The Antarctic Seismographic Argentinean Italian Network (ASAIN): Recording Earthquakes in the Scotia Sea Region

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milton Percy Plasencia Linares ◽  
Claudio Cravos ◽  
Roberto Laterza ◽  
Paolo Bernardi ◽  
Paolo Comelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Data Exchange ◽  
Seismic Stations ◽  
Scotia Sea ◽  
Current Configuration ◽  
Antarctic Continent ◽  
Polar Area ◽  
Seismic Networks ◽  
Research Facilities ◽  
The Antarctic

Abstract The Antarctic Seismographic Argentinean Italian Network (ASAIN) is a permanent broadband seismic network that has operated since 1995 in the Scotia Sea region, the Antarctic peninsula, and the polar area. It was deployed and is managed in the framework of cooperation between the National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics and Dirección Nacional del Antártico–Instituto Antártico Argentino and is financially supported by the Programma Nazionale di Ricerca in Antartide. The network consists of seven seismological stations with broadband sensors. ASAIN provides data to Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology, Observatories and Research Facilities for European Seismology, and GEOFOrschungsNetz. It improves the worldwide seismic networks’ detection capabilities and contributes to refining regional earthquake locations released by the U.S. Geological Survey. The proximity of the seismic stations to the Antarctic continent and their continuous operation in the long term also allows for having a privileged observatory on the ice-related seismicity along the Antarctica peninsula. In this article, we discuss the historical development of ASAIN, its current configuration, and the main characteristics of the seismic stations. Finally, we also provide information on the ASAIN data exchange and the contribution to the scientific research in Antarctica.

scholarly journals On the Long-Term Climate Memory in the Surface Air Temperature Records over Antarctica: A Nonnegligible Factor for Trend Evaluation

2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (15) ◽  
pp. 5922-5934 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naiming Yuan ◽  
Minghu Ding ◽  
Yan Huang ◽  
Zuntao Fu ◽  
Elena Xoplaki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Noise ◽  
Surface Air Temperature ◽  
Fluctuation Analysis ◽  
The West ◽  
Weather System ◽  
Air Temperatures ◽  
Antarctic Continent ◽  
Temperature Records ◽  
The Antarctic

Abstract In this study, observed temperature records of 12 stations from Antarctica island, coastline, and continental areas are analyzed by means of detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA). After Monte Carlo significance tests, different long-term climate memory (LTM) behaviors are found: temperatures from coastal and island stations are characterized by significant long-term climate memory whereas temperatures over the Antarctic continent behave more like white noise, except for the Byrd station, which is located in the West Antarctica. It is argued that the emergence of LTM may be dominated by the interactions between local weather system and external slow-varying systems (ocean), and therefore the different LTM behaviors between temperatures over the Byrd station and that over other continental stations can be considered as a reflection of the different climatic environments between West and East Antarctica. By calculating the trend significance with the effect of LTM taken into account, and further comparing the results with those obtained from assumptions of autoregressive (AR) process and white noise, it is found that 1) most of the Antarctic stations do not show any significant trends over the past several decades, and 2) more rigorous trend evaluation can be obtained if the effect of LTM is considered. Therefore, it is emphasized that for air temperatures over Antarctica, especially for the Antarctica coastline, island, and the west continental areas, LTM is nonnegligible for trend evaluation.

scholarly journals Antarctic climate variability at regional and continental scales over the last 2,000 years

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Stenni ◽  
Mark A. J. Curran ◽  
Nerilie J. Abram ◽  
Anais Orsi ◽  
Sentia Goursaud ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Group ◽  
Ice Core ◽  
West Antarctic Ice Sheet ◽  
West Antarctic ◽  
Temperature Reconstructions ◽  
Temperature Scaling ◽  
Antarctic Continent ◽  
Cooling Trend ◽  
The Antarctic

