CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

Permafrost and active layer monitoring in the Maritime Antarctic (PERMANTAR) is a Portuguese funded international project that, in cooperation with the Spanish project PERMAMODEL contributes to the implementation of a permafrost observation strategy in Livingston and Deception Islands. These projects contribute to the International Permafrost Association's IPY strategy in the framework of projects ANTPAS and TSP. PERMANTAR activities focus on: a) installing new permafrost monitoring boreholes, b) installing new active layer monitoring sites (CALM-S), c) installing new geomorphodynamics observatories (i.e. solifluction, thermokarst and rockglaciers), d) characterize climatic variability in the Antarctic Peninsula region and evaluate downscalling of reanalysis data (WRF, ERA-Interim reanalysis), and e) characterize the spatial distribution and thermal state of permafrost, f) model the ground thermal regime (H-TESSEL ground model) and the spatial distribution of permafrost and periglacial processes (empirico-statistical modelling). The poster presents a synthesis of the general framework of PERMANTAR activities conducted during the IPY (Figure 1), as well as the project results. More detailed results arising from the project are presented in sessions T2-4 and T2-3. PERMANTAR is funded by the FCT (PTDC/CLI/70020/2006) and FACC in the framework of ProPolar, the Portuguese Polar Programme. Gulbenkian-Ambiente funded the boreholes at Reina Sofia Peak, Hilti supported the shallow boreholes in the vicinity of the Bulgarian Station. Caixa Carbono Zero funded two research grants. Zodport and Vela Lusa are also acknowledged for their support. The Argentinean, Bulgarian and Spanish Antarctic programmes are strongly acknowledged for the logistical support to field work.