USAP-DC

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[{"awards": "2042032 Huckstadt, Luis", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": "Crabeater seal tracking data 2022-2023", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601861", "doi": "10.15784/601861", "keywords": "Antarctica; Cryosphere", "people": "Huckstadt, Luis", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Crabeater seal tracking data 2022-2023", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601861"}], "date_created": "Wed, 27 Nov 2024 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Part I: Non-technical description: The crabeater seal is the most important predator of Antarctic krill in the western Antarctic Peninsula oceanic waters after the disappearance of large whales due to human hunting 100 years ago. The crabeater seals are expected to consume large quantities of krill due to their high abundance (about 7 million individuals), large body size (about 700 pounds in body weight), high metabolism and a diet specializing in krill. This species depends on sea ice presence all year long, living, reproducing, and diving to feed from that environment, making this marine mammal species a good indicator, or sentinel, of how the Antarctic ecosystem responds to a changing climate. As sea ice has been decreasing in the northern Antarctic Peninsula, this project aims to understand if the species food availability has changed in the last decades in response to environmental changes. In particular, the proposed work will concentrate on known populations of crabeater seals in northern (i.e., warmer, sub-polar) and southern (i.e., colder, polar) Antarctic Peninsula, 450 miles apart, making measurements on the abundance, physiology, metabolic needs and movement of the crabeater populations in both locations. The data will be combined to build models that will quantify the existing differences between northern and southern populations, as well as predict their future change, and compare present-day measurements with those collected by the British Antarctic Survey in the mid-1900s. The project is a collaboration between an international and interdisciplinary team from the United States and United Kingdom, benefitting NSF goals to facilitate collaborative geoscience research projects involving these two countries as well as aligning directly with U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) to better understand the forces shaping the global environment, both human and natural, and their impacts on society. To further increase polar literacy and education, Principal Investigators will train at least 2 graduate students and several undergraduates across two US institutions, as well as one UK-based post-doctoral researcher. Part II: Technical description: Crabeater seals (Lobodon carcinophaga) are considered an excellent sentinel species through which to examine the effects of a changing climate on the extended Antarctic krill-dependent predator community and the structure of the entire ecosystem of the western Antarctic Peninsula. Over the last forty years, there have been significant changes in the temporal and spatial patterns of primary productivity, and shifts in the population dynamics of Antarctic krill, the dominant mid-trophic level species. The impact of such changes on year-round resident species of crabeater seals (the most important predator of Antarctic krill) is more difficult to understand as they are not associated with breeding colonies where their population fluctuations could be more readily observed. The proposed research is conceived under the premise that environmental change has accentuated the differences between the northern and southern western Antarctic Peninsula crabeater seal populations due to differential reductions in sea-ice and its possible effect on prey availability. To address this question, this research will combine measurements on animal movement, stable isotope analyses, whole-animal physiology, and novel survey technologies (small Unmanned Aircraft Systems, satellite imagery) to build models. The project is a collaboration between an international and interdisciplinary team from the United States and United Kingdom. These studies will be essential to detect past, and project future, changes in the ecology of this species in response to changes in sea ice when comparing present-day measurements with those collected by the British Antarctic Survey in the mid-1900s. To further increase polar literacy and education, Principal Investigators will train at least 2 graduate students and several undergraduates across two US institutions, as well as one UK-based post-doctoral researcher. Students involved with this project will gain invaluable research experience in the lab and will have a unique opportunity to participate in Antarctic fieldwork. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "ANIMAL ECOLOGY AND BEHAVIOR; MARINE ECOSYSTEMS; Antarctica", "locations": "Antarctica", "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Huckstadt, Luis", "platforms": null, "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "NSFGEO-NERC Collaborative Research: Effects of a Changing Climate on the Habitat Utilization, Foraging Ecology and Distribution of Crabeater Seals", "uid": "p0010490", "west": null}, {"awards": "2428537 Siegelman, Lia", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Tue, 06 Aug 2024 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "The polar oceans act as a central thermostat that helps set the Earth\u2019s temperature and governs our climate. Rapid changes are currently ongoing in the polar regions in response to interactions between the air, ocean, and sea-ice. Despite their importance, air-sea interactions at high latitudes remain poorly understood, in great part due to the observational challenges inherent to this extreme and remote environment. The overarching objective of this project is to develop and test a new generation of autonomous ocean platforms specifically designed to withstand the harsh polar environment, to enable improved understanding and quantification of fine-scale air-sea fluxes in these key regions of the globe. Doing so will enable the research community to advance observational capabilities of under-sampled high-latitude oceans while being respectful of the environment and local communities. Compared to research vessels, our wave-propelled platforms (\u201dWave Gliders\u201d) produce a very low acoustic footprint, minimizing behavioral impact to marine mammals such as whales and seals, who are highly affected by underwater noise pollution generated by classical research vessels. Researchers will develop and test advanced capabilities added to existing, off-the-shelf platforms to operate in the extreme conditions of the high latitude oceans in order to understand how the ocean transfers heat and momentum to the atmosphere at fine scales. To accomplish this goal, instrumented Wave Gliders will first be upgraded with state-of-the-art technology for propulsion, energy generation and storage, anti-icing, and a scientific payload capable of operating for long durations in polar oceans. This new technology will be implemented and tested in the Air-Sea Interaction Laboratory and the recently completed SOARS facility at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego. This facility is capable of developing a polar wave glider, as it can incorporate sea ice and freezing sea spray similar to real world conditions. The validation of the instrumented autonomous vehicles will be conducted during multiple short deployments, initially off La Jolla, CA with a final deployment in the Southern Ocean in polar conditions. Students from local robotics programs will participate in both the development and testing of the polar wave glider. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "OCEAN CURRENTS; Southern Ocean; SURFACE WINDS", "locations": "Southern Ocean", "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Siegelman, Lia; Lenain, Luc", "platforms": null, "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "EAGER: Developing High Latitudes Capabilities for Wave Gliders", "uid": "p0010475", "west": null}, {"awards": null, "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Mon, 12 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Undersea canyons play disproportionately important roles as oceanic biological hotspots and are critical for our understanding of many coastal ecosystems. Canyon-associated biological hotspots have persisted for thousands of years Along the Western Antarctic Peninsula, despite significant climate variability. Observations of currents over Palmer Deep canyon, a representative hotspot along the Western Antarctic Peninsula, indicate that surface phytoplankton blooms enter and exit the local hotspot on scales of ~1-2 days. This time of residence is in conflict with the prevailing idea that canyon associated hotspots are primarily maintained by phytoplankton that are locally grown in association with these features by the upwelling of deep waters rich with nutrients that fuel the phytoplankton growth. Instead, the implication is that horizontal ocean circulation is likely more important to maintaining these biological hotspots than local upwelling through its physical concentrating effects. This project seeks to better resolve the factors that create and maintain focused areas of biological activity at canyons along the Western Antarctic Peninsula and create local foraging areas for marine mammals and birds. The project focus is in the analysis of the ocean transport and concentration mechanisms that sustain these biological hotspots, connecting oceanography to phytoplankton and krill, up through the food web to one of the resident predators, penguins. In addition, the research will engage with teachers from school districts serving underrepresented and underserved students by integrating the instructors and their students completely with the science team. Students will conduct their own research with the same data over the same time as researchers on the project. Revealing the fundamental mechanisms that sustain these known hotspots will significantly advance our understanding of the observed connection between submarine canyons and persistent penguin population hotspots over ecological time, and provide a new model for how Antarctic hotspots function.\u003cbr/\u003e \u003cbr/\u003e \u003cbr/\u003eTo understand the physical mechanisms that support persistent hotspots along the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP), this project will integrate a modeling and field program that will target the processes responsible for transporting and concentrating phytoplankton and krill biomass to known penguin foraging locations. Within the Palmer Deep canyon, a representative hotspot, the team will deploy a High Frequency Radar (HFR) coastal surface current mapping network, uniquely equipped to identify the eddies and frontal regions that concentrate phytoplankton and krill. The field program, centered on surface features identified by the HFR, will include (i) a coordinated fleet of gliders to survey hydrography, chlorophyll fluorescence, optical backscatter, and active acoustics at the scale of the targeted convergent features; (ii) precise penguin tracking with GPS-linked satellite telemetry and time-depth recorders (TDRs); (iii) and weekly small boat surveys that adaptively target and track convergent features to measure phytoplankton, krill, and hydrography. A high resolution physical model will generalize our field measurements to other known hotspots along the WAP through simulation and determine which physical mechanisms lead to the maintenance of these hotspots. The project will also engage educators, students, and members of the general public in Antarctic research and data analysis with an education program that will advance teaching and learning as well as broadening participation of under-represented groups. This engagement includes professional development workshops, live connections to the public and classrooms, student research symposia, and program evaluation. Together the integrated research and engagement will advance our understanding of the role regional transport pathways and local depth dependent concentrating physical mechanisms play in sustaining these biological hotspots.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThis award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Palmer Station; BENTHIC; PENGUINS; FLUORESCENCE; PHYTOPLANKTON", "locations": "Palmer Station", "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": null, "paleo_time": null, "persons": null, "platforms": null, "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Collaborative Research: Physical Mechanisms Driving Food Web Focusing in Antarctic Biological Hotspots", "uid": "p0010448", "west": null}, {"awards": "1643575 Kanatous, Shane; 1644004 Trumble, Stephen; 1644256 Costa, Daniel", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-66.534369 -52.962091,-65.3857434 -52.962091,-64.2371178 -52.962091,-63.0884922 -52.962091,-61.9398666 -52.962091,-60.791241 -52.962091,-59.6426154 -52.962091,-58.4939898 -52.962091,-57.3453642 -52.962091,-56.1967386 -52.962091,-55.048113 -52.962091,-55.048113 -54.530129,-55.048113 -56.098167000000004,-55.048113 -57.666205000000005,-55.048113 -59.234243,-55.048113 -60.802281,-55.048113 -62.370319,-55.048113 -63.938357,-55.048113 -65.506395,-55.048113 -67.074433,-55.048113 -68.642471,-56.1967386 -68.642471,-57.3453642 -68.642471,-58.4939898 -68.642471,-59.6426154 -68.642471,-60.791241 -68.642471,-61.9398666 -68.642471,-63.0884922 -68.642471,-64.2371178 -68.642471,-65.3857434 -68.642471,-66.534369 -68.642471,-66.534369 -67.074433,-66.534369 -65.506395,-66.534369 -63.938356999999996,-66.534369 -62.370319,-66.534369 -60.802281,-66.534369 -59.234243,-66.534369 -57.666205,-66.534369 -56.098167000000004,-66.534369 -54.530129,-66.534369 -52.962091))", "dataset_titles": "Data from: Whiskers provide time-series of toxic and essential trace elements, Se:Hg molar ratios, and stable isotope values of an apex Antarctic predator, the leopard seal; Leopard Seal Diving behavior data; Leopard Seal movement data", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601690", "doi": "10.15784/601690", "keywords": "Antarctica; Antarctic Peninsula; Biota; Body Mass; Diving Behavior; Leopard Seal; Seals", "people": "Costa, Daniel", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Leopard Seal Diving behavior data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601690"}, {"dataset_uid": "200361", "doi": "https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.ksn02v75b", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "Dryad", "science_program": null, "title": "Data from: Whiskers provide time-series of toxic and essential trace elements, Se:Hg molar ratios, and stable isotope values of an apex Antarctic predator, the leopard seal", "url": "https://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5061%2Fdryad.ksn02v75b"}, {"dataset_uid": "601689", "doi": "10.15784/601689", "keywords": "Antarctica; Antarctic Peninsula; Biota; Body Mass; Diving Behavior; Leopard Seal; Movement Data; Seals", "people": "Costa, Daniel", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Leopard Seal movement data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601689"}], "date_created": "Fri, 12 May 2023 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This research project is a multidisciplinary effort that brings together a diverse team of scientists from multiple institutions together to understand the foraging behavior and physiology of leopard seals and their role in the Southern Ocean food web. The project will examine the physiology and behavior of leopard seals to in an effort to determine their ability to respond to potential changes in their habitat and foraging areas. Using satellite tracking devices the team will examine the movement and diving behavior of leopard seals and couple this information with measurements of their physiological capacity. The project will determine whether leopard seals- who feed on diverse range of prey- are built differently than their deep diving relatives the Weddell and elephant seal who feed on fish and squid. The team will also determine whether leopard seals are operating at or near their physiological capability to determine how much, if any, ?reserve capacity? they might have to forage and live in changing environments. A better understanding of their home ranges, movement patterns, and general behavior will also be informative to help in managing human-leopard seal interactions. The highly visual nature of the data and analysis for this project lends itself to public and educational display and outreach, particularly as they relate to the changing Antarctic habitats. The project will use the research results to educate the public on the unique physiological and ecological adaptations to extreme environments seen in diving marine mammals, including adaptations to exercise under low oxygen conditions and energy utilization, which affect and dictate the lifestyle of these exceptional organisms. The results of the project will also contribute to the broader understanding that may enhance the aims of managing marine living resources. The leopard seal is an apex predator in the Antarctic ecosystem. This project seeks to better understand the ability of the leopard seal to cope with a changing environment. The project will first examine the foraging behavior and habitat utilization of leopard seals using satellite telemetry. Specifically, satellite telemetry tags will be used to obtain dive profiles and movement data for individuals across multiple years. Diet and trophic level positions across multiple temporal scales will then be determined from physiological samples (e.g., blood, vibrissae, blubber fatty acids, stable isotopes, fecal matter). Oceanographic data will be integrated with these measures to develop habitat models that will be used to assess habitat type, habitat utilization, habitat preference, and home range areas for individual animals. Diet composition for individual seals will be evaluated to determine whether specific animals are generalists or specialists. Second, the team will investigate the physiological adaptations that allow leopard seals to be apex predators and determine to what extent leopard seals are working at or near their physiological limit. Diving behavior and physiology of leopard seals will be evaluated (for instance the aerobic dive limit for individual animals and skeletal muscle adaptations will be determined for diving under hypoxic conditions). Data from time-depth recorders will be used to determine foraging strategies for individual seals, and these diving characteristics will be related to physiological variables (e.g., blood volume, muscle oxygen stores) to better understand the link between foraging behavior and physiology. The team will compare myoglobin storage in swimming muscles associated with both forelimb and hind limb propulsion and the use of anaerobic versus aerobic metabolic systems while foraging.", "east": -55.048113, "geometry": "POINT(-60.791241 -60.802281)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Antarctic Peninsula; Diving Behavior; MAMMALS; MARINE ECOSYSTEMS; Movement Patterns; Leopard Seal", "locations": "Antarctic Peninsula", "north": -52.962091, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems; Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems; Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Costa, Daniel; Trumble, Stephen J; Kanatous, Shane", "platforms": null, "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "Dryad; USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -68.642471, "title": "Collaborative Research: Foraging Ecology and Physiology of the Leopard Seal", "uid": "p0010419", "west": -66.534369}, {"awards": "1644004 Trumble, Stephen", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-180 -60,-144 -60,-108 -60,-72 -60,-36 -60,0 -60,36 -60,72 -60,108 -60,144 -60,180 -60,180 -63,180 -66,180 -69,180 -72,180 -75,180 -78,180 -81,180 -84,180 -87,180 -90,144 -90,108 -90,72 -90,36 -90,0 -90,-36 -90,-72 -90,-108 -90,-144 -90,-180 -90,-180 -87,-180 -84,-180 -81,-180 -78,-180 -75,-180 -72,-180 -69,-180 -66,-180 -63,-180 -60))", "dataset_titles": "Data from: Whiskers provide time-series of toxic and essential trace elements, Se:Hg molar ratios, and stable isotope values of an apex Antarctic predator, the leopard seal", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "200338", "doi": "doi:10.5061/dryad.ksn02v75b", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "Dryad", "science_program": null, "title": "Data from: Whiskers provide time-series of toxic and essential trace elements, Se:Hg molar ratios, and stable isotope values of an apex Antarctic predator, the leopard seal", "url": "https://datadryad.org/stash/share/h6UwXvfhZG26jtPTtDqyXNMnx2UWknOqmv05EBz6A10"}], "date_created": "Tue, 06 Dec 2022 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This research project is a multidisciplinary effort that brings together a diverse team of scientists from multiple institutions together to understand the foraging behavior and physiology of leopard seals and their role in the Southern Ocean food web. The project will examine the physiology and behavior of leopard seals to in an effort to determine their ability to respond to potential changes in their habitat and foraging areas. Using satellite tracking devices the team will examine the movement and diving behavior of leopard seals and couple this information with measurements of their physiological capacity. The project will determine whether leopard seals- who feed on diverse range of prey- are built differently than their deep diving relatives the Weddell and elephant seal who feed on fish and squid. The team will also determine whether leopard seals are operating at or near their physiological capability to determine how much, if any, ?reserve capacity? they might have to forage and live in changing environments. A better understanding of their home ranges, movement patterns, and general behavior will also be informative to help in managing human-leopard seal interactions. The highly visual nature of the data and analysis for this project lends itself to public and educational display and outreach, particularly as they relate to the changing Antarctic habitats. The project will use the research results to educate the public on the unique physiological and ecological adaptations to extreme environments seen in diving marine mammals, including adaptations to exercise under low oxygen conditions and energy utilization, which affect and dictate the lifestyle of these exceptional organisms. The results of the project will also contribute to the broader understanding that may enhance the aims of managing marine living resources. The leopard seal is an apex predator in the Antarctic ecosystem. This project seeks to better understand the ability of the leopard seal to cope with a changing environment. The project will first examine the foraging behavior and habitat utilization of leopard seals using satellite telemetry. Specifically, satellite telemetry tags will be used to obtain dive profiles and movement data for individuals across multiple years. Diet and trophic level positions across multiple temporal scales will then be determined from physiological samples (e.g., blood, vibrissae, blubber fatty acids, stable isotopes, fecal matter). Oceanographic data will be integrated with these measures to develop habitat models that will be used to assess habitat type, habitat utilization, habitat preference, and home range areas for individual animals. Diet composition for individual seals will be evaluated to determine whether specific animals are generalists or specialists. Second, the team will investigate the physiological adaptations that allow leopard seals to be apex predators and determine to what extent leopard seals are working at or near their physiological limit. Diving behavior and physiology of leopard seals will be evaluated (for instance the aerobic dive limit for individual animals and skeletal muscle adaptations will be determined for diving under hypoxic conditions). Data from time-depth recorders will be used to determine foraging strategies for individual seals, and these diving characteristics will be related to physiological variables (e.g., blood volume, muscle oxygen stores) to better understand the link between foraging behavior and physiology. The team will compare myoglobin storage in swimming muscles associated with both forelimb and hind limb propulsion and the use of anaerobic versus aerobic metabolic systems while foraging.", "east": 180.0, "geometry": "POINT(0 -89.999)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "MAMMALS; Stable Isotopes; Livingston Island", "locations": "Livingston Island", "north": -60.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Trumble, Stephen J", "platforms": null, "repo": "Dryad", "repositories": "Dryad", "science_programs": null, "south": -90.0, "title": "Collaborative Research: Foraging Ecology and Physiology of the Leopard Seal", "uid": "p0010394", "west": -180.0}, {"awards": "2011454 Veit, Richard; 2011285 Santora, Jarrod", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-39 -53,-38.6 -53,-38.2 -53,-37.8 -53,-37.4 -53,-37 -53,-36.6 -53,-36.2 -53,-35.8 -53,-35.4 -53,-35 -53,-35 -53.2,-35 -53.4,-35 -53.6,-35 -53.8,-35 -54,-35 -54.2,-35 -54.4,-35 -54.6,-35 -54.8,-35 -55,-35.4 -55,-35.8 -55,-36.2 -55,-36.6 -55,-37 -55,-37.4 -55,-37.8 -55,-38.2 -55,-38.6 -55,-39 -55,-39 -54.8,-39 -54.6,-39 -54.4,-39 -54.2,-39 -54,-39 -53.8,-39 -53.6,-39 -53.4,-39 -53.2,-39 -53))", "dataset_titles": "Bird, Mammal, Plankton, Oceanographic data, South Georgia, July 2023; Winter marine communities of the Antarctic Peninsula", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601795", "doi": "10.15784/601795", "keywords": "Antarctica; Antarctic Krill; Antarctic Peninsula; Cryosphere; Pack Ice; Polynya; Seabirds; Sea Ice; Winter; Zooplankton", "people": "Dietrich, Kim; Santora, Jarrod; Reiss, Christian; Czapanskiy, Max", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Winter marine communities of the Antarctic Peninsula", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601795"}, {"dataset_uid": "601890", "doi": "10.15784/601890", "keywords": "Abundance; Antarctica; Antarctic Winter; Birds; Cryosphere; CTD; Mammals; Plankton; South Georgia Island", "people": "Czapanskiy, Max; Santora, Jarrod; Veit, Richard; Manne, Lisa", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Bird, Mammal, Plankton, Oceanographic data, South Georgia, July 2023", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601890"}], "date_created": "Thu, 06 Oct 2022 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Part I: Non-technical description: Ocean warming in the western Antarctic Peninsula and Scotia Sea in winter is among the highest worldwide. This project will quantify the impact of the climate warming on seabirds. The study area is in South Georgia in the South Atlantic with the largest and most diverse seabird colonies in the world. Detecting and understanding how physics and biology interact to bring positive or negative population changes to seabirds has long challenged scientists. The team in this project hypothesizes that 1) Cold water seabird species decline while warm water species increase due to ocean warming observed in the last 30 years; 2) All species decrease with ocean warming, affecting how they interact with each other and in doing so, decreasing their chances of survival; and 3) Species profiles can be predicted using multiple environmental variables and models. To collect present-day data to compare with observations done in 1985, 1991 and 1993, 2 cruises are planned in the austral winter; the personnel will include the three Principal Investigators, all experienced with sampling of seabirds, plankton and oceanography, with 2 graduate and 5 undergraduate students. Models will be developed based on the cruise data and the environmental change experienced in the last 30 years. The research will improve our understanding of seabird and marine mammal winter ecology, and how they interact with the environment. This project benefits NSF\u0027s goals to expand the fundamental knowledge of Antarctic systems, biota, and processes. The project will provide an exceptional opportunity to teach polar field skills to undergraduates by bringing 5 students to engage in the research cruises. To further increase polar literacy training and educational impacts, broader impacts include the production of an educational documentary that will be coupled to field surveys to assess public perceptions about climate change. Part II: Technical description: Ocean warming in the western Antarctic Peninsula and Scotia Sea in winter is among the highest worldwide. Based on previous work, the Principal Investigators in this project want to test the hypothesis that warming would have decreased seabird abundance and species associations in the South Georgia region of the South Atlantic. A main premise of this proposal is that because of marine environmental change, the structure of the seabird communities has also changed, and potentially in a manner that has diminished the mutually beneficial dynamics of positive interactions, with subsequent consequences to fitness and population trends. The study is structured by 3 main objectives: 1) identify changes in krill, bird and mammal abundance that have occurred from previous sampling off both ends of South Georgia during winter in 1985, 1991 and 1993, 2) identify pairings of species that benefit each other in searching for prey, and quantify how such relationships have changed since 1985, and 3) make predictions about how these changes in species pairing might continue given predicted future changes in climate. The novelty of the approach is the conceptual model that inter-species associations inform birds of food availability and that the associations decrease if bird abundance decreases, thus warming could decrease overall population fitness. These studies will be essential to establish if behavioral patterns in seabird modulate their response to climate change. The project will provide exceptional educational opportunity to undergraduates by bringing 5 students to participate on the cruises. To further increase polar literacy training and educational impacts, broader impacts include the production of an educational documentary that will be coupled to field surveys to assess public perceptions about climate change. