Tides were measured using a portable pressure transducer secured to fast ice at the mouth of Pagodroma Gorge with the transducer about 4 metres below low water line. A 30 day record was obtained. Documentation dated 2001-03-07 Beaver Lake and the Stillwell Hills In Dec 1996 - Jan 1997 a temporary pressure type tide gauge was deployed at Beaver Lake and the Stillwell Hills in open water. Timed water level measurements were made over this period. From these data a value for MSL was found for Beaver Lake and the Stillwell Hills.

Taken from sections of the report: Introduction This report details the survey work carried out on Macquarie Island during January of 1996 by AUSLIG on behalf of Australian Antarctic Divisions Mapping Program. The principle aim of this work was to acquire aerial photography of the island so that a new topographic map of the island can be produced. A number of other tasks were also carried out. In the following pages each task will be dealt with in terms of the technique employed and the results achieved. The survey work was carried out by the following people : Paul Boland Tasmania Department of Environment and Land Management, Troy Lee Antarctic Division Volunteer, Stuart Smith Antarctic Division Volunteer, Roger Handsworth Platypus Engineering, Noel Ward AUSLIG. This report does not cover the specifics of the work carried out by Paul Boland or Roger Handsworth, that being the subject of separate reports to be submitted by them. Time Frame The Macquarie Island survey field party departed Hobart at 3pm on Thursday 4th of January 1996 aboard MV Polar Bird, voyage 3.1 of the Antarctic re-supply season. Voyage 3.1 arrived at Macquarie island at about 5am eastern summer time (UT+11) on Sunday 7th of January 1996. The survey party departed Macquarie Island on 12th of January aboard MV Polar Bird, voyage 3.1, at about 0:50am local time. Voyage 3.1 returned to Hobart on Sunday the 14th of January. All passengers where disembarked at about 6pm that day. Aim and Project Brief The survey program, as detailed by Antarctic Division in its Brief to Surveyors, comprised the following tasks, this document is included as Appendix A 1. Attempt aerial photography of the whole island, 2. Mark the boundaries of the Historic Zone and Zone A in the vicinity of the Isthmus, 3. Field check the new station facilities information system, including the location of all masts, antennae, guys and walkways. 4. Positioning of ERS-1 and 2 corner cube reflectors, 5. Precise levelling, 6. Fix, by GPS, survey marks AUS 157 and AUS 158. 7. Precise GPS connection from the ARGN site to the Hurd Point Tide Gauge site.

In July 1989 a circular was distributed calling for applicants for survey duties in the Antarctic over the 1989-90 summer season. The aim of this survey was to carry out a number of survey tasks in the Vestfold Hills, Larsemann Hills, Mawson and the Southern Prince Charles Mountains. It soon became apparent that for logistic reasons deployment in the PCMs would be difficult and this part of the survey was deleted. Job reports for this survey season : Larsemann Hills Photo control; SPOT Image control Rauer Group; Law Base; Russian tide gauge conn. Russian Primary Mark connection; Russian ice runway; Blundell Peak; Vestfold Hills; GPS baselines; Ancient Marine terraces, Lake water levels, Over Ice route markers, Mawson Pageos connection. Includes text, tables, aerial photographs and diagrams.

Taken from sections of the report: 1. Introduction This report details the survey work carried out on Macquarie Island during November 1997 by LANDINFO staff on behalf of the Australian Antarctic Division's Mapping Program. The main task of the survey team was to acquire aerial photography of the island to enable the production of a new topographic map of the island. Other tasks involved field checking the digital station area map (DSAM) and providing support to the tide gauge maintenance team. The following team carried out the survey-mapping work: Tom Gordon LANDINFO Surveyor Roger Handsworth Antarctic Division Engineer Although this report touches on the work carried out by Roger Handsworth and Rupert Summerson, it does not cover the specifics of their work. 2. Project Brief The survey-mapping brief lists the following tasks: 1. Aerial Photography of the Island and station area. 2. Aerial Photography of Judge and Clerk Island to the south and Bishop and Clerk Island to the north of Macquarie Island. 3. Second order levelling from the tide gauge bench marks to AUS 211 4. Updating the Digital Station Area map. These tasks are listed in order of priority. A copy of the survey brief for Macquarie Island is included in Appendix A.

