HR: 0800h
AN: PP41A-0636    [Abstracts]
TI: A Benthic Invertebrate Survey of Jun Jaegyu Volcano: An active undersea volcano in Antarctic Sound, Antarctica
AU: * Quinones, G
EM: quinonesg1@mail.montclair.edu
AF: Department of Earth and Environmental Studies, Montclair State University, 1 Normal Avenue, Montclair, NJ 07043 United States
AU: Brachfeld, S
EM: brachfelds@mail.montclair.edu
AF: Department of Earth and Environmental Studies, Montclair State University, 1 Normal Avenue, Montclair, NJ 07043 United States
AU: Gorring, M
EM: gorringm@mail.montclair.edu
AF: Department of Earth and Environmental Studies, Montclair State University, 1 Normal Avenue, Montclair, NJ 07043 United States
AU: Prezant, R S
EM: prezantr@mail.montclair.edu
AF: Department of Biology and Molecular Biology, Montclair State University, 1 Normal Avenue, Montclair, NJ 07043 United States
AU: Domack, E
EM: edomack@hamilton.edu
AF: Department of Geology, Hamilton College, 198 College Hill Road, Clinton, NY 13323 United States
AB: Jun Jaegyu volcano, an Antarctic submarine volcano, was dredged in May 2004 during cruise 04-04 of the RV Laurence M. Gould to determine rock, sediment composition and marine macroinvertebrate diversity. The objectives of this study are to examine the benthic assemblages and biodiversity present on a young volcano. The volcano is located on the continental shelf of the northeastern Antarctic Peninsula, where recent changes in surface temperature and ice shelf stability have been observed. This volcano was originally swath-mapped during cruise 01-07 of the Research Vessel-Ice Breaker Nathaniel B. Palmer. During LMG04-04 we also studied the volcano using a SCUD video camera, and performed temperature surveys along the flanks and crest. Both the video and the dredge indicate a seafloor surface heavily colonized by benthic organisms. Indications of fairly recent lava flows are given by the absence of marine life on regions of the volcano. The recovered dredge material was sieved, and a total of thirty-three invertebrates were extracted. The compilation of invertebrate community data can subsequently be compared to other benthic invertebrate studies conducted along the peninsula, which can determine the regional similarity of communities over time, their relationship to environmental change and health, if any, and their relationship to geologic processes in Antarctic Sound. Twenty-two rock samples, all slightly weathered and half bearing encrusted organisms, were also analyzed using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Except for one conglomerate sample, all are alkali basalts and share similar elemental compositions with fresh, unweathered samples from the volcano. Two of the encrusted basalt samples have significantly different compositions than the rest. We speculate this difference could be due to water loss during sample preparation, loss of organic carbon trapped within the vesicles of the samples and/or elemental uptake by the organism. These results can establish a qualitative baseline survey for other young volcanoes, and be used to monitor changes in the benthic assemblages and biodiversity as a function of environmental change and environmental health.
DE: 0408 Benthic processes (4804)
DE: 0410 Biodiversity
DE: 0456 Life in extreme environments
SC: Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology [PP]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005