Journal Entries

2005-06

 

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January 28, 2006 — Palmer Station, Antarctica

Yesterday I got an e-mail from a friend back home in Cleveland. He said that Cleveland was experiencing one of its mildest winters in a long time and that he hoped I wasn't frozen solid in Antarctica. I remember last winter in Cleveland as one of the coldest and snowiest in years. It also seems as if there are more intense storms than ever before. Climate change is a hot topic around Palmer Station, and much of the research is focused on trying to understand such change. What changes will an increase of one little degree cause? How will increased temperatures affect the krill population? How will it affect plants?

There is a research group at Palmer Station asking these questions. My friend Caroline and roommate Sara are biologists studying plants (botanists) and the changing climate in Antarctica. Caroline explained she has been working with climate change projects for a couple of years. Now she's in Antarctica studying the BIG climate changes here and how the warming of the Antarctic Peninsula is affecting plants. This group is conducting many experiments, but I want to share one of those I pass each morning on my way in from the tent.

Many people don’t know there are plants in Antarctica because there is so much rock and ice, but there are — just not very many. Besides lichens and moss, there are two species of vascular plants here: Deschampsia (Antarctic hair grass) and Colobanthus (Antarctic pearlwort). Deschampsia is the taller plant — it grows in clumps called tussocks. Colobanthus grows in a low mound that looks a bit like moss in this picture, but is a brighter green. Since there has been a warming trend in the Antarctic Peninsula where Palmer Station is located, they are trying to simulate what these plants will be like in the future.

To simulate increased temperature, core samples have been planted in 20 garden plots in our backyard. Half of the plots have little heaters above them, increasing their environmental temperature 1 to 2° C. Plant growth and respiration (exchange of gasses, or "breathing") will be watched for any changes. There is also a water treatment experiment being conducted. Half of the heated and unheated cores are watered while the others are not, to see how increased moisture affects the plants. There are 20 plots, so there will be 20 replications of both the moisture and heat treatments. They are still in the early stages of the experiment, but what do you suppose will happen when the plants are heated?

You could conduct a similar experiment right in your own classroom. Get 20 identical paper cups and plant the same number of seeds of fast growing plants like grass or beans in each cup. First, put a small layer of rocks on the inside of the bottom of the cup for drainage and cover with dirt. Make certain the cups are identical and that equal portions of dirt and rocks are used. Divide the cups into 4 groups. Label the cups A, B, C, and D. After planting is complete, give cups A and B equal amounts of water each day. Give cups C and D less water each day. Put cups A and C near a heat source. Put cups B and D away from heat and give them less water than groups A and C. Allow all four groups to grow for several weeks, continuing the water and heat treatments. Make sure all groups have similar lighting, to avoid light influencing the plant growth. Record your observations over the next few weeks, looking for any differences between the groups.

I bet you will come up with results similar to what this group is finding. They are noticing an increase in leaf production and total plant size. Another result is increased growth rates in plants from warmer and moister environments. Within the last five years, their data indicates that populations of specific plant species have been growing from 30 plants to thousands of plants. This could potentially affect insect populations, air composition, and many other factors. This experiment is in the early stages, but the rate of change is concerning.

...And my day ended with another miracle from nature shared with good friends...

 

- Kaput-on-Ice

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