The Environmentally Non-Disturbing Under-ice Robotic Antarctic Explorer (ENDURANCE) robot probe is scheduled for some tough tests in the next few weeks. The goal is to help NASA explore the underwater environment of Europa, one of Jupiter's moons.
The Stream sites are named according to the Lake they drain. For example, F1 = Canada Stream. It is the first stream on Fyrxell and flows out of Canada Glacier. Our sites are named: F1, F2, F3, F4 ....F10; H1, H2; B1-B4 -- can you figure out which stream goes with which number??? (Test will come later...)
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
to open gaging on the Onyx RIVER!
The Onyx is the only official USGS RIVER in Antarctica (it has been said that the Kiwis RAFTED on this river!)
We arrived before the water is flowing in time to survey the location:
(Seth surveying)
And exchange the N2 tank and retrieve last year's data.
Here is what we can expect to come.......
"How does Wright Valley differ from Taylor Valley?"
The Wright Valley is different from Taylor Valley in the lack of snow, warm lake temperatures, unusual rock features, desiccated seal carcasses, and an almost complete lack of plant life.
Large differences in salinity and ionic composition of the lakes are related,in part, to how the lakes have responded to climatic changes through the Holocene. Chemical variations among streams are due, in part, to their geomorphological differences, the amount of water–rock interactions within their hyporheic zones, and the amount and composition of dust and soil blown onto the glacier surfaces.
Do you notice the differences in this picture?
While the streams in Taylor Valley drain to Lake Fyrxell; Onyx River drains to Lake Vanda in the Wright Valley.
Next stop, set of gages on Lake Bonney......
SCINI stands for Submersible Capable of under Ice Navigation and Imaging. She is an underwater robot specifically built to complete science missions beneath the frozen surface of the ocean in Antarctica.
SCINI is a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) which means that a tether to the surface allows the pilot to see what she sees through her camera “eyes” and control where she “swims” with her five thrusters.
The pilot uses a joystick that looks suspiciously like a video game controller (because it is one) and views the world on a computer flat screen that shows not only the seafloor around SCINI but also the vehicle status array and engineering diagnostics.
SCINI finds her way around in the ocean using an integrated South Star navigation system that has been developed in partnership with Desert Star Systems. This wireless array allows us to extend the accuracy of GPS beneath the water where satellite signals cannot penetrate. And, what is SCINI finding her way towards? That is what the scientists decide, and this year SCINI will be diving deeper and in more remote locations, in order to describe Antarctic seafloor communities that have never before been seen by human eyes.
For more information on the SCINI project visit: http://scini2009.mlml.calstate.edu
| Site number | Stream |
|---|---|
| 14 | Onyx River at Lake Vanda Weir |
| 15 | Onyx River at Lower Wright Weir |
List of streamgages shown on the map:
| Site Number | Stream |
|---|---|
| 1 | Canada Stream |
| 2 | Huey Creek |
| 3 | Lost Seal Stream |
| 4 | Aiken Creek |
| 5 | Von Guerard Stream |
| 6 | Crescent Stream |
| 7 | Delta Stream |
| 8 | Green Creek |
| 9 | Andersen Creek |
| 10 | House Stream |
| 11 | Priscu Stream |
| 12 | Santa Fe Stream |
| 13 | Commonwealth Stream |
| 16 | Lawson Creek |
| 17 | Harnish Creek |
| 19 | Lyons Creek |
| 20 | Harnish Creek Tributary |
Can you find them all on the map?
According to the USGS, Stream-gaging consists of the following Streamflow Data:
1. Stage - which is the height of the water surface above a reference elevation.
2. Discharge - the measurement of cross-sectional area and the velocity of the flowing water.
• We use a pgymy meter to measure the velocity of the water. 
A Pgymy meter consists of a spinning set of 'cups' that rotate in the water and spin around to measure the water speed.
Other measurements we make at the streams are for water quality:
pH, Anions, Cations, Nutrients and Dissolved O2. We are interested in the amount and type of ions (ie Ca2+, K+,Na+, Cl-, HCO3-,SO3-)
Find the elements that form these ions on the Periodic Table:
We are off to the Wright Valley to gage the streams there........
And the work began.......I chopped the lake ice to melt for drinking water....
![[Glacier_-_Antarctica.JPG]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrOPwDYrhEBSVcXYI-oLCnynt8d6zB69uKM8d0LB_mNcQy-20Pft5aR7kcgo4pGH-p6HD4G53oRRUb6ne_XgkLHbVmus0TLaolM9gWjJnDIoP0MzJL2n5rMH6uvTfELbUdC_eH42PeP6PI/s1600/Glacier_-_Antarctica.JPG)
For the story of the Lost Seal, check out: http://www.mcmlter.org/lostseal/ You can also check out the book from the Boulder Public Library!
