Article 10 of the Madrid Protocol (1991) mandates the ATCM, when defining general policies for the comprehensive protection of the Antarctic environment and adopting measures for the implementation of the Protocol, to “draw… upon the best scientific and technical advice available”. Article IX of the CCAMLR (1980) also mandates its Commission in giving effect to the objective and principles of the Convention to formulate and adopt conservation measures “on the basis of best scientific evidence available”. The general principle that Antarctic governance be based on best available science (BAS) seems to be well established. However, its implementation and practical operationalization of the principle continues to raise controversies. These controversies are compounded by unique decision-making process in the Antarctic Treaty System based on consensus.
This brief introductory presentation will first analyze a few recent cases in the ATCM/CEP where the implementation and/or interpretation of BAS was an element of the difficulties in obtaining consensus amongst the Consultative Parties. Second, this presentation will examine the institutional and procedural mechanisms established and being evolved within the ATCM/CEP, focusing on the role of SCAR in such mechanisms, their original objective had been precisely to effectively operationalize the above principle. Finally, through such examination, this presentation seeks to suggest some of the root causes of the recent difficulties in effectively implementing the principle of Antarctic governance based on BAS.
Antarctic notothenioid fishes have adapted to their frigid, stable thermal environment over more than 15 million years. Previous work has uncovered temperature dependent activity of proteins expressed in sensory tissue in Antarctic species, but recent findings in mammals highlight the contributions of other tissues, such as skin, in generating thermosensory responses. These responses are key for fish behavioral thermoregulation with implications for reproduction, distribution, metabolism, and disease. Here, we compare transcriptomic expression of proteins involved in thermosensation across peripheral sensory tissue, central sensory tissue, skin, and gill with non-thermosensing nervous and somatic issues in notothenioid fishes. We investigated changes in both structural and regulatory evolution to ask how thermosensory protein expression changes between tissues. Further, we compare species adapted to Antarctic temperatures (between -2 and +2°C) with congeneric species that have escaped the Southern Ocean and re-adapted to temperate waters around Chile and New Zealand (8-10°C) to provide multiple, recent, and independent evolutionary comparisons. Expression is assessed using third generation (long-read) sequencing technologies in parallel with increasingly available, high-quality genome datasets.
Time-space variations of infrasound source locations were studied for three years in 2018-2020 by using a combination of two local arrays in the Lützow-Holm Bay region (LHB), East Antarctica. The local arrays deployed at two coastal outcrops clearly detected temporal variations in frequency content as well as propagating directions during the whole three years. Many infrasound sources were detected and majority of them revealed to be located between northward and north-westward directions viewed from the arrays. These source events are generated within the Southern Indian Ocean and the northern part of LHB with frequency content of few seconds; that is the “microbaroms” originated from oceanic swells. From austral summer to fall seasons, in contrast, many infrasound sources orientation are determined to be north-eastward direction. These sources might be related to the effects of katabatic winds in the continental coastal area. Furthermore, several sporadic occurring infrasound events during wintering seasons had predominant frequency content of few Hz, which were clearly higher than those of the microbaroms. Based on a comparison with sea-ice and glacier distribution form MODIS satellite images, these high-frequency sporadic sources could be cryo-seismic signals associated with cryosphere dynamics near the local arrays. In these regards, infrasound wave could be a useful proxy for monitoring surface environment involving meteorological variations in the coastal area of Antarctica.
Polar Environmental Data Science Center (PEDSC) of the Joint Support-Center for Data Science Research (DS), the Research Organization of Information and Systems (ROIS) has a responsibility to manage, share and publish data from Japanese research activities in polar regions as the National Antarctic Data Center (NADC), in tight collaboration with the National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR). Data policy of PEDSC was established in February 2007, based on the requirements of the Standing Committee on Antarctic Data Management (SCADM) of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR). From the era of International Polar Year (IPY2007-2008), a significant number of multi-disciplinary data have been compiled and published. These collected data and metadata have a linkage with the Global Change Master Directory (GCMD), the Polar Information Commons (PIC) at the IPY, together with several data centres in the World Data System (WDS). Involving data activities of SCAR and the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), tight linkages of data sharing and publication among the Asian Forum for Polar Sciences (AFoPS) countries has been operating. In this presentation, a brief history of polar data management under FAIR principle is introduced relating PEDSC activities, focusing on data/metadata sharing, multi-disciplinary interoperable databases, international collaboration among global data committees, data publication and citation, as well as the publication into data journal (Polar Data Journal).
Deschampsia antarctica and Colobanthus quitensis are the only two vascular plant species that have successfully colonized the extreme climatic conditions of Antarctica. In addition to being widely distributed across almost the entire Maritime Antarctica from 62°S to 68°S, there are also reports of their presence along the Andes Mountain range up to 56°S. Under Antarctic conditions, these plants exhibit morphological and biochemical characteristics adapted to stressful environmental conditions such as freezing, drought, nutrient scarcity, and intense radiation. They also display strongly xerophytic leaf adaptations with thick and lignified cell walls. This results in a substantial reduction in CO2 conductance during photosynthesis, compensated by a Rubisco highly specific for CO2. Therefore, the photosynthetic performance of Antarctic plants is predominantly governed by diffusion components associated with gm, along with biochemical determinants linked to the kinetic traits of Rubisco. Despite extensive knowledge of the physiological traits of Antarctic vascular plants, gaps persist regarding the uniqueness of these features. Specifically, it remains unclear whether these physiological traits are solely determined by the Antarctic climate, making them unique to species growing in Antarctica, or if they are also present in populations outside Antarctica or in phylogenetically related species inhabiting similarly hostile climates. The objective was to compare the photosynthetic and hydraulic characteristics of Antarctic vascular plant populations with those of related species growing in subantarctic and Antarctic environments. Evaluations included anatomical features, photosynthetic functional traits (gs, gm, vmax), and hydraulic characteristics (Kleaf, hydraulic diameter, vein architecture) in plants cultivated in chambers under different thermal regimes. Acknowledgments: FONDECYT 1211231; ANILLO ACT210038.
Antarctica necessitates a delicate balance between scientific exploration and legal frameworks, as this equilibrium is crucial for preserving the pristine environment for the next generation. This research scrutinizes the evolving Antarctic governance through the lens of the enacted Indian Antarctic Act, 2022 whose objective is to demilitarise Antarctica and discuss the use of Antarctica for peaceful purposes. The study explores the intricate interplay between the Antarctic Treaty System and India's domestic legislation, shedding light limited to permitted area of Antarctica to India. The paper critically assesses the effectiveness of these global instruments in facilitating international collaboration in scientific research while addressing environmental concerns. A comparative analysis of various chapters of the act is the core of the research, juxtaposing India's Antarctic legislation with that of other Antarctic stakeholders, aiming to ensure conservation of Antarctic marine living resources and eliminate activities such as mining or illegal practices. The study delves into the unique characteristics of Indian Antarctic Act, 2022, highlighting its distinctive approach to regulating scientific activities, such as issuing permits for introducing non-native animals and plants into Antarctica, permitting the introduction of microscopic organisms, overseeing waste disposal, and regulating discharge into the sea. As Antarctica grapples with contemporary challenges such as climate change and resource exploitation, the paper evaluates the adaptive capacity of Indian Antarctic Act, 2022, considering how the Indian legislation responds to emerging geopolitical considerations, thereby shaping India's role in the global Antarctic governance. In conclusion, the research paper synthesizes the intricate relationships between science and law in Antarctic governance, providing a comprehensive understanding of the Indian perspective by extending the jurisdiction of Indian courts to Antarctica. The findings serve as a foundation for policymakers, researchers, and stakeholders interested in India's role in the sustainable management of Antarctica.
Antarctica, an expanse of scientific inquiry, provides a unique setting for the intersection of culture and exploration. This research delves into the cultural activities undertaken during Indian scientific expeditions at the Bharati Research Station, offering a comprehensive analysis of how the human spirit thrives in this extreme and isolated environment. Cultural heritage is a crucial aspect of an expedition which encompasses a collection of elements that come together to create a subconscious and elusive Antarctic experience. This experience highlights the collaborative efforts of scientific and logistics personnel, forming a cultural tapestry that transcends the scientific mission. An exploration of cultural activities encompasses a variety of expressions, including the celebration of Indian festivals, national and international days, musical programs, photography competition, videography competition, movie production, paintings, etc. The study, based on 14 months of qualitative statistical data, illustrates how participants with limited resources engage in cultural activities to produce works that capture the challenges of isolation. It also explores the camaraderie among expedition members, scrutinizing its impact on the well-being and cohesion of members during the dark winter. Moreover, the study assesses the influence of cultural activities on the formation of a distinct Antarctic identity within the global scientific community. Participating in cultural activities is crucial for shaping the human mind, offering a powerful outlet for self-expression, emotional exploration, and fostering mental well-being. In conclusion, the research paper synthesizes the multifaceted dimensions of cultural activities, exemplified by artistic expressions such as movie production for the Winter International Film Festival of Antarctica (WIFFA), organization of a master chef competition, and the utilization of social media to promote art during the 42nd Indian scientific expedition. The findings provide valuable insights for future expeditions and underscore the importance of cultural engagement in fostering a rich and inclusive Antarctic exploration experience.
Antarctica represents a major challenge for scientists in terms of exploration, research, and understanding. It's one of the harshest places on Earth, which makes effective Antarctic exploration and study very difficult. Under these circumstances, robotic platforms represent a valid tool for the in-depth study and understanding of the continent, offering a variety of capabilities for air, surface, and underwater scenarios. However, the development of these robotic missions is essentially a risky and difficult activity that often coexists with the uncertainty and adverse conditions of remote operations in one of the coldest, driest, and windiest environments, with no options for help or rescue. In this sense, to increase the chances of survival and scientific mission success, swarm robotic systems are proposed as a new approach for Antarctic scientific exploration. Swarm robotics is a field of research in artificial intelligence responsible for the development of new organization and coordination mechanisms, decentralized and distributed, of robotic entities with relatively simple structures that develop intelligent collective behavior through their interaction with other entities and their environment to solve complex tasks. All these characteristics provide a robust and reliable platform that allows the exploration of the continent on a new scale and scope. However, it also presents new challenges for managing high levels of complexity in communications and networks, control and navigation systems, and data management. In addition, Antarctica could provide a potential analog environment and testbed for future platforms for robotic space exploration. Finally, three robotic prototypes have been proposed as Autonomous Exploration Units (AEU) for Antarctic conditions. These include Gavilán-X for airborne exploration, Bachaco-X for legged surface exploration, and Kotúa-X for underwater exploration. The rationale behind their design has been the subject of careful study and analysis.
Krill species play an important role in the East Antarctic ecosystem and have historically been studied predominantly for their economic importance, with Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) given the most attention regarding their dietary preferences. However, this study expands our understanding by including two lesser-studied krill species: crystal krill (Euphausia crystallorophias) and tri-spined krill (Euphausia triacantha).
Species were collected in overlapping distributions/stations, offering the opportunity to investigate whether different krill species either compete for resources or exhibit distinct dietary preferences when coexisting in the same geographical area. This study uses a combination of methods to examine the diets of Antarctic euphausiids. DNA metabarcoding analysis, performed on stomach samples, provides a snapshot of their diet at the time of capture, while stable isotope analysis on muscle tissue sheds light on the origin of resources used for growth. Additionally, this approach yields valuable trophic information, including trophic position, niche width, and the extent of dietary overlap among species.
Notably, this research marks the first investigation of E. superba specimens captured on the seafloor, representing a significant milestone in the field. Preliminary findings indicate that when E. superba and E. crystallorophias overlap in their habitats, they have a dietary shift, evidentiate by changes in trophic position. This study enhances our comprehension of the complex interplay between krill species and their interactions within the East Antarctic ecosystem, offering critical insights into their ecological roles and resource utilization.
The present study is an extension of author's previous work. Wintering in Antarctica environment is quite challenging for the expeditioners. There are physical, psychologicaland socialchallenges. However, Human is quite adaptive. Expeditioners attempt to face challenges posed by dyanamic and extrement environemnt of Anyarctica. However, there is a constant challenge to the health and welling being of individual. The aim of the study was to investigate psychological well being, resilence and emotion regulation during long term stay in Antarctica. The data was collected during January 2021 (N=19), June 2021(N=1and December 2021(N=17) from Bharatistation, Antar,ljic, a. Three questionna, namely Psychological well being (PSW), emotional regulation, and Resilence were administered. The data was analysed using 3 x 6 mixed analysis variance with condittion as between and psychological wellbeing as within subject variable A 3x2 mixed analysis variance with condition as between subject and emotion regulation as within subject variatt,and 3 x3 mixed analysis variance with condition as between subject and Resilence as within subject variable. The results showed that all main effects were significant, and some interactions were also significant. Psychological well being {F (5, 255) = 27.78, <0.001},condition {F (2, 51) =3.09 <0.05, and interaction between psychological well being and condition was {F (10, 255) = 2.15, <0.021} was significant. During the beginning of the stay, emotion was low as compared to middile or end of the expedition. Similarly. results revealed that psycholgical well being and resilence was reported quite favourable during beginning and end of the expedition. The present investigation has strong bearing on future exped itioners for their well-being during wintering 1n Antarctica. One of the flaws of the study could that only questionnaires were used for the data collection which can be taken care by future studies by using laboratory based investigation.
The seafloor around Antarctica is home to a diverse and highly endemic community that evolved in near-isolation and freezing temperatures. These cold-adapted species are under threat from local and global drivers, including warming, acidification and changes to the cryosphere. This Review summarises knowledge of Antarctic benthic ecological change. The nature of change varies with location, depth and community type, with the greatest changes observed in the shallows of West Antarctic Peninsula. These include the emergence of newly exposed coastline (leading to new habitats) and decreased sea ice and increased iceberg scour and turbidity, causing regional increased mortality rates and decreased diversity, primary production, carbon storage and spatial competition. The magnitude and extent of these changes is projected to increase in the future, with tipping points in physiological limits, primary productivity and competition likely to be reached before the end of this century. These changes will impact overall ecosystem health, stability and uniqueness of Antarctic benthic ecology, resulting from a homogenisation of communities as endemic cold water species shrink in range and cosmopolitan species shift southwards. The extent of benthic change is poorly understood, and primarily limited to a handful of shallow water taxa, necessitating the use of new and emerging technologies to fill geographic, bathymetric, seasonal and taxonomic gaps.
Many observational evidences suggest large shifts in the position and strength of the southern hemisphere westerly winds (SHWW) at the centennial timescale over the past millennia, or of the strongly related Southern Annular Mode (SAM). However, no consistent view has emerged up to now on the timing of those variations and their spatial extent. It is thus difficult to determine when shifts actually occurred and if the suggested changes in the SHWW are regional features or if they are consistent across all longitudes. One additional issue is that climate models are in general not able to reproduce such large centennial variations in the SHWW. The goal of this presentation is to review existing evidence of SHWW variations based on different types of records influenced by local wind conditions such as those from trees, glaciers and lakes as well as from multiproxy reconstructions. The inter-hemispheric gradient of 14C in atmospheric CO2, which are also strongly influenced by the SHWW, will provide an additional large-scale constraint. The periods that may be characterized by a shift in the SHWW will be identified and the potential origin of the discrepancies between records discussed.
The Antarctic sea ice extent has displayed several regime shifts over the past 65 years. Consistent lines of evidence indicate a decline in Antarctic sea ice extent from 1958 to 1978, which precedes the availability of continuous satellite observations. Subsequently, there was a significant sea ice expansion over 1979–2015 before the large drop observed in the past few years that led to record lows. The origin of those shifts and contrasting trends are analyzed here using a new reconstruction of atmospheric temperature, sea level pressure and sea ice extent spanning the period 1958-2023. The reconstruction employs a data assimilation method that combines long simulations and large ensembles performed with climate models with long-term station-based records of temperature and sea level pressure at high latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere. The reconstruction is thus totally independent from sea ice extent observations that are used as validation, showing the good performance of the method. The sea-ice-ocean model NEMO is then driven by an atmopsheric forcing derived from this reconstruction over the period 1958-2023. In contrast to previous reconstructions and estimates, reconstructing simultaneously the atmospheric circulation, temperature, and then driving a sea ice ocean model with a forcing based on this reconstruction ensures compatibility among the variables and thus a more straightforward dynamical interpretation. Our results indicate that no single atmospheric circulation mode could be simply related to the regime shifts in sea ice extent trends. However, the covariance structure of the temperature strongly varies across periods, with more homogenous temperature anomalies for the early and recent periods and a more complex spatial pattern for the years 1979–2015. The ocean and sea ice integrate this atmospheric forcing leading to the observed trends.
This paper explores the political life of the concept of "common heritage of humankind" in debates over Antarctic natural resource governance. The common heritage concept was first mentioned in negotiations over the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in 1958. The Maltese diplomat Arvid Pardo pushed the principle from the late 1960s precisely because he felt it could help to reverse inequalities in economic and political power between developed and developing states, and while Pardo was disappointed with its lack of prominence, the concept did make it into the final convention in 1982. Would this concept be applicable to the emerging discussions about a minerals governance regime in Antarctica? Legal opinions tended to be negative, but I argue that the political value of the common heritage concept persisted independent of its precise legal applicability, because it highlighted a more fundamental injustice within the ATS. Critiques of the system's lack of accountability to the world as a whole resonated with wider concerns over economic justice held by the Group of 77 developing states. Yet ATS membership cut across traditional divides between the global north and the global south, and arguments comparing the ATS to colonialism proved more difficult to sustain than elsewhere in the world. Abandoning the Convention on the Regulation of Antarctic Mineral Resources Activities and introducing the Protocol on Environmental Protection (the Madrid Protocol) allowed ATS members to claim continued legitimacy while preventing further economic injustice: a pie with no slices cannot be divided unequally.
Currently, Antarctica is not considered in Chile's educational curriculum. Despite some efforts to include topics such as climate change and history in the classroom, there is no public policy that officializes its inclusion, despite the scientific evidence that places Antarctica as a key element for ecosystems. A scenario that creates challenges for teachers, their students, and also student teachers. Future teachers.
Through initiatives such as the "BASE Educational Public Policy Notebooks", the "Augmented Antarctic Reality (AAR)" project, and the training of future teachers in Antarctic issues, the "Schools and Teaching Unit of the BASE Millennium Institute" aims to share its experience working with educational institutions.
The introduction of the tool " Educational Planning" , the exchange of experiences with teachers, and the inclusion of digital technologies to create narratives adapted to each Chilean educational environment The inclusion of the tool "Educational Planning", the exchange of experiences with teachers, and the inclusion of digital technologies to create narratives adapted to each Chilean educational environment (variable and dissimilar in each region and neighborhood) are part of the efforts led by an interdisciplinary group of professionals… What do teachers think? What are their needs? What do they need to know about Antarctica? These are some of the questions that seek to add new approaches and answers.
The presentation aims to show a methodology related to the understanding of the in situ preservation state of the materials left by seal hunters from the earlier decades of the 19th century in Antarctica. These remains are found in high concentration at archaeological sites on the South Shetland Islands, especially on the Byers Peninsula (Livingston Island). Based on the study of open data libraries available on the Antarctica environment, including soil characterization, climate, human presence, biodiversity, and the sort of archaeological artifacts already excavated (bones, metals, textiles, leathers, ceramics, etc.), the methodology can perform a basic pre-diagnosis about the transformation of these records by the environment and throughout time.
The proposal has been developed within the scope of the Laboratory of Antarctic Studies in Human Sciences (LEACH-UFMG, Brazil) in the last few years. LEACH has the largest collection of archaeological remains found in hunting shelters resulting from the 19th century in the South Shetland Islands and has been in charge of projects for mapping, excavating, and studying the sites for more than ten years.
We do not intend to exhaust the answers about the natural transformation process of archaeological remains in Antarctica or present a methodology based on physicochemical analyses that, in most cases, are not easily available to human sciences actors. Instead, we are proposing a quite friendly and innovative set of steps that can equip professionals and researchers to understand the condition in which the sealers' artifacts have been found in the archaeological context, to apply it to the archaeological studies, to the collection conservation, and to make decisions on the management of sites, and for planning further excavations.
The Argentinean Antarctic Space Weather Observatory (AASWO) is at the forefront of advancing the understanding of space weather phenomena. Established in February 2019, the first AASWO node operates a state-of-the-art space weather laboratory at the Argentinean Antarctic Marambio base. This facility, constructed and maintained by the Argentine Space Weather Laboratory (LAMP, 'Laboratorio Argentino de Meteorología del esPacio'), houses various instruments including a cosmic ray detector, magnetometers, and a meteorological station. Crafted to endure the formidable Antarctic conditions, the laboratory boasts robust infrastructure engineered to withstand extremely low temperatures and the high winds prevalent in the region . Its advanced systems include redundant power sources utilizing gel batteries, materials resistant to Antarctic conditions, and precise GPS time stamping for data records. Real-time data acquisition ensures timely transmission of information to LAMP servers located in our headquarters in Buenos Aires, facilitating the provision of operational space weather products through the LAMP web portal. In furthering its mission, AASWO is expanding its network of space weather laboratories. A new facility is currently under installation at another Argentinean base within the Antarctic Circle, the San Martín Laboratory, its second node. This expansion project is being carried out during the Austral Summer Campaign 2024. By strategically situating these laboratories in Antarctica, AASWO aims to fill critical measurement gaps in space weather monitoring coverage at high latitudes. Discussions are currently ongoing regarding the integration of data acquired by the Cherenkov detectors into the NMDB (Neutron Monitor Database)following thorough testing and calibration procedures. This integration will provide a significant benefit to the scientific community at large, ensuring broader access to valuable data and enhancing collaboration across research efforts.
This study examines the interaction between Antarctic coastal polynyas and neighboring ice shelves with cavities underneath. It focuses on the processes of i) wintertime polynya destratification affecting ice shelf basal melt through changing intrusion of cold dense water into the ice shelf cavity and ii) the dynamics of ice shelf melt affecting springtime restratification in polynyas. The influence of winds, air temperature, initial stratification, ice tongue, and coastal geometry on wintertime polynya destratification are analyzed. The influences of different meltwater sources, i.e., sea ice melt, ice shelf basal melt, and ice shelf surface runoff, on the springtime near-surface restratification in the polynya water column are quantified. An ice-shelf/sea-ice/ocean coupled high-resolution numerical model and fundamental principle-based scaling analysis are used together to characterize the de/re-stratification dynamics in polynyas and their interaction with ice shelves in various configurations. This work stresses the key role of small-scale polynya processes and their interaction with ice shelves, and calls for a new generation of observing system that can systematically capture temporal and spatial variability of the local interactive processes. For that, a new concept of Self-deploying Autonomous Mooring System (SAMS) is proposed to be deployed in ice shelf cavities and nearby polynyas. Together with mobile observing platforms, SAMS is to characterize long-term and large-scale variabilities of the interactive processes between Antarctic coastal ocean and ice shelves and to quantify the impact of large-scale atmospheric and oceanic processes on Antarctic ice shelf melt.
Research centres in extreme climates should be well insulated, provide good levels of thermal comfort and have minimal impacts on the natural environment. Generally, these metrics are modelled and are taken as fact. However, research over many years has illustrated a performance gap between buildings as modelled at the design stage and the performance of the same buildings as measured once built in terms of heat loss through elements. In cold climates snow has been shown in past studies to provide a layer of insulation that can help reduce thermal transmission. Snow also has very dynamic characteristics during the changes that occur from onestage of it life cycle to another (eg, ice, snow, slurry, sludge). A study being carried out at the Energy House 2 Research Facility at the University of Salford, Manchester, using a set of large climatic chambers will create real snow on the roof the complete, contained test house and in the chamber and cycle the snow load through a range of temperatures. Measurements are taken of surface/air temperature and heat flux to determine the measured U-value of the flat roofed structure at different points in the degredation of the snow load. The research presents a real and dynamic view of the insulating effects of snow on a flat roof that can then be used to help calibrate energy models of polar research bases.
At the time of writing, an Antarctic Declaration is being drafted by an international interdisciplinary group, which defines Antarctica as an “indivisible, autonomous and self-regulating community of inter-dependent beings that has a unique presence and spirit, and plays a vital and indispensable role in maintaining conditions conducive to the flourishing of life on Earth”. Starting from this, the Declaration proposes—among other things—to give Antarctica legal status and the right to be represented on an equal footing with other states in international fora. While the Declaration’s advocates see it as a new step in the recognition of Rights of Nature globally (based on the concept of the intrinsic value of nonhuman natural entities), there are important differences between these cases. In this article, we examine the commonalities and differences between Rights of Nature elsewhere and Rights of Antarctica, and some particular challenges for the latter. We then explore the possibility of a “piecemeal approach” that would give rights to parts of Antarctica (for example, some Specially Protected Areas), and suggest why, despite some advantages, this would be overall inadvisable. We conclude that accepting the Rights of Antarctica requires further conceptual and legal innovation from Rights of Nature elsewhere. At the same time, it would constitute a unique opportunity for international law and maybe even a model from which domestic legislatures could also draw, particularly regarding the choice of representatives for nonhuman natural entities.
Macronutrients are critical to supporting strong biological carbon uptake and storage in the Southern Ocean. Temporal variability in macronutrient concentrations is an important factor in several coupled ocean-atmosphere processes. Here, we demonstrate that the Southern Annular Mode (SAM) and El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) play a key role in driving the interannual variability of macronutrient concentrations along the northern Antarctic Peninsula during summer. In years of positive SAM, the dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) concentration can increase significantly by up to 5.54 ± 0.56 μmol kg−1, silicic acid by up to 28.12 ± 3.98 μmol kg−1 and phosphate by up to 0.61 ± 0.07 μmol kg−1 compared to years of negative SAM. On the other hand, in years of positive ENSO, the concentration of DIN can decrease by up to –3.90 ± 0.86 μmol kg−1, silicic acid by up to –8.95 ± 3.82 μmol kg−1 and phosphate by up to –0.11 ± 0.11 μmol kg−1, compared to years of negative ENSO. Both SAM and ENSO drive changes in macronutrient concentrations through their influence on Dense Shelf Water and Circumpolar Deep Water, water masses that control diverse biogeochemical processes in the Southern Ocean. These findings are fundamental to improving our understanding of the natural variability in macronutrient biogeochemistry and identifying potential changes due to global climate change.
In recent years, there has been a growing interest in redefining Antarctica beyond conventional
representations of the sublime and the imperceptible. This presentation is informed by a comprehensive investigation into artistic responses to Antarctica, drawing on interdisciplinary approaches and philosophical frameworks to challenge traditional perceptions of the region. The ”Oceanic Turn” has sparked critical discourse against colonial impositions and disciplinary boundaries, emphasizing the need for nuanced understandings of maritime cultures. Central to this discourse is the concept of the ”Ontology of Ice,” which transcends singular characteristics to encompass biotic, technological, and geophysical dimensions. Building upon Immanuel Kant’s Critique of Judgment, this research in practice, focuses on rendering aesthetic responses to Antarctica beyond normative representations of the sublime and the imperceptible. It is based on a decade of fieldwork in polar and sub-polar areas.
The Kantian concept of the sublime is explained and devised into art works and then tested
through concepts such as translation, transduction, infection and representation, using hacking
methodologies. Technical methods include Free Libre Open Source software, infrared photog-
raphy, sound recordings, and bio-sensing proxies, among others. These methods facilitate a
multi-sensory and multi-dimensional engagement with Antarctic landscapes. Specific outputs of
this investigation include ”Antarctic Sound Cartography”, a series of recordings of Very Low Fre-
quencies recorded in Base Prat, South Greenwich Island in 2009, it also includes ”Sensor Masa” a sensing array of bread dough and micro voltage amplifier to enable access to imperceptible changes in the environment. Through experimental hacking practices, the research supports the hypothesis that Antarctica can be represented beyond the sublime, emphasizing the importance of interrupting conventional spectacles. The significance of artistic interventions in reimagining Antarctica underscores the potential for interdisciplinary collaborations to enrich our understanding of the region by challenging normative representations and embracing comprehensive investigation into the ontological status of Antarctica.
Evidence-based decision-making is a core tenet of the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS), which requires multidirectional knowledge exchange (KE) among science and policy actors at multiple scales. However, effectively mobilising and using scientific knowledge within policy and decision-making practices is not always straightforward and there has been a broader shift in discourse away from linear science-policy arrangements, towards co-production alternatives. Studies on the Antarctic science-policy interface to date have largely focused on the international perspective, but the ways in which KE practices are arranged domestically plays an important role in meeting the knowledge, information, management, and governance needs of the various policy bodies of the ATS. While there are formal mechanisms that help to facilitate science-policy interactions at the international scale, the pathways that connect Antarctic research and policy communities domestically are less obvious and uniquely different across the Antarctic Treaty Parties. This presentation shares the findings of a study that aimed to explore domestic stakeholder perspectives regarding Antarctic KE using New Zealand (NZ) as a case study. We convened two workshops involving over 60 NZ Antarctic stakeholders in 2021 that aimed to explore the various elements of NZ’s Antarctic science-policy interface and identify barriers or drivers for success, including future opportunities. Three key themes were identified including (1) a desire to move beyond the linear model towards more collaborative ways of working, (2) an ‘inclusivity-exclusivity’ paradox of an informal social network and small community in NZ, and (3) a need for strengthened domestic policy leadership. This study contributes to our understanding of Antarctic KE practices by shedding light on several important elements that should be considered in any attempts to understand or improve future KE practices in NZ or within the domestic settings of other Antarctic Treaty Parties that are interested in fostering science-policy success.
Multilateral environmental governance regimes like the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS) are pivotal in addressing today’s wicked transboundary socio-ecological problems and central to their success is the facilitation of constructive knowledge exchange (KE) between research and policymaking communities. Consequently, the literature is now ripe with studies that aim to uncover the elements that drive or hinder KE successes across diverse environmental governance settings. Yet, in the Antarctic context, the KE practices that comprise Antarctic science-policy interfaces (SPI) remain empirically under examined. Here we contribute by exploring the perspectives of 31 Antarctic practitioners to develop our understandings of successful KE practices in the policy contexts of the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings (ATCM) and the Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP). By adopting a reflexive thematic analysis, we identify 11 enablers and 9 barriers to KE success that are overlapping, interconnected and complex. In the face of pervasive barriers, such as the often overshadowing effect of politics, a deficiency of KE incentives and large-scale wicked policy problems, certain Antarctic institutions and practitioners portray strong boundary spanning expertise, which despite the many challenges identified, serves to facilitate KE in support of evidence-informed decision-making. However, the extent to which boundary spanners are influential in their leadership varies and while acknowledging that influential leadership is an important enabler for success, we raise several questions regarding the potentially unexplored assumptions that underpin current KE practices. As Antarctic practitioners share a desire to foster inclusive, iterative and multidirectional science-policy dialogues among other identified improvements, harnessing reflexivity and humility within these processes will be critically important for ensuring that existing asymmetries or inequities are not reinforced under the guise of improved ways of working.
Agreements reached at the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings (ATCMs) are among the primary means for addressing Antarctic conservation and environmental protection issues. However, contemporary scholars are becoming increasingly critical of how responsive Antarctic decision-making is to pressing environmental challenges in the region. Here, we showcase the use of mixed-methods research approaches to address complex Antarctic governance questions that have implications for biodiversity and conservation outcomes. In doing so, we assess Antarctic Treaty decision-making performance by measuring the rate and diversity of decision-making over the last six decades. Our analyses show that the average number of agreements reached per ATCM have increased over this period. However, while the diversity of Antarctic topics discussed at ATCMs has remained consistently high, the diversity of topics on which legally binding agreements are adopted has significantly declined. Over the last three decades, Antarctic issues – including those of highest priority – are more commonly addressed through non-binding soft law agreements. A range of exogenous and endogenous factors likely contribute to the observed trends, including an expansion of Antarctic Treaty membership, institutional constraints, the complex array of Antarctic governance issues and the shifting dynamics of the prevailing global order. While it is plausible that our findings reflect the natural evolution of a dynamic governance institution that is responding to new pressures, we instead suggest that our results highlight a concerning shift in the nature of decision-making over the Antarctic Treaty System’s (ATS) lifespan. Soft law is beneficial in some cases but its overuse serves to diminish the accountability for, and transparency of, actions taken by the Parties. We conclude that this increasing preference for soft law is misaligned with the rise in human activities and climate change impacts in the region, as well as the Parties’ obligations and commitments as set out by the instruments under the ATS.
Inferences of ice-sheet change through geological time rely on paleoenvironmental proxies, such as sea level indicators for ice volume or changes in sedimentary sequences to infer ice margin fluctuations. Yet the accuracy of these inferences depends on the presumed constancy of the generative mechanism. Here we show, using an ensemble of epoch-scale ice sheet simulations, that the directionality of change in ice volume, extent, and calving flux is dependent on the background state of the climate. Supporting our model with geological examples we demonstrate that under cold climate states with strong ocean forcing, such as the Late Pleistocene, ice advanced during cold phases and retreated as the climate warmed. Asymmetric cycles arose as a consequence of solid-Earth feedbacks. However, under warmer states such as the mid-Miocene Climate Optimum, ice sheet growth was instead associated with warmer atmospheric conditions due to increased snowfall, and asymmetry was absent. Transient runs show that when the ice sheet switches from one of these modes to the other, harmonic responses arise at timescales of half the forcing frequency. These findings provide mechanistic explanations for changing periodicity, phasing, and asymmetry of ice sheet responses over million-year timescales, and also suggest that ice sheet behaviour under a future, warmer, climate may be radically different from present.
Nearly forty years ago, geophysical evidence from Antarctica revealed that parts of the ice sheet moved as a result of coupling between glacier ice and deformable sediments beneath it. This 'paradigm shift in glaciology' (Boulton, 1996) led to the now widely-accepted view of Antarctica as a highly responsive component of the Earth system. However, when it comes to reconstructing the geometry of the Antarctic Ice Sheet during periods of the past, models and empirical reconstructions typically conform with another well-accepted but by no means well-tested paradigm: that a smaller-than-present ice sheet must also be associated with smaller-than-present ice shelves. Here we present a model of the Last Interglacial Antarctic Ice Sheet that exhibits an ice geometry at odds with this idea - loss of West Antarctica despite stability of the Filchner-Ronne and Ross ice shelves. This configuration arises from two competing mechanisms. WAIS collapse results from oceanic warming in the Amundsen Sea Embayment that triggers dynamic thinning and grounding-line retreat. However, cooler-than-present water in the Ross and Weddell seas enables persistance of the two ice shelves. Grounded ice is lost, therefore, whilst floating ice is preserved. This unusual configuration seems to go against traditional thinking, but is consistent with geological and genomic evidence of large-scale ice sheet retreat despite ocean/atmosphere temperatures similar to today. It also implies persistent floating ice surrounding ice rises such as Berkner Island in the Weddell Sea and Roosevelt Island in the Ross Sea. Analyses of ice cores from these locations will test the modelled geometry: if the simulated configuration is supported by the available evidence, it advocates for a 'paradigm shift' in which ice shelf and ice sheet response to climatic forcings are decoupled from one another. By implication, predictions of future Antarctic ice sheet change will be less straightforward than some current models imply.
The optical properties of coastal Antarctic waters are complex due to the dynamic hydrography influenced by melt-water intrusion that changes nutrient, thermohaline, and optically active substances (OAS) regimes. Studies on bio-optical variability and its implications on phytoplankton productivity (PP) are scanty in coastal polar regions. On this backdrop, time-series measurements (72h @6h interval) of bio-optical properties such as phytoplankton biomass (chlorophyll-a), absorption (aph), and total suspended matter (TSM) concurrently with PP were measured to understand their interplay and variability in relation to the ambient physicochemical settings in the under-sampled Prydz Bay, coastal Antarctica. Results indicated thermohaline stratification in the bay, presumably resulting from the influx of less saline melt-water from the nearby glaciers and low wind activity. The persistent occurrence of sub-surface chlorophyll maximum (SCM) below the stratified layer emphasized the light-acclimatization response of the shade-adapted phytoplankton. Comparatively, more TSM in surface waters than deeper layers indicated glacial melt influence; however, the sunlit depth was relatively stable, indicating less movement of water mass and/or less variability in OAS in the studied location. An inverse relationship between chlorophyll-a and chlorophyll-specific aph (a*ph) manifested the ‘pigment package effect’ in the prevailing phytoplankton community, implying restrained light-absorption efficiency, which leads to lower PP. Compared to chlorophyll-a, the aph was a better proxy for explaining PP variability. The absence of nutrient limitation was conducive to micro (large) phytoplankton growth. Phytoplankton size-classes (micro, nano, and pico) derived using the B/R ratio (aph at Blue (443 nm)/Red (676 nm) region) confirmed the predominance of larger (micro) phytoplankton that are more susceptible to package effect thereby have implications on reduced PP potential of this polar marine ecosystem.
A key challenge on a human-dominated planet is to account for the relationships between people and nature (Pascual et al., 2023; Plumwood, 2002; Schlüter et al., 2020). In Antarctica, the interests of scientific research and environmental protection have been explicitly linked since the adoption of the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty in 1991 (Secretariat of the Antarctic Treaty, 1991). The relationship between these interests is often expressed in two different stewardship goals, as ‘scientific gains versus environmental impacts’ or as a ‘balance’ (for example, Chignell et al., 2021; Hughes et al., 2023). Understanding the relationship between scientific and environmental interests is particularly important in sensitive ice-free areas (Brooks et al., 2019). To better inform sustainable governance goals this interdisciplinary research employs a social-ecological systems approach (Berkes and Folke, 1998; Biggs et al., 2021) to explore the spatiotemporal patterns linking scientific and environmental indicators across the greater McMurdo Dry Valleys region between 1903 and 2022. Three new datasets are used as indicators of scientific and environmental values. These are then characterised, mapped, and compared using statistical and geospatial analyses. This research explores the degree to which the relational definitions of ‘scientific gains versus environmental impacts’ or ‘balance’ can be empirically observed in the landscape of the Dry Valleys and how these indicators align with explicit environmental values held in Antarctica (Secretariat of the Antarctic Treaty, 1991). By adopting a complex systems based sustainability approach (Biggs et al., 2021), this research joins two approaches, science of science and human footprint, which are typically investigated in isolation (for example, Ji et al., 2014; Leihy et al., 2020) and contributes to addressing the under-representation of Antarctica in the field of social-ecological systems research (De Vos et al., 2019).
Radiocarbon dating of basal peats has been a key factor in determining minimum ages for deglaciation on sub-Antarctic islands. On Marion Island, peat bogs dominate the landscape below 300 m.a.s.l., and palynological assessments of peat cores have been used to assess the vegetation history and succession rates as well as the sensitivity of the indigenous flora to climatic change. Initiation of peat on the sub-Antarctic islands signifies a major landscape change which has previously been linked to the retreat of glaciers. Here we test this hypothesis by comparing previously published and new basal peat ages from Marion Island with cosmogenic isotope dates for deglaciation, and local and regional palaeo-environmental changes. Results show that, in common with other sub-Antarctic islands, peat initiation occurred after the Antarctic Cold Reversal (15-13 ka) and through the early Holocene climate optimum. This substantially post-dates cosmogenic isotope evidence for deglaciation which shows that the areas where the peatlands dominate were ice-free from the start of MIS 2 (~31 ka). This suggests that environmental conditions controlled peat initiation rather than deglaciation. Regional climatic proxies show that during and after MIS 2, extremely low temperatures, extensive sea ice conditions and depressed sea surface temperatures together with lower sea levels at an island scale could have maintained conditions unfavourable for peat initiation at their current locations. On Marion Island, the significant lag of ~20k years between the timing of deglaciation and peat formation indicate that the use of peat basal ages as a proxy for the minimum age of deglaciation in the sub-Antarctic should be used with extreme caution.
Ross Sea coastal polynya variability in winter is identified in an EOF analysis of high-resolution passive microwave estimates of sea-ice concentration. Observed patterns of sea-ice variations are related to surface regional extreme winds from the ERA5 reanalysis to understand local effects and to 500hPa geopotential heights to capture relationships with the large-scale hemispheric flow. We find the local Ross Sea extreme winds are strongly linked to the extra-tropical atmospheric circulation. Each of the three polynyas in the region (Ross Sea, Terra Nova Bay, and McMurdo Sound) responds differently to the position of large-scale circulation patterns. There is evidence of increases/decreases in the polynya area associated with specific modes, particularly the Amundsen Sea Low and changes in the Ross Ice Shelf Air Stream wind patterns. These findings provide a causal pathway between large-scale modes and their modulation of small-scale sea-ice processes within the various polynya.
