Map of Arthur Harbor showing location of Palmer Station. (Reproduced with permission from reference 46. Copyright 1991 Cambridge.)... 

Potential Effects of UV on Primary Production. The results of the study carried out at Palmer Station during Novcmbcr-Dccembcr 1987 provided insight into the potential deleterious effects of enhanced UV radiation. These results showed an enhancement of the photosynthctic rates in the tanks where UV-A and UV-B were excluded. Conversely, rates of production were much lower under ambient and enhanced UV... 

Human activities have resulted in exposure of Antarctic fishes to petroleum-derived PAHs (McDonald et al. 1992). Fish captured near Palmer station on the Antarctic peninsula had induced EROD activities and elevated concentrations of biliary PAH metabolites of phenanthrene and naphthalene when compared to conspecifics from reference sites (McDonald et al. 1995). Artificial reefs consisting of oil and coal flyash stabilized with cement and lime in Florida waters near Vero Beach contained elevated PAH levels ranging from as high as 1.2 mg fluoranthene/kg and 0.25 mg naphthalene/kg. But there is negligible leaching because seawater is not an effective medium for removing PAHs from reef bricks or the ash (Frease and Windsor 1991). 

Plant Material Collection of the rhodophyte G. skottsbergii was done manually during scuba dives within 3.5 km of Palmer Station on Anvers Island off the western Antarctic Peninsula (64° 46.5 S, 64° 03.3 W) at a depth of 5-12 m. Identifications were made by Prof. Bill J. Baker (University of South Florida) and Prof. Charles D. Amsler (University of Alabama at Birmingham). 

Berresheim, H., J. W. Huey, R. P. Thorn, F. L. Eisele, D. J. Tanner, and A. Jefferson, Measurements of Dimethyl Sulfide, Dimethyl Sulfoxide, Dimethyl Sulfone, and Aerosol Ions at Palmer Station, Antarctica, . /. Geophys. Res., 103, 1629-1637 (1998). 

FIGURE 13.17 Radiation amplification factor weighted by DNA action spectrum as a function of total column O, at Palmer Station, Antarctica, during Austral springs 1988 and 1990 (adapted from Lubin et at., 1992). 

Lubin, D J. E. Frederick, C. R. Booth, T. Lucas, and D. Neuschuler, Measurements of Enhanced Springtime Ultraviolet Radiation at Palmer Station, Antarctica, Geophys. Res. Lett., 16, 783-785 (1989a). 

FIGURE 14.39 CCN concentrations measured during a cloud event at Palmer Station, Antarctica, as a function of percent supersaturation (%S). The two lines represent particles that grew to sizes greater than 0.3 and 0.5 yum, respectively (from Saxena, 1996). 

Figure 1 gives an overview of the cruise tracks and the DMS sampling stations in the Drake Passage and in Bransfield Strait. The land base in Antarctica was Palmer Station on Anvers Island. Most of the measurements were made in open ocean areas (Drake Passage) and in the inshore areas of Gerlache Strait. 

Holm-Hansen, O., Mitchell, B. G., Hewes, C. D., Karl, D. M. (1989). Phytoplankton blooms in the vicinity of Palmer Station. Polar Biol. 10, 49-57. 

Figure 22 Observed annual average concentrations of non-seasalt sulfate (cf. text) at stations in the North and South Atlantic (triangles) and predictions from several chemical transport models (line codes and acronyms are shown at upper right). Data were provided by D. Savoie and J. Prospero (University of Miami). Stations along the bottom axis refer to Heimaey, Iceland (HEI) Mace Head, Ireland (MAH) Bermuda (BER) Izania (IZO) Miami, Florida (RMA) Ragged Point, Barbados (BAR) Cape Point, South Africa (CPT) King George Island (KGI) and Palmer Station, Antarctica (PAL). From Penner et al. (2001) (reproduced by permission of Intergovernmental Panel...

Savoie, D.L., Prospero, J.M., Larsen, R.J., Huang, F., Izaguirre, M.A., Huang, T., Snowden, T.H., Custals, L. and Sanderson, C.G., Nitrogen and sulphur species in Antarctic aerosols at Mawson, Palmer Station, March (King George Island). J. Atmos. Chem., 17 (1993) 95-122. 