Abstract. Climate trends in the Antarctic region remain poorly characterised, owing to the brevity and scarcity of direct climate observations and the large magnitude of interannual to decadal-scale climate variability. Here, within the framework of the PAGES Antarctica 2k working group, we build an enlarged database of ice core water stable isotope records from Antarctica, consisting of 112 records. We produce both unweighted and weighted isotopic (δ18O) composites and temperature reconstructions since 0 CE, binned at 5 and 10-year resolution, for 7 climatically-distinct regions covering the Antarctic continent. Following earlier work of the Antarctica 2k working group, we also produce composites and reconstructions for the broader regions of East Antarctica, West Antarctica, and the whole continent. We use three methods for our temperature reconstructions: i) a temperature scaling based on the δ18O-temperature relationship output from an ECHAM5-wiso model simulation nudged to ERA-interim atmospheric reanalyses from 1979 to 2013, and adjusted for the West Antarctic Ice Sheet region to borehole temperature data; ii) a temperature scaling of the isotopic normalized anomalies to the variance of the regional reanalysis temperature and iii) a composite-plus-scaling approach used in a previous continental scale reconstruction of Antarctic temperature since 1 CE but applied to the new Antarctic ice core database. Our new reconstructions confirm a significant cooling trend from 0 to 1900 CE across all Antarctic regions where records extend back into the 1st millennium, with the exception of the Wilkes Land coast and Weddell Sea coast regions. Within this long-term cooling trend from 0–1900 CE we find that the warmest period occurs between 300 and 1000 CE, and the coldest interval from 1200 to 1900 CE. Since 1900 CE, significant warming trends are identified for the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, the Dronning Maud Land coast and the Antarctic Peninsula regions, and these trends are robust across the distribution of records that contribute to the unweighted isotopic composites and also significant in the weighted temperature reconstructions. Only for the Antarctic Peninsula is this most recent century-scale trend unusual in the context of natural variability over the last 2000-years. However, projected warming of the Antarctic continent during the 21st Century may soon see significant and unusual warming develop across other parts of the Antarctic continent. The extended Antarctica 2k ice core isotope database developed by this working group opens up many avenues for developing a deeper understanding of the response of Antarctic climate to natural and anthropogenic climate forcings. The first long-term quantification of regional climate in Antarctica presented herein is a basis for data-model comparison and assessments of past, present and future driving factors of Antarctic climate.

scholarly journals A Voyage Towards the South Pole

1973 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 373-377
Keyword(s):  
David Lewis ◽  
South Pole ◽  
The South ◽  
Palmer Station ◽  
Antarctic Continent ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
Term Objective ◽  
The U.S ◽  
Lewis A

Dr. David Lewis, a Fellow of this Institute and occasional contributor to the Journal, arrived at Palmer Station in the Antarctic, under jury rig, on 29 January having left Sydney on 20 October 1972 and stopped twenty-four hours at Stewart Island, N.Z., on the way. His long-term objective is to circumnavigate the Antarctic Continent, single-handed. He was twice capsized, in the course of which his gloves disappeared which resulted in badly frost-bitten fingers. After two months day and night in insulated boots, the warmth in the U.S. base when he arrived made his feet balloon and crack.

scholarly journals A New Monthly Pressure Dataset Poleward of 60°S since 1957

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (10) ◽  
pp. 3865-3874 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan L. Fogt ◽  
Logan N. Clark ◽  
Julien P. Nicolas
Keyword(s):  
Antarctic Peninsula ◽  
Marked Improvement ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Kriging Interpolation ◽  
West Antarctica ◽  
Antarctic Continent ◽  
Key Drivers ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
Circulation Changes

This study presents a new monthly pressure dataset poleward of 60°S, from 1957 to 2016, based on a kriging interpolation from observed pressure anomalies across the Antarctic continent. Overall, the reconstruction performs well when evaluated against ERA-Interim. In comparison to other reanalyses, the reconstruction has interannual variability after 1970 similar to products that span the entire twentieth century and is a marked improvement on the first-generation reanalysis products. The reconstruction also produces weaker pressure trends than the reanalysis products evaluated here, which are consistent with observations. However, the skill of the reconstruction is weaker in the South Pacific and therefore does not improve the understanding of long-term pressure variability and trends in this region, where circulation changes have been key drivers of climate variability in West Antarctica and the Antarctic Peninsula.

scholarly journals Antarctic climate variability on regional and continental scales over the last 2000 years

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 1609-1634 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Stenni ◽  
Mark A. J. Curran ◽  
Nerilie J. Abram ◽  
Anais Orsi ◽  
Sentia Goursaud ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Group ◽  
Ice Core ◽  
West Antarctic Ice Sheet ◽  
West Antarctic ◽  
Temperature Reconstructions ◽  
Temperature Scaling ◽  
Antarctic Continent ◽  
Cooling Trend ◽  
The Antarctic