There are many ways of knowing and understanding Antarctica from afar, as has been shown in previous scholarship in the humanities and social sciences (Nielsen & Philpott 2018; Roberts, Howkins & Watt 2016). The threat of climate change and growing geopolitical tension have reinvigorated public and media interest in the continent. But the role of news media in public engagement with the Antarctica has been largely overlooked. This is a significant gap in research about a critical global location. News media play a crucial role in constructing social and environmental issues (Couldry and Hepp 2008, Hansen 2015), and news is the public’s main source of scientific information (Jamieson, Kahan & Scheufele 2017; Rose Guenther & Froehlich 2016). This news coverage does not happen in a vacuum – there are political, social, cultural, and economic factors at play. News reporting about Antarctica is made more challenging because of its geographical isolation and the logistics involved in travelling to the site where news is happening. The influence of news media in public engagement with Antarctica is a key concern, as is the content of news stories. My research into Australian news representations of the continent has shown that science is not the driver of public engagement. Instead, the experiences of Australians working in Antarctica, and the infrastructure that supports them, is the focus of news stories. Heroic era tropes of brave and adventurous expeditioners persist, and Antarctica is predominantly framed as an occupied territory rather than a fragile, threatened continent. This paper argues for greater consideration of news media’s role in communicating the continent and the threats it faces, along with further examination of the cultural and structural challenges faced by news media to tell the most pressing stories about Antarctica and its role in the fate of the planet.
The Ross Ice Shelf (RIS) floats above the southern sector of the Ross Sea, creating a cavity that is critical for ocean-ice interactions. This area is characterised by the formation of Ice Shelf Water (ISW), the coldest ocean water mass, and the intrusion of Antarctic Surface Water, the main driver of frontal melting and ice shelf calving, the predominant cause of ice shelf thinning and ice discharge, which directly affects global sea level.
In this presentation we will show unprecedented thermohaline observations from unconventionally programmed Argo floats deployed along the RIS front in the austral summer from 2020 to 2023.
Their measurements provided the first year-round observations of water column changes in crucial areas of the RIS, such as the polynya. We estimated a volume of 0.1 to 0.4 Sv of High Salinity Shelf Water, precursor of the ISW and the Antarctic Bottom Water. From temperature and salinity profiles we calculated the ocean heat content (on average 5x108 Jm-2), the basal melt rate (ranging between 0.6 and 1.6 m) and finally the freshwater content (summer values up to 10 cm). Taken together, these measurements point to crucial phenomena, some of them only described in theory.
The presence of non-native invasive species is impacting ecosystems globally, including the remote islands surrounding Antarctica and the fringes of the continent itself. Members of the dipteran genus Trichocera are widespread in the Northern Hemisphere, particularly in boreal regions. Two members of the genus are established in parts of Antarctica with the first, T. regalationis, probably introduced to sub-Antarctic South Georgia during the whaling era of the early twentieth century. The second, T. maculipennis, has also been established on the sub-Antarctic Kerguelen archipelago for many years, but the first publication recording its presence in maritime Antarctica was in 2013, reporting records of the species on King George Island, between the first observation of an isolated individual in 2006 near the Chilean airfield Frei followed by its repeated establishment in the sewage system of the Uruguayan Artigas Station. Despite several eradication efforts, T. maculipennis is still present in various stations and in surrounding natural habitats and is also now known to have colonized Puerto Williams on the Magellanic sub-Antarctic Navarino Island. Recently, a consortium of researchers from the Millenium Institute of Antarctic and Subantarctic Biodiversity, Instituto Antártico Chileno, Instituto Antártico Uruguayo, the Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics of Polish Academy of Sciences, South Korean polar research institute and the British Antarctic Survey have developed a research plan to investigate the pattern of genetic, genomic and morphometric adaptations of these flies that may have facilitated their invasion of the South Shetland Islands and also shape their future trajectory and ecosystem impacts in Antarctica. In this presentation we review the current state of knowledge and discuss likely future developments in this terrestrial invasion, highlighting lessons and future research priorities required to at least minimize future spread of the species beyond its already wide distribution on the ice-free peninsulas of King George Island.
Microplastics are an emerging contaminant of concern that are widespread in the environment, including remote places such as Antarctica. The presence of microplastics in the air presents new challenges to understand their movement through and between environmental matrices and the potential impacts on ecosystem health. While the number of studies reporting airborne microplastics is rapidly increasing, a lack of standardised methods is apparent. Comparing different studies to understand the global microplastic distribution is difficult and, in some cases, impossible due to differences in sampling methodology and analysis, which may result in largely different estimates of microplastics in the environment. Here we present an inter-laboratory comparison which was undertaken to understand the uncertainties and errors associated with common analytical methods for measuring airborne microplastics. A set of samples collected using a high-volume air sampler were analysed by micro-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (µFTIR), micro-Raman spectroscopy (µRaman), fluorescence microscopy, pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC-MS) and thermal desorption – proton transfer reaction – mass spectrometry (TD-PTR-MS). The findings inform how future airborne microplastic studies using different analytical methods should be interpreted, and this knowledge has then been applied to snow and air samples collected from Northern Victoria Land, Antarctica. The findings further our understanding of microplastic abundance, movement and accumulation in the Antarctic and the potential exposure of these unique ecosystems.
The expansion and recession of sea ice in the Antarctic exhibit regional and temporal asymmetries. While sea ice extent (SIE) experienced a decade-long increase until 2015, recent years have shown a decline in SIE since satellite records began. This study aims to investigate the atmospheric drivers and climate fluctuations behind the lowest SIE record observed in February 2022. The study assumes that this record low resulted from shifts in atmospheric patterns that began in September 2021. In February 2022, there was a marked historic low of 2.16 × 106 km2, 43% below the mean extent of previous February months in the satellite era. However, the second-lowest SIE occurred from November 2021 to January 2022. The regional analyses highlight significant sea ice changes in the Weddell Sea, Ross Sea, and Bellingshausen/Amundsen Seas (ABS) sectors. The record-low SIE can be attributed to the intensified Amundsen Sea Low (ASL) pressure center and the positive phase of the Southern Annular Mode (SAM), which altered pressure and wind patterns across Antarctica. Warm northerly winds predominated in regions contributing to decreased SIE, while wind-driven sea ice drift towards the north led to increased sea ice elsewhere. Additionally, this study analyzed the Polar Cap Height (PCH), indicating the strength of the stratospheric polar vortex and the polarity of SAM. This study provides valuable insights for comprehending the dynamics for Antarctic sea ice recession, thereby contributing to a deeper understanding of their broader impact on global climate patterns.
The Beyond EPICA - Oldest Ice project aims to extract an ice core which contains a paleoclimatic record covering the past 1.5 Ma from Little Dome C in Antarctica. While searching for a suitable drill site, multiple radar surveys were conducted in the Dome C region. We have developed a 2.5D flow model that is constrained by horizons traced in these surveys. We interpolate and extrapolate the age-depth relationship using these horizons to investigate the Beyond EPICA drill site and surrounding areas.
The simplicity of our 2.5D numerical integration scheme results in an efficient computation time allowing us to use inverse methods to determine an average accumulation rate over the past 800 ka, a mechanical ice thickness and the Lliboutry thinning parameter which describes the shape of vertical velocity profile. The inverted mechanical ice thickness allows us to infer either a basal melt rate or the thickness of a layer of stagnant basal ice.
The model shows that the EDC-LDC flow line is dominated by melting on in the upstream sections, and further downstream, there is a thick layer of stagnant ice over the LDC mountainous bedrock relief. Our results show to what extent the Beyond EPICA - Oldest Ice drill site is affected by horizontal flow from upstream at the dome and the implications for the age-depth profile of the ice core currently being drilled. The deepest, oldest ice at the drill site, comes from 10-15 km upstream. However, the differences between the model and observations cannot be fully explained by horizontal flow. This model approach could be readily applied to other areas of Antarctica using internal ice sheet structure radar data collected by the AntArchitecture SCAR action group.
Until now, studies on well-being, adaptation, and the impact of isolation on interpersonal relations and group dynamics in Antarctica have primarily been conducted by physicians, psychologists, or psychiatrists. This presentation aims to delineate the potential contributions of anthropology, both fundamental and applied, to understanding and enhancing the lived experiences, social structures, and health outcomes of individuals in these extraordinary landscapes.
This discussion delves into diverse anthropological dimensions, such as the impact of cultural diversity, hierarchical relationships, and ceremonial practices on the psychological examination of human responses, adaptability, and well-being within isolated and confined environments, such as Antarctica and outer space. Specifically, our study centers on the winter crew stationed in Adélie Land (TA70), complemented by valuable insights gathered from former winterers at Dumont d’Urville and other research stations.
In the multidisciplinary effort made by scientists to gain a more holistic approach to human on the White Continent, the various branches of anthropology offer distinctive contributions to medical science. Social anthropology provides insights into socio-cultural factors related to the environment or physical/psychological symptoms, while the anthropology of science facilitates the examination of medical practices, including medical management, ethical considerations, and the utilization of innovative approaches.
By bridging disciplines and perspectives, this research seeks to not only shed light on the intricate dynamics of human life in extreme environments but also to propose actionable strategies for enhancing the well-being and resilience of individuals and communities in these challenging conditions.
Scientists engaged in Antarctic research, whether in the life sciences, glaciology, or the social sciences, face challengses between the long process of access to fieldwork and its rapidly evolving nature. The ice is melting, numerous species face extinction threats, while the realm of individuals engaged in art, tourism, public engagement, and research stations continues to expand. This presentation examines the challenges of scientific conception and production, emphasizing the need for innovative methodologies through the lens of social anthropology.
This article aims to explore the relevance of tools such as monographs or long-term ethnography, whose applications are often hindered by the remoteness and isolation of the field. Additionally, it investigates new paradigms that hold promise for the anthropology of the future and new ways of living in an increasingly extreme climate. The convergence of past and future presents an opportunity to contemplate the possibilities within interdisciplinary realms and foster participatory research encompassing not only various scientific domains but also individuals directly impacted, residing and working within the stations and beyond.
Drawing from extensive fieldwork experiences, as well as numerous discussions with people closely or remotely involved with the White Continent, this article proposes several approaches to the future of the social sciences in Antarctica, reflecting on the inclusivity, applicability, and responsibility of researchers towards this icy changing environment.
Travelling Ionospheric Disturbances (TIDs) are the ionospheric manifestation of internal Atmospheric Gravity Waves (AGWs), detected as plasma density fluctuations that propagate through the ionosphere with velocities and amplitudes that could depend on the source. This study expand the understanding of the dominant global-energy distribution and momentum transfer mechanisms in the ionosphere and thermosphere due to LSTIDs, and systems that rely on models based predictions of ionospheric radio-wave propagation physics. We employ threshold criteria for amplitude oscillation > 0.1 TECU, horizontal wavelength > 1000 Km, period of oscillation > 30 min, and horizontal phase velocity > 300 m/s to analyze 23, April 2012; 19, February 2014 and 17, March 2015 geomagnetic storms derived from global GNSS of GEONET. To determine the horizontal phase velocity and propagation direction of LSTIDs, we employ TEC as function of time and horizontal distance in the meridional and zonal directions (keogram), and considering time series of global dTEC maps at 5 min intervals. We observe LSTIDs from 14 h UT to 20 h UT on 17 March with speed of 524 m/s and with wavelength of 1218 Km in the American sector, showing a time difference in the Brazilian sector and does not seem to appear in other sectors during the global-energy distribution and therefore experience damping when crossing to other sectors. Also, the propagation and features of LSTIDs in most cases seem not to depend strongly on storms.
Keywords: TID, global energy input, horizontal distance, GNSS
With the support of the Chinese National Antarctic Research Expedition, near-surface ozone (O3) was continuously monitored at Zhongshan Station (ZOS) (69◦ 22′ 12′′ S, 76◦ 21′ 49′′ E, 18.5 m above sea level) in East Antarctica from 2008 to 2020. The seasonal and diurnal variability of near-surface O3 at ZOS were investigated. O3 enhancement events (OEEs) were frequently observed in the warm season (OEEs in January accounted for 23.0% of all OEEs). The OEEs at ZOS were related to the photochemical reaction processes under the influences of O3 and solar radiation in the stratosphere and synoptic-scale air mass transport from coastal areas (Princess Elizabeth Land, Wilkes Land, and Queen Mary Land), as evidenced by the recorded wind speed, solar shortwave irradiance, and total column ozone data and the computed potential source contribution function and concentration-weighted trajectory models. The results computed by the tool Stratosphere-to-Troposphere Exchange Flux indicated that stratosphere-to-troposphere transport had no direct impact on OEEs at ZOS. Therefore, synoptic-scale air mass transport is the main cause of OEEs in Antarctica, which is consistent with previous studies. Unlike OEEs at inland Antarctic stations, which are mainly affected by air mass transport from inland plateaus, OEEs at ZOS, a coastal station, are mainly affected by air mass transport from coastal land in East Antarctica.
Museums play a crucial role in the dissemination of scientific knowledge and non-formal education. However, they require a significant investment for maintenance and operation. Despite numerous collections of biotic and non-biotic materials existing in Brazilian research institutions, these resources are often inaccessible to the public. Therefore, we started the development of a 3D virtual museum with the main objective of democratizing access to a collection of Antarctic marine organisms housed at the Oceanographic Institute of the University of São Paulo (ColBIO). This collection has specimens of animals sampled since the first Brazilian Antarctic Expedition in 1982/83. The first version of the museum will showcase 18 animals from a simplified Antarctic food, encompassing phytoplankton, invertebrates, fishes, birds, and mammals. The chosen theme, "trophic web", was selected to make the museum useful by teachers across various levels, favouring the reuse of the 3D objects produced. This study details the construction process of the virtual museum employing methodologies for 3D object production. The 3D Virtual Museum on Antarctic Sciences will provide two access options: the first allows users to download and 3D print the objects, while the second offers online interactive access. Through the latter, users can manipulate objects, rotating them along all directions of the XYZ axis. Antarctic animal models were created using sculpt modelling and photogrammetry. A comparative analysis of the processes revealed insights into production time, required resources, technical and artistic knowledge, software usability, results precision, and each method's scalability and malleability. As a result, we concluded that combining sculpt modelling – a slower process demanding artistic and technical knowledge – with photogrammetry – a faster and easier method to apply – favour large-scale production.
In the austral summers of 2022 and 2023, the Antarctic sea ice extent (SIE) recorded historic minimums in a row, followed by exceptionally low SIE during the corresponding autumns and winters. Although the recent warming in the Southern Oceans is primarily responsible for such negative anomalies of SIE, anomalous atmospheric circulation events can also play a role, particularly in the Ross Sea and Bellingshausen/Amundsen Seas (ABS), with the occurrence of the intensified Amundsen Sea Low (ASL). Besides the changing SIE, such atmospheric anomaly events could also cause the re-distribution of ice thickness and sea ice deformation (i.e., formation of pressure ridges). Therefore, we examine the spatiotemporal changes in the sea ice thickness and sea ice deformation in the Ross Sea from 2019 to 2023 using NASA’s ICESat-2 satellite altimeter data. The ice thickness of level ice, surface roughness, and areal fraction of pressure ridges are all retrieved from the ICESat-2 ATL10 sea ice product and compared for different years. We find that there was a significant transition of sea ice mass balance in the Ross Sea from 2019-2020 to 2021-2023: (1) the inflow of thick ice from the Amundsen Sea to the Ross Sea has dramatically decreased in the period of 2021-2023; (2) sea ice in the eastern Ross Sea was less deformed in the same period. The strong ASL circulation in spring could have driven such an abrupt shift of sea ice thickness distribution in the Ross Sea. This implies that ICESat-2 data analysis on the changing sea ice and pattern would provide critical information to better understand the coupled atmosphere-ocean-sea ice systems and dynamics.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, construction of the first stations began in Antarctica. This process accelerated during the International Geophysical Year (1957/1958). Currently, about 70 year-round and seasonal stations from 29 countries operate in Antarctica. Human impact on the natural environment of Antarctica may seem insignificant in absolute terms compared to levels in more inhabited areas of the Earth; however, given the extreme sensitivity and vulnerability of Antarctic natural systems, its levels may exceed acceptable (critical) thresholds. But quantitative assessment of levels and trends of anthropogenic impact levels due to operations in Antarctica are scarce.
The presentation is devoted to the assessment of atmospheric air impacts in the oases of the Larsemann Hills, East Antarctica. The performed studies made it possible for the first time to estimate the emission of pollutants from the operation of diesel generator sets from all scientific stations located in the Larsemann Hills during the period of development of the oasis, starting from the construction of the first scientific station in 1986. It is shown that SO2 emissions decreased significantly in 2019 compared to peak values in 1990, which was due to a significant decrease of the sulfur content in fuel. Surface air pollution by SO2, NO2, CO, PM10 and black carbon (BC) using the AERMOD dispersion model are characterized. It is revealed that the most significant emission health impact is due to increase of surface concentrations of NO2. Deposition fluxes of PM10 and BC are estimated. Modeling of BC deposition allowed to make draft estimates of soot concentration in the snow of the area and resulting radiative forcing climatic effects.
Proposed approaches can be used to assess the cumulative impacts of ongoing and planned activities on the environment in the Antarctic Treaty area.
For almost 200 years since its discovery, visitors to Antarctica were overwhelmingly white men. The Diversity in UK Polar Science Initiative was conceived and funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Polar Regions Department. Starting from a position of relative ignorance in terms of the demographics and experience of minorities within the UK polar science community, DiPSI set about quantifying the makeup of the existing community, identifying underrepresentation of ethnic minorities, disabled people and the LGBTQIA+ community. The ambition for this initiative has been to deliver a more diverse and inclusive future for UK polar science – a future that reflects the diversity in British society today. To work towards this, the initiative had planned key areas of impact with projects, advocating engagement across the UK polar community to encourage conversations around present culture and values and to highlight the need for action to address the lack of diversity.
DiPSI established a wide range of products including the flagship Polar Horizons programme, an EDI 101 training programme, targeted work experience and paid internship opportunities, a community guide on inclusive behaviours, race and socioeconomic background impact surveys, online seminar programme, and a calendar of polar interest and inclusion dates. DiPSI serves as an example of what can be done with cross-organisational leadership and suitable investment of time and money to address inherited inequality, whilst emphasising that short term measures do not equate to long term progress.
It is increasingly apparent that there is variability across the Southern Hemisphere in the nature and timing of glaciations throughout the Quaternary. The sub-Antarctic islands and their terrestrial records are particularly useful to constrain glacial oscillations across the Southern Ocean and provide insight into regional palaeo-climate change. We provide a regional summary for the southern Indian Ocean from glacial histories at the Kerguelen Archipelago (49°S; 69°E) and Marion Island (46°S; 37°E). We use 91 36Cl cosmic-ray exposure ages from moraine boulders, erratics and bedrock samples to reconstruct a consolidated chronology for Marine Isotopic Stages 3 and 2 with ages spanning from ~63 ka to 17 ka ago. Preliminary moraine ages from Marion Island suggest glacier culminations at ~60.6 ka and ~51.4 ka. While evidence for these advances is still absent from Kerguelen, a synchronous glacier culmination is observed at ~42 ka on both islands. This implies that the more extensive ice limits may have been reached at the transition between MIS 4 (~70-60 ka) and MIS 3 (~60-27 ka), and at the very beginning of the MIS 3 period. On both islands bedrock (~48 ka-17 ka) and erratic exposure ages (~63 ka-20 ka) are used to interpret synchronous periods of slow, continuous deglaciation with intermittent ice stand stills. The retreat pattern continuous throughout the global LGM (26.5-19 ka) except for two localities on Kerguelen showing culminations at ~21 ka and 19 ka. Similar culminations are not found on Marion. We recognize SSTs, sea ice extent and the latitudinal position of the Southern Westerly Wind belt and oceanic fronts as key drivers of the region’s climate. Additionally, we hypothesize that local physiographic and topographic factors significantly control equilibrium line altitudes and, thus, ice accumulation due to their influence on air temperature and precipitation regimes.
Antarctica's harsh and remote environment necessitates innovative approaches to energy management to ensure sustainability and efficiency. This research introduces a pioneering energy advising system designed for Antarctica, incorporating machine learning algorithms to optimize energy consumption in extreme conditions. The system utilizes load forecasting to enhance the efficiency of energy infrastructure. By continuously learning from historical data and real-time conditions, the proposed system provides dynamic insights and recommendations for optimal energy usage. The results show that Random Forest accurately predicts energy consumption. The application of machine learning in this context aims to address the unique challenges of Antarctica, contributing to a more sustainable and resilient energy ecosystem in this hard and environmentally sensitive region.
The McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV), Antarctica’s largest ice-free region, hosts unique terrestrial Antarctic ecosystems, with biodiversity habitats concentrated in the aquatic environments and surrounding soils. Despite this region being a hub of scientific activity, management of the MDV and the creation of the MDV Antarctica Specially Managed Area (ASMA) in 2004 by the U.S. and New Zealand, along with the 1991 Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty, have been largely successful in protecting the environment from impacts of human presence. Today, with long-term human presence within the MDV, increasing human activity across the continent, and freshwater ecosystems being subject to environmental change that may affect important biodiversity habitat, the effectiveness of current protections needs to be examined within the context of biodiversity conservation. This study uses a geospatial analysis of MDV current protected areas, streams and lakes, research camps, and tourist sites to assess how the current protections will likely hold against future threats, identify under-protected areas, and outline steps and needs for future protection of biodiversity habitat. Within the MDV ASMA there are five smaller Antarctic Specially Protected Areas (ASPAs). Only one ASPA contains a lake: ASPA 123 Barwick and Balham Valleys, and only two contain streams: ASPA 123 Barwick and Balham Valleys and ASPA 131 Canada Glacier. No ASPAs are designated or managed for the ASPA value of “representative examples of major terrestrial, including glacial and aquatic, ecosystems”, and with <2% of streams protected and <7% of lakes and ponds protected by additional measures beyond those included in the 1991 Protocol on Environmental Protection, the MDV region falls short of the global goals for freshwater protection. Amongst calls for expansion and restructuring of the ASPA network, the MDV has the opportunity to be at the forefront again and increase the protection of Antarctic freshwater ecosystems.
Glacier retreat resulting from climate change is leading to expansion of ice-free areas in Antarctica. This is particularly true in the South Shetland Islands of the Antarctic Peninsula, which has experienced rapid warming over recent decades. Primary succession occurs in these newly exposed areas as vegetation establishes, ultimately driving future soil community structure and biogeochemical processes. Despite advances in understanding plant-soil interactions in the Arctic, the mechanisms of primary succession in terrestrial Antarctica are poorly understood. To explore how inter-specific variation in plant functional types influences soil biogeochemistry, soil functioning, and soil communities in Antarctica, we are measuring the plant-soil relationships during glacial retreat and vegetative expansion on the Antarctic Peninsula. We will share results from a combination of (1) chronosequence transects from receding glaciers; (2) a manipulative transplant experiment; and (3) a geographic survey of plant-soil samples along the Antarctic Peninsula. We demonstrate how pioneer vegetative species arriving in early-succession sites begin to alter the soil microbial and invertebrate community and associated biogeochemical properties and soil CO2 flux. We also describe the role of keystone late-succession species to significantly increase biological abundance and associated flux rates. Understanding these relationships are critical to understanding how plant functional group diversity and abundance, which are changing in a greening Antarctica, impact soil communities and processes.
Polynyas are regions of open water found within sea ice cover that directly influence the ocean and atmospheric circulations, the marine ecosystem, and biogeochemical cycles. Satellite observations show that the Weddell and Maud Rise polynyas first appeared in the 1970s and frequently reoccurred after 2016. We investigate an undocumented extensive open ocean polynya that developed in the central region of the Weddell Sea in December 1980 on the edge of the multi-year sea ice off the east coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. The polynya was first apparent on satellite imagery on 8 December 1980 and expanded until 26 December, with its largest areal extent attained being the same size as France. It is still the largest polynya observed in the central Weddell Sea in the satellite era, contributing significantly to the 1981 Weddell Sea sea ice extent minimum of 0.793 × 106 km2, which was the second lowest on record. We studied the physical mechanism for forming this unique polynya, including the occurrences during the 1970s and post-2016.
The 3D digital simulation “Antarctica: witness of time”, is a learning object (LO) that aims to contribute to the teaching of general concepts of climate change through the presentation of the geological history of Antarctica. It was developed supported by Vygotsky's sociointeractionist theory, to be used in the classroom in interdisciplinary contexts, so that students have subsidies that help them in the formation of a scientific culture, as an educational practice. However, after the development of digital educational objects, which involve numerous areas of knowledge, there is a lag in the process of validating and systematizing them: the pedagogical evaluation stage. This step, in general, is neglected in the development processes of this type of LO and requires systematization according to the learning approach that supports its development.
In this research, we adopted the Intera methodology for the development of LO Simulation, the last stage of which is the Pedagogical Assessment, in order to verify whether the LO meets the learning requirements. We carried out the pedagogical evaluation of the 3D simulation to find out if and how it contributes with learning about polar sciences and other school subjects. We applied qualitative research with high school and higher education students and teachers, after using 3D simulation. As a result, we identified the effectiveness of the learning object 3D simulation and the need to describe educational guidelines that contribute to the production of other LO and mainly that contribute to the inclusion of the theme Antarctica and Climate Change in the school curriculum, using technologies to mediate learning.
Geospace system dynamics can affect our technological infrastructure, for example by inducing damaging electrical currents in the power grid, heating the upper atmosphere and altering satellite orbits, and affecting GPS signals. In principle, the Northern and Southern Hemispheres are electromagnetically connected by Earth’s magnetic field, but this coupling varies in time and space, leading to inter-hemisphere asymmetries in the high-latitude geospace system where impacts are typically greatest. Thus, simultaneous Arctic and Antarctic measurements are crucial for testing our understanding and prediction of geospace dynamics. During recent years, many autonomous measurement systems have been deployed at remote strategic locations in the Antarctic to enable investigations of inter-hemisphere symmetry properties through interdisciplinary collaborations in the USA and internationally. In this presentation, we provide an update on these efforts and the research investigations that they have enabled, highlighting several examples of international and interdisciplinary collaborations: north-south hemisphere asymmetries in ionospheric electrical currents and upper atmosphere heating, data sharing across disciplines to study multi-scale upper atmosphere/ionosphere phenomena during the 2021 Antarctic eclipse, and adapting sonification and mixed reality tools to overcome challenges identifying complex but repeatable geomagnetic disturbance signals. We also discuss challenges in deploying and maintaining autonomous systems as well as future opportunities that address these challenges via inter-disciplinary collaborations.
Drivers of the spatial structure of Antarctic benthic ecosystems are scale-dependent. While large scale factors, such as sea ice cover and extent, and temperature, which operate on tens to hundreds of kilometre scales, are well studied, fine, centimetre scale interactions between organisms and their environment are presently not well understood. We use high resolution seabed photographs taken by the Ocean Floor Observation and Bathymetry System (OFOBS) during the RV Polarstern cruise PS118, to investigate the spatial dynamics of the highly abundant cup corals in the rocky substrates of the Powell Basin. These cup corals, likely of the order Caryophilliidae, have stony corallites and coloured tentacles, usually a pale pink or orangey-red (referred hereafter “pink corals” and “red corals”). We identified 36 photographs with high abundance of cup-corals, which consisted of 3431 pink corals and 1545 red corals across the 36 photographs. The coral morphotypes form both sympatric communities, where both species coexist, and allopatric communities, where either species is (near) absent. We used Spatial Point Process Analysis (SPPA) to infer the processes underlying the cup coral spatial patterns between and within each coral morphotype. We found that patterns of aggregation and segregation, both within and between morphotypes, operate at differing spatial scales between the allopatric and sympatric communities. We hypothesize that the morphotypes respond differently to variations in seabed topography and geomorphology, driving the spatial distribution of these corals.
Based on the multi-scale statistical observations from antarctic Zhongshan station, a rippling aurora-like optical phenomena was observed near the poleward boundary of the aurora. The lack of red emission and extremely small scale indicated the aurora ripple is not likely been the result of the electron or ion perception along the magnetic field line. Through the statistical results of appearance location, fine scale structures and the consistence to the theoretical predication, the Aurora ripple is believed to be mainly caused by the plasma gradient drift instability around aurora. Dreyer et al described this phenomena as Fragmented aurora-like emissions, considering the patterns of emergence and progression associated with this phenomenon, we suggest to name it as "Aurora ripples". This designation is inspired by the visual resemblance of the phenomenon to rippless formed when a paddle moves through a lake, signifying the interaction of auroral plasma with the atmosphere.
An operational synoptic-scale sea ice forecasting system for the Southern Ocean, namely Southern Ocean Ice Prediction System (SOIPS), has been developed to support ship navigation in the Antarctic sea ice zone. Practical application of the SOIPS forecasts had been implemented for the 38th Chinese National Antarctic Research Expedition for the first time. The SOIPS is configured on an Antarctic regional sea-ice‒ocean‒ice-shelf coupled model and an ensemble-based Localized Error Subspace Transform Kalman Filter data assimilation model. Daily near-real-time satellite sea ice concentration observations are assimilated into the SOIPS to update sea ice concentration and thickness in the 12 ensemble members of model state. By evaluating the SOIPS performance on forecasting sea ice metrics in a complete melt-freeze cycle from October 1, 2021 to September 30, 2022, this study shows that the SOIPS can provide reliable Antarctic sea ice forecasts. In comparison with the OSISAF data, annual mean root mean square errors of the sea ice concentration forecasts at leading time of up to 168-hour are lower than 0.19, and the integrated ice-edge errors of sea ice forecasts in most freezing months at leading times of 24-hour and 72-hour maintain around 0.5 × 106 km2 and below 1.0 × 106 km2, respectively. With respect to the scarce ICESat-2 observations, the mean absolute errors of the sea ice thickness forecasts at leading time of 24-hour are lower than 0.3 m, which is in range of the ICESat-2 uncertainties. Specifically, the SOIPS has a promised capacity in forecasting sea ice drift, both in magnitude and direction. The derived sea ice convergence rate forecasts have a high potential in supporting ship navigation on local fine scale.
Protecting Antarctica will use Lea Kannar-Lichtenberger's contemporary art practice to examine the impact of the tourist, both as an individual and in groups. As an artist/traveller/observer, Kannar-Lichtenberger utilizes her past (2017) and more recent (2023) self-funded Antarctic research expeditions to consider the visitor's engagement with the fragility of Antarctica. Her observations and responses utilize the artist's lens to develop a visual discourse. She explores humanity's impact whilst raising questions about the dilemma surrounding preservation versus the tourism juggernaut.
This paper will consider how artworks and conceptual art can engage with the community about science and initiate broader discussions. Kannar-Lichtenberger will use her visual and written creative works to shed light on how tourists and tour companies explore and exploit this fragile environment. Through artworks such as her thermal imaging video installation, Footprints – Convergence Penguin Highway 2023, Kannar-Lichtenbergers opens a window into the relationship between history, the tourist, and the local wildlife. Her research and artworks raise questions, relating but not limited to, how pre-emptive adversarial thinking is engaged with the current biosecurity of the area concerning 'Bird flu' and 'Invasive species', as it tries to work in tandem with the tourist's expectations.
Kannar-Lichtenberger's research considers the underlying aspects of tourism, revealing how much these practices can be seen to reinforce the global impact of climate change and the Anthropocene.
Southern ocean is very important in the global ocean biogeochemistry and as a net source of nutrients supply via circulation and watermass interactions, that link the global oceans. Small climatic variations in the Southern ocean can produce pronounced biogeochemical responses in this oceanic regime. The current study was carried out to understand the various factors contributing to organic matter remineralization across the fronts of the Indian sector of the southern ocean, its impact on nutrient dynamics and associated biogeochemical processes of the ocean biological pump. To address this, seawater samples were collected from across the fronts of the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean and analyzed for various physico-chemical and biological variables. The results from the chemical variables and statistical analysis implied a significant spatial variability in the extent of remineralization, contributing to the nutrient dynamics especially via regenerated nutrients. The recycling of nutrients due to organic matter remineralization was considerably higher in the subtropical waters, however, varied temporally. Additionally, the findings ascertain the role of water masses on the nutrient dynamics and biological community structure, impacting the efficiency of the biological pump via organic matter export and/or remineralization. It was evident that the factors controlling the organic matter transformation, remineralisation and nutrient dynamics in the photic waters and below the photic depth varied considerably. Besides, front specific factors like eddies, water mass intrusion and sea-ice cover or melting significantly contributed to the changing nutrient variability and dependent biogeochemical processes, impacting the biological pump. Thus, changes in the ocean temperature, ice-melt, stratification, etc., as a response to changing climate, can trigger a chain of events influencing the biogeochemical processes and the efficiency of the biological pump in the Southern ocean.
The East Antarctic coastal region is extremely significant and well-known as a critical reference point for tracking the effects of climate change on ocean dynamics. It is previously believed that the east Antarctic ice sheet was more stable than the west Antarctic Peninsula, but there has recently been concern that east Antarctica may be more susceptible to temperature rise. Zooplankton studies in the coastal waters of eastern Antarctica (Indian Ocean sector) have received less scientific attention than the western Antarctica. To address the shortfall of information, we investigated the role of hydrodynamics on vertical structure of zooplankton until 1000m, by using a standard multiplankton sampler (mouth area: 0.25m2; mesh size: 200 µm). Relatively, the neritic zone had a shallower mixed layer than the Ice-free domain. The recorded temperature in the neritic zone was quite unusual and had never been recorded previously. This abnormal temperature did not impact the zooplankton biovolume and numerical abundance much in the neritic zone. Freshening of the surface water prevented both phytoplankton and zooplankton biomass in the seasonal ice zone, resulting in high zooplankton biovolume and diversity in the subsurface layer. The high zooplankton biovolume in the neritic zone and ice-free zone was likely caused by no sea ice melting and high phytoplankton biomass (Chl-a). Calanoids and cyclopoids composed the majority of the overall zooplankton biovolume, accounting for more than 81% of the total zooplankton count. Calanus simillimus and Calanus australis are important in the oceanic region, where Stephos longipes is an indicator species in the shelf region. We hypothesised that the sea surface warming, declining sea ice, reduced salinity, food availability and water masses alter the structure and function of zooplankton composition in the study area. Consequently, these changes are likely to have a significant impact on the biogeochemical process in coastal Antarctica.
The sea ice cover has experienced substantial changes in Antarctica in the past decades, yet its responses to the long-term trend of the local atmosphere are still not clear. With the aid of an Antarctic coupled sea ice-ocean-ice shelf model, the sea ice seasonality in response to the long-term trend of the local atmospheric forcing has been quantified based on a sea ice budget analysis. Significantly spatial variabilities have been found in the Antarctic sea ice in response to the long-term trend of the local atmospheric forcing. The sea ice area and volume decrease in the Weddell Sea and increase in the Ross Sea throughout the year. In the Amundsen-Bellingshausen Seas sector, the sea ice area decreases from December to June and increases from July to November, while the sea ice volume decreases throughout the year. In the Indian-Western Pacific Oceans sector, the sea ice area decreases from January to May and increases from June to December, while the sea ice volume increases throughout the year. The long-term trend of the local atmospheric forcing modulates the sea ice loss in the melting period mainly through modifying the ice-ocean heat flux over the ice base, while it governs the sea ice growth in the freezing period by the combined effects of the ice-ocean heat flux and the atmosphere-ocean heat flux. Although the trend of the surface wind can also lead to distinct variations by the local sea ice convergence/divergence, the integrated contributions over the basin scale are relatively small.
The nighttime seeing at Dome A was initially measured by KL-DIMM in 2019, revealing free-atmosphere seeing with a median value of 0.31 arcseconds for 31% of the time at a height of 8 meters. KL-DIMM was serviced in 2023 and 2024, with data collection currently ongoing for the third year. The distribution of the seeing measurements appears to be consistent and we will present the statistics of both night-time and daytime seeing data from the three years. In addition, based on the finding of a strong correlation in the 2019 daytime data between the seeing values and the meteorological parameters from KLAWS, we investigate if this correlation also exists during nighttime and try to better understand the turbulence at Dome A. Possible annual variations of seeing and their implications for astronomical observations will be discussed.
Despite being the most remote area on the planet, the Antarctic continent faces increasing anthropogenic pressures, as evidenced by the detection of different groups of regulated contaminants in the region, including persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). More recently, emerging contaminants (ECs) have been investigated and detected in Antarctica, indicating that new types of contaminants are being introduced in this pristine environment. This study provides an updated analysis of POPs, PAHs, and ECs in surface sediments from Admiralty Bay, Antarctica Peninsula. Samples (n=17) were extracted using an accelerated solvent extraction system and analyzed using gas chromatography coupled to a triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer. Regulated pollutants were higher in the Martel inlet, suggesting local human activities (e.g., logistical activities, wastewater discharge) as potential sources. Σ16PAHs were found in concentrations ranging from 2.6 to 617.4 ng g-1, while Σ5PCBs were at significantly lower levels (≤0.5 ng g-1). Notably, ECs, including UV filters homosalate (0.3 to 251.3 ng g-1) and octocrylene (0.7 to 93.8 ng g-1), were detected near research stations in Ezcurra and Martel inlets. The organophosphate flame-retardant tri (2-chloro-1-methylethyl) phosphate (0.1 to 87.4 ng g-1) and the fragrance galaxolide (0.2 to 55.0 ng g-1) were also detected in these two inlets. These findings suggest that the levels of ECs are likely associated with the larger human occupation and continuous operation of research stations, in contrast to the Mackelar inlet, where considerably lower contaminant concentrations were observed. This study contributes with updated data on traditional pollutants, which show a decreasing trend in comparison to previous data. Additionally, the presence of ECs was reported for the first time in Admiralty Bay, highlighting the need for ongoing monitoring and further investigation into the environmental behavior and impacts of these contaminants in remote areas.
Food-webs are determinant for the functioning and structure of marine ecosystems. The Southern Ocean food-web is traditionally presented as short and dominated by an Antarctic krill surplus. Recent studies proved the existence of alternative pathways, with other krill, fish, and cephalopod species linking primary producers to top-predators. However, these studies mostly focused in the pelagic and coastal environments. Here, we present the results of the geographical variation of the poorly known deep-sea food-web structure on the Scotia Sea (from South Georgia (SG) to South Sandwich Islands (SSI)), and food-web interannual variability at SSI, using stable isotopes and fatty acids techniques. Results show that deep-sea food-webs have five trophic-levels, with both Antarctic (Dissostichus mawsoni) and Patagonian (D. eleginoides) toothfish as the top predators in the SSI, but with the Bigeye grenadier (Macrourus holotrachys) occupying the highest trophic position at SG. All these food-webs have a fourth trophic level mainly composed by fish and a third trophic level by cephalopods and crustaceans. Our results suggest that deep-sea food-webs including both pelagic and benthic/demersal organisms are longer than coastal and pelagic food-webs in the Southern Ocean. At SSI the benthopelagic coupling happens mainly from the third (pelagic) to the fourth trophic level (benthic/demersal), though at SG a mix of both pelagic and benthic species in both trophic levels were found, suggesting a continuous exchange between the pelagic and benthic/demersal components of the food-web. Changes in the food chain length across three consecutive years at SSI related with the net primary productivity, with the longest food-web being found in the year with highest productivity. Longer food-webs are less stable and recover slower from perturbations. Therefore, increasing productivity with climate change may increase the vulnerability of deep-sea benthopelagic communities in the Southern Ocean.
In recent years, there has been a growing interest among artists worldwide in exploring different representations of Antarctica. The majority of the discourse surrounding Antarctic art has been dominated by colonial narratives of grandeur and heroism, overshadowing the diverse and nuanced perspectives that artists from different cultural backgrounds bring to the table. In this presentation, we aim to shed light on the works of Chilean artists who have actively sought to challenge these predominant narratives and represent unattended subjects of the Antarctic region.
