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tic[I OFTHEIIUNITEDU STATES

March 1979National Science FoundationVolume XIV—Number 1

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NSF photo

New Siple Station ready for winter

geomagnetic lines of force throughthe plasmapause and return to earthin northeastern Canada where theyare picked up at Siple's conjugatestation in Roberval, Quebec. Scien-tists at both locations record whathappens to the signals on theirpassage through the plasmapauseand attempt to find patterns in thebehavior of different kinds of VLFsignals. Such research producesgeneral characterizations of VLF

waves, the plasmapause, the mag-netosphere, and interactions betweenthe magnetosphere and the iono-sphere.

VLF probing of the magnetospherecan take place at other locations, butit is done best along the geomagneticfield lines that traverse the earth'splasmapause. It is done most effi-ciently if the transmitter is locatedwell above the ground surface sothere is minimal signal loss due toground absorption. Siple Station,located on top of an ice sheet over akilometer thick and at the optimumgeomagnetic latitude, is thereforeideal for VLF research.

For this reason the United Statesmaintains a station at Siple in spite ofits 2400-kilometer distance fromMcMurdo and local weather condi-

Eight men will spend the coming austral winter in a new facility at SipleStation in Ellsworth Land. The new station is expected to function as ayear-round U.S. research platform until the late 1980's when, like old SipleStation, it will have been buried beneath a crushing mass of snow and ice.The completion of the new station ahead of schedule and within budget,less than 3 years after the decisionwas made to replace the old station,will enable upper atmosphere re-search at Siple to continue withoutinterruption.

The U.S. has maintained a stationat Siple (75055'S, 83 1 55'W) since 1969because it is the single best location inthe southern hemisphere for con-trolled very-low-frequency (VLF)wave investigations of the upperatmosphere. VLF signals generatedby the Siple transmitter travel along

At left, a Stanford University researcher, Evans Paschal, inserts a plug-in circuit boardIn the Jupiter transmitter at Sipie. At right, the winter paramedic, Don BihIer, storessupplies in the new dispensary.

U.S. Navy photos by Charles A. Hitchcock

tions that make transportation to andfrom Siple unpredictable. Airplaneswhich leave McMurdo for Siple ingood weather are often frustrated bythe rapid onset of low ceilings orblowing snow, either of which canlimit visibility and force planes toreturn without landing.

Blowing snow is also responsiblefor the prime difficulty in maintain-ing a station at Siple. Althoughannual snowfall is only about 1.5meters, Siple's nearly constant windsmove massive volumes of snowacross the surface. Anything whichprotrudes above the surface obstructsthe wind and creates a downwindeddy. A snowdrift on the surface is

CTIC

Editor Richard P. Muldoon

Antarctic Journal of the UnitedStates, established in 1966, reportson U.S. activities in Antarctica andrelated activities elsewhere, and ontrends in the U.S. Antarctic Program.It is published quarterly (March,June, September, and December)with a fifth annual review issue inOctober, by the Division of PolarPrograms, National Science Founda-tion, Washington, D.C. 20550.Telephone: 202/632-4076.

Subscription rates are $7.50 per fiveissues, domestic, and $9.50 per fiveissues, foreign; single copies are$1.10 ($1.40 foreign) except for theannual review issue, which is $3.50($4.50 foreign). Address changes andsubscription matters should be sentto the Superintendent of Documents,U.S. Government Printing Office,Washington, D.C. 20402.

The director of the National ScienceFoundation has determined that thepublication of this periodical isnecessary in the transaction of thepublic business required by law ofthis agency. Use of funds for printingthis periodical has been approved bythe director of the Office of Manage-ment and Budget through 30September 1979.

formed and backs up toward thesource of the obstruction. Becausethe transiting storm systems causegreat variation in the wind direction,such snow drifts can cover an object 2to 3 meters high in one season. Oncesnow drifting begins, it does not stopuntil the surface is again level aroundand over the obstruction. Thisdrifting process explains why oldSiple Station, completed in 1972, isnow about 12 meters beneath thesurface.

