Continuing paleomagnetic and associated studies of Elf anin deep ...
Continuing paleomagnetic and associated studies of Elf anin deep sea sedimentary cores
ion (Watkins et al., 1973) that his paleomagnetic methods are unacceptable, and also incorrect are his key micropaleontological identifications.
N. D. WATKINS
References
Graduate School of Oceanography University of Rhode Island, Kingston The paleomagnetic properties of the Eltanin cores have been measured at 10-centimeter intervals. Together with associated micropaleontological studies conducted with Dr. J . P. Kennett, dates have been assigned for all of the cores. Earlier regional analysis of sedimentation rates south of Australia (Watkins and Kennett, 1971, 1972), resulting in the detection of a major zone of sediment scour centered on the south Tasman basin, has been extended into the southeastern Indian Ocean. The effect of the circumantarctic current on the sedimentation pattern is preserved. In conjunction with Dr. T. C. Huang, a program to study the ice-rafted debris variation is being initiated on selected isochrons for a large segment of the cores, in an attempt to define fluctuation of preferred iceberg tracks with time, as well as regional temporal variations of the 60- to 200-micron fraction in the iceberg load. Additional studies of Eltanin cores include definition of volcanic dust variation and foraminiferal biostratigraphy, in conjunction with Drs. Huang and P. Vella, respectively. In the former, a major series of eruptions on the Balleny Islands, between 1.8 and 1.6 million years ago, resulted in widespread deposition of fine volcanic dust over the entire high latitude segment of the South Pacific, with measured volcanic dust accumulation rates varying systematically downwind from 120 milligrams per square centimeter per 1000 years to 12 milligrams per square centimeter per 1000 years over a distance of 4000 kilometers (Huang et al., in press, a). We call this major ash the "Eltanin Ash." It may have triggered the climatic cooling at the Pliocene-Pleistocene boundary and effected silicious microfaunal activity (Huang et al., in press, b). We also have analyzed the effect of seafloor dynamic and chemical processes that may have modified the distribution of atmospherically transported volcanic dust, following deposition. We concluded that with the possible exception of the less-than-b-microns size fraction, only turbidites have distorted the sedimentary record in the cores under consideration (Huang et al., 1973c). We have found it necessary to reply to an assertion by Theyer (1973) who believes, on the basis of his own paleomagnetic and micropaleontological studies of cores from Eltanin Cruise 39, that it is necessary to reject virtually all of the previous paleo-oceanographic studies of the southern ocean, as well as the published late Cenozoic correlation in New Zealand. Briefly stated, it is our opin302
Huang, T. C., N. D. Watkins, D. M. Shaw, and J . P. Kennett. In press, a. Atmospherically transported volcanic dust in South Pacific deep sea sedimentary cores at distances over 3000 kilometers from the eruptive source. Earth and Planetary Science Letters. Huang, T. C., R. H. Fillon, N. D. Watkins, and D. M. Shaw. In press, b. Volcanic and silicious microfaunal diversity in the southwest Pacific during the Pleistocene period. Deep Sea Research. Huang, T. C., N. D. Watkins, and R. H. Fillon. 1973c. Diagnosis of processes modifying distribution of atmospherically transported volcanic glass in deep sea sedimentary cores. American Association of Petroleum Geologists. Bulletin, 59: 784-785. Theyer, F. 1973. Globoratalia truncatulinoides datum plane: evidence for a Gauss (Pliocene) age in subantarctic cores. Nature Physical Science, 241: 142-145. Watkins, N. D., and J. P. Kennett. 1971. Antarctic Bottom Water: major change in velocity during late Cenozoic between Australia and Antarctica. Science, 173: 813-818. Watkins, N. D., and J . P. Kennett. 1972. Regional sediinentary disconformities and Upper Cenozoic changes in bottom water velocities between Australia and Antarctica. Antarctic Research Series, 19: 273-293. Watkins, N. D., P. Vella, and J . P. Kennett, 1973. Paleomag. netism and the Globoratalia truncatulinoides datum in the Tasman Sea and southern ocean. Nature Physical Science, 244: 45-47.
The systematics, distribution, and abundance of antarctic demersal fishes HUGH H. DEWITT
Darling Center for Research, Training and Service University of Maine, Orono* Our activities are directed at material collected during earlier years of the Eltanin program, maintained at the University of Maine's Darling Center. A new collection room was constructed for the housing of Eltanin material and the fishes were transferred to it. In the transferral, specimens were recounted and card catalog holdings corrected and brought up to date. Larger tank specimens were identified, properly tagged, and entered into a tank catalog. Jean-Claude Hureau, Paris Museum, visited the Darling Center for 1 week and examined material recently collected by Hero, as well as older Eltanin collections. Analysis of the Ross Sea fish fauna was continued, *The Marine Laboratory, Walpole, Maine 04573. ANTARCTIC JOURNAL
based upon collections made during Eltanin Cruises 27 and 32. A computer program, using several similarity coefficients, was developed for analyzing distributional patterns. Still unfinished is a more complex program for manipulating information in the data registers. This will allow additions, corrections, and deletions, now not possible. The Ross Sea data also were used to prepare relative abundance indices. The latter have been used to prepare distribution charts showing the distribution and abundance of species. It is hoped that the computer analyses will help to explain some of the patterns, not clearly associated with physical parameters, observed for individual species. This is contribution number 65, The Ira C. Darling Center for Research, Teaching, and Service, University of Maine.