Drawing on the works of Chilean artists such as Fernando Prats, Francisca García, Allan Jeffs, and Alejandra Perez, this presentation will showcase a diverse range of artistic interpretations of Antarctica. These artists, through their unique perspectives and artistic mediums, have delved into themes such as environmental conservation, more-than-human perspectives, and the human impact on the Antarctic landscape. By doing so, they offer a fresh and alternative view of Antarctica that transcends the traditional notions of the sublime.
Furthermore, this presentation will contextualize the works of Chilean artists within the broader landscape of international Antarctic art. By examining the contributions of artists from around the world who are similarly challenging conventional narratives, we aim to highlight the richness and complexity of artistic representation in the Antarctic context. Through an exploration of these diverse artistic voices, we hope to inspire dialogue and critical reflection on the multiple dimensions of Antarctica as a subject of artistic inquiry.
As an integral part of Earth’s climate system the Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) impacts global sea level, and interacts with large-scale climate and the carbon cycle on a variety of timescales. So far, due to a lack of long and continuous records of AIS variability on orbital timescales (19-405 thousand years), it has remained difficult to unravel the complex interplay between the AIS, ocean, atmosphere, and biogeochemical cycles and their response to Milanković cycles. Using high-resolution sediment core data from Iceberg Alley in the Southern Ocean, in combination with climate and ice-sheet model simulations, we show that around 1.5 million years ago (Ma), Southern Ocean productivity, dust, sea-ice and sea-surface temperature started to synchronize with orbitally-paced global climate change. Subsequently, by around 0.9 Ma, inferred variations in AIS volume from iceberg-rafted debris variability, began to vary in unison with indicators of global climate, and by 0.4 Ma the entire ice-ocean-atmosphere system was locked into an orbital rhythm. The lack of strong Milanković signals prior to 0.9 Ma indicates sensitivity thresholds for the Southern Ocean carbon cycle and the AIS, with the increasing amplitude of CO2 variations after the Mid-Pleistocene Transition likely being the major driver for the synchronization.
Emerging ice-sheet modeling suggests once initiated, retreat of the Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) can continue for centuries. Unfortunately, the short observational record cannot resolve the tipping points, rate of change, and timescale of responses. Iceberg-rafted debris data from a deep ocean core in Iceberg Alley – the central gateway for Antarctic iceberg routing in the Soctia Sea – identifies eight retreat phases of the AIS after the Last Glacial Maximum between ~19 ka and ~9 ka. Each of these Antarctic Ice-Sheet Discharge (AID) events destabilized the AIS within a decade and then contributed to global sea-level rise for centuries to a millennium. Re-stabilization then occurred equally rapidly within a decade or two. This dynamic response across multiple tipping points of the AIS is supported by empirical evidence from a West Antarctic blue ice record of ice-elevation drawdown >600 m during three such AID events related to globally recognized deglacial meltwater pulses, and by a step-wise retreat up to 400 km across the Ross Sea shelf. Independent ice-sheet modeling confirms that calving and grounding line retreat co-vary on decadal scales today and that the total modelled deglacial AIS mass loss mimics the IBRD flux rate in Iceberg Alley, with the most discernable tipping points for AIS re-stabilization. Ongoing work on new sites from Iceberg Alley, obtained during International Ocean Drilling Project Expedition 382, also indicates multiple AIS tipping points across the penultimate glacial termination following Marine Isotopic Stage 6. Combined, these findings are consistent with a growing body of evidence suggesting the recent acceleration of AIS mass loss may mark the begin of another prolonged period of ice sheet retreat and substantial global sea-level rise.
Antarctica has been explored and described as a very far and dangerous place (land and sea) since more than 200 years ago. It is also considered a continent upon which sovereignty claims have been frozen, while a governance framework was set by the 1959 Treaty. Since then, it has been established that human activities and voting rights at the ATCM depend directly on the development of scientific research and the diplomatic priorities of member states. Therefore, the Antarctic regime has been developed as if Antarctica could be separated from the rest of the Planet and the United Nations governance. Consequently, CRAMRA, CCAMLR and the Madrid Protocol were shaped after long negotiation meetings. Therefore, this paper focuses on tracing the process of the changing status of Antarctica: from a frozen continent to the centre of the diplomatic agenda due to the role of the scientific community and their reports. The "white world" (Shankar et al, 2019) is now The main claims are: i) Antarctica cannot be detached from the climate change issue, as the IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate stated (DeConto et al, 2021); ii) There is a recent US-China/Russia geopolitical shift that brings new light to Antarctica research priorities, and iii). The status of Antarctica changed in four dimensions: scientific, economic, geopolitical and diplomatic. In this context, what are the implications of the rapidly changing global governance on the status of Antarctica? We contend that Antarctica is a diplomatic priority only for some members, but it needs to be a priority for all. Also that the Antarctica agenda needs to be inextricably connected to other minilateral and multilateral regimes, concerning climate change and the ocean. As a result, the ATS regime needs to be updated to respond to this new diplomatic status.
Large marine protected areas (LMPAs) represent one of the main strategic options for achieving international targets on mitigating biodiversity loss and ensuring habitat protection. Many LMPAs incorporate some multi-use elements within their design, such as provisions for managed fisheries. This adds complexity to MPA design, requiring prioritisation of spatial closures to ensure design efficacy. Using a subantarctic island case study, here we present a novel, bespoke and interactive ‘risk tool’. The tool utilises historic fisheries data and longline fisheries-mounted camera systems to quantify the ecosystem impacts of current longline fishing and simulates the change in risk profile of fishing displacement resulting from potential MPA redesigns on associated species and ecosystems.
Ice-free areas cover only about 0.1% of Antarctica and are characterized by harsh environmental conditions. However, these regions provide diverse conditions for soil-forming process having various physical and geochemical properties resulting different conditions for living organisms. Relatively little attention has been shown towards soil microbial communities, although they could serve to enhance our knowledge on life adaptation strategies under such harsh environmental conditions. Our study is aimed at determining existing soil microbial communities, their interrelations with soil parameters as well as the influence of human activities in Larsemann Hills, East Antarctica. The soil microbiome was investigated at different locations using 16 S rRNA gene pyrosequencing. The taxonomic analysis of the soil microbiomes revealed 12 predominant bacterial and archeal phyla - Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria, Chroloflexi, Gemmatimonadetes, Verrucoms. microbia, Planctomycetes, Bacteroidetes, Armatimonadetes, Firmicutes, Cyanobacteria, Thaumarchaeota. Some specific phyla have been also found in sub-surface horizons of soils investigated, providing additional evidence of crucial role of gravel pavement in saving the favorable conditions for both soil and microbiome development. Moreover, our study also revealed that some bacterial species might be introduced into Antarctic soils by human activities. We also assessed the effect of different soil parameters on microbial community in harsh environmental conditions of Eastern Antarctica. pH, carbon and nitrogen, as well as fine earth content were revealed to be the most predictors of soil bacterial community composition. The results of this study could be used could be potentially useful for the purposes of environmental risk assessment and effective conservation of fragile Antarctic ecosystems. This study has been supported by the grant of the Russian Scientific Foundation, project № 24-27-00361.
A ship-based optical sensing technique to detect and measure individual ice floe objects has been developed as part of radar performance trials conducted by Defence Science and Technology, New Zealand Defence Force. The trials were undertaken during a resupply voyage by HMNZS Aotearoa to McMurdo Base Antarctica during February 2022.
A standard SnapIT fishing vessel monitoring camera was fitted to the upper bridge deck of the ship, with the bow and starboard side in the field of view. Images were recorded at 15hz and 1920x1080 pixel size. Discretisation of the individual ice floes in the footage was made from georeferenced polygons. The video was first subsampled to 1Hz and orthorectified using location and measured ship motions. In each subsequent image, floe locations were estimated by first identifying ice pixels using a threshold and then grouping them into coherent structures following an approach similar to Zhang and Skjetne (2014). The final ice floe polygons were extracted using a machine learning-based segmentation approach.
The method shows a detection limit of around 2m, with best efficacy up to about 3/10th ice. At higher ice densities the segmentation routines were less effective. The technique allows a measurement swath of 250m to be made, and the post processing defines all objects with size (area, length and width). Floe size distributions and densities (in tenths) as well as drift speed and direction can be readily derived.
While the method was developed for the New Zealand Defence Force radar trials, it offers a simple but effective way for any ship of opportunity to make useful and highly quantitative observations of sea ice. This concept was tested during the 2024 season on the RV Laura Bassi, and further voyage opportunities will be used in the 2025 season. The code base developed in this work is openly available.
The Southern Ocean Region Panel (SORP) works as an Expert Group within CLIVAR and aims to coordinate the discussion and communication of scientific advances in climate variability and change in the Southern Ocean and its ice-ocean interactions with Antarctica. As part of this mission, SORP also has a protagonist role in the development of research or education projects and dissemination of knowledge.
SORP is co-sponsored by the World Climate Research Programme’s Climate and Ocean: Variability, Predictability and Change (CLIVAR) and the Climate and Cryosphere (CliC) projects, and SCAR, advising those bodies on progress, achievements, new opportunities and impediments in internationally coordinated Southern Ocean research.
SORP activities are focused on facilitating progress in assessing climate variability and predictability of the ocean-atmosphere-ice system of the Southern Ocean, provide scientific and technical input into international research coordination, monitor and evaluate progress in Southern Ocean research, enhance interaction between the meteorology, oceanography, cryosphere, geology, biogeochemistry and paleoclimate communities with an interest in the climate of the Southern Ocean, and work with relevant agencies on the standardization, distribution and archiving of Southern Ocean observations.
SORP achieves these goals in 2023 and 2024 by conducting or participating in the following projects:
SOFIA: CLIVAR Southern Ocean Freshwater release model experiments Initiative task team.
PROS4SORP Seminars: quarterly virtual seminar series ‘Presenting Recent Ocean Science for the Southern Ocean Regional Panel’.
CLIVAR Exchange Special Issue: entitled "Highlighting Ocean Research, Data and Networks of Antarctic Programs", will showcase SO research being undertaken by emerging Antarctic programs and/or researchers originally from countries without a well-established Antarctic program.
ICTP-SORP-NORP Summer School and Workshop on Polar Climates: this activity will emphasize the interactions between the cryosphere, ocean and atmosphere within polar regions. Both Arctic and Antarctic regions will be discussed by leading experts who will highlight similarities and differences between these regions.
According to the literature, sleep disturbances are worse in the Antarctic winter, the period of isolation and constant darkness (latitude dependent). This is confirmed by results on much larger samples from Arctic regions. However, there is still no consensus on the causal mechanisms, and there is a lack of investigations during the period of constant illumination.
The current project investigated sleep (through polysomnography and sleep diaries) and its circadian regulation (through saliva sampling of cortisol and melatonin) during summer, winter, and either spring or autumn in two different stations (Halley VI and Dumont d’Urville), for two full seasons in each station. To disentangle the effect of time on station, cultural context and the effect of seasonality, summer measurements were divided in “first summer” measures and “second summer” measures.
The results show the same sleep disturbances for both summer and winter when it was measured after more than 6 months on site. When summer measurements were recorded after 1 month on site, the results paint a slightly different picture: sleep onset latency is similarly disturbed, but the amount of slow wave sleep and sleep efficiency are less affected; crew members spend less time in bed and report less subjective sleepiness and fatigue. A melatonin phase delay was present at all seasons in all groups. Several interesting differences show up between stations, underscoring the importance of the cultural context. These results underscore that there is more to sleep in Antarctica than a disturbed photoperiodicity: the duration of time-on-station has a major effect on the psychophysiological adaptation. Overall, the present results show the need for a specific support to personnel from both summer and winter campaigns in terms of sleep and fatigue management.
The West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) experienced significant oscillations in thickness and extent during Pleistocene climates cycles. During the post-LGM, for example, the Ross Sea grounding line retreated more than 1000 kilometers from the continental shelf edge before re-advancing over 200 km to its current location (e.g., Venturelli et al., 2023). Here we reconstruct WAIS advance and retreat at Ross Bank, a broad shallow area in central Ross Sea, that was formerly an important ice rise for the Ross Ice Shelf (RIS). During NBP2302/03, we acquired several cores from the crest of Ross Bank. The cores show that an extensive sand-rich residual glacial marine sediment on the bank crest is highly fossiliferous. We radiocarbon dated marine macrofossils, including coral and barnacle plates. A cluster of older radiocarbon ages (n=14) indicates that the bank was free of grounded ice until at least 38,000 ± 870 years BP (uncorrected). These older dates from Ross Bank are generally agree with a relatively late advance of the WAIS during the LGM (Emslie et al. 2007). The younger cluster of radiocarbon ages (n=16) indicates that grounded ice had begun to retreat from the bank by 7990 ± 30 years BP (uncorrected). The younger dates are consistent with prior retreat of grounded ice from the adjacent basins (e.g., Prothro et al., 2020). These findings show that 1) shallow banks provide useful information for paleoclimate reconstructions and 2) that Ross Bank was a long-lived, ice-rise pinning points that partly controlled WAIS extent during the pre- and post-LGM.
We have developed the first fully coupled regional model Polar-SKRIPSv2 for the Ross Sea. We use the Polar-SKRIPSv2 as published in Gossart et al. (In Prep). This coupled model uses the MITgcm model of the ocean, and the Polar version of the Weather and the Weather Research and Forecasting Model (PWRF). Our model is unique in conserving energy and can operate at the regional scale, making it the best tool to study mesoscale processes in the Ross Sea and make predictions on how variability of local wind jets above the continental shelf can impact the salinity and temperature of the ocean, and thus global thermohaline circulation.
In this presentation, we will show a case study for the present day (forced by reanalysis) and future simulations (forced by ACCESS-ESM1.5). We focus on the sea ice production, heat and mass fluxes in the polynyas, and show how those change in the future simulations. We also show the changes in the cavity conditions.
The population genetic structure of marine species is influenced by a range of factors, including geological history and physical oceanography. However, there is limited understanding of the driving forces of parasite population structure. The general consensus is that parasite genetic structure usually resembles that of the host, as host dispersal is thought to facilitate parasite dispersal. To investigate if a host–parasite pair (the fish Macrourus whitsoni and its parasitic copepod Lophoura sp.) exhibits comparable population genetic structure across the Ross Sea, we characterised the population structure of both species using single nucleotide polymorphism data generated by Genotyping-by-Sequencing at broad (> 100s of km) and regional scale (100s of kms) resolution. We hypothesised that host and parasite would show drastically different genetic structures as they differ in their capacity to disperse during their independent pelagic larval stages. We expected environmental factors including local and large-scale currents and glacial-interglacial cycles to have an impact on the distribution of genetic diversity in hosts and parasites. Our preliminary analysis on the fish host M. whitsoni showed fairly homogeneous population structure, however we require additional samples of the fish as well as samples of parasite copepod to conduct comprehensive analyses. Our findings nonetheless provide exciting insights into connectivity of marine species in the Ross Sea, demonstrating the power of genomic approaches that can assist with monitoring and assessing the effectiveness of the Ross Sea region Marine Protected Area
Long-term observations from Antarctica are limited both in space and time and vast areas of the continent currently lack any form of sustained observation systems. The existing observations are mainly taking place around the permanent research stations, which are focused on the peninsula and at the coast. The Norwegian Troll research station is located in Dronning Maud Land, in a data sparse region, 200 km from the coast on the slope to the Antarctic plateau. In this region, at and around Troll research station, a consortium of Norwegian and international partners is currently establishing a sustained state-of-the-art, multi-platform, multi-disciplinary observing network – the Troll Observing Network (TONe).
TONe encompasses eight dedicated observatories, a remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS) and a well-structured data management system. The observatories will collect and make available data on climate, atmospheric and oceanic processes, ice sheet dynamics and its influence on sea level rise, and the marine ecosystems. The RPAS service will in a cost-efficient manner enable the collection of a wide variety of data over the region with a limited environmental footprint. The data system will allow for a broad and free access to all data to the wider international science community.
We would like to see the TONe initiative as part of a joint effort for improving access to sustained societally relevant long-term observations from Antarctica. By sharing information about the observing system and the shared service, we would like to invite the wider research community to work with us and utilize the data and service to advance our understanding of the climate and environmental change we are facing today.
Antarctica stands as a crucial frontier for scientific inquiry , offering unique insights into the Earth's ecosystems and climate systems. As human activity increadingly impacts this pristine environment, understanding and mitigating these effects become paramount. However, conducting research in Antarctica is inherently challenging and costly, necessitating innovative approaches to gather data effectively. Partnering with tour operators presents a promising avenue for bridging this gap, facilitating scientific exploration while engaging and educating tourists about the region's ecological significance.
This proposal underscores the indispensable role of citizen science in advancing sustainable Antarctica tourism, laveraging Antarctica21's onboard programs as a case study. By integrating various citizen science initiatives into its expedition, Antarctica21 has empowered passengers to actively contribute to scientific research and environmental monitoring efforts. Programs such as FjordPhyto, Happywhale, and NASA Globe Clouds, offer participants immersive opportunities to collect data and deepen their understanding of Antarctica's ecosystems.
A central focus of this study is to highlight the transformative impact of citizen science experiences on participants. Through firsthand engagement in scientific research activities, tourists not only gain valuable insights into the region's ecological dynamics but also become advocates for sustainable tourism practices. By fostering interdisciplinary collaboration between tourism operators, scientific institutions, and local stakeholders, these initiatives pave the way for informed conservation efforts and responsible tourism practices in Antarctica.
By showcasing Antarctica21's pioneering efforts in citizen science, this case study aims to inspire dialogue and collaboration towards a more sustainable future for Antarctic tourism, grounded in scientific inquiry and public engagement.
This revision emphasizes the crucial role of science in understanding and mitigating the impacts of human activities in Antarctica, highlighting the importance of partnership between tour operators and scientific institutions for effective research and conservation efforts.
Cape Wellchness is located on the west coast of Dundee Island, in the northeastern sector of the Antarctic Peninsula. This site is uncovered by ice, but largely covered by glacial and glacio-fluvial deposits of Holocene age that rest on the sediments of the Gustav Group and the Trinity Group. Syngenetic and epigenetic cryounits have been detected. The lateral moray eel is syngenetic and has a high ice content between 40-85% depending on the orientation of its slopes. The lowland plain is one of the most widespread epigenetic units and has an ice content that increases in depth between 6% - 16% (Silva Busso y Moreno Merino, 2024). In order to detect the thawing depth of the active layer, two CALM-type boreholes have been installed in both cryounits, where a garland of 5 thermometers (Wire-iButton thermometers) located every 0.2 m between the depths of 0.2 and 1.00 m was installed. These devices took temperature data every hour during 03/06/2022 to 01/24/2023 with an accuracy of +/-0.25°C. The information from the thermometers was reviewed and it was detected that in the CALM-morena station the 0°C isotherm is located at 0.8m throughout the summer, which indicates that the thawing effectively reaches 0.6m depth. The CALM-Low Plain station has an isotherm of 0°C, at 1.00m throughout the summer, which indicates that the thawing effectively reaches 0.9m. This information makes it possible to interpret different active layer thawing conditions for different cryounits, an important factor in guiding active layer monitoring and understanding the heat distribution between different cryounits in permarost.
Silva Busso, A., and Moreno Merino L. 2024. Permafrost and Hydrogeology of Quaternary deposits at Cape Wellchness, Dundee Island, Antarctica. Antarctic Science (in press).
The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) created a scoping group in 2020 to begin discussions on how to approach issues of equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in SCAR and the wider Antarctic research community. The key suggestion to SCAR representatives from the scoping group was to establish a SCAR EDI Action Group (AG) to address EDI challenges. The remit of the Action Group is to improve understanding of EDI challenges within the context of SCAR, and translate that understanding into activities and actions to improve accessibility and representation within Antarctic research. The SCAR EDI AG was approved in 2021 and began operating in May 2021. In our talk, we present the SCAR EDI AG organisation, goals, completed and planned activities, as well as outlooks for further conversation with the community.
Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) are vital to the Southern Ocean ecosystem, with their swarming behaviours key to their ability to forage and avoid predators. Knowing how environmental drivers change krill swarming behaviour to predict their distribution and abundance for ecosystem models and fisheries management is key. An Individual-Based Model (IBM) was created for krill based on experimental observations taken at a range of different flows (0, 0.6, 3, 5.9 and 8.9 cm s-1), light (surface and 100 m depth) and chemical cue (chlorophyll – a positive attractant and guano – a negative attractant) conditions. 3-dimensional tracks of krill were collected via video analysis and used to generate the distributions and correlations seen within the model. A Random Forest model was used on each of the swimming behaviour parameters (e.g., velocity, bimodal swimming, turn angles, edge effects, and pitch) to find which environmental variables had the biggest effect on each aspect of krill behaviour. A flat torus IBM was generated and ground-truthed to the observed data in control conditions before each environmental variable was added and the model expanded to include additional individuals and their interactions (such as nearest neighbour distance). The IBM will be scaled up and overlaid onto oceanographic models to predict krill swarming behaviour and dynamics. This is the first time that krill behaviour has been used to look at the dynamics and swarm structure of krill. Our IBM will greatly improve current ecosystem models and fisheries management decisions in the Southern Ocean.
The decision-making process regarding Antarctica, during the first decade of the cold war, was not easy to handle for Chilean authorities. At that time, there was not much reliable information about the international projects for the frozen continent, which -at least in part- was understood as an integral part of Chile’s national territory.
During this period, the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs had to take into consideration some important factors: first, the armed forces’ viewpoint, which, to an important extent, was represented by figures such as General Ramón Cañas and Admiral Rafael Santibáñez; second, the advice of international law experts who were part of the same Ministry; third, the ups and downs of domestic and regional politics during the consolidation of the cold war; and fourth, the opinions of Chilean diplomats who, from abroad, tried to assert their views. Of particular interest is Mario Rodríguez, ambassador to the United States, whose thinking deserve a deeper analysis. His perspectives, as well as those by other Chilean diplomats in the foreign service, seem not to have been understood among the country’s authorities which, possibly, explains the decisions made in 1959.
This work is based on American and Chilean official documents and aims to analyze the perceptions and suggestions made by Mario Rodríguez during his tenure as Chilean Ambassador to the United States
The variability of the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets occurs on various timescales and crucially influences sea-level rise; however, substantial uncertainties remain concerning future ice-sheet mass changes. Here we examine the extent to which short-term fluctuations and extreme glaciological events reflect the ice sheets’ long-term evolution and ongoing response to climate change. Short-term (decades or less) variations in atmospheric or oceanic conditions can trigger amplifying feedbacks that make the ice sheets more sensitive to climate change. For example, variability in ocean-induced and atmosphere-induced melting can trigger ice thinning, retreat and/or collapse of ice shelves, grounding-line retreat, and help accelerate ice flow. The Antarctic Ice Sheet is particularly vulnerable to increased melting and ice sheet collapse induced by warm ocean currents, and this effect could be enhanced with increased climate variability. Greenland has experienced notably high and low melt anomalies in the last few decades, especially since 2012, highlighting the influence of increased interannual climate variability on extreme glaciological events and ice-sheet evolution. Failing to adequately account for such variability may can result in biased projections of multi-decadal ice mass loss. Therefore, future research priorities are improving climate and ocean observations and models, and developing sophisticated ice sheet models that are directly constrained by observational records and can capture ice dynamical changes across various timescales. These critical research efforts are supported by the World Climate Research Programme's Climate and Cryosphere project in collaboration with SCAR and other international partners.
Emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri, EMPE) populations in the Ross Sea are known to fluctuate considerably interannually, though the cause of these fluctuations is largely unknown. To understand the drivers of EMPE population dynamics in the Ross Sea, we assessed population sizes at each of the seven colonies over a ~14-year period (2005-2018) using very-high resolution satellite imagery, aerial counts and a Bayesian state space approach. We employed a generalised additive modelling approach to assess the growth rates of each colony against an array of biotic (e.g., rate of change within different radii (100km–1100km) and colony size) and abiotic (e.g., fast ice persistence, SIC anomalies, ENSO and SAM) covariates to determine the drivers of population change. We also assessed patterns of covariation that may indicate inter-colony dispersal. We found increasing populations at Capes Crozier (R2 = 0.88, P <0.001, Estimate = 60.22) and Colbeck (R2 = 0.32, P = 0.03, Estimate = 265.2), and decreasing at Beaufort Island (R2 = 0.59, P <0.001, Estimate = -16.93). The best-fit model combined both abiotic and biotic factors and included regional winter sea ice concentration anomalies, 1-year lagged ENSO, and the rate of change at colonies within 1100km (the maximum distance between any colony pair in the Ross Sea; adj. R2 0.803, dev. expl. 83.1%, AICc -344.16). We found model performance increased considerably when the rate of change at surrounding colonies was included (Abiotic only best-fit: R2 adj. 0.355, dev. expl. 41.8%, AICc -243.66). Our findings highlight the importance of considering beyond a single colony to accurately assess population change. We postulate that Ross Sea EMPE populations may display less site fidelity than previously suggested, possibly choosing breeding location based on a variety of factors and temporarily dispersing interannually across the region.
International collaborative efforts have yielded crucial insights into the subglacial conditions beneath the central flow line of the Thwaites Glacier. This research aims to enhance our understanding of how the ice sheet, on a broader scale, flows from the higher regions of the continent towards the margins. The acquired information not only sheds light on the complex processes within the ice column at a more detailed scale but also provides fundamental insights into the dynamic ice flow over key regions in Antarctica. These regions, exemplified by the Thwaites Glacier, are anticipated contributors to short-to-midterm sea-level rise. In this presentation we present new perspectives on the subglacial conditions of the Thwaites Glacier's central flow line. We will also delve into aspects such as subglacial hydrology and internal deformation of the ice column. Furthermore, the discussion will explore the implications of this newfound knowledge for the improvement of ice sheet numerical models and the reduction of uncertainties in sea-level rise projections.
Eco-evolutionary processes shaping Antarctic microbial communities are driven by selection pressures imposed by Antarctica’s extreme environmental conditions. A previous study of the bacterial assemblages in a complex of small wetlands (Cierva Point Wetland Complex - CPWC) revealed that they are shaped by strong homogeneous selection, but did not identify either which phylogenetic clades were submitted to those selection processes or the ecological strategies allowing them to thrive in such extreme conditions. Here, we approached these questions by applying the phyloscore and feature-level βNTI indexes coupled with phylofactorization. In this way, bacterial monophyletic clades subjected to homogeneous (HoS) and heterogenous (HeS) selection were detected. Remarkably, only the HoS clades showed high relative abundance across all samples and signs of putative microdiversity. Most amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) within each HoS clade clustered into a unique 97% sequence similarity operational taxonomic unit (OTU) and inhabited a specific environment type (i.e., lotic, lentic, or terrestrial). Our findings suggest that microdiversification leads to sub-taxa niche differentiation, with putative distinct ecotypes (i.e., groups of ASVs) adapted to a given environment type. We hypothesize that HoS clades thriving in the CPWC have phylogenetically conserved traits that accelerate their rate of evolution, which facilitate microdiversification through enabling rapid adaptation to strong, spatio-temporally variable selection pressures. Remarkably, both selection processes appear to operate simultaneously but on different ecological levels of organization, with homogeneous selection detected at the community level, and variable selection influencing microdiversity at the population level. Our study highlights the importance of simultaneously assessing biodiversity patterns at taxa and sub-taxa levels to understand the eco-evolutionary processes shaping CPWC microbial communities. Also, as it is unknown whether other systems experience this dynamics, it calls for comparable studies elsewhere in Antarctica.
The hundreds of subglacial lakes which underlie the Antarctic ice sheet are important for understanding glaciological processes such as basal lubrication and ice dynamics as well as subglacial hydrological processes such as biogeochemical cycling and discharge of freshwater and sediment into the ocean. These subglacial lakes have been mapped across the continent primarily through two observational methods, radio-echo sounding (RES) and surface deformation. At sites where both observations are coincident, the datasets provide conflicting interpretations about the ice-bed interface. With a single exception, “active” subglacial lakes identified by surface deformation of the overlying ice do not display the expected flat, bright, and specular bed reflection in RES data as is characteristic of "non active" or "stable" lakes (e.g., Lake Vostok). This discrepancy between observations suggests that our physical understanding of Antarctic subglacial hydrology, especially beneath fast-moving ice streams and outlet glaciers, remains incomplete. Here, we use data from an airborne RES campaign that surveyed a well-characterized group of active subglacial lakes on lower Mercer and Whillans ice streams to explore the inconsistency between the two observational techniques. In particular, we test hypotheses of increased scattering and englacial attenuation due to the presence of an active subglacial lake system that could suppress the reflected bed-echo power for RES observations in these locations. Based on our results, we argue that entrained water in the basal ice is both scattering and attenuating the radar echo, making the lake echoes on average dimmer than the grounded non-lake regions of the survey. We argue that this phenomenon is unique to active subglacial lakes, where pressurization associated with the filling and/or draining of a lake forces water into the basal ice.
Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) play a crucial role in the Southern Ocean ecosystem where they are an important prey item for marine predators such as marine mammals and fish, form dense swarms that forage and graze on phytoplankton, and produce large, fast sinking fecal pellets that contribute to the biological pump. Understanding the transport patterns of Antarctic krill is key to forecasting changes in distribution and abundance in a rapidly warming environment.
As part of the SFI Harvest project (https://sfiharvest.no/) at NTNU and SINTEF we are developing an individual-based model of Antarctic krill in the Southern Ocean. The individual-based model is coupled to an ocean model called SINMOD that simulates currents, temperature, salinity and ice dynamics in the Atlantic Sector of the Southern Ocean. The model is run with a time step of 4 minutes, comprised of a regular grid with cells of 4000 x 4000m resolution and 41 depth layers, depending on surface elevation, where layers are thicker at depth than at the surface.
The objective of the work is to study dominant transport pathways in the region and resolve how both abiotic and biotic factors can influence these pathways. Early simulations indicate topographic steering is central in determining transport in these regions. There is relatively high connectivity between the Antarctic Peninsula (a key spawning region and source of Antarctic krill) and the South Orkney Islands. However, there is relatively low connectivity between both these regions and South Georgia, which is known as a net sink for Antarctic krill. A key question surrounds the origin and drivers of interannual variability in South Georgia krill biomass. Another is the impact of diel vertical migration on dominant pathways between these regions.
In the warming world, a need for thermal refuge from a heat stress inducing environment is becoming increasingly important. An all-radiant approach to this need has been developed, whereby radiant cooling provided by chilled surfaces isolated from the warm and often humid air can efficiently remove heat from occupants to create the sensation of thermal comfort in otherwise overly hot environments. The most recent embodiment of this project is a direct expansion radiant cooler, whereby a large flat plate evaporator is chilled, rejecting heat back to the air much like a refrigerator.
In the Antarctic, there is an opportunity for the same technology to work in reverse--a direct expansion, convectively isolated all-radiant heater to act as a spot heater to improve thermal comfort sensations in environments where the air temperature cannot be maintained at thermally acceptable conditions. The use of a thermally transparent membrane that enables radiant heat transfer but eliminates convective heating of the air by isolating the hot, flat plate condenser, can efficiently source heat from the air or sun (when available) and radiantly heat occupants.
In this study, Antarctic operation of this novel heat pumping system will be modeled to demonstrate comfort ranges of the technology. Based on the authors' expanded psychrometrics framework, independent manipulation of air temperature and radiant temperature is parameterized, and used to characterize the performance of the generated thermal environment over a range of Antarctic heat sourcing temperatures.
Chemical and biological characterisation of Antarctic permafrost soils remains insufficiently studied. To bridge these knowledge gaps, soil samples from the active layer down to the permafrost table were collected in Deception and Livingston islands, South Shetlands archipelago (Maritime Antarctica). The aim of this work was to characterize the trace-element content, their chemical availability, and potential toxicity related with microbial transformations. For that, samples were digested with a mixture of acids for contaminant content (e.g. arsenic, cadmium, mercury) and sequential extractions were used to investigate their chemical availability. To assess the toxicity potential of these samples, their genetic material was extracted and submitted to 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and PCR detection of As and Hg methylation genes (arsM and hgcAB, respectively), which may contribute to increase (Hg to methylmercury) or decrease (As to dimethylarsenic) toxicity. Results showed relatively higher concentrations of total mercury and arsenic in Deception Island, possibly due to the existence of active volcanic sources. Data from the sequential extractions point to the presence of contaminants that are easily released with changes of pH commonly found near active fumaroles (e.g. Ni), or changes in redox potential due to the percolation of water (e.g. As). These indicate possible niches for microbially-mediated Hg and As methylation in the studied soils. This hypothesis will be addressed via molecular characterization of the microbiomes in the analysed samples.
The present work shows that thawing permafrost might potentially impact these ecosystems, especially considering the mobilisation of elements and the increased toxicity, posing potential environmental risks to Maritime Antarctica wildlife.
Network approaches can shed light on the structure and stability of complex marine communities. In recent years, such approaches have been successfully applied to study polar ecosystems, improving our knowledge on how they might respond to ongoing environmental changes. The Weddell Sea is one of the most studied marine ecosystems outside the Antarctic Peninsula in the Southern Ocean. Yet, few studies consider the known complexity of the Weddell Sea food web, which in its current form comprises 490 species and 16 041 predator–prey interactions. Here we analysed the Weddell Sea food web, focusing on the species and trophic interactions that underpin ecosystem structure and stability. We estimated the strength for each interaction in the food web, characterised species position in the food web using unweighted and weighted food web properties, and analysed species’ roles with respect to the stability of the food web. We found that the distribution of the interaction strength (IS) at the food web level is asymmetric, with many weak interactions and few strong ones. We detected a positive relationship between species median IS and two unweighted properties (i.e. trophic level and the total number of interactions). We also found that only a few species possess key positions in terms of food web stability. These species are characterised by high median IS, a middle to high trophic level, a relatively high number of interactions, and middle to low trophic similarity. In this study, we integrated unweighted and weighted food web information, enabling a more complete assessment of the ecosystem structure and function of the Weddell Sea food web. Our results provide new insights, which are important for the development of effective policies and management strategies, particularly given the ongoing initiative to implement a marine protected area (MPA) in the Weddell Sea.
Team Polar is a student team from Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) with members from different majors and countries. The team is developing an autonomous and self-sufficient vehicle for Antarctic researchers to help facilitate research in dangerous and inaccessible areas. This development is done in collaboration with advisors from the industry to encourage the implementation of novel technologies.
The team’s first prototype rover, called the Ice Cube, underwent its first test in the Norwegian snow in January 2023. The team is currently working on a second prototype to further develop the cold-climate operation abilities of the vehicle which will eventually lead to a modular vehicle that can aid researchers by autonomously carrying out measurements for them in the vicinity of several hundred kilometers of a research station. In order to demonstrate this technology, the team is in the work of setting up a collaboration agreement with an Antarctic research organization and the development of the rover is being tailored towards their intended application area.
The new rover will have autonomous capabilities based on sensor input and algorithms. The algorithms determine the optimal route of the vehicle between points based on the Reference Elevation Model of Antarctica (REMA) with a GPS module. Cameras, ground penetrating radar, and a lidar sensor will be implemented to find obstacles and adjust the route of the rover.
The team is looking for experts in the field of cold-climate engineering to aid us in our development, and welcome new ideas on how our vehicle might provide value to the polar research community.
Team Polar is a student team from Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) with members from different majors and countries. The team is developing an autonomous and self-sufficient vehicle for Antarctic researchers to help facilitate research in dangerous and inaccessible areas. This development is done in collaboration with advisors from the industry to encourage the implementation of novel technologies.
The team’s first prototype rover, called the Ice Cube, underwent its first test in the Norwegian snow in January 2023. The team is currently working on a second prototype to further develop the cold-climate operation abilities of the vehicle that will eventually lead to a modular vehicle that can aid researchers by autonomously carrying out measurements for them in the vicinity of several hundred kilometers of a research station. In order to demonstrate this technology, the team is in the work of setting up a collaboration agreement with an Antarctic research organization and the development of the rover is being tailored towards their intended application area.
The new rover will have autonomous capabilities based on sensor input and algorithms. The algorithms determine the optimal route of the vehicle between points based on the Reference Elevation Model of Antarctica (REMA) with a GPS module. Cameras, a ground penetrating radar and a lidar sensor will be implemented to find obstacles and adjust the route of the rover.
The team is looking for experts in the field of cold-climate engineering to aid us in our development, and welcome new ideas on how our vehicle might provide value to the polar research community.
Antarctic krill have a huge biomass which underpins their significant contribution to the Southern Ocean’s biological carbon pump. However, there is a gap in knowledge on the relative importance of different life stages. Here, we address this by assessing the impact of life stage (larvae, juveniles postlarvae, and adults) on krill particulate organic carbon (POC) flux in the form of faecal pellets, exuviae and carcasses. We conducted lab-based experiments which revealed differences in average sizes, sinking rates and attenuation of pellets among different life stages. We then combined these results with literature estimates of intermoult period and larval exuviae masses to produce life-stage-specific estimates of POC flux. Our research highlights spatial variability in POC flux processes across South Georgia, the South Orkney Islands, and the Western Antarctic Peninsula, related to differences in the abundance of the three life stages. By combining POC flux estimates, attenuation estimates and ocean dynamics, we provide estimates of the amount of krill carbon that is sequestered for >100 years. Our evaluation of the impact of krill life history on long-term carbon storage will help to identify the locations to prioritise for protection.
Wetlands are ecosystems wherein the temporary or permanent presence of water renders biogeochemical fluxes different from those of terrestrial and freshwater ones, and forces the biota to adapt to such variable conditions. These particular ecosystem structure and functioning have generated a distinct paradigm for their study, conservation and management. Wetlands are distributed worldwide, including Antarctic ecoregions. Indeed, some ecosystems in McMurdo Dry Valleys, Byers Peninsula and Soya Coast were properly named as wetlands, but mostly analysed under limnological paradigms.
Although globally recognised as biodiversity hotspots and key providers of ecosystem services, fast degradation and disappearance of wetlands prompted the Ramsar Convention as the Intergovernmental treaty for their conservation. Still, as this requires contracting national parties to make sovereign management decisions on protected areas, the Antarctic Treaty System precludes nomination of Ramsar-protected Antarctic wetlands. Nor does the Madrid Protocol include them among the ecosystems meriting nomination of Antarctic Specially Protected Areas (ASPAs).
Cierva Point is located within ASPA Nº134, so nominated due to its exceptional biodiversity. Its topographically complex North face is dominated by a plethora of small wetlands. During 2017-2018 we geolocated 66 wetlands and classified them into nine types. Then we analysed the contribution of the wetland type, geomorphological site properties (location, exposure, dominant substrate, influence of penguin colonies) and physical-chemical features to their environmental characterization through two Principal Component Analyses. Although the variables selected in each PCA explained a high percentage of the variance, the resulting ordinations were different and neither grouped wetlands of the same type. Rather, distinct combinations of these features define Cierva Point as a wetland mosaic hosting a rich environmental diversity expressed as a biodiversity hotspot. As the ecological complexity and uniqueness of wetlands largely explains their outstanding diversity, we recommend the specific paradigms pertaining them be embraced in their future study and conservation.
The past decade has seen a growing interest in music and sound pertaining to the Antarctic (Hince et al 2015; Philpott 2013) and the importance of music in sustaining well-being in Antarctica (Smith 2020; Giles 2015; Watson 2015; Adams 2010). Barring Summerson (2015), little attention has been paid to non-Western experiences of music and sound in Antarctica as well as to the impacts of music and sound on the well-being of an expedition crew. This paper explores the musical and sonic experiences and related emotions of the members of the 1st Japanese Antarctic Expedition outlined in musician Keiichi Tada’s diary (Tada 1912). References to silence, sound, poetry and music – of which there are many – are analysed in relation to comments and observations of the crew made by Tada. Additionally, he commented on natural soundscapes in the Antarctic and wrote poetry and music on board (including songs written overnight to boost team morale). There is ample mention of a gramophone with which the crew listened to traditional Japanese music and a shakuhachi (a Japanese bamboo flute) which Tada frequently practiced in the evenings. One section named Gramophone damaged recounts the moment the mainspring was damaged, followed by Tada’s personifying commentaries that ‘our only comforter is injured’, it ‘sustained a life-threatening injury’ and ‘retired’ until it was repaired in New Zealand. Tada continues that ‘we the gramophone crew were despondent and the gramophone was a major comforter for us the past two years’. Tada’s description of music as the only comforter is reflected in other social interactions on the expeditions. As such, this paper aims to contribute to existing research on primarily Western experiences of music and sound in Antarctica and to highlight the historical and potential roles of music and sound on the well-being of Antarctic researchers.
