The Antarctic Peninsula is undergoing rapid change due to global warming, including air and water temperature increases. Fauna inhabiting the intertidal zone are particularly exposed to warming impacts, as they are subjected to high variations in both terrestrial and marine environmental settings. This study aimed to assess intertidal macrofaunal and meiofaunal biodiversity, tidal height-related assemblage structural patterns and their responses to variability in environmental parameters on King George Island. A total of 39 macrofaunal taxa were identified, with polychaetes and amphipods being the most diverse groups and gastropods, amphipods and bivalves being the most abundant. In the case of meiofauna, 16 taxa were found, mainly nematodes, copepod nauplii and harpacticoids. There was a significant decrease in the number of species, abundance and biomass for both macrofauna and meiofauna with increasing tidal height. Our investigation documented highly diverse and abundant fauna in the Antarctic intertidal zone. With its thriving life, it could serve as a perfect model system for detecting climate change impacts on local biodiversity. Therefore, we propose the Antarctic intertidal zone as a suitable habitat for monitoring these changes.

The extreme working and living conditions at Antarctic stations cause numerous psychological changes in expeditioners. However, research on the changes in expeditioners' personality traits is virtually non-existent. Therefore, the present study aims to determine the changes in expeditioners' personality measures during 1 year Antarctic expeditions. This study examined 56 expeditioners working at the Ukrainian Antarctic Akademik Vernadsky station (52 men, 4 women; ages 20–63 years, M = 38.12, SD = 10.01) who participated in five annual expeditions between 2016 and 2021. The Ukrainian adaptations of four measures were used: the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument, the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, the Leonhard-Schmieschek Questionnaire and the Leary Interpersonal Checklist. During 1 year Antarctic expeditions, 8 of the 26 indicators used to describe expeditioners' personality measures changed significantly (P < 0.001–0.1). These indicators belonged to three of the four measures used in the study and were assessed as personally unfavourable. They included increased psychoticism and competing, managerial-autocratic, aggressive-sadistic, responsible-hypernormal, competitive-narcissistic and self-effacing-masochistic styles and a decreased accommodating style. Based on these results, promising areas for further research that could improve psychological selection, training and work for Antarctic expedition personnel are outlined.

Understanding the success factors underlying each step in the process of biological invasion provides a robust foundation upon which to develop appropriate biosecurity measures. Insights into the processes occurring can be gained through clarifying the circumstances applying to non-native species that have arrived, established and, in some cases, successfully spread in terrestrial Antarctica. To date, examples include a small number of vascular plants and a greater diversity of invertebrates (including Diptera, Collembola, Acari and Oligochaeta), which share features of pre-adaptation to the environmental stresses experienced in Antarctica. In this synthesis, we examine multiple classic invasion science hypotheses that are widely considered to have relevance in invasion ecology and assess their utility in understanding the different invasion histories so far documented in the continent. All of these existing hypotheses appear relevant to some degree in explaining invasion processes in Antarctica. They are also relevant in understanding failed invasions and identifying barriers to invasion. However, the limited number of cases currently available constrains the possibility of establishing patterns and processes. To conclude, we discuss several new and emerging confirmatory methods as relevant tools to test and compare these hypotheses given the availability of appropriate sample sizes in the future.

This paper tracks the progress of renewable energy deployment at Antarctic facilities, introducing an interactive database and map specifically created for this purpose. Goals, challenges and lessons learnt from these operations are also reported. The data and assessments presented are based on a literature review of government reports, academic articles, online resources, news outlets and interviews conducted with personnel of Antarctic stations. As of 2021, 29 facilities have incorporated renewables in their energy systems, but only one permanent and four summer stations use renewables to meet more than 50% of their energy needs. Four main goals behind the development of renewable energy systems have been identified: fuel cost savings; reduction of the greenhouse gas emissions footprint in alignment with national decarbonization targets; electricity supply for scientific equipment during the winter months; and the development and/or testing of new technologies. The extreme weather conditions and complex logistics of Antarctica put both solar and wind systems under huge stress, which generates operational, technological and budgetary challenges that are also explored in this work.

