Report of

RVIB Nathaniel B. Palmer Cruise 01-03

to the

Western Antarctic Peninsula

24 April to 5 June 2001

Report prepared by Peter Wiebe, Eileen Hofmann, Bob Beardsley, Christine Ribic, Erik Chapman, Carin Ashjian, Scott Gallager, Cabell Davis, Wendy Kozlowski, Ari Friedlaender, Catherine Berchok, Howard Rutherford, Joe Warren, Karen Fisher with assistance from colleagues in the scientific party, and of the Raytheon Support Services.

United States Southern Ocean

Global Ocean Ecosystems Dynamics Program

Report Number 2

Available from

U.S. Southern Ocean GLOBEC Planning Office

Center for Coastal Physical Oceanography

Crittenton Hall

Old Dominion University

Norfolk, VA 23529

Sponsored by the Office of Polar Programs, National Science Foundation

Acknowledgments

The success we enjoyed on this expedition is due in large part to the very excellent technical assistance we received from all nine members of the Raytheon Marine Technical support group. Led by Alice Doyle (Marine Project Coordinator), they responded in a very positive and experienced way to the technical problems that arose and they provided a steady professional hand on the day-to-day operations.  Likewise, the ship's officers and crew provided excellent ship handling, enabling us to safely work through high winds and seas, through sea ice and around icebergs, and in shallow, uncharted topography.  The friendly atmosphere that was set by Captain Mike Watson was evident throughout the ship.  It made this expedition a pleasure to be on.

NBP01-03 Cruise Participants on the Bow of the RVIB N.B. Palmer

Back Row (L - R): Rebecca Conroy, Maureen Taylor, Matthew Burke, Erik Chapman, Cabell Davis, Sue Beardsley, Jim Dolan, Wendy Kozlowski, Mike Thimgan, Joe Warren, Baris Salihoglu, Karen Fisher, Howard Rutherford, David Green

Middle Row (L - R): Ari Friedlaender, Catherine Berchok, Carin Ashjian, Mark Dennet, Eileen Hofmann, Bob Beardsley, Jeff Otten, Jan Szelag, Jesse Doren, Christine Ribic, Scott Gallager, Andy Girard, Peter Wiebe

Front Row (L - R): Susan Howard, Aparna Sreenivasan, Rosario Sanay, Alice Doyle, Tom Bolmer, Mark Christmas

Not Shown:  Aaron Hunt

Photograph by Mark Christmas, National Geographic     

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PURPOSE OF THE CRUISE.............................................................................................................................................................. 9

CRUISE NARRATIVE...................................................................................................................................................................... 11

INDIVIDUALS PROJECT REPORTS............................................................................................................................................. 23

1.0  Report for Hydrography and Circulation Component........................................................................................................ 23

1.1 Introduction............................................................................................................................................................................. 23

1.2 Data Collection and Methods................................................................................................................................................... 23

1.2.1 Data Distribution........................................................................................................................................................... 23

1.2.2 CTD and Water Samples................................................................................................................................................ 24

1.2.3 Expendable Probes......................................................................................................................................................... 27

1.2.4 ADCP Measurements..................................................................................................................................................... 27

1.3 Preliminary Results.................................................................................................................................................................. 27

1.3.1 Water Mass Distributions............................................................................................................................................... 27

1.3.2 Distribution of Temperature Maximum Below 200 m.................................................................................................... 29

1.3.3 ADCP-derived Current Distributions.............................................................................................................................. 29

1.3.4 ADCP-derived Shear and Richardson Number Profiles.................................................................................................... 32

    1.4 Acknowledgments..................................................................................................................................................................... 32

2.0 Drifters Measurements............................................................................................................................................................ 33

2.1 Introduction............................................................................................................................................................................. 33

2.2 Drifter Deployments on NBP01‑03........................................................................................................................................... 34

2.3 Preliminary results................................................................................................................................................................... 35

2.3.1 Low‑frequency flow....................................................................................................................................................... 35

2.3.2 High‑frequency flow...................................................................................................................................................... 37

2.4 Summary................................................................................................................................................................................. 38

3.0 Meteorological Measurements................................................................................................................................................ 38

3.1 Introduction............................................................................................................................................................................. 38

3.2  Instrumentation....................................................................................................................................................................... 39

3.3  Data Acquisition and Processing............................................................................................................................................. 40

3.4 Problems and Solutions........................................................................................................................................................... 41

3.4.1  RVDAS recording format.............................................................................................................................................. 41

3.4.2.  PIR battery failure....................................................................................................................................................... 42

3.4.3 Icing and anemometer failures....................................................................................................................................... 42

3.4.4  "True" wind computation............................................................................................................................................. 43

3.4.5 Thermosalinograph contamination................................................................................................................................ 43

3.5 Description of Cruise Weather and Surface Forcing.................................................................................................................. 44

3.5.1 Surface Cooling ‑ Part 1................................................................................................................................................. 47

3.5.2 Surface Cooling ‑ Part 2................................................................................................................................................. 48

3.5.3  Charcot Bay................................................................................................................................................................. 50

4.0 Automated Weather Station Installation Report.................................................................................................................. 51

5.0 Nutrients.................................................................................................................................................................................... 52

5.1 Introduction............................................................................................................................................................................. 52

5.2 Methods................................................................................................................................................................................... 52