Over the last ten years, there has been an increasing use of remotely piloted aircraft systems and satellite remote sensing platforms to monitor polar wildlife. The large volumes of data collected by such platforms necessitate the use of machine learning to automate the process of finding and counting wildlife in the imagery. There are several distinct on-going research projects led by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) that deal with automated counting of a range of polar predators including penguins, whales, walrus, albatrosses, and seals. Several projects involve training neural networks to identify and count individual animals in imagery, using a range of frameworks such as YOLO, DINO,CO-DETR and UNet. These projects face similar problems of sparse and variable training data, and implementing pipelines to run very large datasets through bespoke processing methodologies. Other foci include the application of spectral classifiers on multi-temporal Sentinel-2 and PlanetLabs data to identify walrus haul-out sites and emperor penguin colonies. These two research streams often return data of variable quality and inconsistent temporal usability, from which ecological information must be subsequently extracted by applying a variety of bias, shifts and statistical processes.
The Wildlife from Space Centre at BAS is in a unique position, collaborating internally with BAS biologists, statistical ecologists, remote sensing experts and the AI lab, and externally with a number of UK universities, research groups and NGO’s including the Alan Turing Institute and the AI4ER and SENSE centres for doctoral training. This collaborative approach and strong links with many international partners in Antarctica and over a wider global context allowing BAS to bring world-leading skills and unrivalled expertise in wildlife remote sensing into a broader sphere. Here we present an overview of the current machine learning projects and showcase a number of specific examples on whales, seals, walrus, penguins and albatrosses.
Recent analyses of emperor penguin populations from pan-Antarctic VHR satellite imagery (LaRue et al 2024) have shown a reduction in numbers between 2009 and 2018, when colonies become visible to satellites in the Antarctic spring. Here we extend the record to 2023 for the sixteen colonies located between 0° and 90° West for which we have consistent data. This provides a 15-year record and includes the recent period of rapid sea ice decline in the region, as well as the long-term decline reported previously. Our new record shows an overall decline in emperor numbers with a distinct downturn after 2018.
The accuracy of satellite estimates has been questioned in recent work, highlighting that supervised classification methods give poor quality population data. This results from the variability in huddle density which can be environmentally driven, or differences in adult attendance due to the timing of the imagery in comparison to breeding phenology. However, for most colonies, satellite remote sensing remains the only viable method of monitoring. Satellite archives exist for most of the known breeding sites, albeit in some cases with only a limited number of suitable images. Here we compare area of penguins, rather than estimated population and report the results of 194 satellite assessments in this sector over the 15 year period. We show that despite highly variable data, a statistically significant negative trend exists in the numbers of emperor penguins. Finally, we look to future technological improvements in monitoring emperor penguins using remote sensing, suggesting three possible alternative methodologies.
Knowledge of the spatial distribution of many polar seabird species is incomplete due to logistical difficulties of accessing remote breeding locations. Here, we compile a new database of published and unpublished records of all known snow petrel Pagodroma nivea breeding sites. We quantify local environmental conditions at these sites by appending indices of climate and substrate, and at the regional scale by appending sea-ice conditions within accessible foraging areas between 1992-2021. Snow petrels are now reported at 456 breeding sites across Antarctica and the subantarctic islands. We present a new global population estimates based on 222 sites where population data is available and estimate a minimum of ~77,400 breeding pairs. Breeding sites are close to the coast and research stations, the latter suggesting sampling bias. The median distance to the November sea ice edge (breeding season sea-ice maximum) is 430 km. Locally, most breeding pairs are located in cavities on high-grade metamorphic rocks. The most extreme (low) summer temperatures are at the most inland sites, and the highest temperatures at their northern breeding limit. Breeding location and cavity selection is likely controlled most importantly by suitable breeding substrate availability within sustainable distance of suitable foraging habitat. Within this range, cavities may then be selected based on local conditions such as cavity size and aspect. Our database will allow formal analyses of habitat selection, and provides a baseline against which to monitor future changes in the distribution of snow petrels in response to climate change.
Maritime and Peninsular Antarctica have one of the highest warming rates on the planet. Temperature rise impacts biodiversity, as well as ecological and biogeochemical functions. Microbes are the most diverse component of the Antarctic ecosystems. They control the flux of matter and energy in these low-temperature, low-nutrient ecosystems. Because unpredictable and severe weather, Antarctic research has focused on the summer, and our knowledge is limited regarding processes occurring during the darkest, coldest season, called the Polar Night.
We integrated metabarcoding, metagenomics, and infrared imaging to study inland microbial mats, which typically develop in streams and ponds during summertime.
Our results show that the diversity of summer microbial mats is high and activity during the polar night is constrained to a few microbial taxa. The metabolic potential differences are particularly marked between autotrophs and heterotrophs and relate to both cellular structure and function pathways. Infrared imaging results show structural and chemical differences between well-developed and early-stage ice-covered microbial mats. By understanding how Antarctic microbes respond and adapt to environmental change, we aim to help predict and mitigate the effects of Global Change.
The Roosevelt Island Climate Evolution (RICE) project recovered a 763.4 m deep ice core to bedrock from Roosevelt Island, at the northern edge of the Ross Ice Shelf. The ice at Roosevelt Island is grounded 210m below sea level and accumulates in situ, with the Ross Ice Shelf flowing around the rise.
Comparison of the modern RICE isotope data with meteorological records suggest that the record is representative of the temperature variability in the Ross Sea Region, the Ross Ice Shelf and western West Antarctica. In addition, the analysis shows that the RICE record is particularly sensitive to changes in regional sea-ice extent and low and mid latitude climate drivers, in particular to the combined effects of the El Niño Southern Oscillation, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation and the Southern Annular Mode1.
Here, we show gas, isotope, geochemical and physical properties data spanning the past 65 ka and discuss reconstructions of environmental conditions and ice dynamics. The age model is based on synchronization of CH4 and δ18Oatm records with the WAIS Divide Ice Core2. High resolution CH4 and δ15N records support analysis of precise interhemispheric phasing of events.
Our data suggest that the Ross Sea region entered conditions of the Antarctic Cold Reversal that preceded the onset Bólling Transition by ~125 years and precedes the WDC ARC onset by ~300 years. We interpret this early onset to reflect a change in atmospheric conditions that led to a reduction in snow accumulation and early, regional isotopic cooling and explore impacts on ocean currents, regional sea-ice extent, and ice sheet dynamics.
Southern Ocean productivity is seasonally limited by the micronutrient iron. Windblown mineral dust, a significant source of bio-available iron, has been shown to support a considerable portion of Southern Ocean productivity. However, the effect of dust-derived iron fertilisation on phytoplankton communities, key drivers of the biological carbon pump, and export production dynamics remains poorly understood. We investigated the impact of dust-iron on phytoplankton communities and carbon sequestration in the iron-limited Southern Ocean. Using bio-optical observations from BGC-Argo floats, we examined the effects of dust-iron addition on phytoplankton productivity, community structure, and carbon export dynamics. We found that increased dust deposition correlates with increased chlorophyll, particulate organic carbon (POC) and cellular pigmentation (chl:POC) in the mixed layer, indicating enhanced photosynthetic activity by phytoplankton and a shift towards diatom-dominated communities consistent with iron fertilisation. We also identified a basin-wide correlation between dust deposition and annual export production (AEP), corroborating the idea that enhanced dust deposition during glacial periods contributed to lower atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Furthermore, regional variations in AEP were linked to subsurface iron sources, emphasising the complex interplay between atmospheric and oceanic iron inputs. These results suggest that dust-iron fertilisation not only enhances phytoplankton productivity but may also increase the efficiency of carbon export, potentially facilitating long-term oceanic carbon sequestration. This work highlights the important role of dust-derived iron in shaping the Southern Ocean's biogeochemical cycles and highlights the need for further research to understand the mechanistic links between dust deposition, phytoplankton responses, and carbon export.
In the middle of the 2010s, interpretation of radio-echo sounding revealed a series of subparallel, narrow, and long subglacial canyons in Princess Elizabeth Land, East Antarctica, which individually extend to 545 km in length and are up to 10 km wide. The existence of a large subglacial lake in one of the canyons was suggested on the basis of subglacial hydraulic flatness, elevated basal reflectivity, and high basal specularity. The lake is estimated approximately 42 km in length and 370 km2 in area, making it one of the largest subglacial lakes in Antarctica. The lake is overlain with an average ice thickness of about 3,600 m. The estimated maximal water thickness from gravity inversion in the central part of the lake is ~240 m. The measured ice temperature at the surface is about -41°C. Subglacial Lake Qilin was chosen as a candidate for exploration because the lake is (a) logistically accessible through Chinese scientific field operations (~600 km from the Chinese Zhongshan Station); (b) thought to be isolated, potentially for hundreds of thousands of years and may provide unique information about the microbial evolution, the past climate of the Earth and the formation of the ice sheet; (c) representative of many other continental interior deep subglacial Antarctic lakes, in terms of pressure and temperature conditions. The concept of the proposed exploration is based on the deep clean hot water drilling system that recently is considered as the most environmental friendly access technology. We also consider to test alternative option for subglacial exploration – RECoverable Autonomous Sonde (RECAS) that allows to drill ice downward and upward and to sample subglacial water while the subglacial lake remains isolated from the surface.
Antarctic marine ectotherms live in the constant cold and are characterised by limited resilience to elevated temperature. Here we tested three of the central paradigms underlying this resilience. Firstly, we assessed the ability of 8 species, from 7 classes representing a range of functional groups, to survive, for 100 to 303 days, at temperatures 0 to 4 °C above previously calculated long-term temperature limits. Survivors were then tested for acclimation responses to acute warming and acclimatisation, in the field, was tested in the seastar O. validus collected in different years, seasons and locations within Antarctica. Finally, we tested the importance of oxygen limitation in controlling upper thermal limits. We found that four of 11 species studied were able to survive for more than 245 days (245 – 303 days) at higher than previously recorded temperatures, between 6 and 10 °C. Only survivors of the anemone Urticinopsis antarctica did not acclimate CTmax and there was no evidence of acclimatisation in O. validus. We found species-specific effects of mild hyperoxia (30 % oxygen) on survival duration, which was extended (2 species), not changed (4 species) or reduced (1 species), re-enforcing that oxygen limitation is not universal in dictating thermal survival thresholds. Thermal sensitivity is clearly the product of multiple ecological and physiological capacities, and this diversity of response needs further investigation and interpretation to improve our ability to predict future patterns of biodiversity.
Extensive magmatic activity over considerable time scales, with regional variations in magnitude and extent, is indicated by near-surface geological observations along the western margin of the West Antarctic Rift System (WARS). Late Neoproterozoic to early Paleozoic and mid-Paleozoic magmatic rocks are related to long-lasting convergence along the paleo-Pacific active continental margin of East Gondwana. Mafic intrusive and extrusive magmatism occurred during the Jurassic, associated with the breakup of Gondwana. Cenozoic plutonic and volcanic activity associated with the formation of the WARS occurs in an area characterized by enhanced geothermal heat flux, as indicated by Curie depth estimates. These findings support tomographic interpretations suggesting a thermal anomaly beneath the Transantarctic Mountains, which has influenced magmatic activity and is one of many factors that must be considered with regard to future Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) stability.
We present a new 3D crustal model of the western continental margin of the WARS based on joint inversion of magnetic and gravity data using “Variation of Information” algorithm incorporated in the academic software JIF3D. Analysis of regional data combined with a single inversion of a high-resolution airborne magnetic survey in a key region of the western rift margin allows a more reliable interpretation of subsurface structures. Geological field observations and ground susceptibility measurements validate the modelled results and allow the differentiation of magnetic source bodies, their assignment to individual tectonic events with magmatic activities, as well as the assignment of possible deformation sequences along major fault zones. The combination of high-resolution geophysical data and geological evidence allows the creation of a subsurface model and its link to lesser-known regions of the western rift margin. With its present-day sharp glaciated topography, this region forms a distinct boundary, delimiting the AIS in its hinterland and blocking the lateral ice flow towards the Ross Sea.
The dynamics of Soil Organic Carbon stocks (SOC stocks) in Maritime Antarctica (MA) and the Antarctic Peninsula (AP) in response to climate change scenarios remain uncertain. This understanding can reveal whether Antarctic soils and permafrost will act as a carbon sink or source. In this context, our objective was to predict the dynamics of SOC stocks, considering the projected temperature increases of 1.5°C (SSP1-2.6 scenario) as outlined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) for the 0-30cm soil layer. To achieve this, we utilized the largest dataset, comprising 3,500 soil samples collected in the field. Initially, we calculated the SOC stock for all samples by utilizing data on soil bulk density, soil organic carbon content, and soil thickness. Subsequently, we employed climate data from Chelsea under SSP1-2.6 scenario, net primary production, incorporated topographic variables, and applied ML techniques in our predictive model. Our results demonstrated a 27.7% increase (1.75 Teragrams) in SOC stock values compared to the present (0.50 Teragrams) with a temperature increment of 1.5°C in the most optimistic SSP scenario, with prediction performance greater than 0.50 considering Lin’s Concordance Correlation Coefficient. The increase in SOC stocks is driven by elevated precipitation rates and rising temperatures. Consequently, there is an expected expansion of ice-free areas, leading to a higher rate of colonization by plant communities. The establishment and growth of these plant communities are foreseen to contribute organic carbon to the soil. In conclusion, our results reveal that the ice-free areas of MA and the AP will act as a carbon sink, considering a temperature increase of 1.5°C (SSP 1-2.6 scenario), particularly within the 0-30cm soil layer.
Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) support valuable fisheries across the Southern Ocean under the management of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). The fishery at South Georgia (CCAMLR sub-area 48.3) accounts for 26% of the catch of this species in the Southern Ocean over the last 25 years. Within this context, this presentation will: i) examine the effects of exploitation and changes in management of the fishery on biological traits of Patagonian toothfish, ii) provide an updated assessment of spawning dynamics, and iii) discuss the biological implications of these findings considering the current fisheries management regime. Our results show considerable spatial and temporal variability in the mean size of fish in the catch, but no evidence of a systematic decrease during the 25-year period. We also show that the changes in mean size of fish is linked to recruitment. Catch per unit effort (CPUE) dropped from 1997 to 2010, increased from then until 2017, and returned subsequently to values typical of the mid-2000s to mid-2010s. Spawning peaks in July, and occurs along the shelf-break of South Georgia, with spawning hotspots detected at Shag Rocks, midway along both the northern and southern shelf breaks, and at the eastern end of the main island. These results illustrate the role of management regulations (including depth restrictions and benthic closed areas) in limiting the impacts of commercial exploitation on this long-lived fish, which has an important role as the largest benthic predator in subantarctic ecosystem in the Southern Ocean.
AGATA (Antarctic Geospace and ATmosphere research) is a new established Programme Planning Group approved by SCAR (Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research) to propose a new Scientific Research Programme (SRP) after more than 10 years from the previous initiative on similar topics. The proposed SRP will aim to gather the scientific communities working on polar regions to answering the outstanding scientific questions within atmospheric and space physics over polar regions:
As the central role of the polar regions in understanding the coupling between the magnetosphere and the neutral and the ionized atmosphere (ionosphere), answering these questions will not only have implications on the understanding of processes in the polar atmosphere, but it will also greatly improve our understanding of the global atmospheric dynamics, thus contributing to the development of large-scale whole atmosphere and climate models.
AGATA will bring together communities which investigate the polar atmosphere and geospace, with a particular focus on Antarctica, but also with a bi-polar perspective. AGATA will be a coordinated, worldwide effort to monitor, investigate and better understand the physics of the polar atmosphere and the impact of the Sun-Earth interactions on the polar regions. AGATA will take advantage of existing and planned instrumentation in Antarctica, but also in the Arctic and satellite-based observations, and it will aim for coordinated research efforts and data exchange. AGATA will also be important for sciences that depend on the removal and mitigation of negative effects of the atmosphere on their observations (such as, e.g., radio astronomy and geodesy). To learn more you can visit the AGATA web pages: www.scar.org/science/agata/home/
Recent research has extensively analyzed summertime atmospheric river (AR) events in the Antarctic Peninsula (AP) using ground-based and atmospheric observations. However, a significant gap remains in understanding the occurrence and impacts of ARs during the Antarctic winter. This study focuses on an extraordinary warming event in the AP from 1 to 3 July 2023, utilizing data from in-situ winter observations and ERA5 reanalysis. On 2 July, the Frei station in the northern AP recorded an anomalous daily maximum near-surface air temperature of 2.7°C, significantly exceeding historical averages and indicating a substantial warming event. Radiosonde observations between 2 and 3 July showed a considerable rise in the freezing level to about 650 meters, contrasting sharply with the approximately 30 meters observed before the event. Concurrently, liquid precipitation was recorded, as corroborated by ERA5 data, leading to notable rain-on-snow and melt events. These events were captured in photographic evidence, marking the first observed instance of rainfall during the Antarctic winter. Synoptically, the event was characterized by a distinct trough over the Bellingshausen Sea and a pronounced northwest-southeast oriented blocking ridge from the southwestern Atlantic to the Weddell Sea. This configuration led to a dipole-like pressure pattern around the AP, fostering the development of a north-to-south oriented AR that transported warm, moisture-laden air from continental South America and the southeast Pacific towards the AP. Long-term winter trends indicate a strengthening of this pattern, resulting in increasingly pronounced northerly winds over the AP. Statistical analysis demonstrates a strong correlation between the strengthened dipole pattern and both increased AR frequency and warm temperature anomalies in the northern AP. This study highlights the critical need for more comprehensive in-situ winter observations as these are essential to fully capture the spectrum of AR impacts and to deepen our understanding of their influence in the region.
The Antarctic is arguably one of the regions that is most affected in the world by climate change. This presentation aims to: (1) review the effects of climate change on Antarctic seabird populations, (2) review recent advances in identification of prey (cephalopods and crustaceans) in the diet of Antarctic seabirds, and (3) discuss potential future consequences of climate change for Antarctic seabirds and strategies for their conservation related to the Antarctic Treaty. Climate change can affect Antarctic seabirds in various ways, not only through direct effects on the abundance, distribution and population dynamics of prey resources, but also because of concomitant changes in fishing activities, pollution, invasive species at breeding colonies and disease. For example, several Antarctic seabird species (grey-headed and black-browed albatrosses at South Georgia, king penguins at Crozet Islands) have shown shifts in diet, distribution or foraging behaviour in response to variation in the distribution and availability of prey in surrounding waters as a consequence of climate change. Guides for the identification of cephalopods and crustaceans from the Southern Ocean have been updated, and recent research shows the advantages of DNA-based methods for identifying cephalopods in predator diet, while providing new insights into their biology. In the future, the success of conservation policies for the Antarctic region will depend on more engagement between ecologists and policy makers to better account for the effects of climate change on Antarctic seabirds in relation to other threats, under a Antarctic Treaty context. Monitoring of the ecology and population status of seabirds is essential for understanding their roles in ecosystems, and adaptive management (e.g., regular monitoring of MPAs, flexible MPA boundaries) will be important for addressing future changes and ensuring the best outcomes for conservation.
Since 2009, the Laboratory of Antarctic Studies in Human Sciences (LEACH) based at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG, Brazil) has conducted extensive research in Antarctic archaeology, notably through the "White Landscapes" project with the aim to understand human strategies involved in Antarctica's occupation. Unlike conventional narratives centered on "important men," this investigation sheds light on the often overlooked contributions of ordinary actors in the incorporation of this continent to the modern world.
Utilizing multidisciplinary approaches, the project delves into a diverse array of sources, ranging from material remains to written records. Through this comprehensive analysis, we challenge prevailing archaeological paradigms, presenting alternative narratives that reflect the complexity of Antarctic history.
In this presentation, we aim to discuss a new line of inquiry based on a digital approach to Public Archeology that is being developed in the project. This new path proposes the use and integration of digital technologies, such as video games, 3D scans and prints of artifacts, videos, visual records from drones, digital database and LEACH website as potential tools to engage with a wider audience and provide immersive experiences from a perspective based on the Digital Humanities. By leveraging these tools, we offer pluralistic perspectives that resonate beyond academic circles, fostering a more inclusive understanding of Antarctica's past.
By doing this, we aim to discuss how these efforts represent a paradigm shift in Antarctic archaeology, as we move away from linear narratives towards non-linear interpretations that capture the multifaceted nature of human experiences on the continent. Through the "White Landscapes" project, we aim to rewrite the conventional understanding of Antarctica's history, emphasizing the agency of diverse actors and challenging the dominant discourse. Ultimately, our research contributes to a more nuanced and inclusive portrayal of Antarctica's past, enriching our understanding of this unique and remote region.
Often the Antarctic boundary layer is described in terms of persistent, strong temperature inversions and strong static stability but some studies have highlighted the fact that weaker stability can occur frequently, even during the austral winter. Here, we analyze multiple years of radiosonde observations from three coastal (McMurdo, Syowa and Neumayer) and two continental interior (South Pole and Dome C) sites to characterize the range of boundary layer stability present on a seasonal basis across the Antarctic continent.
The artificial neural network data analysis technique known as self-organizing maps (SOMs) is used to objectively identify 30 boundary layer potential temperature profiles, at each site, that span the range of stability conditions observed. The results from this analysis reveal that strong stability dominates at the interior sites while coastal sites experience a wider range of stability conditions. This analysis also reveals that weaker stability near the surface is often capped by enhanced stability aloft, above the boundary layer.
Based on the SOM-identified potential temperature profiles thresholds of potential temperature gradient were selected to classify near surface stability ranging from near neutral to very strongly stable and stability aloft ranging from weakly stable to very strongly stable. These thresholds were then used to identify 20 stability regimes defined by both near surface and aloft stability. These thresholds were applied consistently to all five study sites allowing for a direct comparison of the frequency of different boundary layer stability regimes on a seasonal basis and across the continent. Finally, near surface wind speed and downwelling longwave radiation were compared across all of the stability regimes to identify wind and radiation conditions associated with varying stability. A comparison of the stability regime frequencies across the five study sites and the wind and radiation associated with each stability regime will be presented.
The Antarctic Treaty, signed in 1959, recognizes the Antarctic Treaty area as a region for peaceful purposes, promoting international scientific cooperation and environmental protection. Fostering education and outreach on the Antarctic region is important to inform stakeholders of the relevance of region, such as allowing scientific and educational awareness of this fragile environment, environmental stewardship, climate change education, historical/cultural significance, policy and advocacy, public engagement and inspire future generations while promoting international, interdisciplinary and collaborative research. In order to assess the relevance of education and outreach (E&O) activities about the Antarctic Treaty, recognized at the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings (ATCM) and its Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP), we examine I) the amount of the number of ATCM papers submitted on E&O since 1961, II) the key topics and the target audiences detailed in papers submitted to the ATCM on E&O and III) potential challenges on E & O in the future at the ATCMs. Since the Antarctic Treaty was signed, a total of 216 ATCM papers on E&O have been produced. The number of papers has increased substantially since the mid-1990s. “Science” (76.9%) and “Wildlife/Biodiversity/Environment” (75.5%) were the most addressed topics in these papers, while “Public” (81.0%) and those attending “Schools” (69.0%) are the main target audiences. “Science” in ATCM papers increased c. 120-fold from 1961-1997 to 2015-2023, while ATCM papers discussing engagement with the “Public” increased c. 40-fold during the same period. “Climate change” was first mentioned in 2006 and the number of papers per year increased 4-fold by 2015-2023. This study shows increasing interest in E&O through time, addressing key topics to relevant audiences related to the Antarctic region. Emerging topics (e.g., Equity, Diversity and Inclusion) and the engagement of early career professionals and educators should be made a priority.
Studies on the extent of pollution, especially in remote areas, are crucial to conservation efforts. Following the advent of global plastic production in the mid-1900s, inefficient recycling and waste management policies have resulted in microplastics (<5 mm) being found in all studied oceanic environments. In this work, we provide information on the ingestion of textile fibers by benthic invertebrates sampled along the shelf of the Antarctic Peninsula, between 212 and 805 m depth. Studied organisms are deposited in biological collections spanning 30 years of research efforts, over the period of 1986 to 2016. A total of 85 fibers were found following analysis of 169 specimens. Seven fibers were identified as microplastics, with polymers encompassing polyamide, polycarbonate, polyester, polyethylene terephthalate, polysulfone, and synthetic rubber. We report the earliest documented record of microplastics in Antarctica, ingested by Boreomysis sp. mysids caught in 1986. Out of the 15 species studied, 13 had fibers within their gut content, or 31.36% of individuals. The highest fiber ingestion rates were recorded in the sea cucumbers Heterocucumis steineni (n=5) (100%), Molpadia violacea (n=6) (83.33%), and Scotoplanes globosa (n=4) (75%). The number of ingested fibers had a tendency to be higher in deposit and suspension feeders compared to predators, indicating a historical occurrence of textile debris in the sediment and water column of the world’s most remote continental margin. Our results renew concerns regarding human impact on this supposedly pristine environment. Lastly, we emphasize the importance of biological collections and archives, and the extensive efforts of curators and researchers in providing precious environmental insights even decades after sampling.
Shallow coastal marine regions of Antarctica are very rare, small in size, and disconnected. At the same time, they are subject to terrestrial and marine threats and often coincide with human infrastructure. Despite this nexus of threatening processes, the ecosystems receive very little formal protection. Their smaller size makes them suitable candidates for protection under the Antarctic Specially Protected Area framework, however very few marine based ASPAs currently exist. Here, we explored the current state of nearshore protections and identify the complexities that arise when trying to designate ASPAs with marine components.
Aerosol particles influence the surface energy budget through cloud formation, and hence are relevant for climate. The sources of aerosol in Antarctica, however, are poorly constrained, which limits our ability to predict the climate response as the Antarctic environment warms.
In the remote Antarctic atmosphere, aerosol sources are limited. New particle formation (NPF) has a demonstrated role in Antarctic aerosol production (Jokinen et al., 2018; Quéléver et al., 2022). The gases involved in NPF, such as sulfuric acid, methanesulfonic acid, iodic acid, and ammonia, come from local ecosystem processes. However, direct observations of these gases are limited.
Herein, we present observations of NPF in the summertime Antarctic atmosphere from Marambio station, including the first highly sensitive online measurements of ammonia. Our measurements provide comprehensive characterization of NPF events, including the concentration of relevant gases, the chemistry of the growing clusters, and the size distribution of particles and ions > 1nm. We also measured cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentrations and cloud droplet number size distributions, which allows us to link NPF and growth with cloud formation processes.
We characterized the key sources of aerosol precursor vapors, especially ammonia. We found that penguin/bird colonies are significant source of ammonia, whereas the ocean is not. Our results also identify that the chemical mechanism of NPF is dominated by sulfuric acid and ammonia. We observe enhancement in particle formation rates with ammonia mixing ratios as low as 100 ppt. Using a specific case study, we are able to link regional NPF to enhanced CCN concentrations as well as subsequent fog/cloud formation.
Our results demonstrate the fundamental role of ecosystem processes in cloud formation over coastal Antarctica. Since the Antarctic environment is rapidly changing, and penguin populations may decline, this represents a potential feedback to cloud formation processes that affect the regional climate.
Targeted bedrock sampling was carried out on Princess Elizabeth Land (30 km south of the coast, at 69.585591S; 76.385165E) by drilling through a 545 m thick ice. The borehole was drilled using a new, modified version of the cable-suspended Ice and Bedrock Electromechanical Drill (IBED) designed by the Jilin University (China) and under a joint scientific project between VNIIOkeangeologia, Jilin University and China University of Geosciences (Beijing). The drill site is located on the axis of a high-amplitude linear magnetic anomaly that runs parallel to the coast for more than 500 km from Princess Elizabeth Land to Mac.Rosbertson Land. The nature of this anomaly remained unclear, but it is thought to be related to the suture zone between Proterozoic terrains formed during the Neoproterozoic amalgamation of the Rodinia supercontinent. Based on visual field identification, the 48 cm long core is presented by metamorphosed mafic rocks. The magnetic susceptibility of the sample is about 0.05 SI and this high value confirms that similar rocks produce a prominent magnetic anomaly. In the next Antarctic season, borehole geophysical logging will be conducted including temperature measurements for GHF calculations. In addition to new geological insights, several surprising results are being obtained that may change our view of the behavior of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. First, the thickness of the basal ice is much thinner (0.17 m) than it was expected. Second, the basal ice is solidly frozen to the bedrock and measured temperature at the bottom of the borehole (-4.5°C) is far below pressure melting point, although numerical models predict melting at this site. This means that the base of the Antarctic ice may be colder than currently thought, and that ice flow and thermal models should be carefully reviewed.
Monitoring vulnerable marine ecosystems in the Antarctic is becoming increasingly difficult; rising costs associated with ship-based research programs, decreased research vessel availability and limited research funding are challenging the research community to develop new ways of providing important information to environmental managers. One avenue that has recently shown great promise is embedding scientific research into activities undertaken by the tourism industry. Expedition vessels operate with fixed itineraries, offering a unique opportunity to study remote, inaccessible regions, while also providing significant education and outreach opportunities to travelers.
A pilot project funded by the Hurtigruten Foundation in collaboration with HX | Hurtigruten Expeditions (HX) in the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP), was conducted to evaluate using Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV) to monitor candidate Antarctic notothenioid (icefish) spawning grounds. During two voyages on MS Roald Amundsen, 16 deployments of the Blueye Pioneer ROV were carried out from a zodiac to depths of 10 to 120m across several fjords and bays of the WAP as an operational and methodological trial. Eleven sites were surveyed resulting in ~9 hours of footage. Passengers were also invited to actively engage in the research by participating in ROV deployments, onboard lectures, and workshops, fostering a deeper understanding of rarely seen Antarctic ecosystems and their conservation importance.
Outcomes from the pilot study will be used to enhance and refine the development of a monitoring program for the spawning grounds of fish, historically overexploited taxa whose current status is unknown. Additional habitat suitability modelling efforts are underway to create a candidate list of sites for further survey effort. Ultimately the goal is to demonstrate to the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), that through collaboration with the Antarctic tourist industry it is feasible to maintain a scientific monitoring program for a key group of krill-eating predators.
According to cognitive psychologist Donald Hoffman, who used a computer interface metaphor to describe our sensory perceptions of the world, cultural heritage objects can be envisioned as an interface for our understanding of historical events, similar to archive icons on a desktop. The Russian list of historical sites and monuments (HMS) includes eight sites, six of which were registered during the USSR era, and the last two in post-Soviet Russia. All the Soviet-era objects reflect the early years of the USSR's active involvement on the continent during the 1950s and 60s. The Pole of Inaccessibility station (HMS-4), now rarely visited, bears interesting significance. Apart from its inherent value, it also carries an ideological component – a bust of Lenin was placed on the building's roof. This object exemplifies a shift in perception over time. The ideological weight that was crucial for state ideology in the 1950s has diminished, yet it remains a significant symbol of Antarctica's historical phase. HMS 7 (Khmara' stone), 8 (Shcheglov's monument), and 9 (Cemetery on Buromsky Island) honor those who perished during Antarctica exploration. HMS 10 (Observatory of the Soviet Oasis station), is a relic from the mid-1950s, marking the initial stage of the USSR's work in East Antarctica. HMS 11 Heavy tractor and HMS 88 Professor Kudryashov's drilling complex at Vostok station; HMS 92 Heavy tractor "Harkovchanka represent technological achievements – all-terrain vehicles used for extensive crossings of the continent and a drilling rig yielding unique climatic data. These technics mirror distinct perceptual frames – while the former symbolize Soviet modernity and human triumph over nature, the latter reflects a "green agenda". A comprehensive analysis of the Russian objects' "file system" reveals their relation to peak moments linked to the USSR and Russia's exploration of Antarctica – including initial expeditions, human casualties, technological advancements, and the environmental focus.
In anthropology, the approach to object designs has driven debates about human adaptation to environments, cultural distinctiveness and distribution, and the nature of the technical function in establishing traditions. The 'fat derived char concretions', so-called the 'Antarctic Sealers Coal - ASC' stresses all of these themes.
Can the ASC be understood as a 'technical object' indicating human-environment modulations? If so, the ASC postulates doubts about the scope of past sealers' homeostasis and the impact its domestic process of making and use has on the capitalist exploration of the workforce and natural resources.
As long as concretions very similar to the ASC are to be found in other 'crio-landscapes' worldwide, what does ASC says, in terms of an antarctic human identity, or cultural differentiation process? Can the ASC be considered a material culture of a specific antarctic culture; or it is just a technique borrowed from the outside in the same capitalist icy venture? To annex the Antarctic to the World System, didn't the 'System' itself, produce the necessary 'culture of annexation' within the Antarctic (colonialities), not just from out there (colonialisms)?
Finally, if the classical Maussian proposal assumes techniques as the 'effective traditional act', how to understand tecnogenetic impacts on the environment, if not as a derived technical 'waste system'? To the extent that ASC (i) currently concentrates the same amount of carbon as ornithogenic soils and, yet, (ii) hosts natural-like keratinophilic soil activity - after just two human occupation events, one to three centuries ago -; maybe we found the Antarctic ancestral pollution nexus, very much corrspondant to the 'Great Acceleration'. Functional action, thought of in this way, displaces the classic interest in classificatory systems and social organization as a point of departure of a functional analysis, repositioning function in the ecology of performances. The unintended consequences of technical activities are 'Traditions'?
Satellite data over Antarctica provides a vast resource spanning decades for observing critical changes in the cryosphere, ecosystems and oceans. However, our ability to observe Antarctica systematically at a continental scale is constrained by difficulties accessing, storing and pre-processing satellite imagery prior to analysis. Factors such as cloud masking, reflectivity, prolonged periods of darkness, changes in atmospheric water vapour, aerosols and signal scattering mean that corrections applied to satellite data in other regions and in existing global products aren’t fully applicable to Antarctic conditions. To overcome these challenges, Geoscience Australia is developing Digital Earth Antarctica. This platform will improve access to corrected continental scale satellite data through use of Open Data Cube technology, providing open access to analysis ready time-series data that has been corrected and validated for Antarctic conditions. Optical data will initially include Landsat and Sentinel-2 collections, while Sentinel-1 will be pre-processed for access to synthetic aperture radar backscatter and interferometric data. Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data over Antarctica overcomes the challenges of sustained observing during periods of cloudiness and darkness, and in Interferometric Wide swath mode can be used to detect changes in surface topography over time (InSAR).
This presentation will provide an overview of Digital Earth Antarctica’s planned processing pipelines to produce analysis ready optical and SAR data and the wealth of opportunities that will be unlocked to observe, monitor and understand Antarctic systems.
FVON is dedicated to facilitating cost-effective collection of surface and subsurface coastal and ocean observations, with focus on the pivotal role that fishing vessels can play to monitor essential ocean variables and enhance our understanding of the fundamental dynamical ocean processes. The network has gained recognition as an action ofthe United Nations Decade of Ocean Science, noting the critical significance of integrated multidisciplinary observations to support ocean-related monitoring and climate-informed management. FVON has applied for endorsement under the Global Ocean Observing System as an emerging observing network, and Australia’s Integrated Marine Observing System has created a Southern Hemisphere FVON data centre.
Existing observational platforms provide limited subsurface coverage, especially in shelf seas with depths below 1000m, and have limited cost-efficiency for scalable deployment. By exploring unique contributions for data collection from fishing (and other vessels) of opportunity, the role of FVON is to fill gaps and provide complementary datasets, particularly for variables like depth profiles of temperature and salinity.
Because FVON technologies and methodologies are maturing, barriers to entry have been significantly lowered for countries, industries and communities to establish their own Networks. This includes cost-effective high-quality sensors, FAIR/CARE data agreements, data-processing and standards aligned with international best practice, data science workflows, and distribution for third-party use (e.g. Global Telecommunication Service).
FVON’s objectives are to foster collaborative data collection and democratise global ocean observations. The presentation offers an Antarctic focus to the worldwide FVON initiatives (including a successful early Southern Ocean pilot), ongoing sensor development, the latest methodologies, data types, and some downstream use-cases. The goal is to encourage the science community about new opportunities for data collecting from fishing and other vessels of opportunity, as well as how to connect with the FVON team and gain access to their expertise.
Recent climate change affects permafrost conditions worldwide in cold areas. In Continental Antarctica this trend is not clear although in the last years the active layer thickness (ALT) has increased with an almost stable air temperature trend. The remoteness of the environment and the Antarctic Treaty do not host a permanent population but the great scientific interest for this environment leads to an intense anthropogenic impact on the landscape in confined small areas around the scientific stations. It is for this reason that large engineering constructions rise scientific interest, especially in our study area located in Boulder Clay (Northern Victoria Land, Antarctica). Here, we want to highlight the effects of the construction of an airstrip on an ice-cored moraine till in cryotic conditions. In particular, we treat the effects on the ALT on: a) the surroundings of the airstrip, prior and post the construction and b) the modified surface layer of the airstrip compared to the original morainic deposit. We based our analyses on field data (thermistors), ground thermography and satellite images to gather a dataset of ground temperatures, snow cover distribution and thermo-physical properties of the ground surface. Linear regressions and ANOVA analyses showed that the airstrip produced negligible impacts on the surroundings both in terms of ALT and snow cover frequency. However, the reworked surface of the airstrip statistically demonstrated a different contribution of the surface energy balance components compared to the morainic till. As a result, the modified energy balance drives to an increase of ALT through the Stefan’s equation modelling. Therefore, if the current trend of climatic parameters is maintained, possible consequences are expected on the stability of the construction, especially due to the melting of the underlaying buried ice.
Microplastics, small pieces of plastic measuring less than five millimeters, have spread to all ecosystems, even the Southern Ocean around Antarctica. In particular, microplastics have been found contaminating water in emerging fjords, inlets created by deglaciation, along the Antarctic Peninsula. Some of the fjordic sample sites are amongst the youngest marine environments in the Southern Ocean only having been exposed for years to decades by glacial retreat. Potential risks to organisms from microplastic exposure include issues with feeding, endocrine disruption, and exposure to adsorbed toxins, all of which can lead to lower fecundity and survivability. Antarctic communities are unique and dominated by invertebrates, such as polychaetes, sponges, ascidians, mollusks, crustaceans, and echinoderms. The objective of this study was to quantify microplastics in invertebrates from the Western Antarctic Peninsular fjords. Invertebrates were collected during 2017 and 2020 from three fjords via a mini Agassiz trawl to quantify microplastic concentrations and identify polymer composition using Micro-ATR-FTIR. The most common polymers were polypropylene, polycarbonate, polyamide, and polystyrene. Additionally, differences between microplastic concentration and feeding mechanisms were investigated. Microplastic presence was significantly higher in the invertebrate organisms sampled compared to controls (p < 0.001), but feeding mechanism was not found to be a predictor of microplastic bioaccumulation. Microplastics concentrations in invertebrates differed between fjords in 2017 (p = 0.010) but not in 2020. Complementing previous research on microplastics in fjordic water, this study reveals new evidence of microplastics in fjordic inhabitants.
Black carbon is a short-lived aerosol that once deposited on snow and ice surfaces can accelerate melting by absorbing solar radiation. The negative effects of black carbon in accelerating glacier melting have been observed in various regions of the world: the European Alps, the Himalayas, the Andes Mountain range, and especially in the Arctic. For the Arctic, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has been discussing how to reduce black carbon emissions from ships, and regulatory laws are under debate. Meanwhile, for the South Pole, limited discussions have been addressed about the impacts of black carbon on the Antarctic environment. A significant increase in black carbon flux has been observed in the Antarctic Peninsula over the years. Previous studies attributed sources and impacts of rBC in the northern Antarctic Peninsula (nAP) region by investigating long-range atmospheric transport from South Hemisphere biomass burning, or by assessing impacts from local tourism and research activities. Here we used very high-resolution measurements of refractory black carbon (rBC) in a firn core collected near the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, as well as satellite measurements, modeling, burned area data and tourism statistics, to assess the combined impacts of both long-range transported rBC and locally emitted rBC from maritime tourism during the period 2003 to 2008. Our findings suggest that during spring and winter, rBC concentrations primarily reflected South American and South African burning, respectively, while summer rBC concentrations were related primarily to maritime tourism. Model results for the summer of 2007/2008 corresponding to the first boom in Antarctic tourism suggest a 0.4% albedo reduction which potentially resulted in enhanced ice melt of up to 206 g m-2 day-1. Our findings emphasize the urgency of assessing rBC and other emissions from shipborne tourism in the Antarctic Peninsula region and their effects on the environment such as enhanced ice melt.