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": -35.0, "geometry": "POINT(-37 -54)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Local Enhancement; South Georgia Island; Mutualism; Climate Change; Positive Interactions; Seabirds; COMMUNITY DYNAMICS; SPECIES/POPULATION INTERACTIONS; R/V NBP", "locations": "South Georgia Island", "north": -53.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems; Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Veit, Richard; Manne, Lisa; Santora, Jarrod", "platforms": "WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V NBP", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -55.0, "title": "Collaborative Research: Climate, Changing Abundance and Species Interactions of Marine Birds and Mammals at South Georgia in Winter", "uid": "p0010382", "west": -39.0}, {"awards": "2146068 Kienle, Sarah", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Mon, 12 Sep 2022 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "The leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx) is an enigmatic apex predator in the rapidly changing Southern Ocean. As top predators, leopard seals play a disproportionately large role in ecosystem functioning and act as sentinel species that can track habitat changes. How leopard seals respond to a warming environment depends on their adaptive capacity, that is a species\u2019 ability to cope with environmental change. However, leopard seals are one of the least studied apex predators on Earth, hindering our ability to predict how the species is responding to polar environmental changes. Investigating the adaptability of Antarctic biota in a changing system aligns with NSF\u2019s Strategic Vision for Investments in Antarctic and Southern Ocean Research. This research, which is tightly integrated with educational and outreach activities, will increase diversity in STEM and Antarctic science by recruiting students from historically underrepresented groups in STEM and providing training, mentoring, and educational opportunities at an emerging Hispanic Serving Institution and a Historically Black Colleges and Universities campus. This project will improve STEM education and science literacy via museum collaborations, creation of informational videos and original artwork depicting the research. The proposal supports data and sample reuse in polar research and long-term reuse of scientific data, thereby maximizing NSF\u2019s investment in previous field research and reducing operational costs. The researchers will investigate leopard seals adaptive capacity to the warming Southern Ocean by quantifying their ability to move (dispersal ability), adapt (genetic diversity), and change (plasticity). Aim 1 of the research will determine leopard seals\u2019 dispersal ability by assessing their distribution and movement patterns. Aim 2 will quantify genetic diversity by analyzing genetic variability and population structure and Aim 3 will examine phenotypic plasticity by evaluating changes in their ecological niche and physiological responses. The international, multidisciplinary team will analyze existing data (e.g., photographs, census data, life history data, tissue samples, body morphometrics) collected from leopard seals across the Southern Ocean over the last decade. Additionally, land- and ship-based field efforts will generate comparable data from unsampled regions in the Southern Ocean. The research project will analyze these historical and contemporary datasets to evaluate the adaptive capacity of leopard seals against the rapidly warming Southern Ocean. This research is significant because changes in the distribution, genetic diversity, and ecophysiology of leopard seals can dramatically restructure polar and subpolar communities. Further, the research will expand understanding of leopard seals\u2019 ecological role, likely characterizing the species as flexible polar and subpolar predators throughout the Southern Hemisphere. The findings of this research will be relevant for use in ecosystem-based management decisions\u2014including the design of Marine Protected Areas\u2014 across three continents. This study will highlight intrinsic traits that determine species\u2019 adaptive capacity, as well as showcase the dynamic links between polar and subpolar ecosystems. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "FIELD SURVEYS; SPECIES/POPULATION INTERACTIONS; MARINE ECOSYSTEMS; MAMMALS; Southern Ocean", "locations": "Southern Ocean", "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Kienle, Sarah; Trumble, Stephen J; Bonin, Carolina", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD SURVEYS", "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Move, Adapt, or Change: Examining the Adaptive Capacity of a Southern Ocean Apex Predator, the Leopard Seal", "uid": "p0010375", "west": null}, {"awards": "1853377 Shero, Michelle", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((162 -76,162.6 -76,163.2 -76,163.8 -76,164.4 -76,165 -76,165.6 -76,166.2 -76,166.8 -76,167.4 -76,168 -76,168 -76.2,168 -76.4,168 -76.6,168 -76.8,168 -77,168 -77.2,168 -77.4,168 -77.6,168 -77.8,168 -78,167.4 -78,166.8 -78,166.2 -78,165.6 -78,165 -78,164.4 -78,163.8 -78,163.2 -78,162.6 -78,162 -78,162 -77.8,162 -77.6,162 -77.4,162 -77.2,162 -77,162 -76.8,162 -76.6,162 -76.4,162 -76.2,162 -76))", "dataset_titles": "Weddell seal dive behavior and rhythmicity from 2010-2012 in the Ross Sea; Weddell seal iron dynamics and oxygen stores across lactation", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601587", "doi": "10.15784/601587", "keywords": "Aerobic; Antarctica; Dive Capacity; Iron; McMurdo Sound; Weddell Seal", "people": "Shero, Michelle", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Weddell seal iron dynamics and oxygen stores across lactation", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601587"}, {"dataset_uid": "601835", "doi": "10.15784/601835", "keywords": "Aerobic; Antarctica; Cryosphere; Weddell Seal", "people": "Shero, Michelle", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Weddell seal dive behavior and rhythmicity from 2010-2012 in the Ross Sea", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601835"}], "date_created": "Tue, 09 Aug 2022 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Within any population, some individuals perform better than others. These individuals may survive longer or produce more offspring. Weddell seals in Erebus Bay, Antarctica, provide an unparalleled opportunity to investigate how an animal\u0027s physiology, behavior, and genetic make-up contribute to lifetime reproductive success because they have been the subject of a long-term population monitoring study and are easily accessible during their reproductive season. This project will distinguish key differences in energy allocation, reproductive timing, and dive capacities between female Weddell seals with a history of frequently producing pups (\"high-quality\" group), versus females that have produced pups only infrequently (\"low-quality\" group). For each group of females, physiology and behavior during the nursing period will be analyzed to assess whether investments influence their probability of reproducing the following year. Whole genomes will be compared between groups to identify underlying genes that govern reproductive success and population stability in a long-lived mammal. This collaborative project will provide research opportunities and training to several undergraduate and graduate students at the three participating institutions. Results will be broadly disseminated through presentations and peer-reviewed publications, and to students via an extensive public outreach collaboration with museum programming, curriculum-aligned science lessons, and pedagogy training. Within any wild animal population there is substantial heterogeneity in reproductive rates and animal fitness. Not all individuals contribute to the population equally; some are able to produce more offspring than others and thus are considered to be of higher quality. This study aims to distinguish which physiological mechanisms (energy dynamics, aerobic capacity, and fertility) and underlying genetic factors make some Weddell seal females particularly successful at producing pups year after year, while others produce far fewer pups than the population average. In this project, an Organismal Energetics approach will identify key differences between high- and low-quality females in how they balance current and future reproductive success by tracking lactation costs, midsummer foraging success and pregnancy rates, and overwinter foraging patterns and live births the next year. Repeated sampling of individuals\u0027 physiological status (body composition, endocrinology, ovulation and pregnancy timing), will be paired with a whole-genome sequencing study. The second component of this study uses a Genome to Phenome approach to better understand how genetic differences between high- and low-quality females directly correspond to functional differences in transcription, translation, and ultimately phenotype. This component will contribute to the functional analysis and annotation of the Weddell seal genome. In combination, this project will make strides towards distinguishing the roles that plastic (physiological, behavioral) and fixed (genetic) factors play in complex, multifaceted traits such as fitness in a long-lived wild mammal. The project partners with established programs to implement extensive educational and outreach activities that will ensure wide dissemination to educators, students, and the public. It will contribute to a marine mammal exhibit at the Pink Palace Museum, and a PolarTREC science educator will participate in field work in Antarctica. This award is co-funded by the GEO-OPP-Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems Program, BIO-IOS-Physiological Mechanisms and Biomechanics Program, and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": 168.0, "geometry": "POINT(165 -77)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "McMurdo; MAMMALS", "locations": "McMurdo", "north": -76.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Shero, Michelle; Hindle, Allyson; Burns, Jennifer; Briggs, Brandon", "platforms": null, "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -78.0, "title": "Collaborative Research: Physiological and Genetic Correlates of Reproductive Success in High- versus Low-Quality Weddell seals", "uid": "p0010369", "west": 162.0}, {"awards": "2147553 Rotella, Jay; 2147554 Chen, Nancy; 1640481 Rotella, Jay", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((162 -74.95,162.8 -74.95,163.6 -74.95,164.4 -74.95,165.2 -74.95,166 -74.95,166.8 -74.95,167.6 -74.95,168.4 -74.95,169.2 -74.95,170 -74.95,170 -75.295,170 -75.64,170 -75.985,170 -76.33,170 -76.67500000000001,170 -77.02000000000001,170 -77.36500000000001,170 -77.71000000000001,170 -78.055,170 -78.4,169.2 -78.4,168.4 -78.4,167.6 -78.4,166.8 -78.4,166 -78.4,165.2 -78.4,164.4 -78.4,163.6 -78.4,162.8 -78.4,162 -78.4,162 -78.055,162 -77.71000000000001,162 -77.36500000000001,162 -77.02000000000001,162 -76.67500000000001,162 -76.33,162 -75.985,162 -75.64,162 -75.295,162 -74.95))", "dataset_titles": "Demographic data for Weddell Seal colonies in Erebus Bay through the 2023 Antarctic field season", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601837", "doi": "10.15784/601837", "keywords": "AMD; Amd/Us; Antarctica; Cryosphere; McMurdo Sound; Population Dynamics; USA/NSF; USAP-DC; Weddell Seal", "people": "Rotella, Jay", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Demographic data for Weddell Seal colonies in Erebus Bay through the 2023 Antarctic field season", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601837"}], "date_created": "Sun, 07 Aug 2022 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Part 1: Non-technical description This is a continuation of a long-term population dynamics study (1978-present) using an intensive mark-recapture tagging of Weddell seals in Erebus Bay, Antarctica. Past work has become a global model for population studies of large animals. Results have documented strong annual variation in reproduction, abundance, and population composition. This program will add components to evaluate the demographic role of immigrant mothers, evaluate possible drivers of annual variation in overall population dynamics, assess genetic differences between immigrant and locally born mothers, and document patterns of gene flow among seal colonies in the Ross Sea region. These new aspects will focus on understanding of population structure, function, and genetics and provide key information for predicting how the seal population will respond to environmental change. The addition of genetic approaches will advance available data for multiple groups in multiple countries working on Weddell Seals. This work includes an early career scientists training program for faculty university graduate and undergraduate students and well as a defined program for data sharing. The research is paired with active education and outreach programs, social media, websites, educational resources, videos and high-profile public lecture activities. The informal science education program will expand on the project\u2019s successful efforts at producing and delivering short-form videos that have been viewed over 1.6 million times to date. In addition, the education program will add new topics such as learning about seals using genomics and how seals respond to a changing world to a multimedia-enhanced electronic book about the project\u2019s long-term research on Weddell seals, which will be freely available to the public early in the project. Part 2: Technical description Reliable predictions are needed for how populations of wild species, especially those at high latitudes, will respond to future environmental conditions. This study will use a strategic extension of the long-term demographic research program that has been conducted annually on the Erebus Bay population of Weddell seals since 1978 to help meet that need. Recent analyses of the study population indicate strong annual variation in reproduction, abundance, and population composition. The number of new immigrant mothers that join the population each year has recently grown such that most new mothers are now immigrants. Despite the growing number of immigrants, the demographic importance and geographic origins of immigrants are unknown. The research will (1) add new information on drivers of annual variation in immigrant numbers, (2) compare and combine information on the vital rates and demographic role of immigrant females and their offspring with that of locally born females, and (3) add genomic analyses that will quantify levels of genetic variation in and gene flow among the study population and other populations in the Ross Sea. The project will continue the long-term monitoring of the population at Erebus Bay and characterize population dynamics and the role of immigration using a combination of mark-recapture analyses, stochastic population modeling, and genomic analyses. The study will continue to provide detailed data on individual seals to other science teams, educate and mentor individuals in the next generation of ecologists, introduce two early-career, female scientists to Antarctic research, and add genomics approaches to the long-term population study of Erebus Bay Weddell seals. The research will be complemented with a robust program of training and an informal science education program. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": 170.0, "geometry": "POINT(166 -76.67500000000001)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "SPECIES/POPULATION INTERACTIONS; McMurdo Sound", "locations": "McMurdo Sound", "north": -74.95, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems; Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems; Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Rotella, Jay; Chen, Nancy", "platforms": null, "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -78.4, "title": "Collaborative Research: The Drivers and Role of Immigration in the Dynamics of the Largest Population of Weddell Seals in Antarctica under Changing Conditions", "uid": "p0010361", "west": 162.0}, {"awards": "1745081 Bernard, Kim; 1745018 Fraser, William; 1745009 Kohut, Josh; 1744884 Oliver, Matthew; 1745023 Hennon, Tyler; 1745011 Klinck, John", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-75 -60,-73 -60,-71 -60,-69 -60,-67 -60,-65 -60,-63 -60,-61 -60,-59 -60,-57 -60,-55 -60,-55 -61,-55 -62,-55 -63,-55 -64,-55 -65,-55 -66,-55 -67,-55 -68,-55 -69,-55 -70,-57 -70,-59 -70,-61 -70,-63 -70,-65 -70,-67 -70,-69 -70,-71 -70,-73 -70,-75 -70,-75 -69,-75 -68,-75 -67,-75 -66,-75 -65,-75 -64,-75 -63,-75 -62,-75 -61,-75 -60))", "dataset_titles": "Antarctic ACROBAT data; CTD Data from IFCB Sampling; Finite Time Lyapunov Exponent Results, Calculated from High Frequency Radar Observed Surface Currents; High Frequency Radar, Palmer Deep; IFCB Image Data; Relative Particle Density; SWARM AMLR moorings - acoustic data; SWARM Glider Data near Palmer Deep; WAP model float data; Winds from Joubin and Wauwerman Islands", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "200392", "doi": "10.26008/1912/bco-dmo.917884.1", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "BCO-DMO", "science_program": null, "title": "High Frequency Radar, Palmer Deep", "url": "https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/917884"}, {"dataset_uid": "200398", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "IOOS Glider DAAC", "science_program": null, "title": "SWARM Glider Data near Palmer Deep", "url": "https://gliders.ioos.us/erddap/search/index.html?page=1\u0026itemsPerPage=1000\u0026searchFor=swarm"}, {"dataset_uid": "200397", "doi": "10.26008/1912/bco-dmo.865098.1", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "BCO-DMO", "science_program": null, "title": "Winds from Joubin and Wauwerman Islands", "url": "https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/865098"}, {"dataset_uid": "200396", "doi": "10.26008/1912/bco-dmo.867442.2", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "BCO-DMO", "science_program": null, "title": "WAP model float data", "url": "https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/867442"}, {"dataset_uid": "200395", "doi": "10.26008/1912/bco-dmo.872729.1", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "BCO-DMO", "science_program": null, "title": "SWARM AMLR moorings - acoustic data", "url": "https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/872729"}, {"dataset_uid": "200394", "doi": "10.26008/1912/bco-dmo.917926.1", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "BCO-DMO", "science_program": null, "title": "Relative Particle Density", "url": "https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/917926"}, {"dataset_uid": "200393", "doi": "10.26008/1912/bco-dmo.865002.1", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "BCO-DMO", "science_program": null, "title": "IFCB Image Data", "url": "https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/865002"}, {"dataset_uid": "200391", "doi": "10.26008/1912/bco-dmo.917914.1", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "BCO-DMO", "science_program": null, "title": "Finite Time Lyapunov Exponent Results, Calculated from High Frequency Radar Observed Surface Currents", "url": "https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/917914"}, {"dataset_uid": "200390", "doi": "10.26008/1912/bco-dmo.865030.1", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "BCO-DMO", "science_program": null, "title": "CTD Data from IFCB Sampling", "url": "https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/865030"}, {"dataset_uid": "200389", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "BCO-DMO", "science_program": null, "title": "Antarctic ACROBAT data", "url": "https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/916046"}], "date_created": "Tue, 05 Jul 2022 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Undersea canyons play disproportionately important roles as oceanic biological hotspots and are critical for our understanding of many coastal ecosystems. Canyon-associated biological hotspots have persisted for thousands of years Along the Western Antarctic Peninsula, despite significant climate variability. Observations of currents over Palmer Deep canyon, a representative hotspot along the Western Antarctic Peninsula, indicate that surface phytoplankton blooms enter and exit the local hotspot on scales of ~1-2 days. This time of residence is in conflict with the prevailing idea that canyon associated hotspots are primarily maintained by phytoplankton that are locally grown in association with these features by the upwelling of deep waters rich with nutrients that fuel the phytoplankton growth. Instead, the implication is that horizontal ocean circulation is likely more important to maintaining these biological hotspots than local upwelling through its physical concentrating effects. This project seeks to better resolve the factors that create and maintain focused areas of biological activity at canyons along the Western Antarctic Peninsula and create local foraging areas for marine mammals and birds. The project focus is in the analysis of the ocean transport and concentration mechanisms that sustain these biological hotspots, connecting oceanography to phytoplankton and krill, up through the food web to one of the resident predators, penguins. In addition, the research will engage with teachers from school districts serving underrepresented and underserved students by integrating the instructors and their students completely with the science team. Students will conduct their own research with the same data over the same time as researchers on the project. Revealing the fundamental mechanisms that sustain these known hotspots will significantly advance our understanding of the observed connection between submarine canyons and persistent penguin population hotspots over ecological time, and provide a new model for how Antarctic hotspots function. To understand the physical mechanisms that support persistent hotspots along the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP), this project will integrate a modeling and field program that will target the processes responsible for transporting and concentrating phytoplankton and krill biomass to known penguin foraging locations. Within the Palmer Deep canyon, a representative hotspot, the team will deploy a High Frequency Radar (HFR) coastal surface current mapping network, uniquely equipped to identify the eddies and frontal regions that concentrate phytoplankton and krill. The field program, centered on surface features identified by the HFR, will include (i) a coordinated fleet of gliders to survey hydrography, chlorophyll fluorescence, optical backscatter, and active acoustics at the scale of the targeted convergent features; (ii) precise penguin tracking with GPS-linked satellite telemetry and time-depth recorders (TDRs); (iii) and weekly small boat surveys that adaptively target and track convergent features to measure phytoplankton, krill, and hydrography. A high resolution physical model will generalize our field measurements to other known hotspots along the WAP through simulation and determine which physical mechanisms lead to the maintenance of these hotspots. The project will also engage educators, students, and members of the general public in Antarctic research and data analysis with an education program that will advance teaching and learning as well as broadening participation of under-represented groups. This engagement includes professional development workshops, live connections to the public and classrooms, student research symposia, and program evaluation. Together the integrated research and engagement will advance our understanding of the role regional transport pathways and local depth dependent concentrating physical mechanisms play in sustaining these biological hotspots. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": -55.0, "geometry": "POINT(-65 -65)", "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e CONDUCTIVITY SENSORS \u003e CONDUCTIVITY METERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e RADIATION SENSORS", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "MOORED; WATER TEMPERATURE; CONDUCTIVITY; FLUORESCENCE; UNCREWED VEHICLES; Palmer Station; PHOTOSYNTHETICALLY ACTIVE RADIATION; PELAGIC; OCEAN MIXED LAYER; SURFACE; SALINITY; WATER PRESSURE; LIVING ORGANISM; MODELS; ACOUSTIC SCATTERING", "locations": "Palmer Station", "north": -60.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems; Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems; Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems; Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems; Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems; Antarctic Instrumentation and Support; Antarctic Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences; Antarctic Integrated System Science; Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems; Antarctic Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences", "paleo_time": "NOT APPLICABLE", "persons": "Bernard, Kim; Oliver, Matthew; Kohut, Josh; Fraser, William; Klinck, John M.; Statcewich, Hank", "platforms": "LIVING ORGANISM-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e LIVING ORGANISM; OTHER \u003e MODELS; WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e BUOYS \u003e MOORED; WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e UNCREWED VEHICLES; WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE", "repo": "BCO-DMO", "repositories": "BCO-DMO; IOOS Glider DAAC", "science_programs": null, "south": -70.0, "title": "Collaborative Research: Physical Mechanisms Driving Food Web Focusing in Antarctic Biological Hotspots", "uid": "p0010346", "west": -75.0}, {"awards": "2032029 Gerken, Sarah", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-70 -62,-68.5 -62,-67 -62,-65.5 -62,-64 -62,-62.5 -62,-61 -62,-59.5 -62,-58 -62,-56.5 -62,-55 -62,-55 -62.8,-55 -63.6,-55 -64.4,-55 -65.2,-55 -66,-55 -66.8,-55 -67.6,-55 -68.4,-55 -69.2,-55 -70,-56.5 -70,-58 -70,-59.5 -70,-61 -70,-62.5 -70,-64 -70,-65.5 -70,-67 -70,-68.5 -70,-70 -70,-70 -69.2,-70 -68.4,-70 -67.6,-70 -66.8,-70 -66,-70 -65.2,-70 -64.4,-70 -63.6,-70 -62.8,-70 -62))", "dataset_titles": "Expedition Data of NBP2303; Invertebrate Zoology", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "200386", "doi": null, "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data of NBP2303", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP2303"}, {"dataset_uid": "200385", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "Alabama Museum of Natural History, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa", "science_program": null, "title": "Invertebrate Zoology", "url": "https://arctos.database.museum/"}], "date_created": "Mon, 13 Jun 2022 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Ocean communities play an important role in determining the natural and human impacts of global change. The most conspicuous members of those communities are generally large vertebrates such as marine mammals and sea birds. But smaller animals often determine how the changes impact those charismatic animals. In the Antarctic, where some of the most dramatic physical changes are taking place, we do not know much about what small animals exist. This project will sample the sub-Antarctic and three different Antarctic seas with a hope of identifying, quantifying and discovering the variation in species of a group of small invertebrates. Comma shrimp, also called cumaceans, are rarely seen elsewhere but may be common and important in the communities of these locations. Antarctic sampling traditionally used gear that was not very effective at catching cumaceans so we do not know what species exist there and how common they are. This study will utilize modern sampling methods that will allow comma shrimp to be sampled. This will lead to discoveries about the diversity and abundance of comma shrimp, as well as their relationship to other invertebrate species. Major impacts of this work will be an enhancement of museum collections, the development of description of all the comma shrimp of Antarctica including new and unnamed species. Those contributions may be especially important as we strive to understand what drives the dynamics of charismatic vertebrates and fisheries that are tied to Antarctic food webs. This project will collect cumaceans from benthic samples from Argentinian waters, Bransfield Strait, and the Weddell Sea using benthic sleds. Specimens will be fixed in 95% ethanol and preserved in 95% ethanol and 5% glycerin to preserve both morphology and DNA. The specimens will form the basis for a monograph synthesizing current knowledge on the Subantarctic and Antarctic Cumacea, including diagnoses of all species, descriptions of new species, additional description for currently unknown life stages of known species, and vouchered gene sequences for all species collected. The monograph will include keys to all families, genera and species known from the region. Monographic revisions that include identification resources are typically useful for decades to a broad spectrum of other scientists. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": -55.0, "geometry": "POINT(-62.5 -66)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "AMD; NSF/USA; ANIMALS/INVERTEBRATES; SHIPS; USAP-DC; NBP2303; Weddell Sea; Amd/Us; Antarctic Peninsula", "locations": "Antarctic Peninsula; Weddell Sea", "north": -62.