Preliminary results and documentation of sediment core CRP-1 from the Ross Sea off Cape Roberts, Antarctica

The first hole of the Cape Roberts Project, CRP-1, was drilled in October, 1997, to a depth of 148 metres below the sea floor (mbsf) before being terminated unexpectedly the loss of fast sea-ice seaward of the rig following a severe storm. The site lies in 150 m of water at 77.008°S and 163.755°E, 16 km off Cape Roberts. This part of the report outlines the geologic setting, a gently tilted sequence near the margin of the Victoria Land Basin, and describes the history of the growth of sea ice, which provided the drilling platform, as well as the history of the drilling itself. Core recovery was around 77% in soft and brittle strata to 100 m and 98% below that. The sequence was found to comprise a Quaternary glacigenic interval down to 43.55 mbsf and below this an early Miocene interval that was also glacigenic. Core properties that were studied include fracture patterns, porosity, sonic velocity and magnetic susceptibility. Velocity in particular was useful in relating the cored sequence to the regional seismic stratigraphy. A preliminary assessment suggests that the bottom of the hole is 15 m short of the boundary between seismic sequences V3 and V4. Analytical facilities new to the Antarctic and used for processing samples for the project are described here and include a bench top palynological processing system and a palaeomagnetic laboratory. The core management and sampling system, which recorded over 2000 samples, is also outlined.

Señal salud

Señal Salud es un programa radial dedicado a la promoción de hábitos y conductas saludables, que nació en el 2003. Este espacio, desarrollado desde entonces por el Departamento de Educación y Comunicación para la Salud, es conducido por Sergio Gras y producido por Leonardo Rearte, Licenciado en Comunicación graduado en la Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. El programa producido en el Centro de Comunicación e Información de la UNCuyo fue emitido por FM Universidad (95.3) también al resto de la provincia a través de más de 15 radios. Señal Salud tiene una agenda temática, destinando a cada emisión el tratamiento de un tema en particular (diabetes, salud bucal, sida, accidentes, etc.). El programa, durante sus diez minutos, plantea mitos, presenta a un especialista, abre el micrófono al público, repasa el tratamiento del tema en los medios masivos y entrega cinco soluciones.Considerando que toda información tiene potencialmente la capacidad de ser entendida como una fuerza transformadora, facilita procesos cognoscitivos y atiende necesidades de un grupo determinado de personas. Así es como Señal Salud busca mejorar la calidad de vida todos los mendocinos.

Under ice shelf photographs from Drescher Inlet (Riiser Larsen Ice Shelf) taken by seal mounted cameras during expedition DRE2003

While modern sampling techniques, such as autonomous underwater vehicles, are increasing our knowledge of the fauna beneath Antarctic sea ice of only a few meters in depth, greater sampling difficulties mean that little is known about the marine life underneath Antarctic ice shelves over 100 m thick. In this study, we present underwater images showing the underside of an Antarctic ice shelf covered by aggregated invertebrate communities, most likely cnidarians and isopods. These images, taken at an average depth of 145 m, were obtained with a digital still camera system attached to Weddell seals Leptonychotes weddellii foraging just beneath the ice shelf. Our observations indicate that, similar to the sea floor, ice shelves serve as an important habitat for a remarkable amount of marine invertebrate fauna in Antarctica.