Periglacial processes in Deception Island, Maritime Antarctic: spatial analysis in the Irizar - Crater Lake area.

. MELO, R., VIEIRA, G., CASELLI, A., BATISTA, V. AND RAMOS, M.,

Singuenza

Congreso; II Iberian Congress of the International Permafrost Association.; 2009

International Permafrost Association

This study, based on field surveying from the austral summer of 2007-2008 and analysis of a QuickBird image, presents the first results of the detailed geomorphological mapping of Deception Island (South Shetlands, Antarctic Peninsula). The research in the vicinity of the Argentinean and Spanish Antarctic bases allowed to continue the previous work by our group, and also to provide new geomorphological observations aiming to understand how climate change is affecting the permafrost and the present-day geomorphological dynamics in an area characterized by a great environmental sensitivity. Since the island is an active volcano the study also focusses on studying the interactions between volcanism and permafrost. The detailed geomorphological mapping was made in the area between the Argentinean base of Decepción and the Spanish base Gabriel de Castilla, corresponding to 4 km2, as well as in the vicinity of the ruins of the Chilean Refuge. The mapping included periglacial and non-periglacial forms: rockfalls, gullies, thermokarst hollows, hummocky terrains, lag surfaces, nivation hollows, etc. Some of these can be used as indicators of permafrost degradation. Observations of the processes involved in the genesis of these forms, as well as its deposits characteristics, were also conducted. The study of the spatial distribution and characteristics of landforms, as well as the geomorphological processes, was completed by a spatial analysis in GIS environment, intending to study the relationship between these and independent variables, such as elevation, aspect, slope, several topography parameters and net summer radiation.