This article is devoted to the assessment of trends of atmospheric air pollution and atmospheric impacts on the environment in the oases of the Thala Hills, Enderby Land, East Antarctica. Estimates of annual emissions of SO2, nitrogen oxides (NOx), inhalable particulate matter with a diameter of ≤ 10 μm (PM10) and CO and their dynamics over 56 years of Thala Hills exploration are given, as well as levels of surface air concentrations of SO2, NOx, PM10 and PM10 atmospheric depositions using air dispersion modelling. It is shown, in particular, that average annual emissions of NOx, PM10 and CO peaked in the early 1990s and have decreased 30.9 times by now. Sulphur dioxide emissions were highest in the late 1960s–late 1970s and decreased 270 times since then. Results of comparisons of modelled air concentrations and depositions with the available data on the measurement of surface air pollutant concentrations and atmospheric depositions are presented. Sources of uncertainties in the estimates of emissions, ground-level concentrations and depositions are described. Proposed approaches can be used to assess the cumulative impacts of ongoing and planned activities on atmospheric air and on other components of the environment through assessing the atmospheric air in the Antarctic Treaty area.

We report 3 years of data from one meteorological and three smaller stations in University Valley, a high-elevation (1677 m) site in the Dry Valleys of Antarctica with extensive dry permafrost. Mean air temperature was -23.4°C. Summer air temperatures were virtually always < 0°C and were consistent with the altitude lapse rate and empirical relationships between summer temperature, distance from the coast and elevation. The measured frost point (-22.5°C) at the 42 cm deep ice table is equal to the surface frost point and above the atmospheric frost point (-29.6°C), providing direct evidence that surface conditions control ground ice depth. Observed peak surface soil temperatures reach 6°C for ice-cemented ground > 15 cm deep but stay < 0°C when it is shallower. We develop an energy balance model tuned to this rocky and dry environment. We find that differences in peak soil surface temperatures are primarily due to the higher thermal diffusivity of ice-cemented ground compared to dry soil. Sensitivity studies show that expected natural variability is insufficient for melt to form and significant excursions from current conditions are required. The site's ice table meets the criteria for a Special Region on Mars, with 30% of the year > -18°C and water activity > 0.6.

Gastropods are an important component of subtidal Antarctic communities including in common association with macroalgae. Nonetheless, limited data exist detailing their abundance and distribution on macroalgal species. This study documents the abundance and species composition of gastropod assemblages on the two largest, blade-forming Antarctic macroalgae, Himantothallus grandifolius and Sarcopeltis antarctica, sampled across two depths (9 and 18 m) at four sites for each species off Anvers Island, Antarctica. Gastropods were also enumerated on Desmarestia anceps, Desmarestia antarctica and Plocamium sp. but were not included in the main analyses because of small sample sizes. There were major differences between the gastropod assemblages on deep vs shallow H. grandifolius and S. antarctica with much higher numbers of individuals and also greater numbers of gastropod species at the greater depth. Differences between the gastropod assemblages on H. grandifolius and S. antarctica across sampling sites were apparent in non-parametric, multivariate analyses, although depth contributed more than site to these differences. Within common sites, assemblages on H. grandifolius were significantly different from those on S. antarctica at 18 m depth but not at 9 m depth, indicating that the host species can be but is not always more important than site in influencing the gastropod assemblages.

Pockmarks are sea-floor depressions that form when gas or liquid escapes from underlying sediments. Although they are a common feature of both glaciated and lower-latitude continental shelves, pockmarks have not been reported previously from the north-east Antarctic Peninsula margin. Here we use high-resolution geophysical data acquired using autonomous underwater vehicles to map > 240 pockmarks in three locations along the north-east Antarctic Peninsula shelf. The pockmarks are 0.4–45 m wide and 0.1–2.5 m deep, encompassing both smaller unit-pockmarks and larger normal-pockmarks. The high resolution of our data enables the identification of subdued features associated with the pockmarks, including acoustic flares within the water column, ejecta rims, intra-pockmark blocks and possibly even biological structures. The overprinting of subglacial and ice-marginal landforms by the pockmarks constrains their timing of formation to the last ~11 ka. The high density of pockmarks within the surveyed areas, together with geophysical evidence for the active seepage of gas to the sea floor, suggests that the expulsion of subsurface fluids is a widespread process on the north-east Antarctic Peninsula shelf that could have important implications for benthic biodiversity and the global carbon cycle.

