Researchers from the Singular Marine Research Center CSIM-ECIMAT (University of Vigo), Mariano Lastra, Jesús Souza and Jesús López and the CSIC researcher Luís Sampedro, left Vigo on the 3rd for Punta Areas (Chile) to board the Hespérides there with the rest of the researchers who were heading to Deception and Livingstone Island, in Antarctica. The olive expedition will remain at the Gabriel de Castilla base until its closure in mid-March, coinciding with the end of the austral summer and, therefore, of the XXX Spanish Antarctic Campaign.
The project led by Mariano Lastra will continue the study of the effects of climate change on the decomposition of organic matter deposited on the ice-free coast, which began in 2016. During last year’s stay, which also took place between February and March, the biologists analyzed the decomposition of algae stranded on the beaches of Foster Bay, in the interior of the island. On this occasion, their studies focus on Enseada Telefono, a hot zone with one of the highest Antarctic protection statuses and where volcanic eruptions were recorded 50 years ago.
During the past week, scientists from Vigo, accompanied by the military personnel from the base, collected samples of algae and installed them inside polycarbonate domes on the beach (bottom photo). The aim is to cause a greenhouse effect, as it is expected that a warming of 1ºC will occur in the coming decades. The researchers will also measure the emissions of greenhouse gases, mainly CO2 and methane, originating during the degradation of these macroalgae, as well as the release of nutrients into the ocean environment and the role of the fauna associated with them. This year’s campaign also includes mesocosm experiments in several tanks that reproduce natural ecosystems in order to study a species of microscopic crustacean that is very abundant in Antarctica, Gondogeneia antarctica.
The four researchers will contact the Faculty of Marine Sciences live this Thursday, February 23 at 1:00 p.m. (mainland time), through a videoconference organized by the student delegation, to report on their experience at the South Pole and answer questions posed by the university community.
