From: "Ray Smith" 
Subject: Initial Report NBP01-05 Palmer LTER Sea Ice Cruise
Date: Sat, 8 Sep 2001 10:23:33 -0700

Cruise Plan - Palmer LTER Sea Ice Cruise - NBPalmer (NBP01-05)

This is the initial report of the second LTER Sea Ice Cruise 
(information with respect to the Palmer LTER and our first sea ice 
cruise may be found on our web site http://www.icess.ucsb.edu/lter).  
Thanks to the professional and excellent help from Raytheon technical 
support and the ship's officers and crew our cruise preparation went 
smoothly and we departed Punta Arenas 1500 on 7 Sept under partly cloudy 
skies and light winds.  Currently (0700 8 Sept) we are headed south off 
the coast of Tierra del Fuego with light winds and calm seas.  We expect 
to clear Cape Horne and enter the Drake Passage about 0200 on 8 Sept.

Cruise dates and general location:
7 Sept - 19 Oct 2001 Punta Arenas to Punta Arenas
We will be working within the LTER grid to the west of the Antarctic 
Peninsula.

Cruise Objectives:
NBP01-05 will be a sea ice process cruise during winter/spring to 
investigate & understand sea ice retreat processes & the relationship of 
these processes to the biota during this sea ice retreat period.  
Observations at the ice edge & in the ice will be designed to address 
short-term mechanistic processes & hypothesis linking sea ice, micro 
algae, krill, penguin & export processes. We will also study processes 
associated with the deposition of persistent organic pollutants (POP)in 
Antarctic food webs.

Sea ice is critical to the Antarctic marine ecosystem & it has been 
hypothesized that biological material is incorporated into sea ice 
during it's formation and this material grows & is subsequently utilized 
within the system during the following winter & spring. Sea ice 
conditions in spring & early summer are hypothesized to be characterized 
by the melting cycle where there is a return of particulate organic 
material(POC) back into the water column either as a seed for 
phytoplankton bloom or enhanced sedimentation.  The retreating pack ice
is expected to have primarily krill larvae under the ice, with progressively
older stages of krill associated with the marginal ice zone (MIZ) &/or 
ice bloom.  Investigations during NBP01-05 will include:

1. Revisiting the stations where sea ice buoys were deployed during the 
winter (SOGLOBEC) cruises and to investigate the sea ice and snow 
characteristics at the sea ice buoy locations and how these 
characteristics have evolved over time.

2. Recovering the sea ice buoys when work at these time series stations 
have been completed.

3. Continuing observations in collaboration with the SOGLOBEC research 
objectives begun during July/Aug including Martinson/Perovich/Smith 
snow/ice optics research, Ross/Quetin krill and Fraser sea bird 
research;

4. Making snow & sea ice observations consistent with, and complementary 
to, our june99 cruise.

5. Studying the degree of coupling between krill and ice and the 
associated physical characteristics for sea ice.

6. Studying linkages between processes associated with krill, ice algae,
nutrients, gases, bacteria & particle flux.

7. Testing hypotheses & mechanisms by which anthropogenic compounds are 
introduced into, and affect the relatively pristine Antarctic environment.

8. Quantification of the relative contribution of ice-related production 
compared with production driven by non-ice processes.

9. Obtaining diet samples from tagged and satellite tracked Adelie 
penguins (with comparison to net tow samples) and studying the 
relationship of the distribution of Adelies during the sea ice retreat 
period as they approach their first critical period for breeding.


Specific Objectives include:

1) Recovery of sea ice buoys placed during July/Aug SOGLOBEC cruises. 
Currently there are four ice buoys being tracked by satellite: 7413 
located roughly 100km west of Adeliade I; 7949 near the mouth of 
Marguerite Bay; 7440 inside the mouth of Marguerite Bay; 7950 about 
100km west of Alexander I. These locations provide a north/south 
gradient of sea ice development, evolution and decay. Dependent upon sea 
ice conditions, three of these buoy locations will selected for roughly 
5-day sea ice processes stations. 

2) Finding the location of tagged Adlies.  Many of these penguins are 
currently feeding in the polynya off the south coast of Adelaide I. We 
will obtain diet samples from penguins on the pack ice near this area as 
well as carry out MOCNESS tows in the open water of the polynya to 
investigate winter feeding habits of these upper level predators.

3) Test the hypothesis that biological material incorporated during the 
frazil ice fall formation, as well as subsequent snow-ice formation, 
includes this biological material and investigate processes associated 
with it's increased concentration relative to the water column.  We will 
also study the evolution of this biological material over time and 
evaluate the distribution and condition of this material.  Processes 
associated with the deposition of persistent organic pollutants (POP) 
will be studied.

4) Carrying out studies across the light gradient - from above to below 
the Antarctic circle - to investigate the growth and development of 
algae with respect to the availability of light across this latitudinal 
gradient. Optical properties of snow & sea ice will also be determined 
across this north/south gradient of snow/ice formation, evolution and 
decay. 

5) Sediment traps will be deployed beneath the ice at our multi day ice
stations.

6) Diver sampling of the underside of the sea ice sill be carried out 
and this will be coordinated with above surface snow/ice transects & 
sampling.

7) Determine physical, optical, pigment and POP characteristics of snow 
and sea ice cover during all sea ice stages encountered during cruise.

8) Determine physical, optical, chemical and biological characteristics 
of the underlying water column.

9) Determine occurrence and deposition of POP's on sea ice and into the 
water column.


Station Locations (sea ice & weather permitting):

1) CTD station first opportunity in 3000 meter water depth.
2) CTD stations at 600.040 & 600.080
3) Ice process station at location of 7413 - if sea ice conditions 
permit this buoy will left to operate until the end of the cruise.
4) Adelie penguin diet samples and MOCNESS tows in Adelaide I polynya.
5) Ice process station at location of 7949 - again, if ice conditions 
permit this buoy will remain until later in the cruise.
6) CTD stations along 200 line.
7) Ice process station at location of 7959 - recover buoy at end of 
station
8) Alexander I polynya - Adelie diet samples if satellite tracking shows 
their location.
9) Repeat ice process station at location of 7949 - recover buoy at end 
of station.
10) Return to Adelaide I polynya if time permits.
11) Repeat ice process station at location of 7413 - recover buoy at end 
of station
12) CTD stations at 600.040 & 600.080 (& others as time permits)

Ray Smith, Chief Scientist