Abstract. Climate trends in the Antarctic region remain poorly characterized, owing to the brevity and scarcity of direct climate observations and the large magnitude of interannual to decadal-scale climate variability. Here, within the framework of the PAGES Antarctica2k working group, we build an enlarged database of ice core water stable isotope records from Antarctica, consisting of 112 records. We produce both unweighted and weighted isotopic (δ18O) composites and temperature reconstructions since 0 CE, binned at 5- and 10-year resolution, for seven climatically distinct regions covering the Antarctic continent. Following earlier work of the Antarctica2k working group, we also produce composites and reconstructions for the broader regions of East Antarctica, West Antarctica and the whole continent. We use three methods for our temperature reconstructions: (i) a temperature scaling based on the δ18O–temperature relationship output from an ECHAM5-wiso model simulation nudged to ERA-Interim atmospheric reanalyses from 1979 to 2013, and adjusted for the West Antarctic Ice Sheet region to borehole temperature data, (ii) a temperature scaling of the isotopic normalized anomalies to the variance of the regional reanalysis temperature and (iii) a composite-plus-scaling approach used in a previous continent-scale reconstruction of Antarctic temperature since 1 CE but applied to the new Antarctic ice core database. Our new reconstructions confirm a significant cooling trend from 0 to 1900 CE across all Antarctic regions where records extend back into the 1st millennium, with the exception of the Wilkes Land coast and Weddell Sea coast regions. Within this long-term cooling trend from 0 to 1900 CE, we find that the warmest period occurs between 300 and 1000 CE, and the coldest interval occurs from 1200 to 1900 CE. Since 1900 CE, significant warming trends are identified for the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, the Dronning Maud Land coast and the Antarctic Peninsula regions, and these trends are robust across the distribution of records that contribute to the unweighted isotopic composites and also significant in the weighted temperature reconstructions. Only for the Antarctic Peninsula is this most recent century-scale trend unusual in the context of natural variability over the last 2000 years. However, projected warming of the Antarctic continent during the 21st century may soon see significant and unusual warming develop across other parts of the Antarctic continent. The extended Antarctica2k ice core isotope database developed by this working group opens up many avenues for developing a deeper understanding of the response of Antarctic climate to natural and anthropogenic climate forcings. The first long-term quantification of regional climate in Antarctica presented herein is a basis for data–model comparison and assessments of past, present and future driving factors of Antarctic climate.

Introductory remarks

1977 ◽  
Vol 279 (963) ◽  
pp. 3-3
Keyword(s):  
Short Duration ◽  
Orkney Islands ◽  
British Antarctic Survey ◽  
International Geophysical Year ◽  
South Orkney Islands ◽  
Antarctic Continent ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
International Geophysical ◽  
Long Term Studies

It is now only 80 years since man first set foot on the Antarctic Continent. Thereafter there were sporadic expeditions from various nations, which were mainly exploratory in the geographical sense although scientific studies were increasingly included. Even so, the area was so vast (13.5 x 10 6 km 2 ; 5 1/4 million square miles), the expeditions so intermittent, widely dispersed and of such short duration (at most two years), that there could be no continuity of observation. Apart from the steady occupation by Argentina since 1904 of the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition’s station in the South Orkney Islands, long-term studies began with a naval operation in 1943, the forerunner of the British Antarctic Survey, and have continued to this day. But really it was not until the International Geophysical Year in 1957/8 that a broad based scientific attack on the continent was made. At that time 12 countries maintained 44 stations, both around the perimeter and in the interior of the continent; today the number is 27.

Antarctic Tardigrada: a first step in understanding molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs) and biogeography of cryptic meiofauna

2012 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 526 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Czechowski ◽  
Chester J. Sands ◽  
Byron J. Adams ◽  
Cyrille A. D'Haese ◽  
John A. E. Gibson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Samples ◽  
Term Survival ◽  
Operational Taxonomic Units ◽  
Gene Comparison ◽  
Gene Coi ◽  
Dronning Maud Land ◽  
Antarctic Continent ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
I Gene

Recent studies have suggested that some resident Antarctic biota are of ancient origin and may have been isolated for millions of years. The phylum Tardigrada, which is part of the Antarctic terrestrial meiofauna, is of particular interest due to an impressive array of biochemical abilities to withstand harsh environmental conditions. Tardigrades are one of the few widespread Antarctic terrestrial animals that have the potential to be used as a model for evolution and biogeography on the Antarctic continent. We isolated 126 individual tardigrades from four geographically isolated soil samples from two remote nunataks in the Sør Rondane Mountains, Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica. We examined genetic variation among individuals utilising three gene regions: cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene (COI), 18S rDNA (18S), and the wingless (Wg) gene. Comparison of sequences from worldwide and Antarctic tardigrades indicated long-term survival and isolation over glacially dominated periods in ice-free habitats in the Sør Rondane Mountains.

