Within the Jones Mountains, which form part of the Thurston Island crustal block, up to 700 m of Miocene (c. 10 Ma) pillow basalt and palagonitized volcaniclastic rocks unconformably overlie Jurassic granitic basement and Cretaceous volcanic rocks and dykes. New geochemical analyses demonstrate the alkalic nature of the basalts, which range in composition from alkali basalt to basanite. Unradiogenic Sr-isotope ratios (0.7031–0.7034), coupled with low LILE/HFSE ratios (e.g. Th/Ta c. 1.4, Rb/Nb 0.3–0.9) indicate a predominantly asthenospheric source for the basalts. The Jones Mountains basalts are geochemically similar to the alkalic basalts of Marie Byrd Land, but have consistently lower K/Ba and higher Ba/Nb ratios than Late Cenozoic alkalic basalts along the Antarctic Peninsula. These regional variations in geochemical composition apparently reflect differences in tectonic setting and are not the result of lithospheric interaction or partial melting/crystallization effects. The generation of alkalic magmas along the Antarctic Peninsula was causally related to the formation of slab windows following ridge crest-trench collision and the cessation of subduction, whereas the Jones Mountains alkalic basalts may represent the expression of the northward propagation of the head of the Marie Byrd Land plume.

Palaeopalynological studies form an integral part of the geological investigation of the Late Paleozoic sedimentary history of Dronning Maud Land. During the examination of organic residues prepared from different localities at Heimefrontfjella, the freshwater green alga Botryococcus was found. Exceptionally well-preserved colonies of Botryococcus were recorded in several samples at two sections of Early Permian age, Lidkvarvet and Locality A. These colonies vary in form and stage of development. By analogy with observations on recent material the following palaeoecological conclusions are drawn: 1) varying environmental and climatic conditions over a length of time existed at Lidkvarvet, and 2) very short ephemeral aquatic conditions existed intermittently at Locality A.

Aeromagnetic data collected on the GANOVEX IV and GANOVEX VI expeditions are combined in this report to give a synoptic view of the western Ross Sea, Antarctica. The addition of the new GANOVEX VI data allows the identification of the southern boundary of the “Ross Sea Unit” — a magnetic unit containing rift-fabric anomalies of the West Antarctic rift system in the Victoria Land basin. Although this boundary has a similar WSW–ENE orientation to the northern boundary, as identified in the GANOVEX IV survey, the newly identified southern magnetic unit (called the “Ross Island and Ice Shelf Edge Unit”) includes evidence of the S–N rift-fabric that is not found in the north, i.e. the rift-fabric continues farther south. The linear boundaries themselves are interpreted as transfer faults as proposed by previous workers for the tectonic development of the Ross Sea area.

Theory predicts that, in a closed exploited population showing no sampling or other bias, the mean age of fish or squid between one sampling date and the next should increase by the time interval between samples. Age data, derived from statoliths, have been used to test the hypothesis that the effect of migration through an area where a population of Loligo gahi is sampled would be apparent as an increase in mean age per modal group of less than one day per daily time interval between samples. The data show that, in both females and males, the relationship between mean statolith increment number and elapsed time between samples is positive in some months and negative in others. The months in which the relationship between mean increment number and elapsed time is negative are similar to those months in which recruitment has previously been demonstrated to occur, in February, April/May and September for both females and males. Cohorts of squid remain available to the fishery from June–September (females) and February–May and June–July (males) thus allowing mean monthly growth rates of 0.4 mm d−1 for females and 0.7 mm d−1 for males to be calculated. The present study shows that putative age data derived from statoliths apparently demonstrate some sampling biases within a fishery and their effects on the measurement of growth. Migration through the sampled population is manifested by an increase in mean increment number of less than one per day between samples, and growth can only be assessed where the increase in mean increment number is not significantly different from the time elapsed between samples.