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Gerken, Sarah", "platforms": "WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e SHIPS", "repo": "R2R", "repositories": "Alabama Museum of Natural History, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa; R2R", "science_programs": null, "south": -70.0, "title": "RAPID: Monographing the Antarctic and Subantarctic Cumacea", "uid": "p0010338", "west": -70.0}, {"awards": "2020664 Vazquez-Medina, Jose Pablo; 2020706 Hindle, Allyson", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((164 -77.2,164.3 -77.2,164.6 -77.2,164.9 -77.2,165.2 -77.2,165.5 -77.2,165.8 -77.2,166.1 -77.2,166.4 -77.2,166.7 -77.2,167 -77.2,167 -77.265,167 -77.33,167 -77.395,167 -77.46,167 -77.525,167 -77.59,167 -77.655,167 -77.72,167 -77.785,167 -77.85,166.7 -77.85,166.4 -77.85,166.1 -77.85,165.8 -77.85,165.5 -77.85,165.2 -77.85,164.9 -77.85,164.6 -77.85,164.3 -77.85,164 -77.85,164 -77.785,164 -77.72,164 -77.655,164 -77.59,164 -77.525,164 -77.46,164 -77.395,164 -77.33,164 -77.265,164 -77.2))", "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Thu, 09 Sep 2021 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2). Part I: Non-technical description: The Weddell seal is an iconic Antarctic species and a superb diver, swimming down to 2,000 feet and staying underwater for up to 45 minutes. However, as for any mammal, the low oxygen concentrations in the blood during diving and the recovery once back at the surface are challenges that need to be overcome making their diving ability something unique that has fascinated scientists for decades. This research project will evaluate the underlying processes in Weddell seal\u2019s physiology that protects this species from the consequences of diving. The work will combine laboratory experiments where cells that line the blood vessels will be exposed to conditions of low oxygen, similar to those that will be measured in diving seals in Antarctica. The investigarors will test a new idea that several short-term dives, performed before a long dive, allows seals to condition themselves. Measurements on the chemical compounds released to the blood during dives, combined with experiments on the genes that regulate them will provide clues on the biochemical pathways that help the seals tolerate these extreme conditions. The project allows for documentation of individual seal dives and provisioning of such information to the broader science community that seeks to study these seals, educating graduate and undergraduate students and a post-doctoral researcher and producing a science-outreach comic book for middle-school students to illustrate the project\u0027s science activities, goals and outcomes. Part II: Technical description: The Weddell seal is a champion diver with high natural tolerance for low blood oxygen concentration (hypoxemia) and inadequate blood supply (ischemia). The processes unique to this species protects their tissues from inflammation and oxidative stress observed in other mammalian tissues exposed to such physiological conditions. This project aims to understand the signatures of the processes that protect seals from inflammation and oxidant stress, using molecular, cellular and metabolic tools. Repetitive short dives before long ones are hypothesized to precondition seal tissues and activate the protective processes. The new aspect of this work is the study of endothelial cells, which sense changes in oxygen and blood flow, providing a link between breath-holding and cellular function. The approach is one of laboratory experiments combined with 2-years of field work in an ice camp off McMurdo Station in Antarctica. The study is structured by three main objectives: 1) laboratory experiments with arterial endothelial cells exposed to changes in oxygen and flow to identify molecular pathways responsible for tolerance of hypoxia and ischemia using several physiological, biochemical and genomic tools including CRSPR/Cas9 knochout and knockdown approaches. 2) Metabolomic analyses of blood metabolites produced by seals during long dives. And 3) Metabolomic and genomic determinations of seal physiology during short dives hypothesized to pre-condition tolerance responses. In the field, blood samples will be taken after seals dive in an isolated ice hole and its diving performance recorded. It is expected that the blood will contain metabolites that can be related to molecular pathways identified in lab experiments. Expert collaborators will provide field support, with the ice camp, dive hole for the seals, and telemetry associated with the seals\u2019 dives. The project builds upon previous NSF-funded projects where the seal genome and cellular resources were produced. Undergraduate researchers will be recruited from institutional programs with a track record of attracting underrepresented minorities and a minority-serving institution. To further increase polar literacy training and educational impacts, the field team will include a blog where field experiences are shared and comic book preparation with an artist designed for K-12 students and public outreach. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": 167.0, "geometry": "POINT(165.5 -77.525)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "FIELD SURVEYS; USA/NSF; AMD; MAMMALS; McMurdo Sound; Amd/Us", "locations": "McMurdo Sound", "north": -77.2, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems; Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Hindle, Allyson", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD SURVEYS", "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": -77.85, "title": "Collaborative Research: Role of Endothelial Cell Activation in Hypoxia Tolerance of an Elite Diver, the Weddell Seal", "uid": "p0010257", "west": 164.0}, {"awards": "2046437 Zitterbart, Daniel", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-60 -55,-53 -55,-46 -55,-39 -55,-32 -55,-25 -55,-18 -55,-11 -55,-4 -55,3 -55,10 -55,10 -57.5,10 -60,10 -62.5,10 -65,10 -67.5,10 -70,10 -72.5,10 -75,10 -77.5,10 -80,3 -80,-4 -80,-11 -80,-18 -80,-25 -80,-32 -80,-39 -80,-46 -80,-53 -80,-60 -80,-60 -77.5,-60 -75,-60 -72.5,-60 -70,-60 -67.5,-60 -65,-60 -62.5,-60 -60,-60 -57.5,-60 -55))", "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Mon, 16 Aug 2021 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Part I: Non-technical description: Understanding human-induced changes on biodiversity is one of the most important scientific challenges we face today. This is especially true for marine environments that are home to much of the world\u2019s biomass and biodiversity. A particularly effective approach to investigate the effects of climate change on marine ecosystems is to monitor top-predator populations such as seabirds or marine mammals. The food web in the Southern Ocean in relatively small and involves few species, therefore climate-induced variations at the prey species level directly affect the predator species level. For example, seabirds, like penguins, are ideal to detect and study these ecosystem changes. This study combines traditional methods to study emperor penguin population dynamics with the use of an autonomous vehicle to conduct the population dynamic measurements with less impact and higher accuracy. This project leverages an existing long-term emperor penguin observatory at the Atka Bay colony which hosts penguins living in the Weddell sea and the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean. The study will kickstart the collection of a multi-decadal data set in an area of the Southern Ocean that has been understudied. It will fill important gaps in ecological knowledge on the state of the Emperor penguin and its adaptive capabilities within a changing world. Finally, the project supports NSF goals of training new generations of scientists through collaborative training of undergraduate students and the creation of a new class on robotics for ecosystem study. Emperor penguins are an iconic species that few people will ever see in the wild. Through the technology developed in this proposal, the public can be immersed in real-time into the life of an emperor penguin colony. Public outreach will be achieved by showcasing real-time video and audio footage of emperor penguins from the field as social media science and engineering-themed educational materials. Part II: Technical description: Polar ecosystems currently experience significant impacts due to global changes. Measurable negative effects on polar wildlife have already occurred, such as population decreases of numerous seabird species, including the complete loss of colonies of one of the most emblematic species of the Antarctic, the emperor penguin. These existing impacts on polar species are alarming, especially because many polar species still remain poorly studied due to technical and logistical challenges imposed by the harsh environment and extreme remoteness. Developing technologies and tools for monitoring such wildlife populations is, therefore, a matter of urgency. This project aims to help close major knowledge gaps about the emperor penguin, in particular about their adaptive capability to a changing environment, by the development of next-generation tools to remotely study entire colonies. Specifically, the main goal of this project is to implement and test an autonomous unmanned ground vehicle equipped with Radio-frequency identification (RFID) antennas and wireless mesh communication data-loggers to: 1) identify RFID-tagged emperor penguins during breeding to studying population dynamics without human presence; and 2) receive Global Positioning System-Time Domain Reflectometry (GPS-TDR) datasets from Very High Frequency VHF-GPS-TDR data-loggers without human presence to study animal behavior and distribution at sea. The autonomous vehicles navigation through the colony will be aided by an existing remote penguin observatory (SPOT). Properly implemented, this technology can be used to study of the life history of individual penguins, and therefore gather data for behavioral and population dynamic studies. The new data will contribute to intelligent establishment of marine protected areas in Antarctica. The education objectives of this CAREER project are designed to increase the interest in a STEM education for the next generation of scientists by combining the charisma of the emperor penguin with robotics research. Within this project, a new class on ecosystem robotics will be developed and taught, Robotics boot-camps will allow undergraduate students to remotely participate in Antarctic field trips, and an annual curriculum will be developed that allows K-12 students to follow the life of the emperor penguin during the breeding cycle, powered by real-time data obtained using the unmanned ground vehicle as well as the existing emperor penguin observatory. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": 10.0, "geometry": "POINT(-25 -67.5)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "AMD; Antarctica; Dronning Maud Land; FIELD SURVEYS; Amd/Us; Atka Bay; MARINE ECOSYSTEMS; USAP-DC; USA/NSF", "locations": "Atka Bay; Antarctica; Dronning Maud Land", "north": -55.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Zitterbart, Daniel", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD SURVEYS", "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": -80.0, "title": "\r\nCAREER: Development of Unmanned Ground Vehicles for Assessing the Health of Secluded Ecosystems (ECHO)", "uid": "p0010245", "west": -60.0}, {"awards": "1927709 Friedlaender, Ari; 1947453 Hunt, Kathleen; 1927742 Fleming, Alyson", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((150 -60,153 -60,156 -60,159 -60,162 -60,165 -60,168 -60,171 -60,174 -60,177 -60,180 -60,180 -61.5,180 -63,180 -64.5,180 -66,180 -67.5,180 -69,180 -70.5,180 -72,180 -73.5,180 -75,177 -75,174 -75,171 -75,168 -75,165 -75,162 -75,159 -75,156 -75,153 -75,150 -75,150 -73.5,150 -72,150 -70.5,150 -69,150 -67.5,150 -66,150 -64.5,150 -63,150 -61.5,150 -60))", "dataset_titles": "Bulk stable isotope data of blue and fin whales; Hormone meta data for Antarctic blue and fin whales", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601908", "doi": "10.15784/601908", "keywords": "Antarctica; Biota; Blue Whale; Cryosphere; Fin Whale; Hormones; Oceans; Reproduction; Whales", "people": "Hunt, Kathleen; Fleming, Alyson", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Hormone meta data for Antarctic blue and fin whales", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601908"}, {"dataset_uid": "601901", "doi": "10.15784/601901", "keywords": "Antarctica; Biota; Cryosphere; Isotope; Southern Ocean; Whales", "people": "Fleming, Alyson; Smith, Malia", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Bulk stable isotope data of blue and fin whales", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601901"}], "date_created": "Tue, 10 Aug 2021 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Blue and fin whales are the two largest animals on the planet, and the two largest krill predators in the Southern Ocean. Commercial whaling in Antarctic waters started in the early 1900?s, and by the 1970\u0027s whale populations were reduced from thousands to only a few hundred individuals. The absence of data about whale biology and ecology prior to these large population reductions has limited our understanding of how the ecosystem functioned when cetacean populations were more robust. However, an archive of baleen plates from 800 Antarctic blue and fin whales harvested between 1946 and 1948 was recently rediscovered in the Smithsonian\u0027s National Museum of Natural History that will shed insight into historic whale ecology. As baleen grows, it incorporates circulating hormones, and compounds from the whale\u0027s diet, recording continuous biological and oceanographic information across multiple years. This project will apply a suite of modern molecular techniques to these archived specimens to ask how blue and fin whale foraging and reproduction responded to climate variability, changes at the base of the food web, and whaling activities in the early 1940s. By comparison with more modern datasets, these investigations will fill major gaps in understanding of the largest krill predators, their response to disturbance and environmental change, and the impact that commercial whaling has had on the structure and function of the Antarctic marine ecosystem. This project will improve stem education through annual programming for middle and high school girls in partnership with UNCW\u0027s Marine Quest program. Public outreach will occur through partnerships with the Smithsonian and the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators to deliver emerging research on Antarctic ecosystems and highlight the contemporary relevance and scientific value of museum collections. Examination of past conditions and adaptations of polar biota is fundamental to predictions of future climate change scenarios. The baleen record that will be used in this study forms an ideal experimental platform for studying bottom-up, top-down and anthropogenic impacts on blue and fin whales. This historic baleen archive includes years with strong climate and temperature anomalies allowing the influence of climate variability on predators and the ecosystems that support them to be examined. Additionally, the impact of commercial whaling on whale stress levels will be investigated by comparing years of intensive whaling with the non-whaling years of WWII, both of which are captured in the time series. There are three main approaches to this project. First, bulk stable isotope analysis will be used to examine the trophic dynamics of Antarctic blue and fin whales. Second, compound-specific stable isotope analyses (CSIA-AA) will characterize the biogeochemistry of the base of the Antarctic food web. Finally, analyses of hormone levels in baleen will reveal differences in stress levels and reproductive status of individuals, and inform understanding of cetacean population biology. This project will generate a new public data archive to foster research opportunities across various components of the OPP program, all free from the logistical constraints of Antarctic field work. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": 180.0, "geometry": "POINT(165 -67.5)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONS; PELAGIC; MAMMALS; LABORATORY; AMD; Amd/Us; Southern Ocean; USAP-DC; USA/NSF", "locations": "Southern Ocean", "north": -60.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems; Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems; Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Fleming, Alyson; Friedlaender, Ari; McCarthy, Matthew; Hunt, Kathleen", "platforms": "OTHER \u003e PHYSICAL MODELS \u003e LABORATORY", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -75.0, "title": "Collaborative Research: A New Baseline for Antarctic Blue and Fin Whales", "uid": "p0010240", "west": 150.0}, {"awards": "1746148 Sirovic, Ana", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((140 -65.5,140.8 -65.5,141.6 -65.5,142.4 -65.5,143.2 -65.5,144 -65.5,144.8 -65.5,145.6 -65.5,146.4 -65.5,147.2 -65.5,148 -65.5,148 -65.57,148 -65.64,148 -65.71,148 -65.78,148 -65.85,148 -65.92,148 -65.99,148 -66.06,148 -66.13,148 -66.2,147.2 -66.2,146.4 -66.2,145.6 -66.2,144.8 -66.2,144 -66.2,143.2 -66.2,142.4 -66.2,141.6 -66.2,140.8 -66.2,140 -66.2,140 -66.13,140 -66.06,140 -65.99,140 -65.92,140 -65.85,140 -65.78,140 -65.71,140 -65.64,140 -65.57,140 -65.5))", "dataset_titles": "Passive acoustic recording metadata from East Antarctica, Feb 2019", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601465", "doi": "10.15784/601465", "keywords": "Antarctica; East Antarctica", "people": "Sirovic, Ana", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Passive acoustic recording metadata from East Antarctica, Feb 2019", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601465"}], "date_created": "Tue, 13 Jul 2021 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Understanding the interaction between blue whales and their prey is essential for understanding Antarctic ecosystem dynamics. In the austral summer of 2019 an international interdisciplinary research voyage will head to the Antarctic with the overall goal of mapping Antarctic krill and blue whale distributions to determine if foraging preferences of blue whales are dictated in part by the density and shape of Antarctic krill swarms. This research voyage will combine advanced research technologies (including autonomous underwater vehicles, short term-tags, photogrammetry, and ship-based, real-time passive listening and active echosounders) to answer questions about how the density, swarm shape and behavior of Antarctic krill influence Antarctic blue whales. U.S. participation on this voyage on an Australian research vessel will allow collection of concurrent predator and prey data through the use of passive listening and echosounders from a fixed mooring. By coupling moored data collection with the ship-based survey focusing on Antarctic blue whale behavior and krill dynamics, the project will contribute to the understanding of basic questions relating to the dynamics between blue whales and their prey as well as adding to the development of instrumentation and technologies that will enhance current capabilities for in situ observing on the continent and the surrounding ice-covered waters. The project will provide an educational platform for high school students and the general public to virtually experience Antarctica via \"virtual sailing\" through a project website and blog. Students and the general public also will be allowed the opportunity to participate in post-cruise data analysis. The Australian Antarctic Division and the University of Tasmania will lead an international voyage to the Antarctic in the austral summer of 2019. The overall goal of the voyage will be to map Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) and blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) distributions to determine if the foraging preferences of blue whales are dictated in part by the density and shape of Antarctic krill swarms. US participation in voyage will entail the deployment of passive and active acoustic instrumentation on a fixed mooring in concert with real-time acoustic and visual tracking and localizing of blue whales that will then allow better directing of ship operations towards aggregations of animals such that fine-scale acoustic tracking and prey field mapping can be achieved. This approach will be the first time such an acoustic system is deployed in Antarctica and used in an integrative fashion to assess foraging behaviors and krill. Thus, the project will advance understanding of the relationships between the acoustic ecology of blue whales, krill abundance, and blue whale densities. The technology deployment and testing will also be used to assess its potential use in ice-covered waters for similar studies in the future. Broader impacts of this project will occur through outreach and education, as well as through the collaborations with the broader international scientific community. The project will provide educational platforms for high school students and general public to virtually experience Antarctica. Research findings will be communicated to both the scientific community and the wider public through peer-reviewed publications, presentations, student lectures, seminars and communication through appropriate media channels by institutional communications teams. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": 148.0, "geometry": "POINT(144 -65.85)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Amd/Us; AMD; USAP-DC; SPECIES/POPULATION INTERACTIONS; MAMMALS; PELAGIC; East Antarctica; USA/NSF; ACOUSTIC SCATTERING; FIELD SURVEYS; ARTHROPODS", "locations": "East Antarctica", "north": -65.5, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Sirovic, Ana; Stafford, Kathleen", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD SURVEYS", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -66.2, "title": "EAGER: Collaborative Research: Acoustic Ecology of Foraging Antarctic Blue Whales in the Vicinity of Antarctic Krill", "uid": "p0010228", "west": 140.0}, {"awards": "1640481 Rotella, Jay", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((162 -75,162.8 -75,163.6 -75,164.4 -75,165.2 -75,166 -75,166.8 -75,167.6 -75,168.4 -75,169.2 -75,170 -75,170 -75.38,170 -75.76,170 -76.14,170 -76.52,170 -76.9,170 -77.28,170 -77.66,170 -78.03999999999999,170 -78.42,170 -78.8,169.2 -78.8,168.4 -78.8,167.6 -78.8,166.8 -78.8,166 -78.8,165.2 -78.8,164.4 -78.8,163.6 -78.8,162.8 -78.8,162 -78.8,162 -78.42,162 -78.03999999999999,162 -77.66,162 -77.28,162 -76.9,162 -76.52,162 -76.14,162 -75.76,162 -75.38,162 -75))", "dataset_titles": "Demographic data for Weddell Seal colonies in Erebus Bay through the 2017 Antarctic field season; Demographic data for Weddell Seal colonies in Erebus Bay through the 2023 Antarctic field season", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601837", "doi": "10.15784/601837", "keywords": "AMD; Amd/Us; Antarctica; Cryosphere; McMurdo Sound; Population Dynamics; USA/NSF; USAP-DC; Weddell Seal", "people": "Rotella, Jay", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Demographic data for Weddell Seal colonies in Erebus Bay through the 2023 Antarctic field season", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601837"}, {"dataset_uid": "200300", "doi": " https://doi.org/10.15784/601125 ", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Demographic data for Weddell Seal colonies in Erebus Bay through the 2017 Antarctic field season", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601125"}], "date_created": "Thu, 24 Jun 2021 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "The consequences of variation in maternal effects on the ability of offspring to survive, reproduce, and contribute to future generations has rarely been evaluated in polar marine mammals. This is due to the challenges of having adequate data on the survival and reproductive outcomes for numerous offspring born in diverse environmental conditions to mothers with known and diverse sets of traits. This research project will evaluate the survival and reproductive consequences of early-life environmental conditions and variation in offspring traits that are related to maternal attributes (e.g. birth date, birth mass, weaning mass, and swimming behavior) in a population of individually marked Weddell seals in the Ross Sea. Results will allow an evaluation of the importance of different types of individuals to the Weddell Seal\u0027s population sustenance and better assessments of factors contributing to the population dynamics in the past and into the future. The project allows for documentation of specific individual seal\u0027s unique histories and provisioning of such information to the broader science community that seeks to study these seals, educating graduate and undergraduate ecology students, producing science-outreach videos, and developing a multi-media iBook regarding the project\u0027s science activities, goals and outcomes. The research has the broad objective of evaluating the importance of diverse sources of variation in pup characteristics to survival and reproduction. The study will (1) record birth dates, body mass metrics, and time spent in the water for multiple cohorts of pups (born to known-age mothers) in years with different environmental conditions; (2) mark all pups born in the greater Erebus Bay study area and conduct repeated surveys to monitor fates of these pups through the age of first reproduction; and (3) use analyses specifically designed for data on animals that are individually marked and resighted each year to evaluate hypotheses about how variation in birth dates, pup mass, time spent in the water by pups, and environmental conditions relate to variation in early-life survival and recruitment for those pups. The research will also allow the documentation of the population status that will contribute to the unique long-term database for the local population that dates back to 1978.", "east": 170.0, "geometry": "POINT(166 -76.9)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "AMD; ANIMAL ECOLOGY AND BEHAVIOR; Amd/Us; FIELD INVESTIGATION; Ross Sea; USA/NSF; USAP-DC", "locations": "Ross Sea", "north": -75.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Rotella, Jay; Garrott, Robert", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD INVESTIGATION", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -78.8, "title": "The consequences of maternal effects and environmental conditions on offspring success in an Antarctic predator", "uid": "p0010198", "west": 162.0}, {"awards": "1644196 Cziko, Paul", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((163.47 -77.14,163.803 -77.14,164.136 -77.14,164.469 -77.14,164.802 -77.14,165.135 -77.14,165.468 -77.14,165.801 -77.14,166.134 -77.14,166.467 -77.14,166.8 -77.14,166.8 -77.216,166.8 -77.292,166.8 -77.368,166.8 -77.444,166.8 -77.52,166.8 -77.596,166.8 -77.672,166.8 -77.748,166.8 -77.824,166.8 -77.9,166.467 -77.9,166.134 -77.9,165.801 -77.9,165.468 -77.9,165.135 -77.9,164.802 -77.9,164.469 -77.9,164.136 -77.9,163.803 -77.9,163.47 -77.9,163.47 -77.824,163.47 -77.748,163.47 -77.672,163.47 -77.596,163.47 -77.52,163.47 -77.444,163.47 -77.368,163.47 -77.292,163.47 -77.216,163.47 -77.14))", "dataset_titles": "High-resolution nearshore benthic seawater temperature from around McMurdo Sound, Antarctica (2017-2019); Long-Term broadband underwater acoustic recordings from McMurdo Sound, Antarctica (2017-2019); Long-term underwater images from around a single mooring site in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica (2017-2019)", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601417", "doi": "10.15784/601417", "keywords": "Antarctica; Benthic Ecology; Benthic Invertebrates; Biota; McMurdo Sound; Notothenioid; Notothenioid Fishes; Photo/video; Photo/Video; Rocky Reef Community; Soft-Bottom Community; Timelaps Images", "people": "Cziko, Paul", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Long-term underwater images from around a single mooring site in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica (2017-2019)", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601417"}, {"dataset_uid": "601416", "doi": "10.15784/601416", "keywords": "Antarctica; Bioacoustics; Biota; Hydroacoustics; Killer Whales; Leptonychotes Weddellii; McMurdo Sound; Oceans; Orcinus Orca; Sea Ice; Weddell Seal; Whales", "people": "Cziko, Paul", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Long-Term broadband underwater acoustic recordings from McMurdo Sound, Antarctica (2017-2019)", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601416"}, {"dataset_uid": "601420", "doi": "10.15784/601420", "keywords": "Antarctica; Benthic Ecology; CTD; Depth; McMurdo Sound; Oceanography; Oceans; Physical Oceanography; Pressure; Salinity; Seawater Measurements; Seawater Temperature; Supercooling; Tides", "people": "Cziko, Paul", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "High-resolution nearshore benthic seawater temperature from around McMurdo Sound, Antarctica (2017-2019)", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601420"}], "date_created": "Tue, 15 Dec 2020 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Notothenioid fishes live in the world\u0027s coldest marine waters surrounding Antarctica and have evolved strategies to avoid freezing. Past studies have shown that most Antarctic notothenioids produce special antifreeze proteins that prevent the growth of ice crystals that enter the body. While these proteins help prevent individuals from being killed by growing ice crystals, it is unclear how these fish avoid the accumulation of these small ice crystals inside their tissues over time. This project will observe how ice crystal accumulation relates to the harshness of the fish\u0027s habitat and the fish\u0027s behavior within different habitats of McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. The researchers will collect fishes and ocean observations at different field sites that cover a range of habitat severity in terms of temperature and iciness. Researchers will install an underwater ocean observatory near McMurdo Station which will include a HD video camera and hydrophone. The observatory will allow continuous monitoring of ocean conditions and fish behavior that will help explain the conditions and behaviors that contribute to the acquisition and accrual of ice inside the body. Acoustic and video data from the observatory will be available to other scientists and to the public. The project will advance understanding of the many challenges life faces in extreme cold environments. This work continues a line of inquiry that has resulted in the discovery of potential medical and food preservation applications. Hundreds of antifreeze protein (AFP) structure-function studies have been conducted in the laboratory, providing a basic physical understanding of the AFP-ice interaction. How AFPs function within fishes and their range of environments, however, is far from clear. This project will provide an understanding of notothenioid\u0027s freezing avoidance mechanisms, and strategies by quantifying the acquisition, accumulation, and loss of internal ice crystals. Specifically, the goal is to determine if and how habitat severity (as defined by iciness, seawater temperature, and prevalence of supercooled water) and fish behavior influence the abundance of ice crystals in their tissues. Four locations in the McMurdo Sound with different levels of habitat severity will be sampled for oceanographic conditions and ice crystal count within