Analysis and related work on antarctic soil microbiology WOLF V. VISHNIAC
Department of Biology The University of Rochester Results of work done during the 1971-1972 season, on antarctic soil microbiology (Vishniac and Mainzer, 1972), have been extended to include analysis of ecological data and identification of numerous organisms isolated under a wide variety of conditions. The results strongly suggest the existence of a diverse, indigenous microbial flora in the dry valleys, many members of which are related to the Actinomycetes. Some of our studies are being carried out under conditions which simulate antarctic conditions at the time when organisms, presently in our culture collection, were isolated from antarctic soil. One interesting finding is the distribution of microorganisms with depth. It appears that our deepest samples, taken aseptically from a depth of 40 centimeters within ice-cemented permafrost, have numerous viable bacteria that promptly exhibit a variety of metabolic activities, including growth. One major distinction appearing in the cytological study of antarctic microorganisms is the high portion of the cell volume that is filled with DNA, as compared to corresponding organisms isolated from temperate climes. The figure shows a thin section electron micrograph of a cell about to undergo division in which peculiarities of the cell wall, as well as the large amount of DNA, are conspicuous features.
Reference Vishniac, Wolf V., and Stanley E. Mainzer. 1972. Soil microbiology studied in situ in the dry valleys of Antarctica. Antarctic Journal of the U.S., VII(4): 88-89. September-October 1973
8
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F
AT
•L/\ r :
2376/84,000
SEM
by Ian Vydess
Scanning electron micrograph of a dividing bacterial cell isolated from the north slope of the Asgard Range. There was no snow or ice in the area, and no permafrost at detectable depth.
Polychlorinated biphenyls in antarctic biota C. S. GIAM, R. L. RICHARDSON
and M. K. WONG
Department of Chemistry Texas A&M University W. M. SACKETT
Department of Oceanography Texas A&M University The occurrence of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), DDT, DDE, and related chlorinated hydrocarbons in the world oceans is documented thoroughly. Most analyses of samples from the Antarctic, however, have been limited to DDT5 rather than PCB5, and to species occupying higher trophic levels of the food chain, e.g. penguins, seals, and migratory birds (Sladen et al., 1966; Tatton and Ruzicka, 1967; George and Frear, 1966; Brewerton, 1969). Detection of DDT residues in antarctic snow has been reported, although only one sample was quantified (Pe303
ion (Watkins et al., 1973) that his paleomagnetic methods are unacceptable, and also incorrect are his key micropaleontological identifications.
N. D. WATKINS
References
Graduate School of Oceanography University of Rhode Island, Kingston The paleomagnetic properties of the Eltanin cores have been measured at 10-centimeter intervals. Together with associated micropaleontological studies conducted with Dr. J . P. Kennett, dates have been assigned for all of the cores. Earlier regional analysis of sedimentation rates south of Australia (Watkins and Kennett, 1971, 1972), resulting in the detection of a major zone of sediment scour centered on the south Tasman basin, has been extended into the southeastern Indian Ocean. The effect of the circumantarctic current on the sedimentation pattern is preserved. In conjunction with Dr. T. C. Huang, a program to study the ice-rafted debris variation is being initiated on selected isochrons for a large segment of the cores, in an attempt to define fluctuation of preferred iceberg tracks with time, as well as regional temporal variations of the 60- to 200-micron fraction in the iceberg load. Additional studies of Eltanin cores include definition of volcanic dust variation and foraminiferal biostratigraphy, in conjunction with Drs. Huang and P. Vella, respectively. In the former, a major series of eruptions on the Balleny Islands, between 1.8 and 1.6 million years ago, resulted in widespread deposition of fine volcanic dust over the entire high latitude segment of the South Pacific, with measured volcanic dust accumulation rates varying systematically downwind from 120 milligrams per square centimeter per 1000 years to 12 milligrams per square centimeter per 1000 years over a distance of 4000 kilometers (Huang et al., in press, a). We call this major ash the "Eltanin Ash." It may have triggered the climatic cooling at the Pliocene-Pleistocene boundary and effected silicious microfaunal activity (Huang et al., in press, b). We also have analyzed the effect of seafloor dynamic and chemical processes that may have modified the distribution of atmospherically transported volcanic dust, following deposition. We concluded that with the possible exception of the less-than-b-microns size fraction, only turbidites have distorted the sedimentary record in the cores under consideration (Huang et al., 1973c). We have found it necessary to reply to an assertion by Theyer (1973) who believes, on the basis of his own paleomagnetic and micropaleontological studies of cores from Eltanin Cruise 39, that it is necessary to reject virtually all of the previous paleo-oceanographic studies of the southern ocean, as well as the published late Cenozoic correlation in New Zealand. Briefly stated, it is our opin302
Huang, T. C., N. D. Watkins, D. M. Shaw, and J . P. Kennett. In press, a. Atmospherically transported volcanic dust in South Pacific deep sea sedimentary cores at distances over 3000 kilometers from the eruptive source. Earth and Planetary Science Letters. Huang, T. C., R. H. Fillon, N. D. Watkins, and D. M. Shaw. In press, b. Volcanic and silicious microfaunal diversity in the southwest Pacific during the Pleistocene period. Deep Sea Research. Huang, T. C., N. D. Watkins, and R. H. Fillon. 1973c. Diagnosis of processes modifying distribution of atmospherically transported volcanic glass in deep sea sedimentary cores. American Association of Petroleum Geologists. Bulletin, 59: 784-785. Theyer, F. 1973. Globoratalia truncatulinoides datum plane: evidence for a Gauss (Pliocene) age in subantarctic cores. Nature Physical Science, 241: 142-145. Watkins, N. D., and J. P. Kennett. 1971. Antarctic Bottom Water: major change in velocity during late Cenozoic between Australia and Antarctica. Science, 173: 813-818. Watkins, N. D., and J . P. Kennett. 1972. Regional sediinentary disconformities and Upper Cenozoic changes in bottom water velocities between Australia and Antarctica. Antarctic Research Series, 19: 273-293. Watkins, N. D., P. Vella, and J . P. Kennett, 1973. Paleomag. netism and the Globoratalia truncatulinoides datum in the Tasman Sea and southern ocean. Nature Physical Science, 244: 45-47.