From at least the Early Jurassic to the Miocene, eastward subduction of oceanic crust took place beneath the Antarctic Peninsula. Magmatism associated with the subduction generated a N-S linear belt of volcanic rocks known as the Antarctic Peninsula Volcanic Group (APVG), and which erosion has now exposed at about the plutonic/volcanic interface. Large central volcanoes from the APVG are described here for the first time. The structures are situated in north-west Palmer Land within the main Mesozoic magmatic arc. One centre, Zonda Towers, is recognized by the presence of a 160 m thick silicic ignimbrite, containing accidental lava blocks up to 25 m in diameter. This megabreccia is interpreted as a caldera-fill deposit which formed by land sliding of steep caldera walls during ignimbrite eruption and deposition. A larger centre, Mount Edgell-Wright Spires, is dominated by coarse-grained debris flow deposits and silicic ignimbrites which, with minor lavas and fine-grained tuffs, form a volcanic succession some 1.5 km thick. Basic intermediate and silicic sills c. 50 m thick intrude the succession. A central gabbro-granite intrusion is interpreted to be a high-level magma chamber of the Mount Edgell volcano.

The diet and feeding behaviour of Illex argentinus were determined from analysis of stomach contents of squid caught during four bottom trawl surveys carried out over the Bonaerensis (34–40°S, autumn–winter 1991) and Patagonian (45–55°S, summer–autumn 1992) shelves of Argentina. Crustaceans, mainly Themisto gaudichaudii and, to a lesser extent, euphausiids were the most important components of the diet in both areas and years, although there were considerable geographical differences in the relative proportion of the main prey. In the Patagonian area, during summer and autumn of 1992, almost all squid preyed on crustaceans (percentage occurrence = 85.29%), followed by squid (11.76%) and fish (2.94%). On the Bonaerensis shelf, during autumn and winter of 1991, crustaceans were most important by percentage occurrence (56.96%), but fish and squid accounted for a large proportion of the diet (29.41% and 13.62% respectively). Myctophids were prevalent among the fish and cannibalism was on I. argentinus juveniles. Changes in diet composition with squid size demonstrated the opportunistic nature of I. argentinus feeding. Although large squids were able to catch large prey (fish, squid), they also fed on small crustaceans when available, especially in the Patagonian area. The relative abundance of different prey organisms probably determined the diet. In both areas and both years I. argentinus fed mostly during daylight hours, starting in the morning and reaching a maximum in the afternoon. No difference in feeding behaviour was observed between the sexes.

At two localities adjacent to Hatherton Glacier, Darwin Mountains, a thick glacio-lacustrine sequence underlies the main diamictite facies of the Darwin Tillite (Metschel Tillite), and at one of these locations a glacio-lacustrine sequence also conformably overlies the diamictite. These deposits record the initial advance and final retreat of the Gondwana ice cap. Other, pro- and periglacial phases within these sequences record several minor advances and retreats of the ice sheet. Carbonaceous sediments above and below the main diamictite phase show that vegetation was established near the ice margin, suggesting that present-day ice margin temperatures are colder than those experienced during the Permo-Carboniferous (Gondwana) glaciation. It appears that there was little or no erosion of the Devonian Taylor Group which underlies the glacial sequence. The apparent erosional nature of the contact between the Permo-Carboniferous glacial sequence and the overlying Permian coal measures is attributed to surface winnowing of unconsolidated tills and locally the units are conformable.

Late Cretaceous sedimentary rocks assigned to the Santa Marta (Herbert Sound Member) and López de Bertodano (Cape Lamb and Sandwich Bluff members) formations of the Marambio Group, crop out on Cape Lamb, Vega Island. Although previous studies have recognized that these sedimentary rocks were derived from the northern Antarctic Peninsula region, the work presented here allows the provenance and palaeogeographical evolution of the region to be described in detail. On the basis of both sandstone petrography and clay mineralogy, the Herbert Sound and Cape Lamb members reflect sediment input from a low relief source area, with sand grade sediment sourced from low grade metasediments, and clay grade sediment ultimately derived from the weathering of an andesitic source area. In contrast, the Sandwich Bluff Member reflects a switch to a predominantly andesitic volcaniclastic source. However, this sediment was largely derived from older volcanic suites due to renewed source area uplift, with only a minor component from coeval volcanism. Regional uplift of both the arc terrane and the western margin of the James Ross Basin was likely during the Maastrichtian.