Antarctic algae are extremophilic organisms capable of surviving harsh environmental conditions such as low temperatures and deep dehydration. Although these algae have various adaptations for life in extreme environments, the majority of the molecular mechanisms behind their resistance to dehydration and freezing are not yet fully understood. The aim of our research was to observe the behaviour of bound water freezing in the free-living Antarctic alga Prasiola crispa. One way to avoid frost damage involves deep dehydration of the algal thallus. For that reason, a detailed analysis of water freezing at different sample hydration levels was carried out. Nuclear magnetic resonance investigation revealed two types of water immobilization: cooperative bound water freezing for samples with sample hydration levels above Δm/m0 = 0.40 and non-cooperative bound water immobilization for lower thallus hydration levels. In the differential scanning calorimetry experiment, 2-h incubation at -20°C suggested the diffusion and final binding of supercooled water to the ice nuclei and a lower hydration level threshold, at which ice formation could be observed (Δm/m0 = 0.21). Our research provides a new perspective on water sorption and freezing in Antarctic algae, which may be important not only in biological systems, but also in such novel materials as metal-organic frameworks or covalent organic frameworks.

Antarctic and Southern Ocean environments are facing increasing pressure from multiple threats. The Antarctic Treaty System regularly looks to the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) for the provision of independent and objective advice based on the best available science to support decision-making, policy development and effective environmental management. The recently approved SCAR Scientific Research Programme Ant-ICON - ‘Integrated Science to Inform Antarctic and Southern Ocean Conservation‘ - facilitates and coordinates high-quality transdisciplinary research to inform the conservation and management of Antarctica, the Southern Ocean and the sub-Antarctic in the context of current and future impacts. The work of Ant-ICON focuses on three research themes examining 1) the current state and future projections of Antarctic systems, species and functions, 2) human impacts and sustainability and 3) socio-ecological approaches to Antarctic and Southern Ocean conservation, and one synthesis theme that seeks to facilitate the provision of timely scientific advice to support effective Antarctic conservation. Research outputs will address the most pressing environmental challenges facing Antarctica and offer high-quality science to policy and advisory bodies including the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting, the Committee for Environmental Protection and the Scientific Committee of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources.

We present an analysis of the 20 year snowfall dataset in Taylor Valley and the results of a new snow cover monitoring study. Snowfall has been measured at four sites in Taylor Valley from 1995 to 2017. We focus on valley-floor snowfall when wind does not exceed 5 m s-1, and we exclude winter from our analysis due to poor data quality. Snowfall averaged 11 mm water equivalent (w.e.) from 1995 to 2017 across all stations and ranged from 1 to 58 mm w.e. Standard deviations ranged from 3 to 17 mm w.e., highlighting the strong interannual variability of snowfall in Taylor Valley. During spring and autumn there is a spatial gradient in snowfall such that the coast received twice as much snowfall as more central and inland stations. We identified a changepoint in 2007 from increasing snowfall (3 mm w.e. yr-1) to decreasing snowfall (1 mm w.e. yr-1), which coincides with a shift from decreasing temperature to no detectable temperature trend. Daily camera imagery from 2007 to 2017 augments the snowfall measurements. The camera imagery revealed a near tripling of the average number of days with snow cover from 37 days between 2006 and 2012 to 106 days with snow cover between 2012 and 2017.