The snow that covered old Sipleand that will eventually cover thenew station is not in itself a matter ofconcern. The arch is strong enoughto withstand a great deal moreweight than the snow can provide.However, penetrations of the arch,necessary for exhaust and ventilationshafts, weaken the structure andallow heat to escape into the snowabove. As the snow melts, its densityand weight increase substantially andthe resulting pressure attacks thearch at its weakest points, that is,where penetrations have been made.

The replacement station, designedin 1976 by Holmes & Narver, Inc.,takes into account the lessons learnedat old Siple. The arch is made of 12gage corrugated steel. It is 13.5meters wide and 80 meters long.Only two shafts penetrate the arch:

an exhaust/fresh air return vent anda snow chute leading to the snowmelter. Each of the penetrations isfitted with a specially designed collarthat restores much of the strengthlost by cutting through the arch. Itshould be about 10 years—double thelife of the first Siple Station—beforethe new arch deteriorates underpressure from snow and ice above.

The new arch is 14 meters longerthan the arch over old Siple. Thebuildings in the old station will not bemoved into the replacement facility.Instead, the new station is composedof 24 building modules which wereshipped disassembled from the U.S.Twenty-one of the modules are 2.4meters by 7.3 meters; three ofthem are 2.4 meters by 8.5 meters.They provide living quarters foreight station personnel, space forscientific equipment, a power plantwhich houses three new electricgenerators, a communications room,a dispensary, a common dining area, arecreation room, and showers andtoilets. The power plant is separatefrom the science and living quartersto minimize noise and electricalinterference with the science equip-ment. New Siple is by no meansspacious, but it is less cramped andmuch more comfortable than the oldstation.

ANTARCTIC JOURNAL

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NSF photo

Drifting snow eventually will make this door invaluable. Its threshhold is about 4 metersabove the current entrance to new Siple Station.

Two of the diesel generators will bealternated to supply power for thestation; the third will power onlyscientific equipment. Waste heatFrom the engines, collected by fancoilunits using a glycol-water mixture,will be used to heat the station and tomelt snow for a fresh water supply.Heat exchangers mounted on theengine exhaust stacks will provideadditional heat for the station andalso limit heat escape through theventilation shaft into the snowabove. Fuel for the diesels will bestored in two 25,000 gallon bladdersthat will remain in old Siple Stationand in an additional bladder of thesame capacity in the new station.

Extra diesel fuel will be stored inIrums near the existing summerconstruction camp, which will berestocked for emergency use shouldanything go wrong at the station thiswinter. If necessary, ski-equippedLC-130 airplanes could fly to Siple inwinter, but continual darkness, un-prepared landing surfaces at Sipleand McMurdo, characteristically poorcommunications during winter, thetack of operating ground navigationalequipment, and temperatures toolow for normal aircraft operationswould make such a rescue flight itselfJangerous. For these reasons thestation is designed to be self-supporting during both normal andemergency conditions.

Science personnel this winter in-clude the station science leader andtwo other researchers. The Navy hassupplied a paramedic. Holmes &N4arver, Inc., has provided a stationmanager, a facilities engineer, acommunications technician, and ageneral maintenance mechanic. Theywill be isolated at Siple from Februarythrough November. In addition toconducting the science experimentsplanned for the station, the crew willput finishing touches on the interior.

Primary science will benefit from anew Jupiter VLF transmitter which ismore powerful and more flexiblethan the Zeus transmitter used at oldSiple. The Jupiter, almost unlimitedin bandwidth and modulation range,will allow the researchers to programa wider variety of VLF signals withgreater signal strength.

This winter Stanford Universityresearchers will use the Jupitertransmitter to investigate wave-

particle interactions in the plasma-pause and to study wave-producedprecipitation. Lockheed Palo AltoResearch Laboratories scientists willuse a six-channel meridian scanningphotometer to study artificial auroraproduced by VLF wave inducedparticle precipitation. Also thiswinter, an experiment designed byinvestigators at the University ofMinnesota and the University ofNew Hampshire will examine theeffect of increased solar activity onthe shape and location of theplasmapause. The investigators willlook for simultaneous occurrences ofauroral light and ultra-low-frequency(ULF) pulsations in an attempt tocompare ULF waves and interactingparticles.