fish tissues. Researchers will use a new technique to count the number of splenic ice crystals, expanding on and simplifying previous methods. Environmental data loggers will be deployed for the duration of the project at the four sites to provide context and real-time assessment of environmental conditions. An oceanographic observatory near McMurdo Station will provide year-round, real-time and archival records of oceanographic conditions, in situ video observations of anchor ice growth and ice-organism interactions, hydroacoustic recordings, and serve as proof-of concept for expanding scientific infrastructure in McMurdo Sound related to monitoring of supercooled waters and oceanographic information.", "east": 166.8, "geometry": "POINT(165.135 -77.52)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Benthic Ecology; ANIMALS/VERTEBRATES; USA/NSF; OCEAN TEMPERATURE; USAP-DC; MAMMALS; FIELD INVESTIGATION; Amd/Us; McMurdo Sound; FISH; AMD", "locations": "McMurdo Sound", "north": -77.14, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems; Antarctic Instrumentation and Support", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Cziko, Paul; DeVries, Arthur", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD INVESTIGATION", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -77.9, "title": "Habitat Severity and Internal Ice in Antarctic Notothenioid Fishes", "uid": "p0010147", "west": 163.47}, {"awards": "1543539 Liwanag, Heather", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": "metabolic measurements; Sedation dose and response; TDR and weather data", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601435", "doi": "10.15784/601435", "keywords": "Antarctica; McMurdo Sound; Weddell Seal", "people": "Liwanag, Heather; Weitzner, Emma; Pearson, Linnea", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "TDR and weather data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601435"}, {"dataset_uid": "601524", "doi": "10.15784/601524", "keywords": "Antarctica; McMurdo Sound; Metabolic Rate; Thermoregulation; Weddell Seal", "people": "Pearson, Linnea", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "metabolic measurements", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601524"}, {"dataset_uid": "601631", "doi": "10.15784/601631", "keywords": "Antarctica; McMurdo Sound; Weddell Seal", "people": "Pearson, Linnea", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Sedation dose and response", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601631"}], "date_created": "Sat, 12 Dec 2020 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "The transition of young from parental care to independence is a critical stage in the life of many animals. Surviving this stage can be especially challenging for polar mammals where the extreme cold requires extra energy to keep warm, rather than using the majority of energy for growth, development and physical activities. Young Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) have only weeks to develop the capabilities to survive both on top of the sea ice and within the -1.9\u00b0C seawater where they can forage for food. The project seeks to better understand how Weddell seal pups rapidly develop (within weeks) the capacity to transition between these two extreme environments (that differ greatly in their abilities to conduct heat) and how they budget their energy during the transition. Though the biology and physiology of adult Weddell seals is well studied, the energetic and physiological strategies of pups during development is still unclear. Understanding factors that may affect survival at critical life history events is essential for better understanding factors that might affect marine mammal populations. Weddell seals are the southernmost breeding mammal and are easily recognizable as quintessential Antarctic seals. Determining potential vulnerabilities at critical life stages to change in the Antarctic environment will facilitate the researchers\u0027 ability to not only gain public interest but also communicate how research is revealing ways in which changes are occurring at the poles and how these changes may affect polar ecosystems. By collaborating with the Marine Mammal Center, the project will directly reach the public, through curricular educational materials and public outreach that will impact over 100,000 visitors annually. To elucidate the physiological strategies that facilitate the survival of Weddell seal pups from birth to independence, the proposed study examines the development of their thermoregulation and diving capability. To achieve this, the project will determine the mechanisms that Weddell seal pups use to maintain a stable, warm body temperature in air and in water and then examine the development of diving capability as the animals prepare for independent foraging. The researchers will take a fully integrative approach- making assessments from proteins to tissues to the whole-animal level- when investigating both these objectives. To assess the development of thermoregulatory capability, researchers will quantify body insulation, resting metabolic rates in air and in water, muscle thermogenesis (shivering), and body surface temperatures in the field. The project will also assess the development of dive capability by quantifying oxygen storage capacities and measuring early dive behavior. To identify possible cellular mechanisms for how Weddell seals navigate this trade-off during development, the program will quantify several key developmental regulators of increased hypoxic capacity (HIF, VEGF and EPO) using qPCR, as well as follow the proteomic changes of adipose and muscle tissue, which will include abundance changes of metabolic, antioxidant, cytoskeletal, and Ca2+-regulating proteins. The study of the physiological development leading up to the transition to independence in pinnipeds will help researchers better predict the effects of climate change on the distribution and abundance of this species and how this will affect other trophic levels. Environmental changes that alter habitat suitability have been shown to decrease population health, specifically because of declines in juvenile survival.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "MAMMALS; FIELD INVESTIGATION; McMurdo Sound", "locations": "McMurdo Sound", "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Liwanag, Heather; Pearson, Linnea; Tomanek, Lars", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD INVESTIGATION", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "RUI: Growing Up on Ice: Physiological Adaptations and Developmental Plasticity in Weddell Seal Pups Across Two Extreme Physical Environments", "uid": "p0010144", "west": null}, {"awards": "1753101 Bernard, Kim", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-65 -64,-64.7 -64,-64.4 -64,-64.1 -64,-63.8 -64,-63.5 -64,-63.2 -64,-62.9 -64,-62.6 -64,-62.3 -64,-62 -64,-62 -64.1,-62 -64.2,-62 -64.3,-62 -64.4,-62 -64.5,-62 -64.6,-62 -64.7,-62 -64.8,-62 -64.9,-62 -65,-62.3 -65,-62.6 -65,-62.9 -65,-63.2 -65,-63.5 -65,-63.8 -65,-64.1 -65,-64.4 -65,-64.7 -65,-65 -65,-65 -64.9,-65 -64.8,-65 -64.7,-65 -64.6,-65 -64.5,-65 -64.4,-65 -64.3,-65 -64.2,-65 -64.1,-65 -64))", "dataset_titles": "2019 Krill Carbon Content; 2019 Krill Morphometrics; CAREER: \"The Omnivores Dilemma\": The Effect of Autumn Diet on Winter Physiology and Condition of Juvenile Antarctic Krill; Expedition of NBP2205; Feeding Experiment - Krill Lipid Classes; Gerlache Strait Krill Demographics", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601708", "doi": "10.15784/601708", "keywords": "Antarctica; Antarctic Krill; Palmer Station; Winter", "people": "Bernard, Kim", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "2019 Krill Morphometrics", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601708"}, {"dataset_uid": "601707", "doi": "10.15784/601707", "keywords": "Antarctica; Antarctic Krill; Palmer Station; Winter", "people": "Bernard, Kim", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Feeding Experiment - Krill Lipid Classes", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601707"}, {"dataset_uid": "601706", "doi": "10.15784/601706", "keywords": "Abundance; Antarctica; Antarctic Krill", "people": "Bernard, Kim", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Gerlache Strait Krill Demographics", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601706"}, {"dataset_uid": "200368", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "BCO-DMO", "science_program": null, "title": "CAREER: \"The Omnivores Dilemma\": The Effect of Autumn Diet on Winter Physiology and Condition of Juvenile Antarctic Krill", "url": "https://www.bco-dmo.org/project/824760"}, {"dataset_uid": "601709", "doi": "10.15784/601709", "keywords": "Antarctica; Antarctic Krill; Palmer Station; Winter", "people": "Bernard, Kim", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "2019 Krill Carbon Content", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601709"}, {"dataset_uid": "200369", "doi": "10.7284/909918", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition of NBP2205", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP2205"}], "date_created": "Mon, 31 Aug 2020 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Antarctic krill are essential in the Southern Ocean as they support vast numbers of marine mammals, seabirds and fishes, some of which feed almost exclusively on krill. Antarctic krill also constitute a target species for industrial fisheries in the Southern Ocean. The success of Antarctic krill populations is largely determined by the ability of their young to survive the long, dark winter, where food is extremely scarce. To survive the long-dark winter, young Antarctic krill must have a high-quality diet in autumn. However, warming in certain parts of Antarctica is changing the dynamics and quality of the polar food web, resulting in a shift in the type of food available to young krill in autumn. It is not yet clear how these dynamic changes are affecting the ability of krill to survive the winter. This project aims to fill an important gap in current knowledge on an understudied stage of the Antarctic krill life cycle, the 1-year old juveniles. The results derived from this work will contribute to the development of improved bioenergetic, population and ecosystem models, and will advance current scientific understanding of this critical Antarctic species. This CAREER project\u0027s core education and outreach objectives seek to enhance education and increase diversity within STEM fields. An undergraduate course will be developed that will integrate undergraduate research and writing in way that promotes authentic scientific inquiry and analysis of original research data by the students, and that enhances their communication skills. A graduate course will be developed that will promote students\u0027 skills in communicating their own research to a non-scientific audience. Graduate students will be supported through the proposed study and will gain valuable research experience. Traditionally underserved undergraduate students will be recruited to conduct independent research under the umbrella of the larger project. Throughout each field season, the research team will maintain a weekly blog that will include short videos, photographs and text highlighting the research, as well as their experiences living and working in Antarctica. The aim of the blog will be to engage the public and increase awareness and understanding of Antarctic ecosystems and the impact of warming, and of the scientific process of research and discovery. In this 5-year CAREER project, the investigator will use a combination of empirical and theoretical techniques to assess the effects of diet on 1-year old krill in autumn-winter. The research is centered on four hypotheses: (H1) autumn diet affects 1-year old krill physiology and condition at the onset of winter; (H2) autumn diet has an effect on winter physiology and condition of 1-year old krill under variable winter food conditions; (H3) the rate of change in physiology and condition of 1-year old krill from autumn to winter is dependent on autumn diet; and (H4) the winter energy budget of 1-year old krill will vary between years and will be dependent on autumn diet. Long-term feeding experiments and in situ sampling will be used to measure changes in the physiology and condition of krill in relation to their diet and feeding environment. Empirically-derived data will be used to develop theoretical models of growth rates and energy budgets to determine how diet will influence the overwinter survival of 1-year old krill. The research will be integrated with an education and outreach plan to (1) develop engaging undergraduate and graduate courses, (2) train and develop young scientists for careers in polar research, and (3) engage the public and increase their awareness and understanding. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": -62.0, "geometry": "POINT(-63.5 -64.5)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Antarctic Peninsula; AMD; FIELD INVESTIGATION; ANIMALS/INVERTEBRATES; PELAGIC; Anvers Island; Amd/Us; USAP-DC; NSF/USA", "locations": "Antarctic Peninsula; Anvers Island", "north": -64.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Bernard, Kim", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD INVESTIGATION", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "BCO-DMO; R2R; USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -65.0, "title": "CAREER: \"The Omnivore\u0027s Dilemma\": The Effect of Autumn Diet on Winter Physiology and Condition of Juvenile Antarctic Krill", "uid": "p0010124", "west": -65.0}, {"awards": "1743035 Saba, Grace", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((164 -72.2,165 -72.2,166 -72.2,167 -72.2,168 -72.2,169 -72.2,170 -72.2,171 -72.2,172 -72.2,173 -72.2,174 -72.2,174 -72.74,174 -73.28,174 -73.82,174 -74.36,174 -74.9,174 -75.44,174 -75.98,174 -76.52,174 -77.06,174 -77.6,173 -77.6,172 -77.6,171 -77.6,170 -77.6,169 -77.6,168 -77.6,167 -77.6,166 -77.6,165 -77.6,164 -77.6,164 -77.06,164 -76.52,164 -75.98,164 -75.44,164 -74.9,164 -74.36,164 -73.82,164 -73.28,164 -72.74,164 -72.2))", "dataset_titles": "Grazing rates of Euphausia crystallorophias from RVIB Nathaniel B. Palmer NBP1801 in the Ross Sea, Jan.-Feb. 2018; NBP1801 Expedition data; ru32-20180109T0531; Zooplankton abundance from Isaacs-Kid Midwater Trawl (IKMT) hauls from RVIB Nathaniel B. Palmer NBP1801 in the Ross Sea, Jan.-Feb. 2018; Zooplankton abundance from ring net tows from RVIB Nathaniel B. Palmer NBP1801 in the Ross Sea, January 2018", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "200056", "doi": "10.7284/907753", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "NBP1801 Expedition data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP1801"}, {"dataset_uid": "200140", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "ERDDAP", "science_program": null, "title": "ru32-20180109T0531", "url": "http://slocum-data.marine.rutgers.edu/erddap/tabledap/ru32-20180109T0531-profile-sci-delayed.html"}, {"dataset_uid": "200139", "doi": "10.1575/1912/bco-dmo.792478.1", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "BCO-DMO", "science_program": null, "title": "Grazing rates of Euphausia crystallorophias from RVIB Nathaniel B. Palmer NBP1801 in the Ross Sea, Jan.-Feb. 2018", "url": "https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/792478"}, {"dataset_uid": "200138", "doi": "10.1575/1912/bco-dmo.792385.1", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "BCO-DMO", "science_program": null, "title": "Zooplankton abundance from Isaacs-Kid Midwater Trawl (IKMT) hauls from RVIB Nathaniel B. Palmer NBP1801 in the Ross Sea, Jan.-Feb. 2018", "url": "https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/792385"}, {"dataset_uid": "200137", "doi": "10.1575/1912/bco-dmo.789299.1", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "BCO-DMO", "science_program": null, "title": "Zooplankton abundance from ring net tows from RVIB Nathaniel B. Palmer NBP1801 in the Ross Sea, January 2018", "url": "https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/789299"}], "date_created": "Thu, 27 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "The Ross Sea is the one of the most productive regions in Antarctica and supports large populations of several key species in the Ross Sea food web, including copepods, crystal krill (Euphausia crystallorophias), and Antarctic silverfish (Pleuragramma antarcticum). Copepods and crystal krill dominate the diets of Antarctic silverfish, the dominant fish species in the high Antarctic zone, and silverfish are a major link between lower (copepods, krill) and higher (fishes, marine mammals, flighted birds, Ad\u00e9lie and Emperor penguins) trophic levels. Despite the significance of these key species, there is limited understanding of copepod, krill, and silverfish mesoscale distribution, spatial structure of age/maturity classes, and their interactions with physical drivers within the Ross Sea. Autonomous underwater profiling gliders are a developing technology that offers the potential for providing high spatial, temporal, and depth resolution data on regional scales. The project will test the capability of a multi-frequency echo sounder integrated into a Slocum Webb glider with the aim of providing the first glider-based acoustic assessment of simultaneous distributions of three trophic levels in the Ross Sea. Complementary glider sensors measuring physical, chemical, and biological parameters will provide mesoscale and sub-mesoscale hydrographic information from which phytoplankton-zooplankton-fish interactions and the relationships between these organisms and physics drivers (sea ice, circulation features) will be investigated. The approach proposed here, glider acoustics, is relatively new and has the potential to be transformational for investigating food webs and the Ross Sea ecosystem. Researchers will modify and integrate an Acoustic Zooplankton and Fish Profiler (AZFP) multi-frequency echo sounder into a Slocum Webb G2 glider with the capability to differentiate between krill and other types of zooplankton, including copepods, and different sizes of krill and silverfish. The AZFP will be complemented with the existing glider sensors including a CTD, a WET Labs BB2FL ECO puck configured for simultaneous chlorophyll fluorescence (phytoplankton biomass) and optical backscatter measurements, and an Aanderaa Optode for measuring dissolved oxygen. The new sensor suite will be tested during a four-week glider deployment, where it will conduct acoustic surveys to map distribution and abundance of multiple zooplankton taxa and silverfish during the austral summer along the Terra Nova Bay polynya ice shelf and in adjacent continental shelf waters. The relationships between phytoplankton-zooplankton-fish distributions and the physical drivers of zooplankton and silverfish species and size distributions will be investigated. Coordinated ship-based acoustic sampling and net tows/trawls will be conducted multiple times during the glider deployment to validate glider acoustic-based species, size, and abundance measurements. Open accessible, automated data produced during this project will be made available through RUCOOL (Rutgers University Center for Ocean Observing Leadership) and THREDDS (Thematic Real-time Environmental Data Distribution System). The production of consistent, vertically-resolved, high resolution glider-based acoustic measurements will define a successful outcome of this project that should help in identifying the challenges in their use as a potentially cost-effective, automated examination of food webs in the Antarctic.", "east": 174.0, "geometry": "POINT(169 -74.9)", "instruments": "NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "NOT APPLICABLE; FISH; Terra Nova Bay; AQUATIC SCIENCES; PELAGIC; PLANKTON; USAP-DC; ANIMALS/VERTEBRATES", "locations": "Terra Nova Bay", "north": -72.2, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Instrumentation and Support; Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Saba, Grace", "platforms": "OTHER \u003e NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE", "repo": "R2R", "repositories": "BCO-DMO; ERDDAP; R2R", "science_programs": null, "south": -77.6, "title": "Using Bio-acoustics on an Autonomous Surveying Platform for the Examination of Phytoplankton-zooplankton and Fish Interactions in the Western Ross Sea", "uid": "p0010086", "west": 164.0}, {"awards": "1543383 Postlethwait, John", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-66 -62,-65.2 -62,-64.4 -62,-63.6 -62,-62.8 -62,-62 -62,-61.2 -62,-60.4 -62,-59.6 -62,-58.8 -62,-58 -62,-58 -62.4,-58 -62.8,-58 -63.2,-58 -63.6,-58 -64,-58 -64.4,-58 -64.8,-58 -65.2,-58 -65.6,-58 -66,-58.8 -66,-59.6 -66,-60.4 -66,-61.2 -66,-62 -66,-62.8 -66,-63.6 -66,-64.4 -66,-65.2 -66,-66 -66,-66 -65.6,-66 -65.2,-66 -64.8,-66 -64.4,-66 -64,-66 -63.6,-66 -63.2,-66 -62.8,-66 -62.4,-66 -62))", "dataset_titles": "C. aceratus pronephric kidney (head kidney) miRNA; mirtop\r\ncommand lines tool to annotate miRNAs with a standard mirna/isomir naming; Patagonotothen cornucola isolate Pcor_18_01 cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene, partial cds; mitochondrial; Patagonotothen sima isolate Psim_18_11 cardiac muscle myosin heavy chain 6 (myh6) gene, partial cds; Patagonotothen sima isolate Psim_18_11 cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene, partial cds; mitochondrial; Patagonotothen sima isolate Psim_18_12 cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene, partial cds; mitochondrial; Prost!, a tool for miRNA annotation and next generation smallRNA sequencing experiment analysis; Quantifying expression levels of smallRNAs between tissues in Danio Rerio strain AB.; Quantifying expression levels of smallRNAs between tissues in three-spined stickleback", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "200130", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "NCBI SRA", "science_program": null, "title": "C. aceratus pronephric kidney (head kidney) miRNA", "url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/search/all/?term=SRP069031"}, {"dataset_uid": "200131", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "GitHub", "science_program": null, "title": "Prost!, a tool for miRNA annotation and next generation smallRNA sequencing experiment analysis", "url": "https://github.com/uoregon-postlethwait/prost"}, {"dataset_uid": "200132", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "GitHub", "science_program": null, "title": "mirtop\r\ncommand lines tool to annotate miRNAs with a standard mirna/isomir naming", "url": "https://github.com/miRTop"}, {"dataset_uid": "200133", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "NCBI GenBank", "science_program": null, "title": "Patagonotothen cornucola isolate Pcor_18_01 cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene, partial cds; mitochondrial", "url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/search/all/?term=MN136231"}, {"dataset_uid": "200134", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "NCBI GenBank", "science_program": null, "title": "Patagonotothen sima isolate Psim_18_11 cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene, partial cds; mitochondrial", "url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/search/all/?term=MN136232"}, {"dataset_uid": "200135", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "NCBI GenBank", "science_program": null, "title": "Patagonotothen sima isolate Psim_18_12 cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene, partial cds; mitochondrial", "url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/search/all/?term=MN136233+"}, {"dataset_uid": "200136", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "NCBI GenBank", "science_program": null, "title": "Patagonotothen sima isolate Psim_18_11 cardiac muscle myosin heavy chain 6 (myh6) gene, partial cds", "url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/search/all/?term=MN136234+"}, {"dataset_uid": "200129", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "NCBI SRA", "science_program": null, "title": "Quantifying expression levels of smallRNAs between tissues in Danio Rerio strain AB.", "url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/search/all/?term=SRP039502"}, {"dataset_uid": "200128", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "NCBI SRA", "science_program": null, "title": "Quantifying expression levels of smallRNAs between tissues in three-spined stickleback", "url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/search/all/?term=SRP157992"}], "date_created": "Wed, 26 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Icefish live in frigid Antarctic seas, and have unique traits such as the absence of red blood cells, enlarged hearts, large diameter blood vessels, low bone mineral densities, and fat droplets that disrupt their muscles. These features would be harmful in other animals. In mammals and fish inhabiting warm waters, development of organs involved in these traits is modulated by genes that encode specific proteins, but the rate of protein production is often regulated by short RNA molecules called microRNAs (miRNAs). Genes that code for proteins must first make an RNA copy, and the actual protein is made from this RNA copy intermediate. MiRNAs regulate the amount of protein that is made by binding to the RNA intermediate and interrupting its production of protein. Binding of miRNAs to RNA depends strongly on temperature. Regulation of genes by miRNAs has not been studied in Antarctic fish, which live in seas with temperatures below the freezing point of fresh water. This project will compare miRNA regulation 1) in Antarctic fish vs. warm-water fish to learn how miRNAs regulate gene expression in constant cold; and 2) in Antarctic icefish with no red blood cells, enlarged hearts, and reduced bone density vs. closely related Antarctic fish containing red blood cells, normal hearts, and dense bones. The project will have broad impacts to science and society nationally and globally. First, this will be the first study of important factors in gene regulation (miRNAs) in Antarctic fish, which are an essential component of the entire ecology of the Southern Ocean, and will shed light on how these fish might respond to the warming of Antarctic waters. Second, it will bring Antarctic science to under-represented high school students at a local alternative downtown high school by conducting video conferences during the Antarctic field seasons and hosting student investigations of Antarctic fish in the research laboratory. microRNAs (miRNAs) are key post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression that modulate development and physiology in temperate animals. Although miRNAs act by binding to messenger RNAs (mRNAs), a process that is strongly sensitive to temperature, miRNAs have yet not been studied in Antarctic animals, including Notothenioid fish, which dominate the Southern Ocean. This project will compare miRNA regulation in 1) Antarctic vs. temperate fish to learn the roles of miRNA regulation in adaptation to constant cold; and in 2) bottom-dwelling, dense-boned, red-blooded Nototheniods vs. high buoyancy, osteopenic, white-blooded icefish to understand miRNA regulation in specialized organs after the evolution of the loss of hemoglobin genes and red blood cells, the origin of enlarged heart and vasculature, and the evolution of increased buoyancy, which arose by decreased bone mineralization and increased lipid deposition. Aim 1 is to test the hypothesis that Antarctic fish evolved miRNA-related genome specializations in response to constant cold. The project will compare four Antarctic Notothenioid species to two temperate Notothenioids and two temperate laboratory species to test the hypotheses that (a) Antarctic fish evolved miRNA genome repertoires by loss of ancestral genes and/or gain of new genes, (b) express miRNAs that are involved in cold tolerance, and (c) respond to temperature change by changing miRNA gene expression. Aim 2 is to test the hypothesis that the evolution of icefish from red-blooded bottom-dwelling ancestors was accompanied by an altered miRNA genomic repertoire, sequence, and/or expression. The project will test the hypotheses that (a) miRNAs in icefish evolved in sequence and/or in expression in icefish specializations, including head kidney (origin of red blood cells); heart (changes in vascular system), cranium and pectoral girdle (reduced bone mineral density); and skeletal muscle (lipid deposition), and (b) miRNAs that evolved in icefish specializations had ancestral functions related to their derived roles in icefish, as determined by functional tests of zebrafish orthologs of icefish miRNAs in developing zebrafish. The program will isolate, sequence, and determine the expression of miRNAs and mRNAs using high-throughput transcriptomics and novel software. Results will show how the microRNA system evolves in vertebrate animals pushed to physiological extremes and provide insights into the prospects of key species in the most rapidly warming part of the globe.", "east": -58.0, "geometry": "POINT(-62 -64)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "USAP-DC; Palmer Station; NOT APPLICABLE; FISH", "locations": "Palmer Station", "north": -62.