LTER Cruise

The Long Term Ecological Research project (LTER) consists of four groups studying aspects of different ecological levels (microbial, phytoplankton, krill, and seabirds) and how those levels affect each other. Most groups are funded for only 3 years in Antarctica, but the LTER groups have been conducting research here since 1990. This gives them a long data set to extrapolate trends from. Consistent data is most important, and these trends will be a strong foundation for climate change studies.

So the groups set out on the Gould for a four week cruise. They travel down the peninsula and sample at the same locations that they have been for over 15 years. The volume of sampling and analysis, done from this large research vessel in 4 weeks, is greater than all the work they do from the zodiacs in the local Palmer area the other 5 months they are working here. So this cruise is an important part of this project.

As part of this year's project, Rutgers University deployed a glider from the waters near Palmer that will travel down the peninsula for 15-30 days. The glider propels itself through the water not with motors but by changing its buoyancy. It moves forward as it sinks and surfaces. All that time it will be taking readings of the water column (global position, water depth, temperature, conductivity, fluoresence, etc.). I was lucky enough to go out in the zodiac and help deploy it.

I will post pictures later on the separate aspects of each LTER component since each is interesting on its own.