Equipment installed for a BellTelephone Laboratories experimentwill record changes in the earth'smagnetic field that are produced bymagnetic storms and by ULF wavespropagating in the magnetosphere.Finally, an experiment on behalf ofthe University of Maryland and theBell Telephone Laboratories willinvolve riometer measurement of theionospheric absorption of extrater-restrial radio noise.

Stanford University serves as thescience coordinator for all researchconducted at Siple Station.

Siple dedication ceremonyOn 14 January 1979, officials from

the U.S. Antarctic Research Programdedicated the new research facility atSiple Station in Ellsworth Land. Theceremony was held in a snowstormwith winds up to 15 meters persecond and temperatures around-15°C.

After an invocation by Father JohnCurnow of Christchurch, New Zea-land, John F. Katsufrakis, the Siplescience coordinator from StanfordUniversity, spoke of the scienceprojects that would be conducted atthe new station and unfolded a newU.S. flag. Edward P. Todd, Directorof the Division of Polar Programs atthe National Science Foundation,dedicated the station for the UnitedStates and raised the new flag abovethe station. Also present were CaptainDarrel E. Westbrook, Jr., USN, Com-mander of the U.S. Naval Support Force,Antarctica, and Earl P. Gilmore ofHolmes & Narver, Inc.

The new station and its predeces-sor were named in honor of PaulSiple, who first visited Antarctica asan Eagle Scout 50 years ago withRichard E. Byrd. Dr. Siple returnedoften to Antarctica as both scientistand explorer. He was the first winterscientific leader at South Pole Stationin 1956.

March 1979 3

7

U.S. Navy photo by Dave Thompson

The Browning hot water drill enabled researchers to melt three holes this seasoncompletely through the Ross ice Shelf.

Drillers put three holes through Ross Ice ShelfIn the final season of the Ross Ice

Shelf Project, technicians using theBrowning hot water drill meltedthree holes through the ice shelf atsite J-9 (82 1 22.5'S, 168 0 37.5'W), 480kilometers south of the shelf's edge.The first hole went through the shelfon 29 November 1978 through 412meters of ice. The water columnbeneath the shelf was 234.5 metersdeep. This hole and the second,completed on 4 December, were usedto lower instruments to the base ofthe shelf so they could be locked intothe ice as the hole refroze. The thirdhole, drilled on 7 December, was themain access hole that allowed exten-sive sampling of the water column,bottom sediments, and life beneaththe shelf.

The first hole was generally roundand uniform with a few gentle bends.It measured 76 centimeters in dia-meter to 325 meters, 71 centimetersat 350 meters, and 51 centimeters at400 meters. A television cameralowered into the hole showed achange in ice texture at about 400meters. At 410 meters there werecracks and channels in the ice.

After the hole was reamed, anotherTV lowering showed a distinctchange in the ice as the camera wentdown the hole. Above 300 meters, forexample, the ice was light in colorwith long wave length ripple marks;below 300 meters, the ice was darkerwith shorter wave length marks. Onthe very bottom of the ice shelf therewere many small, smooth ripples.Equipment designed to measure themass balance and heat flow ofseawater beneath the shelf waslowered into the water. It was lockedinto position beneath the shelf as thewater in the hole refroze. A taperecording system installed on thesurface of the shelf will record datathroughout the coming winter.

The second hole was drilled on 4December. This hole was everywheregreater than 76 centimeters indiameter except at the water-iceboundary where it was 51 centi-meters wide. Ultrasonic instrumentswere lowered 2 meters below thewater-ice boundary where, frozen inplace by the closing hole, they will

monitor the freezing and meltingrates at the bottom of the ice shelf. Aquartz thermometer was installed 3meters above the water-ice boundaryto provide additional data on freezingand melting processes.

On 7 December, the main accesshole through the shelf was com-pleted. This hole was 76 centimetersor larger down to the water-iceboundary. There it was 64 centi-meters wide. The hole was kept openfor scientific sampling of the waterand sediment beneath the shelf until1 January 1979.

