Palmer LTER Lagrangian Current Measurements

卫星跟踪的漂流物提供了简单而有力的工具，可在从潮汐/惯性带到每月和更长时间的时间尺度上跟踪近地表水的运动。本文所述的研究将在2006年1月和2007年1月每年夏季的帕尔默长期生态研究南极考察期间部署卫星跟踪的表面漂流物，以调查南极半岛西部大陆架上的近地表拉格朗日流。 该地区正经历着南极洲最高的地表气温上升（每年约+0.06摄氏度），LTER和其他研究人员发现，生态系统对快速变暖和海冰减少的反应在从浮游植物到企鹅的所有营养级都很明显。更好地了解区域环流及其变化，似乎是了解这一重要和敏感的南极生态系统现有物理和生物过程以及长期变化的一个重要组成部分。 这些新的拉格朗日测量将补充2001-2003年美国南大洋（SO）GLOBEC计划期间所做的测量，并首次详细观察wAP大陆架这一重要部分的近地表流动。特别是，组合的3年LTER拉格朗日测量值应确定：（a）SO GLOBEC期间发现的沿阿德莱德岛外海岸向西南沿着流动并流入玛格丽特湾的浮力沿岸流的源区;（B）是否出现有组织的跨陆架流动，有助于在陆架上形成Hofmann等人（1996年）根据区域水文学提出的双环流。 主要调查人员将处理和分析LTER 2005-2007漂流物数据，并与Palmer LTER调查人员合作，解释拉格朗日数据并将其与他们的研究相结合。 编辑后的数据、分析结果和漂流物数据与地面天气数据的动画将发布在LTER网站上，供科学家、学生和公众使用和查看。 研究结果将在国家会议上提出，并在参考期刊上发表。

Satellite-tracked drifters provide simple yet powerful tools to track the motion of near-surface water on time scales ranging from the tidal/inertial band to monthly and longer. The research described herein will deploy satellite-tracked surface drifters during the annual austral summer Palmer Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) cruises in January 2006 and 2007 in order to investigate the nearsurface Lagrangian currents over the western Antarctic Peninsula (wAP) shelf. This region is experiencing the highest surface air temperature increase (roughly +0.06 degrees C per year) in Antarctica, and LTER and other investigators have found that ecosystem responses to the rapid warming and sea ice decline are already apparent at all trophic levels from phytoplankton to penguins. Building a better understanding of the regional circulation and its variability seems an essential component to understand existing physical and biological processes and longer-term changes in this important and sensitive Antarctic ecosystem. These new Lagrangian measurements will complement those made during the 2001-2003 U.S. Southern Ocean (SO) GLOBEC program and provide the first detailed look at the near-surface flow in this important section of the wAP shelf. In particular, the combined 3-year LTER Lagrangian measurements should identify (a) the source region(s) of the buoyant coastal current discovered flowing southwest along the outer coast of Adelaide Island and into Marguerite Bay during SO GLOBEC and (b) if organized cross-shelf flows occur that help create a two gyre circulation over the shelf as suggested by Hofmann et al (1996) based on regional hydrography. The principal investigators will process and analyze the LTER 2005-2007 drifter data and collaborate with Palmer LTER investigators on the interpretation and integration of the Lagrangian data with their studies. The edited data, analysis results, and animations of the drifter data with surface weather data will be posted on the LTER website for use and viewing by scientists, students, and the public. Results will be presented at national meetings and published in referred journals.