As part of the multi-disciplinary project, Antarctic Marine Ecosystem Research at the Ice Edge Zone (AMERIEZ), habitat selection by marine mammals was investigated within the marginal ice zone in relation to measured ice variables and other environmental factors. Data were collected on three cruises to the southern Scotia and northern Weddell seas during spring 1983, autumn 1986, and winter 1988. During winter, Antarctic fur seals were significantly associated with drift, pancake, brash ice, icebergs, and areas of uneven floe distribution, all characteristic of the marginal ice zone. Fur seals were seen in open water close to the ice edge during autumn, but during spring, as the pack ice began to retreat rapidly, animals were seen more often away from the ice. Minke whales were also associated with pancake and new ice but were seen further into the pack ice during both winter and autumn. The largest groups of minke whales during winter were observed with a large krill swarm in new ice. Crabeater seal was exclusively a species of the deep pack ice during all seasons and was associated with ice cover of 7–8 oktas and evenly distributed ice floes.

Two shallow ponds at Cape Evans, Ross Island, were sampled at 1–2 week intervals, during winter freezing throughout the winter and during the subsequent melt period, to examine the physical and chemical conditions imposed on the biota during the year. Liquid water was first detected at the base of the ponds in late December. During the main summer melt period conductivities were less than 10 mS cm−1 with maximum daily temperatures around 5°C. The bottom waters became increasingly saline during freezing and water temperatures decreased below 0°C; by June the remaining water overlying the sediments had conductivities >150 mS cm−1 and temperatures of −13°C. Calcium carbonate, then sodium sulphate precipitated out of solution during early freezing. The dominant nitrogen species was dissolved organic-N which reached 12 g m−3 in Pond 1 just prior to final freeze up. The organic and inorganic forms of nitrogen and dissolved reactive phosphorus increased with increasing conductivity in the ponds. The behaviour of particulate-N and particulate-P mirrored that of chlorophyll a with a peak in March-April and a second higher peak just before final freeze-up. This study provides clear evidence that organisms which persist throughout the year in Antarctic coastal ponds must be capable of surviving much more severe osmotic, pH, temperature and redox conditions than those measured during the summer melt. Deoxygenation, pH decline and H2S production, however, point to continued respiratory activity well into the dark winter months.

A histochemical and electron microscopy study was carried out on muscle growth in demersal stages of the Antarctic teleost Notothenia neglecta Nybelin. The total number of myotomal muscle fibres was similar in fish ranging in body mass from 11.9g to 889g. Post-anal myotomes contained around 17,000 slow muscle fibres and 70,000 fast muscle fibres. Myosatellite cells were extremely rare. The diameter of fast fibres varied from <10μm to 130μm in the smallest, and from >40μm to 450μm in the largest fish studied. Slow muscle fibre diameters in the largest fish ranged from >30μm to 260μm. Even the largest diameter slow fibres contained significant numbers of mitochondria, which suggests that the diffusion of oxygen does not limit metabolism. The results confirm that muscle fibre hyperplasia ceases prior to the demersal stages of the life history, and that subsequent muscle growth is entirely via the hypertrophy of existing fibres. Comparative studies suggest that this may be one of the factors contributing to the relatively slow rate of somatic growth in this species.

In the second of three field studies on the ecology and physiology of lichens on Clark Peninsula, Wilkes Land, Antarctica, photosynthetic activity due to natural and artificial soaking of lichen thalli was investigated. Gravimetric measurements were used to quantify water uptake by lichens in contact with snow or ice. Quantum flux density under a 15 cm thick layer of snow can reach light saturation for net photosynthesis of Usnea sphacelata at temperatures around 0°C. Measurements with a steady-state CO2 diffusion porometer in the field reveal that, in Usnea antarctica, Umbilicaria decussata, and U. aprina, the optimum water content for net photosynthesis was 75–115 % d.wt. after the thalli were sprayed with water or submerged. The depression of net photosynthesis at super-optimal water content was strong in these species. In naturally soaked Usnea sphacelata this depression was less apparent. The water content resulting from contact with snow is frequently near the optimum for photosynthesis. In lichens of continental Antarctica it seems that super-optimal water contents are the exception rather than the rule.