Sphincter cores, about 35 in all andup to 25 centimeters long, indicatedthat the bottom was somewhat

rockier than at last season's samplingsite. One black, fine-grained rock 5centimeters long and smaller, similarrock particles were collected. About40 gravity cores were taken, too, thelongest of which was 125 centi-meters.

The sea bottom was covered byabout 15 centimeters of sandy mud,some of which contained dead gas-tropods and dead foraminifera. Ap-proximately 4,000 living amphipodsof five species and several copepodswere collected at the site. A decapodappeared during one television scan,but was not captured.

Sphincter cores, gravity cores, andliving organisms brought up through

ANTARCTIC JOURNAL

U.S. Navy photo by Bruce R. Trombecky

Two researchers, Peter Bruchhausen and Tom Converse, inspect a water samplingbottle before it is lowered through the Ross Ice Shelf access hole.

About 4,000 of these amphipods were collected through the main Ross Ice Shelf accesshole In December.V

U.S. Navy photo by Bruce R. Trombecky

the access hole will enable research-ers to study the history of life nearthe sea bottom and the organismsthat live there today.

The microbial population in thewater column was sampled in 18water bottle casts. Researchers at thedrill site examined each water samplefor oxygen, salinity, epifluorescence,pigment, particulate organic carbon,and nutrient contents. They alsoassayed the number of microorgan-isms in each sample and conductedthree umbrella tows to retrieveplankton. Deep sea water waspumped to the surface from 20different depths in the water columnand similarly examined. These stud-ies will produce a description of bioticactivity in the water column anddefine the composition of the wateritself betWeen the sea floor and thebottom of the ice shelf.

Current meters were lowered intothe water beneath the shelf beforethe third hole refroze. These metersmeasured movements of water be-neath the shelf. This data, combinedwith data gained in open areas of theRoss Sea, will enable researchers todescribe the interactions of glacial iceand sea water beneath the shelf andwhere the shelf meets open water.

All science projects scheduled forthe drill site this season were finishedby 1 January 1979. This was the lastdrilling season for the Ross Ice ShelfProject. All the drilling equipmentand most of the camp were to be re-turned to McMurdo by the end of the1978-79 field season.

A distinct boundary between freshand briny ice appears at 410 metersbelow the ice surface. The 6 meters ofbriny ice core are mottled with greyinclusions which may be brine pock-ets. Widely scattered inclusions ofopaque material, probably of marineorigin, also appear. There are distinctbands or layers of ice up to 1centimeter thick throughout thebriny ice. Their orientation suggeststhat they are alined with the maincurrent direction beneath the shelf.

The very bottom of the core issharply defined. The bottom fewcentimeters show a columnar struc-ture or ice fabric made up ofprotruding ice crystals each about 5centimeters in diameter. These pro-truding crystals give a waffle-ironappearance to the end of the core.

It took the Soviet team only 12 daysto penetrate the 416-meter thickRoss Ice Shelf. The total weight ofthe ice core is 4,000 kilograms. Thecores are packed in 370 tubes. Corecutting will be performed at the corestorage facility at the Department ofGeology, State University of NewYork at Buffalo. Igor Zotikov, theSoviet glaciologist who headed thecoring team, is spending severalmonths working with colleagues inthe United States before returning tothe Soviet Union.

Core obtained throughRoss Ice Shelf

Soviet drillers working with theU.S. Ross Ice Shelf Project used twothermal drills to obtain 381 meters ofice core completely through the RossIce Shelf at site J-9. The thermal drillsoperated by melting a ring around theice core, which was then captured andraised to the surface in 10 metersegments. The core includes 6 metersof briny ice from the bottom of theshelf.

March 1979 5

U.S. Ndvy .,hoto by Jei.y,re

Airborne researchAll air sampling, aerial photog-

raphy, airborne magnetometry, andradio echo sounding flights scheduledfor the 1978-79 U.S. AntarcticResearch Program were completedby the end of December 1978. Theresearch airplane, an LC-130 Hercu-les modified to accept a number ofinstrument packages, allowed scien-tists to obtain data from specificaltitudes over many locations inAntarctica.

