[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 71 (Wednesday, April 13, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20721-20722]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-8772]
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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Notice of Permit Applications Received Under the Antarctic
Conservation Act
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 give
public 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 May 13, 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 as requiring special protection. The
regulations establish such a permit system to designate Antarctic
Specially Protected Areas.
The applications received are as follows:
[[Page 20722]]
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1. Applicant Paul Ponganis, Center for Permit
Marine Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Application
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, No. 2012-001
University of California, San Diego, La
Jolla, CA 92093-0204..
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Activity for Which Permit Is Requested
Take and Import into the U.S.A. The applicant plans to capture up
to 10 fledgling Emperor chicks for research studies at University of
California, San Diego. The volume of the air sacs and lungs are
critical to the diving physiology of penguins in at least two ways.
First, the respiratory oxygen store is estimated to comprise one-third
to one-half the total body O2 stores in various species. And
second, the ratio of air sac to lung volume is a potential mechanism
for prevention of pulmonary barotrauma (``lung squeeze''). Yet the
volumes of the air sacs and lungs have never been directly measured in
any penguin species. There have only been indirect estimates based on
simulated dives in pressure chambers or on buoyancy-swim speed
calculations during dives at sea. Therefore, in this research project,
air sac and lung volumes in emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri),
king penguins (A. patagonicus), and Ad[eacute]lie penguins (Pygoscelis
adeliae) will be measured by 3D reconstructions from computerized
tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. The study,
to be conducted in collaboration with the University of California San
Diego Keck Center for Magnetic Resonance Imaging, will utilize captive
birds. Subjects from the latter two species are already available. Most
of the captive emperor penguins would be considered geriatric and at
risk for anesthesia, therefore emperor penguins will be exported as
chicks, and then raised and maintained for the study. The export of 10
chicks will have no impact on the Cape Washington colony as emperor
penguin chick censuses between 1983 and 2005 have been as high as
24,000 chicks.
Given (a) the significance of the volume of the air sacs and lungs
in determination of the magnitude and distribution of total body
O2 stores, (b) the lack of verification of indirect
estimates of diving air volume in penguins, (c) the possibility of air
exhalation during many dives of penguins, and d) the limited data used
to construct allometric equations to predict air sac/lung volume on the
basis of body mass, it is imperative to obtain direct measures of air
sac and lung volumes in emperor penguins, king penguins, and
Ad[eacute]lie penguins. Such direct measurements would provide the
maximum available respiratory volume for O2 store
calculations and allow better evaluation and interpretation off data
obtained with indirect techniques at sea for the three species. This is
especially important for emperor penguins, as it is the species in
which the most detailed diving physiology studies are available.
Location
Cape Washington, Terra Nova Bay, Victoria Land.
Dates
September 1, 2011 to December 31, 2012.
Nadene G. Kennedy,
Permit Officer, Office of Polar Programs.
[FR Doc. 2011-8772 Filed 4-12-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-M