By considering the basic stress equations for a unit volume of ice, a set of differential equations describing ice shelf flow is derived. In view of the lack of basal shear stresses at the bottom of ice shelf a model simulation which is restricted to the horizontal dimensions will not imply substantial errors. The model is applied to the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf, Antarctica, and model equations are solved in terms of finite differences on a 10 × 10 km grid. Present ice thickness data and boundary conditions, i.e. the balance velocities at the grounding line and strain rates at the ice front are entered as input. Using a non-linear Glen-type flow law (n=3) and a constant depth-averaged flow law parameter, representing an ice temperature of −17°C, a convincing velocity field is derived as a solution of the model equations. The model takes into account restrained flow across ice rumples where sufficient field data are available. A diagnostic run reproducing present velocity magnitudes is followed by two prognostic runs, each representing 2000 years of simulation. Transient ice thickness changes are obtained from solving the mass conservation equation. Two different assumptions concerning basal melting rates demonstrate its importance to ice shelf dynamics. Assumptions are: a) no basal melting, b) basal melting rates (−2m a−1 to +3m a−1) as derived from model results and geophysical field data.

Data on the distribution, abundance and population structure of krill in the Prydz Bay area during January–February 1985 are considered in relation to hydrography and phytoplankton standing stocks. Stratified mean density and biomass estimated for the whole surveyed area from RMT-8 hauls were among the lowest recorded (3.3 individuals 1000 m−3 and 3.1 g 1000 m−3) confirming Prydz Bay as a low krill abundance area in the Southern Ocean. Age cohorts 1+ to 4+ were present, the size of the animals increased from south to north and juveniles were mostly found in surface waters near the pack-ice. Adults were in an active reproductive phase: 98% of the females were mated and 35% were ready to spawn whereas 86% of the males carried spermatophores. Breeding was taking place in oceanic waters over deep zones with the spawning season limited to January-April. Phytoplankton biomass was also very low in the area (mean of 29 mg Chl a m−2 in the upper 200 m) and currents speed low, never reaching 10 cm s−1. Krill distribution was strongly related to water circulation pattern but not related to phytoplankton distribution.

Branches, stems and roots of Nothofagus (southern beech) were reported from the Beardmore Glacier area (Sirius Formation) some 500 km from the South Pole. The Sirius Formation is a glacially derived unit which is considered Pliocene in age. We considered two scenarios by which a Nothofagus forest could flourish so close to the South Pole during the Pliocene. One scenario calls for the disappearance of this genus from Antarctica during the early Tertiary (Oligocene) and its re-introduction during a warm Pliocene interval. Seeds from modern Nothofagus, however, are not viable after submersion in sea water, are not carried by migrating birds and are not designed for long-distance wind transport. The second scenario involves survival of Nothofagus in Antarctic refugia through middle Tertiary glacial advances and its flourishing during a Pliocene warming. Excluding its occurrence in the Beardmore Glacier area, the known range of this genus in Antarctica is Cretaceous to Oligocene with some questionable occurrences in the early Miocene. The existing data do not support the refugia scenario. We also considered published speculations in which the closest modern analogue to the Beardmore Glacier Region, during the time that the Nothofagus represented by these specimens lived, was the coastal region of southern Chile where average annual temperatures are approximately 5°C and summer temperatures are of the order of 8–10°C. We incorporated these observations and speculations into a palaeoenvironmental model, assuming them to be valid; the results require Pliocene temperatures as warm as, or warmer than, the Cretaceous, a scenario which is not supported by the literature. We conclude, therefore, that the occurrence of Nothofagus in the Beardmore Glacier area is older than Pliocene. Instead, we suggest that it represents a relict assemblage which is probably no younger than Oligocene but which may have persisted into the early Miocene.