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Postlethwait, John; Desvignes, Thomas", "platforms": "OTHER \u003e NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE", "repo": "NCBI SRA", "repositories": "GitHub; NCBI GenBank; NCBI SRA", "science_programs": null, "south": -66.0, "title": "Antarctic Fish and MicroRNA Control of Development and Physiology", "uid": "p0010085", "west": -66.0}, {"awards": "1643735 Li, Yun; 1643901 Zhang, Weifeng; 2021245 Li, Yun", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-180 -60,-144 -60,-108 -60,-72 -60,-36 -60,0 -60,36 -60,72 -60,108 -60,144 -60,180 -60,180 -63,180 -66,180 -69,180 -72,180 -75,180 -78,180 -81,180 -84,180 -87,180 -90,144 -90,108 -90,72 -90,36 -90,0 -90,-36 -90,-72 -90,-108 -90,-144 -90,-180 -90,-180 -87,-180 -84,-180 -81,-180 -78,-180 -75,-180 -72,-180 -69,-180 -66,-180 -63,-180 -60))", "dataset_titles": "Dynamic fine-scale sea-icescape shapes adult emperor penguin foraging habitat in East Antarctica; Monthly Stratification Climatology (1978-2021) in Antarctic Coastal Polynyas", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601209", "doi": "10.15784/601209", "keywords": "Animal Behavior Observation; Antarctica; Biota; East Antarctica; GPS; Oceans; Penguin; Southern Ocean", "people": "Pinaud, David; Wienecke, Barbara; Kirkwood, Roger; Ropert-Coudert, Yan; Resinger, Ryan; Jonsen, Ian; Porter-Smith, Rick; Barbraud, Christophe; Ji, Rubao; Jenouvrier, Stephanie; Sumner, Michael; Bost, Charles-Andr\u00e9; Labrousse, Sara; Fraser, Alexander; Tamura, Takeshi", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Dynamic fine-scale sea-icescape shapes adult emperor penguin foraging habitat in East Antarctica", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601209"}, {"dataset_uid": "601628", "doi": "10.15784/601628", "keywords": "Antarctic; Antarctica; Antarctic Coastal Polynyas; Polynya", "people": "Zhang, Weifeng; Shunk, Nathan; Li, Yun", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Monthly Stratification Climatology (1978-2021) in Antarctic Coastal Polynyas", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601628"}], "date_created": "Wed, 07 Aug 2019 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "During winter, sea-ice coverage along the Antarctic coast is punctuated by numerous polynyas--isolated openings of tens to hundreds of kilometer wide. These coastal polynyas are hotspots of sea ice production and the primary source regions of the bottom water in the global ocean. They also host high levels of biological activities and are the feeding grounds of Emperor penguins and marine mammals. The polynyas are a key component of the Antarctic coastal system and crucial for the survival of penguins and many other species. These features also differ dramatically from each other in timing of formation, duration, phytoplankton growth season, and overall biological productivity. Yet, the underlying reasons for differences among them are largely unknown. This project studies the fundamental biophysical processes at a variety of polynyas, examines the connection between the physical environment and the phytoplankton and penguin ecology, and investigates the mechanisms behind polynya variability. The results of this interdisciplinary study will provide a context for interpretation of field measurements in Antarctic coastal polynyas, set a baseline for future polynya studies, and examine how polynya ecosystems may respond to local and large-scale environmental changes. The project will include educational and outreach activities that convey scientific messages to a broad audience. It aims to increase public awareness of the interconnection between large-scale environmental change and Antarctic coastal systems. The main objectives of this study are to form a comprehensive understanding of the temporal and spatial variability of Antarctic coastal polynyas and the physical controls of polynya ecosystems. The project takes an interdisciplinary approach and seeks to establish a modeling system centered on the Regional Ocean Modeling System. This system links the ice and ocean conditions to the plankton ecology and penguin population. Applications of the modeling system in representative polynyas, in conjunction with analysis of existing observations, will determine the biophysical influences of individual forcing factors. In particular, this study will test a set of hypothesized effects of winds, offshore water intrusion, ice-shelf melting, sea-ice formation, glacier tongues, and ocean stratification on the timing of polynya phytoplankton bloom and the overall polynya biological productivity. The project will also examine how changing polynya state affects penguin breeding success, adult survival, and population growth. The team will conduct idealized sensitivity analysis to explore implications of forcing variability, including local and large-scale environmental change, on Antarctic coastal ecosystems.", "east": 180.0, "geometry": "POINT(0 -89.999)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Southern Ocean; Animal Behavior; Penguin; FIELD INVESTIGATION; USAP-DC; COASTAL; PENGUINS; SEA ICE; Antarctica; OCEAN MIXED LAYER", "locations": "Southern Ocean; Antarctica", "north": -60.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Integrated System Science; Antarctic Integrated System Science; Antarctic Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences; Antarctic Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences; Antarctic Integrated System Science", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Zhang, Weifeng; Ji, Rubao; Jenouvrier, Stephanie; Maksym, Edward; Li, Yun", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD INVESTIGATION", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -90.0, "title": "Collaborative Research: Polynyas in Coastal Antarctica (PICA): Linking Physical Dynamics to Biological Variability", "uid": "p0010044", "west": -180.0}, {"awards": "1543311 LaRue, Michelle; 1543230 Ainley, David; 1543003 Stammerjohn, Sharon; 1542791 Salas, Leonardo", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-180 -64,-144 -64,-108 -64,-72 -64,-36 -64,0 -64,36 -64,72 -64,108 -64,144 -64,180 -64,180 -65.4,180 -66.8,180 -68.2,180 -69.6,180 -71,180 -72.4,180 -73.8,180 -75.2,180 -76.6,180 -78,144 -78,108 -78,72 -78,36 -78,0 -78,-36 -78,-72 -78,-108 -78,-144 -78,-180 -78,-180 -76.6,-180 -75.2,-180 -73.8,-180 -72.4,-180 -71,-180 -69.6,-180 -68.2,-180 -66.8,-180 -65.4,-180 -64))", "dataset_titles": "ContinentalWESEestimates; Counting seals from space tutorial; Fast Ice Tool; Weddell seals habitat suitability model for the Ross Sea", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "200047", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "Publication", "science_program": null, "title": "Counting seals from space tutorial", "url": "https://www.int-res.com/articles/suppl/m612p193_supp.pdf"}, {"dataset_uid": "200045", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "GitHub", "science_program": null, "title": "Fast Ice Tool", "url": "https://github.com/leosalas/FastIceCovars"}, {"dataset_uid": "200046", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "GitHub", "science_program": null, "title": "Weddell seals habitat suitability model for the Ross Sea", "url": "https://github.com/leosalas/WeddellSeal_SOS"}, {"dataset_uid": "200234", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "GitHub", "science_program": null, "title": "ContinentalWESEestimates", "url": "https://github.com/leosalas/ContinentalWESEestimates"}], "date_created": "Fri, 02 Aug 2019 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "The Weddell seal is the southern-most mammal in the world, having a circumpolar distribution around Antarctica; the McMurdo Sound population in Antarctica is one of the best-studied mammal populations on earth. However, despite this, an understanding of how populations around the continent will fare under climate change is poorly understood. A complicating matter is the potential effects of a commercial enterprise in the Antarctic: a fishery targeting toothfish, which are important prey for Weddell seals. Although the species is easily detected and counted during the breeding season, no reliable estimates of continent-wide Weddell seal numbers exist, due to the logistic difficulties of surveying vast regions of Antarctica. Large-scale estimates are needed to understand how seal populations are responding to the fishery and climate change, because these drivers of change operate at scales larger than any single population, and may affect seals differently in different regions of the continent. We will take advantage of the ease of detectability of darkly colored seals when they the on ice to develop estimates of abundance from satellite images. This project will generate baseline data on the global distribution and abundance of Weddell seals around the Antarctic and will link environmental variables to population changes to better understand how the species will fare as their sea ice habitat continues to change. These results will help disentangle the effects of climate change and fishery operations, results that are necessary for appropriate international policy regarding fishery catch limits, impacts on the environment, and the value of marine protected areas. The project will also further the NSF goals of training new generations of scientists and of making scientific discoveries available to the general public. It will engage \"arm-chair\" scientists of all ages through connections with several non-governmental organizations and the general public. Anyone with access to the internet, including people who are physically unable to participate in field research directly, can participate in this project while simultaneously learning about multiple aspects of polar ecology through the project\u0027s interactive website. Specifically, this research project will: 1) Quantify the distribution of Weddell seals around Antarctica and 2) Determine the impact of environmental variables (such as fast ice extent, ocean productivity, bathymetry) on habitat suitability and occupancy. To do this, the project will crowd-source counting of seals on high-resolution satellite images via a commercial citizen science platform. Variation in seal around the continent will then be related to habitat variables through generalized linear models. Specific variables, such as fast ice extent will be tested to determine their influence on population variability through both space and time. The project includes a rigorous plan for ensuring quality control in the dataset including ground truth data from other, localized projects concurrently funded by the National Science Foundation\u0027s Antarctic Science Program.", "east": 180.0, "geometry": "POINT(0 -89.999)", "instruments": "NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "COASTAL; Southern Ocean; COMMUNITY DYNAMICS; MAMMALS; SEA ICE; NOT APPLICABLE; Antarctica; PENGUINS; USAP-DC", "locations": "Antarctica; Southern Ocean", "north": -64.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems; Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems; Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems; Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "LaRue, Michelle; Stamatiou, Kostas", "platforms": "OTHER \u003e NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE", "repo": "Publication", "repositories": "GitHub; Publication", "science_programs": null, "south": -78.0, "title": "Collaborative Research: Determining Factors Affecting Distribution and Population Variability of the Ice-obligate Weddell Seal", "uid": "p0010041", "west": -180.0}, {"awards": "1543412 Reinfelder, John", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": "16S rRNA gene libraries of krill gut microbial communities; Microbial gene libraries of krill gut microbial communities", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "200024", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "NCBI GenBank", "science_program": null, "title": "Microbial gene libraries of krill gut microbial communities", "url": "https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fbioproject%2F531145\u0026amp;data=02%7C01%7Creinfeld%40envsci.rutgers.edu%7C7e30a0192dc748ab271408d6b9d57d08%7Cb92d2b234d35447093ff69aca6632ffe%7C1%7C0%7C636900723909188941\u0026amp;sdata=G6cNg4bBHzeikrWSCYITcT6XS3NLWwjQ1yNdwtrALPc%3D\u0026amp;reserved=0"}, {"dataset_uid": "601171", "doi": "10.15784/601171", "keywords": "Antarctica; Biota; Krill; LTER Palmer Station; Microbiome; Oceans; Southern Ocean", "people": "Reinfelder, John", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "LTER", "title": "16S rRNA gene libraries of krill gut microbial communities", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601171"}], "date_created": "Sun, 31 Mar 2019 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Marine food webs can concentrate monomethylmercury (MMHg), a neurotoxin in mammals, in upper trophic level consumers. Despite their remoteness, coastal Antarctic marine ecosystems accumulate and biomagnify MMHg to levels observed at lower latitudes and in the Arctic. Marine sediments and other anoxic habitats in the oceans are typical areas where methylation of mercury occurs and these are likely places where MMHg is being produced. Krill, and more specifically their digestive tracts, may be a previously unaccounted for site where the production of MMHg may be occurring in the Antarctic. If monomethylmercury production is occurring in krill, current views regarding bioaccumulation in the food web and processes leading to the production and accumulation of mercury in the Antarctic Ocean could be better informed, if not transformed. This project will conduct a preliminary assessment of the krill gut microbiomes, the microbiome\u0027s genomic content and potential for production of monomethyl mercury by detecting the genes involved in mercury transformations. By analyzing the krill gut microbiome, the project will provide insights regarding animal-microbe interactions and their potential role in globally important biogeochemical cycles. This project will conduct a preliminary assessment of the krill gut microbiomes, the microbiomes genomic content and potential for production of monomethylmercury. The diversity and metabolic profiles of microorganisms in krill digestive tracts will be evaluated using massively parallel Illumina DNA sequencing technology to produce 16S rRNA gene libraries and assembled whole metagenomes. The project will also quantify the abundance and expression of Hg methylation genes, hgcAB, and identify their taxonomic affiliations in the microbiome communities. Environmental metagenomes, 16S rRNA gene inventories produced from this project will provide the polar science community with valuable databases and experimental tools with which to examine coastal Antarctic microbial ecology and biogeochemistry. The project will seek to provide a wider window into the diversity of extremophile microbial communities and the identification of potentially unique and useful bioactive compounds. In addition to public education and outreach. This project will train graduate students and provide educational and outreach opportunities at the participating institutions", "east": -68.2816, "geometry": "POINT(-69.09295 -66.8017)", "instruments": "NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "USAP-DC; Antarctica; NOT APPLICABLE; BACTERIA/ARCHAEA", "locations": "Antarctica", "north": -65.8708, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Schaefer, Jeffra; Reinfelder, John; Barkar, T.", "platforms": "OTHER \u003e NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE", "repo": "NCBI GenBank", "repositories": "NCBI GenBank; USAP-DC", "science_programs": "LTER", "south": -67.7326, "title": "Methylmercury in Antarctic Krill Microbiomes", "uid": "p0010023", "west": -69.9043}, {"awards": "1142129 Lamanna, Matthew", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-60 -63.5,-59.6 -63.5,-59.2 -63.5,-58.8 -63.5,-58.4 -63.5,-58 -63.5,-57.6 -63.5,-57.2 -63.5,-56.8 -63.5,-56.4 -63.5,-56 -63.5,-56 -63.7,-56 -63.9,-56 -64.1,-56 -64.3,-56 -64.5,-56 -64.7,-56 -64.9,-56 -65.1,-56 -65.3,-56 -65.5,-56.4 -65.5,-56.8 -65.5,-57.2 -65.5,-57.6 -65.5,-58 -65.5,-58.4 -65.5,-58.8 -65.5,-59.2 -65.5,-59.6 -65.5,-60 -65.5,-60 -65.3,-60 -65.1,-60 -64.9,-60 -64.7,-60 -64.5,-60 -64.3,-60 -64.1,-60 -63.9,-60 -63.7,-60 -63.5))", "dataset_titles": "2008-2016 AMNH accessioned vertebrate fossils from Seymour Island; 3D digital reconstructions of vocal organs of Antarctic Cretaceous bird Vegavis and Paleogene bird Presbyornis", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601112", "doi": "10.15784/601112", "keywords": "Antarctica; Biota; Penguin; Seymour Island; Vertebrates", "people": "MacPhee, Ross", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "2008-2016 AMNH accessioned vertebrate fossils from Seymour Island", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601112"}, {"dataset_uid": "601035", "doi": "10.15784/601035", "keywords": "Antarctica; Biota; Birds", "people": "Clarke, Julia; Salisbury, Steven; Lamanna, Matthew", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "3D digital reconstructions of vocal organs of Antarctic Cretaceous bird Vegavis and Paleogene bird Presbyornis", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601035"}], "date_created": "Wed, 12 Jul 2017 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Intellectual Merit: The role that Antarctica has played in vertebrate evolution and paleobiogeography during the Late Cretaceous and early Paleogene is largely unknown. Evidence indicates that Antarctica was home to a diverse flora during the Late Cretaceous and Paleogene, yet the vertebrates that must have existed on the continent remain virtually unknown. To fill this gap, the PIs have formed the Antarctic Vertebrate Paleontology Initiative (AVPI), whose goal is to search for and collect Late Cretaceous-Paleogene vertebrate fossils in Antarctica at localities that have never been properly surveyed, as well as in areas of proven potential. Two field seasons are proposed for the James Ross Island Group on the northeastern margin of the Antarctic Peninsula. Expected finds include chondrichthyan and osteichthyan fishes, marine reptiles, ornithischian and non-avian theropod dinosaurs, ornithurine birds, and therian and non-therian mammals. Hypotheses to be tested include: 1) multiple extant bird and/or therian mammal lineages originated during the Cretaceous and survived the K-Pg boundary extinction event; 2) the \"Scotia Portal\" permitted the dispersal of continental vertebrates between Antarctica and South America prior to the latest Cretaceous and through to the late Paleocene or early Eocene; 3) Late Cretaceous non-avian dinosaurs from Antarctica are closely related to coeval taxa from other Gondwanan landmasses; 4) terminal Cretaceous marine reptile faunas from southern Gondwana differed from contemporaneous but more northerly assemblages; and 5) the collapse of Antarctic ichthyofaunal diversity during the K-Pg transition was triggered by a catastrophic extinction. Broader impacts: The PIs will communicate discoveries to audiences through a variety of channels, such as the Dinosaurs in Their Time exhibition at Carnegie Museum of Natural History and the outreach programs of the Environmental Science Institute of the University of Texas at Austin. In addition, Carnegie Museum will launch a student-oriented programming initiative using AVPI research as a primary focus. This array of activities will help some 2,000 Pittsburgh-area undergraduates to explore the relevance of deep-time discoveries to critical modern issues. The AVPI will provide research opportunities for eight undergraduate and three graduate students, several of whom will receive field training in Antarctica. Fossils will be accessioned into the Carnegie Museum collection, and made accessible virtually through the NSF-funded Digital Morphology library at University of Texas.", "east": -56.0, "geometry": "POINT(-58 -64.5)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "USAP-DC; Not provided", "locations": null, "north": -63.5, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Lamanna, Matthew", "platforms": "Not provided", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -65.5, "title": "Collaborative Research: Late Cretaceous-Paleogene Vertebrates from Antarctica: Implications for Paleobiogeography, Paleoenvironment, and Extinction in Polar Gondwana", "uid": "p0000380", "west": -60.0}, {"awards": "1443554 Buys, Emmanuel", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((166.163 -76.665,166.2635 -76.665,166.364 -76.665,166.4645 -76.665,166.565 -76.665,166.6655 -76.665,166.766 -76.665,166.8665 -76.665,166.967 -76.665,167.0675 -76.665,167.168 -76.665,167.168 -76.782,167.168 -76.899,167.168 -77.016,167.168 -77.133,167.168 -77.25,167.168 -77.367,167.168 -77.484,167.168 -77.601,167.168 -77.718,167.168 -77.835,167.0675 -77.835,166.967 -77.835,166.8665 -77.835,166.766 -77.835,166.6655 -77.835,166.565 -77.835,166.4645 -77.835,166.364 -77.835,166.2635 -77.835,166.163 -77.835,166.163 -77.718,166.163 -77.601,166.163 -77.484,166.163 -77.367,166.163 -77.25,166.163 -77.133,166.163 -77.016,166.163 -76.899,166.163 -76.782,166.163 -76.665))", "dataset_titles": "Biosamples and observations from Weddell Seal colonies in McMurdo Sound during the 2015-2016 Antarctic field season", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601028", "doi": "10.15784/601028", "keywords": "Antarctica; Biota; McMurdo Sound; Ross Sea; Sample/collection Description; Sample/Collection Description; Seals", "people": "Buys, Emmanuel; Hindle, Allyson", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Biosamples and observations from Weddell Seal colonies in McMurdo Sound during the 2015-2016 Antarctic field season", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601028"}], "date_created": "Fri, 26 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "The Weddell seal is a champion diving mammal. The physiology that permits these animals to sustain extended breath-hold periods and survive the extreme pressure of diving deep allows them to thrive in icy Antarctic waters. Key elements of their physiological specializations to breath-hold diving are their ability for remarkable adjustment of their heart and blood vessel system, coordinating blood pressure and flow to specific body regions based on their metabolic requirements, and their ability to sustain periods without oxygen. Identifying the details of these strategies has tremendous potential to better inform human medicine, helping us to develop novel therapies for cardiovascular trauma (e.g. stroke, heart attack) and diseases associated with blunted oxygen delivery to tissues (e.g. pneumonia, sepsis, or cancer). The goal of this project is to document specific genes that control these cardiovascular adjustments in seals, and to compare their abundance and activity with humans. Specifically, the investigators will study a signaling pathway that coordinates local blood flow. They will also use tissue samples to generate cultured cells from Weddell seals that can be used to study the molecular effects of low oxygen conditions in the laboratory. The project will further the NSF goals of training new generations of scientists and of making scientific discoveries available to the general public. The project will train a pre-veterinary student researcher will conduct public outreach via a center for community health improvement, a multicultural affairs office, and a public aquarium. The goal of this study is to unravel the molecular mechanisms underlying the dive response. A hallmark of the dive response is tissue-specific vascular system regulation, likely resulting from variation in both nerve inputs and in production of local signaling molecules produced by blood vessel cells. The investigators will use emerging genomic information to begin to unravel the genetics underlying redistribution of the circulation during diving. They will also directly test the hypothesis that modifications in the signaling system prevent local blood vessel changes under low oxygen conditions, thereby allowing the centrally mediated diving reflex to override local physiological responses and to control the constriction of blood vessel walls in Weddell seals. They will perform RNA-sequencing of Weddell seal tissues and use the resulting sequence, along with information from other mammals such as dog, to obtain a full annotation (identifying all genes based on named features of reference genomes) of the existing genome assembly for the Weddell seal, facilitating comparative and species-specific genomic research. They will also generate a Weddell seal pluripotent stem cell line which should be a valuable research tool for cell biologists, molecular biologists and physiologists that will allow them to further test their hypotheses. It is expected that the proposed studies will advance our knowledge of the biochemical and physiological adaptations that allow the Weddell seal to thrive in the Antarctic environment.", "east": 167.168, "geometry": "POINT(166.6655 -77.25)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": -76.665, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Buys, Emmanuel; Costa, Daniel; Zapol, Warren; Hindle, Allyson", "platforms": "Not provided", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -77.835, "title": "Unraveling the Genomic and Molecular Basis of the Dive Response: Nitric Oxide Signaling and Vasoregulation in the Weddell Seal", "uid": "p0000072", "west": 166.163}, {"awards": "1246463 Burns, Jennifer", "bounds_geometry": "POINT(149 -80)", "dataset_titles": "1970s - 1980s Kooyman-Billups TDR Dive Records from Weddell Seals in McMurdo Sound; Cortisol levels in Weddell seal fur; Seasonal Dive Data ; Specimen logs and observations from Weddell Seal colonies in Erebus Bay, 2013-2017; Weddell Seal Heat Flux Dataset; Weddell seal iron dynamics and oxygen stores across lactation; Weddell seal metabolic hormone data; Weddell Seal Molt Phenology Dataset; Weddell Seal Molt Survey Data; Weddell seal summer diving behavior", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601560", "doi": "10.15784/601560", "keywords": "Antarctica; Biota; Diving Behavior; McMurdo Sound; Weddell Seal", "people": "Tsai, EmmaLi", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "1970s - 1980s Kooyman-Billups TDR Dive Records from Weddell Seals in McMurdo Sound", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601560"}, {"dataset_uid": "601587", "doi": "10.15784/601587", "keywords": "Aerobic; Antarctica; Dive Capacity; Iron; McMurdo Sound; Weddell Seal", "people": "Shero, Michelle", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Weddell seal iron dynamics and oxygen stores across lactation", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601587"}, {"dataset_uid": "601840", "doi": "10.15784/601840", "keywords": "Antarctica; Cryosphere; Hormones; McMurdo Sound; Ross Sea; Weddell Seal", "people": "Kirkham, Amy", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Weddell seal metabolic hormone data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601840"}, {"dataset_uid": "601338", "doi": "10.15784/601338", "keywords": "Animal Behavior Observation; Antarctica; Biota; McMurdo Sound; Ross Sea; Seal Dive Data; Weddell Seal", "people": "Burns, Jennifer", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Seasonal Dive Data ", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601338"}, {"dataset_uid": "601027", "doi": "10.15784/601027", "keywords": "Antarctica; Biota; McMurdo Sound; Oceans; Ross Sea; Sample/collection Description; Sample/Collection Description; Seals", "people": "Burns, Jennifer", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Specimen logs and observations from Weddell Seal colonies in Erebus Bay, 2013-2017", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601027"}, {"dataset_uid": "601271", "doi": "10.15784/601271", "keywords": "Antarctica; Heat Flux; Infrared Thermography; Physiological Conditions; Surface Temperatures; Thermoregulation; Weddell Seal", "people": "Walcott, Skyla", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Weddell Seal Heat Flux Dataset", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601271"}, {"dataset_uid": "601131", "doi": "10.15784/601131", "keywords": "Antarctica; B-292-M; Biota; Ross Sea; Seals; Southern Ocean; Weddell Seal", "people": "Burns, Jennifer", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Weddell Seal Molt Phenology Dataset", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601131"}, {"dataset_uid": "601137", "doi": "10.15784/601137", "keywords": "Antarctica; Biota; Ross Sea; Seals; Southern Ocean; Weddell Seal", "people": "Beltran, Roxanne; Burns, Jennifer", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Weddell seal summer diving behavior", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601137"}, {"dataset_uid": "601134", "doi": "10.15784/601134", "keywords": "Antarctica; Biota; Cortisol; Fur; Ross Sea; Seals; Southern Ocean; Visual Observations; Weddell Seal", "people": "Burns, Jennifer", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Cortisol levels in Weddell seal fur", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601134"}, {"dataset_uid": "601133", "doi": "10.15784/601133", "keywords": "Antarctica; Biota; Ross Sea; Seals; Visual Observations; Weddell Seal", "people": "Burns, Jennifer", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Weddell Seal Molt Survey Data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601133"}], "date_created": "Wed, 24 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Marine mammals that inhabit high latitude environments have evolved unique mechanisms to execute a suite of energetically-costly life history events (CLHEs) within a relatively short timeframe when conditions are most favorable. Understanding the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that regulate CLHEs is particularly important in species such as Weddell seals, as both reproduction and molt are associated with large reductions in foraging effort, and the timing and outcome of each appears linked with the other. The long-term mark recapture program on Erebus Bay\u0027s Weddell seals provides a unique opportunity to examine CLHEs in a known-history population. The proposed work will monitor physiological condition, pregnancy status, and behavior at various times throughout the year to determine if molt timing is influenced by prior reproductive outcome, and if it, in turn, influences future reproductive success. These data will then be used to address the demographic consequences of trade-offs between CLHEs in Weddell seals. The impact of environmental conditions and CLHE timing on population health will also be modeled so that results can be extended to other climates and species. An improved understanding of the interactions between CLHEs and the environment is important in predicting the response of organisms from higher trophic levels to climate change. Results will be widely disseminated through publications as well as through presentations at national and international meetings. In addition, raw data will be made available through open-access databases. This project will support the research and training of graduate students and a post-doctoral researcher and will further foster an extensive public outreach collaboration.", "east": 165.0, "geometry": "POINT(165 -77)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "FIELD INVESTIGATION; USAP-DC; Seal Dive Data; Weddell Seal", "locations": null, "north": -77.