The Bransfield Strait is significantly influenced by water masses from surrounding regions, making it essential for understanding the impacts of climate change. The rapid warming and sea-ice decline reported in recent decades affected marine ecosystems and trophic levels, particularly evident in shifts in phytoplankton composition and zooplankton abundance. Understanding meso- and macrozooplankton distribution and composition in this area is vital for elucidating their role in carbon export and interactions with phytoplankton, explaining local-scale responses to oceanographic dynamics and trophic interactions. This study analyzes meso- and macrozooplankton composition and vertical distribution alongside phytoplankton communities during a 20-hour observation period in February 2017 at a fixed station in the central basin of the Bransfield Strait. Additionally, it evaluates krill and salp feeding behavior through the composition of phytoplankton pigments in their fecal pellets. Water temperature and salinity data revealed variations in the upper 100 meters, with two distinct adjacent water masses identified. Small cryptophytes dominated the phytoplankton community. At the same time, meso- and macro-zooplankton were mainly comprised of salps and copepods, with Salpa thompsoni and Metridia gerlachei being the most abundant species, respectively. Diel vertical distribution of zooplankton showed higher copepod abundances in deeper layers (100-500 m) and salps prevalent near the surface (0-100 m). Community composition varied significantly with depth, including an ontogenetic migration in calanoid copepods during the nocturnal period, when the abundance of S. thompsoni decreased at the surface, indicating a reverse migration behavior. Zooplankton fecal pellets from krill and salp experiments suggested grazing activity, highlighting the selective feeding behavior of krill. These findings highlight the potential implications of differences in salps abundance at different depths for zooplankton community structure and the local ecosystem in the Bransfield Strait region.
Highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 (HPAI) is an extremely contagious viral disease with high levels of mortality in birds and marine mammals, which can be transmitted through contact with respiratory secretions or feces. Recently, on February 24, 2024, two infected skuas were found near the Antarctic base "Primavera".
This is a biosecurity emergency that puts the entire Antarctic environment in danger and requires a unified response by the States, being a practical manifestation of the challenges faced by the Antarctic Treaty System to achieve joint regulation.
During the XLV ATCM (Helsinki, 2023) and especially in the report presented by the Committee for the Protection of the Environment (CEP), the potential risks of HPAI proliferation in Antarctica and its effects were warned, advising the Parties to share national experiences and promote preventive procedures through each program. However, no applicable measures were adopted in this area and suggestions for protocols came from organizations participating in an advisory capacity.
Although some countries have made progress in these matters as reported in the XLV ATCM (United States, WP 3/2023; Chile, IP 122/2023; South Korea, IP 23 rev.1 /2023; United Kingdom, IP 30/2023; IAATO, IP 52/2023; and SCAR/IAATO/COMNAP, IP 101/2023), they advance independently in the determination of restrictions. Thus, to date, a series of domestic regulations have been generated that deal with the prevention, control and management of HPAI in the Sixth Continent, which from different objectives and interpretations are in charge of a transversal matter such as the protection of the Antarctic environment. What should be the best mechanism to regulate? Could the multiplicity of biosecurity protocols imply any risk in the manage of this contingency? Our objective is to answer these questions from the comparison of domestic law of different countries, among them, Chile.
Antarctica is the only continent set aside as a natural reserve devoted to peace and science, with environmental protection mandated through the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty. The continent's surrounding sub-Antarctic islands enjoy similarly high levels of protection, as does the Southern Ocean under the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, though with rational use being included in the definition of conservation. The extent to which these legal protections succeed depends on high-quality biodiversity knowledge, for status and trends of indigenous species, and for the same information with respect to Invasive Alien Species (IAS), along with understanding of the pressures on the region. Yet such information is remarkably fragmentary, and its route into the policy environment less than straightforward. In consequence, whether that best available data, information, and knowledge are accessible to decision-makers, practitioners, and the public for the region is not certain. In this presentation, current progress in resolving these challenges is laid out, including the way in which progress in the Antarctic region may inform and be informed by developments elsewhere. We use Invasive Alien Species (or Non-Native Species in Protocol Language) biodiversity informatics data as a specific example, illustrating the success of policies reflected in these data.
Autobiographies and biographies have contributed enormously to the feminist history of science, making women scientists visible, and helping to mainstream their voices. They provide useful insights into the lives, times, experiences, struggles and achievements of the scientists and bring their stories to the forefront. But while many accounts and biographies, especially of ‘explorers’, aimed at popular readership, and often to fund further explorations, highlight the drama in scientific field work in remote places – the daring, the courage, the stoicism and valour in the face of unmitigated physical hardship – science is often prodding everyday work when what you wear, what gear you carry, how well your helmet fits, how easy it is to urinate, how to cope with (or how to control) your periods plays an important role in how efficiently you are able to do your research. These issues can also sometimes literally make a difference between life and death. I am writing a biography of women scientists working in remote, extreme and physically challenging locations, including Antarctica, that will hone into their lived experience. I aim to capture the minutiae of everydays of women scientists – the grandiose as well as the drab elements that determine how enriching your work is, how much you want to come to work and continue to work in the field, and how fulfilled and satisfied you feel with your work when you look back to the day, the week, the month, the year gone by. In this paper, based on my PhD in progress, I use biographical writings, oral histories and interviews to explore the experiences of women scientists working in Antarctica and to make connections with the experiences of women scientists working in other remote, extreme and physically challenging places such as high seas and deep sea (particularly the Southern Ocean), outer space, caves (and mines), forests, tree canopies, and glaciers.
Stratospheric ozone is critical for shielding the biosphere against ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation and has been damaged in recent decades by the release of anthropogenic gases. The ozone layer is expected to recover before the end of the 21st century, however a hole continues to appear over Antarctica each year. Ozone depletion usually peaks between September and October, when fortunately, most Antarctic terrestrial vegetation and soil biota is frozen, dormant, and protected under snow cover. Similarly, much marine life is protected by sea ice cover. This means that if ozone depletion primarily occurs in early Spring, most biota will be protected from the increased UV-B radiation. However, in recent years, ozone depletion has persisted into the austral summer. Early summertime ozone depletion is concerning since high incident UV-B radiation coincident with snowmelt and emergence of vegetation will mean more exposure for biota. The start of summer is also peak breeding season for many animal species, thus extreme UV-B radiation (UV index up to 14) may come at a vulnerable time in their life cycle. Climate change, including changing wind patterns and strength, and particularly declining sea ice, are likely to compound UV-B exposure of Antarctic biota, through earlier ice and snowmelt. These combined stressors could result in regime shifts in marine and terrestrial environments. Antarctic field research conducted decades ago tended to study UV impacts in isolation and more research, that considers combined climate impacts and the true magnitude and timing of current UV exposure, is needed.
Marine protected areas (MPAs) are an increasingly popular management tool for conserving biodiversity. In line with global targets, the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) has been working towards adopting a network of Southern Ocean MPAs for more than 20 years. Extensive science, outreach, and diplomacy has underpinned these efforts, and the process has at times moved slowly given that CCAMLR makes all decisions based on consensus. In 2009, CCAMLR adopted its first MPA south of the South Orkney Islands. Then in 2016, CCAMLR adopted the world’s largest MPA in the Ross Sea, Antarctica. Four additional MPAs remain under negotiation in the East Antarctic, western Antarctic Peninsula, western Weddell Sea and eastern Weddell Sea region. Some of these proposals have been under negotiation for more than 10 years, however, CCAMLR has not been able to achieve consensus on any new MPAs since 2016 due to a myriad of complex issues. These include: difficulties negotiating during the Covid-19 pandemic; ongoing geopolitical tensions, especially due to the ongoing war in Ukraine; and conflicting economic interests. Despite these difficulties, the majority of CCAMLR Member States have demonstrated a commitment to moving forward on a network of Southern Ocean MPAs. These Members have continued to engage in scientific and diplomatic efforts related to Southern Ocean MPAs, and MPA proposals have had an increasing number of Member State proponents over time. Further, CCAMLR’s two existing MPAs have been actively managed, including through research and monitoring by many Member States. This talk will close by sharing some of the ongoing research and monitoring efforts in the Ross Sea region MPA, including moving towards building a collaborative international research community. These efforts demonstrate that Southern Ocean MPAs can be both highly protected and well-managed, providing a potential framework for other international ocean areas.
The polar regions are key parts of the global general circulation of Earth’s atmosphere with unique phenomenon and processes, and the main entrances for the energy and particles of solar wind entering geospace. Chinese Zhongshan Station (69°22’24”S, 76°22’40”E) in Antarctica locates near the shore of the continent and at the unique cusp latitude. Considering as an ideal place for polar atmopshere observation and research, the Polar Research Institute of China developed and deployed a Polar Atmosphere Lidar Observation System (PALOS) at Zhongshan Station, which is a synthetic lidar observation system covering all layers of neutral atmosphere and the first of its kind in Antarctica.
In PALOS, a Sodium (Na) resonance fluorescence Doppler lidar is established in 2019 to observe the Mesosphere and lower Thermosphere, which is capable of measuring the horizontal winds, temperature and Na number density around 75-110 km for both day and night. A pure rotation Raman lidar, a Rayleigh/Mie scattering lidar module and a coherent Doppler wind lidar are installed in 2020, which measure troposphere-stratosphere-mesosphere temperature and boundary layer wind. The deployment and the operation of PALOS are mostly supported by Chinese National Antarctic Research Expedition (CHINARE), and thousands of hours of observation data have already been accumulated, which can be used to investigate the basic characteristics of the polar atmosphere, the thermal/dynamic processes in middle and upper atmosphere, etc. With coordinated observation, silmutaneously observed temprature profiles can cover most part of the neutral atmosphere. In mesopause region, active sporadic and thermospheric Na layers associated with the activites of sporadic E layers (Es) and aurora have been observed. Continouse horizontal winds and temperature data covering mutiple days also reveals strong atmospheric wave activities above Zhongshan Station.
We present a synopsis of recent Bedmap3 outputs and discuss current and future initiatives linked to the SCAR Bedmap3 project. These include, firstly, publication of the Bedmap3 dataset; 80+ million geospatial data points of bed elevation and associated information collected by the Antarctic geophysical community over the last 60 years and made accessible using the FAIR data principles. These data are available through the new SCAR Bedmap3 data portal (https://bedmap.scar.org/) and include standardized information from 270+ surveys from 50+ international partners associated with the Bedmap3 project.
Secondly, we present the Bedmap3 gridded products describing the surface elevation, ice-thickness and the seafloor and subglacial bed elevation of Antarctica south of 60° S. Bedmap3 incorporates and adds to all of the post-1950s datasets previously used for Bedmap1 and Bedmap2, including 84 new aerogeophysical surveys by 15 data providers that represent an additional 52 million data points and 1.9 million line kilometres of measurement. These latest data have filled major gaps particularly in East Antarctica, including the South Pole and Pensacola basin, Dronning Maud Land, Recovery Glacier and Dome Fuji, Princess Elizabeth Land, plus the Antarctic Peninsula, West Antarctic coastlines, and the Transantarctic Mountains. Our newly defined Bedmap3 grounding line product similarly consolidates multiple recent mappings of this spatially varying boundary.
Finally, we introduce two ongoing Bedmap3 initiatives; Bedmap3 ice flow drainage and subglacial hydrology mapping, using the new gridded products to investigate catchments and reverse slopes, and the Bedmap3 Map, a new double sided map showcasing the Bedmap3 project.
The Kashmir Himalayas are witnessing glacier shrinkage and melting, especially evident in the Pir Panjal Mountain Range (PPMR). Field observations reveal well-preserved remnant glacial landforms of past glaciation, characterized by distinct features such as paired lateral moraines, proglacial lakes, wide U-shaped valleys, glacial polishing, and striated pavements etc. Notably, the emergence of rock glaciers stands out as a significant indicator of shrinking glaciers in this region mostly of glaciogenic in nature. Rock glaciers, consisting of a mix of angular rock debris and ice, exhibit lobate or tongue-like formations and are commonly found in high mountain environments. Through field investigations and high-resolution satellite data analysis, over 200 rock glaciers covering approximately 51 km2 have been identified. These landforms are mapped from 3700 masl to 4550 masl, with surface slopes ranging from 11° to 27°, predominantly located on the northern face of the PPMR. Their dynamic nature, attributed to ice flow deforming the rock debris, is evident from distinctive surface topography resembling lava flow patterns. Permafrost features such as patterned ground and gelifluction lobes, observed mainly above 4000 meters observed during fieldwork, further indicate the presence of permafrost in the region. The study suggests that most rock glaciers have evolved from receding glaciers of the Jhelum Basin confined to cirques and smaller glaciers transitioning into rock glaciers. Understanding the spatial distribution and characteristics of rock glaciers, along with their hydrological significance, is crucial for assessing long-term water availability in the basin. The observed climatic trends, marked by increasing temperatures likely contribute to glacier recession, increasing debris cover and the formation of rock glaciers through enhanced ablation and reduced snow accumulation. As climate-driven glacier recession persists, the transition may change more glaciers into rock glaciers and significance of rock glaciers is expected to escalate, underscoring the need for continued investigation and monitoring.
Geochronology records from the former Patagonian Ice Sheet (PIS) show an asynchrony between different outlets for the maximum ice extents through the last glacial cycle. In general terms, the ice maxima in northern and southern Patagonia occurred during MIS3 but in central Patagonia, most of the geochronology indicates ice maxima during MIS2, contemporaneous with the global Last Glacial Maximum. Reasons for this asynchrony are unclear, but it is most likely related to changes in climatic factors, such as the shifting of the Southern Westerly Winds (SWW) and associated precipitation in response to Antarctic sea-ice expansion. There is agreement that the SWW have a northward displacement during cold periods but the movement pattern is not clearly known, as some refer to a migration of the SWW core, while others believe that the core expands northwards. Understanding the past climatic conditions would provide insight into the timing of PIS growth and decay.
Here,we report the results of modelling the ice sheet, using PISM, through the last glacial cycle. We created a set of palaeoprecipitation scenarios based on proxy data evidence, and we use the model to test the PIS response to these scenarios. We produce an ice sheet model that fits well with evidence for the past ice extent at the Local LGM and during deglaciation. From our simulations, we suggest that the core of the SWW had an expanded configuration and that the northern position of the SWW core fluctuated through the last glacial cycle. These past precipitation configurations played an important role in the asynchrony of the PIS during the last glacial cycle. However, topographic differences such as in ice surface elevation in the northern, central and southern PIS are also crucial in the evolution of mass balance change and local glacier response.
Cruise and aircraft operations constitute the main transportation modes to access Antarctica and both are known to be very carbon-intensive. The first evidence of Antarctic tourism’s carbon footprint was provided by Amelung & Lamers (2007), Farreny et al. (2011), and later Li et al. (2022). These calculations prompted the debate about the allegedly positive contribution of Antarctic tourism in the creation of ‘Antarctic ambassadors’ and the role of tourism in the conservation of the continent (Vila et al., 2016). Since the first carbon calculations, the number of tourists has more than tripled, itineraries have expanded further South, and modalities and activities have diversified (IAATO, 2023). During this time tour operators have also implemented more efficient and sustainable operations, for example through the introduction of new and more fuel-efficient vessels.
We aim to present an up-to-date estimate and discussion of the carbon footprint of Antarctic tourism in the context of Environmental Stewardship while also introducing a more comprehensive method for calculating emissions produced by tourism operations. Our calculations consider two operational components: 1. during the Antarctic journey, corresponding to the cruising stage in Antarctica, and 2. beyond the Antarctic journey concerning the travel to arrive at the gateway city of departure. We include all Antarctic gateway cities and the main tourism modalities (i.e., cruise only, cruise with landings, and air-cruise).
We expect our findings (work in progress) could inform discussions and decision-making, including the significance of managing growth and diversification, the relevance of environmental impact assessment, and the appropriateness of promoting the ambassador concept. From a methodological perspective, we expect our methodology could enable further carbon calculations at other destinations. Our results will also contribute to the broad debate concerning the significance of tourism's carbon footprint under a climate emergency period, the role of self-regulation, and Environmental Stewardship in the Antarctic.
The Ross Sea polynya is one of the most productive regions of the Southern Ocean sustaining a rich marine fauna. We analyzed total amounts of diatoms, opal, organic carbon, nitrogen and magnetic susceptibility in two cores recovered in 2021 from the Ross Sea during RV ARAON Expedition ANA11, in order to investigate past variations of marine primary productivity in the Ross Sea polynya. Two short cores – core 54 (length: 35 cm) located in the northern part of the polynya and core 59 (length: 45 cm) located at a coastal site – show sedimentation rates ranging between 0.07 and 0.08 cm yr-1, estimated by the 210Pb dating technique. Core 54 showed a good preservation of diatoms than Core 59, which was characterized by higher amounts of diatom remains below 20–35 cm with high values of magnetic susceptibility. Core 59 may infer more terrigenous inputs and fragmentation by erosion. We reconstructed sea-ice condition based on the ratios of Eucampia antarctica (terminal versus intercalary valves), Fragilariopsis curta/F. cylindrus, F. kerguelensis, where high values of these ratios are known to indicate stronger marine sea-ice condition. We speculate that core 54 was influenced by stronger sea-ice condition between 1600–1850 AD, possibly related to the Little Ice Age (LIA) – a regionally colder period followed by abrupt modern-era warming since 1850 AD. The observed higher diatom productivity during the cold LIA periods is the likelihood of more efficient polynya condition favoring diatom growth, tentatively associated with intensified katabatic winds and Amundsen Sea low (ASL). Comprehending such linkages requires further in-depth interpretations of physical-biological coupling processes in the Ross Sea polynya environments, as well as sufficient age control.
Human uses in Antarctica are intensifying and diversifying. Around 10000 scientists and 117.000 tourists visited Antarctica during the season 2023-2024 (IAATO, 2023, BAS 2024). Research and tourism are concentrated in the South Shetlands islands where most facilities are located (ATS, 2024). Both operations are strongly intertwined, frequently relying on the same infrastructure and facilities. King George Island (KGI) has become an important hub for fly & cruise operations, as the airstrip ‘Teniente R. Marsh’ facilitates access for tourists and researchers to Antarctica. Approximately 85% of the total passengers are tourists while the remaining 15% correspond to researchers and logistical staff (pers. comm. Chilean Civil Aviation, 2024). As operations on KGI grow, there will be a need for more logistical support and infrastructure, while entailing an increasing human pressure on the surrounding land and marine areas. From a legal perspective, due to the unresolved question of territorial sovereignty in Antarctica, there is considerable uncertainty on which States may or should exercise jurisdiction over their research stations and infrastructure as well as the legal basis for such jurisdiction. This presentation explores the complexity of balancing conservation, socio-economic and other rights, interests, and obligations of stakeholders operating in KGI, under the unique international law setting in Antarctica. During the 2023-2024 season, we conducted participant observation and interviews with key stakeholders on KGI to understand the interrelationships of state and non-state operators, the issue of activities’ diversification, and the shared use of facilities. We expect that this analysis could spark a broader debate among the scientific community, managers, and policy-makers concerning how best to respond to the fly & cruise developments on KGI and elsewhere from a regulatory perspective, as this could represent a significant shift in the way tourism and research are being conducted in Antarctica.
Deception Island is an active volcano in Bransfield Strait, north to Antarctic Peninsula. It is one of the two active volcanoes in Antarctica where a history of eruptions are observed. The restless caldera is a volcanic complex with several geothermally heated grounds and fumaroles in intertidal zone. Polyextremophilic ecosystem of Deception Island is unique, harbouring high bacterial diversity compared to other similar ecosystems on planet Earth, rendering huge biotic potential. The polyextreme conditions of the geothermally heated ecosystems here survive hypersalinity, extreme pH, high temperature during temperature extreme, UV irradiation, and several metal enrichments, offering a broad range of adaptations to the bacteria ensuing production of bioactive secondary metabolites, including polysaccharides. The geochemistry and environmental spatial variability indicate Whaler´s Bay to be rich in nutrients like phosphate and nitrate, while Pendulum Cove has relatively anoxic environment with the presence of nitrite, silicate, and greenhouse gas N2O. Greenhouse gases CH4 and CO2 are also recorded high in Crater 70 and Obsidiana, respectively. The profiling of major and minor elements indicated element enrichment in geothermally heated grounds and fumaroles. The microbial community dynamics profiling shows a clear separation into three groups, where geographically separated Irizar Lake-Fumarole Bay and Kroner Lake-Whaler´s Bay share somewhat similar microbial communities. While the study sites having temperatures>50°C have higher phylum abundance of Cyanobacteria, the higher the temperature, the more archaeal communities are present. For survival against extreme factors, the water and sediments from the geothermally heated study sites also indicate the presence of biofilm matrix. In conclusion, the interrelationship of environmental biogeochemistry and microbial community in Deception Island intertidal geothermal ecosystems is unique, rendering several bioactive compound production possibilities. The unique site also calls for a microbial conservation approach in an era of climate change. We are thankful to INACH RT_24-21 for funding.
Whereas most of Antarctica is covered by snow, ~1% of its surface exposes blue ice. These blue ice areas are of scientific interest, as they can harbor meteorite concentrations and old ice. However, blue ice areas also enhance mass loss at the surface (e.g., surface melt) through their low albedo compared to surrounding snow. Therefore, it is important to locate blue ice areas and monitor their evolution in a warming climate.
Here, we present a new blue ice area map based on multi-sensor and multi-temporal satellite observations. To generate the map, diverse satellite data, including images and products from MODIS, RADARSAT-2, and TanDEM-X are combined using deep learning. To this end, we rely on a property of neural networks: in the absence of perfect labels, neural networks can learn underlying patterns of so-called ‘noisy’ labels before adapting to the particular errors of individual scenes during later training epochs. The new blue ice area map of Antarctica shows that blue ice covers ca. 140,000 km2, of which ca. 50% is located within 20 km of the grounding line.
In the grounding zone, it is essential to understand the interaction between solar radiation, blue ice, and the surface mass balance (e.g., melt) to determine the future stability of the ice sheet. Some of these measurements can be obtained through remote sensing, but there is a need for ground validation. We undertook first steps towards monitoring and understanding these processes during a fieldwork campaign to Union Glacier, in the Ellsworth mountains, where we performed diverse measurements, including shortwave and longwave radiation, albedo (ground-based and UAV-based), and water isotopes of blue ice samples to identify melt and refreezing.
Coastal sediments from the West Antarctic Peninsula receive significant amounts of metal oxide-rich fine-grained material washed away by glacial meltwater due to the ongoing climate change. The impact of the warming and progressive glacier retreat on the iron and sulfur cycles and the related microbial community in coastal sediments is poorly investigated. We studied the microbial community composition based on amplicon 16S rRNA gene sequencing in relation to geochemical parameters in surface sediments from Potter Cove (Isla 25 de Mayo/King George Island, South Shetland Island, Antarctica). Nine sites were investigated regarding their relative location to the glacier terminus and the discharge of surficial meltwater streams into the cove. Glacier front (GF) sediment samples show a broader ferruginous zone down to > 25 cm depth (Fe2+ up to 100 µM), compared to sediments located more distantly or influenced by surficial meltwater streams, where Fe2+ concentrations were higher (up to 800 µM) but became rapidly depleted at approximately 10 cm depth. The highest relative abundance of known iron-reducing microorganisms, mainly the family Sva1033, was found in sites close to the GF with up to 16% of total sequences. This clade was previously described as dissimilatory iron reducers in other permanently cold sediments. Sulfate concentrations decreased gradually over depth at some sites, suggesting ongoing sulfate reduction despite an apparent dominance of iron reduction. Known sulfate-reducing microorganisms (Desulfobulbales, Desulfobacterales) had a relative abundance as high as 30%, even at GF sites. Our study provides the first detailed characterization of microbial communities in Potter Cove sediments and their link with geochemical processes across the cove. This knowledge is critical in the context of increasing global warming in the West Antarctic Peninsula and allows us to better predict future environmental effects, particularly those related to organic matter mineralization and subsequent CO2 release.
Maritime Antarctica ecosystems are strongly affected by climate change impacts on active layer thickness (ALT), soil parameters, carbon cycle and vegetation, which could led to positive feedback on climate forcing. Changes in plant distribution due to climate change would directly affect the abiotic compartment. In this frame, the interaction between the soil and vegetation needs to be better investigated.
The main aims are to describe the soils of Signy Island (South Orkneys) with special reference to their types, physical and chemical characteristics, relations with ALT and vegetation at local scale. For this purpose, 28 sampling sites were selected all over the island according to topography and geological conditions, on different surface cover types and elevations.
At each site, a trench of at least 50 cm of depth was described and sampled. Soil temperature profile was recorded through a portable thermistor. Vegetation type, species composition and abundance were recorded in 22 sites on 1x1m plots, subjectively based as close as possible to the soil trenches and with comparable physiognomy and micro-topography. Soil samples were physicochemically characterized by analysis of water content, pH, electrical conductivity, total organic carbon were used to classify the soil according to US Soil Taxonomy. The assessment of nutrient contents was also carried out.
Soils were classified as Gelisols, belonging to Haplorthel (12), Haploturbel (15), Argiorthel (1) suborders, with mean total vegetation coverage between 67% and 80%. Haplorthels develope under a wider range of vegetation types, whereas Argiorthels with fruticose lichens and moss cushions only. Between the two most widespread soil types, pH, conductivity and LOI don’t show any significant differences, whereas nutrient contents show a wider variability in Haplorthels. Conversely, ALT shows a wider variability in Haploturbels, reaching values from 49 to 205 cm, with an overall mean value of 114 cm.
Antarctic sea ice cover experienced an abrupt decline in 2016, transitioning from a record maximum state to a record minimum state. However, the drivers of this rapid retreat are currently not well understood. Therefore, it is difficult to determine whether this signals the start of a long term melting trend, as has been long anticipated by climate models, or is an isolated episode of internal climate variability. In this study, we utilise the CMIP6 archive to understand if internal climate variability could be responsible for this Antarctic sea ice anomaly, and if so what the primary atmospheric and oceanic drivers are. This involves examining composites of the tropical teleconnections, subsurface ocean heat content, and high latitude atmospheric variability preceding extreme Antarctic sea ice anomalies in CMIP6 simulations. The primary objective is to elucidate the multifaceted factors influencing these extreme events, specifically addressing the 2016-2017 sea ice retreat, with lessons for 2023’s extreme Antarctic sea ice state. Initial results indicate that such events are possible in the absence of anthropogenic emissions in some climate models, although the occurrences are considered rare. We also show that using the limited observed record alone will underestimate the interannual variability of the Antarctic sea ice cover and therefore overestimate how rare such an anomaly would be. In fact, if we extend the observed record further back using statistical reconstructions, rapid declines of sea ice extent occurred in the early and mid 20th century. Our results highlight the importance of internal climate variability in the Southern high latitudes and advance our understanding of the drivers and predictability of Antarctic sea ice changes. We discuss the implications of this work for 2023’s record Antarctic sea ice anomaly.
The Chilean Antarctic Institute, or INACH, houses a unique treasure trove of the past in Punta Arenas: the Paleobiology Laboratory. Within its specially conditioned spaces lies the Paleontological Collection of Antarctica and Patagonia (CPAP). This remarkable collection safeguards and facilitates the study of fossils originating from both the Antarctic territory and the southern of Patagonia.
Following strict protocols set by the National Monuments Council (CMN), the CPAP meticulously safeguards fossils from some of Antarctica's most challenging locations. These include Vega and Seymour Island in the remote James Ross Basin, as well as Snow, Livingston, Nelson, and King George Island in the South Shetland Islands, all part of the Antarctic Peninsula.
This includes everything from tiny marine invertebrates to ancient land plants, with the addition of fascinating remains of vertebrates. Notably, these fossils span the Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras, offering a remarkable record of biodiversity and a glimpse into the engrossing story of how life on Earth evolved during this period.
Uniquely in Chile, the CPAP stands as the sole space dedicated to the specialized study of Antarctica's paleontological history. This perfect alignment with the International Antarctic Treaty underscores the vital role of scientific knowledge gleaned through research
The NASA MEaSUREs ITS_LIVE project has provided a decades-long record of ice sheet surface elevation observations and global glacier velocity estimates since 2018. We now present the first major update to the ITS_LIVE data suite, which includes a fully reprocessed velocity record, new cloud optimization, new ice-sheet calving front and surface elevation time series, and a host of new tools for working with the data. Velocity image pairs have been generated from all available optical and radar images acquired by the Landsat and Sentinel satellites, and advancements to the autoRIFT processing algorithm have resulted in higher precision, lower noise velocity measurements that bring a new level of detail to our understanding of global glacier movement. ITS_LIVE Version 2 supports fully cloud-based workflows, and in this talk we introduce the online tools we have developed to help cloud-curious users get started.
Terrestrial biomes play an important role in regulating local and global climate feedback systems, a role that becomes increasingly critical as climate change accelerates. Maritime Antarctica, a region at the forefront of climate change, is experiencing rapid expansion of the terrestrial biome on newly exposed rocks after glacial retreat. Mosses dominate Antarctic flora, yet many of their functional roles within the ecosystem are far from understood. Previous studies in the Arctic have shown that mosses strongly influence ecosystem processes through abiotic and biotic interactions. This study investigates moss functional traits and their roles in ecosystem processes across a successional gradient on King George Island, Antarctica. From intensive plant sampling at three distinctive successional sites along Collins Glacier, we assessed five functional traits: nutrient accumulation, albedo, water-holding capacity, thermal conductivity, and decomposition. Our results reveal patterns of inter- and intra-specific variation in functional traits – in three dominant moss species across successional stages. Preliminary results show strong species-specific variation in albedo between Polytrichastrum alpinum and Sanionia uncinata, with low intraspecific variation among successional stages. These results begin to provide a conceptual framework for understanding plant functional roles across glacial succession in Antarctica and lend a better understanding to the effects of Antarctic greening and the driving forces of Antarctic climate systems.
The Napier Complex of East Antarctica is predominantly composed of ancient gneisses metamorphosed locally at ca. 2.8 Ga and more widely at ca. 2.5 Ga during an ultra-high temperature (UHT) event. Eoarchean remnants are present in the Napier Complex of Enderby Land in the western Tula Mountains and also in Kemp Land, with protolith ages up to 3.75 Ga. However, rare zircon in felsic orthogneiss records ages approaching 4.0 Ga at Mount Sones and Gage Ridge in the Tula Mountains; at Mount Jewell, Budd Peak and Mount Ryder east of the Tula Mountains; and at Aker Peaks in adjacent Kemp Land. Little is known about the relationship between these isolated outcrops of Eoarchean crust and their full extent is currently unknown. The Eoarchean protoliths from the Tula Mountains can be classified into two geochemical types, depleted and undepleted in Y-HREE-Nb-Ta. Depletion in Y-HREE-Nb-Ta likely resulted from high-pressure melting of basaltic crust, whereas low-pressure melting generated the undepleted granitoids. There is evidence of re-melting and recycling of crustal components throughout the Archean involving a range of sources and processes, and there is no simple correlation between geochemical type and age. The identification of Eoarchean crust at localities up to 300 km apart from Enderby Land into Kemp Land, indicates that ancient crust is widespread throughout the Napier Complex. Most likely, the Napier Complex is a composite of diverse crustal components that were assembled at ca. 2.5 Ga during the HT event.
Research conducted within grants UMO2021/43/B/ST10/03161 to DJD and RES-SE- SEP-SL-61901-1 to SAW.
During the past decade, the Amundsen Sea Low (ASL) deepened at a record-strong and statistically significant rate during austral spring and summer. Associated with these circulation changes has been significant and record-strong warming across the Antarctic Peninsula region, marking a dramatic shift from the cooling observed there during the previous decade. Here we investigate what may have caused such rapid and unprecedented circulation changes, which, despite occurring over a short time period, can have longer-lasting effects on the coupled ice-ocean-atmosphere-biosphere system including jeopardizing ice-shelf stability. We focus on the role of recent large-scale atmospheric circulation changes, including the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Southern Annular Mode (SAM). We find recent decadal trends in ENSO and SAM were strong and consistent with inducing ASL deepening, but these respective trends were not unprecedented. Instead, we find recent ENSO activity has featured unusual patterns of anomalous tropical convection, particularly over the South Pacific Convergence Zone, which has intensified the ENSO teleconnection over the South Pacific and strengthened the combined ENSO/SAM forcing of the ASL. These results suggest relatively subtle shifts in tropical dynamical forcing can have major impacts on regional Antarctic decadal climate variability.
Although Antarctic krill is one of the most abundant species on Earth, its populations are at risk from the combined effects of climate change and exploitation. There is evidence that krill populations in the Southwest Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean have contracted southward over the last 90 years potentially caused by the southward relocation of their spawning grounds. Understanding the mechanisms leading to the shift in spawning grounds is critical for improving predictions of future krill populations. An important concept behind our knowledge of Antarctic krill spawning grounds is the assumption that krill embryos sink ~700 m before hatching, necessitating spawning over the deeper waters of the shelf break or over canyons and troughs on the shelf. However, the embryo-larva descent-ascent model used to determine this assumes a mean embryo starting diameter of 620µm. When larger embryos are applied to the model, hatching occurs near the surface. Using a long-term Antarctic krill egg production dataset (1993-2008) containing measurements of female krill and the embryos they produced, we investigated the inter-annual variability in the relationships of both the embryo starting diameter and batch size to female body length, as well as their impact on subsequent krill recruitment the following year. We used these data to develop empirical formulae that can be applied to models of the early life history of Antarctic krill to assist in the identification of spawning grounds. Our findings shed new light on the potential locations of krill spawning grounds and drivers of recruitment success.
Albatross are facing crisis - population declines due to human activity are driving many species ever closer towards extinction. Yet, in many cultures, albatross are venerated as ‘creatures of legend, of poetry and of dreams.’1 Attitudes towards albatross can be communicated through, and influenced by, their representation in art and in material culture. It follows that museums are well-placed to advance public understanding of albatross and to advocate for their conservation. This presentation focuses on preliminary research to develop a museum exhibition examining human relationships with albatross of the Southern Ocean. We describe a range of meanings and ideas associated with albatross found in the arts and in material culture; we discuss possibilities for the curation of such material into an exhibition to support public engagement and understanding of conservation imperatives; and we outline plans for a qualitative investigation of public responses to evaluate the exhibition’s success.
1 Roy, Jones and Fritter (2018) Albatross: Their world, their ways. Firefly Books, USA
East Antarctica has shown little warming in recent decades, in stark contrast to the warming trends observed in the Antarctic Peninsula and West Antarctica. However, the available observations are currently sparse and of short duration, and changes in surface air temperature (SAT) in the East Antarctic interior remain uncertain. Here we present a 30-year long temperature record for Relay Station in the interior of Dronning Maud Land (DML). The observations have been corrected, and the missing observations have been estimated using the corrected temperature data from the ERA5 reanalysis. The record shows a statistically significant warming trend of 0.5 °C/decade over the period 1993 – 2022. The strong warming during the warm season (from October to the following March) is the main reason for this trend. The interannual variability of warm-season temperatures is consistent with negative/positive pressure anomalies over the East Antarctica, as is the positive/negative phase of SAM. However, the warming is in the opposite direction to the SAM trend, which has shifted into its positive phase. The temperature increase is due to warm air advection from the anticyclonic circulation over the Southern Ocean (SO), which is associated with a weakening of the westerly jet stream. The westerly jet is anchored around the Southern Oceanic Frontal Zone (SOFZ), which has strong sea surface temperature (SST) gradients. Recent warming of the subtropical Indian Ocean (SIO) has resulted in the SOFZ to expand northwards, leading to a northward shift of the westerly jet. These changes are accompanied by increased anticyclonic circulation over the SO. Since warming over the SIO is primarily attributed to human-induced greenhouse gas influences, a continued increase in SAT in the East Antarctic interior is likely to be an early sign of global warming.
Denman Glacier is a region of East Antarctica that may be particularly vulnerable to a warming climate. This sub-glacial basin has an extremely deep bed, has thinned and accelerated its ice loss in recent decades, and holds enough ice to raise global sea levels by around 1.5 metres if it fully destabilises. While it is understood that Denman Glacier is a region of concern, very few observations exist to be able to fully quantify and prepare for the risks posed by Denman Glacier in a warming world. During the 2023/24 Antarctic Summer the Australian Antarctic Program undertook a major interdisciplinary campaign to study the climatic, oceanographic, glaciological, and geological history and present-day characteristics of the Denman Glacier region. This presentation will summarise the achievements and preliminary findings of the research teams working through the Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science to better understand the Denman Glacier. The Denman Terrestrial Campaign also serves as an example of the value of interdisciplinary, multi-agency science campaigns to rapidly gather vast amounts of information for regions of concern in Antarctica.
Many parts of the Earth’s climate system are thought to be susceptible to rapid, irreversible and self-perpetuating change if warming exceeds their tipping point threshold. Established tipping elements mostly involve Northern Hemisphere components, and particularly the Arctic where climate warming is occurring at 3–4 times the global average. Here we assess the evidence for emerging tipping point elements in Antarctica by drawing together paleoclimate, observational and simulation data. These potential Antarctic tipping elements have previously been uncertain due to short observational records with large interannual variability and uncertainties in modelling the Antarctic and Southern Ocean system. We find that recent rapid sea ice declines around Antarctica rival the magnitude and climate amplification impact of Arctic sea ice losses, and that the circumpolar coherence of recent Antarctic sea ice changes point to a regime shift that is outside of expected natural variability. Similarly, new observations and improved model simulations for Antarctic Bottom Water formation indicate that a marked slowdown in this component of meridional overturning circulation is already underway, and may occur more rapidly than slowdown of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. In addition to the well-established risk of West Antarctic Ice Sheet collapse, and more recently identified risks to East Antarctic subglacial basins, our findings point to multiple vulnerable tipping elements in the Antarctic climate system under even moderate levels of warming, with global consequences. Some biological tipping points in the Antarctic system are also expected to be linked to physical tipping elements, including rapid and irreversible loss of Emperor penguin populations and juvenile krill populations, while tipping elements in other Antarctic species or ecosystems may arise through the cumulative impacts of multiple human-caused pressures.
Polar and subpolar regions featuring permafrost are widely recognized for their exceptional sensitivity to climate change. In the Antarctic Peninsula, there has been a notable warming trend of approximately 3.4 °C since the 1950s. In Hope Bay, in the northern Antarctic Peninsula, the evolution of ice-rich permafrost is as an indicator of recent climate change. The region has undergone rapid transformations, with the development of thermokarst in areas occupied by permafrost. This abstract presents a 13-year thermal monitoring (Feb 2011 to Jan 2024) of a sandy loam Haploturbels located at 150 m a.s.l. Daily average air temperature ranged between −26.1°C and 20.17°C with an average of −4.70°C during the studied period. Overall, 2022 was the warmest year, with mean air temperature of −2.90°C against −6.08°C in 2012. There was a correlation between air temperature and soil temperature along all monitored depth. Maximum monthly averages were recorded in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2020 (8.78°C, 7.30°C, 9.19°C and 8.85°C at 5 cm). At the bottom of the profile (100 cm) maximum yearly averages occurred in 2016, 2022 and 2023 (-2.77°C, -2.56°C and -2.96°C) and maximum monthly averages were recorded in 2012, 2016, 2020 and 2023 (1.77°C, 1.85°C, 2.36°C and 2.03°C). The sum of the positive average daily temperatures did not exceed 9.0°C days in 2014 at the bottom of the profile (100 cm), reaching 49.4 °C days in 2022 and 70.2°C days in 2023. The freezing degree-days expressed the opposite tendency, −1589.8 in 2014, −1001.2°C in 2022 and -1158.5 in 2023. The active layer thickness varied considerably and reached its maximum between February and March every year. The calculated thawing depth reached minimum of 118cm in 2014 and maximum 200cm March 2022.