Field populations of Oscillatoriales, from fresh and saline lakes and ponds, and from terrestrial habitats, are characterised on the basis of their morphology and morphometry. Fifteen morphotypes are recognized principally from the following characteristics; cross-sectional shape of the trichome, presence or absence of a calyptra on the apical cell, occurrence or otherwise of numerous trichomes within a common sheath, and trichome width distribution. Where possible morphotypes are assigned to traditional species described by earlier investigations of algae in the Ross Sea region and a reassessment is made of the early descriptions, in some cases using material from the identical locations to the original collections. The following traditional species are described; Lyngbya murrayi, Microcoleus vaginatus, Oscillatoria deflexa, O. koettlitzi, O. priestleyi, O. sancta, Phormidium autumnale and P. subproboscidea. Intraspecific morphotypes of M. vaginatus, O. priestleyi and P. autumnale are recognised on the basis of trichome width. A new species and variety of Crinalium (Crow) Winder, Stal & Mur, a genus characterized by flattened trichomes, are described from cryoconite ponds on glaciers. C. glaciale sp. nov. possesses wide, straight trichomes in contrast to C. glaciale var. helicoides nov. var. in which trichomes are narrower and helically coiled.

Granitoid gneisses intercalated with Koettlitz Group metasediments in the upper Ferrar, Taylor and Wright valleys of South Victoria Land comprise various hornblende+biotite orthogneisses and biotite orthogneisses, including the km-scale Dun and Calkin plutons. K-feldspar megacryst inclusion textures and discordant cross-cutting relationships with enclosing metasediments are interpreted as firm evidence of an intrusive origin for hornblende+biotite and biotite orthogneiss. The scale of several concordant orthogneiss bodies (including the Dun and Calkin plutons), the presence of mafic enclaves, and relict flow differentiation in hornblende+biotite orthogneiss are also compatible with a plutonic origin. Orthogneisses were emplaced prior to deformation that produced macroscopic upright, tight, folds about NW-trending axes. Petrography and geochemistry indicate I-type affinities for hornblende+biotite orthogneisses and the Dun Pluton. Hornblende+biotite and biotite orthogneisses (with the exception of the Dun Pluton) are part of a single petrogenetic suite, together with younger Bonney, Valhalla, and Hedley plutons. Emplacement of a continuum of I-type intrusives is envisaged which spanned Koettlitz Group deformation, and possibly caused much of the deformation. Hornblende+biotite and biotite orthogneisses are deformed precursors to the younger Bonney, Valhalla, and Hedley plutons. The Dun Pluton contains Fe-rich salitic clinopyroxene relicts and exhibits a unique geochemistry. It is rich in Sr, Al2O3, Na2O, and poor in FeO, K2O, Rb, Y, V. Chemical and petrographic features indicate an evolved body, possibly derived from a primitive source distinct from other orthogneisses and granitoids.

The ∼470 Ma Dalmatian Granite forms sheet-like bodies intruded discordantly into orthogneisses, paragneisses and calcareous rocks belonging to the ∼1000 Ma Jutulrora, Sveabreen and Fuglefjellet formations respectively. The Dalmatian Granite is muscovite + biotite bearing. Two varieties are recognized, one that is magnetite-bearing and another that is characterized by tourmaline nodules. At some localities, development of the tourmaline-bearing variety is spatially associated with the presence of carbonates. Physical conditions of emplacement for the Dalmatian Granite are estimated to be approximately 700°C and 6kbar with pH2O = Pload. The emplacement of the granite is considered to have occurred syntectonically during D3 approximately 470 Ma ago. The granites are therefore similar in age to Pan African age granites in Mozambique as well as Ross Orogeny age granites in the Transantarctic Mountains.

