Directory

Start date:
October 2013
End date:
December 2013
Locations:
Lake Bonney, Lake Fryxell, Lake Hoare
Principle Investigator:
Peter Doran
Organisation:
University of Illinois, Chicago
We willl deploy autonomous instrumentation in selected lakes of Taylor Valley, Antarctica, to collect the first below−ice suite of physical, chemical and biological data during the polar night. Our proposed research will test the overarching hypothesis that the winter darkness induces a cascade of physiological changes that alters the biodiversity and functional roles of autotrophic and heterotrophic microplankton within the lakes. During the first year of the project, we will deploy Autonomous Lake Profiling and sampling (ALPS) stations in both the east and west lobes of Lake Bonney. These stations will add to existing LTER monitoring equipment and will consist of ice−tethered profilers, phytoplankton samplers, and remote−access samplers, along with requisite power and communication. The stations will operate year−round.