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Burns, Jennifer", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD INVESTIGATION", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -77.0, "title": "The Cost of A New Fur Coat: Interactions between Molt and Reproduction in Weddell Seals", "uid": "p0000229", "west": 165.0}, {"awards": "1347911 Loeb, Valerie", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-66 -54,-65.2 -54,-64.4 -54,-63.6 -54,-62.8 -54,-62 -54,-61.2 -54,-60.4 -54,-59.6 -54,-58.8 -54,-58 -54,-58 -54.8,-58 -55.6,-58 -56.4,-58 -57.2,-58 -58,-58 -58.8,-58 -59.6,-58 -60.4,-58 -61.2,-58 -62,-58.8 -62,-59.6 -62,-60.4 -62,-61.2 -62,-62 -62,-62.8 -62,-63.6 -62,-64.4 -62,-65.2 -62,-66 -62,-66 -61.2,-66 -60.4,-66 -59.6,-66 -58.8,-66 -58,-66 -57.2,-66 -56.4,-66 -55.6,-66 -54.8,-66 -54))", "dataset_titles": "Zooplankton samples, analyses, and underwater video.", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "000198", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "BCO-DMO", "science_program": null, "title": "Zooplankton samples, analyses, and underwater video.", "url": "http://www.bco-dmo.org/project/683961"}], "date_created": "Tue, 25 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "A 50+ year warming trend in the Southern Ocean has been most dramatic in Drake Passage and likely impacts ecosystem structure here. Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) records from multiple ?L.M. Gould? supply transits of Drake Passage from 1999 to present demonstrate spatial and temporal variability in acoustics backscattering. Acoustics backscattering strength in the upper water column corresponds to zooplankton and nekton biomass that supports predator populations. However, for much of Drake Passage the identity of taxa contributing to this acoustically detected biomass is not known. This project would introduce a biological component to ?L.M. Gould? transits of Drake Passage with the goal of determining the identity of taxa responsible for the backscattering records obtained by ADCP and relating these to higher trophic levels (seabird/marine mammal). Net sampling during spring, summer and fall transits will permit assessment of diel and seasonal changes in the abundance and taxonomic composition of zooplankton and top predators represented between Patagonia and the Antarctic Peninsula. Net samples and depth-referenced video records taken in conjunction with ADCP profiles will permit the identification of the dominant acoustic backscatters in the 3 biogeographic regions represented here, the Subantarctic, Polar Frontal, and Antarctic Zones. The validity of dominant backscattering taxa in the Antarctic Zone will be tested by comparing the ADCP records with abundant zooplankton data collected off the Antarctic Peninsula during January-March 1999-2009 as well with long-term top predator surveys. The broader impacts also include a cruise blog, the production of an article for an online outreach publication based at Moss Landing Marine Labs and a YouTube video featuring shipboard research in the Southern Ocean.", "east": -58.0, "geometry": "POINT(-62 -58)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": -54.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Loeb, Valerie; Santora, Jarrod", "platforms": "Not provided", "repo": "BCO-DMO", "repositories": "BCO-DMO", "science_programs": null, "south": -62.0, "title": "Pilot Study: Addition of Biological Sampling to Drake Passage Transits of the \"L.M. Gould\"", "uid": "p0000314", "west": -66.0}, {"awards": "1142052 MacPhee, Ross", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": "Expedition data of NBP1602", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "002666", "doi": null, "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition data of NBP1602", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP1602"}], "date_created": "Tue, 26 Apr 2016 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Intellectual Merit: The role that Antarctica has played in vertebrate evolution and paleobiogeography during the Late Cretaceous and early Paleogene is largely unknown. Evidence indicates that Antarctica was home to a diverse flora during the Late Cretaceous and Paleogene, yet the vertebrates that must have existed on the continent remain virtually unknown. To fill this gap, the PIs have formed the Antarctic Vertebrate Paleontology Initiative (AVPI), whose goal is to search for and collect Late Cretaceous-Paleogene vertebrate fossils in Antarctica at localities that have never been properly surveyed, as well as in areas of proven potential. Two field seasons are proposed for the James Ross Island Group on the northeastern margin of the Antarctic Peninsula. Expected finds include chondrichthyan and osteichthyan fishes, marine reptiles, ornithischian and non-avian theropod dinosaurs, ornithurine birds, and therian and non-therian mammals. Hypotheses to be tested include: 1) multiple extant bird and/or therian mammal lineages originated during the Cretaceous and survived the K-Pg boundary extinction event; 2) the ?Scotia Portal? permitted the dispersal of continental vertebrates between Antarctica and South America prior to the latest Cretaceous and through to the late Paleocene or early Eocene; 3) Late Cretaceous non-avian dinosaurs from Antarctica are closely related to coeval taxa from other Gondwanan landmasses; 4) terminal Cretaceous marine reptile faunas from southern Gondwana differed from contemporaneous but more northerly assemblages; and 5) the collapse of Antarctic ichthyofaunal diversity during the K-Pg transition was triggered by a catastrophic extinction. Broader impacts: The PIs will communicate discoveries to audiences through a variety of channels, such as the Dinosaurs in Their Time exhibition at Carnegie Museum of Natural History and the outreach programs of the Environmental Science Institute of the University of Texas at Austin. In addition, Carnegie Museum will launch a student-oriented programming initiative using AVPI research as a primary focus. This array of activities will help some 2,000 Pittsburgh-area undergraduates to explore the relevance of deep-time discoveries to critical modern issues. The AVPI will provide research opportunities for eight undergraduate and three graduate students, several of whom will receive field training in Antarctica. Fossils will be accessioned into the Carnegie Museum collection, and made accessible virtually through the NSF-funded Digital Morphology library at University of Texas.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e CHEMICAL METERS/ANALYZERS \u003e FLUOROMETERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e MAGNETIC/MOTION SENSORS \u003e GRAVIMETERS \u003e GRAVIMETERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e RECORDERS/LOGGERS \u003e AWS; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e POSITIONING/NAVIGATION \u003e GPS \u003e GPS; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e ACOUSTIC SOUNDERS \u003e ECHO SOUNDERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e THERMOSALINOGRAPHS", "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "R/V NBP", "locations": null, "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Lamanna, Matthew", "platforms": "WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V NBP", "repo": "R2R", "repositories": "R2R", "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Collaborative Research: Late Cretaceous-Paleogene Vertebrates from Antarctica: Implications for Paleobiogeography, Paleoenvironment, and Extinction in Polar Gondwana", "uid": "p0000854", "west": null}, {"awards": "1141326 Rotella, Jay", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((163.1 -70.3,163.59 -70.3,164.08 -70.3,164.57 -70.3,165.06 -70.3,165.55 -70.3,166.04 -70.3,166.53 -70.3,167.02 -70.3,167.51 -70.3,168 -70.3,168 -70.98,168 -71.66,168 -72.34,168 -73.02,168 -73.7,168 -74.38,168 -75.06,168 -75.74,168 -76.42,168 -77.1,167.51 -77.1,167.02 -77.1,166.53 -77.1,166.04 -77.1,165.55 -77.1,165.06 -77.1,164.57 -77.1,164.08 -77.1,163.59 -77.1,163.1 -77.1,163.1 -76.42,163.1 -75.74,163.1 -75.06,163.1 -74.38,163.1 -73.7,163.1 -73.02,163.1 -72.34,163.1 -71.66,163.1 -70.98,163.1 -70.3))", "dataset_titles": "Demographic data for Weddell Seal colonies in Erebus Bay through the 2017 Antarctic field season", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601125", "doi": "10.15784/601125", "keywords": "Antarctica; Biota; Sea Ice", "people": "Rotella, Jay", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Demographic data for Weddell Seal colonies in Erebus Bay through the 2017 Antarctic field season", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601125"}], "date_created": "Mon, 08 Feb 2016 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Abstract The Erebus Bay population of Weddell seals in Antarctica?s Ross Sea is the most southerly breeding population of mammal in the world, closely associated with persistent shore-fast ice, and one that has been intensively studied since 1968. The resulting long-term database, which includes data for 20,586 marked individuals, contains detailed population information that provides an excellent opportunity to study linkages between environmental conditions and demographic processes in the Antarctic. The population?s location is of special interest as the Ross Sea is one of the most productive areas of the Southern Ocean, one of the few pristine marine environments remaining on the planet, and, in contrast to the Antarctic Peninsula and Arctic, is undergoing a gradual lengthening of the sea-ice season. The work to be continued here capitalizes on (1) long-term data for individual seals and their polar environment; (2) experience collecting and analyzing data from the extensive study population; and (3) recent statistical advances in hierarchical modeling that allow for rigorous treatment of individual heterogeneity (in mark-recapture and body mass data) and inclusion of diverse covariates hypothesized to explain variation in fitness components. Covariates to be considered include traits of individuals and their mothers and environmental conditions throughout life. The study will continue to (1) provide detailed data on known-age individuals to other science projects and (2) educate and mentor the next generation of ecologists through academic and professional training and research experiences.", "east": 168.0, "geometry": "POINT(165.55 -73.7)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": -70.3, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Rotella, Jay; Garrott, Robert", "platforms": "Not provided", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -77.1, "title": "The Demographic Consequences of Environmental Variability and Individual Heterogeneity in Life-history Tactics of a Long-lived Antarctic Marine Predator", "uid": "p0000299", "west": 163.1}, {"awards": "1321782 Costa, Daniel", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-180 -60,-144 -60,-108 -60,-72 -60,-36 -60,0 -60,36 -60,72 -60,108 -60,144 -60,180 -60,180 -63,180 -66,180 -69,180 -72,180 -75,180 -78,180 -81,180 -84,180 -87,180 -90,144 -90,108 -90,72 -90,36 -90,0 -90,-36 -90,-72 -90,-108 -90,-144 -90,-180 -90,-180 -87,-180 -84,-180 -81,-180 -78,-180 -75,-180 -72,-180 -69,-180 -66,-180 -63,-180 -60))", "dataset_titles": "Retrospective Analysis of Antarctic Tracking data (RAATD): International Crabeater and Weddell Seal Tracking Data Sets", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "600137", "doi": "10.15784/600137", "keywords": "Animal Tracking; Antarctica; Biota; Oceans; Sample/collection Description; Sample/Collection Description; Seals; Southern Ocean", "people": "Costa, Daniel", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Retrospective Analysis of Antarctic Tracking data (RAATD): International Crabeater and Weddell Seal Tracking Data Sets", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/600137"}], "date_created": "Wed, 03 Jun 2015 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Identifying the basic habitat requirements of Antarctic predators is fundamental to understanding how they will respond to the human-induced challenges of commercial fisheries and climate change. This understanding can only be achieved if the underlying linkages to physical processes are related to animal movements. As part of the international Retrospective Analysis of Antarctic Tracking Data (RAATD) organized by the SCAR Expert Group of Birds and Marine Mammals, this research will collate and synthesize tracking data from crabeater seals, Lobodon carcinophagus, and Weddell seals, Leptonychotes weddelli. These data will be combined with all available data from the Southern Ocean that has been collected by researchers from Norway, United Kingdom, Germany, Australia and the USA. These data will be analyzed using a common analytical approach and synthesized into a synoptic view of these two species across the Southern Ocean. The diving and movement patterns will be examined for each species. As well, the total home range and core habitat utilization patterns for each species and region will be determined. This study will develop global habitat maps for each species based on physical and biological attributes of their \"hot-spots\" and then overlay all the species specific maps to identify multi-species areas of ecological significance. Broader impacts include support and training for a postdoctoral scholar, the production of a publicly available database and the participation in an international data synthesis effort.", "east": 180.0, "geometry": "POINT(0 -89.999)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": -60.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Costa, Daniel", "platforms": "Not provided", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -90.0, "title": "Retrospective Analysis of Antarctic Tracking data (RAATD): International Crabeater and Weddell Seal Tracking Data Sets", "uid": "p0000346", "west": -180.0}, {"awards": "0739390 Davis, Randall", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((166.08823 -77.545,166.177124 -77.545,166.266018 -77.545,166.354912 -77.545,166.443806 -77.545,166.5327 -77.545,166.621594 -77.545,166.710488 -77.545,166.799382 -77.545,166.888276 -77.545,166.97717 -77.545,166.97717 -77.57736,166.97717 -77.60972,166.97717 -77.64208,166.97717 -77.67444,166.97717 -77.7068,166.97717 -77.73916,166.97717 -77.77152,166.97717 -77.80388,166.97717 -77.83624,166.97717 -77.8686,166.888276 -77.8686,166.799382 -77.8686,166.710488 -77.8686,166.621594 -77.8686,166.5327 -77.8686,166.443806 -77.8686,166.354912 -77.8686,166.266018 -77.8686,166.177124 -77.8686,166.08823 -77.8686,166.08823 -77.83624,166.08823 -77.80388,166.08823 -77.77152,166.08823 -77.73916,166.08823 -77.7068,166.08823 -77.67444,166.08823 -77.64208,166.08823 -77.60972,166.08823 -77.57736,166.08823 -77.545))", "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Fri, 17 Jan 2014 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Intellectual Merit: Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) locate and capture sparsely distributed and mobile prey under shore-fast ice throughout the year, including the austral winter when ambient light levels are very low and access to breathing holes is highly limited. This is one of the most challenging environments occupied by an aquatic mammalian predator, and it presents unique opportunities to test hypotheses concerning: 1) behavioral strategies and energetic costs for foraging and 2) sensory modalities used for prey capture under sea ice. To accomplish these objectives, we will attach digital video and data recorders to the backs of free-ranging Weddell seals during the autumn, winter and early spring. These instruments simultaneously record video of prey pursuit and capture and three-dimensional movements, swimming performance, ambient light level and other environmental variables. Energetic costs for entire dives and portions of dives will be estimated from stroking effort and our published relationship between swimming performance and energetics for Weddell seals. The energetic cost of different dive types will be evaluated for strategies that maximize foraging efficiency, range (distance traveled), and duration of submergence. The proposed study will provide a more thorough understanding of the role of vision and changing light conditions in foraging behavior, sensory ecology, energetics and habitat use of Weddell seals and the distribution of encountered prey. It also will provide new insights into survival strategies that allow Weddell seals to inhabit the Antarctic coastal marine ecosystem throughout the year. \u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eBroader Impacts: The proposed study will train two graduate students and a Post-doctoral Fellow. Outreach activities will include interviews, written material and photographs provided to print and electronic media, project web sites, high school email exchanges from McMurdo Station, hosting visiting artists at our field camp, and public lectures. We will provide a weekly summary of our research findings to teachers and students in elementary school programs through our websites, one of which received an educational award. Our previous projects have attracted an extraordinary amount of press coverage that effectively brings scientific research to the public. This coverage and the video images generated by our work excite the imagination and help instill an interest in science and wildlife conservation in children and adults.", "east": 166.97717, "geometry": "POINT(166.5327 -77.7068)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": -77.545, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Davis, Randall", "platforms": "Not provided", "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": -77.8686, "title": "Collaborative Research: Hunting in Darkness: Behavioral and Energetic Strategies of Weddell Seals in Winter", "uid": "p0000357", "west": 166.08823}, {"awards": "0944517 Detrich, H. William", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-67.42 -61.2,-66.28 -61.2,-65.14 -61.2,-64 -61.2,-62.86 -61.2,-61.72 -61.2,-60.58 -61.2,-59.44 -61.2,-58.3 -61.2,-57.16 -61.2,-56.02 -61.2,-56.02 -61.71,-56.02 -62.22,-56.02 -62.73,-56.02 -63.24,-56.02 -63.75,-56.02 -64.26,-56.02 -64.77,-56.02 -65.28,-56.02 -65.79,-56.02 -66.3,-57.16 -66.3,-58.3 -66.3,-59.44 -66.3,-60.58 -66.3,-61.72 -66.3,-62.86 -66.3,-64 -66.3,-65.14 -66.3,-66.28 -66.3,-67.42 -66.3,-67.42 -65.79,-67.42 -65.28,-67.42 -64.77,-67.42 -64.26,-67.42 -63.75,-67.42 -63.24,-67.42 -62.73,-67.42 -62.22,-67.42 -61.71,-67.42 -61.2))", "dataset_titles": "Cruise LMG1203; Cruise LMG1205; Cruise LMG1206; GenBank KC594078, FJ914563.1, FJ914564.1, FJ914565.1, FJ896018.1, FJ896019.1, FJ896022.1, FJ896023.1, FJ896024.1, FJ896025.1, FJ896026.1", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "000160", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Cruise LMG1203", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/LMG1203"}, {"dataset_uid": "000159", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "NCBI GenBank", "science_program": null, "title": "GenBank KC594078, FJ914563.1, FJ914564.1, FJ914565.1, FJ896018.1, FJ896019.1, FJ896022.1, FJ896023.1, FJ896024.1, FJ896025.1, FJ896026.1", "url": "http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genbank/"}, {"dataset_uid": "000161", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Cruise LMG1205", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/LMG1205"}, {"dataset_uid": "000162", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Cruise LMG1206", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/LMG1206"}], "date_created": "Fri, 20 Dec 2013 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Since the advent of Antarctic continental glaciation, the opening of the Drake Passage between South America and the Antarctic Peninsula, and the onset of cooling of the Southern Ocean ~40-25 million years ago, evolution of the Antarctic marine biota has been driven by the development of extreme cold temperatures. The biochemical and physiological challenges facing ectotherms living in the Southern Ocean include the reduction of reaction rates and metabolic fluxes and a pervasive weakening of macromolecular interactions. Yet, Southern Ocean ectotherms are now threatened by warming over periods measured in centuries or less. The proposed research seeks to understand the molecular mechanisms of cold adaptation in Antarctic marine fishes and to assess the physiological capacity of these organisms to resist or compensate for rapid oceanic warming. The P.I. will characterize two important and interacting protein systems, the tubulins that form microtubules and the chaperonin CCT (cytoplasmic chaperonin-containing TCP-1, a family of proteins that assists the folding of the tubulins). Higher-level, integrative responses to global temperature change will be analyzed by studying the thermal dependence of cleavage in Antarctic fish embryos (a microtubule-dependent process). The objectives are (1) to determine the contributions of five novel amino acid substitutions found in Antarctic fish beta-tubulins to microtubule assembly at cold temperature. (2) to compare the functional properties of CCT from testis tissues of Antarctic fishes and mammals. (3) to evaluate the effects of increased temperature on embryogenesis in Antarctic fishes. The research will introduce graduate and REU undergraduate students to state-of-the-art biochemical, cellular, and molecular-biological research relevant to ecological and environmental issues of the Antarctic marine ecosystem. The proposed work also will benefit society by developing a cold-functioning chaperonin protein folding system, of great value to the biopharmaceutical and biotechnological industries for use in folding insoluble proteins.", "east": -56.02, "geometry": "POINT(-61.72 -63.75)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": -61.2, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Detrich, H. William", "platforms": "Not provided", "repo": "R2R", "repositories": "NCBI GenBank; R2R", "science_programs": null, "south": -66.3, "title": "Microtubule Function, Protein Folding, and Embryogenesis in Antarctic Fishes: An Integrative Approach", "uid": "p0000664", "west": -67.42}, {"awards": "0838911 Hofmann, Eileen; 0838937 Costa, Daniel; 0838892 Burns, Jennifer", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((160 -68,162 -68,164 -68,166 -68,168 -68,170 -68,172 -68,174 -68,176 -68,178 -68,180 -68,180 -68.8,180 -69.6,180 -70.4,180 -71.2,180 -72,180 -72.8,180 -73.6,180 -74.4,180 -75.2,180 -76,178 -76,176 -76,174 -76,172 -76,170 -76,168 -76,166 -76,164 -76,162 -76,160 -76,160 -75.2,160 -74.4,160 -73.6,160 -72.8,160 -72,160 -71.2,160 -70.4,160 -69.6,160 -68.8,160 -68))", "dataset_titles": "Weddell seal dive behavior and rhythmicity from 2010-2012 in the Ross Sea; Weddell seals as autonomous sensors of the winter oceanography of the Ross Sea", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "600101", "doi": "10.15784/600101", "keywords": "Biota; Oceans; Ross Sea; Seals; Southern Ocean", "people": "Burns, Jennifer", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Weddell seals as autonomous sensors of the winter oceanography of the Ross Sea", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/600101"}, {"dataset_uid": "600025", "doi": "10.15784/600025", "keywords": "Antarctica; Biota; Oceans; Ross Sea; Southern Ocean", "people": "Costa, Daniel", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Weddell seals as autonomous sensors of the winter oceanography of the Ross Sea", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/600025"}, {"dataset_uid": "601835", "doi": "10.15784/601835", "keywords": "Aerobic; Antarctica; Cryosphere; Weddell Seal", "people": "Shero, Michelle", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Weddell seal dive behavior and rhythmicity from 2010-2012 in the Ross Sea", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601835"}], "date_created": "Mon, 11 Nov 2013 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Abstract \u003cbr/\u003eThis award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). \u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eMarine mammals of the Southern Ocean have evolved diverse life history patterns and foraging strategies to accommodate extreme fluctuations in the physical and biological environment. In light of ongoing climate change and the dramatic shifts in the extent and persistence of sea ice in the Ross Sea, it is critical to understand how Weddell seals, Leptonychotes weddellii, a key apex predator, select and utilize foraging habitats. Recent advances in satellite-linked animal-borne conductivity, temperature and depth (CTD) tags make it possible to simultaneously collect data on seal locations, their diving patterns, and the temperature and salinity profiles of the water columns they utilize. In other ecosystems, such data have revealed that marine predators selectively forage in areas where currents and fronts serve to locally concentrate prey resources, and that these conditions are required to sustain populations. Weddell seals will be studied in McMurdo Sound and at Terra Nova Bay, Ross Sea and will provide the first new data on Weddell seal winter diving behavior and habitat use in almost two decades. The relationship between an animal\u0027s diving behavior and physical habitat has enormous potential to enhance monitoring studies and to provide insight into how changes in ice conditions (due either to warming or the impact of large icebergs, such as B15) might impact individual time budgets and foraging success. The second thrust of this project is to use the profiles obtained from CTD seal tags to model the physical oceanography of this region. Current mathematical models of physical oceanographic processes in the Southern Ocean are directed at better understanding the role that it plays in global climate processes, and the linkages between physical and biological oceanographic processes. However, these efforts are limited by the scarcity of oceanographic data at high latitudes in the winter months; CTD tags deployed on animals will collect data at sufficient spatial and temporal resolution to improve data density. The project will contribute to two IPY endorsed initiatives: MEOP (Marine Mammals as Explorers of the Ocean Pole to Pole) and CAML (Census of Antarctic Marine Life). In addition, the highly visual nature of the data and analysis lends itself to public and educational display and outreach, particularly as they relate to global climate change, and we have collaborations with undergraduate and graduate training programs, the Seymour Marine Discovery Center, and the ARMADA program to foster these broader impacts.", "east": 180.0, "geometry": "POINT(170 -72)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": -68.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems; Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems; Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Burns, Jennifer; Hofmann, Eileen; Costa, Daniel", "platforms": "Not provided", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -76.0, "title": "Collaborative Research: Weddell seals as autonomous sensors of the winter oceanography of the Ross Sea", "uid": "p0000661", "west": 160.0}, {"awards": "1043779 Mellish, Jo-Ann", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((165.83333 -77.51528,165.923331 -77.51528,166.013332 -77.51528,166.103333 -77.51528,166.193334 -77.51528,166.283335 -77.51528,166.373336 -77.51528,166.463337 -77.51528,166.553338 -77.51528,166.643339 -77.51528,166.73334 -77.51528,166.73334 -77.55153,166.73334 -77.58778,166.73334 -77.62403,166.73334 -77.66028,166.73334 -77.69653,166.73334 -77.73278,166.73334 -77.76903,166.73334 -77.80528,166.73334 -77.84153,166.73334 -77.87778,166.643339 -77.87778,166.553338 -77.87778,166.463337 -77.87778,166.373336 -77.87778,166.283335 -77.87778,166.193334 -77.87778,166.103333 -77.87778,166.013332 -77.87778,165.923331 -77.87778,165.83333 -77.87778,165.83333 -77.84153,165.83333 -77.80528,165.83333 -77.76903,165.83333 -77.73278,165.83333 -77.69653,165.83333 -77.66028,165.83333 -77.62403,165.83333 -77.58778,165.83333 -77.55153,165.83333 -77.51528))", "dataset_titles": "Thermoregulation in Free-Living Antarctic Seals: The Missing Link in Effective Ecological Modeling", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "600130", "doi": "10.15784/600130", "keywords": "Antarctica; Biota; Oceans; Ross Sea; Sea Ice; Seals; Sea Surface; Southern Ocean", "people": "Mellish, Jo-Ann", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Thermoregulation in Free-Living Antarctic Seals: The Missing Link in Effective Ecological Modeling", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/600130"}], "date_created": "Sun, 22 Sep 2013 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Despite being an essential physiological component of homeotherm life in polar regions, little is known about the energetic requirements for thermoregulation in either air or water for high- latitude seals. In a joint field and modeling study, the principal investigators will quantify these costs for the Weddell seal under both ambient air and water conditions. The field research will include innovative heat flux, digestive and locomotor cost telemetry on 40 free-ranging seals combined with assessments of animal health (morphometrics, hematology and clinical chemistry panels), quantity (ultrasound) and quality (tissue biopsy) of blubber insulation, and determination of surface skin temperature patterns (infrared thermography). Field-collected data will be combined with an established individual based computational energetics model to define cost-added thresholds in body condition for different body masses. This study will fill a major knowledge gap by providing data essential to modeling all aspects of pinniped life history, in particular for ice seals. Such parameterization of energetic cost components will be essential for the accurate modeling of responses by pinnipeds to environmental variance, including direct and indirect effects driven by climate change. The study also will provide extensive opportunities in polar field work, animal telemetry, biochemical analyses and computational modeling for up to three undergraduate students and one post-doctoral researcher. Integrated education and outreach efforts will educate the public (K-12 through adult) on the importance of quantifying energetic costs of thermoregulation for marine mammals and the need to understand responses of species to environmental variance. This effort will include a custom-built, interactive hands-on mobile exhibit, and development of content for an Ocean Today kiosk.", "east": 166.73334, "geometry": "POINT(166.283335 -77.69653)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": -77.51528, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Mellish, Jo-Ann", "platforms": "Not provided", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -77.87778, "title": "Collaborative Research: THERMOREGULATION IN FREE-LIVING ANTARCTIC SEALS: THE MISSING LINK IN EFFECTIVE ECOLOGICAL MODELING", "uid": "p0000343", "west": 165.83333}, {"awards": "0840375 Costa, Daniel", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-64 -60,-63 -60,-62 -60,-61 -60,-60 -60,-59 -60,-58 -60,-57 -60,-56 -60,-55 -60,-54 -60,-54 -60.4,-54 -60.8,-54 -61.2,-54 -61.6,-54 -62,-54 -62.4,-54 -62.8,-54 -63.2,-54 -63.6,-54 -64,-55 -64,-56 -64,-57 -64,-58 -64,-59 -64,-60 -64,-61 -64,-62 -64,-63 -64,-64 -64,-64 -63.6,-64 -63.2,-64 -62.8,-64 -62.4,-64 -62,-64 -61.6,-64 -61.2,-64 -60.8,-64 -60.4,-64 -60))", "dataset_titles": "SGER: Foraging Patterns of Elephant Seals in the Vicinity of the WIlkins Ice Shelf", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "600108", "doi": "10.15784/600108", "keywords": "Biota; CTD Data; Oceans; Physical Oceanography; Seals; Southern Ocean", "people": "Goebel, Michael; Costa, Daniel", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "SGER: Foraging Patterns of Elephant Seals in the Vicinity of the WIlkins Ice Shelf", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/600108"}], "date_created": "Thu, 23 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Abstract\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eLong-lived animals such as elephant seals may endure variation in food resources over large spatial and temporal scales. Understanding how they respond to these fluctuations requires knowledge of how their foraging behavior and habitat utilization varies over time. Advances in satellite-linked data logging have made it possible to correlate the foraging behavior of marine mammals with their physical and chemical environment and provide insight into the mechanisms controlling at-sea movements, foraging behavior and, ultimately, reproductive success of these pelagic predators. In addition, these technological advances enable marine mammals to be used as highly cost-effective platforms from which detailed oceanographic data can be collected on a scale not possible with conventional methods. The project will extend the four-year-time-series collected on the foraging behavior and habitat utilization of southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina) foraging in the Western Antarctic Peninsula. It also will extend the oceanographic time-series of CTD profiles collected by the elephant seals foraging from the Livingston Island rookery. Seals have been collecting CTD profiles in the vicinity of the Wilkins Ice Shelf (WIS) since 2005. We thus have a 4 year data set that preceding and during the breakup of the WIS that occurred during March 2008. Deployment of additional tags on seals will provide a unique opportunity to collect oceanographic data after the ice shelf has collapsed.", "east": -54.0, "geometry": "POINT(-59 -62)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": -60.