Abstract: We report site-testing results obtained in the nighttime during the polar autumn and winter at Dome C. These results were collected during the first Concordia winterover by A. Agabi. They are based on seeing and isoplanatic angle monitoring, as well as in situ balloon measurements of the refractive index structure constant profiles C2n(h). Atmosphere is divided into two regions: (1) a 36 m high surface layer responsible for 87% of the turbulence, and (2) a very stable free atmosphere above, with a median seeing of 0.36“ +/- 0.19” at an elevation of h=30 m. The median seeing measured with a differential image motion monitor placed on top of an 8.5 m high tower is 1.3“ +/- 0.8”.

Abstract: In most linear imaging problems, where the model to be sought is expanded in a set of basis functions, it is common practice to truncate the set at a certain (arbitrary) level. The solution then depends on the chosen parameterization, and neglected basis functions may leak into the solution to produce artifacts in the retrieved model. An unbiased estimate of the coefficients of the true model may be obtained in the chosen finite basis set ; here, a method to suppress leakage is illustrated on an example of global seismic tomography.

Abstract: We present observations of significant fundamental spheroidal-toroidal mode coupling at frequencies below 4 mHz in the early part of vertical component records from seismic stations on near-equatorial source-receiver propagation paths after the 26 December 2004 and 28 March 2005 great Sumatra earthquakes. Since the mixed-type coupling induced by rotational Coriolis force are very weak at these selected equatorial-path stations, we investigate what effects mimic the strong Coriolis effects at frequencies below 4 mHz, suggesting that local azimuthal anisotropy in the upper mantle is the most likely explanation for the strong anomalous coupling we observed. In addition, strong anisotropy coupling observed in the frequency band of 14 mHz is always characterized by anomalous small amplitudes of coupled spheroidal modes on the vertical component of seismograph, suggesting that excitation of quasi-toroidal modes by azimuthal anisotropy associates with geometric nodes of fundamental spheroidal modes.

Abstract: During the last 30years, at-sea studies of seabirds and marine mammals in the oceans south of the Subtropical Front have described an association with major frontal areas. More recently, the advancement in microtechnology has allowed the tracking of individuals and investigations into how these marine predators actually use the frontal zones. In this review, we examine 1) the relative importance to apex predators of the different frontal zones in terms of spatial distribution and carbon flux; 2) the processes that determine their preferential use; and 3) how the mesoscale dynamics of frontal structures drive at-sea foraging strategies of these predators. We review published results from southern waters and place them in a broader context with respect to what has been learned about the importance of fronts in oceans farther north.
Some fronts constitute important boundaries for seabird communities in southern waters. At a mesoscale the maximum values of seabird diversity and abundance correspond to the location of the main fronts. At-sea surveys show a strong curvilinear correlation between seabird abundance and sea surface temperatures. High mean species richness and diversity for whales and seabirds are consistently associated with the southern water mass boundary of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, the Subtropical Front and the Subantarctic Front; in the case of the Polar Front mean seabird densities are more variable. At small-scales, variation in seabird occurrence has been directly related to the processes at fronts in a limited number of cases. A significant positive relation was found between some plankton feeding species and frontal temperature gradient-phytoplankton variables.
Telemetric studies have revealed that several apex predators (penguins, albatrosses, seals) perform long, directed foraging trips either to the Subtropical front or Polar Front, depending on locality. Seabirds with low flight costs, such as albatrosses, are able to reach fronts at long distances from colonies, showing variable foraging strategies as a function of the distances involved. Diving birds such as King penguins, that travel at a higher cost and lower speed, rely on the predictable spatial distribution of mesopelagic fish found close to the Polar Front. They may use the currents associated with eddies as oceanographic cues in the active search for frontal zones. Once in these areas they dive preferentially in and below the depth of the thermocline where catches per unit effort are high. Elephant seals concentrate foraging activity principally inside or at the boundary of cyclonic eddies. These mesoscale features appear to offer exceptional productivity favourable for foraging by various diving top predators.
The connection between biophysical parameters at fronts and predators is likely to be made through biological enhancement. Top predators appear to forage at locations where prey are advected by physical processes and others where prey are produced locally. Long-term research on at-sea distributions and demographic parameters of top predators are essential to assess the consequences of potential shift in front distributions in relation to global warming. Such environmental changes would add to the impact of fish extraction by the industrial fisheries on the southern food webs.