Petrological and geochemical data are reported for a series of Late Cretaceous-Middle Miocene volcanic, hypabyssal and intrusive rocks from King George Island (KGI) and from nearby Ridley Island, South Shetland Islands. Major element data indicate a calc-alkaline, basic to intermediate composition for the analysed samples. Although emplaced on a continental margin, the KGI rocks generally display low abundances of incompatible trace elements, close to those typically observed in calc-alkaline suites erupted in intraoceanic island arcs. A few samples have a significant negative Ce anomaly. Many incompatible elements define smooth positive trends on interelemental variation diagrams which suggests that magmas erupted at different times on KGI maintained a rather constant composition in terms of incompatible element ratios. Geochemical modelling, based on Sr isotope ratios and incompatible element ratios, suggests that the primary calc-alkaline magmas of KGI were all generated in an upper mantle modified by addition of small amounts of pelagic sediments dragged down by subduction processes.

A small freshwater pond near Palmer Station, Anvers Island, (64° 45'S, 64° 05'W) was sampled every 6 h over a 24 h period during the late austral summer to examine changes in both neuston and plankton population levels and activity. Total bacteria using acridine orange and epifluorescence microscopy, counts of viable colony-forming units, and chlorophyll a were determined. Activity was estimated by measuring the rate of 3H-thymidine incorporation. The data indicate that over this time period the bacterioneuston populations went through a diel fluctuation and temperature may be an important factor in this cycle. Although the bacterioneuston populations were often more numerous than corresponding plankton populations, subsurface bacteria appeared to be metabolically more active.

We report ion-microprobe U-Pb zircon ages from charnockites of a large Proterozoic composite batholith, Mawson Coast, Australian Antarctic Territory. The charnockites crystallized from orogenic magmas of intermediate composition (mainly 54–68% SiO2) intruded into a granulite-facies metasedimentary gneiss sequence between the second and third recognized deformations. A sample of low-Ti charnockite provides an age of 954 ± 12 Ma and a high-Ti charnockite is dated at 985 ± 29 Ma (all ages quoted at 95% confidence). The age difference is not significant at the 95% confidence level. Both these ages were obtained from zircons with igneous zoning and/or morphology and thus are thought to date igneous crystallization. Zircons from a felsic gneiss xenolith within the charnockite have cores of various ages, many from 1.7 to 2.0 Ga, but with other grains between 1.0 and 1.5 Ga and a single 2.5 Ga zircon. These zircon cores are direct evidence for an early to middle Proterozoic age for the supracrustal basement sequence in this mobile belt. Many of these zircon cores are concordant but abundant discordant grains suggest a complex history of multiple Pb-loss events. Zircon rims grew at 921 ± 19 Ma, probably during the post-charnockite deformation (D3). Previously obtained Rb-Sr dates for charnockite of 886 ± 48 Ma and 910 ± 18 Ma were probably also rest during D3. A Rb-Sr isochron date of 1061 ± 36 Ma previously reported for high-Ti charnockite from Mawson Rock is thought to be erroneous, and a new date of 959 ± 58 Ma (consistent with both the igneous and reset dates above) is interpreted from those data.

Marambionella andreae gen. et sp. nov. from the La Meseta Formation (Upper Eocene–?Lower Oligocene) on Seymour Island is the first fossil clupeid found in Antarctica and the first articulated teleost from the Antarctic Paleogene. It shows a mosaic of similarities and differences compared with various clupeid genera. This and the uncertainty about the polarity of characters within clupeids do not allow precise assessment of the phylogenetic relationships of Marambionella.

Halozetes belgicae is distributed widely in the Subantarctic and maritime Antarctic, with subspecies described from Macquarie Island and the South Sandwich Islands. A morphometrical study, based largely on the development of the setae, indicates that the nominate subspecies is confined to the Antarctic Peninsula and its offshore islands (including the South Shetland Islands), whilst specimens from the South Orkney Islands are probably consubspecific with individuals on the South Sandwich Islands. In comparison with other studies of the Acari, the results strengthen the case for the recognition of a South Orkadian biogeographical zone.