The systematics, distribution, and abundance of antarctic demersal fishes HUGH H. DEWITT
Darling Center for Research, Training and Service University of Maine, Orono* Our activities are directed at material collected during earlier years of the Eltanin program, maintained at the University of Maine's Darling Center. A new collection room was constructed for the housing of Eltanin material and the fishes were transferred to it. In the transferral, specimens were recounted and card catalog holdings corrected and brought up to date. Larger tank specimens were identified, properly tagged, and entered into a tank catalog. Jean-Claude Hureau, Paris Museum, visited the Darling Center for 1 week and examined material recently collected by Hero, as well as older Eltanin collections. Analysis of the Ross Sea fish fauna was continued, *The Marine Laboratory, Walpole, Maine 04573. ANTARCTIC JOURNAL
based upon collections made during Eltanin Cruises 27 and 32. A computer program, using several similarity coefficients, was developed for analyzing distributional patterns. Still unfinished is a more complex program for manipulating information in the data registers. This will allow additions, corrections, and deletions, now not possible. The Ross Sea data also were used to prepare relative abundance indices. The latter have been used to prepare distribution charts showing the distribution and abundance of species. It is hoped that the computer analyses will help to explain some of the patterns, not clearly associated with physical parameters, observed for individual species. This is contribution number 65, The Ira C. Darling Center for Research, Teaching, and Service, University of Maine.
Analysis and related work on antarctic soil microbiology WOLF V. VISHNIAC
Department of Biology The University of Rochester Results of work done during the 1971-1972 season, on antarctic soil microbiology (Vishniac and Mainzer, 1972), have been extended to include analysis of ecological data and identification of numerous organisms isolated under a wide variety of conditions. The results strongly suggest the existence of a diverse, indigenous microbial flora in the dry valleys, many members of which are related to the Actinomycetes. Some of our studies are being carried out under conditions which simulate antarctic conditions at the time when organisms, presently in our culture collection, were isolated from antarctic soil. One interesting finding is the distribution of microorganisms with depth. It appears that our deepest samples, taken aseptically from a depth of 40 centimeters within ice-cemented permafrost, have numerous viable bacteria that promptly exhibit a variety of metabolic activities, including growth. One major distinction appearing in the cytological study of antarctic microorganisms is the high portion of the cell volume that is filled with DNA, as compared to corresponding organisms isolated from temperate climes. The figure shows a thin section electron micrograph of a cell about to undergo division in which peculiarities of the cell wall, as well as the large amount of DNA, are conspicuous features.
Reference Vishniac, Wolf V., and Stanley E. Mainzer. 1972. Soil microbiology studied in situ in the dry valleys of Antarctica. Antarctic Journal of the U.S., VII(4): 88-89. September-October 1973
8
I
F
AT
•L/\ r :
2376/84,000
SEM
by Ian Vydess
Scanning electron micrograph of a dividing bacterial cell isolated from the north slope of the Asgard Range. There was no snow or ice in the area, and no permafrost at detectable depth.
Polychlorinated biphenyls in antarctic biota C. S. GIAM, R. L. RICHARDSON
and M. K. WONG
Department of Chemistry Texas A&M University W. M. SACKETT
Department of Oceanography Texas A&M University The occurrence of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), DDT, DDE, and related chlorinated hydrocarbons in the world oceans is documented thoroughly. Most analyses of samples from the Antarctic, however, have been limited to DDT5 rather than PCB5, and to species occupying higher trophic levels of the food chain, e.g. penguins, seals, and migratory birds (Sladen et al., 1966; Tatton and Ruzicka, 1967; George and Frear, 1966; Brewerton, 1969). Detection of DDT residues in antarctic snow has been reported, although only one sample was quantified (Pe303