The geology of the Schroeder Hill region near the head of the Shackleton Glacier, central Transantarctic Mountains, consists of Triassic Fremouw Formation and overlying Falla Formation strata intruded by Jurassic Ferrar Dolerite sills. At ‘Alfie’s Elbow', south-east of Schroeder Hill, upper Fremouw strata are overlain by Upper Cenozoic Sirius Group deposits. These upper Fremouw beds differ from all other examined upper Fremouw strata in the Shackleton Glacier region in being carbonaceous. Quartz-pebble conglomerate characterizes the basal Falla beds, emphasizing a change in provenance. Sirius Group beds occur as a stratigraphic succession draped on modern topography and as structureless sand wedged in modern microtopography. Fremouw beds locally are arched with the fold axis approximately parallel to regional normal faulting related to the uplift and formation of the Transantarctic Mountains.

The temperature experienced by micro-invertebrates in extreme environments (such as those of Antarctica) is a pivotal parameter regarding these animals' ecology and physiology. However, at present, detailed knowledge of microhabitat physical conditions in Antarctica is limited, as well as being biased towards sub-Antarctic and Maritime Antarctic regions. To better understand the temperature conditions experienced in the microhabitats of Continental Antarctica by the native microfauna, we recorded temperatures year round in ponds and soils in an area of the Victoria Land coast and compared these measurements with air temperature data from the closest automatic weather station. We identified an important difference in temperature dynamics between the air, soil and pond datasets. Ponds were the warmest sites overall, differing by up to 7.5°C in comparison with the air temperature due to their greater thermal capacity, which also drove their patterns of freeze-thaw cycles and mean daily thermal excursion.

We used a multidisciplinary approach integrating major, trace and rare earth element geochemistry, mineralogy of rocks and sediments along with the ionic composition of water reservoirs of Admiralty Bay, King George Island, to evaluate the record of water-rock interactions under Maritime Antarctic conditions. Our results showed that the ionic compositions of the streams and meltwaters predominantly reflect the atmospheric inputs, while lake waters have higher Na/Cl, Ca/Mg and HCO3/Cl ratios related to chemical weathering in lake sediments, but this did not allow for distinguishing purely silicate sources. Consistent with the trace and rare earth element data, various alteration indices and Index of Compositional Variability values denote the low degree of chemical weathering in the lake sediments. The records from the previously unexplored Mud Lake and Upper Lake suggest that the lakes of Admiralty Bay are better places to trace the impacts of a succession of environmental changes that have occurred in the watershed, while the stream channel sediments, when accompanied by water chemistry data, may provide a more representative composition of the source rocks than the lake sediments. These findings may help revealing the intensity of contemporary weathering in a colder climate with relatively few mineralogical changes accompanied by a lesser degree of elemental loss.

Localized contamination from research-related activities and its effects on macrofauna communities in the marine environment were investigated at Palmer Station, a medium-sized Antarctic research station. Relatively low concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs; 32–302 ng g-1) and total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs; 0.9–8.9 μg g-1) were detected in sediments adjacent to the sewage outfall and pier, where most human activities were expected to have occurred, and at even lower concentrations at two seemingly reference areas (PAHs 6–30 ng g-1, TPHs 0.03–5.1 μg g-1). Elevated concentrations of PAHs in one sample taken in one reference area (816 ng g-1) and polychlorinated biphenyls (353 ng g-1) and dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (3.2 and 25.3 ng g-1) in two samples taken adjacent to the sewage outfall indicate spatial heterogeneity of localized sediment contamination. Limpet (Nacella concinna) tissues collected adjacent to Palmer Station had high concentrations of PAHs, copper, lead, zinc and several other metals relative to outlying islands. Sediment and limpet tissue contaminant concentrations have decreased since the early 1990s following the Bahía Paraíso spill. Natural sediment characteristics affected macrofaunal community composition more than contamination adjacent to Palmer Station, presumably because of the low overall contamination levels.

The moss banks of the Maritime Antarctic composed of one or both of the mosses Chorisodontium aciphyllum and Polytrichum strictum form peat banks up to 3.4 m thick and 5500 years of age. They represent perhaps the simplest peat-forming systems in the world, so studying their dynamics can help in the understanding of peatland dynamics generally, particularly those of temperate blanket peat. They can provide insights into how the balance of growth, decomposition and compaction of peat results in peat formation, how downhill creep can be the cause of both vertical edges and the creation of patterned bogs and how erosion of peat can be a natural process.