Mass loss of the Antarctic Ice Sheet has been driven primarily by the thinning of the floating ice shelves that fringe the ice sheet, reducing their buttressing potential and causing land ice to accelerate into the ocean. Observations of ice-shelf thickness change by satellite altimetry stretch back only to 1992 and previous information about thinning remains unquantified. However, extending the record of ice-shelf thickness change is possible by proxy, by measuring the change in area of the surface expression of pinning points—local bathymetric highs on which ice shelves are anchored. Here we measure pinning-point change over three epochs spanning the periods 1973–1989, 1989–2000 and 2000−2022, and thus by proxy infer changes to ice-shelf thickness back to 1973–1989. We show that only small localized pockets of ice shelves were thinning between 1973 and 1989, located primarily in the Amundsen Sea Embayment and the Wilkes Land coastline. Ice-shelf thinning spreads rapidly into the 1990s and 2000s and is best characterized by the proportion of pinning points reducing in extent. Only 15% of pinning points reduced from 1973 to 1989, before increasing to 25% from 1989 to 2000 and 37% from 2000 to 2022. A continuation of this trend would further reduce the buttressing potential of ice shelves, enhancing ice discharge and accelerating the contribution of Antarctica to sea-level rise.
Metaverso Antárctico is a novel exploration adventure video game with science fiction elements and a solid scientific basis. Our game was created and produced by XR-LABS (Transdisciplinary Laboratory of Virtual Reality, Video Games, and Emerging Technologies at the University of Chile), with the advice of specialized researchers in biodiversity, conservation, and Antarctic governance. The first step in the development process was an expedition to the Weddell Sea where we recorded images and sounds, which inspired in the design of the game's landscapes and environments. Then, we selected a pool of 24 Antarctic species and conducted interviews with 14 Antarctic scientists specialized in those species.
The goal of the game is to study the adaptation of Antarctic flora and fauna to climate change. The video game has 3D format and a "Low poly" visual style. The player can explore on foot, dive, take samples on the floor and underwater, and interact with scientists, crossing seven different ecosystems: coastal rocks, green Antarctic, fresh water, sea ice, intermareal, marine bed, and pelagic area. We introduced an imaginary scan technology, which allows player to take samples of living species with a non-invasive method --reinforcing the ideas of respect and preservation of these ecosystems--.
Throughout this Antarctic world, the player can find previous researcher's diaries, which allow them to understand their research agendas for each ecosystem. We created a futuristic architecture with submerged laboratories to study underwater fauna in natural conditions. Finally, we combine the experience of a single player game with multiplayer online virtual reality.
Metaverso Antarctico gives us the opportunity to discuss the ways in which we can represent Antarctic research and the challenges of climate change through cinematographic and audiovisual arts.
Covering approximately 1% of the area of Antarctica (140,000 km2), blue ice areas (BIAs) are essential for understanding surface processes on the ice sheet. Around 17 dedicated studies were published between 1990 and 2023 which focus on blue ice mapping applications. Of these, only six attempted a continent-wide approach. None of these studies used very high-resolution (VHR) data. The mapping resolution achieved by existing methods varies from 30-200 m. The present study introduces a precise method for mapping BIAs at 2m resolution by leveraging very high-resolution WorldView-2 satellite imagery. The customized normalized-difference blue-ice index (NDBI) approach introduced by this study outperforms existing methods, providing a refined map for the Schirmacher Oasis region as an exemplar. The total BIA area in the study region is estimated to be 106.87 km². The present study’s results were validated using qualitative visual interpretation and thorough quantitative ground-truthing in field expeditions. Through this customized NDBI approach, VHR satellite data significantly enhances the accuracy and stability of BIA mapping. The method's superior performance is evident in its lower misclassification rate compared to target detection, spectral processing and pixel-wise supervised feature extraction approaches. The customized NDBI approach yields an average root mean square error (RMSE) of 654.48 ± 58.26 m², showcasing its robustness. The refined BIA map can contribute to improved mass balance estimates, facilitating studies on ice shelf stability, and supporting scientific missions seeking meteorites or ancient ice. Our findings not only offer a crucial tool for future polar research but also establish a robust methodology for mapping blue ice in challenging Antarctic terrains.
The cryosphere stands out as one of the Earth's most sensitive components to climate change. In this context, permafrost holds significance as a crucial terrestrial element recognized for its extreme sensitivity to climate warming. Consequently, alterations in permafrost conditions will lead to profound changes in the Earth System. The goal of this abstract was to characterize the soil thermal conditions, along with its interannual variability from Feb 2011 to Dec 2023 at Keller Peninsula, King George Island, Maritime Antarctica, where six soil temperature probes were installed at varying depths (10, 30, and 80 cm) within both the polygon center and border (patterned ground) of a Turbic Lithic Cryosol (62° 05’ 09’’S, 58° 24’ 28’’W, 90 m a.s.l.). The soil thermal regime exhibited mean annual soil temperatures consistently below 0 °C (generally fluctuating around -1.5°C at all layers); being lower in 2011 and 2012. Differences below 0.2 °C were noted between consecutive soil layers (10–30 and 30–80 cm). Temperatures were warmer during 2018, 2021, 2022 and 2023. Soil temperatures were higher in the polygon border compared to the polygon center at 10 and 30 cm, with slight differences in the winter. The estimated active layer thickness varied considerably, minimum of 10 cm in 2014, 2016 and 2017; maximum of 98 cm in 2021 and 2023; for the rest of the studied period the deepest sensor had maximum temperatures around the freezing point indicating the presence of permafrost shallower then the 80 cm soil layer (in both polygon border and center). The absolute temperature difference between center and border were 0.29°C, 0.17°C and 0.07°C for the consecutive depths; the center presenting less amplitude and greater resistance in temperature change. The studied profile showed great variation in active layer thickness thus great response to climate variations.
In Antarctica, habitats available for colonization are scarce due to the vast coverage of glaciers and permanent snow. However, ice-free rocky outcrops that emerge from glaciated areas -known as nunataks- provide ecological niches and constitute reservoirs of biodiversity since they served as glacial refugia during the Last Glacial Maximum. The cryptogams and lithobiont microorganisms that dominate these unique enclaves are strongly tied to their surrounding climatic conditions, which makes them particularly susceptible to the threat posed by different drivers of change. Studying the structure of these communities, understanding their responses to environmental factors, and determining their ecological boundaries is crucial to evaluate the current and potential impact of global change. We hereby present a multidisciplinary insight into the role of nunataks on terrestrial Antarctic ecology through the lens of cryptogamic and microscopic organisms from a prominent nunatak (449 m.a.s.l.) on Livingston Island combining microclimate, functional ecology, and biodiversity. Environmental conditions of the main topographical aspects of the nunatak were monitored year-long by a network of 14 microsensors. Photosynthetic activity of an Antarctic moss and lichen was evaluated by chlorophyll a fluorescence techniques and gas exchange experiments to assess their ecophysiological optimums and ranges of tolerance to ambient alterations. Cryptogamic vegetation was identified using morphological taxonomy and molecular strategies. A metabarcoding approach was implemented to characterize bacterial and fungal lithobionts from various microhabitats. Our ecophysiological studies hint that cryptogamic communities may be subjected to environmental filtering. The epilithic flora presents a remarkably high percentage of endemic lichens. Preliminary results suggest that there are distinct patterns of microbial colonization amongst the studied plots. Differences found in the microenvironmental conditions could be responsible for the dissimilarities detected at both bacterial and fungal community structures. It becomes evident that Antarctic nunataks host a vast hidden taxonomical and functional diversity awaiting to be unveiled.
During the Ross Sea I glaciation, the Ross Ice Sheet (RIS) advanced along the Victoria Land coast, grounding in the mouths of several of the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV). This RIS advance is hypothesized to coincide with the retreat of alpine glaciers in the MDV. In Taylor Valley, a MDV blocked by the RIS during the last glacial stage, multiple hypotheses exist for how far into the valley the ice sheet extended. Some hypothesize that the RIS remained grounded at the mouth of the valley, while others propose that it advanced westward, penetrating deeper into the valley. Here, we examine physical evidence supporting the westward advance of the RIS beyond the mouth of Taylor Valley. We also present physical evidence suggesting that some of Taylor Valley's alpine glaciers advanced during the Ross Sea I glaciation. Exposure ages from in situ 14C cosmogenic radionuclide samples collected from RIS drift and end moraines beyond the termini of two modern alpine glaciers support our interpretations of the physical evidence. Based on these data, we present an updated hypothesis for Taylor Valley’s history during the last glacial stage. During the Ross Sea I glaciation, the RIS advanced westward into Taylor Valley, coinciding with the advance of Crescent Glacier on the south wall of the valley. The RIS then retreated, exposing its drift in lower Taylor Valley prior to ~32 ka. During or following this retreat, Canada Glacier on the north wall of Taylor Valley advanced, reworking the RIS drift. Crescent and Canada Glaciers then retreated toward their modern extent beginning ~24 ka and 13.5 ka, respectively.
Extreme seasons (climate extremes) are of particular relevance to impacts, as they can produce accumulated effects on, for example, surface melt of ice shelves and penguin breeding. There is a gap in knowledge on how extreme seasons may change over Antarctica and the Southern Ocean under future climate forcing scenarios, with Antarctica not included in the IPCC AR6 WG1 Chapter 11 on extremes. In this presentation, available large ensemble datasets in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Phase 6 (CMIP6) archive were used to provide the first multi-variate overview of the evolution of extreme seasons over Antarctica and the Southern Ocean during the 20th and 21st centuries, with projections following medium-to-high radiative forcing scenarios (SSP2-4.5 and SSP3-7.0 forcing experiments). The variables assessed were near-surface temperature, surface precipitation rate and near-surface westerly wind. The results show significant differences between simulated changes in background mean climate and changes in low (10th percentile) and high (90th percentile) extreme seasons. Regional winter warming is most pronounced for cold extremes, particularly over or near to areas of climatological 20th century sea ice cover. In summer there are more pronounced increases in high extremes in precipitation and westerly wind during the ozone hole formation period (late 20th century) affecting coastal regions and in particular the Antarctic Peninsula. At sub-polar latitudes (between 50 and 60 degrees South) there is an approximately 20% reduction in the range of summer season wind extremes. Potential mechanisms/processes responsible for these differences will be discussed.
There are numerous reports from the past five decades of macroalgal abundance in the undersea forests they dominate along the northern portion of the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP). However, there is little information about short-term variation in macroalgal abundance or in community structure. We recorded three replicate videos of vertical transects between 5 m and 40 m at each of four sites separated by <30 km near Anvers Island in 2019 and 2023, with two of the sites also recorded in 2020. At one site, only two of the transects were repeated in 2023. Total macroalgal cover increased between 2019 and 2023 in all 11 individual transects sampled in both years, with increases in brown, overstory macroalgal cover also in 10 of the transects. The understory red macroalgal cover decreased in all eight transects sampled both years at three sites – probably in part due to being beneath the increased overstory – but increased at the other site. There were no significant differences between total, brown, or red macroalgal cover between 2019 and 2020 in the two sites sampled then. Nonparametric, multivariate analyses of the communities identified significant differences in the macroalgal assemblages between all sites and between 2019 and 2023 at three of the sites but there were no significant differences in the macroinvertebrate assemblages across sites or years. Combined percent cover and quadrat biomass sampling enabled estimations of macroalgal biomass changes from the video data. The increases between 2019 and 2023 were substantial because they were primarily from increases in the large overstory browns. Sea ice concentrations were decreasing substantially across this time interval and could be a causal factor in the increased macroalgal cover and biomass. If so, it is likely that similar increases could have occurred across much of the WAP.
Atmospheric moisture transport is a crucial component of the Earth’s hydrological cycle, and the atmospheric branch of the water cycle is built upon by the moisture transport from oceans to continents via evaporation over oceans and precipitation over continents. An example of such a process is the Indian summer monsoon. This study investigates whether (i) the atmospheric and oceanic circulation changes over the Antarctic region contribute to the Southern Ocean moisture transport to the Indian monsoon region and (ii) the large-scale atmospheric circulation associated with the Indian summer monsoon influences the moisture transport to the Northern Hemispheric polar region.
An analysis of multiple datasets based on observational, reanalysis and satellite sources were carried out for seventy years (1951-2020). Preliminary analysis of rainfall (All India rainfall data (0.25° x 0.25°) from India Meteorological Department), atmospheric circulation (zonal and meridional wind, specific humidity, sea level pressure data (2.5° × 2.5°), from the National Center for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research reanalysis), and sea surface temperature (HadISST; 1° × 1° developed at Met Office Hadley Centre for Climate Research) show that many of the strong Indian summer monsoon years were accompanied by moisture transport originating from 38°S - 45°S and 50°E-75° E and it has observed that the moisture transport extends to high latitudes of Artic through the Peninsular India. Anomalous cooling of sea surface temperature is observed over the Subtropical High region of the Indian Ocean, indicating the need for further investigation into the Antarctic Oscillation’s influence on the initiation of moisture transport over the identified location. The study proposes a physical mechanism explaining a teleconnection linking the polar regions, where the Indian summer monsoon plays an important role.
Keywords: Indian Summer Monsoon, Moisture Transport, Teleconnection, Antarctic Oscillation, Subtropical High
For 33 million years, marine species living in Antarctic waters have been isolated from the rest of the Southern Ocean by deep continental shelfs and the presence of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC). However, climate change increasingly modifies local oceanographic conditions that allow subantarctic waters to breach the ACC and potentially bring with it non indigenous species (NIS) with cold-water affinities, while the increase of ice-free zone in the Antarctic intertidal will allow them to settle. It is expected that the number of species with cold-water affinities (i.e, subantartic, or with a bipolar or arctic distribution) that will reach and settle in Antarctica will raise in the following years, especially in the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) where climate change is the fastest and human activities is the highest. In this work, we used GIS and the Regional Oceans Modeling System (ROMS) model to investigate the dispersion patterns and estimate propagule pressure load associated with maritime traffic and seaweed rafts at regional (throughout the WAP) and local scale (in previously identified vulnerable hot-spots for NIS arrival) using Ulva spp as model species. We released particles simulating Ulva spp propagules drift during a three summer months (January-February-March) experiment (when maritime traffic is the highest) with an interval of 15 days between each release event. We hypothesized that local oceanographic conditions define the main pathways and characteristics (residence time, exportation rate and number) of propagule at local and regional scale. We also hypothesized that propagule pressure estimates calculated in identified vulnerable hot-spots are higher when considering maritime traffic compared with natural transport through seaweed rafts, given the intensity of maritime traffic in the WAP. Our work provides the first numerical estimates for propagule pressure in the WAP considering the local oceanographical context, widening the application of modeling approaches to answer current biological questions.
Lake Untersee is a perennially ice-covered lake located in Queen Maud Land, Antarctica. This habitat serves as an ecological analog of early Earth and other worlds in our solar system characterized by thick permanent ice covers, such as Enceladus and Europa and even ancient ice-covered lakes on Mars. This unique environment supports a vast system of mat morphologies: pinnacles, flat mats and modern, large conical stromatolites. While pinnacles and flat mats are common throughout other Antarctic ecosystems, large complex cones are the first report of such structures in a modern environment. These stromatolites consist of a top pigmented layer of photosynthetic Cyanobacteria covering a soft structure of alternating laminations of sediment and microbial organic matter. These modern cone structures are extremely intriguing as Lake Untersee is the only environment on Earth where they have been found to date. We reconstructed metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) from bacterial phyla inhabiting pinnacle and cones that grow adjacently under the same conditions, including many rarely observed phyla. Microbial structures are inhabited by distinct communities with an abundant cyanobacterium Microcoleus defining cone-shaped structures and Elainellacea increasing in pinnacle-shaped structures suggesting cyanobacteria influence mat morphologies. We identified sharp partitioning from upper to lower mat layers in community composition and metabolic potential including abundance of photosynthetic pathways in the upper light-receiving laminae of the mat, and heterotrophic pathways in the lower layer. Metagenomic analysis shows that Lake Untersee is the first Antarctic Lake with substantial ammonia oxidising Nitrospiracea and amoA genes in benthic microbial mats. Genomic capacity for recycling is prevalent across MAGs, highlighting the importance of nutrient scavenging in ultra-oligotrophic environments. The next step we are working on is the generation of metatranscriptomes of several layers of conical stromatolites and pinnacles, which will allow to identify which microbial components are active and which genes of the community are expressed.
Antarctic sea ice has been behaving in dramatic ways in the last decade. After nearly 30 years of slow and steady growth in total Antarctic sea ice, record low extents were reached in 2017, 2022, and 2023. In 2023 alone, Antarctic sea ice was well below average for nearly the entire year, continuously setting records since its minimum in February, and advancing much slower than normal during the austral autumn and winter. While the current events appear extreme in the satellite observations, these records only reliably extend back until around 1979, making it challenging to truly understand the historical significance of these recent events. This talk will analyze these events, including the change from maximum in 2014 to minimum in 2017, and the 2022 and 2023 record lows, in the context of monthly and seasonally resolved Antarctic sea ice (both extent and concentration) reconstructions starting in the early 20th century. The large reconstruction ensembles enable a much wider understanding of the significance of these recent extremes in a much larger sample, better helping to determine if Antarctic sea ice is entering a new regime that it has not seen in the last 120 years. Impressively, the reconstructions indicate that recent changes are exceptional even in the context of over a million possible Antarctic sea ice states since the 20th century.
The Southern Ocean is responsible for over a third of the global dioxide carbon (CO2) sequestration by the ocean, playing a key role in driving global biogeochemistry. Recent studies have pointed out that some phytoplankton functional groups along with non-biological drivers increase the CO2 sink in the Southern Ocean over the seasons. In addition, it has also been appointed the inversely proportion between the chlorophyll-a (a measure of phytoplankton biomass) and the CO2 flux (ΔpCO2). The Northern Antarctic Peninsula (NAP), which has been experiencing drastic changes on ecosystems, sea ice and ocean dynamics, is considered one of the main gateways to the Southern Ocean. The NAP marine system is a diverse region featuring a range of oceanic and coastal ecosystems with complex hydrographic and biogeochemistry patterns. Considering the different areas along the NAP, we subdivided it into six subregions (Gerlache and Bransfield straits, coastal and oceanic Weddell, Drake Passage, and Bellingshausen influenced waters) in this study, analysing the contribution of phytoplankton on CO2 fluxes. For that, we utilized both biological (phytoplankton community composition by HPLC-CHEMTAX approach) and physical-chemical data (e.g., macronutrients, temperature, ΔpCO2). All subregions showed that the biology was the crucial driver modulating CO2 flux dynamics. However, some subregions expressed more effect of phytoplankton (e.g., coastal Weddell and Bransfield Strait) than others (e.g., oceanic Weddell), acting as CO2 sink areas, mainly associated with the high values of chlorophyll-a and a dominance of diatoms. An exception was observed for the Gerlache Strait, where the high chlorophyll-a values associated with a dominance of cryptophytes also contributed for the negative ΔpCO2 values. These results show as different phytoplankton community composition may drive different CO2 fluxes among subregions along the NAP, increasing the knowledge about diatoms and cryptophytes on CO2 uptake.
Due to frontal ablation, calving glaciers show a more complex reaction to climate change than land-terminating glaciers. This is a significant challenge for assessing and forecasting ice mass loss from regions characterized by calving glaciers like Antarctica or the Patagonian Andes.
Here, we assess the role of frontal ablation in the mass change of Manso Glacier, one of the most voluminous glaciers of the Northern Patagonia Andes. To achieve this, we developed a method that calculates frontal ablation by segmenting the glacier front into a series of fluxgates and integrating them. This strategy allows us to differentiate areas of the glacier front that are advancing, stagnant, or retreating. The method requires flow line vectors, velocity grids, glacier extent masks, ice thickness, and surface elevation change data. Surface velocities were generated using feature tracking with Landsat 8 and Sentinel 2 optical images.
Since 2013, we have observed an increase in the calving speed of the glacier, reaching its maximum in 2019. However, since 2020, the frontal ablation rate has remained high because the front is at a thick section of the glacier, particularly on the southern margin of the glacier tongue. Between 2017 and 2022, frontal ablation represented 47% of the total ice mass lost, and both surface velocity changes and frontal change velocity control the frontal ablation rates.
Finally, our novel method has proved beneficial to monitoring the frontal ablation of medium-sized glaciers, and we hope it could help disentangle the mass loss by frontal ablation for major glaciers as well.
China is a newer member in a historically largely western driven institution of the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS). Signed in 1959 by the 12 original signatory Parties, the Antarctic Treaty now has 56 parties, with China signing in 1985. The governance of Antarctica is unique, as the Antarctic Treaty area is largely governed by consensus through the ATS. Designation of protected areas must be uniformly managed and decided upon by the Consultative Parties. Rapid geopolitical and environmental changes inherently influence the establishment and management of protected areas. China has been working towards increasing its engagement and voice worldwide, and this includes in Antarctic governance. As a Party with an increasing presence and increasing engagement in Antarctic affairs, China’s actions have provoked a variety of responses from other Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties’. To understand China’s evolving role in the ATS, meeting reports (ATCM, CEP) and policy papers were analyzed to understand China’s increasingly vocal engagement in annual meetings, as well as timelines for different protected areas proposed. Parties’ responses are derived from the same sources, and we investigated how China’s engagement and response did or did not differ from that of other Parties. The increasing vocalization and expression of divergent views of China has raised anxieties within the West as concern on the shifting powers could influence international law and order. China, and other emerging actors, provide a new perspective than the original 12 signatories Parties, and geopolitics play a major role in protected area establishment. However, for the sake of Antarctic biodiversity and conservation measures, multi-party collaboration must be prioritized to decrease the effects of geopolitical influences.
Antarctic coastal waters are home to several established or proposed Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) supporting exceptional biodiversity. Despite being threatened by anthropogenic climate change, uncertainties remain surrounding the future ocean acidification (OA) of these waters. Here we present 21st-century projections of OA in Antarctic MPAs under four emission scenarios using a high-resolution ocean–sea ice–biogeochemistry model with realistic ice-shelf geometry. By 2100, we project pH declines of up to 0.36 (total scale) for the top 200m. Vigorous vertical mixing of anthropogenic carbon produces severe OA throughout the water column in coastal waters of proposed and existing MPAs. Consequently, end-of-century aragonite undersaturation is ubiquitous under the three highest emission scenarios. Given the cumulative threat to marine ecosystems by environmental change and activities such as fishing, our findings call for strong emission-mitigation efforts and further management strategies to reduce pressures on ecosystems, such as the continuation and expansion of Antarctic MPAs.
Antarctic toothfish are a commercially exploited upper-level predator in the Southern Ocean. As many of its prey, the ectothermic, water-breathing Antarctic toothfish is specifically adapted to the temperature and oxygen conditions present in the high-latitude Southern Ocean. Additionally, the life cycle of Antarctic toothfish critically depends on sea-ice dynamics and the transport of individuals with prevailing current systems between habitats with different prey distributions. To assess the impact of 21st-century climate change on potential interactions of Antarctic toothfish and its prey, we here employ the extended Aerobic Growth Index (AGI), which quantifies the effect of ocean temperature and oxygen levels on a species' growth and health. We quantify changes in predator-prey interactions by a change in viable habitat overlap as obtained with the AGI. As environmental data, we use future projections for four emission scenarios from a model specifically designed for applications on and near the Antarctic continental shelf. For the two highest-emission scenarios, we find that warming and deoxygenation in response to climate change cause a subsurface decline of up to 40% in viable habitat overlap of Antarctic toothfish with important prey species, such as Antarctic silverfish and icefish. Acknowledging regional differences in the decline of viable habitat overlap, our results demonstrate that warming and deoxygenation alone could significantly perturb predator-prey interactions in the high-latitude Southern Ocean. As changing sea-ice conditions, circulation patterns and ocean acidification will additionally impact different life stages of high-latitude species to a varying degree, our findings highlight the need for a better quantitative understanding of cumulative climate-change impacts on Antarctic species to better constrain future ecosystem impacts of climate change.
Tipping points in the Earth system describe critical thresholds beyond which a single component, part of the system, or the system as a whole changes from one stable state to another. In the present-day Southern Ocean, the Weddell Sea constitutes an important dense-water formation site, associated with efficient deep-ocean carbon and oxygen transfer and low ice-shelf basal melt rates. Here, a regime shift will occur when continental shelves are continuously flushed with warm, oxygen-poor offshore waters from intermediate depth, leading to less efficient deep-ocean carbon and oxygen transfer and higher ice-shelf basal melt rates. We use a global ocean–biogeochemistry model including ice-shelf cavities and an eddy-permitting grid in the southern Weddell Sea to address the susceptibility of this region to such a system change for four twenty-first-century emission scenarios. Assessing the projected changes in shelf–open-ocean density gradients, bottom-water properties, and on-shelf heat transport, our results indicate that the Weddell Sea undergoes a regime shift by 2100 in the highest-emission scenario, SSP5–8.5, but not yet in the lower-emission scenarios. The regime shift is imminent by 2100 in the scenarios SSP3–7.0 and SSP2–4.5, but avoidable under the lowest-emission scenario SSP1–2.6. While shelf-bottom waters freshen and acidify everywhere, bottom waters in the Filchner Trough undergo accelerated warming and deoxygenation following the system change, with implications for local ecosystems and ice-shelf basal melt. Additionally, deep-ocean carbon and oxygen transfer decline, implying that the local changes ultimately affect ocean circulation, climate, and ecosystems globally.
Broadscale support for the type of climate action necessary to avoid extreme sea level rise from Antarctic ice melt will depend on an engaged and informed public. Most people, however, will never visit Antarctica in person and rely upon cultural texts, including news reports, to understand the Southern Polar region. To strengthen global engagement with issues such as Antarctic ice melt, we need to understand the role these cultural texts play in shaping public knowledge and opinion. In this paper we bring a broad humanities and social sciences perspective to examine representations of the Antarctic ice sheets, and the relationships between Antarctic ice melt and sea-level rise, in news media, with a focus on representations of ice sheet instabilities and climate-ice sheet tipping points.
Our mixed methods analysis of Anglophone news headlines from the last decade (2013 to 2023) will identify how the relationship between Antarctic ice sheets and sea levels is depicted in the media and how this depiction has changed over time. Preliminary results show an increase in news coverage in the last decade, along with increasing prevalence of words such as ‘melting,’ ‘collapse’, and ‘accelerating’. We will present on these findings through this paper, with a view to commenting on how researchers can best leverage media coverage to strengthen public engagement on issues relating to Antarctica and climate change.
At the beginning of World War Two, a PhD student in international law in Germany discussed in his dissertation the issue with claiming countries in the Antarctic and explored ways to create a legal framework to manage the processes of land entitlements. One of the reasons to claim land on the Southern continent was industrial whaling. Germany had plans to claim land for their own whaling enterprises, but it never materialised. When this PhD was published, Argentina and Chile not even had laid their claims. However, Norway just claimed a part of the Antarctic before the German Schwabenland Expedition arrived in 1939, which had the same intention on that land.
This paper will focus on the historical developments discussed in this particular PhD, and its attempt to introduce legal frameworks to govern the Antarctic with its claiming practices. We do not know how the PhD author, Hans Georg Baare-Schmidt, reacted to the development of the Antarctic Treaty. However, his study shows first attempts towards an international law that could be seen as an idea of the Antarctic Treaty. Baare-Schmidt worked as a lawyer in Germany and died in 2010.
Availability and findability of existing data is key: for reuse of the data; for open, reproducible science; and, for enabling data comparison, compilations and analysis of historical developments. This is especially true for Polar Regions, where logistical challenges and rapid changing environments often result in unique datasets.
The US Antarctic Program Data Center (USAP-DC) is a data hub and repository funded by the US National Science Foundation. We are committed to supporting researchers in their data needs, to preserving valuable Antarctic data, and to making these data findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable. USAP-DC is a repository for any data collected or created as part of the US Antarctic Program, but also links to datasets at other repositories through dedicated project pages for NSF awards and projects.
Datasets are hosted with extensive metadata and are shared through multiple avenues to maximize findability. This includes free-text and map-based search interfaces and a browser on the USAP-DC website. In addition, we offer a REST API for machine access to the metadata. We also share metadata and dataset links through multiple metadata catalog services including the Antarctic Metadata Directory (AMD), DataONE, and Polar Federated Search while also enabling other search engines to harvest schema.org information directly from our dataset pages.
Recently, we developed a dataset metric to provide better feedback for users to improve the FAIRness of their data submissions. We plan to further improve metadata and dataset standards through collaboration with different user communities by providing updated guidance and templates for dataset submission.
The invasive winter fly Trichocera maculipennis (Diptera: Trichoceridae) has colonised seven stations on King George Island, the South Shetland Islands. Larval habitats of this species include terrestrial wet and semiaquatic organic-rich substrates. The known populations of T. maculipennis on King George Island inhabit mostly sewage treatment plants, but potential establishment of the species in natural Antarctic habitats may be catastrophic as saprophagous larvae can greatly alter the existing environment. During the 2019/2020 season, I conducted a survey to locate larval habitats of T. maculipennis in anthropogenic habitats (indoor and outdoor) of Bellinshausen Station and to assess the presence of this species immatures in selected natural habitats on Fildes Peninsula, King George Island, and on surrounding islets. The population of T. maculipennis (larvae, pupae, adults) was found in one indoor site of Bellinshausen Station but no specimens or traces were found in other indoor and outdoor sites of the station, including the places where it occurred in previous seasons. To ascertain if established populations already exist in natural ecosystems, twelve different-type organic-rich wet habitats situated in ten localities were examined for the presence of immatures or traces/remains of T. maculipennis. Based on published data and own observations on the larval bionomics of this species, I searched the habitats potentially most attractive and suitable for the development of larvae. Four sites examined were situated near Bellingshausen Station, while the others were several kilometers away from any station. No specimens or remains were found in any habitats and localities. My preliminarily conclusion is that there is no evidence for the establishment of T. maculipennis in natural habitats of King George Island. The laboratory tests confirmed that the larvae of T. maculipennis from Bellinshausen Station are able to complete development in organic-rich substrates from natural habitats of the island, indicating the risk of their colonisation.
2023 saw the publication of Artists in Antarctica: Creativity in a Frozen Land by Massey University Press. The book contextualises the broad topic of Antarctic Arts through the work of 36 New Zealand artists who have headed to Antarctica as part of Antarctica New Zealand’s various artists and community programmes, providing an illustrated narrative that links the scientific/natural landscape with art. It also adds to the discussion around the value that Art has in representing Antarctic issues and New Zealand’s relationship with the continent.
Artists in Antarctica also includes commentaries by the artists about their experiences down on “The Ice”, as well as the artistic challenges and insights into the creative processes used in producing these artworks, examining the particular arts practices of the individual artists and the impact this unique experience has had on their work generally.
This paper traces the project from inception to publication and identifies the key aspects of curating and celebrating the work of such a diverse range of artists, as well as summarising some of the general themes arising from the artist interviews.
Shepherd, P. (Ed.). (2023). Artists in antarctica. Massey University Press.
Monitoring continental and maritime Antarctic terrestrial ecosystems is increasingly important as they face an uncertain future due to changes in climates at various scales. Linking changes in health and biodiversity to climate is difficult as weather records are sparsely distributed, limited to a few decades or less, or simply do not exist. Additionally, many coastal ice-free areas rich in biodiversity are too far away from the locations of ice-core records and have unique microclimates. Hence, there is substantial need for climate proxies for areas where this biodiversity lives.
Restricted to the limited ice-free areas, mosses dominate the terrestrial plant-life of the frozen Antarctic landscape and are home to diverse communities of invertebrates and microorganisms. As resilient plants with simple structures, mosses can capture and preserve long-term records of their immediate microclimate as chemical signatures in their tissues. We discuss how mosses provide a temporal and spatial history of their local microclimates and growth rates through preserved chemical signatures.
We show that fresh and herbarium moss specimens have considerable potential as climate proxies. Living and herbarium moss cores provide high-resolution archives, at annual to decadal scales, of at least 100 years. By subsampling from herbarium specimens collected over 30 years ago, we have expanded our rich dataset to several remote sites and eras. Our results reveal that old-growth moss forests in various specially protected areas (ASPAs) and sites near research stations have experienced rapid drying. Applying these measures to samples collected from more coastal sites may allow us to determine how extensive changes in climate are across Antarctica. As well as determining the impacts of recent disturbance from stations, this work will help to identify terrestrial sites, including ASPAs, that are at risk in order to inform critical conservation efforts in a rapidly changing environment.
At the 2023 Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) held in Helsinki, Finland, a secret plenary meeting was held to discuss one of the most controversial agenda items of this meeting: an acknowledgment of Consultative Party status of two Contracting Parties to the Antarctic Treaty, namely Belarus and Canada. After an extensive and "acrimonious" consultation, both applications were rejected/postponed. The Final Report languages indicate there were politics involved in the Consultative Status acknowledgment process, one explicit (Ukraine war) and another implicit (non-change of positions by China and Russia). The Belarusian and Canadian cases were the second and third requests in which the new guidelines as provided in Decision 2 (2017) on the procedures to be followed with respect of Consultative Party status were applied. Shockingly, all three including Venezuela in 2018 have failed to achieve the status so far.
Originally, Decision 2 (2017) on the Consultative Party acknowledgment procedure with its criteria for "substantial scientific research activity there (in Antarctica)" as provided in Art IX (2) of the Antarctic Treaty was expected to provide objectivity and foreseeability in the Consultative Party acknowledgment procedure. However, the above recent cases suggest uncertainties, prolongation and potential politicization of the said procedure, which is a serious concern for Antarctic national programmes and policy-makers eager to effectively participate in the Antarctic governance based on the Rule of Law.
In light of these worrisome practice, this paper first re-affirms the relevant texts of the Antarctic Treaty and the original rationale of the Consultative Party acknowledgement criteria and procedure; second, in light of such reaffirmation, critically examines the recent practice focusing on Decision 2 (2017); and, finally, provides some policy suggestions for future course of actions to address this conundrum.
The nearshore regions of the Antarctic Peninsula remain relatively under sampled in capturing complete seasonal phytoplankton community dynamics due to sampling variations, limited access, and harsh environmental conditions. This study, conducted between 2017 and 2022 along the Antarctic Peninsula (61°S-68°S), analyzes molecular samples collected through the citizen science initiative FjordPhyto, and examines micro- and nano-eukaryote community structure across 32 sites within four distinct geographical regions between the months of November and March. The total of 271 surface net seawater samples collected result in a large Antarctic protist-focused molecular dataset (18Sv9). We report on seven photosynthetic groups: diatoms, dinoflagellates, small flagellates, cryptophytes, haptophytes, rhodophytes, and green algae. Through cluster analysis, three distinct assemblages were identified, predominantly characterized by high relative read abundances of either Porosira_sp., Geminigera_cryophila, or diverse mixed-diatom taxa. These recurrent communities exhibited characteristic diversity and succession patterns across four years, occurring in particular locations and particular times either early- mid- or late- season. High frequency of sampling revealed higher diversity in Antarctic photosynthetic protists than previously reported. Species evenness, richness and community diversity estimated with the Shannon Index were characteristic of each of the communities and exhibited significant variability depending on location and month sampled. Although cryptophytes had a widespread distribution and dominated one of the three communities, more than eighty percent of the samples were dominated by either of the two communities of diatoms. The findings underscore distinct community compositions that consistently characterize this region and offer a comprehensive seasonal overview of microeukaryote dynamics, aiding in the understanding of the role of primary producers in coastal ecosystems. This analysis paves the way for further exploration of the environmental drivers and ecological integration, advancing knowledge of biodiversity and biogeography in polar regions.
Dome A, Antarctica is recognized as a superb site for infrared observations, thanks to its extremely dry and cold conditions. To take advantage of it, we have developed Antarctic InfraRed Binocular Telescope (AIRBT). It consists of two identical optical tubes, each with a diameter of 15 cm, and two InGaAs cameras with J, H filters, respectively. Following comprehensive testing, AIRBT was deployed at Dome A in January 2023, and was maintained in January 2024. Since then, it has been monitoring the sky remotely and automatically. The depth of 3-second exposures approaches 7.7 (6.8) mag in J (H) band during polar day in February, then extends to 12 (10) mag in J (H) band during twilight in March. Here we will describe the observations and data collected by AIRBT from Dome A in 2024, alongside presenting the preliminary results. By photometry, we aim to search for variable stars, and transients, as well as to measure the infrared sky brightness at Dome A.
The Best Available Science (BAS) refers to utilising the most reliable, up-to-date, scientifically sound information and evidence to inform decision-making. Antarctic Special Protected Areas (ASPAs) are proposed by one or multiple parties and, upon scientific-informed knowledge informing decision-making, are negotiated and managed by parties. In this context, BAS not only enhances negotiators’ effectiveness, but also represents a source of power during negotiations. ASPAs are mostly regarded as valuable mechanisms to foster international scientific cooperation, however, they also represent an element of territoriality, which is often associated with national interests and a potential threat to reach successful outcomes.
The negotiation process is a key moment of balancing interests and reaching mutual benefits, and the outcome is dependent on the party’s acceptance/rejection/interest. Distributive Negotiation maximises each of the parties' share at the expense of the other party, it includes an adversarial position focusing on dividing resources and results in a win-lose or zero-sum negotiation. Integrative Negotiation aims to reach mutual gain by identifying shared interests and creating mutual benefits resulting in a zero-sum game.
China's dynamism in the polar regions and the increasing funding dedicated to polar science have raised scepticism about China’s long-term intentions among polar stakeholders.
Against this background, the study focuses on ASPA 178, which was recently negotiated between China, Italy and South Korea. The study investigates how BAS paves the way for the conflict-lowering potential of integrative negotiation shaping ASPA 178 creation and it is based on semi-structured interviews with scientists and diplomats involved in the negotiation. Situational analysis is used to depict actors and to gain knowledge about the interdependence and power relations between groups and actors involved.
With the rapid development of the global economy and the significant improvement of human living standards, the spiritual and cultural needs of residents of all countries are increasing, and the unique charm of Antarctic tourism has become a new hot spot of global consumption. Especially after the COVID-19 epidemic, the Antarctic tourism market has ushered in a recovery boom, and the number of tourists in the 2023-2024 Antarctic tourism season has exceeded 110,000, surpassing the highest level before the epidemic.As the number of Antarctic tourists continues to surge, the Antarctic ecological environment is facing unprecedented pressure, and it is more urgent than ever to formulate and improve international rules for Antarctic tourism activities. At present, the international governance of Antarctic tourism has realized the combination of hard law and soft regulations, building on the principles of the Antarctic Treaty and the Protocol on Environmental Protection, the basic rules and institutional framework based on ATCM measures, resolutions and IAATO industry regulations. However, there are still institutional drawbacks, which can not meet the needs of standardized management of Antarctic tourism. In light of the special realities of Antarctic tourism governance, Antarctic tourism management should be promoted from three aspects: the improvement of internal policies and regulations of the parties to the Antarctic Treaty, the establishment of international communication platforms and the formulation of specific guidelines for the Antarctic region, so as to jointly improve the global governance rules system for Antarctic tourism.
Antarctica has a unique location as the keystone of former Gondwana. Beneath its icy surface lies a geologically complex yet poorly understood continent. To advance our understanding of supercontinent evolution and Antarctica's tectonic history, it's essential to map the lithospheric heterogeneity. Benefiting from recent continental-scale geophysical data compilations, a series of models has been generated to represent this lithospheric heterogeneity. This includes information on sedimentary basins, basement structure, variations in crustal density and thickness, as well as the thermal and compositional structures of the lithosphere. A multiscale linear analysis method has been applied to identify potential boundaries across different scales. These identified lithospheric domain boundaries enhance our understanding of the continent's deep structure. Joint analyses of the lithospheric structure indicate that inherited Precambrian structures and their rheological contrasts controlled the continent's response during the breakup of Gondwana.
The British Antarctic Survey archive is a uniquely comprehensive and detailed account of British scientific endeavour in Antarctica from the 1940’s to the present day. Expressed in textual, visual and audio form, in analogue and digital, the archive contains formal and informal records ranging from personal correspondence to scientific data. The collection metrics suggest the archives’ size: 1.1 linear kilometres, 170m3 and 52,000 catalogue entries. But these figures do not convey the vast meshwork of intersecting pathways and individual stories contained within the archive which spring to life when you access them.
