Waterborne metal levels in four freshwater lakes from Harmony Point, Nelson Island, Antarctica.

The aim of this study is to analyze the waterborne metal levels in four lakes (one endorheic and three exorheic) of Harmony Point, Nelson Island, Antarctica. Water samples were analyzed by using a quadrupole type inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer and an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer. The levels of As, Cu, Mn, Mo, and V were significantly lower and those of Cr, Mg, Na, and Sr were significantly higher in the endorheic lake than in the other lakes.

Thermal variations of the active layer in Fildes Peninsula, King George Island, Maritime Antarctica.

This work aimed to characterize the variation in the thermal regime of the active layer in a permafrost area on Fildes Peninsula, Antarctica, and relate this variability with meteorological data between 2014 and 2016. The monitoring site was installed to continuously monitor the temperature and moisture of the active layer, radiation flow on the surface, and air temperature. We used data collected to generate the indexes freezing degree-days, thawing degree-days, frost number, n-factor, apparent thermal diffusivity, and active layer thickness.

Concentration and thickness of sea ice in the Weddell Sea from SSM/I passive microwave radiometer data.

This study evaluated feasibility statistically and analyzed, during the freezing period, the relationship between brightness temperature (Tb) data of the 37V polarisation and the GR3719 (Gradient Ratio 37V and 19V) obtained by Special Sensor Microwave/Imager from F11 and F13 satellites with sea ice thickness (SIT) data obtained in the Weddell Sea through Antarctic Sea Ice Processes and Climate program. The multiple linear regression (MLR) was applied at 1,520 points, with 70% of these points being randomly separated to generate the MLR and 30% to carry out the validation. To perform the temporal mapping, the MLR was applied only to pixels with sea ice concentration (SIC) ≥ 90%, obtained through the fraction image calculated from the spectral linear mixing model (SLMM) using the Tb in the channels and polarizations 19H, 19V and 37V.

Statistical modeling of sea ice concentration in the northwest region of the Antarctic Peninsula.

Sea ice is one of the main components of the cryosphere that modifies the exchange of heat and moisture between the ocean and atmosphere, regulating the global climate. In this sense, it is important to identify the concentration of sea ice in different regions of Antarctica in order to measure the impact of environmental changes on the region's ecosystem. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of the multiple linear regression and Box-Jenkins methods for predicting the concentration of sea ice along the northwest coast of the Antarctic Peninsula.

Freezing and thawing of lakes on the Nelson and King George Islands, Antarctic, using Sentinel 1A synthetic aperture radar images.

This article aims to analyze the dynamics of freezing and thawing of Antarctic lakes located in ice-free areas on Nelson Island and Fildes Peninsula, where response to changes in air temperature and precipitation rates occur rapidly, during the period from July 2016 to December 2018. In these places, which are difficult to access, remote sensing is an important alternative, especially considering the use of active remote sensors such as the Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), which has less restriction regarding the presence of clouds over the study area. Three backscatter thresholds were defined (σ) for the identification of the physical state of the water of the lakes of the study region, applied in Sentinel 1A SAR (S1A) images under Horizontal Horizontal (HH) polarization and Interferometric Wide (IW) imaging mode.