Air sampling experiments designedby eight investigators examinedstorm fronts, transport paths, aero-sols, ice crystals, and the concentra-tion and distribution of trace gases inthe atmosphere. The investigatorsobtained:

• vertical profiles of continentaland maritime air masses;

• vertical and latitudinal atmos-pheric tritium samples;

• data on particle concentrationsin the upper troposphere and onthe transport of particulate mat-ter to the Polar Plateau;

• air samples near the surface ofthe Ross Sea;

• cloud physics observations overthe Ross Sea and the Ross IceShelf;

• cloud and ice crystal photog-raphy over the interior and ondescents to South Pole Station;

• tracking data on the Mt. Erebusvolcanic plume for about 65kilometers downwind on a clear,stable day.

The only disappointment was thedisappearance of a banded structurein a barometric pressure trough overthe Ross Sea while the airplane washeading toward it.

Aerial photography missions weredesigned to supplement studies of theByrd Glacier and to map areasscheduled for future projects, partic-ularly the Darwin Glacier and theHeritage and Sentinel Ranges in theEllsworth Mountains.

Byrd Glacier was photographedafter field parties had placed markerson its surface. A second photographof the glacier taken exactly five weeksafter the first will record themovement of the markers. Therelative movements of the markers,measured by aerial photogrammetricsurveys and ground surveys, willenable researchers to determine the

strain rate for the Byrd Glacier-RossIce Shelf dynamic system. Accuratemeasurement depends on determin-ing within 10 meters the relativemovements of two features thatwere initially 1 kilometer apart.

Aeromagnetic surveys and radioecho soundings were flown over theDufek Massif, the Ross Sea conti-nental shelf, the dome C area, andover much of Ellsworth Land andMarie Byrd Land.

The aeromagnetic survey of theDufek Massif was part of an overalleffort to evaluate the geology of thisbasic layered intrusion. The surveyindicated that the Dufek Massif ismuch longer than was previouslysupposed. It is still only the secondlargest layered intrusion in theworld, but the new survey mayincrease its significance as a researchsite.

Radio echo sounding of the dome Carea provided data on ice thicknessand internal layering that will sup-port ground based research. Otherradio echo soundings, part of theInternational Antarctic GlaciologicalProject, contributed to the develop-ment of a 100-kilometer grid net-work that eventually will cover all ofAntarctica.

This antenna array attached to theresearch airplane allowed scientists todetermine the thickness of the ice sheet.

U.S. antarcticpopulation, 1978In 1978 the U.S. population in

Antarctica varied from 112 to 1,064(see graphs). As the year began, allfour stations were full and fieldparties occupied temporary campsacross the continent. As projectswere completed, researchers flewhome and the population declined.

By mid-February only the winterparties were left at Siple (5 people)and at Amundsen-Scott South Pole(22 people). Within a few daysMcMurdo reached its winter level of76. At the end of March the last shipleft Palmer in the hands of its wintercrew of 9.

Early in September planes fromCalifornia landed at McMurdo, end-ing the station's 6½ month isolationand raising its population to 217. InOctober new summer workersarrived at McMurdo, relieved theSouth Pole and Siple crews, andestablished new field camps. Palmerwas relieved by ship in November.

Not included in the graphs are U.S.ship complements. In January theships added approximately 500people. The numbers and trends in1978 were typical of recent years inthe U.S. program.

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U.S. population in Antarctica, 1978

March 1979 7

U.S. Navy photo by Howard Weinger

Scott's hut at Cape Evans, Ross Island, was built for the British Antarctic Expedition,1910-13, when Scott and his party were unable to reach Hut Point because of iceconditions. The hut at Cape Evans stands today as an historic monument to theexploration of Antarctica.

New temperature highfor South Pole

A 5-day snowstorm that began onChristmas Eve brought a record hightemperature to South Pole Station.On 27 December 1978, the tempera-ture reached -13.6°C. Barometricpressure that day, also a record highfor South Pole, reached 705.7 milli-bars. The storm was caused by a verystrong flow at all levels of warm,moist, maritime air from the WeddellSea.

