Collaborative International Research in the Ross Sea

College Of William & Mary Virginia Institute Of Marine Science, Gloucester Point VA

Investigators

Abstract

The proposed request ito support participation in an Italian cruise to the Ross Sea, Antarctica in January-February, 2001. The cruise invitation for this ship of opportunity was received in late spring, and hence was too late to request funding via normal funding venues. It is a joint physical-biological-geological cruise that will sample a broad range of environments in the Ross Sea (e.g., the continental shelf break off Cape Adare, the Ross Sea ice shelf, the coastal waters near Terra Nova Bay, and the central Ross Sea). The proposed research will focus on two scientific topics: aggregate formation and iron limitation of phytoplankton photosynthesis. The process of aggregate formation and flux, a mediator in the flux of organic matter will be determined using a photographic technique. The dependence of photosynthesis in a variety of environments will be assessed in the Ross Sea by a novel fluorometric method. These near real-time estimates of photosynthesis/irradiance relationships are sensitive indicators of iron limitation. This request is in response to a recent invitation to participate and provides a unique opportunity to sample the Ross Sea with novel techniques. The research opportunity made available builds on recent results from the southern Ocean and extends international collaborative efforts. In the past, scientific coordination with Italian investigators in the Ross Sea has been spotty and somewhat tentative. This collaboration (i.e., the offering of bunk space and scientific collaboration) is a big move forward in expanding the coordination of international activities. This is also an opportunity to utilize the only ship available for scientific research in the Ross Sea in 2000-01. The data provided by the PI will employ two relatively new techniques to look at questions of iron limitation and aggregate formation. The proposed work will provide the first opportunity to field test a novel and potentially ground-breaking instrument in the assessment of iron limitation and bring that expertise to the US Antarctic Program.