Radiocarbon dating was carried out on the total organic carbon of 19 lacustrine and marine sediment samples from the Bunger Hills. The results indicate that radiocarbon contamination is negligible throughout two sediment sequences from a fresh water lake. In contrast, two sequences from marine basins are irregularly influenced by the Antarctic Marine Reservoir Effect, which today amounts to more than 1000 years, depending on the degree of dilution with meltwater. All dated sediments were deposited during Holocene time.

Snow temperatures measured at around 10 m depth over the period 1957–1992 have been used to derive a map of mean annual snow surface temperature corrected to sea level over the Antarctic Peninsula and Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf. Multiple linear regression analysis has been used to calculate rates of change with latitude, longitude, altitude and time, for data to the west and east of the topographic divide running along the spine of the Antarctic Peninsula. Climate warming on the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf follows the trend observed at Halley Bay, a coastal station nearby. High spatial variability leads to uncertainty in the temporal trend for mean annual snow surface temperature in the Antarctic Peninsula but there is some indication that the large trends observed at Faraday and Marguerite Bay, two stations on the west coast of the peninsula, are attenuated inland.

The statolith microstructure was examined from seven species of seven families of Antarctic squid captured in Prydz Bay (n=23). Five of the species (Kondakovia longimana, Psychroteuthis glacialis, Brachioteuthis sp., Mastigoteuthis psychrophila, Galiteuthis glacialis) had very clear statolith growth increments which could be enumerated from the nucleus to the statolith margin. These increments were similar in appearance to daily statolith increments in other temperate and tropical squids. Psychroteuthis glacialis also had two distinct zones which may reflect growth during the pelagic and demersal phases of the life cycle. Total statolith increment counts were not possible on two of the species (Bathyteuthis abyssicola and Alluroteuthis antarcticus). The statolith microstructure of Bathyteuthis abyssicola had some very faint increments near the nucleus but increments were not visible in most of the statolith microstructure, while the statolith microstructure of A. antarcticus was indistinct in the nuclear region (possibly due to the formation of a second primordium during ontogenesis). Future research may reveal that statolith increments are useful tools for Antarctic squid age and growth studies.

Fossiliferous horizons of the Ferrar Group at Carapace Nunatak of southern Victoria Land have yielded the richest and most diverse freshwater Jurassic biota hitherto recorded from Antarctica. Fossil conchostracans are the most important in terms of number of individuals and distributional area. Scanning electron microscopy is used to establish a new genus and species (Carapacestheria balli), and Cyzicus (Lioestheria) disgregaris Tasch is attributed to Carapacestheria disgregaris (Tasch) emend. The conchostracan fauna of the Ferrar Group, characterized by Carapacestheria, is probably of early Middle Jurassic age.

Allozyme differentiation was investigated at 23 putative enzyme coding loci in 16 ommastrephid squids to identify species and to assess genetic relationships. The species examined were Illex illecebrosus, I. coindetii, I. argentinus, Todaropsis eblanae, Todarodes sagittatus, T. angolensis, T. filippovae, T. pacificus pacificus, Nototodarus sloanii, N. gouldi, Martialia hyadesi, Ommastrephes bartramii, Sthenoteuthis pteropus, S. oualaniensis, Eucleoteuthis luminosa, and Dosidicus gigas. A dendrogram based on Nei's genetic distance between the species closely approximates to the latest systematics based on morphological characters, but the positions of M. hyadesi and T. eblanae were considerably distant from all other species. The results demonstrate the benefits of further biochemical analysis to an understanding of the systematics of the ommastrephid squids.

Coastal polynyas, which form around the Antarctic coast due to persistent katabatic winds, play an important role in enhancing air-sea interaction. This paper discusses how thermal imagery from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) can be used to track the direction of katabatic winds, and hence facilitate research into air-sea interaction.