5.3 Data......................................................................................................................................................................................... 53

5.4 Preliminary Results.................................................................................................................................................................. 53

5.5 References................................................................................................................................................................................ 53

6.0 Primary Production.................................................................................................................................................................. 53

6.1 Introduction............................................................................................................................................................................. 53

6.2 Methods................................................................................................................................................................................... 54

6.2.1 Location........................................................................................................................................................................ 54

6.2.2 Depths........................................................................................................................................................................... 54

6.2.3 Sea Ice Sampling............................................................................................................................................................ 54

6.2.4 Equipment..................................................................................................................................................................... 55

6.3 Data Collected......................................................................................................................................................................... 55

6.4 Preliminary Results.................................................................................................................................................................. 55

7.0 Microplankton studies.............................................................................................................................................................. 59

7.1 Objectives................................................................................................................................................................................. 59

7.2 Methods................................................................................................................................................................................... 59

7.3 Brief Preliminary Results.......................................................................................................................................................... 60

7.4 References................................................................................................................................................................................ 60

8.0 Zooplankton Studies................................................................................................................................................................. 63

8.1 MOCNESS report..................................................................................................................................................................... 63

8.1.1 Introduction.................................................................................................................................................................. 63

8.1.2 Methods and Approach.................................................................................................................................................. 63

8.1.3 Findings......................................................................................................................................................................... 64

8.1.4 Net 0 sampling for Genetic and Stable Isotope studies.................................................................................................... 64

8.2 BIOMAPER-II Survey.............................................................................................................................................................. 67

8.2.1 Acoustics Data Collection, Processing, and Results........................................................................................................ 69

8.2.1.1 Introduction.............................................................................................................................................................. 69

8.2.1.2 Methods.................................................................................................................................................................... 69

8.2.1.3 Results....................................................................................................................................................................... 70

8.2.2 Video Plankton Recorder studies.................................................................................................................................... 73

8.2.2.1 Overview................................................................................................................................................................... 73

8.2.2.2 Methods.................................................................................................................................................................... 73

8.2.2.3 The VPR system........................................................................................................................................................ 76

8.2.2.4 Sampling Methods.................................................................................................................................................... 77

8.2.2.5 Results and Discussion.............................................................................................................................................. 77

8.3 ROV observations of juvenile krill distribution, abundance, and behavior................................................................................ 87

8.3.1 Objective and Methods.................................................................................................................................................. 87

8.3.2 Results........................................................................................................................................................................... 89

8.4 Simrad EK500 Studies of volume backscatter........................................................................................................................... 89

9.0  Seabird Distribution in the Marguerite Bay Area............................................................................................................... 90

9.1 Introduction............................................................................................................................................................................. 90

9.2 Methods................................................................................................................................................................................... 91

9.3 Daytime Surveys....................................................................................................................................................................... 92

9.3.1 Methods........................................................................................................................................................................ 92

9.3.2  Data Collected.............................................................................................................................................................. 92

9.3.3 Preliminary Results........................................................................................................................................................ 92

9.4 Seabird Nighttime Surveys........................................................................................................................................................ 93

9.4.1 Methods........................................................................................................................................................................ 93

9.4.2 Data Collected............................................................................................................................................................... 93

9.4.3 Preliminary Results........................................................................................................................................................ 93

9.5 Diet Sampling.......................................................................................................................................................................... 94

9.5.1 Methods........................................................................................................................................................................ 94

9.5.2 Data Collected............................................................................................................................................................... 94

9.5.3 Preliminary Results........................................................................................................................................................ 94

10.0 Cetacean Visual Survey and Biopsy..................................................................................................................................... 95

10.1 Introduction........................................................................................................................................................................... 95

10.2 Methods................................................................................................................................................................................. 96

10.3 Results.................................................................................................................................................................................... 96

10.3.1 Sightings...................................................................................................................................................................... 96

10.3.2 Biopsy......................................................................................................................................................................... 96

10.4 Preliminary Findings/Discussion................................................................................................................................................ 97

11.0 Passive listening..................................................................................................................................................................... 99

11.1 Introduction........................................................................................................................................................................... 99

11.2 Methods................................................................................................................................................................................. 99

11.3 Data Collected..................................................................................................................................................................... 100

11.4 Preliminary Results.............................................................................................................................................................. 101

12.0 Bathymetry of region and mooring surveys...................................................................................................................... 101

13.0 Science Writers Reports...................................................................................................................................................... 102

13.1 National Geographic Society................................................................................................................................................ 102

13.2 UCSC/NSF........................................................................................................................................................................... 102

CRUISE PARTICIPANTS.............................................................................................................................................................. 103

Appendix 1.  Event Log .................................................................................................................................................................. 105

Appendix 2:  Summary of the CTD casts........................................................................................................................................ 129

Appendix 3:  Summary of the water samples taken on each CTD cast............................................................................................. 131

Appendix 4:  Summary of expendable conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) probe drops............................................................. 155

Appendix 5:  Summary of the expendable bathythermograph (XBT) drops..................................................................................... 156

Appendix 6:  AWS Installation and Repair Operations.................................................................................................................... 161

Appendix 7:  BIOMAPER-II Tape Log........................................................................................................................................... 164

Appendix 8:  Sonabuoy deployments............................................................................................................................................... 187

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