1. PERMAFROST AND CLIMATE CHANGE IN ANTARCTICA
ITALIAN ANTARCTIC NATIONAL RESEARCH PROGRAM
P.N.R.A.
PERMAFROST AND CLIMATE CHANGE IN ANTARCTICA
P.I. Prof. Mauro Guglielmin
Insubria University - Varese, Italy

2. 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)

3. The drilling facilities include two equipment for: 1 2
The drilling facilities include two equipment for:
1) deep borehole (up to 30 m)
2) shallow borehole (up to 7-8 m).

4. Southern Victoria Land Northern Victoria Land
Permafrost and active layer monitoring stations
Site
coordinates
Elevation (m)
Depth (m)
Monitoring type
P.I.
Southern Victoria Land
Wrigth Valley
77°31’S 161°51’E
150
29.7
C (2007) 3
Marble Point
77°24’S 161°51’E 90
30,2
Victoria Valley
77° 20'S 161°37' E
380 11
R (2003) 1
Cape Ross
76°42’S 162°58’W 30
C (2009)
Northern Victoria Land
Adelie Cove
74º47’S 163º58’E 35
6,1
Boulder Clay*
74º45’S 164º01’E
205
3,6
C (1996)
Oasi
74º42’S 164º08’E 84
15,5; 30,3
C (2001;2008)
Mt. Keinath
74º33’S 163º59’E
1100
C ( )
Simpson Crags*
74º26’S 162º53’E
830
7,8
C ( )
Cape King
73°35’S 166°37’W
160
Maritime Antarctica
James Ross Island
63°54’S 57°40’W 25
8,3
R(2000) 5
King George Isl. (Jubany)
62°14’S 58°40’W
C ( ?) 4
Signy Island**
60°44’S 45°36’W
2,5
C (2005) 2
Signy Island
C ( )
Anchorage Island
67°34’S 68°08 W 50
Future IPY planned Permafrost and active layer monitoring stations
Signy
Jubany
Anchorage Island
Cape Ross
Cape King
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)

5. 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.
Sampling Frost blisters
Main goals of these activities are:
Characterization of ground ice in different geomorphological features (rock glacier, debris covered glacier)
Permafrost mapping
Study 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 floor
Megan Balks shows the longest permafrost core collected at Bull Pass

6. ICE WEDGES ANALYSES RESEARCH TEAM P.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

7. of the ice-wedge thermal regime
MAIN RESEARCH GOALS
Definition:
of the ice-wedge thermal regime
of the processes occuring in the formation of
ice-wedges ice

8. INVESTIGATED AREA From Cape Hallett Peninsula to Ricker Hills
From Ross Sea Coast to Helliwell Hills (Rennick Glacier)

9. 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.

10. 3 ICE-WEDGE THERMAL MONITORING STATIONS
Data loggers installed at three ice-wedge polygon sites along a longitudinal transect:
# 2 Testor 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
“Rossana”
Boomerang Glacier
74° 30’ 13’’ S
163° 50’ 10’’ E
874 m a. s. l.
“Eleonora”
Mount Jackman
72° 23’ 07’’ S
163° 10’ 49’’ E
1269 m a. s. l.
“Viki”
Baker Rocks
74° 12’ 27’’ S
164° 50’ 01’’ E
11 m a. s. l.

11. 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)

12. Victoria Land Monitoring Network
- 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

13. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION !!!