AMLR 2003 Weekly Report No. 5

9 February 2003

1. Our current position is approximately two thirds of the distance across Drakes Passage in route from Punta Arenas, Chile to South Shetland Islands. During a two day import in Punta Arenas personnel were exchanged, provisions and fuel were supplied to the ship. The ship departed on time at 0800 on the 7th.

2. First item of business is a call on Cape Shirreff field camp. Upon arrival, ETA the early morning 10th of February, provisions, propane fuel and mail are to be transferred to the shore camp via zodiac.

3. Directly after finishing the resupply of Cape Shirreff the ship will begin the second of two surveys of bio-oceanographic conditions in the vicinity of the South Shetland Islands. The survey is divided into four areas: the South Area in the central portion of Bransfield Strait south of King George and Livingston Islands, the West Area north of King George and Livingston Islands; the Elephant Island Area encompassing the northern portion of the South Shetland archipelago; and the Joinville Island Area in the western portion of Bransfield Strait. This survey is expected to take 16 days to complete if weather and ice conditions are kindly.

4. Scientific party aboard includes:

A. Jenkins, SWFSC, chief scientist, small boats

D. Doolittle, VIMS, acoustics

V. Loeb, Moss Landing Marine Labs, zooplankton

R. Rowley, Moss Landing Marine Labs, small boats, zooplankton

N. Gong, UCSC, zooplankton

M. Force, SWFSC, zooplankton

K. Dietrich U of Wash, zooplankton

S. Wilson, VIMS, zooplankton

J. Reum, UCSC, zooplankton

M. Van Den Berg, South Africa, oceanography, ET support

D. Needham, South Africa, oceanography, ET support

C. Hewes, SIO, phytoplankton

A. Allen, SWFSC, lipid extractions and scat analysis

J. Santora, CUNY, bird and marine mammal obs.

S. Mitra, CUNY, bird and marine mammal obs.

A. Jenkins sends