My previous entries described the trip South to Antarctica and everyday life at Palmer Station. You may be wondering at this point why we are down here? To do research, of course! We are working under a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to investigate the effects of ozone depletion on marine invertebrate animals.

Our research team (image 1, field team) is headed by two PI's or principal investigators, Isidro Bosch (image 2, Dr. Bosch), known and loved by biology students in Geneseo, and Deneb Karentz, professor and chair of the Department of Biology at the University of San Francisco.   They direct all the projects and set our general scientific direction. Both are seasoned veterans of the Antarctic, having been to Palmer Station as well as the larger McMurdo Station on numerous occasions.   In addition to PI, Dr. Bosch is also integrally involved in arranging the dive operations necessary to collect animals for study. Ross Hein is our lead diver (image 3, Ross). He is responsible for preparing and coordinating all our SCUBA dives as well as most of our field work. His experience in diving and logistics is truly an asset to our research team. When not working with us, Ross is the Assistant Diving Officer at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Mario Pineda, a student of Dr. Karentz from the University of San Francisco (image 4, Dr. Karentz and Mario),  and I are research assistants . We each have our own research projects and contribute to the overall scientific effort. Each member of our team has a specific area of expertise. This makes us well rounded and efficient so that we can carry out as much science as possible during our short stay here.
 

  All of our work at Palmer Station investigates the biological effects causeed by the depletion of the ozone layer that has occured over the Antarctic Continent in the last 15 y years. The ozone layer is a narrow zone in the upper atmosphere where ozone molecules intercept harmful ultraviolet radiation (UV) from the Sun, acting like a giant filter. Without this protective layer, UV light would destroy all forms of life. Over the past half century, many products, particularly aerosols, have brought about a rapid depletion of ozone in the atmosphere. Many complex atmospheric conditions, such as the formation of polar stratospheric clouds (image 5, PSC) cause the ozone depletion to be concentrated over the Antarctic during the austral spring. NASA has devised a way to measure the level of ozone in the atmosphere using a satellite that orbits the earth. The resulting information can be illustrated as a color-coded map known as a TOMS image (image 6, TOMS image, pinks and purples represent low ozone). For more information on ozone depletion you should contact NASA's Ozone Web Site: jwocky.gsfc.nasa.gov

Scientists don't know very much about the long term effects of the increased UV on Antarctic marine animal life, and that is what we hope our research will begin to explain. We're sure that adult marine animals are shielded from damage by the water, and by shells or pigments on the body (image 7, antarctic invertebrates). But they have their achilles heel, a vulnerable stage in their life cycle: their embryos. The young are produced in the spring, at which time millions of eggs and sperm are released into the water.  The resulting embryos and larvae (image 9, sea star larva) drift around the water for weeks before becoming little juveniles and resting on the bottom . People living in Antarctica can avoid UV damage easily with clothing and lots of sunscreen, or by staying in doors. For invertebrate eggs and embryos, the only defense are natural UV absorbing pigments given to them by their parents. They are otherwise at the mercy of their environment. Because of springtime ozone depletion, they are now even more vulnerable to many types of cellular damage, including DNA damage, from the UV.

Our research consists of experiments designed to investigate how different light and ozone levels affect the survival of invertebrate embryos. Much of our experiments are carried out in the aquarium, where the animals are kept (image 11, microscope room), or in nearby outdoor tanks . As soon as conditions improve (today we are in the midst of a spring blizzard!) we will begin our field work and extend our experiments into the animals' natural habitats.

Next week, our first detailed look at richness of the Antarctic marine life, including some of the species we study (image 12, antarctic isopod and friend)