ITALIAN ANTARCTIC NATIONAL RESEARCH PROGRAMP.N.R.A.

 

PERMAFROST AND CLIMATE CHANGE IN ANTARCTICA

P.I. Prof. Mauro GuglielminInsubria University - Varese, Italy

Permafrost and active layer Monitoring

• Research Team: P.I. Prof. Mauro Guglielmin, Fabio Bajo, (DBSF, Insubria University, Varese), Francesco Dramis (DSG, Roma3 University) Andrea Strini (DSG,Milan University).

• Project, installation, maintainance, management of all the permafrost and active layer stations and of the Calm Grid. Data archive and elaboration.

• International agreement with B.A.S. (Cynan Ellis Evans, Roger Worland), Landcare Research ltd and Waikato University (Aislabie J., Balks M.), DNA-CADIC (National Direct. of the Ant. and Arg. Ant. Inst.,Centro Austral Inv. Cient. , Strelin).

Signy Island

Permafrost station and Calm Grid Oasi (Victoria Land)

new borehole (30.3 m)

The drilling facilities include two equipment for:

• 1) deep borehole (up to 30 m) • 2) shallow borehole (up to 7-8 m).

1 2

Permafrost and active layer monitoring stations

Future IPY planned Permafrost and active layer monitoring stations

Anchorage Island

Signy

Jubany

Cape King

Cape Ross

In red the stations planned for the future. P.I. = 1 Guglielmin M.; 2 = Guglielmin M., Worland R (BAS); 3 = Guglielmin M., Balks M., Aislabie J. ; 4 = Guglielmin M., Strelin J. (DNA); 5 = Guglielmin M., Strelin J., Sone T. Mori J.; C: Continous monitoring; R: manual monitoring; * Calm Grid (100X100 m); ** Calm Grid (40x40m)

Site coordinates Elevation (m)

Depth (m) Monitoring type

P.I.

Southern Victoria LandWrigth Valley 77°31’S 161°51’E 150 29.7 C (2007) 3Marble Point 77°24’S 161°51’E 90 30,2 C (2007) 3

Victoria Valley 77° 20'S 161°37' E 380 11 R (2003) 1

Cape Ross 76°42’S 162°58’W 150 30 C (2009) 1

Northern Victoria LandAdelie Cove 74º47’S 163º58’E 35 6,1 R (2003) 1

Boulder Clay* 74º45’S 164º01’E 205 3,6 C (1996) 1Oasi 74º42’S 164º08’E 84 15,5; 30,3 C (2001;2008) 1

Mt. Keinath 74º33’S 163º59’E 1100 1 C (1998-2004) 1Simpson Crags* 74º26’S 162º53’E 830 7,8 C (1998-2002) 1

Cape King 73°35’S 166°37’W 160 30 C (2009) 1

Maritime AntarcticaJames Ross Island 63°54’S 57°40’W 25 8,3 R(2000) 5King George Isl.

(Jubany)62°14’S 58°40’W 30 5 C (2008-09?) 4

Signy Island** 60°44’S 45°36’W 90 2,5 C (2005) 2Signy Island 60°44’S 45°36’W 90 30 C (2008-09) 2

Anchorage Island 67°34’S 68°08 W 50 30 C (2008-09) 2

Permafrost study includes geophysical investigations (electrical surveys, ground probing radar) and coring of frozen sediments.Laboratory activities: chemical, isotopical, cristallographical, batteriological analyses of soil and ground ice. These tasks operating trough the cooperation also with other italian and foregneir researchers. Main goals of these activities are:Characterization of ground ice in different geomorphological features (rock glacier, debris covered glacier)Permafrost mappingStudy of permafrost hydrology (ice blisters; talik)Analyses of permafrost ground ecosystem (yeasts, bacteria, fungi).Detection of subsea permafrost

Tethys Bay (MZS): subsea permafrost found on the sea floorMegan Balks shows the longest permafrost core collected at Bull Pass