Alkaline dykes tentatively dated at ∼1.3 Ga cut the Vestfold Hills in a consistent N–S to N15°E direction. They form a spectrum between more abundant ultramafic lamprophyres (UML) corresponding broadly to H2O–CO2-rich nephelinites, and alkaline lamprophyres (AL), representing H2O–CO2-rich basanites. Olivine (Fo46–93, averaging Fo75) is abundant only in the UML, but both types carry primary diopsidic clinopyroxene with complex zoning; amphibole (pargasite, hastingsite, kaersutite with up to 8.6% TiO2); titanian phlogopite (up to 10% TiO2); feldspars (orthoclase, anorthoclase, albite and andesine), nepheline (K-poor and Si-rich), ilmenite (up to 1% MgO and MnO), chrome titanomagnetite, and carbonate (magnesian calcite, ferroan dolomite, breunnerite). Lamprophyric peculiarities include the local coexistence of three feldspars, extremely Ti-rich amphiboles and micas, and the presence of globular structures and possibly primary carbonates. Some dykes carry small but abundant lherzolite xenoliths, others carry chromian diopside (1% Cr2O3) and En58–76 orthopyroxene xenocrysts. The dykes represent primitive, mantle-derived magmas which have undergone varying but generally low degrees of polybaric fractionation, together perhaps with mixing of more primitive and fractionated batches, during their ascent through the crust.

Analysis of a 1.5 m thick sediment sequence from Midge Lake, Byers Peninsula, Livingston Island, shows that the lake and its catchment have undergone significant changes during the last 4000 years. Radiocarbon dating (AMS), sediment lithology, and microfossil analyses indicate that the lake was deglaciated over 4000 14C years ago. Distinct peaks in accumulation rates of sediment, Pediastrum algae, pollen and spores, as well as changes in the diatom assemblage, suggest significant environmental changes between ca 3200 and 2700 y BP. These changes are interpreted as reflecting a milder and more humid, maritime climate. The increased humidity can explain independent observations of glacier growth during this period. The combined data also indicate that between ca 1500 and 500 y BP the area might have experienced more continental conditions with slightly colder and drier climate than today. Since the 14C dates from the Midge Lake sediments are regarded as reliable and the sediment sequence is rich in tephra layers this sediment sequence will be critical for a forthcoming tephra chronology of the region.

The geomagnetic field pattern in the vicinity of Georg Forster station, Antarctica, is discussed. Induced magnetization is assumed to model the regional minimum in the total field intensity (MAGSAT) located here, and an associated anomalous body at a depth of 50 km is calculated and interpreted. This model is, however, discounted in favour of a cross section derived from a meridional ground magnetic profile recorded over a distance of about 200 km. The most striking features of the profile are positive anomalies over the ice shelf which are explained by dykes of basic rocks emanating from the lower crust and from the mantle. The derived crustal structure reflects a transition from continental crust to transitional type crust.

In the Weddell Sea oceanographic data and numerical models demonstrate that Ice Shelf Water, one ingredient in the production of Weddell Sea Bottom Water, is formed by thermohaline interaction of High Salinity Shelf Water with the base of the Filchner-Ronne ice shelves. South of Berkner Island a passage with a water column thickness of about 300 m linking the Filchner and the Ronne regimes is important for the ventilation of the sub-ice shelf cavities. To simulate the flow we tested a two-dimensional thermohaline circulation model on several sections which approximate different geometries of a sub-ice shelf channel bounded by the ocean bottom and the ice shelf base. Temperature and salinity profiles measured in front of the Filchner-Ronne ice shelves are used to force the model. The results indicate that the circulation is sensitive to both salinity (density) forcing and depth of the shelf bottom prescribed at the open boundary representing the Ronne Ice Shelf edge. Where the shelf is shallow, 400 m deep, a closed circulation cell within the Ronne cavity acts like an ice pump with accumulation rates of marine ice at the ice shelf base up to 1.5 m y−1. The total outflow at the Ronne Ice Shelf edge is supported by an inflow from the Filchner regime. Where the shelf is deeper, a flow from the Ronne into the Filchner cavity develops if the bottom salinity at the Ronne Ice Shelf edge exceeds a critical value of 34.67. Seasonal variability imposed at both edges modifies the circulation pattern at the Filchner Ice Shelf edge such that the depth and magnitude of Ice Shelf Water outflow correspond with observations in the Filchner Depression.