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Costa, Daniel; Goebel, Michael", "platforms": "Not provided", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -64.0, "title": "SGER: Foraging Patterns of Elephant Seals in the Vicinity of the WIlkins Ice Shelf", "uid": "p0000158", "west": -64.0}, {"awards": "0649609 Horning, Markus", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((165.975 -77.54,166.0631 -77.54,166.1512 -77.54,166.2393 -77.54,166.3274 -77.54,166.4155 -77.54,166.5036 -77.54,166.5917 -77.54,166.6798 -77.54,166.7679 -77.54,166.856 -77.54,166.856 -77.5709,166.856 -77.6018,166.856 -77.6327,166.856 -77.6636,166.856 -77.6945,166.856 -77.7254,166.856 -77.7563,166.856 -77.7872,166.856 -77.8181,166.856 -77.849,166.7679 -77.849,166.6798 -77.849,166.5917 -77.849,166.5036 -77.849,166.4155 -77.849,166.3274 -77.849,166.2393 -77.849,166.1512 -77.849,166.0631 -77.849,165.975 -77.849,165.975 -77.8181,165.975 -77.7872,165.975 -77.7563,165.975 -77.7254,165.975 -77.6945,165.975 -77.6636,165.975 -77.6327,165.975 -77.6018,165.975 -77.5709,165.975 -77.54))", "dataset_titles": "Aging in Weddell Seals: Proximate Mechanisms of Age-Related Changes in Adaptations to Breath-Hold Hunting in an Extreme Environment", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "600071", "doi": "10.15784/600071", "keywords": "Antarctica; Biota; McMurdo; Oceans; Seals; Southern Ocean", "people": "Horning, Markus", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Aging in Weddell Seals: Proximate Mechanisms of Age-Related Changes in Adaptations to Breath-Hold Hunting in an Extreme Environment", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/600071"}], "date_created": "Wed, 04 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "The primary objectives of this research are to investigate the proximate effects of aging on diving capability in the Weddell Seal and to describe mechanisms by which aging may influence foraging ecology, through physiology and behavior. This model pinniped species has been the focus of three decades of research in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. Compared to the knowledge of pinniped diving physiology and ecology during early development and young adulthood, little is known about individuals nearing the upper limit of their normal reproductive age range. Evolutionary aging theories predict that elderly diving seals should exhibit senescence. This should be exacerbated by surges in the generation of oxygen free radicals via hypoxia-reoxygenation during breath-hold diving and hunting, which are implicated in age-related damage to cellular mitochondria. Surprisingly, limited observations of non-threatened pinniped populations indicate that senescence does not occur to a level where reproductive output is affected. The ability of pinnipeds to avoid apparent senescence raises two major questions: what specific physiological and morphological changes occur with advancing age in pinnipeds and what subtle adjustments are made by these animals to cope with such changes? This investigation will focus on specific, functional physiological and behavioral changes relating to dive capability with advancing age. The investigators will quantify age-related changes in general health and body condition, combined with fine scale assessments of external and internal ability to do work in the form of diving. Specifically, patterns of oxidative status and oxygen use with age will be examined. The effects of age on muscular function, contractile capacity in vascular smooth muscle, and exercise capacity via exercise performance in skeletal muscle will be examined. Data will be compared between Weddell seals in the peak, and near the end, of their reproductive age range. An assessment will be made of the ability to do external work (i.e. diving) as well as muscle functionality (ability to do internal work). The investigators hypothesize that senescence does occur in Weddell seals at the level of small-scale, proximate physiological effects and performance, but that behavioral plasticity allows for a given degree of compensation. Broader impacts include the training of students and outreach activities including interviews and articles written for the popular media. Photographs and project summaries will be available to the interested public on the project website. This study should also establish diving seals as a novel model for the study of cardiovascular and muscular physiology of aging. Research on Weddell seals could validate this model and thus develop a foundation for similar research on other species. Advancement of the understanding of aging by medical science has been impressive in recent years and the development of new models for the study of aging has tremendous potential benefits to society at large", "east": 166.856, "geometry": "POINT(166.4155 -77.6945)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": -77.54, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Horning, Markus", "platforms": "Not provided", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -77.849, "title": "Collaborative Research: Aging in Weddell Seals: Proximate Mechanisms of Age-Related Changes in Adaptations to Breath-Hold Hunting in an Extreme Environment", "uid": "p0000487", "west": 165.975}, {"awards": "0087401 Smith, Walker", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": "Current Meter Data from the Ross Sea acquired with a Mooring deployed in December 2005 and recovered during the Nathaniel B. Palmer expedition NBP0601A (2006); Expedition data of NBP0301B; Expedition data of NBP0305A; Expedition data of NBP0501; Expedition data of NBP0601A; Fluorometer Data acquired on Moorings deployed the Ross Sea and recovered during the Nathaniel B. Palmer expedition NBP0601A (2006); Processed Fluid Chemistry Data from the Ross Sea acquired during the Nathaniel B. Palmer expedition NBP0601A", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "002623", "doi": null, "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition data of NBP0601A", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP0601A"}, {"dataset_uid": "601333", "doi": null, "keywords": "Antarctica; Flourometer; Mooring; NBP0601A; Ross Sea; Southern Ocean", "people": "Smith, Walker; Asper, Vernon", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Fluorometer Data acquired on Moorings deployed the Ross Sea and recovered during the Nathaniel B. Palmer expedition NBP0601A (2006)", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601333"}, {"dataset_uid": "601339", "doi": null, "keywords": "Antarctica; Current Meter; Mooring; NBP0601A; Oceans; Physical Oceanography; Ross Sea; Southern Ocean", "people": "Smith, Walker; Asper, Vernon", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Current Meter Data from the Ross Sea acquired with a Mooring deployed in December 2005 and recovered during the Nathaniel B. Palmer expedition NBP0601A (2006)", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601339"}, {"dataset_uid": "002627", "doi": null, "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition data of NBP0501", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP0501"}, {"dataset_uid": "601341", "doi": null, "keywords": "Antarctica; Chemistry:fluid; Chemistry:Fluid; Fluid Chemistry Data; Mooring; NBP0601A; Oceans; Ross Sea; R/v Nathaniel B. Palmer; Seawater Measurements; Southern Ocean", "people": "Smith, Walker; Asper, Vernon", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Processed Fluid Chemistry Data from the Ross Sea acquired during the Nathaniel B. Palmer expedition NBP0601A", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601341"}, {"dataset_uid": "002622", "doi": null, "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition data of NBP0501", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP0501"}, {"dataset_uid": "002583", "doi": null, "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition data of NBP0301B", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP0301B"}, {"dataset_uid": "002621", "doi": null, "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition data of NBP0305A", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP0305A"}], "date_created": "Tue, 04 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "During the past few decades of oceanographic research, it has been recognized that significant variations in biogeochemical processes occur among years. Interannual variations in the Southern Ocean are known to occur in ice extent and concentration, in the composition of herbivore communities, and in bird and marine mammal distributions and reproductive success. However, little is known about the interannual variations in production of phytoplankton or the role that these variations play in the food web. This project will collect time series data on the seasonal production of phytoplankton in the southern Ross Sea, Antarctica. Furthermore, it will assess the interannual variations of the production of the two major functional groups of the system, diatoms and Phaeocystis Antarctica, a colonial haptophyte. The Ross Sea provides a unique setting for this type of investigation for a number of reasons. For example, a de facto time-series has already been initiated in the Ross Sea through the concentration of a number of programs in the past ten years. It also is well known that the species diversity is reduced relative to other systems and its seasonal production is as great as anywhere in the Antarctic. Most importantly, seasonal production of both the total phytoplankton community (as well as its two functional groups) can be estimated from late summer nutrient profiles. The project will involve short cruises on the US Coast Guard ice breakers in the southern Ross Sea that will allow the collection of water column nutrient and particulate after data at specific locations in the late summer of each of five years. Additionally, two moorings with in situ nitrate analyzers moored at fifteen will be deployed, thus collecting for the first time in the in the Antarctic a time-series of euphotic zone nutrient concentrations over the entire growing season. All nutrient data will be used to calculate seasonal production for each year in the southern Ross Sea and compared to previously collected information, thereby providing an assessment of interannual variations in net community production. Particulate matter data will allow us to estimate the amount of export from the surface layer by late summer, and therefore calculate the interannual variability of this ecosystem process. Interannual variations of seasonal production (and of the major taxa of producers) are a potentially significant feature in the growth and survival of higher trophic levels within the food web of the Ross Sea. They are also important in order to understand the natural variability in biogeochemical processes of the region. Because polar regions such as the Ross Sea are predicted to be impacted by future climate change, biological changes are also anticipated. Placing these changes in the context of natural variability is an essential element of understanding and predicting such alterations. This research thus seeks to quantify the natural variability of an Antarctic coastal system, and ultimately understand its causes and impacts on food webs and biogeochemical cycles of the Ross Sea.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e CTD; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e MAGNETIC/MOTION SENSORS \u003e GRAVIMETERS \u003e GRAVIMETERS; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e POSITIONING/NAVIGATION \u003e GPS \u003e GPS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e ACOUSTIC SOUNDERS \u003e ADCP; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e ACOUSTIC SOUNDERS \u003e MSBS", "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "Ross Sea; AMD; USAP-DC; Amd/Us; USA/NSF; R/V NBP", "locations": "Ross Sea", "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Smith, Walker; Gordon, Arnold", "platforms": "WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V NBP", "repo": "R2R", "repositories": "R2R; USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Interannual Variability in the Antarctic-Ross Sea (IVARS): Nutrients and Seasonal Production", "uid": "p0000803", "west": null}, {"awards": "0089451 Detrich, H. William", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-70.907 -52.353,-69.8619 -52.353,-68.8168 -52.353,-67.7717 -52.353,-66.7266 -52.353,-65.6815 -52.353,-64.6364 -52.353,-63.5913 -52.353,-62.5462 -52.353,-61.5011 -52.353,-60.456 -52.353,-60.456 -53.64334,-60.456 -54.93368,-60.456 -56.22402,-60.456 -57.51436,-60.456 -58.8047,-60.456 -60.09504,-60.456 -61.38538,-60.456 -62.67572,-60.456 -63.96606,-60.456 -65.2564,-61.5011 -65.2564,-62.5462 -65.2564,-63.5913 -65.2564,-64.6364 -65.2564,-65.6815 -65.2564,-66.7266 -65.2564,-67.7717 -65.2564,-68.8168 -65.2564,-69.8619 -65.2564,-70.907 -65.2564,-70.907 -63.96606,-70.907 -62.67572,-70.907 -61.38538,-70.907 -60.09504,-70.907 -58.8047,-70.907 -57.51436,-70.907 -56.22402,-70.907 -54.93368,-70.907 -53.64334,-70.907 -52.353))", "dataset_titles": "Expedition Data; Expedition data of LMG0304A", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "001869", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/LMG0105"}, {"dataset_uid": "002707", "doi": null, "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition data of LMG0304A", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/LMG0304A"}, {"dataset_uid": "001704", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/LMG0304"}], "date_created": "Tue, 04 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Abstract\u003cbr/\u003eOPP-0089451\u003cbr/\u003eP.I. William Detrich\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003e As the Southern Ocean cooled during the past 25 million years, the fishes of Antarctic coastal waters evolved biochemical and physiological adaptations that maintain essential cellular processes such as cytoskeletal function and gene transcription. Their microtubules, for example, assemble and function at body temperatures (-1.8 to +1 oC) well below those of homeotherms and temperate poikilotherms. The long range goals of the proposed research are to determine, at the molecular level, the adaptations that enhance the assembly of microtubules, the function of kinesin motors, and the expression of globin and tubulin genes. The specific objectives are three: 1) to determine the primary sequence changes and posttranslational modifications that contribute to the efficient polymerization of Antarctic fish tubulins at low temperatures; 2) to evaluate the biochemical adaptations required for efficient function of the brain kinesin motor of Antarctic fishes at low temperatures; and 3) to characterize the structure, organization, and promoter-driven expression of globin and tubulin genes from an Antarctic rockcod (Notothenia coriiceps) and a temperate congener (N. angustata). Brain tubulins from Antarctic fishes differ from those of temperate and warm-blooded vertebrates both in unusual primary sequence substitutions (located primarily in lateral loops and the cores of tubulin monomers) and in posttranslational C-terminal glutamylation. Potential primary sequence adaptations of the Antarctic fish tubulins will be tested directly by production of wild-type and site directed tubulin mutants for functional analysis in vitro. The capacity of mutated and wild-type fish tubulins to form \"cold-stable\" microtubules will be determined by measurement of their critical concentrations for assembly and by analysis of their dynamics by video-enhanced microscopy. Three unusual substitutions in the kinesin motor domain of Chionodraco rastrospinosus may enhance mechanochemical activity at low temperature by modifying the binding of ATP and/or the velocity of the motor. To test the functional significance of these changes, the fish residues will be converted individually, and in concert, to those found in mammalian brain kinesin. Reciprocal substitutions will be introduced into the framework of the mammalian kinesin motor domain. After production in Escherichia coli and purification, the functional performance of the mutant motor domains will be evaluated by measurement of the temperature dependence of their ATPase and motility activities. Molecular adaptation of gene expression in N. coriiceps will be analyzed using an a-globin/b-globin gene pair and an a-tubulin gene cluster. Structural features of N. coriiceps globin and tubulin gene regulatory sequences (promoters and enhancers) that support efficient expression will be assessed by transient transfection assay of promoter/luciferase reporter plasmid constructs in inducible erythrocytic and neuronal model cell systems followed by assay of luciferase reporter activity. Together, these studies should reveal the molecular adaptations of Antarctic fishes that maintain efficient cytoskeletal assembly, mechanochemical motor function, and gene expression at low temperatures. In the broadest sense, this research program should advance the molecular understanding of the poikilothermic mode of life.", "east": -60.456, "geometry": "POINT(-65.6815 -58.8047)", "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e CTD; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PRESSURE/HEIGHT METERS \u003e PRESSURE SENSORS; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e POSITIONING/NAVIGATION \u003e GPS \u003e GPS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e ACOUSTIC SOUNDERS \u003e ADCP", "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "R/V LMG", "locations": null, "north": -52.353, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Sidell, Bruce; Detrich, H. William", "platforms": "WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V LMG", "repo": "R2R", "repositories": "R2R", "science_programs": null, "south": -65.2564, "title": "Structure, Function, and Expression of Tubulins, Globins, and Microtubule-Dependent Motors from Cold-Adapted Antarctic Fishes", "uid": "p0000591", "west": -70.907}, {"awards": "9315029 Smith, Kenneth", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-70.90721 -52.35561,-68.309229 -52.35561,-65.711248 -52.35561,-63.113267 -52.35561,-60.515286 -52.35561,-57.917305 -52.35561,-55.319324 -52.35561,-52.721343 -52.35561,-50.123362 -52.35561,-47.525381 -52.35561,-44.9274 -52.35561,-44.9274 -53.476372,-44.9274 -54.597134,-44.9274 -55.717896,-44.9274 -56.838658,-44.9274 -57.95942,-44.9274 -59.080182,-44.9274 -60.200944,-44.9274 -61.321706,-44.9274 -62.442468,-44.9274 -63.56323,-47.525381 -63.56323,-50.123362 -63.56323,-52.721343 -63.56323,-55.319324 -63.56323,-57.917305 -63.56323,-60.515286 -63.56323,-63.113267 -63.56323,-65.711248 -63.56323,-68.309229 -63.56323,-70.90721 -63.56323,-70.90721 -62.442468,-70.90721 -61.321706,-70.90721 -60.200944,-70.90721 -59.080182,-70.90721 -57.95942,-70.90721 -56.838658,-70.90721 -55.717896,-70.90721 -54.597134,-70.90721 -53.476372,-70.90721 -52.35561))", "dataset_titles": "Expedition Data", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "002230", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP9506"}], "date_created": "Tue, 04 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "9315029 Smith The annual expansion and retreat of pack ice in the Southern Ocean are the largest seasonal processes in the World Ocean. This seasonal migration of the ice cover has a profound impact on the pelagic community in the upper 100 m of the oceanic water column where the interactions between ice cover and apex predators, such as seabirds and mammals, are most intense. This unique pelagic community has been mainly studied with ship-based operations. However, there are well recognized problems associated with shipboard sampling of the epipelagic community under pack ice and the need to monitor this community on long-time scales sufficient to examine the extreme temporal variability of this environment. To examine continuous temporal variability, the project will develop a vertically-profiling pump sampler for the collections of zooplankton and micronekton over programmable depth intervals under pack ice in the Weddell Sea. Once developed and field tested, this instrument will be deployed concurrently with previously developed upward-looking, vertically-profiling acoustic arrays for a period of one year. The combined mooring project will monitor the vertical distribution, abundance and size frequency of acoustically detectable zooplankton and micronekton in the upper 100 m of the water column in an area that experiences ice cover during 7-8 months of the year. This project will also include seasonal shipboard sampling on three cruises over the course of the one year field study. A successful deployment of these long-term mooring arrays and retrieval of data from the field will contribute to a greater understanding of how epipelagic communities function under pack ice in the Southern Ocean. This is a jointly sponsored project of the Office of Polar Programs and the Division of Ocean Sciences. ***", "east": -44.9274, "geometry": "POINT(-57.917305 -57.95942)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "R/V NBP", "locations": null, "north": -52.35561, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Smith, Kenneth", "platforms": "WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V NBP", "repo": "R2R", "repositories": "R2R", "science_programs": null, "south": -63.56323, "title": "Seasonal Ice Cover and its Impact on the Epipelagic Community in the Northwestern Weddell Sea: Long Time-Series Monitoring", "uid": "p0000644", "west": -70.90721}, {"awards": "0440687 Costa, Daniel", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-68.2775 -52.7602,-67.59761 -52.7602,-66.91772 -52.7602,-66.23783 -52.7602,-65.55794 -52.7602,-64.87805 -52.7602,-64.19816 -52.7602,-63.51827 -52.7602,-62.83838 -52.7602,-62.15849 -52.7602,-61.4786 -52.7602,-61.4786 -54.24701,-61.4786 -55.73382,-61.4786 -57.22063,-61.4786 -58.70744,-61.4786 -60.19425,-61.4786 -61.68106,-61.4786 -63.16787,-61.4786 -64.65468,-61.4786 -66.14149,-61.4786 -67.6283,-62.15849 -67.6283,-62.83838 -67.6283,-63.51827 -67.6283,-64.19816 -67.6283,-64.87805 -67.6283,-65.55794 -67.6283,-66.23783 -67.6283,-66.91772 -67.6283,-67.59761 -67.6283,-68.2775 -67.6283,-68.2775 -66.14149,-68.2775 -64.65468,-68.2775 -63.16787,-68.2775 -61.68106,-68.2775 -60.19425,-68.2775 -58.70744,-68.2775 -57.22063,-68.2775 -55.73382,-68.2775 -54.24701,-68.2775 -52.7602))", "dataset_titles": "Expedition Data; Expedition data of LMG0706; Habitat Utilization of Southern Ocean Seals: Foraging Behavior of Crabeater and Elephant Seals Using Novel Methods of Oceanographic Data Collection", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "002713", "doi": null, "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition data of LMG0706", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/LMG0706"}, {"dataset_uid": "001534", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/LMG0705"}, {"dataset_uid": "600044", "doi": "10.15784/600044", "keywords": "Bellingshausen Sea; Biota; Oceans; Seals; Southern Ocean", "people": "Costa, Daniel; Crocker, Daniel; Klinck, John M.; Goebel, Michael; Hofmann, Eileen", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Habitat Utilization of Southern Ocean Seals: Foraging Behavior of Crabeater and Elephant Seals Using Novel Methods of Oceanographic Data Collection", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/600044"}, {"dataset_uid": "002714", "doi": null, "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition data of LMG0706", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/LMG0706"}], "date_created": "Tue, 04 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "As long-lived animals, marine mammals must be capable of accommodating broad variations in food resources over large spatial and temporal scales. While this is true of all marine mammals, variation in the physical and biological environmental is particularly profound in the Southern Ocean. A basic understanding of the foraging behavior and habitat utilization of pelagic predators requires knowledge of this spatial and temporal variation, coupled with information of how they respond to these changes. Current understanding of these associations is primarily limited to population level studies where animal abundance has been correlated with oceanography. Although these studies are informative, they cannot provide insights into the strategies employed by individual animals nor can they provide insights into the spatial or temporal course of these interactions. \u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eRecent technological advances in instrumentation make it possible to extend an understanding beyond the simple linkage of prey and predator distributions with environmental features. The key to understanding the processes that lead to high predator abundance is the identification of the specific foraging behaviors associated with different features of the water column. This study will accomplish these objectives by combining accurate positional data, measures of diving and foraging behavior, animal-derived water-column temperature and salinity data, and available oceanographic data. This project will examine the foraging behavior and habitat utilization of two species of contrasting foraging ecology, the southern elephant seal, Mirounga leonina, and the crabeater seal, Lobodon carcinophagus in the Western Antarctic Peninsula, a region of strong environmental gradients. Although these two species are phylogenetically related, they utilize substantially different but adjacent habitat types. Southern elephant seals are predominantly pelagic, moving throughout the southern ocean, venturing occasionally into the seasonal pack ice whereas crabeater seals range throughout the seasonal pack ice, venturing occasionally into open water. The relationship of specific foraging behaviors and animal movement patterns to oceanographic and bathymetric features develop and test models of the importance of these features in defining habitat use will be determined along with a comparison of how individuals of each species respond to annual variability in the marine environment. The physical oceanography of the Southern Ocean is inherently complex as are the biological processes that are intrinsically linked to oceanographic processes. Significant resources are currently being directed toward developing mathematical models of physical oceanographic processes with the goals of better understanding the role that the Southern Ocean plays in global climate processes, predicting the responses of ocean and global scale processes to climate change, and understanding the linkages between physical and biological oceanographic processes. These efforts have been limited by the scarcity of oceanographic data in the region, especially at high latitudes in the winter months. This study will provide new and significant oceanographic data on temperature and salinity profiles in to further the understanding of the dynamics of the upper water column of west Antarctic Peninsula continental shelf waters. Outreach activities include website development and an association with a marine education program at the Monterrey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.", "east": -61.4786, "geometry": "POINT(-64.87805 -60.19425)", "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e CTD; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PRESSURE/HEIGHT METERS \u003e PRESSURE SENSORS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PHOTON/OPTICAL DETECTORS \u003e TURBIDITY METERS; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e POSITIONING/NAVIGATION \u003e GPS \u003e GPS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e ACOUSTIC SOUNDERS \u003e ADCP", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Not provided; R/V LMG", "locations": null, "north": -52.7602, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Costa, Daniel; Hofmann, Eileen; Goebel, Michael; Crocker, Daniel; Sidell, Bruce; Klinck, John M.", "platforms": "Not provided; WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V LMG", "repo": "R2R", "repositories": "R2R; USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -67.6283, "title": "Habitat Utilization of Southern Ocean Seals: Foraging Behavior of Crabeater and Elephant Seals Using Novel Methods of Oceanographic Data Collection", "uid": "p0000082", "west": -68.2775}, {"awards": "0130525 Fraser, William", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": "Expedition data of NBP0105", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "002605", "doi": null, "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition data of NBP0105", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP0105"}], "date_created": "Tue, 04 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "The potential consequence of human impact on wildlife in Antarctica has been debated for many decades. Scientists, support staff and visitors in Antarctica may have an effect on the behavior and population dynamics of marine mammals and seabirds. Since the early 1970\u0027s, shipboard tourism has expanded to the point where it is timely to address the question, using a scientific research approach. The focus of this study is to examine the potential effect of tourist activities on the Adelie Penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) in the Antarctic Peninsula. The topic has gathered the interest and opinions of those in private industry, the scientific community, government organizations and environmental groups. A key concern is that increases in these activities may eventually overcome the ability of research to address critical issues in a timely and biologically meaningful manner. The approach to understanding how tourism might affect Adelie Penguins must involve both a study of human activity and a study of natural variability in the physical environment. The ongoing Palmer Long Term Ecological Research program focuses on the ecosystem and its components and thus addresses the issues of natural variability. This project focuses on the human dimension and continues a tourist-monitoring program begun as a pilot project near Palmer Station. This site is in a geographic location that mirrors current patterns in tourism and tourist-wildlife interactions in the western Antarctic Peninsula. It also offers a setting that provides unique opportunities for human impacts research. This includes the presence of long-term databases that document environmental variability over multiple time and space scales in both marine and terrestrial habitats, and the ability to examine potential tourist impacts as part of controlled experiments. The results of the study will have important implications to understanding interactions between climate change and ecosystem response, and for detecting, mitigating and managing the consequences of human activities such as tourism.