[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 34 (Friday, February 18, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Page 9611]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-3669]


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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION


Notice of Permit Applications Received Under the Antarctic 
Conservation Act of 1978 (Pub. L. 95-541)

AGENCY: National Science Foundation.

ACTION: Notice of Permit Applications Received under the Antarctic 
Conservation Act of 1978, Public Law 95-541.

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SUMMARY: The National Science Foundation (NSF) is required to publish 
notice of permit applications received to conduct activities regulated 
under the Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978. NSF has published 
regulations under the Antarctic Conservation Act at title 45 part 670 
of the Code of Federal Regulations. This is the required notice of 
permit applications received.

DATES: Interested parties are invited to submit written data, comments, 
or views with respect to this permit application by March 21, 2011. 
This application may be inspected by interested parties at the Permit 
Office, address below.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be addressed to Permit Office, Room 755, 
Office of Polar Programs, National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson 
Boulevard, Arlington, Virginia 22230.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nadene G. Kennedy at the above address 
or (703) 292-7405.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Science Foundation, as directed 
by the Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978 (Pub. L. 95-541), as amended 
by the Antarctic Science, Tourism and Conservation Act of 1996, has 
developed regulations for the establishment of a permit system for 
various activities in Antarctica and designation of certain animals and 
certain geographic areas a requiring special protection. The 
regulations establish such a permit system to designate Antarctic 
Specially Protected Areas.
    The applications received are as follows:
    1. Applicant; Permit Application No. 2011-023. Joseph Levy, 
Department of Geology, Portland State University, P.O. Box 751, 
Portland, OR 97207-0751.

Activity for Which Permit Is Requested

    Take and Import into the USA. The applicant plans to enter the 
Garwood Valley to collect algal mats from sediment outcrops where 
exposed, and from the surface of ponds. The applicant also plans to 
collect mummified Crabeater seal skin samples in Garwood Valley. Skin 
samples will be less than 20g each. The goal of the project is to 
define the rate of geomorphic change in Garwood Valley in response to 
changing climate conditions. The geomorphic record will be 
reconstructed over the past 1- = 2-kyr to infer past climate-driven 
landscape alteration at the end of the LGM and examine the current 
episode of landscape changes, including assessing the thermal 
equilibrium of buried massive ice. The past and current geomorphic 
changes will be used as a guide for predicting landscape response in 
the Dry Valleys should the >130 km\2\ of ice-cored terrain in the 
valleys also begin to melt. Paired measurements of \14\ C (from algal 
mats) and U/Th age (from carbon layers bracketing the algal mats), as 
well as \14\ C ages with OSL ages (for near-surface mats), these seal 
\14\ C dates will provide a correction factor for dealing with carbon 
input of certain provenance. The presence of multiple mats/carbonate 
beds/seals in Garwood Valley sediments will permit characterization of 
``old'' carbon input over time into the sedimentary system.

Location

    Garwood Valley, Dry Valleys.

Dates

    January 1, 2011 to February 1, 2014.

Nadene G. Kennedy,
Permit Officer, Office of Polar Programs.
[FR Doc. 2011-3669 Filed 2-17-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-P