Take a single traverse route on one of the first surveying expeditions – a journey measured on a human scale. There are employment records for the men on the expedition, personal artefacts and letters, dog cards for the sledging team, field notes and triangulation figures. Photographs show what the men were seeing when they had their feet on the ice, at a particular moment in time; maps produced after their return illustrate their journey from above, the satellite perspective, details of triangulation points carefully marked and coded. What the map does not reveal is the human experience, the rhythms of work, the impact of the weather – and what it meant to be seeing this erstwhile pristine, hostile, beautiful environment for the first time.
This presentation will look at two different expeditions, a long-distance survey journey by dog sledge in the mid-20th Century and a personal account of the last Antarctic flight of NASA’s Operation IceBridge as it passed the torch to the ICESat-2 satellite. We will consider some of the implications of satellite surveys, and increasing digitisation, for the material archive, and open a conversation about reducing our carbon footprint whilst at the same time preserving a human perspective on Antarctica.
Antarctic Surface melt has been identified as a crucial factor menacing ice shelf stability (Rott et al. 1996, van den Broeke 2005, Trusel et al. 2015) through mechanisms of hydrofracturing (Lai et al. 2020). Projections have shown that the magnitude of surface melt will increase and the melt extent will be widespread (Trusel et al. 2015, Gilbert & Kittel 2021). However, the distribution of future melt is not well known at high spatial resolutions, which limits the accurate estimation of surface water availability over the ice shelf areas that contain fractures (Lai et al. 2020), are vulnerable to hydrofracturing (Lai et al. 2020), and provide buttressing effects (Fürst et al. 2016). Here, we present 100-meter projections of AIS surface melt under the latest IPCC AR6 SSPs 1-2.6, 2-4.5, 3-7.0, and 5-8.5 scenarios. These projections are generated from an empirically-calibrated and spatially-parameterized Positive Degree-Day (PDD) model that incorporates 100-meter topographic variability to downscale forcing temperature fields. We show that the effects of high-resolution topographic variability can produce local temperature corrections of a similar magnitude to global temperature warmings under the highest greenhouse gas emissions scenarios at the century-end (Arias et al. 2021). We find that the Larsen-C, Shackleton, Thwaites, and Totten ice shelves will all be at high risk of collapse in this century due to increased surface melt if emissions follow the SSP3-7.0 pathway. However, CMIP6 GCMs currently only identify Larsen-C as being at risk. We further calculate the trajectories of latitudinal melt migration and show that the melt trajectories are dependent on climate change mitigation, and that SSP1-2.6 is likely the only emissions pathway under which future AIS surface melt is stabilized.
According to the Environmental Protocol to the Antarctic Treaty, protected areas in the Antarctic can be designated according to various categories. There are currently 76 so-called Antarctic Specially Protected Areas (ASPA), predominantly terrestrial areas that prioritise the conservation of certain values. The Treaty Parties have committed themselves to establish a coherent network of representative protected areas and have also repeatedly recognised that the current set of ASPA is still inadequate. The most recent addition dates from 2024 and is the first to be the result of a German initiative, with the USA as a co-proponent. This is ASPA Danger Islands, an archipelago at the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula consisting of seven islands of different sizes. The reasons for its designation as a protected area are manifold and range from the conservation of scientific to aesthetic values. The Area is characterised by its outstanding biodiversity, with the Adélie penguin playing the leading role among the at least ten seabird species that breed there. With more than 750,000 breeding pairs, it is home to the largest known colony of this species in the entire Antarctic Peninsula Region. And this population is also subject of scientific interest. It is, for example, not yet understood why such a huge Adélie colony is situated so far north compared to other Adélie colonies of similar sizes. To answer this and other questions, various studies which includes a monitoring of the local bird population of the Area are envisaged. Further investigations on the penguin foraging areas should complete first insights. In addition, future studies should also provide a picture of the Area’s vegetation. The overall aim of the new conservation status is to protect the outstanding terrestrial life from disruptive influences, while at the same time ensuring further scientific exploration of the Area.
Fishing is widely regarded as one of the most important direct drivers of change in marine ecosystems the past century, impacting structure, function, and biodiversity. In the Antarctic, the fishery for Antarctic krill is the largest by volume, currently harvesting approximately 450,000 tonnes each year. Historical, unregulated catches of krill in the late 1970s prompted the establishment of the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) in 1982 under the Antarctic Treaty System as a structured mechanism to prevent overfishing and potentially negative effects on the ecosystem. In 1989, CCAMLR established its Ecosystem Monitoring Program (CEMP), designed to detect and record significant changes in critical marine ecosystem components, and distinguish between ecosystem changes driven by fishing and environmental variability. The program is currently active in 13 locations around Antarctica monitoring eight selected indicator species consisting of breeding adult penguins, adult female Antarctic fur seals and their pups and three species of flying seabirds. Despite considerable improvements to our understanding of how the ecosystem functions and the technologies available for conducting monitoring, the indices monitored have not changed since CEMPs inception. We present published research on three members of the air-breathing krill predator guild currently not considered within CEMP (nonbreeding adult penguins, adult male Antarctic fur seals and baleen whales); and place their life histories in the context of contemporary fishing patterns. We show how neglecting these key components of the marine ecosystem will almost certainly impact how CEMP indices can be related back to the processes they were originally designed to detect. Finally, we offer commentary on potential reasons why CEMP has failed to evolve over the preceding three decades, and present recent scientific work developing cost effective and modern monitoring approaches that may help improve CEMP relevance and make it fit-for-purpose.
Polar research necessitates efficient collaboration and logistical support. DueSouth, hosted by the European Polar Board’s infrastructure and logistics planning and discovery tool, Polardex, facilitates collaboration by connecting researchers with potential collaborators and sharing field plans. It enables researchers to find partners for data collection expeditions in the Southern Ocean and polar research stations.
DueSouth serves as a vital tool for aligning polar field campaigns reaching "beyond the borders" of traditional boundaries. Through DueSouth, scientists can identify who is going where, when, and what activities they will undertake, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration across geo, physical, and biological sciences. By providing a platform to share upcoming field plans, DueSouth contributes to shaping future initiatives and addressing the comprehensive challenges inherent in polar field campaigns.
This abstract highlights DueSouth's role in advancing fieldwork efficiency, minimizing environmental impact, and maximizing scientific outcomes, in line with the session's aim to cultivate collaboration and innovation in large-scale international initiatives.
The platform is freely accessible to all at https://polardex.org/due-south.
Crabeater seals (Lobodon carcinophaga) are the most abundant seal species on the Western Antarctic Peninsula, with over 1.8 million individuals. Despite their namesake, they rely on krill for more than 88% of their diet, making them significant krill consumers in the Southern Ocean. Crabeater seals serve as ecosystem sentinels, with their distribution reflecting krill population changes. As with much of this ecosystem, their populations are inextricably linked to the ebb and flow of the seasonal sea ice. Since 1978, the sea ice maximum grew annually until a peak in 2014. Subsequent years have seen dramatic reductions, with 2023 marking the lowest sea ice year on record, indicating a potential new ecosystem state, typified by reduced sea ice. Yet the impact of these changes on crabeater seals remains unstudied.
Year-round habitation within the pack-ice makes data collection challenging. This has led to a deficit on this species’ population status. Here we outline preliminary findings from a joint USA and UK project, which aims to produce regional density and abundance estimates for crabeater seals. We leverage data form both aerial surveys flown in 2015 and 2023, alongside Very-High-Resolution (VHR) satellite imagery surveys spanning 2020 to 2023. We use both manual observations and automated procedures from a re-trained version SealNet 2.0, a composite machine learning model designed to identify pack-ice seals, to estimate abundance. Initial results of the 2023 aerial survey analysed, suggest that observed crabeater seal density (1.07 per km2) is half of what was observed in 2015 (2.14 per km2). Worryingly, these estimates are also lower, by an order of magnitude, than what was modelled for the Western Antarctic Peninsula two decades ago (10.9 per km2). With these surveys, we offer both temporal and latitudinal insights into how crabeater seal populations have changed over this period of decreasing sea ice.
The sea ice cover is used as one of the indicators of polar environmental change affecting the albedo, ocean-atmosphere exchange of carbon, ocean-atmosphere circulation, ecosystems within the cryosphere. The Antarctic sea ice extent (SIE) has been steadily declining since the spring 2016, as opposed to consistent growth (1.95% decade-1 from 1979 to 2015) in the satellite era. The SIE has reached record lows in 2017, 2022, and 2023. From spring 2016, the satellite-based SIE remained consistently lower than the long-term mean, with the trend dropping to 0.42% decade-1 from 1979 to 2023. Recently, the SIE dropped to a record low in January 2023, February 2023, and from May-October 2023 which were 11 to 40% below the long-term mean value. The present analysis reveals that the observed decrease in SIE from 2016 to 2023 resulted from a combination of factors, including the intensification of atmospheric zonal waves linked to ENSO event variability, increased poleward transport of warm-moist air, and anomalous warming in the Southern Ocean. While the decrease in sea ice in spring 2016 occurred corresponding to the transitional climate shift from IPO- (Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation, 2000-2014) to IPO+ (2014-2016), the decline after 2016 occurred in a dominant IPO- and Southern Annular Mode (SAM+). Our research using various coupled model intercomparison project phase-6 models showed a consistent decrease in ensemble-mean SIE from 1979 to 2023. The model trend closely resembles the recent decreasing trend in SIE from satellite observations since 2016, indicating a potential shift towards warmer climatic conditions.
The West Antarctic Peninsula faces a significant increase in temperature and anthropogenic carbon emissions, affecting its marine and terrestrial biodiversity. Species Distribution Models (SDMs) are essential tools for assessing habitat suitability and predicting the responses to these changing conditions. In the coastal fjord ecosystem Potter Cove, glacier retreat exposed new ice-free areas altering the environment through meltwater input and sediment runoff. This research aims to predict the actual distribution of Antarctic zoobenthos in this changing coastal ecosystem and to analyze potential zoobenthic assemblage compositions in areas strongly affected by glacier retreat. Analysis of eight benthic taxa distributions reveals distinct habitat types within a maximum area range of approximately 1.5 km in length. About 60% of the study area (equivalent to 5.45 km2) is estimated to be suitable for zoobenthic occurrence. Interpretation of binary transformation thresholds reveals taxa-specific environmental preferences, wherein lower threshold values indicate broader habitat extensions. This suggests potential coexistence in glacier-influenced areas. This study emphasizes the significance of interdisciplinary approaches in understanding benthic responses to environmental shifts resulting from climate change in the Antarctic coastal ecosystem. It highlights the necessity for ongoing long-term research and the development of conservation and management strategies to address the continuing environmental shifts effectively.
The perennially ice-covered lakes of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica are an important reservoir of liquid water in an arid and largely frozen environment. During the austral summer, the grounded margins of the lake-ice covers melt from the bottom up, forming a “moat” of thinned ice and liquid water around the lake edges. Moats serve as an interface between lake, soil, and stream ecosystems. Regions where liquid moat waters breach the surface or are covered by a transparent skin of ice are called functional moats. Functional moat area varies from year to year, causing annual changes in light availability for moat communities. Functional moat area may also affect the rate of exchanges between the lake waters and the atmosphere, the influence of wind-driven mixing in the moats, and may help control lake edge evaporation rates. To better understand this annual variation, we establish a record of annual functional moat area change for Lake Fryxell in Taylor dry valley. Using multiple satellite images, we manually measure, and also test semi-automated approaches for estimating, Lake Fryxell’s functional moat area. The manual measurements show functional moat area varying annually between ~3 and ~13% of the total lake area in images captured during January and February. The semi-automated approaches consistently underestimate the manual record by ~2% relative to the total lake area. This may be due to differences between the spatial resolution of images analyzed in the various methods. Using the manual record, we develop an index model based on readily available climate data that allows functional moat area to be predicted beyond the limits of our satellite-based record.
Climate change is predicted to facilitate polewards shifts of species geographic ranges and thereby shape native biodiversity and ecosystem functions in Polar regions. Currently the Antarctic hosts only two endemic vascular plant species, Deschampsia antarctica and Colobanthus quitensis. The species were distributed from Patagonia to western Antarctic Peninsula in the Holocene or Late Pleistocene. Since then the Antarctic populations have evolved in virtually herbivore-free space compared to their Patagonian ancestors.
We tested if D. antactica plants collected from Patagonia and Antarctica differ in their resistance to a generalist herbivore, the bird cherry oat aphid (Rhopalosiphum padi). The field-collected plants were grown in a greenhouse at the Botanic garden of University of Turku, Finland, in 2022 and 2023. In the well replicated experiment, 64 plants in total were placed in four aphid treatment and control insect rearing cages to test aphid preference and plant tolerance to herbivory. Four weeks later plants were harvested and frozen, aphids were counted, and the number of tillers and dry mass of plants were recorded. Aphids clearly preferred the Antarctic to Patagonian plants (p = 0.028) and the damage of Antarctic plants tended to be stronger compared to Patagonian ones (p = 0.055). The survival and growth of the Antarctic and Patagonian plants did not differ in the absence of the aphids.
These results revealed the reduced resistance of D. antactica to herbivores during the colonization history of the species in Antarctica, and suggest that the Antarctic genotypes may become extinct within their current ranges as a result of climate change and the invading species. Invading herbivores can consume endemic D. antactica plants, and Patagonian genotypes and novel plant species with higher resistance to herbivores can hybridize or outcompete endemic D. antactica.
The Southern Ocean is one of the fastest changing regions on the planet and an emerging resource frontier for fisheries. In polar regions, coastal polynyas – open water areas along the coast bordered high regions with higher sea ice concentration – are “hot spots” of high biological productivity, yet polynyas remain both unprotected and understudied. Antarctic polynyas are locations of high primary productivity and frequent use by upper trophic predators throughout the year. This work seeks to understand the ecological importance of small-scale polynyas across trophic levels, and how this may change over time with the changing climate. To better quantify the ecological value of polynya regions, we present a novel synthesis that integrates satellite sea ice observations, data from Earth system model projections of phytoplankton productivity, krill growth, and fish biomass in tandem with habitat usage by southern elephant seals and demographic projections of emperor penguin and Adelie penguin populations. We find that primary and secondary production is elevated in polynya regions compared to the overall seasonal sea ice zone, and polynya areas are frequently visited by southern elephant seals. Previous work has found that distance to polynyas can be important for emperor and Adelie penguin colony size. In our analysis, we incorporate the number of penguins from demographic projections, that can access nearby polynyas. We merge these findings to a quantifiable metric that can be used to inform Southern Ocean conservation, including the development of marine protected areas.
Understanding the life history traits of Antarctic fish species is crucial for effective management and conservation efforts purposes. This study provides a comprehensive evaluation of the reproductive dynamics and age-growth characteristics in Trematomus newnesi, a common notothenioid species in the High-Antarctic zone. Field observations conducted in Potter Cove, South Shetland Islands, revealed significant variations in photoperiod and water temperature from November to March, with water temperatures reaching a peak in mid-December. Gonadal morphology showed an exponential increase in gonadosomatic index in females and males from November to March, indicating ovarian and testicular development. Sex steroid plasma levels, particularly testosterone (T) and estradiol (E2), showed significant variations, with elevated levels observed during late vitellogenesis, suggesting the proximity of final maturation and spawning. Age estimation through otolith readings provided a range of ages up to five years old for both sexes. Comparison with previous studies on T. newnesi from other Antarctic areas highlighted similarities and differences in reproductive patterns and growth parameters, respectively. Our study suggests that temperature fluctuations, in conjunction with photoperiod, may act as triggers for reproductive events in T. newnesi starting in early autumn at Potter Cove. The environmental cues and reproductive data indicate that Potter Cove might serve as a spawning ground for T. newnesi. Likewise, larval hatching was estimated to occur from early to mid-August, suggesting an egg incubation period of four months. Overall, this study provides insights into the reproductive dynamics and life history traits of T. newnesi, as a valuable contribution for appropriate management and conservation of Antarctic fish populations.
The Antarctic region's extensive and varied ecosystems provide valuable knowledge on life in harsh conditions. However, scattered and often inaccessible data present a challenge for researchers, policymakers, and the public. The SCAR Antarctic Biodiversity Portal (biodiversity.aq) supports this by providing a centralised platform for publishing, discovering, accessing, and using Antarctic biodiversity data.
Biodiversity.aq provides extensive access to marine and terrestrial biodiversity information. Users get access to more than 6.6 million instances from different data suppliers, which include information on species distribution, abundance, and environmental factors published in line with the FAIR principles.
The portal empowers researchers by offering advanced search functionalities, the ability to download data in standardised forms that comply with international standards such as Daawincore, and an inventory of online tools for data publication, cleaning and analysis. Additionally, identification keys and links to external databases further enrich the user experience.
Biodiversity.aq is an important resource for conservation and management initiatives, in addition to its research function. The portal facilitates informed decision-making by offering crucial information about the distribution and status of Antarctic species.
The SCAR Antarctic Biodiversity Portal promotes worldwide collaboration, scientific discovery, and sustainable management of the unique Antarctic ecosystem by providing free and open access to biodiversity data compliant with the FAIR, CARE and TRUST principles.
The Eastern Weddell Sea (EWS) is a vulnerable habitat that is greatly affected by climate change, impacting its physical characteristics, biodiversity, and ecosystem operations. The distinct variety of biodiversity and ecosystems in Southern Ocean habitats is under serious threat from climatic scenarios outlined by the Intergovernmental Panel on climate Change (IPCC), which have worldwide impacts on the well-being of humans and economics. The EWS may be on the verge of shifting from a period of relative stability to a new phase characterised by a decline of sea ice. The Weddell Gyre displays indications of ocean acidification, freshening, and changes in nutrient levels.
Regular monitoring of the EWS ecosystem is necessary in order to determine the baseline of current status of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, enabling stakeholders to implement suitable protection and mitigation strategies. It is crucial for the timely execution of the Weddell Sea Marine Protected Area (WSMPA), which is considered for establishment by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR).
Here, we present the Biodiversa+ Project Weddell Sea Observatory of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Change (WOBEC). The objective is to create a proficient monitoring framework to assess change and differentiate trends from natural variability in the EWS. WOBEC will advance multiscale biodiversity monitoring by integrating modern technology and computational advancement into a common framework of observation parameters, protocols, and sampling schemes. It will also contribute to harmonising monitoring standards globally and identify new goals for polar research.
Avian siadenoviruses infect diverse terrestrial and aquatic birds worldwide. Antarctica hosts several avian species that are susceptible to siadenovirus infection, such as penguins and South Polar skuas. However, the presence, diversity and transmission of these viruses in Antarctic birds are poorly understood due to limited surveillance and sequence data. In this study, we performed a non-invasive surveillance of avian siadenoviruses using fecal samples collected from waterbirds at King George Island (part of the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica) from late January to mid-February 2023. PCR, sequencing, and phylogenetic analysis were used to investigate the occurrence, genetic diversity, and evolutionary relationships of these viruses in this unique environment. The results of these studies confirmed the presence of siadenoviruses in penguins living along the southeastern coast of King George Island. Distinct viral strains, specific to each penguin species studied were found, suggesting limited interspecies transmission and a complex viral ecosystem within Antarctic bird populations. This study is the first to non-invasively detect siadenoviruses in Antarctic penguins, opening a new avenue for viral research. This approach not only sheds light on viral dynamics, but also contributes to the conservation of Antarctica's unique wildlife and biodiversity, especially in the face of increasing global warming.
The sea floor (benthic realm) is the most biodiverse part of the modern-day Southern Ocean. It is unique compared to the rest of the world, being dominated by immobile suspension-feeding creatures. Benthic communities elsewhere normally have large numbers of burrowing organisms, and mobile predators and prey. Many Antarctic benthic organisms are stationary; therefore, they are vulnerable to activities such as fishing and the invasion of predatory groups due to climate change or human introduction. How the biodiversity and stability of modern Southern Ocean benthic ecosystems is maintained today is unknown. We are studying the evolution of Southern Ocean communities to identify the conditions under which they evolved and give an indication of environmental conditions which are necessary for their maintenance. In Antarctica, the earliest known Cenozoic glacial communities are from Oligocene deposits of the King George Island (northwest tip of Antarctic Peninsula 61.9°S). The geological formations on this island provide a unique window into Southern Ocean glacial sea floor communities ~ 26 Ma. Glacial evidence comes from the presence of dropstones, striated rocks, and diamictites. Communities are dominated by epifaunal suspension feeding organisms. Pectenid bivalves and brachiopods occur in large aggregations in shallow water deposits. There are very few predatory groups preserved. This research forms part of a larger effort to document community change under different temperature regimes through the Cenozoic in order to understand the evolution of modern Antarctic communities. This will increase ability to predict the effects of anthropogenic climate change on these unique communities.
Humphrey Davy, the electrochemical pioneer who identified elements of the periodic table, wrote poetry, sometimes even in the laboratory; Percy Bysshe Shelley, the Romantic poet who penned ‘Ode to the West Wind,’ used to conduct chemical experiments in his study. The perceived separation of poetry and science is comparatively recent and artificial. Both disciplines rely on close observation and precise expression to develop and convey understanding. They also both require the application of different types of measure: mathematical, rhythmic, relational. Looking at particular poems by poets writing about Antarctic science, this presentation will consider how different poetic forms might open up ways of thinking which allow for embodied responses to the research subject; the way haiku requires a distillation of complex ideas into concrete images, for example, or how a ‘poetry of fact’ can contain both empirical observation and emotion.
This presentation will build on previous work by science communicators such as Sam Illingworth and Gregory Johnson to demonstrate the capacity of poetry, and of the poetry workshop, to enable creative responses to research, to promote dialogue and wellbeing, and to develop resources. Creating poetry requires active engagement with the subject. We will consider the workshop as a meeting place or pivot point, where people with different backgrounds can come together to write poetry, and from which both poems and process can be employed in future science communication. The presentation will include reflections by the ecologist Jen Freer on her experience of participating in poetry workshops, both at the British Antarctic Survey and as part of the science network JETZON. It will also look at some examples of poetry communication projects, such as Project Communication Haiku and the SciBards. The presentation will end with a reading of poems that have emerged from workshop participants.
The polar regions are experiencing rapid, dramatic impacts due to climate change that require innovative and transdisciplinary solutions, which in turn require a well-supported and connected interdisciplinary community of scientists. The Polar Science Early Career Community Office (PSECCO) aims to foster exactly such a diverse, international, and multidisciplinary network of scientists early in their careers. Over the past two years PSECCO has asked early career researchers (ECRs) what they view as challenges, issues and gaps in support relevant to ECRs. We found that challenges to polar ECRs can be broken down into three main categories: 1) challenges in making and sustaining connections within and across the polar community; 2) challenges in accessing resources and trainings relevant to ECR growth; 3) a need for cultural change across the polar sciences to build welcoming and accessible community spaces. Here, we discuss some of what is and is not being addressed of those issues within the polar sciences, and present potential solutions to those challenges that can be spearheaded by members of the community. We investigate the potential benefit of using ‘Collective Impact’ and ‘Community of Practice’ frameworks to do this work. The Collective Impact framework is an exercise of bringing people together from across polar science disciplines and positionalities to achieve social change in a structured way and ‘Communities of Practice’ would entail bringing polar scientists together regularly who are working towards a common goal to learn alongside one another in creating welcoming and inclusive polar science community spaces for all. With these proposed solutions and practices in mind, people individually within their institutions and community organizations like the PSECCO, can and do play an important role in bolstering the polar ECR community, ultimately enhancing their contributions to polar science to help work towards solutions to the global climate crisis.
The development of technologies associated with the exploration and utilization of outer space has rapidly evolved, giving rise to new dual-use technologies critical for the safety of space-based missions. This development represents a significant factor in the geopolitical dynamics of the international system. Given its natural characteristics and proximity to polar orbits, the Antarctic territory has become an ideal location for the deployment of these novel capabilities, many of which fall under the category of "counterspace capabilities," challenging the principles of the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS), particularly its ban on the placement of any weapons within the continent.
Emerging evidence suggests that as incentives for space conflict increase, there is a high probability of observing the deployment of such capabilities in Antarctic operations and activities in the near future, thereby challenging international principles and governance in Antarctica.
This research addresses the gray areas between the ATS and the Outer Space Treaty concerning dual-use technologies such as outer space capabilities. The hypothesis of this study is that these gray areas contribute to the emerging hazards associated with outer space interstate conflicts, potentially extending them to Antarctic operations. Using a method of comparative case analysis, this exploratory research will delve into counterspace capabilities in Antarctica, providing valuable guidelines to prevent the militarization of space in Antarctica and contribute to reinforcing the peaceful uses of the continent.
Due to its novelty, this research will contribute to the academic understanding of Antarctic phenomena and frontier research, offering new perspectives on the challenges facing the future governance of Antarctica.
The use of eDNA metabarcoding has been shown to be a successful approach in accurately capturing the diversity of marine ecosystems. In this context, the objectives of this study are to assess the biodiversity of marine organisms in an Antarctic Specially Protected Area located in South Bay, Doumer Island, using eDNA techniques, and to evaluate the use of this technique for monitoring potential invasive species. Seawater samples were taken aboard a pneumatic boat at four sampling stations near the Chilean Antarctic scientific base Yelcho (64.9° S, 63.6° W). Subsequently, they were filtered, prepared, and DNA was extracted in the laboratory. The results of this study expand the record of Antarctic marine species for South Bay, identifying new species. Regarding potentially invasive species, this study has detected several non-Antarctic species in South Bay. Our results suggest that the eDNA technique is an effective method of assessing marine biodiversity and invasive species in Antarctica. However, eDNA still presents some weaknesses that need to be considered. Reference DNA databases for Antarctic species are incomplete, which hinders the accurate identification of species from their eDNA. Therefore, more research is needed to strengthen the databases and thus to improve taxonomic descriptions. We conclude that eDNA is a valuable tool to assess and monitor biodiversity in Antarctica, particularly in the Antarctic Specially Protected Areas, and for the monitoring of potentially invasive species.
The sinking of the Endurance in the Weddell Sea led by Ernest Shackleton presented one of the most well-known cases of survival and heroism throughout all of Antarctic history. The ship entered the Antarctic region in early summer 1914, and soon became stuck in the Weddell Sea sea ice. Unfortunately, the ship was never freed from the ice, and eventually was crushed and sank to the bottom. It was recently discovered on the bottom of the Weddell Sea in 2022.
While the story has been told of the survival of the crew and the heroic voyage across the Drake Passage in a small lifeboat, the role of the weather leading to this dramatic outcome has been less investigated, especially in a longer-term historical context. In this talk, we will pair together information from nearby stations, reconstructions of Antarctic sea ice and pressure, and contemporary reanalyses to understand what role the weather in 1914-1915 in this region may have played in the trapping and eventual destruction of the Endurance. These longer climate histories will be compared to the detailed meteorological measurements made on or near (after it was no longer safe to stay on board) the Endurance for a new retelling of an age-old tale.
After Antarctica, the Patagonia Icefields (PI) are the largest ice mass in Southern Hemisphere. The main glaciers of the PI are calving into fjords or lakes, where local topography (especially the bathymetry), is playing an important role controlling glacier dynamics accelerating glacier retreats. Many of the Antarctic Peninsula glaciers are also calving into fjords and experiencing, in many cases, strong retreats. The glaciers in both regions share some characteristics, since they have very high snow accumulation rates, and in general, well-defined ice basins with a surrounding rugged topographies determining ice flows. In some other cases, the Peninsula’s glaciers are sharing a plateau similar to the biggest glaciers in the PI that are flowing from flat high altitude areas. Among the main differences between both regions are melting and ice velocities, both much higher in the PI. However, in response to climatic changes, especially the ongoing warming trends in the Peninsula, glacier melting is expected to increase. Modelling future glacier responses needs a much strong research especially nearby glacier fronts including bathymetric, dynamics and oceanographic/limnological studies. In recent years we have researched the ice-lake/fjords interactions in several Patagonian glaciers, including the western calving glaciers of the Northern Icefield, several freshwater calving glaciers in the eastern margin of Southern Patagonia Icefield and tidewater calving glaciers in Cordillera Darwin. Here we will present some of our results in Patagonia compared to changes experienced by calving glaciers in King George Island and the Antarctic Peninsula. The bathymetric data in front of the Peninsula’s glaciers are much more restricted than in Patagonia, but among the compared glaciers we have found a similar dependency on local bathymetries. Much more in situ data are needed for addressing the future evolution of these glaciers. A robust research strategy will be proposed for addressing these scientific problems.
Contemporary studies conducted in northern polar regions reveal that permafrost stability plays an important role in the modern carbon cycle as it potentially stores considerable quantities of greenhouse gases. Rapid and recent warming of the Arctic permafrost is resulting in significant greenhouse gas emission, both from physical and microbiological processes. The potential impact of greenhouse gas release from Antarctica is now also being investigated. In Antarctica, the McMurdo Dry Valleys comprise 10% of the ice-free soil surface areas in Antarctica and like the northern polar regions are also warming albeit from lower mean temperatures. Here we present the combined results of extensive soil gas analyses, shallow electrical resistivity, and deep electrical resistivity tomography surveys. Analytical results reveal the presence of significant concentrations of CH4, CO2 and He (up to 18,447 ppmv, 34,400 ppmv and 6.49 ppmv, respectively) at the base of the active layer. When compared with the few previously obtained measurements, we observe increasing CO2 flux rates (estimated CO2 emission in the study area of 21.6 km2 ≈ 15 tons day-1). Resistivity data identify a 50-100m thick highly resistive surface layer across the valley underlain by conductive layers between 50-100 m, 300-350 m and 600-650 m in-turn separated by resistive layers. The combined dataset reveals a broad brine system in Taylor Valley, implying multi-tiered groundwater circulation separated by frozen ground. The distribution of the gas anomaly, when compared with geophysical investigations, implies the gas originates from the deeper brines migrating from inland (potentially from beneath the Antarctic Ice Sheet) towards the coast beneath the permafrost layer. These newly obtained data provide a baseline for future investigations aimed at monitoring the changing rate of greenhouse gas emission from Antarctic permafrost, and the potential origin of gases, as the southern polar region warms.
This paper will explore the artist's role in creating awareness about the human impact on and in Antarctica. Interdisciplinary artist Lea Kannar-Lichtenberger will examine how the dissemination of her Antarctic research and creative art practice has impacted her audiences around Australia. Through various media that use (but are not limited to) thermal imaging, sound, ice installations, photography, drawing and poetry, she will examine the artist's role in the discourse of environmental protection.
As an artist/traveller/observer, Kannar-Lichtenberger utilises her past (2017) and more recent (2023) self-funded Antarctic research expeditions to consider the visitor's engagement with the fragility of Antarctica. Antarctica: all to lose will explore how her series of solo exhibitions across Australia (2017-2023) has engaged and impacted audiences.
Kannar-Lichtenberger will delve into the audience's response to the various media exhibited, individually and as a whole. Through an analysis of published reviews, onsite public engagements, and audience reaction, she will examine this exhibition series to create a broad understanding of the resulting viewer impact. This examination will be invaluable for the creation of future artworks to increase public engagement with a view to influencing travel behaviour.
The ice divide between the glaciers flowing to the Amundsen Sea Embayment Area, considered the most vulnerable region of Antarctica, and those flowing to the Weddell Sea, has been subject of numerous geophysical surveys carried out in recent decades along oversnow traverses, discovering a complex subglacial topography and hydrology with some subglacial lakes. During these field campaigns dating from 2006 to 2017, an extended network of GPS measurements were obtained, showing a smooth and relatively flat surface topography, except along the valleys connecting the high plateau where the ice divide is located, and the outflow glaciers such as Union or Minnesota. At the high plateau several mass balance parameters were also observed including snow accumulation from stake heights, and in a couple of sites, snow/firn shallow cores. These very valuable, accurate and unique in situ data sets are compared to remotely sensed ICESat and Cryosat data, in order to obtain elevation changes. Moreover, the GPS and DGPS measurements are compared with available DEMs. In general, the study area is having very little changes with slightly positive values among the Weddell sea side and very minor negative in the Amundsen Sea Area which is consistent with the values previously estimated for example by Nilsson et al., 2022 (https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-3573-2022). However, our main interest is detecting local elevation changes related to possible volume variations experienced by subglacial lakes such as SLE (79ºS / 90º30'W) and SLC (79º15'S / 87º34'W). Up to now, we were not able to detect vertical changes associated to these subglacial lakes, suggesting a stable hydrological system. Apart from discussing our results, we will present a new strategy for a much and better glacier research in this region of Antarctica.
Eudorylaimus is one of five nematode genera that are found in the Antarctic Dry Valleys. Despite being one of only a handful of nematode taxa present in the region, there have been a limited number of studies characterizing the diversity of Eudorylaimus in the Dry Valleys. It is possible that there is more than one species present within the Dry Valleys after examining the degree of molecular diversity within the genus in Antarctica. The first objective of this study is to examine the degree of molecular diversity within Antarctic Eudorylaimus as compared with other Eudorylaimus species within the Eudorylaimus phylogeny. The second objective of this study is to resolve the Eudorylaimus genus phylogeny to find evidence for which Eudorylaimus taxa is sister to the Antarctic Dry Valleys Eudorylaimus species. All available Eudorylaimus sequences from GenBank and the Barcode of Life Datasystems (BOLD) were downloaded. The COI mitochondrial genes, 28S genes, and the 18S small ribosomal subunit genes of any species of Eudorylaimus were downloaded and included in the dataset. Eudorylaimus specimens were collected from the McMurdo Dry Valley region and the 18S and COI loci were sequenced. Following phylogenetic analysis using maximum likelihood trees, the Antarctic Eudorylaimus clade shows that there is very low genetic diversity within Antarctic Eudorylaimus taxa, even though these taxa are from distant locations. There is a large divergence between Antarctic Eudorylaimus and all other Eudorylaimus species, making it impossible to determine the sister taxa to Antarctic Eudorylaimus without further sampling. While there is high morphologic variation within this region, there is low genetic variation within the selected loci, making it unique compared to other Antarctic nematodes with high genetic variation and population structure.
The 2022 Antarctic sea ice growth season was unprecedented in the satellite era, including what was, at that time, the lowest pan-Antarctic September extent on record. In McMurdo Sound the fast ice cover formed and re-formed several times until the end of August, when a stable cover was finally established – four months later than usual. This local effect was driven by a series of southerly storms that drove extreme activity of the McMurdo Sound and Ross Sea polynyas. As a result, new sea ice growth occurred locally throughout the winter, driving deep and persistent brine rejection events. ‘Blowdown’ events 2-3 times larger than in a typical year were also observed, although these were associated with temperature signals that originated near the seafloor and progressed upwards through the water column. Here we present 24 months of new ocean data from southern McMurdo Sound captured with a novel seafloor-mounted mooring, along with synchronous Argo data from the Ross Sea continental shelf. We use the atypical signals of the 2022 growing season to identify possible pathways, timescales, and mechanisms of connection between the High Salinity Shelf Water formation region of the Ross Sea Polynya and our mooring site in Haskell Strait – which is the western gateway to the Ross Ice Shelf ocean cavity.
Most of the Ross Sea has been designated a marine protected area (MPA), proposed “to protect ecosystem structure and function.” To assess effectiveness, the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) selected Adélie (Pygoscelis adeliae) and emperor (Aptenodytes forsteri) penguins, Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii), and Antarctic toothfish (Dissostichus mawsoni), as ecosystem change ‘indicator species.” Stable for decades, penguins and seal populations increased during 1998-2018 to surpass historical levels, indicating that change in ecosystem structure and function is underway. We review historical impacts to population trends, decadal data sets of ocean climate, and fishing pressure on toothfish. Statistical modeling for Adélie penguins and Weddell seals indicates that variability in climate factors and cumulative extraction of adult toothfish may explain these trends. These mesopredators, and adult toothfish, all prey heavily on Antarctic silverfish (Pleuragramma antarcticum). Toothfish removal may be altering intraguild predation dynamics, leading to competitive release of silverfish, and contributing to penguin and seal population changes. Despite decades of ocean/weather change, increases in indicator numbers around Ross Island only began once the toothfish fishery commenced. The rational use, ecosystem-based viewpoint promoted by CCAMLR regarding toothfish management needs re-evaluation in the context of the Ross Sea Region MPA.
Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) mass loss contributes significantly to global mean sea level rise. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms that control AIS melt rates is of critical importance to plan for the effects of climate change. Transport of warm Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) into ice shelf cavities is known to be a primary source of heat driving AIS melt. This CDW originates in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) and is brought onto the continental shelf by small-scale physical processes such as eddies and tidal rectification. Onshore CDW transport is not spatially uniform, however, and its regional variations are often invoked to explain the different hydrographic regimes that persist on the Antarctic continental shelf. While cross-shelf heat fluxes are certainly an important part of the story, less focus has been placed on the offshore processes that bring CDW from the ACC to the shelf break. Here, we use Lagrangian particle release experiments in an ocean model to investigate the pathways by which CDW moves toward the continental slope, which is a necessary precursor to the cross-shelf exchange that has been studied in more depth. We show that these offshore pathways may play an important role in setting the continental shelf properties. Namely, the different shelf regimes are associated with distinct timescales and degrees of modification that CDW undergoes along its route to the shelf break. This is important context through which to understand regional and temporal variations in continental shelf heat content, which in turn, has implications for basal melting of ice shelves and future sea level rise.
Cyanobacteria-dominated microbial mats provide the base of polar desert food webs. Through field-based observations, the McMurdo Dry Valleys Long Term Ecological Research (MCM LTER) program has demonstrated how microbial mat biomass can respond to long-term climate trends. Following an anomalous melt year in 2002, there was an increase in the biomass of black microbial mats dominated by Nostoc spp. (Gooseff et al. 2017). Here, we provide a landscape-scale perspective by examining trends in black mat areal coverage, soil gravimetric water content (GWC), and snow cover in Fryxell Basin in Taylor Valley. We analyzed 21 high resolution (~ 4-8 m2) multispectral images captured by WorldView satellites during 2009-2019 between October and February. Raster data products for each of the variables of interest were derived for each date for an area of interest (AOI) focusing on the terrestrial landscape. We used previously published algorithms using unmixing models based on spectral end-members collected in the field to create the derived data products (Salvatore et al., 2020, 2021, 2023). Our AOI represents primarily terrestrial polar desert and stream channel ecosystems below 200m elevation.
Across all imagery, the detectable black mat coverage was typically 0.2% (min = 0.03%, max 0.7%) of the AOI. We observed an expansion of detectable areal coverage of black mats from 2009-2019 (Adj. R2 = 0.42, p = 0.001). GWC also showed a weak positive trend (Adj. R2 = 0.27, p = 0.015) when only including imagery after melt had begun (after Dec 8). Snow cover showed a seasonal decreasing trend (Adj. R2 = 0.29, p = 0.007), but no inter-annual trend. These observations demonstrate how remote imagery provides a landscape scale perspective on long-term trends documented by the MCM LTER. Specifically, an increase in soil moisture and black mat coverage in the landscape over the last decade.
Wilkes Land holds a key role in Gondwanan tectonics and for studying the influence of geological boundary conditions on the East Antarctic ice sheet. Despite its significance, this vast region remains one of the Earth's major geological blind spots, lacking fundamental knowledge. Australia, as a former tectonic neighbour of East Antarctica, serves as a valuable geological reference point and a well-covered base for validating established methods.
Using a combination of statistical and self-affine fractal interpolation methods can be helpful to gain a comprehensive understanding of how geological factors influence ice sheet dynamics across multiple scales. This involves integrating diverse data sources such as geophysical and geological datasets to map the geothermal regime and bed conditions. We seek correlations and relationships to predict realistic sub-glacial boundary conditions in Antarctica, facilitating both up- and downscaling of the spatial variability into large scale ice sheet models.
This multi-faceted approach aims to enhance our understanding of the required resolution and the complex interplay between geological conditions in ice sheet modelling, identifying the scales at which future data collection efforts are needed.
The impact of changes in the composition of the thermosphere over the Antarctic sector resulting from geomagnetic storms can have significant effects on atmospheric dynamics and the ionosphere at various latitudes, highlighting the complex interconnection of different components of the Geospace. In particular, we analyze these complex mechanisms and their effects from the polar to the equatorial ionosphere using a multi-instrument approach.