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1979 orientationdates set

The U.S. Antarctic Research Pro-gram 1979 orientation session willtake place 16-19 September 1979 atthe Sheraton National Motor Hotelin Arlington, Virginia. All thoseparticipating in the 1979-80 antarcticfield season should plan to attend theconference, which is not open to thepublic.

The orientation session is designedto place the work of participatingscientists and support staff in thenational and international contextsof antarctic research as well as toinstruct participants in cold weathersurvival techniques and to acquaintthem in advance with problems thatmight occur in the field. The confer-ence also allows field invetigators tomake final logistic arrangements fortheir programs. A separate portion ofthe conference is devoted to psycho-logical orientation for winter person-nel.

Transportation costs to the orien-tation conference are included ingrant or contract budgets. Lodgingand meals are supplied by theNational Science Foundation.

RISP featured inScience

The 2 February 1979 issue of Sciencemagazine featured 10 articles byresearchers involved in the Ross IceShelf Project (RISP) and one reporton meteorites found in the AllanHills.

The RISP reports cover the drillingof the access hole in 1976, sedimentstudies, investigations of water tem-perature, circulation, and freezing,and studies of various organismsfound beneath the shelf.

Science is published weekly by theAmerican Association for the Ad-vancement of Science. Back issues areavailable by mail for $3.00 fromScience, 1515 Massachusetts Avenue,Washington, D.C. 20005.

Antarctic conservationdraft regulationspublished

Pursuant to the Antarctic Conser-vation Act of 1978 (Public Law95-541) the Foundation has proposedregulations to conserve and protectanimals and plants native to Antarc-tica.

The regulations would apply to allU.S. citizens in Antarctica and toeveryone importing into or exportingfrom the United States designatedantarctic animals and certain antarc-tic plants or parts of them.

The purpose of the regulations is toprotect antarctic ecological systemsin accordance with internationallyestablished measures. Civil and crim-inal penalties for noncompliance areprovided in the Act.

The proposed regulations werepublished in the March 6 FederalRegister, pages 12214-12220.

8 ANTARCTIC JOURNAL

On 1 December 1978, a Royal Australian Air Force C-130 completed the first Austra-lian Hercules landing in Antarctica. The airplane took off from Christchurch, NewZealand and landed on the sea ice runway at McMurdo Station, covering almost 4000kilometers in 6 hours and 15 minutes. The Hercules carried 10 passengers and11,000 kilograms of cargo in support of research teams working in Antarctica. It wasthe first of four Australian flights scheduled this season.

1980 funds requested for research,support

Proposals due1 JuneThe National Science Founda-

tion envisions the availability ofabout $8 million in fiscal 1980 forresearch in Antarctica and itsenvirons, including data reductionor related research at institutionsin the United States.

In its budget request for the 1980fiscal year (1 October 1979 to 30September 1980) the NationalScience Foundation has specified $55million for support of the U.S.Antarctic Program. Of this amount,$8 million is for research (see box)and $47 million is for operationalsupport.

The request for research fundssubstantially exceeds the 1979 levelof $6.5 million. Much of the plannedincrease is for study of the marineecosystem in the oceans surroundingAntarctica. Recent interest in thisecosystem has centered on krill(Euphausia superba), a crustacean thatswarms in great numbers and couldbecome an important source of foodfor people. Areas for increasedemphasis include study of primaryproductivity; the life cycle, swarming

Royal Australian Air Force photo

habits, and distribution of krill; andother components of the ecosystem.

Operational support will includemaintenance of four year-roundstations and other field facilities;operation of ships, icebreakers, andaircraft; and a major overhaul in theUnited States of the ice-strengthenedresearch ship Hero.

The Foundation's requested 1980budget for $1006 billion is 8.4percent above the 1979 fiscal level.Richard C. Atkinson, Director of theFoundation, said the top Foundationpriority is to increase support forbasic research in the sciences andengineering to ensure the Nation'sscientific strength.

Congressional decisions on therequest are expected before the endof the current fiscal year.

Proposals for scientific researchprojects that are received by 1June 1979 will be considered forperformance periods as follows:

• for research in Antarctica dur-ing the 1980-1981 austral summerseason (September 1980 throughMarch 1981) and extendingthrough the antarctic winter of1981 if appropriate.

