IPY-191-ANTARCTIC PERMAFROST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

PROYECTO ARGENTINO

The project is aiming at enhanced knowledge of the present of the morphology
and structure of Antarctic permafrost and the interpretation of the permafrost
evolution and the cryogenic processes and phenomena revealed in certain
periglacial conditions in the Antarctic Peninsula under climate and glacial
changes. These are ones of the few sites in Antarctica where ice-free territory
exists with the presence of frozen quaternary deposits on the permafrost
continuous zone. Beginning with the early Holocene the climatic conditions was
favourable for the existence of permafrost, if the surface is not covered by
glaciers. The development of the Antarctic permafrost on the ice-free areas,
the dynamic of the geocryogenic processes and the ice ground formation are
conditioned by climatic parameters and different ground types related with
surface hydrographic systems and phreatic aquifer on the periglacial zone.
According to conditions of Quaternary history permafrost is divided into two
cryoformations: epigenetic and syngenetic. Each unit was characterized by
different cryogenic processes, formation of ground ice in the permafrost and
active layer, conditions of bedding and occurrence of buried o constitutional
ground ice types. The different climatic conditions determinate the cryogenic
asymmetry of the Antarctic Peninsula with respect the continuous permafrost on
north-east side and the discontinuous permafrost on the west sector. At present
all region of Antarctic Peninsula has been subject to a significant atmospheric
warming of 2.5 �C on the eastern and northern part and more 4 �C on the western
part over the last 50 years.

The specific objectives of proposed activity are: To determine the present
distribution, state and genetic tyres of permafrost in the ice-free areas of
the Antarctic Peninsula. To prepare a map showing permafrost, ground-ice
conditions and cryogenic features in the Antarctic Region. To examine available
Circum-Antarctic permafrost history related to permafrost development after
Last Glacial Maximum. To realize the monitoring of the cryogenic processes of
the active layers and permafrost in the selected model sites of the Antarctic
Peninsula. To determinate the origin of the frozen ground and depositional
environments in the different sectors of the Antarctica. To quantify the
interaction between the Antarctic permafrost and global climate change.

The project will be carrying out within the frames of Antarctic permafrost
programme of the Direcci�n Nacional del Ant�rtico - Instituto Ant�rtico
Argentino (Argentina) and Institute of Geography Russian Academy of Sciences
(Russia).

The data obtained after processing and analyzing will be integrated into
national and international databases under the concordance with countries or
institutions that fulfil the analogous studies in Antarctica.

Other Project Members

Dr. Adrian Siva Busso - Instituto Nacional de Agua, Buenos Aires
Dr. Maxim Moskalevsky - Institute of Geography Russian Academy of Sciences
Dr. Nikolay Osokin - Institute of Geography Russian Academy of Sciences