Cosmic Ray Measurements made during the Cruise of H.M.A.S. Wyatt Earp 1947-48

1948 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 261
Author(s):  
DE Caro ◽  
PG Law ◽  
HD Rathgeber
Keyword(s):  
Total Content ◽  
Cosmic Ray ◽  
Wide Angle ◽  
Temperature Coefficients ◽  
Narrow Angle ◽  
Latitude Effect ◽  
Antarctic Continent ◽  
The Antarctic

This paper describes the cosmic ray equipment used and the results obtained on the cruise of the Wyatt Earp between Melbourne, Australia, and the Antarctic Continent during the early part of 1948. Measurements of the total cosmic radiation over a narrow solid angle, the meson content over the same angle, and the total content over the full hemisphere were made. The difficulty of carrying out multiple correlations, when the independent variables are closely related, is discussed. The final correlation results show barometric coefficients of -0.144 per cent. per millibar (mb.) for the narrow angle total radiation, -0.114 for the meson content, and -0.192 for the total wide angle record. Long term temperature coefficients of -0.063 per cent. per degree C., -0.051 per cent. per degree C., and -0.012 per cent. per degree C., respectively, are obtained. The need to separate the daily and long-term temperature coefficients in regions where continental climates exist is shown. Daily temperature coefficients of 0.14 per cent. per degree C., 0.24 per cent. per degree C., and 0.16 per cent, per degree C. are obtained. It is found that no measurable latitude effect remains after pressure and temperature corrections have been made. The ratios of the total to meson content and the narrow angle intensity to wide angle intensity are independent of latitude south of Melbourne. A possible effect due to a magnetic disturbance on February 15 is noted, but later more severe storms did not produce any noticeable result. The results obtained are compared with those of other workers.

scholarly journals Standardizing microsatellite panels for individual identification of seabirds’ Snow Petrel Pagodroma nivea and Wilson’s Storm Petrel Oceanites oceanicus in Antarctica

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anant Pande ◽  
Nidhi Rawat ◽  
Kuppusamy Sivakumar ◽  
Sambandan Sathyakumar ◽  
Vinod B. Mathur ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Research ◽  
Individual Identification ◽  
Seabird Species ◽  
Snow Petrel ◽  
Antarctic Continent ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
Past Population ◽  
Storm Petrel ◽  
Oceanites Oceanicus

ABSTRACTSeabirds are known to be important indicators of marine ecosystems health. Procellariiformes are one of the most abundant seabird species distributed from warm tropical to cold temperate regions including Antarctica. With few long-term studies on breeding seabirds at the Antarctic continent, crucial biological parameters such as genetic variation, population genetic structure and past population demography is lacking for most of the commonly occurring species. Under the ‘Biology and Environmental Sciences’ component of the Indian Antarctic programme, long-term monitoring of Antarctic biodiversity is being conducted. In this paper, we describe a panel of 12 and 10 cross-species microsatellite markers for two relatively less studied seabird species in Antarctica, snow petrel Pagodroma nivea and Wilson’s storm petrel Oceanites oceanicus, respectively. These loci showed high amplification success and moderate level of polymorphism in snow petrel (mean no. of alleles 7.08±3.01 and mean observed heterozygosity 0.35±0.23), but low polymorphism in Wilson’s storm petrel (mean no. of alleles 3.9±1.3 and mean observed heterozygosity 0.28±0.18). The results demonstrate that these panels can unambiguously identify individuals of both species from various types of biological materials. This work forms a baseline for undertaking long-term genetic research of Antarctic seabird species and provides critical insights into their population genetics.

‘Will the Russians abandon Mirny to the penguins after 1959 . . . or will they stay?’

Polar Record ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irina Gan
Keyword(s):  
Polar Region ◽  
National Level ◽  
International Geophysical Year ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Scientific Institutions ◽  
Antarctic Continent ◽  
Antarctic Research ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
International Geophysical

ABSTRACTThis paper traces the Soviet responses to initiatives of international scientific institutions for collaborative research in the Antarctic dating from the International Geophysical Year (IGY) through to the formation of the Special Committee for Antarctic Research (SCAR) and the extension of the IGY for a year during the International Geophysical Cooperation. It demonstrates the consistently positive attitudes of the USSR to these initiatives and the steps that were taken at the national level to enable it to continue international collaboration. Other countries with interests in the Antarctic conjectured whether the Soviets had a long term strategy for continuing their presence in the South Polar region. The evidence suggests that from the day the Soviets set foot on the Antarctic continent, they had no intention of leaving.

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