• for research or data analysisin the United States commencingapproximately January 1980.

In some cases, an additional yearof lead time is required if projectsrequire substantial preparation offacilities, extensive vehicle use,transportation of large amountsof cargo or equipment, etc. Re-searchers may have to allow timefor the procurement of suppliesand their transport in the annualcargo ship one year in advance ofthe season in which the fieldworkwill be accomplished.

Scientists wishing to performantarctic research should investi-gate eligibility requirements andsubmit proposals in collaborationwith their institutions as specifiedin the Foundation's booklet Grantsfor Scientific Research (NSF 78-41 orNSF 78-41A). A copy of thisbooklet, a description of antarcticresearch opportunities, and othernecessary forms and instructionsshould be obtained from theDivision of Polar Programs (tele-phone 202-632-4076) before sub-mitting proposals.

March 1979

Foundation awards of funds forantarctic projects

Meteorology. DPP 77-04506.months. $50,401.

Ocean sciences

Support and services

Johnson, James R. Holmes & Narver,Inc., Orange, California. Opera-tion of Palmer Station and re-search ship Hero. DPP 74-03237.7 months. $1,500,000.

Johnson, James R. Holmes & Narver,Inc., Orange, California. Stationoperation and other support. DPP73-07187. 8 months. $4,000,000.

Spilhaus, A. F. American GeophysicalUnion, Washington, D.C. Publica-tion of Antarctic Research Series. DPP77-21859. 12 months. $36,000.

Westbrook, Darrel E. Department. ofDefense, U.S. Navy, Washington,D.C. Logistics and support. DPP76-10886. 9 months. $25,000,000.

Glaciology

Clough, John W. University ofNebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska.Management of the Ross Ice ShelfProject. DPP 72-20410.12 months.$341,306.

King, Elbert A. University of Hous-ton, Houston, Texas. Preliminaryinvestigation of cometary dust.DPP 78-20410. 12 months.$28,937.

Atmospheric science

Cahill, Laurence J . University ofMinnesota, Minneapolis, Minne-sota. Micropulsation research atSiple Station and Roberval,Quebec. DPP 77-21924.12 months.$29,706 ($69,706).

Helliwell, Robert A. Stanford Uni-versity,Stanford,California.

Very-low-frequency probing ofthe magnetosphere from PalmerStation. DPP 76-82042. 12 months.$61,800.

Pomerantz, Martin A. Bartol Re-search Foundation of the FranklinInstitute, Swarthmore, Pennsyl-vania. Cosmic ray intensity varia-tions. DPP 76-23429. 12 months.$114,140.

Polar biology and medicine

Landrum, Betty J. Smithsonian In-stitute, Washington, D.C. Cooper-ative systematics and analysis ofpolar biological materials. DPP76-23979. 12 months. $99,927.

McWhinnie, Mary A. DePaul Uni-versity, Chicago, Illinois. Biologi -cal investigations of krill (Euphausiasuperba). DPP 76-23437. 12 months.$84,000.

Parmelee, David F. University ofMinnesota, Minneapolis, Minne-sota. Ecological and behavioraladaptations to environments atPalmer Station. DPP 77-22096. 12months. $66,667.

Siniff, Donald B. University of Min-nesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota.Role of the leopard seal in marineecosystems. DPP 77-21946. 12months. $70,414.

Meteorology

Ostlund, H. Gote. University ofMiami, Miami, Florida. Tritium.DPP 76-23433. 12 months.$19,200.

Schwerdtfeger, Werner. Universityof Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin.

Anderson, John B. Rice Universjtr,Houston, Texas. Marine geo1ocstudy of the eastern Weddell S9and Bransfield Strait. DP77-26407. 12 months. $24,430.

Gordon, Arnold L. Lamont-Dohert,Geological Observatory, Coluni.bia University, Palisades, NevYork. Physical oceanography üthe Ross Sea. DPP 77-2220912 months. $83,000.

Gordon, Arnold L. Lamont-Dohert3Geological Observatory, ColumbiUniversity, Palisades, New YorkProcessing and analysis of IslaOrcadas hydrographic circumpolardata. DPP 78-24832. 12 months.$81,710.