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e MAGNETIC/MOTION SENSORS \u003e GRAVIMETERS \u003e GRAVIMETERS", "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "R/V NBP", "locations": null, "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Fraser, William; Smith, Raymond", "platforms": "WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V NBP", "repo": "R2R", "repositories": "R2R", "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Monitoring the Human Impact and Environmental Variability on Adelie Penguins at Palmer Station, Antarctica", "uid": "p0000819", "west": null}, {"awards": "0439759 Ballard, Grant", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-180 -60,-177.5 -60,-175 -60,-172.5 -60,-170 -60,-167.5 -60,-165 -60,-162.5 -60,-160 -60,-157.5 -60,-155 -60,-155 -61.76,-155 -63.52,-155 -65.28,-155 -67.04,-155 -68.8,-155 -70.56,-155 -72.32,-155 -74.08,-155 -75.84,-155 -77.6,-157.5 -77.6,-160 -77.6,-162.5 -77.6,-165 -77.6,-167.5 -77.6,-170 -77.6,-172.5 -77.6,-175 -77.6,-177.5 -77.6,180 -77.6,178.5 -77.6,177 -77.6,175.5 -77.6,174 -77.6,172.5 -77.6,171 -77.6,169.5 -77.6,168 -77.6,166.5 -77.6,165 -77.6,165 -75.84,165 -74.08,165 -72.32,165 -70.56,165 -68.8,165 -67.04,165 -65.28,165 -63.52,165 -61.76,165 -60,166.5 -60,168 -60,169.5 -60,171 -60,172.5 -60,174 -60,175.5 -60,177 -60,178.5 -60,-180 -60))", "dataset_titles": "Access to data; Adelie penguin banding data 1994-2021 from the California Avian Data Center hosted by Point Reyes Bird Observatory Conservation Science; Adelie penguin resighting data 1997-2021 from the California Avian Data Center hosted by Point Reyes Bird Observatory Conservation Science", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601443", "doi": "10.15784/601443", "keywords": "Adelie Penguin; Antarctica; Biota; Demography; Penguin; Ross Sea; Seabirds", "people": "Ballard, Grant", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Adelie penguin banding data 1994-2021 from the California Avian Data Center hosted by Point Reyes Bird Observatory Conservation Science", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601443"}, {"dataset_uid": "001368", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "CADC", "science_program": null, "title": "Access to data", "url": "http://data.prbo.org/apps/penguinscience/AllData/mammals"}, {"dataset_uid": "601444", "doi": "10.15784/601444", "keywords": "Adelie Penguin; Antarctica; Biota; Demography; Mark-Recapture; Monitoring; Penguin; Ross Island", "people": "Ballard, Grant", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Adelie penguin resighting data 1997-2021 from the California Avian Data Center hosted by Point Reyes Bird Observatory Conservation Science", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601444"}], "date_created": "Tue, 19 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This project is an international collaborative investigation of geographic structuring, founding of new colonies, and population change of Adelie penguins (Pygoscelis adelia) nesting on Ross and Beaufort islands, Antarctica. The long-term changes occurring at these colonies are representative of changes throughout the Ross Sea, where 30% of all Adelie penguins reside, and are in some way related to changing climate. The recent grounding of two very large icebergs against Ross and Beaufort islands, with associated increased variability in sea-ice extent, has provided an unparalleled natural experiment affecting wild, interannual swings in colony productivity, foraging effort, philopatry and recruitment. Results of this natural experiment can provide insights into the demography and geographic population structuring of this species, having relevance Antarctic-wide in understanding its future responses to climate change as well as interpreting its amazingly well known Holocene history. This ongoing study will continue to consider the relative importance of resources that constrain or enhance colony growth (nesting habitat, access to food); the aspects of natural history that are affected by exploitative or interference competition among neighboring colonies (breeding success, foraging effort); climatic factors that influence the latter, especially sea ice patterns; and behavioral mechanisms that influence colony growth as a function of initial size and location (emigration, immigration). An increased effort will focus on understanding factors that affect over-winter survival. The hypothesis is that the age structure of Cape Crozier has changed over the past thirty years and no longer reflects the smaller colonies nearby. Based on recent analyses, it appears that the Ross Island penguins winter in a narrow band of sea ice north of the Antarctic Circle (where daylight persists) and south of the southern boundary of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (where food abounds). More extensive winter ice takes the penguins north of that boundary where they incur higher mortality. Thus, where a penguin winters may be due to the timing of its post-breeding departure (which differs among colonies), which affects where it first encounters sea ice on which to molt and where it will be transported by the growing ice field. Foraging effort and interference competition for food suggested as factors driving the geographic structuring of colonies. The research includes a census of known-age penguins, studies of foraging effort and overlap among colonies; and identification of the location of molting and wintering areas. Information will be related to sea-ice conditions as quantified by satellite images. Demographic and foraging-effort models will be used to synthesize results. The iceberg natural experiment is an unparalleled opportunity to investigate the demographics of a polar seabird and its response to climate change. The marked, interannual variability in apparent philopatry, with concrete data being collected on its causes, is a condition rarely encountered among studies of vertebrates. Broader impacts include collaborating with New Zealand and Italian researchers, involving high school teachers and students in the fieldwork and continuing a website to highlight results to both scientists and the general public.", "east": -155.0, "geometry": "POINT(-175 -68.8)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": -60.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Ballard, Grant", "platforms": "Not provided", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "CADC; USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -77.6, "title": "COLLABORATIVE: Geographic Structure of Adelie Penguin Colonies - Demography of Population Change", "uid": "p0000068", "west": 165.0}, {"awards": "0225110 Garrott, Robert", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((163.1 -70.3,163.59 -70.3,164.08 -70.3,164.57 -70.3,165.06 -70.3,165.55 -70.3,166.04 -70.3,166.53 -70.3,167.02 -70.3,167.51 -70.3,168 -70.3,168 -70.98,168 -71.66,168 -72.34,168 -73.02,168 -73.7,168 -74.38,168 -75.06,168 -75.74,168 -76.42,168 -77.1,167.51 -77.1,167.02 -77.1,166.53 -77.1,166.04 -77.1,165.55 -77.1,165.06 -77.1,164.57 -77.1,164.08 -77.1,163.59 -77.1,163.1 -77.1,163.1 -76.42,163.1 -75.74,163.1 -75.06,163.1 -74.38,163.1 -73.7,163.1 -73.02,163.1 -72.34,163.1 -71.66,163.1 -70.98,163.1 -70.3))", "dataset_titles": "Weddell Seal data", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "000120", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "PI website", "science_program": null, "title": "Weddell Seal data", "url": "http://www.montana.edu/weddellseals/"}], "date_created": "Wed, 28 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "The Erebus Bay Weddell seal population study in eastern McMurdo Sound, Antarctica was initiated in 1968 and represents one of the longest intensive field investigations of a long-lived mammal in existence. Over the thirty-four year period of this study a total of 15,636 animals have been tagged with 144,927 re-sighting records logged in the current database. As such, this study is an extremely valuable resource for understanding population dynamics of not only Weddell seals, but also other species of both terrestrial and marine mammals with similar life-history characteristics. With the retirement of the original investigator, Dr. Donald Siniff, this proposal represents an effort to transition the long-term studies to a new team of investigators. Dr. Robert Garrott and Dr. Jay Rotella propose building upon the foundation with two lines of investigation that combine use of the long-term database with new field initiatives. The continuity of the demographic data will be maintained by annually marking all pups born, replace lost or broken tags, and perform multiple mark-recapture censuses of the Erebus Bay seal colonies. The new data will be combined with the existing database and a progressively complex series of analyses will be performed using recently developed mark-recapture methods to decompose, evaluate, and integrate the demographic characteristics of the Erebus Bay Weddell seal population. These analyses will allow the testing of specific hypotheses about population regulation as well as temporal and spatial patterns of variation in vital rates among colonies within the population that have been posed by previous investigators, but have not been adequately evaluated due to data and analytical limitations. The primary new field initiative will involve an intensive study of mass dynamics of both pups and adult females as a surrogate measure for assessing annual variation in marine resources and their potential role in limiting and/or regulating the population. In conjunction with the collection of data on body mass dynamics the investigators will use satellite imagery to develop an extended time series of sea ice extent in McMurdo Sound. Regional extent of sea ice affects both regional primary productivity and availability of haul out areas for Weddell seals. Increased primary productivity may increase marine resources which would be expected to have a positive affect on Weddell seal foraging efficiency, leading to increased body mass. These data combined with the large proportion of known-aged seals in the current study population (\u003e60%) will allow the investigators to develop a powerful database to test specific hypotheses about ecological processes affecting Weddell seals. Knowledge of the mechanisms that limit and/or regulate Weddell seal populations and the specific bio-physical linkages between climate, oceans, ice, and Antarctic food webs can provide important contributions to understanding of pinniped population dynamics, as well as contribute more generally to theoretical understanding of population, community, and ecosystem patterns and processes. Such knowledge can be readily applied elsewhere to enhance the ability of natural resource managers to effectively maintain assemblages of other large-mammal species and the ecological processes that they facilitate. Continuation of this long-term study may also contribute to understanding the potential impacts of human activities such as global climate warming and the commercial exploitation of Antarctic marine resources. And finally, the study can contribute significantly to the development and testing of new research and analytical methodologies that will almost certainly have many other applications.", "east": 168.0, "geometry": "POINT(165.55 -73.7)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": -70.3, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Garrott, Robert; Siniff, Donald; Rotella, Jay", "platforms": "Not provided", "repo": "PI website", "repositories": "PI website", "science_programs": null, "south": -77.1, "title": "Patterns and Processes: Dynamics of the Erebus Bay Weddell Seal Population", "uid": "p0000109", "west": 163.1}, {"awards": "0126146 Miller, Molly", "bounds_geometry": "POINT(171 -83.75)", "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Wed, 20 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award, provided by the Antarctic Geology and Geophysics Program of the Office of Polar Programs, provides funds for a study to investigate paleoenvironmental conditions during the late Paleozoic and Mesozoic in central interior Antarctica. The 4 km thick sequence of sedimentary rocks, known as the Beacon Supergroup, in the Beardmore Glacier area records 90 million years of Permian through Jurassic history of this high-paleolatitude sector of Gondwana. It accumulated in a foreland basin with a rate of subsidence approximately equal to the rate of deposition. The deposits have yielded diverse vertebrate fossils, in situ fossil forests, and exceptionally well preserved plant fossils. They give a unique glimpse of glacial, lake, and stream/river environments and ecosystems and preserve an unparalleled record of the depositional, paleoclimatic, and tectonic history of the area. The excellent work done to date provides a solid base of information on which to build understanding of conditions and processes.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThis project is a collaborative study of this stratigraphic section that will integrate sedimentologic, paleontologic, and ichnologic observations to answer focused questions, including: (1) What are the stratigraphic architecture and alluvial facies of Upper Permian to Jurassic rocks in the Beardmore area?; (2) In what tectonostratigraphic setting were these rocks deposited?; (3) Did vertebrates inhabit the cold, near-polar, Permian floodplains, as indicated by vertebrate burrows, and can these burrows be used to identify, for the first time, the presence of small early mammals in Mesozoic deposits?; and (4) How did bottom-dwelling animals in lakes and streams use substrate ecospace, how did ecospace use at these high paleolatitudes differ from ecospace use in equivalent environments at low paleolatitudes, and what does burrow distribution reveal about seasonality of river flow and thus about paleoclimate? Answers to these questions will (1) clarify the paleoclimatic, basinal, and tectonic history of this part of Gondwana, (2) elucidate the colonization of near-polar ecosystems by vertebrates, (3) provide new information on the environmental and paleolatitudinal distributions of early mammals, and (4) allow semi-quantitative assessment of the activity and abundance of bottom-dwelling animals in different freshwater environments at high and low latitudes. In summary, this project will contribute significantly to an understanding of paleobiology and paleoecology at a high latitude floodplain setting during a time in Earth history when the climate was much different than today.", "east": 171.0, "geometry": "POINT(171 -83.75)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "Beardmore Glacier; FIELD SURVEYS; Paleoclimate; Permian; Paleontology; FIELD INVESTIGATION; Sedimentologic; Ichnologic; Stratigraphic; Gondwana", "locations": "Beardmore Glacier", "north": -83.75, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": "PHANEROZOIC \u003e MESOZOIC \u003e JURASSIC; PHANEROZOIC \u003e PALEOZOIC \u003e PERMIAN; PHANEROZOIC \u003e MESOZOIC \u003e TRIASSIC", "persons": "Miller, Molly", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD INVESTIGATION; LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD SURVEYS", "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": -83.75, "title": "Collaborative Research: Late Paleozoic-Mesozoic Fauna, Environment, Climate and Basinal History: Beardmore Glacier Area, Transantarctic Mountains", "uid": "p0000736", "west": 171.0}, {"awards": "0003844 Case, Judd", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": "Expedition Data; Expedition data of LMG0309", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "001683", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/LMG0309"}, {"dataset_uid": "002676", "doi": null, "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition data of LMG0309", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/LMG0309"}], "date_created": "Wed, 28 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award, provided by the Antarctic Geology and Geophysics Program of the Office of Polar Programs, supports a collaborative research project between the Saint Mary\u0027s College of California, the South Dakota School of Mines and technology, and the Argentine Antarctic Institute (Instituto Antartico Argentino or IAA) to investigate the Late Mesozoic vertebrate paleontology of the James Ross Basin in the Antarctic Peninsula region. The Campanian through the Maastrichtian ages (80 to 65 million years ago) is an important time interval concerning vertebrate biogeography (i.e. dispersals and separations due to moving landmasses) and evolution between Antarctica and other Southern Hemisphere continents (including India, i.e. Gondwana). Moreover, the dispersal of terrestrial vertebrates (i.e. dinosaurs and marsupial mammals) from North America to Antarctica and beyond (e.g. Australia) via Patagonia and the Antarctic Peninsula, as well as the dispersal of modern birds from Antarctica northward are important unresolved questions in paleontology. These dispersal events include vertebrates not only in the terrestrial realms, but also in marine settings. Both widely distributed and localized marine reptile species have been identified in Antarctica, creating questions concerning their dispersal in conjunction with the terrestrial animals.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThe Antarctic Peninsula and Patagonia represent the western-most portion of the Weddellian Paleobiogeographic Province, a region that extends from Patagonia through the Antarctic Peninsula and western Antarctica to Australia and New Zealand. Within this province lie the dispersal routes for interchanges of vertebrates between South America and: 1) Madagascar and India, and 2) Australia. As the result of previous work by the principal investigators, it is postulated that an isthmus between more northern South America and the Antarctic craton has served to bring typical North American dinosaurs, such as hadrosaurs (duck-billed dinosaurs) and presumably marsupials traveling overland, while marine reptiles swam along coastal waters, to Antarctica in the latest Cretaceous. Finally, this region has served as the cradle for the evolution, if not the origin, for groups of modern birds, and evolution of a suite of typical southern hemisphere plants.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eIn order to confirm and expand upon these hypotheses, investigations into the latest Cretaceous deposits of the James Ross Basin, Antarctica Peninsula must be continued. The Cape Lamb and Sandwich Bluff geological units, of the Lopez de Bertodano Formation in the James Ross Basin along the eastern Antarctic Peninsula, exhibit a mixture of marine and terrestrial deposits. The following vertebrates have been recovered from these sedimentary deposits during previous field seasons: plesiosaur and mosasaur marine reptiles; plant eating dinosaurs; a meat eating dinosaur; and a variety of modern bird groups, including shorebirds, wading birds and lagoonal birds.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThis project will undertake new fieldwork to recover new specimens in order to test biogeographic and evolutionary hypotheses concerning Late Cretaceous vertebrates in Gondwana. Fieldwork is planned in January 2002 and 2003 to explore the eastern slopes of Cape Lamb, Sandwich Bluff and False Island Point on Vega Island, and the Santa Marta Cove area of James Ross Island.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThis research will result in important new insights about the evolution and geographic dispersal of several vertebrate species. The results are important to understanding the development and evolution of life on Earth.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThis is a collaborative research project with Argentinean scientists from the IAA and it continues a productive collaboration that began in 1995. In addition, collaboration with vertebrate paleontologists from the Museo de La Plata, both in the field and at our respective institutions in Argentina and in the United States, will continue.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e CTD; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PRESSURE/HEIGHT METERS \u003e PRESSURE SENSORS; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e POSITIONING/NAVIGATION \u003e GPS \u003e GPS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e ACOUSTIC SOUNDERS \u003e ADCP", "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "Not provided; R/V LMG", "locations": null, "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": "PHANEROZOIC \u003e MESOZOIC \u003e CRETACEOUS", "persons": "Case, Judd; Blake, Daniel", "platforms": "Not provided; WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V LMG", "repo": "R2R", "repositories": "R2R", "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Collaborative Research: Evolution and Biogeography of Late Cretaceous Vertebrates from the James Ross Basin, Antarctic Peninsula", "uid": "p0000129", "west": null}, {"awards": "0232042 Finn, Carol", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((139.27539 -82.35733,142.369695 -82.35733,145.464 -82.35733,148.558305 -82.35733,151.65261 -82.35733,154.746915 -82.35733,157.84122 -82.35733,160.935525 -82.35733,164.02983 -82.35733,167.124135 -82.35733,170.21844 -82.35733,170.21844 -82.516831,170.21844 -82.676332,170.21844 -82.835833,170.21844 -82.995334,170.21844 -83.154835,170.21844 -83.314336,170.21844 -83.473837,170.21844 -83.633338,170.21844 -83.792839,170.21844 -83.95234,167.124135 -83.95234,164.02983 -83.95234,160.935525 -83.95234,157.84122 -83.95234,154.746915 -83.95234,151.65261 -83.95234,148.558305 -83.95234,145.464 -83.95234,142.369695 -83.95234,139.27539 -83.95234,139.27539 -83.792839,139.27539 -83.633338,139.27539 -83.473837,139.27539 -83.314336,139.27539 -83.154835,139.27539 -82.995334,139.27539 -82.835833,139.27539 -82.676332,139.27539 -82.516831,139.27539 -82.35733))", "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Tue, 16 Aug 2005 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award, provided by the Antarctic Geology and Geophysics Program of the Office of Polar Programs, supports a project to investigate the Transantarctic Mountains and an adjacent region of East Antarctica. The East Antarctic shield is one of Earth\u0027s oldest and largest cratonic assemblies, with a long-lived Archean to early Paleozoic history. Long-standing interest in the geologic evolution of this shield has been rekindled over the past decade by tectonic models linking East Antarctica with other Precambrian crustal elements in the Rodinia and Gondwanaland supercontinents. It is postulated that the Pacific margin of East Antarctica was rifted from Laurentia during late Neoproterozoic breakup of Rodinia, and it then developed as an active plate boundary during subsequent amalgamation of Gondwanaland in the earliest Paleozoic. If true, the East Antarctic shield played a key role in supercontinent transformation at a time of global changes in plate configuration, terrestrial surficial process, sea level, and marine geochemistry and biota. A better understanding of the geological evolution of the East Antarctic shield is therefore critical for studying Precambrian crustal evolution in general, as well as resource distribution, biosphere evolution, and glacial and climate history during later periods of Earth history. Because of nearly complete coverage by the polar ice cap, however, Antarctica remains the single most geologically unexplored continent. Exposures of cratonic basement are largely limited to coastal outcrops in George V Land and Terre Adelie (Australian sector), the Prince Charles Mountains and Enderby Land (Indian sector), and Queen Maud Land (African sector), where the geology is reasonably well-known. By contrast, little is known about the composition and structure of the shield interior. Given the extensive ice cover, collection of airborne geophysical data is the most cost-effective method to characterize broad areas of sub-ice basement and expand our knowledge of the East Antarctic shield interior. \u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThis project will conduct an airborne magnetic survey (coupled with ground-based gravity measurements) across an important window into the shield where it is exposed in the Nimrod Glacier area of the central Transantarctic Mountains. Specific goals are to:\u003cbr/\u003e1. Characterize the magnetic and gravity signature of East Antarctic crustal basement exposed at the Ross margin (Nimrod Group),\u003cbr/\u003e2. Extend the magnetic data westward along a corridor across the polar ice cap in order to image the crust in ice-covered areas,\u003cbr/\u003e3. Obtain magnetic data over the Ross Orogen in order to image the ice-covered boundary between basement and supracrustal rocks, allowing us to better constrain the geometry of fundamental Ross structures, and\u003cbr/\u003e4. Use the shape, trends, wavelengths, and amplitudes of magnetic anomalies to define magnetic domains in the shield, common building blocks for continent-scale studies of Precambrian geologic structure and evolution.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eHigh-resolution airborne magnetic data will be collected along a transect extending from exposed rocks of the Nimrod Group across the adjacent polar ice cap. The Nimrod Group represents the only bona fide Archean-Proterozoic shield basement exposed for over 2500 km of the Pacific margin of Antarctica. This survey will characterize the geologically well-known shield terrain in this sector using geophysical methods for the first time. This baseline over the exposed shield will allow for better interpretation of geophysical patterns in other ice-covered regions and can be used to target future investigations. In collaboration with colleagues from the BGR (Germany), a tightly-spaced, \"draped\" helicopter magnetic survey will be flown during the 2003-04 austral summer, to be complemented by ground measurements of gravity over the exposed basement. Data reduction, interpretation and geological correlation will be completed in the second year. This project will enhance the education of students, the advancement of under-represented groups, the research instrumentation of the U.S. Antarctic Program, partnerships between the federal government and institutions of higher education, and cooperation between national research programs. It will benefit society through the creation of new basic knowledge about the Antarctic continent, which in turn may help with applied research in other fields such as the glacial history of Antarctica.", "east": 170.21844, "geometry": "POINT(154.746915 -83.154835)", "instruments": "SOLAR/SPACE OBSERVING INSTRUMENTS \u003e MAGNETIC FIELD/ELECTRIC FIELD INSTRUMENTS \u003e MAM", "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "Central Transantarctic Mountains; Aeromagnetic Data; HELICOPTER; DHC-6; Not provided", "locations": "Central Transantarctic Mountains", "north": -82.35733, "nsf_funding_programs": null, "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Finn, C. A.; FINN, CAROL", "platforms": "AIR-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e PROPELLER \u003e DHC-6; AIR-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e ROTORCRAFT/HELICOPTER \u003e HELICOPTER; Not provided", "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": -83.95234, "title": "Collaborative Research: Geophysical Mapping of the East Antarctic Shield Adjacent to the Transantarctic Mountains", "uid": "p0000249", "west": 139.27539}]

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