Sampling Frost blisters

ICE WEDGES ANALYSES

RESEARCH TEAMP.I. Prof.Raffi Rossana, Sega Simone Department of Earth Science – “La Sapienza” University – Roma, Italy

Stenni Barbara, Flora Onelio, Genoni Laura Department of Geological, Environmental and Marine Sciences - University of Trieste, Italy

MAIN RESEARCH GOALS

Definition:• of the ice-wedge thermal regime• of the processes occuring in the formation of ice-wedges ice

INVESTIGATED AREA

From Cape Hallett Peninsula to Ricker HillsFrom Ross Sea Coast to Helliwell Hills (Rennick Glacier)

EXCAVATED ICE-WEDGE POLYGON SITES

• 45 Ice Wedges• 4 Sand Wedges

FIELD DATA COLLECTED

• Active Layer Depth• Permafrost Table Depth• Ground Surface Temperature• Ice wedge temperature profile• Air Temperature• Air Humidity• Incoming and reflected solar radiation • Soil color by Munsell Soil Color Chart

Ice wedge study includes laboratory activities: cristallographical, isotopical, chemical analyses of ice-wedge ice.

3 ICE-WEDGE THERMAL MONITORING STATIONS

Data loggers installed at three ice-wedge polygon sites along a longitudinal transect: # 2 Testor 171-4 with 4 NTC (acc. +/- 0.2°C); # 1 Campbell CR1000-XT with 4 PT100 (acc. +/- 0.1°C).

In each site the following temperatures are recorded in continuous since January 2004 :

- Air - Ground surface (-2 cm)- Ice-wedge top - Ice-wedge bottom

“Viki”

Baker Rocks74° 12’ 27’’ S164° 50’ 01’’ E11 m a. s. l.

“Rossana”

Boomerang Glacier74° 30’ 13’’ S163° 50’ 10’’ E874 m a. s. l.

“Eleonora”

Mount Jackman72° 23’ 07’’ S163° 10’ 49’’ E1269 m a. s. l.

Terrestrial Ecology Research Team: P.I. Nicoletta Cannone (Ferrara University),Renato Gerdol (Ferrara University); Chiara Siffi (Ferrara University); Rosanna Piervittori (Turin University), Sergio Favero Longo (Turin University)

Main research goals:- Selection of the most representative vegetation communities and sites to set up a network of permanent plots for the long term monitoring along two latitudinal transects at: 1) Victoria Land (Continental Antarctica) and 2) Tierra del Fuego-Antarctic Peninsula

-Assessment of climate change impacts on terrestrial ecosystems through the monitoring of permanent plots and the detection of vegetation changes;

-CO2 fluxes monitoring, soil changes within the monitoring network sites and plots

International Cooperations:

British Antarctic Survey;

Latitudinal Gradient Project;

SCAR- EBA (Evolution and Biodiversity in Antarctica)

- Survey of 26 study sites across 5 degrees of latitude (72°S – 77°S) along two main transects (1-coastal transect, 2-slope inland transect)

- Selection of 13 sites, installation and description of 19 permanent plots for the long term monitoring

-Assessment of the influence of the latitudinal gradient on biodiversity patterns along the two transects;

- Description of soil characteristics of the permanent plots

-Monitoring of the ground surface temperature under different vegetation types

CH Cape Hallett, RR Redcastle Ridge, CC Crater Cirque, CK Cape King, AI Apostrophe Island, CP Cape Phillips, EP Edmonson Point, CW Cape Washington, GO Gondwana, MK Mount Keinath, BC Boulderclay, II Inexpressible Island, CS Cape Sastrugi, SC Simpson Crags, TF Tarn Flat, LI Lamplugh Island, PI Prior Island, SN Starr Nunatak, CR Cape Ross, GI Gregory Island, KP Kar Plateau, FP Finger Point, DI Dunlop Island, MP Marble Point, FL Fryxell Lake

Victoria Land Monitoring Network

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION !!!