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Comments
After riding out 40 to 50 knot winds for the first day and a half of the New Year, conditions had abated sufficiently by 1600 hrs yesterday to allow sampling to re-commence. However, the lull only lasted for about 6 hours before winds were again gusting to 50 knots and sampling halted. After a further 8 hour break, sampling re-commenced at about 0500 hrs this morning and the day shift woke to sunny conditions and light winds. Overall impressions of the sea-bed invertebrate communities are that the diversity and species composition on the Adelie Bank seems roughly equivalent to that known from at Dumont D'Urville at shallower depths (40-200m), but tends to decrease in Commonwealth Bay, possibly because of increased iceberg scouring. Two stations (38 & 36) show strikingly different benthic communities compared to surrounding stations, with many anemones, synascidians and serolid isopods. These stations are situated well beneath the action of icebergs at the bottom of the Georges V Basin where water conditions may play a role in shaping very different assemblages. The multi-beam data, previously collected in this area by the US research vessel the Nathaniel Palmer, provides a very detailed picture of the sea-bed including tracks of past ice-berg scouring. For those sites where it is available, it is proving invaluable for interpreting the relationship between the living communities and the physical environment of the sea-bed. A multi-beam capability must be considered as an essential element of a modern program of benthic biodiversity research. Regards, Martin and Sarah.
Map
A map showing Australia and Antarctica. The map shows the journey of one voyage that has occured in the season, with each route highlighted in a distinct colour.