Between February 26th and March 1st, 2023 a moderate geomagnetic storm caused disturbances throughout the ionosphere. To establish a longitudinal variation of the phenomenon, critical frequency of the F2 layer (foF2) was analyzed using data obtained by three ionosondes located in Tucumán, Argentina (27.0° S; 65.5° W, low-latitude station TUC), Bahía Blanca, Argentina (38.7° S; 62.3° W, mid-latitude station BB) and Jicamarca, Perú (11.7° S; 76.8° W, equatorial station). Results show a negative ionospheric storm for BB and TUC stations with a one-hour difference in onset time, and a positive ionospheric storm observed only at TUC station.
To attribute a physical explanation to the negative ionospheric storm, the relationship between O/N2 was studied by analyzing Global UltraViolet Imager maps, a spatial scanning ultraviolet spectrograph designed to measure the composition and temperature profiles of the MLTI region, as well as its auroral energy inputs, looking for changes in the thermospheric conditions. As a result, a decrease in the O/N2 ratio was evidenced during the day of the geomagnetic storm, observing a displacement from the South Pole (Antarctic region) towards the South American sector. By adding data that allow for comparison and reinforce the hypothesis, we analyzed vTEC maps derived from GNSS data, focusing on the Antarctic continent and South America.
In further studies, we plan to add data from other instruments in high latitude (e.g. Antarctic sector) and mid-latitude to enhance the coverage of the meridional sector in the Southern hemisphere.
The availability of liquid water is a key requirement for Antarctic vegetation, and elevated air temperatures linked to anthropogenic CO2 are projected to increase meltwater generation from Antarctic glaciers, directly impacting the volume and distribution of liquid water in adjacent ice-free areas. A spatially explicit understanding of increased meltwater generation at biologically relevant scales under climate change scenarios is, therefore, foundational for evidence-based projections of future Antarctic terrestrial ecosystem functionality and biogeography. The New Zealand Antarctic Science Platform constructed a novel vertically integrated and multidisciplinary approach that starts with regional climate model outputs and ends with spatially explicit projections of vegetation distribution patterns at the basin level. Our approach incorporates
In this presentation, we report the current status of critical components within this ambitious project and highlight our next steps toward their integration. We argue that Antarctic vegetation can serve as a definitive indicator of meltwater presence, which is often too ephemeral and subtle to be detected using even in situ instrumentation. Our work will enable evidence-based attribution of changes in the physiology, composition, and spatial extent of these cold-adapted and slow-growing vegetations to environmental change resulting from elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations.
To understand what Antarctic ecosystems may look like following environmental changes driven by a warming climate, it is necessary to have a systematic and comprehensive understanding of the extant biodiversity and biogeography. Despite the enormous body of information that exists across journal articles, book chapters, and gray literature such as student theses and institutional reports, there are no taxonomically and spatially comprehensive sources of Antarctic biogeographical knowledge. As part of the New Zealand Antarctic Science Platform, we designed and implemented an informatic pipeline that retrieved more than 250,000 potentially relevant articles using expert-approved broad search terms from full-text search engines. Natural language processing, data structuring, and machine learning were then applied to the retrieved articles to identify those containing relevant information (i.e., spatially explicit occurrence of taxonomically resolved biological species). We then used a combination of supervised and unsupervised machine learning algorithms to extract biogeographical knowledge for the Ross Sea region from almost 5,000 PDFs of relevant articles as well as manually identified knowledge of biological and ecological processes to aid the construction of ecological models.
With annotations by experienced researchers and a consensus-based annotation process, we achieved greater fidelity than conventional workflows for collating biogeographical information, and the incorporation of machine learning enabled us to identify and extract information that would have otherwise taken many person-years. The compiled information is likely the most comprehensive body of knowledge on Antarctic biodiversity and biogeography in existence, and it will form the basis of our projection for ecosystem change using process-based ecological modeling and predictions of environmental attributes downscaled from regional climate models. We are working to expand this ‘Evolving Biogeography Register’ to the whole of Antarctica and other targeted taxa, and we welcome solicitations for collaborations to utilize this novel data set and capability.
Sea ice is essential in supporting the primary production critical for the polar marine food web. The seasonal extent of Antarctic sea ice has recently undergone a dramatic decline, and we know little about how such changes may propagate through marine ecosystems. The composition and structure of the critical sympagic community are unknown during most of the year since our access has been largely restricted to the Austral spring and summer. The few hard-won winter datasets available reinforce the importance of ice-associated processes. Year-round sampling of the sea ice would provide an essential data set to better understand how the community might respond to environmental change. Supported by the Antarctic Science Platform, Hauwai-20 was designed and built for year-round under-ice sampling through a collaboration between University of Waikato and Cellula Robotics. The name ‘Hauwai’ was gifted by a senior Māori linguist and represents a linkage between Māori knowledge (mātauranga Māori) indigenous to Aotearoa and cutting-edge Antarctic science.
The sampler is moored on the seafloor, and an integrated winch raises a float head containing the sample intake, CTD, altimeter, camera, fluorometer, and PAR sensors. The upwards-facing altimeter positions it just under the sea ice for sampling. An ADCP mounted to the sampler on the sea floor provides continuous real-time current data to assure optimal float head deployment. The sampler can take up to 150 discrete samples stored in sealed pucks. Each puck contains up to three filters with user-selectable pore sizes from 0.22 to 1000 μm. A displacement pump pulls a user-defined volume through the filters, then a preservative is injected into the puck before it is sealed. The flow path is sterilized between samples. The sampler can operate via a power-and-data cable from shore or autonomously with a built-in battery pack, with the former enabling remote operation from off-continent locations.
Recently, Antarctic seems to be experiencing rapid climatic changes and frequent climate extremes, such as a sudden decrease in sea ice extent since 2016 and the new highest air temperature record at Esperanza station in the Antarctic Peninsula in February 2020. South Pole is also proved in a warming trend during the past decades (Clem et al. 2020). Antarctica seems to be entering a new era of frequent extreme events, and the climate extremes in Antarctica have been gaining increasing attention recently. On 18th March, 2022, a sudden and drastic increase in surface air temperatures was observed in Dome C. This unprecedented extreme warming event attracted worldwide attention. In this manuscript, we shed light on the governing mechanisms accounting for this unprecedented extreme warming event and revealed for the first time that the blocking high over the Wilkes Land is the optimal circulation accounting for the occurrence of extreme warming events over Dome C during the past 40 years. Moreover, we found that a stronger blocking-driving poleward flow may cause a warmer extreme event. Around March 18, 2022, the currently strongest circulation driven by the blocking over the Wilkes resulted in the unprecedented extreme warming event over Dome C. However, There is no evidence on increasing of warming events.
South Africa has an established research presence in the Southern Ocean, on two sub-Antarctic islands and on the continent of Antarctica. However, this very important activity is contained within scientific structures and does not form part of the broader South African imagination. This pilot project aims to shift ideas and information about the Antarctic, subantarctic and Southern Ocean environments, in their connection to South Africa and Africa. It aims to do so by gathering and analysing existing Antarctic creative work, and creating conditions for generating new writing and artwork.
Antarctica and the Southern Ocean is geographically remote and therefore does not feature in most South Africans’ experience. The pilot project plans to address that by providing opportunities for artists and writers to be immersed in this environment and to draw from this experience to produce creative works. It will conduct feasibility studies about the potential for a longer term programme, particularly given the constrained resources of the South African science project. Alternative venues and means for generating creative responses may need to be put in place due to the limited berths available on the ship and bases. The project will also explore some of the creative works that have already been produced with a view to making connections between them, and laying the groundwork for future artistic and scholarly production.
The project will provide relevant data for other Antarctic programmes in the Global South who operate with limited resources, and could contribute to promoting transformation, in terms of race, class and gender, in Antarctic activities.
At this moment of climate crisis and change, the arts can play a crucial role in conveying information as well as the addressing questions of emotion and value. This is particularly important as Africa is predicted to be the continent worst affected by climate change.
Detecting ecological regime shifts is crucial for understanding and managing the impacts of environmental changes on ecosystems. The significance of this research lies in its potential to provide warnings of ecological changes, better understanding of species, and help detect where possible regime shifts will occur in the future.
This study focuses on utilizing a statistical framework to identify regime shifts in Antarctica, a region highly vulnerable to climate change. The proposed statistical framework leverages time-series data to identify abrupt and significant changes in ecological variables. By analyzing ecological datasets, potential regime shifts can be detected by identifying periods of abrupt change. The methodology incorporates techniques such as the STARS test, a widely used non-parametric approach, and Nearest Neighbour test, a spatial statistical technique to pinpoint abrupt changes in time-series data.
By investigating the relationship between the tipping points and changes in temperature, precipitation, and wind patterns, I hope to uncover potential drivers responsible for the observed ecological changes.
I have trialled this framework on a large collection of penguin data provided by the MAPPPD project to highlight possible regime shifts. We have detected 3 areas of regime shifts in penguin colonies around Antarctica. By understanding the drivers and locations of these shifts, effective conservation and management strategies can be developed to mitigate their impacts.
The escalating threat of climate change to Antarctic and Southern Ocean environments has brought microplastic pollution to global attention. Despite Indonesia's distance from polar regions, as the world's largest archipelagic nation, it significantly contributes to marine plastic pollution. This study examines Indonesian public awareness, concern, and engagement with Antarctic microplastic pollution, exploring perceptions and motivations for mitigating these global challenges. Combining quantitative and qualitative methods, this research undertakes a comprehensive analysis of Indonesian perceptions towards Antarctic microplastic pollution. A systematic literature review identifies gaps in public knowledge and engagement strategies. A nationwide online survey (n=1,200) assesses public awareness, concern levels, and willingness to engage in pollution reduction practices, using stratified sampling to ensure demographic representation. Additionally, in-depth interviews with 40 environmental activists, policymakers, and academics provide nuanced insights into international environmental engagement. Logistic regression analysis explores predictors of awareness and engagement, with results presented alongside 95% confidence intervals and significance levels set at p<0.05. Initial findings indicate that only 17.6% (CI 16.4-18.8%) of surveyed Indonesians are aware of Antarctic microplastic pollution. However, among those aware, concern for its environmental impact is notably high (mean score of 8.2 on a 10-point scale, CI 7.9-8.5), yet only 5.2% (CI 4.6-5.8%) report active involvement in pollution reduction practices or advocacy. Logistic regression identifies education level, environmental activism, and social media use as significant predictors of awareness and engagement. Interviews underscore a gap between global environmental concerns and local action, highlighting social media's potential in bridging this divide. This study reveals a significant but limited awareness and engagement among Indonesians regarding Antarctic microplastic pollution, emphasizing the need for innovative outreach efforts to bridge geographical and psychological distances. Enhancing global environmental stewardship through social media and community-based initiatives could amplify efforts to combat microplastic pollution, contributing to the preservation of Antarctic and Southern Ocean environments.
Determining the physiological tolerance and the behavioural and life history plasticity of marine plankton and micro-nekton to climate change, ocean acidification and other stressors is essential for the development of models seeking to predict future ecosystem scenarios in the Southern Ocean. The ability of such models to make reliable ecosystem projections depends on both the quality of the data inputs and the diversity of species included. Such studies therefore rely on a broad array of specimens being routinely captured and then maintained in perfect condition such that the data generated from manipulative experiments is meaningful. In the past, nets have been relied upon to collect specimens but these, unfortunately, damage many specimens, particularly the gelatinous plankton. To resolve this the Australian Antarctic Division is developing an integrated approach to the collection of plankton and micro-nekton utilising a vessel-integrated wet well for gentle specimen capture and containerised aquaria for experimentation and transport at sea which interface directly with a shore based research aquarium facility. The shore based facility will enable long term live specimen research after the voyage and will enhance the opportunities to conduct collaborative research with international phyla experts. Such collaborations will be critical to accelerating progress with key phyla and closing life cycles in the laboratory, thereby enabling research on all life stages. This presentation will describe the integrated system and the anticipated timeline to full operational capability along with examples of capture from ice algae communities, plankton, krill and juvenile fish.
The sector of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet that terminates in the Cook Ice Shelf and Ninnis Glacier drains most of a large marine ice sheet covering the Wilkes Subglacial Basin, whose ice volume is equivalent to 3-4 m of global sea level rise. Long-term climate projections and multiproxy studies of ice and sediment core records suggest that the retreat of the ice sheet in this area, which is considered currently stable, could be triggered by the intrusion of warm ocean water in the future.
The Italian Survey 2022 of the Programma Nazionale delle Ricerche in Antartide (PNRA) used the icebreaker L. Bassi to map two systems of canyons and hills at the mouth of the presumed glacial valleys in front of the Cook and Ninnis glaciers. The combination of geomorphologic, seismic, oceanographic and sedimentary data (see also abstract from Torricella) allowed the identification of a variety of processes active on the seafloor today and in the late Quaternary, indicating past instability of the continental margin. The information obtained supports previous hypotheses on ice sheet sensititivity to past warming and helps to reconstruct the dynamics of different glaciers in relation to paleoclimatic and ocean circulation changes.
State-of-the-art coupled climate models struggle to accurately simulate historical variability and trends of Antarctic sea ice, impacting their reliability for future projections. Increasing horizontal resolution in models is expected to improve the representation of coupled atmosphere-ice-ocean processes at high latitudes. Here, we examine the historical changes in Antarctic sea ice area and volume in HighResMIP simulations against satellite datasets and ocean reanalyses with the objective to assess the benefits of increased spatial resolution. Our results show no considerable improvements in the main essential climate variables of Antarctic sea ice using finer horizontal resolutions reduced to 0.25º in the ocean and 50 km in the atmosphere. Limited improvements are reported in the simulation of historical trends in sea ice area known to be negatively biased during the satellite observational period. These improvements are nevertheless model dependent, and we associate them to the use of model components with more refined parameterizations of sea-ice physics. Given the high computational cost of climate-scale simulations at increased spatial resolution, we advocate prioritizing enhancements in sea-ice physics and the interactions among model components in coupled climate simulations.
Although extensive research has been conducted on the trophic ecology of many cryonotothenioid species, little attention has been given to the juvenile fraction of their populations. Particularly, the inter-annual variation of the diet composition and feeding habits of the youngest notothenioid stages has been poorly explored. This study analysed the trophic ecology of 755 specimens from five notothenioids species (Notothenia rossii, Notothenia coriiceps, Nototheniops nudifrons, Trematomus newnesi and Harpagifer antarcticus), collected in the inshore waters of Potter Cove, South Shetland Islands, during four consecutive sampling seasons from 2008 to 2012. The stomach-content analysis, using the IRI % and the Amundsen et al. (1996) methods, provided data on feeding habits and trophic niche breadth. Our findings suggest that the species are demersal and benthophagous, with a generalized feeding strategy. They primarily prey on demersal-benthic amphipods, mainly from the genus Gondogeneia and Oradarea, as well as on other epibenthic invertebrates associated with macroalgal beds. Significant differences were observed in the diet of all species between sampling periods, and ontogenetically, only in N. rossii and T. newnesi. Based on the estimated trophic levels, the juvenile cryonotothenioids were identified as secondary consumers. Ambush feeding was the predominant feeding behaviour in all species, with grazing also observed in N. rossii and N. coriiceps. By comparing our findings on the youngest juvenile stages of the fish community with literature information on the trophic ecology of the largest juvenile and adult stages of the same species at Potter Cove, we identified both differences and similarities. Additionally, we performed a biomarkers analysis for N. rossii and N coriiceps to compare and complement the information arisen from conventional methods, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the different techniques. The combined use of conventional methods and trophic biomarkers is essential for understanding trophic interactions.
We present new work that improves our understanding of the controls on Antarctic precipitation and ice core records. This is critical for gaining insights into polar changes. The work relies on our implementation of innovative water tracing diagnostics in an atmospheric general circulation model (Gao et al. 2024). These tracers provide new precise information on moisture source locations and properties of Antarctic precipitation. Heavy precipitation in Antarctica is sourced by longer-range moisture transport: it comes from 2.9° more equatorward sources compared to the rest of precipitation, averaged over Antarctica. Precipitation during negative phases of the Southern Annular Mode (SAM) also comes from more equatorward moisture sources by 2.4° averaged over Antarctica than precipitation during positive SAM phases, likely due to amplified planetary waves during negative SAM phases. The results support the conventional practice of interpreting deuterium excess in Antarctic precipitation in terms of source sea surface temperature, without concerning source relative humidity relative to sea surface temperature, source 2 m relative humidity, and source 10 m wind speed. Moisture source properties exhibit stronger correlations with the logarithmic definition of deuterium excess than the classical linear definition of deuterium excess. There is no added value to include δD for the reconstruction of source temperature in addition to deuterium excess. Nevertheless, we highlight the uncertainties in the quantitative relationship between deuterium excess and source temperature due to the parameterisation of supersaturation conditions in mixed clouds and post-depositional effects. Overall, the novel water tracing diagnostics enhance our understanding of the controlling factors of Antarctic precipitation and ice core water isotope records.
Gao Q., Sime L. C., McLaren A. J., Bracegirdle T. J., Capron E., Rhodes R. H., Steen-Larsen H. C., Shi X., and Werner M., 2024, Evaporative controls on Antarctic precipitation: an ECHAM6 model study using innovative water tracer diagnostics, The Cryosphere
This is one of the first papers to study the ionospheric effects of two solar eclipses that occurred in South America and Antarctica under geomagnetic activity in different seasons (summer and autumn) and their impact on the equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA). The changes in total electron content (TEC) during the 15 February 2018 and 30 April 2022 partial solar eclipses will be analyzed. The study is based on more than 390 GPS stations, Swarm-A, and DMSP F18 satellite measurements, such as TEC, electron density, and electron temperature. The ionospheric behaviors over the two-fifth days on both sides of each eclipse were used as a reference for estimating TEC changes. Regional TEC maps were created for the analysis. Background TEC levels were significantly higher during the 2022 eclipse than during the 2018 eclipse because ionospheric levels depend on solar index parameters. On the days of the 2018 and 2022 eclipses, the ionospheric enhancement was noticeable due to levels of geomagnetic activity. Although geomagnetic forcing impacted the ionosphere, both eclipses had evident depletions under the penumbra, wherein differential vertical TEC (DVTEC) reached values <−40%. The duration of the ionospheric effects persisted after 24 UT. Also, while a noticeable TEC depletion (DVTEC∼−50%) of the southern EIA crest was observed during the 2018 eclipse (hemisphere summer), an evident TEC enhancement (DVTEC > 30%) at the same crest was seen during the eclipse of 2022 (hemisphere autumn). Swarm-A and DMSP F18 satellite measurements and analysis of other solar eclipses in the sector under quiet conditions supported the ionospheric behavior.
Victoria Land, located in the Ross Sea area, contains a diverse range of ecosystems that have remained largely untouched by human activity. Each ecosystem is identified by its unique soil type, including both arid and humid soils. The innermost valleys typically contain arid soils, while the lower-lying areas, such as those near lakes and transient glacial melt streams known as hyporheic zones, are predominantly humid soils that are primarily inhabited by cyanobacteria. During the summer months, these hyporheic soil areas become hotspots for biological activity and play a crucial role in providing organic matter to adjacent arid soils through processes such as aeolian dispersion, as well as the erosion, transportation, and deposition of melt streams. Conversely, soils situated far from lakes or melt streams lack significant aggregation, exhibit poor moisture retention capacity, and lack substantial sources of organic matter. Microbial activity in these areas is severely limited. Despite numerous studies contributing to understanding the diversity within these unique ecosystems, our knowledge regarding the factors influencing microbial diversification and interactions among different community members remains limited. To address this gap, soil samples were collected from 11 localities spanning the entirety of Victoria Land, including both areas adjacent to water sources and those distant from them. A DNA metabarcoding approach was employed to characterize the diversity of bacteria, fungi, and metazoans in these soil samples. While bacterial diversity remained relatively high across all studied localities, the fungal and metazoan components of the communities were strongly limited. Furthermore, the diversity and composition of these three biological compartments were compared across various research sites and soil types. This comparison was then related to their respective compositions and different edaphic parameters, aiming to provide new insights into the primary abiotic and biotic factors driving microbial diversification within these ecosystems.
There are published data demonstrating that the use of Tranexamic Acid (TXA) in Major Haemorrhage (for example secondary to Trauma) leads to reduction in mortality; the outcome of which is that TXA is now routinely recommended and administered within the medical community.
The data suggest that early intravenous bolus follow by an infusion provides the best outcomes. However, how does this translate into a polar environment? It is recognised common issues are that intravenous access may not be feasible, drugs and infusions may freeze, even if there was the medical resource available to undertake these procedures. It should also be acknowledged that there is often a significant delay between time of incident and arrival of or to trained medical assistance.
With pharmacological support it has been determined that the pharmacodynamics of TXA is favourable for relatively rapid oral absorption, and there should be relatively rapid bioavailability if TXA is chewed.
Thus in response, the British Antarctic Survey Medical Unit has instigated the use of oral TXA to be chewed at the point of injury (if able). TXA tablets are now carried as part of Immediate Aid Packs which are designed to deliver early and basic airway support, haemorrhage control and analgesia- administered by non-medical colleagues who have had appropriate training.
This change is expected to give patients who suffer major haemorrhage a significantly reduced time of administration and thus biological benefit over the previous approach, which required a patient to be in a suitable environment and with suitably skilled personnel to be able to deliver TXA via an intravenous route.
Cryptopygus antarcticus is a native species in Antarctic Peninsula with ecological relevance in soils, such as organic decomposition and nutrient cycling. This species could be the first to colonize thawed soils, dispersing microorganisms through its endomicrobiota. In this work, we characterize the diversity and functional potential of the microbiota of C. antarcticus and its relationship with the surrounding soil and uncolonized soils. Three sites were defined on King George Island and 12 samples of springtails and surrounding soil were collected. In addition, uncolonized soil was collected near the Ecology glacier. Taxonomic diversity was analyzed by Illumina sequencing of the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene and taxonomic assignment by Nanopore sequencing of the V1-V9 region. Functional characterization of the bacterial communities was performed with the FAPROTAX tool. The number of observed amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) and the estimated richness for the soil microbiota were significantly higher compared to the springtail microbiota. A small number of ASVs, assigned to Proteobacteria, Bacteroidota and Actinobacteriota, were shared between the springtail microbiota and the surrounding soil or uncolonized soil. However, the dominant taxa associated with C. antarcticus differed from the soil microbiota and among springtail samples. The most abundant ASVs corresponded to representatives of the genera Rickettsia, Alistipes and Akkermansia. In the microbiota of springtails, intestinal functions, manganese oxidation, fumarate reduction, plastic and hydrocarbon degradation were predominant, while in the surrounding and uncolonized soil, functions related to ammonium oxidation, nitrification and oxidation of organic compounds were predominant. The functions of nitrite reduction, nitrogen fixation and other nitrogen cycle processes were shared in all samples. The microbiota of springtails inhabiting King George Island differ in taxonomy, alpha, beta diversity and metabolic prediction with respect to the surrounding soil microbiota, however, surrounding soils and uncolonized soils do not show significant differences.
Over the past decade, improvements in remote sensing technologies and techniques have enabled the monitoring of photosynthetic biomass over space and time in the remote McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV) of Antarctica. Microbial mat and moss communities have been previously recognized as important components of the Antarctic ecosystem for nearly half a century, yet the ability to detect and monitor these communities has been historically limited by several factors, including the small spatial scales and patchiness of these communities across the landscape as well as the challenges and constraints of conducting field work in the Antarctic. With the availability of high-resolution multispectral remote sensing data, however, we are now able to holistically study the distribution and drivers of photosynthetic activity, particularly in the context of other environmental variables.
In this presentation, we will summarize these recent efforts and provide updated photosynthetic biomass estimates for Taylor Valley, Antarctica. We will also discuss the spatial and temporal variability observed throughout the decade of available high-resolution remote sensing data and our attempts to understand the environmental drivers of photosynthetic activity throughout the MDV. In combination with meteorological station and stream gage data from throughout the region, machine learning algorithms allow us to better constrain the environmental drivers of photosynthetic activity and to make educated predictions based on future climate projections. The MDV are expected to get warmer and wetter under a warming global climate, potentially resulting in frequent rainfall in the MDV where rain has only been recorded on a few occasions. Our efforts enable the long-term monitoring of photosynthetic activity and broader ecosystem processes throughout the MDV, and allow us to make data-driven predictions based on a new understanding of the environmental drivers of these communities.
Concerns about the environmental impacts of tourism are widely published in the scholarly literature. In contrast, recreation by National Antarctic Programmes (NAPs) receives very little attention. Article 3 of the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty requires all activities conducted in the Antarctic Treaty area to consider the protection of the Antarctic environment. Recommendation XV-5 (1989) specifically requires environmental monitoring of recreational activities.
In this presentation, I will discuss the results of a study that evaluated the environmental impact assessments (EIAs) prepared by 41 NAPs and 34 tourism operators and aimed at understanding how tour operators and NAPs consider the environment and manage touristic and recreational activities. In addition to the document analysis of EIAs, a survey of recreational activities at Scott Base and a small number of semi-structured interviews offered a richer understanding of how recreational and touristic activities are managed via different regulatory mechanisms – both hortatory and binding.
My research findings indicate that, generally, tourism EIAs and regulatory mechanisms for tourism are well-developed by tour operators, supported by the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators. However, only three EIAs prepared by NAPs considered recreation at all, and only one of these comprehensively addressed recreation. The lack of environmental consideration regarding recreational activities engaged in by NAP staff may result in unanticipated environmental impacts that could cause reputational damage to NAPs.
While the challenge for tour operators will be to manage their collective and cumulative environmental impacts, the challenge for NAPs will be to take a more comprehensive and pan-programmatic approach to assessing the environmental impacts of their activities in the first place. I will conclude by offering suggestions on how such challenges can be addressed in the future.
Antarctic coastal surface winds are closely linked to ocean circulation, ice sheet stability, sea ice and local ecosystems. As a result, these regional winds have global importance. We investigate the sensitivity of surface winds to atmospheric model configuration and physics in a representative and well-observed sector of east Antarctica encompassing the Mawson coast and Prydz Bay.
The Met Office Unified Model (MetUM) is run in a one-way nested setup using grid spacing of 4, 12 and 40 km. Simulations are performed across a selection of 10 months, 5 from austral summer and 5 from austral winter. The realism of the MetUM is evaluated using surface, upper-air and satellite observations. Modifications to various ill-constrained parameterised processes are tested, including stable boundary layer turbulence, sub-grid orography, sea ice roughness and air-sea exchange.
Compared with a control simulation, the largest impacts on surface winds result from enhancing the standard deviation of the sub-grid orography and from switching to a sea ice roughness parameterisation which gives much higher roughness lengths over marginal ice (as used in HadGEM3-GC3.1). Stable boundary layer parameterisation affects the depth of the offshore coastal low-level jet. Impacts are highly regionally varied, with polynya-forming winds off Cape Darnley especially sensitive to the range of tests. Coastal surface winds are affected most by the sensitivity tests during boreal winter. The results underscore the wide range of physical processes which need to be constrained over the coastal margins for faithful characterisation of surface winds.
Marine protected areas (MPAs) can support climate change adaptation and mitigation by reducing stressors and conserving blue carbon ecosystems that sequester and store carbon within ocean and coastal ecosystems. Most research on blue carbon has been focused on coastal marine ecosystems with a limited understanding of how MPAs can contribute to open ocean carbon sinks. Building upon the recognized role of MPAs in climate mitigation, this study proposes a framework to incorporate open-ocean pelagic carbon processes in MPAs, using the Ross Sea region MPA as a case study. First, we estimate the carbon sequestration of whales, phytoplankton, and krill in the larger Southern Ocean and then in the Ross Sea region. We show that the Southern Ocean and the Ross Sea act as a powerful carbon sink that has the potential to store and sequester more carbon than traditional coastal blue carbon projects. MPA managers should consider how to quantify and protect existing sequestration pathways in pelagic ecosystems. Based on our results, we propose a framework to estimate pelagic blue carbon sequestration, implement blue carbon protection, monitoring strategies, and governance and institutional frameworks. Our framework aims to provide a guide for researchers, policymakers, MPA managers, and practitioners on potential pathways to integrate open ocean blue carbon into MPA management. Despite the complexity of marine carbon systems, this approach can advance our understanding of carbon processes and effective MPA management for climate change mitigation.
Understanding air temperature trends and the spatial distribution of extreme events across Antarctica are highly important for assessing the impact on both the physical and biological systems across the continent. Previous studies have provided useful information from automatic weather station records for identifying such trends and events, however, this only provides knowledge about a certain location, influenced by local processes and terrain. Spatial information about Antarctic regional temperature extremes and the associated weather patterns influencing their variability are lacking.
This study presents a spatial analysis of temperature trends and extremes across Antarctica for the period 2003-2021. Antarctica was clustered into 12 climate regions using austral summer and annual mean temperature trends from satellite derived near-surface air temperature product AntAir ICE. All inland climatic regions show an overall warming and with the exception of the Ross Sea Region, an overall cooling is present in the coastal clusters. In agreement with other studies the Antarctic Peninsula had the largest significant cooling trend of -0.12 C°/Yr in the annual mean trend, and the largest significant warming trend was found of 0.08 C°/Yr for the austral summer and 0.07 C°/Yr for the annual mean for the Ross Sea cluster covering coastal Victoria Land.
Extreme temperature event was derived based on the spatial extent of the cluster exceeding the 95th percentile of the austral summer temperature record. Using an atmospheric circulation reanalysis product the synoptic weather patterns related to these extreme events were investigated and the spatial distribution of each warming event was identified. This study provides insights into the spatial distribution and the impact of atmospheric circulation on its regional climates. Meridional flow onto the coastline from a blocking high led to localised warming within a single cluster whereas the presence of a large inland high caused widespread warming across multiple clusters.
Antarctica is a unique geographical environment characterized by minimal human activity impact and extremely sensitive to global climate change. Due to the ozone hole appearing over Antarctica since the mid-1980s, it is significant to study the temporal and spatial characteristics of the total ozone column in the region to understand regional and global atmospheric changes. One of the most dramatic events in the spring in Polar Regions is sudden stratospheric warming (SSW), which strongly impacts the stratosphere and provides valuable information. This study explored the association between SSW events and ozone content over Antarctica. We use Multi-Sensor Reanalysis data to study total ozone variations in Antarctica in September. We use ozone data from nine Antarctic and sub-Antarctic stations: Amundsen-Scott, Rothera, Faraday/Vernadsky, Neumayer, Syowa, Zhongshan, Davis, Dumont d'Urville, and the Macquarie, located at the South Pole, the edge regions of Antarctica and at sub-Antarctic. The time range 1979–2022 is used for the study ozone values variations, when three prominent SSW events occur in 1988, 2002 and 2019. We analyze September average ozone values for these nine stations for each SSW year and non-SSW years. The years with less developed stratosphere warmings are examined as well. It is clear that the ozone level in Antarctica in SSW years is significantly higher than that in non-SSW years. However, total ozone variations significantly depend on the station's location, the variable shape of the stratospheric polar vortex, and its location relative to the South Pole. The trend and variations in total ozone may lead to or serve as a precursor to the occurrence of SSW. Because it is evident that human activity can impact the atmosphere composition and ozone layer, whether the frequency of occurrence of SSWs in Southern and Northern polar regions is affected by human activities remains to be studied.
To estimate the water contribution of the cryoforms, the methodology used in this project consists of the use of recent technologies such as the use of drones to create high-resolution 3D models, in combination with Differential GPS equipment to adjust the models. at centimetric error resolutions, to be able to compare the models obtained with an approximate time difference of 1 year, in order to obtain the difference in volume in the rock glaciers, and thus correlate the equivalent water that melted in these bodies with the estimates of equivalent water that would be present in the rock glaciers of the Hurtado River sub-basin. These results are accompanied by Geological and Geomorphological cartography for the study area, as well as hydrogeochemical analysis (major, minor and trace elements) and stable isotopes. Samples were taken mainly in supraglacial lagoons, estuaries, a glacier and precipitation collectors. In addition, five gravimetric profiles were carried out, which allowed estimating the thickness of the cryoforms, as well as an analysis of satellite images, using the methodology of differential radar interferometry with permanent scatterers (DInSAR and PSI) to determine the magnitude and speed of displacement of cryoforms.
Finally, the combination of the techniques used has allowed us to estimate the water contribution of the cryoforms, which corresponds to 31.98 l/s per year of contribution from the El Ternero Alto, Quebrada Amarilla rock glaciers and the El Volcán mountain glacier, which is equivalent to 18% of the recharge of the water balance of the Hurtado River sub-basin
Modified Circumpolar Deep Water reaching the grounding line under ice shelves plays a crucial role in basal melt and impacts sea level rise by modulating the rate of ice flow into the ocean. The ocean currents below the ice shelves play a dominant role in controlling the temporal and spatial variabilities of ice shelf melt rates. However, the pathways and transformation of water arriving at the grounding zone from the continental shelf are rarely observed and, therefore, poorly understood.
In January 2022, we installed a mooring using a Hot Water Drill to collect the first-ever time series of observations in the ice shelf cavity underneath Dotson Ice Shelf, West Antarctica. During a return in 2024, data was retrieved, and the mooring was refurbished. Our dataset comprises a 5-day time series of currents and water properties (from three nodes located at the ice base, ~100 m from the ice base, and ~700 m from the ice base) and a 2-year time series of water properties at 100 m below the ice shelf. These continuous data are complemented by two spatial snapshots taken from under-ice-shelf AUV missions in January 2022 and January 2024, providing a unique comparative perspective on the sub-ice-shelf cavity conditions.
By integrating our high-resolution mooring and AUV data with broader-scale reanalysis datasets, we provide a comprehensive view of the factors influencing water masses beneath the Dotson Ice Shelf. Our study provides lessons for advancing under-ice shelf observation techniques and contributes to a broader understanding of ice-ocean interactions and their implications for ice shelf stability and global sea level rise.
Most of humanity lives in the monsoon-dominated tropics and sub-tropics, while the maximum effect of recent climate change is happening in the polar regions. This raises the critical question - Does polar climate variability affect monsoons? Short-term observations suggest high-latitude areas affect monsoons but miss low-frequency variability. Paleoclimatic records can help study such low-frequency relationships and offer insight into teleconnections when the earth was in a fundamentally different climate state. Most studies focus on northern high latitudes, overlooking the southern hemisphere's role. To fill this lacuna, we studied the relationship between the South Asian summer monsoon and temperatures of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean on multi-centennial to multi-millennial timescales. We identified the periods of high and low summer monsoon activity by studying oxygen and carbon isotopic ratios of two foraminifera species from a sediment core from the southwestern tropical Indian Ocean spanning the last interglacial and parts of the previous two glacial periods (187 to 41 thousand years before present). We find coherent changes in cross-equatorial summer monsoon flow and Antarctic temperatures: warm (cold) conditions in Antarctica were linked to weak (strong) monsoons. It appears that millennial-scale variability in the southern high latitude region significantly modulates sub-orbital variance of cross-equatorial monsoon flow by influencing temperatures in the tropical Indian Ocean, possibly through isopycnal subduction of high latitude waters. To test this further, we reconstructed the SST from the Indian Sector of the Southern Ocean using trace element ratio analysis of microfossils from marine sediment during the past ~40,000 years. Using this proxy data along with a paleoclimate model (LOVECLIM) data, we find that the SST of the mid-latitudes of the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean controlled the long-term variability of the Indian summer monsoon; colder SST is related to stronger summer monsoon.
The Antarctic shag (Leucocarbo bransfieldensis), which has 175 colonies in Antarctica, is known to be a trigger species for 24 of 205 Important Birds and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) in Antarctica. Our team has been regularly monitoring 6 of the colonies of Antarctic shags located around King George Island at Shag Rock, Turret Point, and Cape Melville and three on unnamed islands using drones since 2019. Two locations (Shag Rock, Cape Melville) were chosen to train the object detection model based on the YOLO architecture and to identify nests on the obtained orthomosaic. To validate the model performance during training, three orthomosaics of Turret Point were used. Our dataset of 6 colonies was used to test whether the resulting model correctly counts nests separated in time. These data were supplemented with orthomosaics from 5 other colonies, one located on Nelson Island (Harmony Point) and four from the northwestern part of King George Island, and all these data were used to test whether the obtained model correctly counted nests that were separated in space. We confirmed that F1 >0.95, which indicates that the proposed model based on the obtained drone images can provide reliable and fast estimates of the number of shag nests. The abundance results for each colony are presented. The results of all tests are also discussed. A website will be presented where the full model code, data and trained model are available to allow full reproducibility of the results. We have shown that machine learning provides a solution to simplify the processing of aerial photographs and allows researchers to analyse larger areas to search for new shag colonies, but we also see opportunities to apply the same model to assess the abundance of, for example, chinstrap penguins, which are seen in the same mosaics that we analysed.
Study of subglacial geological environment is a frontier scientific issue of Antarctic research. In 2023, the joint scientific project between Jilin University, China University of Geosciences (Beijing) and VNIIOkeangeologia has been established with the main purpose to study subglacial geology and dynamics of the northwestern part of Princess Elizabeth Land, East Antarctica. The project includes penetrating through Antarctic Ice Sheet and recovering bedrock sample suitable for geological investigations. In the 2023-2024 summer season, the joint research team which consisted of 5 CHINARE and 3 RAE members penetrated through 545 m thick ice sheet by using cable-suspended Ice and Bedrock Electromechanical Drill (IBED) designed by Jilin University and obtained 0.48 m long subglacial bedrock sample. This is the deepest bedrock borehole in East Antarctica up to now. The drilling site was located in the central part of high-amplitude, linear magnetic anomaly. According to the different depth of the formation, different drilling modules were used to adapt to the formation characteristics in snow, firn, glacier ice, brittle ice, and basal ice. The report introduces the progress and performance of ice and subglacial bedrock drilling. The field technical experience is summarized, the causes of the problems and the treatment methods are analyzed.
On February 7, 2024, Chinese Qingling Station was officially opened at the Ross Sea coastal area of East Antarctica during the 40th Chinese National Antarctic Research Expedition (CHINARE). Qingling Station is China's fifth Antarctic research station and the first to face the Pacific sector. It will conduct multi-sphere and multidisciplinary observation, monitoring, and scientific research in atmospheric environment, basic marine environment, and biological ecology. Once operational, the station is expected to accommodate 80 personnel during the summer season and 30 personnel for overwintering. The Ross Sea region was first discovered by Captain James Clark Ross in 1841. After that it experienced histories of explorers, whalers and territorial claims. Nowadays, Ross Sea region is a significant hub for polar science, with research stations from New Zealand, United States, Germany, Italy, Russia and South Korea. This research aims to evaluate the performance of the Ross Sea region in multi-dimensions under the Antarctic Treaty System, and discuss what kind of geopolitical and governance changes will China's arrival bring.
The IceCube Neutrino Observatory captures light from particles produced from cosmic ray and neutrino interactions to explore the high energy universe. An array of 5160 light sensors has transformed a cubic kilometer of South Pole ice at depths between 1.5 and 2.5 kilometers into a versatile instrument seeing neutrinos with energies that span more than 10 orders of magnitude. IceTop, a square kilometer surface array directly above the in-ice array, serves as a veto for identifying neutrino events and enables a range of cosmic ray science. The annual data set includes roughly 1011 cosmic ray events, 105 neutrinos created by cosmic ray interactions in the Earth's atmosphere, and from astrophysical sources, hundreds of neutrinos of which dozens can be individually identified at the highest energies (>100 TeV). An overview of recent results from each of these data channels will be provided. These include identifying the first steady-state high energy neutrino sources---NGC1068 and the Milky Way Galaxy---and significant advances in measuring the flavor composition of the astrophysical neutrino flux. The large atmospheric neutrino flux and improvements in event selection and reconstruction are producing competitive results for neutrino oscillation parameters and leading limits on the existence of sterile neutrinos. Cosmic ray flux, composition and anisotropy measurement are also progressing. A summary of how these successes motivate the low-energy IceCube Upgrade underway and IceCube-Gen2, a high energy extension in the planning stage, will be given.