Personnel: B.A.Murphy (1985), I.P.Kaczerepa (1984-85), R.A.Sheridan (1984-85, 1985-86), E.W.MacGibbon. The primary aim of the 1984-85 summer surveying program was to continue with the establishment of the vertical control network on Long, Broad and Mule Peninsulas which would enable periodic and accurate monitoring of water level fluctuations of specified fresh and saline lakes in the Vestfold Hills. Other work completed included Davis magnetic and gravity stations, Department of Housing and Construction site surveys, coordination of RAN Miniranger sites, deployment of tide gauges and horizontal control station surveys. During the 1985-86 summer survey program two major tasks were to be undertaken. The first was to complete loop closures of vertical control networks on Long, Broad and Mule Peninsulas and the second to coordinate Dr Gallagher's long/cross section origin points along the length of Ellis Fjord. Miscellaneous other survey tasks were also carried out including deployment of a tide gauge.

1987/88 Field Season at Heard Island. Harry R. Burton. Field Leader, Antarctic Division. The 1987/88 ANARE to Heard Island was the last of a series of three summer programs there (1985 and 1986/87); and with five and a half months on the Island. It was also the longest. Earth science had been the primary focus of the 1986/87 program. In 1987/88 the focus of the work was again biology, as it had been in 1985; and island transport (other than pedestrian) was by LARC. Nella Dan delivered the party of 17 from September 18 to 20 1987, with four at Spit Bay and the remainder at Atlas Cove. About a month later, on October 18 and 19 she returned: four of the party left and there were two new arrivals, so that 15 people were on the Island until Lady Franklin picked up the party and left on March 2 1988. A major task of the Expedition was to carry out a complete census of Heard Island's breeding population of Southern Elephant Seals. This task was done in the middle of October, when the numbers of cows hauled out to pup on the beaches were at a maximum and counts made at that time were sensibly referable to other years and other islands. It was the first total census ever completed on Heard Island although one made in 1985 was nearly so. The party was able to walk to Long Beach and census that area. and the availab1l1ty of a helicopter for two days allowed the total photographic coverage of Spit Island, a sedimentary island little more than a metre above sea level and about a kilometre to the east. This island is home to several thousand seals. The one photographic run over this island on October 18 produced a 70mm film record. and thus the whole Island census was completed. Although strong winds during the photography prevented complete overlap of all the aerial photographs. allowance for the small proportion of missed ground was made in censusing. The final total for Spit Island was 3,200 plus or minus 150 cows. A number of other whole Island Southern Elephant Seal counts (excluding Spit Island) were made at intervals of approximately a month so that seal numbers at particular sites and dates could be compared to historical records for these same places at equivalent seasonal times. These counts also gave quantitative measures of 'seal abuse' to coastal vegetation. A daily count of all Southern Elephant Seals in the Four Bays area was maintained for two months. This work enabled the day of maximum numbers to be calculated with precision, as well as providing a detailed record of the haul-out pattern for comparison with other years and islands. The day of maximum numbers, 17 October, was two days later in 1987 than in 1985. The results also indicated a further small reduction in the pup production of the Four Bays area, compared to 1985. However a complete enumeration of the seals on all island beaches still waits on a careful checking of all data. Another Southern Elephant Seal study was the weighing of weaned pups. About 400 pups were weighed at each end of the Island. The total (821) is a considerable data set and it demonstrated the variation in sex ratio and weight through the weaning period. Male pups had a mean weight of 116.5kg (408 animals), and female pups had a mean weight of 111.6kg (413 animals). These data allow real comparison with weaned weights from other islands and thus may provide insights into the reasons for the decline of seal numbers on some islands (the Indian Ocean Sector) and not others (South Georgia). Sixty Southern Elephant Seals. newly arrived at the beach to