Feather mites (Acariformes, Astigmata) from marine birds of the Barton Peninsula (King George Island, Antarctica), with descriptions of two new species

We report on the first investigation of feather mites associated with birds living on the Barton Peninsula (King George Island, Antarctica). We found seven feather mite species of the superfamily Analgoidea from four host species. Two new species are described from two charadriiform hosts: Alloptes (Sternalloptes) antarcticussp. nov. (Alloptidae) from Stercorarius maccormicki Saunders (Stercorariidae), and Ingrassia chionissp. nov. (Xolalgidae) from Chionis albus (Gmelin) (Chionidae). Additionally, we provide partial sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI), which was utilized as a DNA barcode, for all seven feather mite species.

Spectral Characteristics of the Antarctic Vegetation: A Case Study of Barton Peninsula

Spectral information is a proxy for understanding the characteristics of ground targets without a potentially disruptive contact. A spectral library is a collection of this information and serves as reference data in remote sensing analyses. Although widely used, data of this type for most ground objects in polar regions are notably absent. Remote sensing data are widely used in polar research because they can provide helpful information for difficult-to-access or extensive areas. However, a lack of ground truth hinders remote sensing efforts. Accordingly, a spectral library was developed for 16 common vegetation species and decayed moss in the ice-free areas of Antarctica using a field spectrometer. In particular, the relative importance of shortwave infrared wavelengths in identifying Antarctic vegetation using spectral similarity comparisons was demonstrated. Due to the lack of available remote sensing images of the study area, simulated images were generated using the developed spectral library. Then, these images were used to evaluate the potential performance of the classification and spectral unmixing according to spectral resolution. We believe that the developed library will enhance our understanding of Antarctic vegetation and will assist in the analysis of various remote sensing data.

Evaluating the potential of MODIS-LST for monitoring ground surface temperatures in the Maritime Antarctic (Barton Peninsula, King George Island, Antarctic).

<p>Land surface temperature is an important factor for permafrost modelling as well as for understanding the dynamics of Antarctic terrestrial ecosystems (Bockheim et al. 2008). In the South Shetland Islands the distribution of permafrost is complex (Vieira et al. 2010) and the use of remote sensing data is essential since the installation and maintenance of an extensive network of ground-based stations are impossible. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the applicability of satellites and sensors by comparing data with in-situ observations. In this work, we present the results from the analysis of land surface temperatures from Barton Peninsula, an ice-free area in King George Island (South Shetlands). We have studied the period from March 1, 2019 to January 31, 2020 using data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Land Surface Temperature (LST) and in-situ data from 6 ground temperature loggers. MOD11A1 and MYD11A1 products, from TERRA and AQUA satellites, respectively, were used, following the application of MODIS quality filters. Given the scarce number of high-quality data as defined by MODIS, all average LST with error ≤ 2K were included. Dates with surface temperature below -20ºC, which are rare in the study area, and dates when the difference between MODIS and in-situ data exceeded 10ºC were also examined. In both cases, those days on which MOD09GA/MYD09GA products showed cloud cover were eliminated. Eight in-situ ground temperature measurements per day were available, from which the one nearest to the time of satellite overpass was selected for comparison with MODIS-LST. The results obtained show a better correlation with daytime data than with nighttime data. Specifically, the best results are obtained with daytime data from AQUA (R<sup>2</sup> between 0.55 and 0.81). With daytime data, correlation between MODIS-LST and in-situ data was verified with relative humidity (RH) values provided by King Sejong weather station, located in the study area. When RH is lower, the correlation between LST and in-situ data improves: we obtained correlation coefficients between 0.6 - 0.7 for TERRA data and 0.8 - 0.9 for AQUA data with RH values lower than 80%. The results suggest that MODIS can be used for temperature estimation in the ice-free areas of the Maritime Antarctic.</p><p>References:</p><p>Bockheim, J. G., Campbell, I. B., Guglielmin, M., and López- Martınez, J.: Distribution of permafrost types and buried ice in ice free areas of Antarctica, in: 9th International Conference on Permafrost, 28 June–3 July 2008, Proceedings, University of Alaska Press, Fairbanks, USA, 2008, 125–130.</p><p>Vieira, G.; Bockheim, J.; Guglielmin, M.; Balks, M.; Abramov, A. A.; Boelhouwers, J.; Cannone, N.; Ganzert, L.; Gilichinsky, D. A.; Goryachkin, S.; López-Martínez, J.; Meiklejohn, I.; Raffi, R.; Ramos, M.; Schaefer, C.; Serrano, E.; Simas, F.; Sletten, R.; Wagner, D. Thermal State of Permafrost and Active-layer Monitoring in the Antarctic: Advances During the International Polar Year 2007-2009. Permafr. Periglac. Process. 2010, 21, 182–197.</p><p> </p><p>Acknowledgements</p><p>This work was made possible by an internship at the IGOT, University of Lisbon, Portugal, funded by the Principality of Asturias (code EB20-16).</p><p> </p>

Weddell seal observations on female and pup behavior and breeding status for four overwintering periods (2015 to 2018) at Barton Peninsula, King George Island, Antarctica

In animal ecology studies, it is a fundamental monitoring work to observe annual breeding cycle. In this study, we report the detailed observations on seven mother and pup pairs of Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddellii) at Barton peninsula, King George Island, Antarctica. Two or three pairs had been observed along the coast on the fast ice in 2015, 2017, and 2018 and no breeding was recorded in 2016. Although it varied among individuals, pups were recorded to be born on 19−25 Sept., began swimming at day 18−19 after birth, and molted at day 21−25. Our observations may provide fundamental breeding information of Weddell seals in our study site and contribute to the future long-term monitoring research of seals.

Draft Genome Sequence of the Psychrotolerant Bacterium Methylobacterium sp. Strain BTF04, Isolated from Freshwater in Antarctica

ABSTRACT Methylobacterium sp. strain BTF04, a pink-pigmented psychrotolerant bacterium, was isolated from freshwater on Barton Peninsula, King George Island, Antarctica. Here, we report the assembled draft genome sequence of Methylobacterium sp. strain BTF04.