Vacation-minded Bermudians can be found in every corner of the earth during the holiday period. Some visit friends in colder climes while others prefer to go south for a tan in a sunnier yuletide atmosphere and others take Christmas cruises. But a team of scientists from the Bermuda Biological Station for Research Inc. will get all of that and still be on the job. They will spend this Christmas cruising so far south, that it will be cold and sunny all day -- and all night! Post-doctoral research scientist at the Bio Station, Dr.

Craig Carlson, and five Bio station technicians will spend several weeks this December and January aboard an ice-breaker, the 300-foot research vessel R V Nathanial B. Palmer, in a project sponsored by the US National Science Foundation south of New Zealand, off the continent of Antarctica. They will ring in the yuletide and the new year under summertime conditions. Dr. Carlson explained how that translates into a daily weather report: "It's light all the time. If the wind is not blowing, it's fairly comfortable, around freezing (zero degrees Celsius, 32 degrees Fahrenheit). But it is very dry and not as raw as you would think. But if the wind is blowing, it really gets you.'' Dr.

Carlson said: "From the BBSR, Trevor Tredennick and Amy Ritchie will be working directly with me. It should be interesting for Amy, who is originally from Alaska, and who then will be going from the North to the South. "In fact, she is in Alaska right now and will join us in New Zealand to board the research vessel. So she will be going from up in Alaska, a part of the world where it is right now always dark, day and night, down all the way to Antarctica, where it is right now always light, day and night. "Others from here who will be on the cruise, but who will be working with other scientists on the trip include Ann Close and Frances Howes. And another technician, Matt Church, will be working for yet another scientist.'' The cruise is a collaborative effort to study the carbon cycle of the southern ocean in the Ross Sea area. Oceanographers Dr. Carlson and Dr. Dennis Hansell study dissolved organic cycling, material made from biological activity. They trace it to see where it goes in the ocean and track how different geo-chemical processes affect the carbon species. "We're studying dissolved organic carbon and microbial utilisation of this material. We are trying to see how the biology of the ocean affects the transformation of the anthropogenic carbons produced by fossil fuel burning, from the atmosphere to the ocean. It is mostly carbon dioxide. "It's looking at global warming, really the carbon cycle and how the biology and chemistry of the ocean play a role in the cycle of this material.'' The research vessel sets sail on a month-long voyage from Littleton, New Zealand on December 11 with 33 scientists and 35 crew.

Team to study the Ross Sea breaking ice until we get to our study station, and then do a transect around the Ross Sea on different longitudes and latitudes to see the trace oceanographic biology and chemistry of the area, and collect as many samples as possible.'' Each team on the ship is targeting a specific question. Some are looking at phyto-plankton, some at bacteria. Others are looking at the physics of the water and Dr. Carlson's group is looking at the chemistry of the water. Said Dr. Carlson: "It is a great place to work. It's a pristine environment and just beautiful. This is the second year of a two year study.

We went down last year to catch the change in the environment, when the light first comes up after a lengthy period of darkness. "Remember, when the light comes on, it stays on for a long time, but it begins triggering off a series of biological activity. This becomes a very rich environment for food sources for a lot of organisms. "Last year we saw the initiation of the bloom and now we want to see what happens next. We want to see how this biology affects the ocean chemistry and the different constituents of the carbon cycle. We are going back to see what happens in the second stage of the process as the light remains on in that part of the world.'' PHOTO PREPARING FOR CHRISTMAS -- Putting the final touches to preparations for a Christmas trip to Antarctica are (from left)Mr. Matt Church, Mr. Trevor Tredennick, Dr. Craig Carlson, Ms Ann Close (on keyboard) and Ms Frances Howe.