[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 71 (Wednesday, April 13, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Page 20721]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-8737]



[[Page 20721]]

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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 May 13, 2011. This 
application may be inspected by interested parties at the Permit 
Office, address below.

ADDRESS:  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 requiring special protection. The regulations 
establish such a permit system to designate Antarctic Specially 
Protected Areas.
    The applications received are as follows:

Permit Application No. 2012-001

1. Applicant: Paul Ponganis, Center for Marine Biotechnology and 
Biomedicine, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of 
California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0204.

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 O<INF>2</INF> 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 
O<INF>2</INF> 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 O<INF>2</INF> store 
calculations and allow better evaluation and interpretation of 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.

Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Management Analyst, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2011-8737 Filed 4-12-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-P