Johnson, David A. Woods HoleOceanographic Institution, WoodsHole, Massachusetts. Quaternarythermohaline circulation in thesouthern ocean. DPP 78-21105.12 months. $43,900.

Kellogg, Thomas B. University ofMaine, Orono, Maine. Quantita-tive paleoclimatic analysis of RossSea continental shelf sediments.DPP 77-21083. 12 months.$43,884.

Robinson, Edwin S. Virginia Poly-technic Institute and State Uni-versity, Blacksburg, Virginia. Tidesand waves in the ocean beneath theRoss Ice Shelf. DPP 76-23600. 12months. $14,952.

International southern oceanstudies

Fryxell, Greta A. Texas A&M Uni-versity, College Station, Texas.Purchase of research equipment.OCE 78-18088. 6 months. $7,260($29,050).

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1 October to 31 December 1978

Following is a list of National Science Foundation antarctic awards madefrom 1 October to 31 December 1978. Each item contains the name of theprincipal investigator or the project manager, his or her institution, ashortened title of the project, the award number, its duration, and the amountawarded. If an investigator received a joint award from more than oneFoundation program, the antarctic program funds are listed first, and the totalamount of the award is listed in parentheses. Amounts followed by an asteriskare funding increments. International Southern Ocean Studies awards weremade by the Division of Ocean Sciences. All other awards were made by theDivision of Polar Programs.

10ANTARCTIC JOURNAL

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Monthly climate summaryNovember 1978 December 1978 January 1979

Feature McMurdoPalmerSipleSouth PoleMcMurdoPalmerSipleSouth Pole McMurdoPalmerSipleSouth Pole

(date)(date) (date)(date)(date) (date)(date)(date) (date)

Average temperature -10.5-1.9-15.9-38.8-4.71-13.4-28.2-3.72.0-11.9-27.5(°C)

Temperature maximum 0.03.05.0-31.69.656.6-13.64.58.0-0.5-19.4(°C) (15)(13,16,27)(24)(27)(29)(25)(18)(27)(8)(20)(19)(1)

Temperature minimum-18.9-10.0-36.0-49.3-14.4-5-25.0-38.9-11.1-3.0-23.9-36.1(°C) (6)(2)(2)(2)(5)(1)(1)(3)(27)(10)(31)(30,31)Average station 985.4992.2862.5683.8987.2980.8864.7687.8986.5992.7865.1688.4

pressure (mb)

Pressure maximum 999.21005.1878.3691.8995.6999.9878.4705.7996.91009.8874.1688.4(mb) (1)(4)(5)(3)(10)(1)(29)(27)(20)(18)(12)(1)

Pressure minimum 970.4971.7850.9675.8976.8961.0851.3676.4977.1973.2851.6681.1(mb) (7) (22)(13)(22)(20)(10)(11)(5)(23)(23)(23)(31)

Snowfall (mm) 7.6 487.7Trace35.6 175.3Trace66.0 203.2Trace

Prevailing wind 070022001600050009002200225002000700050016000450direction

Average wind speed 5.14.24.74.25.2 4.93.94.5 4.05.13.7(m/sec)

21.013.012.927.721.019.214.918.518.017.99.8Fastest wind speed 13503600090034002200020022500100090003001350340°

(m/sec) (26)(16)(27)(13)(29)(16)(11)(28)(4)(20)(20)(24)Average sky cover 6.0/107.3/107.3)103.8/85.2/109.0/106.4/104.3/86.81108.0/107.4/105.2/10Number clear days 7 251290.6674 1.7511Number partly cloudy 101179149.09141211.069

days

Number cloudy days 131718 9827.316101522.32011Number days with 0.205.80visibility less 0 04.31 203.95

than 0.4 km

Prepared from information received by teletype from the stations. Locations: McMurdo 77 0 51'S. 166 0 40'E. Palmer 64 0 46'S. 64 0 03 1 W. Siple 75055'S.830 55'W. Amundsen-Scott South Pole 90 0 S. For prior data and daily logs contact National Climatic Center, Asheville, North Carolina 28801.

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