Metadata record for data from ASAC Project 829 See the link below for public details on this project. From the abstract of one of the referenced papers: During the intensive field operations period (November 15 to December 14, 1995) of the First Aerosol Characterisation Experiment (ACE 1) cold front activity was generally above average, resulting in below average temperatures, pressures, and rainfall. The principal cause was the presence for much of the experiment of a long wave trough. This trough was mobile, traversing the ACE area during the project, with some warm anomalies evident in teh areas under the influence of the long wave ridges. There is evidence of greater convective activity than normal, possibly leading to a slightly deeper than average mixing layer. A greater west to northwesterly component to the air flow than average during November appears to have led to higher than average concentrations of radon and particles in the clean, marine or 'baseline'; sector at Cape Grim (190 degrees to 280 degrees). This is likely to have resulted from inclusion of continental air from western parts of the Australian mainland in the baseline sector winds. Although aerosol-bound sulfur species were generally near their normal concentrations across the ACE 1 area, the overall pattern including atmospheric dimethylsulfide suggest slightly higher than usual sulfur species levels in the southern part of the region and lower concentrations in the northern part during November. This could be related to changes in marine biogenic productivity, air-sea exchange, or atmospheric removal. In December, the changing long wave pattern brought an increase in south and southwesterly flow over the entire region. The baseline sector became less affected by continental species, but it appears that the colder conditions brought by this pattern have led to lower than usual atmospheric concentrations of biogenic species, as the region went into one of the coldest summers on record.

Report of the 1985 A.N.A.R.E to Heard Island. This document contains the following scientific reports: Zoology - elephant seals, fur seals, General Zoology - leopard seals, fish, insects, birds; Botany - lant communities, lichens and mosses; Limnology - Zooplankton and phytoplankton; Earth Sciences - meteorology, geomagnetism, glaciology, general mapping, general phenomena; Miscellaneous Collections; History; Environmental Impact Assessment; Site Clean up; Building report and Camp inventory; Logistics; Field Operations; Recommendations; Bibliography; Appendix. Taken from the report: The 1985 ANARE to Heard island was of greater duration than any since 1963, although brief stopovers have been made by other ANAREs more recently. It was also the first time since the 1950s that biological research was the major scientific endeavour of two ANARE parties working simultaneously at both ends of the island. This reflects renewed interest in The Territory of Heard Island and The McDonald Islands and its surrounding Exclusive Economic Zone, which has a significant fishery potential. As studies on the population of the Island's Elephant Seals may offer methods of monitoring major changes in the relative balance of high level consumers in the marine ecosystem (See below), the expedition had as its highest priority the thorough censusing of Elephant Seals on the Island over the pupping period, as part of an international program aimed at monitoring the total population of these seals. A census of the whole island, by counting seals hauled out on beaches, necessitated two parties; one at Atlas Cove and the other at Spit Bay. The expedition was also given the tasks of carrying out a limited clean up of the old Atlas Cove camp (following an explicit brief which recognised its heritage value), of making a site survey for the proposed camp, and of producing an Environmental Impact Assessment of the proposed site. Other tasks included the deployment of magnetometers and the regular measurement of absolute magnetic values, a comparative meteorological program at either end of the island, an assessment of seal blubber by ultrasound, a collection of Elephant Seal blood samples for electrophoretic analysis, a Fur Seal census, a botanical survey and a general biology program made up of many small sections.