A chemical baseline for snow at Palmer Station was preliminarily assessed (67). Samples were collected on a sheet of clean polyethylene. Standard EPA protocols were strictly adhered to and clean polyethylene gloves were used throughout. Ionic composition in Br , inorganic and organic carbon, Ca, Cl", F , K, Mg, Na", NH4, NOj" and S04 was ascertained by means of IC and ETA-AAS. No particular wind direction appears to influence pH and ion concentration gradients. Concurrent aerosol and snowfall along with meteorological data would be necessary to substantiate preliminary assumptions on the chemical baseline. 

T. P. De Felice, Chemical composition of fresh snowfalls at Palmer Station, Antarctica, Atm. Environ., 33 (1999), 155-161. 

Despite the best attempts to prevent them, accidents continue to happen. On some occasions a disaster can be utilised to provide an unplanned opportunity for monitoring impacts. The most recent major environmental disaster was the sinking of the M/V Bahia Paraiso close to Palmer Station. The monitoring and damage assessment undertaken by the USA and Argentina have provided very detailed data on the effects of hydrocarbons on sea birds, the persistence of oil residues in sediments, the rate of recovery of inter-tidal communities, etc. All such opportunities should be exploited to the full. 

Other wet deposition sources include snow, melting glaciers, and run-off from snowmelt and sea ice. Snow samples collected from a remote location at Palmer Station, Antarctica had an average concentration of 5.6 x 10 M H2O2 (G.W. Miller and D.J. Kieber, unpublished results). Snowmelt run-ofT increased concentrations of H2O2 in surface seawater by more than a factor of two. In contrast, ice melt from sea ice was only slightly higher than surface seawater concentrations (G.W. Miller and D.J. Kieber, unpublished results). 

J. Maedor, W.H. Jeffrey, J.P. Kase, J.D. Pakulski, S. Chiarello, D.L. Mitchell (2002). Seasonal fluctuations of DNA photodamage in marine plankton assemblages at Palmer Station, Antarctica. Photochem. Photobiol. 75, 266-271. 

Figure 4 Micrograph of diatoms (genus Corethron) collected from an Antarctic plankton tow near Palmer Station.

Human activities have resulted in exposure of Antarctic fishes to petroleum-derived PAHs. Fish captured near Palmer station on the Antarctic peninsula had induced EROD activities and elevated concentrations of hihary PAH metabohtes of phenanthrene and naphthalene when compared to conspecifics from reference sites. Artificial reefs consisting of... 

The USA maintains three research stations in Antarctica at McMurdo on Ross Island, at the South Pole, and Palmer Station on Anvers Island in the Palmer Archipelago. These stations are a major component of the US Antarctic Program that is administered by the Office of Polar Programs of the National Science Foundation which is funded directly by the Congress of the USA. McMurdo and South Pole stations have been operated continuously since the IGY on a year-round basis, whereas Palmer Station opened in 1965. These stations provide facilities for research to scientists who either work at the stations or in the field outside the stations. 

The large number of people that annually pass through McMurdo or live and work at South Pole and Palmer stations generate large amounts of waste of different kinds that must be ranoved from Antarctica in order to avoid contamination of the continent. The emphasis on the protection of the pristine environment of Antarctica has greatly reduced the impact American scientists and technicians have had on the areas where they have worked since the IGY. 

Cox, C., R. Ciocanelea, and D.E. Pride. Genesis of mineralization associated with Andean intrusions, northern Antarctic Peninsnla region. Antarctic J. US, 15(5) 22-23 1981 Pride, D.E., S. Moody, and M. Rosen. Metallic mineralization. South Shetland Islands, Gerlache Strait, and Palmer Station. Antarctic J. US, 16(5) 13-14... 

Haschemeyer A V (1983) A comparative study of protein synthesis in nototheniids and icefish at Palmer Station, Antarctica. Comp Biochem Physiol 76B 541-543 Haschemeyer AEV, Mathews RW (1982) Effects of temperature extremes on protein synthesis in liver of toadfish, Opsanus tau, in vivo. Biol Bull 162 18-27 Haschemeyer AEV, Smith MAK (1979) Protein synthesis in liver, muscle and gill of mullet Mugil cephalus L.) in vivo. Biol Bull 156 93-102... 

Fig. 7). Gannutz found that antarctic lichens already were damaged after a ten-day period at -17°C at Palmer station (cf. Ahmadjian, 1970). 

Palmerolide A is another example of a nitrogenous macrolide, and was discovered in the Antarctic species Synoicum adareanum collected near Palmer Station,... 

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