THOMAS R. JANECEK, Department of Geology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306-4100
For over 35 years, Florida State University has been involved in the collection and study of antarctic marine sediments. During this interval, over 6,300 cores and dredge samples have been collected and stored at the Antarctic Marine Geology Research Facility (AMGRF) and over 215,000 samples have been distributed from the collection to geoscientists around the world. This article provides a brief summary of the activities of the AMGRF at Florida State University for the project periods 1 June 1995 to 31 May 1996 and 1 June 1996 to 31 May 1997. In addition to the normal facility activities of sample distribution and sediment description, the AMGRF has received several new core shipments, produced and published five new sediment description volumes, established a searchable core and sample database, and held two antarctic-related workshops. The activities of the facility for the past 2 years are outlined below.
Thirty-seven sample requests were received by the curator during the period from 1 June 1995 to 31 May 1996, and 2,384 samples were distributed to 21 investigators from 18 institutions of five nations (Australia, Canada, Israel, Italy, and the United States). In total, 3,802 samples were distributed to 41 investigators (67 separate sample requests) representing 31 institutions of 10 nations (Australia, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States) during the period from 1 June 1996 to 31 May 1997. The distribution of samples by cruise/drilling project for the past 2 years is shown in the table.
Several new core shipments were received at the facility during the 1995-1996 project year. These shipments include, three large-diameter gravity cores from R/V Polar Duke cruise PD 95-X to the Palmer Deep (received 12 January 1996), five Kasten cores from R/V Nathaniel B. Palmer cruise NBP 95-07 to the Bransfield Strait (received 30 January 1996), and cores from four holes drilled as part of the Mount Feather drilling project (received 22 March 1996). In addition to this new material, the archive halves of cores from R/V Nathaniel B. Palmer cruise NBP 94-07 to the Ross Sea, on a temporary loan to the University of Alabama, were returned to the facility on 23 May 1996. The work halves remain at the University of Alabama. Nine Kasten cores and miscellaneous bag samples from R/V Polar Duke cruise PD 92-II to the Antarctic Peninsula, which were previously stored at Hamilton College, arrived at the facility on 30 January 1996.
One new core shipment was received at the facility during the 1996-1997 project year. Sixteen large-diameter piston cores and 13 large-diameter trigger cores from R/V Nathaniel B. Palmer cruise NBP 96-01 to the Ross Sea arrived at the facility on 26 June 1996.
Three sediment description volumes were completed and published during the 1995-1996 project year. These volumes include the R/V Polar Duke cruise PD 88-VI to the Antarctic Peninsula, L. Lawver, chief scientist (Janecek 1995a); R/V Nathaniel B. Palmer cruise NBP 93-01 to the Antarctic Peninsula/Larsen Ice Shelf region, B. Sloan and L. Lawver, chief scientists (Janecek 1995b); R/V Nathaniel B. Palmer cruise NBP 93-08 to the Ross Sea, L. Bartek, chief scientist (Janecek 1995c). The AMGRF also produced sediment description volumes during the following year (1996-1997) for R/V Polar Duke cruise PD 92-II to the Antarctic Peninsula, C. McClennen and J. Bernhard, chief scientists (Janecek 1996), and the R/V Nathaniel B. Palmer cruise NBP 94-01 to the Ross Sea, J. Anderson, chief scientist (Janecek 1997). These volumes are available upon request to all interested geoscientists, prospective users of the AMGRF, and libraries. Sediment descriptions for R/V Nathaniel B. Palmer cruises NBP 94-07, NBP 95-01, and NBP 96-01 to the Ross Sea are nearing completion and will be available within the next year.
Visitors. Thirty-three geoscientists visited the facility to describe, sample, and x ray cores, and facility personnel gave 22 tours and lectures to over 300 grade-school to college-level students during the 1995-1996 project year. The AMGRF hosted 12 geoscientists during the 1996-1997 project year and over 155 grade-school to college-level students toured the facility on 16 occasions.
Workshops and conferences. A workshop to discuss the Mount Feather Sirius Group Coring Project and to open, describe, and sample cores recovered during the previous year's field season at Mount Feather was held at the AMGRF on 19-22 June 1996. Seven visiting investigators, along with all AMGRF personnel, participated in the workshop, which was coordinated by Gary Wilson (Byrd Polar Research Institute) and John Barron (U.S. Geological Survey).
The 6th Polar Diatom Conference was hosted by the AMGRF from 17-22 August 1996. Eighteen visiting investigators, along with all AMGRF personnel, participated in the conference, which was coordinated by David Harwood (University of Nebraska). The conference consisted of three to four lectures each morning followed by microscope workshop sessions each afternoon.
WWW access . The Antarctic Research Facility now has a World Wide Web page (URL = http://www.arf.fsu.edu ) that provides the antarctic research community with information about facility cores and samples, personnel, publications, and related polar links. The Web page has a searchable database (see Core and sample database, below) that provides information about core locations and samples taken from cores. Sample request forms also can be accessed via the Web page.
Core and sample database. The Antarctic Research Facility database is now accessible through the AMGRF's World Wide Web site. At present, the database contains basic information (latitude, longitude, water depth, core length, and so forth) about all the cores stored at the facility, as well as information about samples taken from the cores (core, interval, size, investigator, and so forth) between 1970 to the present. Future additions to the database will include
Funding in support of the curatorship of the antarctic collections at the AMGRF is in accordance with National Science Foundation contract OPP 93-22647 to Florida State University.
Janecek, T.R. (Ed.). 1995a. Descriptions of sediment recovered by the R/V Polar Duke, cruise VI, 1988. United States Antarctic Program (Antarctic Marine Geology Research Facility contribution number 1). Tallahassee: Department of Geology, Florida State University.
Janecek, T.R. (Ed.). 1995b. Descriptions of sediment recovered by the R/V Nathaniel B. Palmer, cruise 1, 1993. United States Antarctic Program (Antarctic Marine Geology Research Facility contribution number 2). Tallahassee: Department of Geology, Florida State University.
Janecek, T.R. (Ed.). 1995c. Descriptions of sediment recovered by the R/V Nathaniel B. Palmer, cruise 8, 1993. United States Antarctic Program (Antarctic Marine Geology Research Facility contribution number 3). Tallahassee: Department of Geology, Florida State University.
Janecek, T.R. (Ed.). 1996. Descriptions of sediment recovered by the R/V Polar Duke, cruise II, 1992. United States Antarctic Program (Antarctic Marine Geology Research Facility contribution number 4). Tallahassee: Department of Geology, Florida State University.
Janecek, T.R. (Ed.). 1997. Descriptions of sediment recovered by the R/V Nathaniel B. Palmer, cruise 1, 1994. United States Antarctic Program (Antarctic Marine Geology Research Facility contribution number 5). Tallahassee: Department of Geology, Florida State University.