Treaty. The goal of the United States Antarctic 

 Research Program (USARP) has been and remains 

 the complete scientific investigation of Antarctica 

 and of the surrounding oceans. From the begin- 

 ning, emphasis has been placed on increased 

 understanding of the role played by the antarctic 

 ice sheets and the physical and chemical processes 

 associated with them in phenomena of global sig- 

 nificance. Included in these are geological, geo- 

 physical, meteorological, and oceanographic pro- 

 cesses. The contemporary thrust of antarctic re- 

 search is toward examination of significant 

 phenomena, environmental and ecological relation- 

 ships, and specific geological and geophysical 

 problems. Particular emphasis is placed on basic 

 questions as they relate to contemporary problems 

 elsewhere in scientific research. The primary focus 

 is on polar processes and their relationship to con- 

 nected or interdependent processes on a global 

 scale. 



Examples of basic research. Basic research in the 

 Arctic and Antarctic are discussed below: 



• In the Arctic. The purpose of the Arctic Ice 

 Dynamics Joint Experiment (AIDJEX) has 

 been to obtain quantitative answers to basic 

 questions on the thermal regime and dynam- 

 ics of arctic pack ice. The main field experi- 

 ment was finished in 1975 on the pack ice of 

 the Beaufort Sea north of Barrow, Alaska. 

 This was the culmination of four years of 

 planning and pilot projects. A mathematical 

 model has been developed to describe the 

 dynamics of sea ice to a resolution of 100 kil- 

 ometers in distance and I day in time. The 

 model was developed primarily as a research 

 tool to understand the underlying physical 

 processes of the pack ice. Present forecasting 

 methods do not account for stress in the ice 

 or the influence of boundaries. If it can be 

 validated, the AIDJEX model will allow these 

 factors to be included, giving a more reliable 

 basis for forecasting and other applications. 



The AIDJEX model will also be valuable for 

 climate studies since it will provide the basis for 

 understanding the interaction of the polar pack ice 

 with the global ocean-atmosphere system. Theo- 

 ries of the onset and waning of ice ages frequently 

 include assumptions about the extent of sea ice 

 cover; many models currently used ignore this part 

 of the earth in climatic reconstructions. 



• In the Antarctic. In austral summer 1967-68, a 

 fragmentary fossil bone was discovered near 

 Graphite Peak in the Transantarctic Moun- 

 tains. The bone fragment was a portion of a 

 lower jaw of a labyrinthodont amphibian and 

 was the first record of an ancient terrestrial 

 tetrapod in Antarctica. As a result of this dis- 

 covery, plans were made for further searches 



in the Transantarctic Mountains in austral 

 summer 1969-70. Researchers found more 

 fossil bones at Coalsack BluIT. The majority 

 of these proved to be the remains of the 

 Lower Triassic reptile, Lystrosaurus. The 

 discovery of Lystrosaurus made a marked 

 impact on the scientific community. This was 

 a reptile closely related to, if not identical 

 with, Lystrosaurus of the Lower Triassic 

 beds of southern Africa. Lystrosaurus had 

 also been found in the Panchet Formation of 

 peninsular India and in China. In austral 

 summer 1970-71 a campaign was mounted in 

 the Shackleton-McGregor Glacier area, and a 

 large collection of fossils was obtained. This 

 collection was significant because in addition 

 to the Lystrosaurus. it contained the remains 

 of advanced mammal-like reptiles, the genus 

 Thrinaxodon. the little cotylosaur Pro- 

 colophon, and the prolacertilian reptiles. 

 In South Africa, Lystrosaurus. Procolophon, 

 and Thrinaxodon occur together in the Lys- 

 trosaurus Zone, as does the genus Prolacerta. 



The discovery of a Lystrosaurus fauna at Coal- 

 sack Bluff helped establish beyond any reasonable 

 doubt that the antarctic continent was once a part 

 of a larger Gondwana continent and was contig- 

 uous to Africa. The amphibians and reptiles that 

 constituted this fauna were unable to swim long 

 distances across deep oceans and must have 

 spread by way of dry land. The fossils from Coal- 

 sack Bluff constituted perhaps the strongest and 

 most definitive palaeobiological evidence to prove 

 the reality of continental drift. 



Studies have been conducted on how antarctic 

 fishes avoid freezing in near-freezing, ice-laden sea 

 water. This has included studies on the physiology 

 and biochemistry of fishes in McMurdo Sound. 

 Eight blood glycopeptides have been isolated from 

 the dialyzed blood plasma of antarctic fishes. 

 These glycopeptides are simple compounds com- 

 posed of only two amino acids — alanine and 

 threonine — and two sugar residues — galactose and 

 N-acetyl-galactosamine. They occur in eight sizes; 

 they are long, narrow molecules, unlike most other 

 proteins and glycopeptides, which are globular. 

 They possess many hydroxyl groups, which make 

 the molecules soluble in water and allow them to 

 interact with ice. On a weight basis, they are pre- 

 sent at concentrations of 4 percent. In these fishes, 

 the eight sizes are found in the fluids of the body 

 cavity, heart, and eye. Only the small ones have 

 been found inside the cells of the liver and muscle. 

 It therefore appears that the small glycopeptides 

 may play a role in preventing the cells from freez- 

 ing, while all eight sizes function to protect the 

 extracellular fluids from freezing. 



NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION 



203 



