AMLR 2009 Weekly Report No. 1

13 January 2009

Week 1 Field Report

The US AMLR began its 2009 charter of the Yuzhmorgeologia on January 5th. Over the following three days, laboratory vans, containers, supplies and personnel were all loaded aboard. In addition to the scientific crew (derived from a number of countries and US Science Institutions), US AMLR also embarked four members of the Polish Research Program, and five US based scientists for transport to field camps.

The Yuzhmor' departed Punta Arenas at 1230 UTC on the 8th of January. The Drake crossing was uneventful and the ship arrived at King George Island on the morning of 11 January. One US biologist was transferred to Copacabana field station (A US AMLR and NSF collaborative research program) and the four members of the Polish Research Program were debarked at the Arctowski Station. Offloading of cargo and personnel occurred during that day, and the acoustic transducers were calibrated in Ezcurra Inlet that evening. The ship arrived at Cape Shirreff on the afternoon of the 12th of January. Supplies and personnel were quickly offloaded. Four scientists were deposited at Cape Shirreff, on Livingston Island. Among these were two US AMLR Scientists and two students representing the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the University of California Santa Barbara. The US AMLR large scale survey began at 2200 on the 13th of January.

At present, four of the more than 100 usual stations have been sampled, the normal assortment of Antarctic krill, salps and other common zooplankton taxa have been observed. Sea bird and marine mammal observations are being made during transits between stations. A low pressure system to our west may provide some weather and seas over the next 24-48 hours. However, at present we are on schedule.

from the Yuzhmor,

Christian Reiss

Chief Scientist