moult, were anaesthetised, measured and weighed before having their stomach contents flushed out by water through a soft rubber hose. These collections contained obvious examples of squid beaks and stomach worms but await analysis. This will provide the first detailed information on the diet of these seals in the Heard Island area. Leopard Seals were counted whenever they were seen, and at times (late February) they out numbered Southern Elephant Seals on some beaches. Thirty five animals were anaesthetised. measured and weighed before being tagged and their blood sampled. A surprise was the discovery of two Subantarctic Fur Seals bearing tags from Marion Island. This was the first record of this species on the island. Also surprising was the very large number (in excess of 10,000) of Antarctic Fur Seals hauling out in late February. They are not a rare Sight on the Island any more! A detailed study of the attendance patterns of lactating cows and the corresponding weight gains of their pups was carried out. An archaeological survey of the Corinthian Bay sealer's shanty and a botanical study of pool complexes in the north west of the Island were studies undertaken in the first month on the Island. A great deal of effort was also put into censusing birds. A thorough survey of the distribution of all burrow nesting seabirds was completed for the Island and the population of Gentoo Penguins was counted (16,500 pairs in 60 colonies) as well as having the breeding success of their chicks recorded. The colonies of King Penguins were recorded regularly, and appear to be continuing to increase in numbers. 1987/88 was a good season for the Heard Island Cormorant too, as 94 chicks were fledged, compared to six in 1986/87. A large number of banded seabirds were resighted. These Included Subantarctic and Antarctic Skuas, Wandering and Black-browed Albatrosses and a Cape Petrel. Many of these birds had been banded on other islands, away from Heard Island. Nearly all colonies of Southern Giant Petrels were visited and the counts of these colonies showed a near 50% decline compared to 1963. However, 19 breeding birds, banded as chicks in 1963, were resighted. These 25 year old birds give evidence of the long life capabilities of this species. The breeding success of a colony of Black-browed Albatrosses was also recorded. The vegetation of the Island was mapped in detail, and growth studies carried out at a number of dispersed sites. The recognition of another possible species of grass in some newly exposed morainal areas suggests that the retreat of glaciers on the Island is creating new areas suitable for colonisation. Comparison of the vegetation of Heard Island with that of climatically less rigorous Macquarie Island promises to throw up a number of ecologically interesting insights. Many minor projects were also completed (particularly in view of the extra month on the island due to the loss of the Nella Dan) and these included a tethered kelp experiment to discover the plants capabilities as platforms for long distance transport of marine invertebrates. A comparison of the Collembollan (insect) populations in different habitats and the collection of funnel extracted invertebrates in some quantity may extend the species list for the Island. Five more sealers' shanties were discovered around the Island and the artefacts in their vicinity were recorded. A detailed study of casks remaining from sealing days was undertaken, and showed that most originated from the period (1881) when the shipwrecked sailors of the Trinity were living on the island. A windlass was uncovered at low tide, after a storm on Spit Bay Beach, and was returned to Australia. The lengthy period on the Island and enthusiastic assistance from the passengers of relief ships enabled a significant volume of debris from the old station to be picked up for return to Australia for disposal. The tide gauge lost in 1985 was washed up on the beach and was recovered still in a watertight condition. Twelve oceanographic drift cards were found on the beaches and a complete collection of all ocean debris (other than wood) was made from the beaches. East European fishing floats were still dominant items, and indicate the fishing effort in the area up-current from Heard Island. The 1987/88 ANARE was a long expedition for 'a summer', as nearly six months were spent on the island. But this considerable period allowed a very thorough and unusually comprehensive assessment of the status of vertebrate populations and of the distribution of plants.