Dear colleagues,
We would like to draw your attention to a session organized by the ANTPAS (Antarctic Permafrost and Soils) at the upcoming 13th International Symposium on Antarctic Earth Science (ISAES 2019) that will be held in Incheon, Republic of Korea from 22-26 July 2019.
The deadline for abstract submission is now open and will close by 31 March 2019.
Within the umbrella of the ANTPAS, there will be a session on "Permafrost and Periglacial ice free areas in Antarctica"
ANTPAS (Antarctic Permafrost, Periglacial Environments and Soil) promotes the research on permafrost and periglacial environments that characterize the ice free areas in Antarctica. This session focuses on permafrost, on the overlying active layer, on the related landforms as well as on the soils that characterize almost all the ice-free areas in this continent. Thermo-physical conditions of permafrost and the active layer are very variable in the Antarctic, both in space and in time, and have accelerated over the last 20 years. Indeed, some areas of the Antarctic Peninsula have recorded after one of the strongest warming rates on Earth while in Continental Antarctica, after remarkable climate stability, a warming trend together with an increase of solar radiation are leading large changes in the ice free areas. Therefore, the analyses of the observed patterns and the response of the landscape can provide insights on recent and future changes in permafrost regions, which can be also used to examine ice/land/ocean/atmosphere feedbacks influencing regional, hemispheric and global climate conditions.
In addition, Antarctic permafrost areas are also the best terrestrial analogue of Mars conditions and therefore represent an unique opportunity to test technology and models for the future Martian exploration.
Transdisciplinary contributions from permafrost, soils, geomorphology, microclimate, hydrology, geophysics and remote sensing are expected. Although not exclusively, the session aims to contribute to the new questions from the SCAR Horizon Scan emphasizing on the significance of the fast changing terrestrial environments, for example:
- What are and have been the rates of geomorphic change in different Antarctic regions, and what are the ages of preserved landscapes?
- How will permafrost, the active layer and water availability in Antarctic soils and marine sediments change in a warming climate, and what are the effects on ecosystems and biogeochemical cycles?
With best regards,
Marc Oliva
Mauro Guglielmin