Did you know that there are SEVENTEEN species of penguins?
| Population: | 2.5 million pairs |
| Location: | Antarctic region |
| Size: | About 30 inches tall |
| Weight: | 11 pounds |
| Diet: | Fish, krill, & other small crustaceans |
| Nests: | Circle mounds of small stones |
Penguins Marching into Your Classroom
We take off by helicopter from America's main research base in Antarctica (McMurdo Station) toward Cape Royds, where exactly 101 years ago, in 1908, scientists started studying the local penguin colony. It takes only 20 minutes to get there, but it's one of the most spectacular trips of my life. The Earth is blinding white in every direction. We pass a white wall of mountains off to the left (Dry Valleys) and, on the right, an active volcano with steam curling out of the vent (Mt. Erebus).
Then the helicopter drops us in a small clearing. We climb a snowy ridge, and there at the top are thousands of noisy penguins. They're crowded together on a mound of black volcanic rock, and they're squawking and cooing their hearts out.
These penguins are called Adelies. They look like emperors, which were showcased in the hit movie March of the Penguins. Only Adelies aren't as big — they barely come up to my thighs. Most are milling around; some are flopped on their stomachs on nests which they make out of stones. There are fuzzy chicks that look like toys.
Our guide is Dr. David Ainley. He says he loves studying Adelie penguins, partly because they're so out there. Literally.
"There's no bushes here; they don't dig burrows. They just sit out here in full view and they don't really care if we're around. They have no secrets," Ainley says.
It's surprising to hear him talk this way, because researchers don't usually ascribe human emotions to animals. But when Ainley talks about these penguins, it sounds like he's talking about friends.
"Penguins have no self-doubt," Ainley says, adding sheepishly: "Which I have lots of, for myself. "They are good examples of how we all should live. They're the epitome of the word dauntless," Ainley says.
These Adelies dive up to 400 feet, dodging giant ice floes the size of cars which bash around in the surf. Some of the penguins are already coming back, shooting straight out of the water like a circus trick. Ainley says they can leap nine or ten feet, popping out of the water like corks.
Finding Answers
Scientists say penguins are providing some of the first clues of how global warming is changing the planet. And Ainley has come up with evidence by asking very basic questions: Is this penguin colony growing or shrinking? Are the penguins finding plenty of fish to eat or are they hungry? To get the answers, Ainley arms himself with a syringe loaded with tiny computer identification chips. Then he and his colleagues grab a penguin and hoist it like a squirming dog.
"We put them under our arm and hold them tightly. They're extremely strong. They're very aggressive, and they're very territorial," Ainley says. "And they definitely aren't used to being touched ... They don't even want to be touched by another penguin."
Still, the researchers inject a chip in every angry penguin's shoulder. Then they take a computerized scale, which looks like a rubber mat, and they place it on the path so the penguins cross it. This system lets Ainley track all kinds of information. For instance, what time does each penguin go fishing and when does it come back? How much weight does the penguin gain or lose?
An Unpredictable Future
Scientists have been doing similar studies in other parts of Antarctica. They've plotted their findings against the climate. The results are striking. During the past few decades, as climate patterns in some parts of the continent have changed dramatically, Adelies in some regions have almost disappeared. Their numbers have plunged 80 percent. But the Adelies where Ainley does his research are doing better than ever.
"These penguins are definitely being helped by climate change," Ainley says.
Ainley and other researchers think they know why. Most types of penguins go fishing only in open water, so they're all competing with each other to find food. But Adelies catch their fish by diving deep under the ice. In fact, they're just about the only penguin that can physically do that. So, when there's plenty of ice over the sea, Adelies hardly have any competition and they can get all the food they want.
Now the changing climate is shaking things up. In some areas where most of the ice has melted, Adelies can't survive. But Cape Royds used to have too much ice, and now it has just the right amount. So penguins here are doing great.
Ainley says here's the moral: Global warming is making life unpredictable. Early this year, he was studying another penguin colony, and a glacier was melting.
"There were huge rivers running off this glacier, running through the penguin colony, and the rivers were engulfing these penguin nests. And the penguins just kept collecting rocks to try to make their nests bigger, raise them up out of the water. And for many of them, they couldn't collect rocks fast enough. And so their eggs were just washed away," Ainley says.
Ainley's radio crackles, and we get word that our helicopter is arriving soon....
For more information on Dr. Ainley and his research:
http://www.penguinscience.com/current_sum.php
For More Penguin Stories and Penguin facts visit: www.penguinscience.com/classroom_home.php - or -
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/Animals/CreatureFeature/Adelie-penguin
Keep Marching Penguins........