Archaean gneisses in the Rauer Group of islands, East Antarctica, record a prolonged history of high-grade deformational episodes, many of which predate that identified in mid-Proterozoic gneisses. Eleven generations of mafic dykes, belonging to discrete chemical suites, have been used as relative time markers to constrain this deformational history. Based on the timing of intrusion with respect to structures, dykes in the Rauer Group have been correlated with largely undeformed and dated dyke suites in the adjacent Vestfold Hills. This has allowed absolute ages to be inferred for the early- to mid-Proterozoic mafic dyke suites in the Rauer Group, and a correlation of the interspersed structural events. Most structures in the Rauer Group, however, developed in response to high-grade progressive deformation at approximately 1000 Ma. During this deformational episode, strains were repeatedly partitioned into sub-vertical, noncoaxial, high-strain zones recording NW-directed sinistral transpression, that separated zones of lower strain dominated by coaxial folding with axes parallel to the shear direction. Three additional mafic dyke suites intruded during this deformation which was followed by three stages of brittle-ductile deformation and a final suite of lamprophyre dykes. Due to the numerous intrusive time markers, the Rauer Group serves as an excellent illustration of how complicated gneiss terrains may be.

We examine some aspects of the performance of the United Kingdom Meteorological Office's new climate model over Antarctica. Pressure and temperature fields are presented as a basic check on the model climate. The gradient of pressure between mid-latitudes and high southern latitudes is too great, resulting in an Antarctic trough that is too deep by 4–6 hPa. Temperature is well modelled though the interior is slightly too cold in winter. Precipitation is interesting because of its relevance to mass balance and therefore changes in sea level. The simulation of the pattern of accumulation is good despite somewhat high values at places in the coastal areas, with an areally-averaged value of 182 mm y−1. We also look at the phenomena of the coreless winter and the katabatic winds which are a consequence of the intense radiative cooling. These two effects may provide a useful diagnostic of the model performance.

Solidified stomach oil deposits in snow petrel colonies in the Antarctic proved to be suitable for 14C dating and provide important palaeobiogeographical and palaeoenvironmental information. Following earlier studies in the Untersee oasis (Central Dronning Maud Land) we present here 14C measurements on comparable deposits from the Bunger Hills (66°10′S, 101°E). The conventional 14C age of the basal layer reflects the occupation age of any particular nesting site and therefore a minimum age for the time when this area became ice-free. According to the 14C results the occupation of the southern part of the Bunger Hills by petrels started about 10000yr ago. The breeding colonies expanded continuously following local ice retreat. The most intensive phases of colonization seem to have been from 8–6 kyr BP and during the past 2 kyr.

The near Earth space environment (known as Geospace) is dominated by the interaction between the solar wind and the geomagnetic field, which creates the magnetosphere. Considerable energy flows from the solar wind into the magnetosphere and ends up in the Earth's upper atmosphere (the thermosphere and ionosphere). The coupling of the geomagnetic field with that of the solar wind (known as the interplanetary magnetic field, or IMF) produces a variety of electro-dynamic responses with signatures such as electric fields and currents in the polar ionospheres. These produce, inter alia, motion of the ionospheric plasma (at altitudes between 100 and 1000kms) which can be monitored from the ground using radar techniques. Analysis of such plasma motion provides a very powerful means of investigating the nature of the interactions taking place at the boundaries between the magnetosphere and the solar wind. To do this effectively requires simultaneous measurements over as large an area (in latitude and longitude) as possible.

Fortyfour octopods from bottom trawls off Palmer Archipelago, south-eastern Argentina, south-eastern New Zealand, Crozet Islands and Showa Station were examined. Three species of Pareledone, three species of Graneledone and one species of Megaleledone were identified. All were characterized by having a single row of arm suckers. Mature males of P. harrissoni, P. adelieana and G. macrotyla were recorded for the first time. Hectocotylus and male reproductive organs of these species are described. On the basis of previously reported distributions and the present localities, P. charcoti, P. harrissoni and P. adelieana appear to have circumantarctic distributions. G. macrotyla was identified but the other two species of Graneledone could not be identified to species level because of the poor systematic state of this genus.