POLAR2E Newsletter 6 | Summer 2022
Summer has arrived and Newsletter number 6 of POLAR2E reports on the highlights of the last few months within POLAR2E. The University of Lisbon has managed to settle and implement a College in Polar Sciences and Extreme Environments after more than a decade of hard scientific and bureaucratic work, as well as high-level and recognized research in those domains. The achievements of the past ten years are now becoming visible while, at the same time, the impulse towards amplification and innovation keeps growing. POLAR2E is also part of the group of institutions and organizations that put Social, Human and or Political Sciences at the core of the research and debate on fundamental issues that articulate with climate change and ‘climate emergency’ (as claimed by the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres). Prospective integrative research from the Social and the STEM domains seems closer than ever within the College as the need for stronger, integrative, holistic, interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary ‘answers’ is growing in demand. There is lots of work to be done and much to improve. However, the number, diversity, interest and quality of outputs and outcomes, as well as of the projects under development allow us to consider that the future of the College is a promise to be cherished.
Opportunities within the field are plenty and the recognition of its relevance is growing worldwide. The preparation of the next Arctic and Antarctic campaigns, the Arctic Circle Conference Assembly, the SCAR Open Science Conference and the ASSW 2023 in Vienna, amongst others, are only a few examples.
The institutional architecture of POLAR2E is settled and stable. The support of both the Scientific and Coordination Board is a guarantee. It is up to all and each member to reach excellence by pursuing Research and communicating Science while respecting the highest international standards.
A final and warm word to our students, in particular to those strongly engaged with the POLAR2E Newsletter: Thank You all!
Gonçalo Vieira, Ricardo Trigo, Sandra Balão and Zita Martins
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João Canário is Vice-President of IASC
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João Canário, researcher at Centro de Química Estrutural (CQE), Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), and national representative for Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) on the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) was elected as one of the four vice-presidents of this international organization, following the holding of the IASC’s annual meeting, which took place in Tromso, Norway, on the 30th of March 2022.
The election of João Canário as Vice-President represents the international recognition of Portuguese Polar Science, in particular, that developed in the Arctic. In Portugal, FCT develops activities in this area through the Polar Program, an office created in 2011 whose main objective is to respond to the need for a support base and institutional monitoring for national research in the polar regions by Portuguese scientists. The International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) is an international non-governmental scientific organization whose mission is to encourage and facilitate cooperation in all aspects of Arctic research, in all countries involved in Arctic research and in all areas of the Arctic Region.
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(credits: João Canário)
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Following the implementation of the new regulations of POLAR2E approved in 2021, João Canário from CQE, IST was elected President of the Scientific Committee of POLAR2E. The Scientific Committee meets regularly and its members are all the professors and researchers holding a PhD. Its mission is to i) advise the Coordinating Committee (Board of Directors) on scientific and pedagogic issues, ii) be consulted by the Coordinating Committee on strategic decisions concerning the steering of POLAR2E, iii) approve and monitor the triennial action plan and the budget, iv) promote research along the strategic lines of POLAR2E, v) support the Coordinating Committee on promoting interdisciplinary research and advanced training activities, and vi) evaluate and approve new member applications.
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(credits: Gonçalo Vieira)
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POLAR2E and the Estrela UNESCO Global Geopark signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the family Pais, owner of the “Casa do Arquiteto” at Lagoa Comprida in Serra da Estrela, aiming at using the infrastructure as a field research station. The station is located at an altitude of 1650 m close to the Lagoa Comprida, in the core of the central plateau of the Serra da Estrela, an area deeply marked by glacial erosion landforms. The landscape is dominated by a knob and basin morphology, with extensive rock outcrops and numerous roches moutonnées and small lakes. It is an area of rich biodiversity, with a complex mosaic of heath scrubs, subalpine grasslands and pond habitats. POLAR2E will be responsible for coordinating the scientific programming of the station, with the Estrela Geopark promoting education and outreach activities. These will be framed within annual planning that should open the facility to the national and international research community.
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Anna Irrgang is a coastal geomorphologist who specialised in Arctic coastal processes. Her passion for Arctic coasts arose from a coincidence, as she ran out of work during her internship about Caribbean Tsunamis at USGS in California. Thus, she got put on the task to classify over 5000 pictures of the Alaskan coast and quickly got fascinated by the high diversity of landscapes and the uniqueness of the Arctic environment. Three years later and by taking many detours, Anna found a way to get to the Arctic with the Geological Survey of Canada and finally saw the coast with her own eyes! For ten years now, she has been investigating how the Arctic coast is changing in response to changing climatic conditions and which consequences these changes have for the human and natural environment. Besides being lead and co-author of several papers on Arctic coastal dynamics, she was recently the lead author of a paper on the drivers, dynamics and impacts of changing Arctic coasts in the journal Nature Reviews in Earth and Environment.
On the 16th of May 2022, Anna Irrgang gave a presentation in the IGOT concerning coastal processes in the Arctic, concluding on how these influence global climate patterns and hence the taste of tropical fruits, from which mangoes were selected as an example. She stated that it is not only Arctic coastal processes that influence mangos, but also that mangos' world trade also influences Arctic coastal processes.
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(credits: Anna Irrgang)
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From 16th May to 3rd June 2022, the IGOT’s new Art Space hosted Gonçalo Vieira and Gabriel Goyanes’s joint exposition. The two POLAR2E members have been collaborating on Antarctic research for the past 12 years. In this exhibition, a joint show of photography by Gonçalo Vieira and 3D models by Gabriel Goyanes show some of the authors' Antarctic experiences… “moments captured by the lens and presented as two and three-dimensional results, demonstrating that science can also be art”, as written in the exhibition leaflet.
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(credits: Maria João Raimundo, IGOT)
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From 17 to 20th May 2022, about 60 Arctic permafrost scientists and ECRs gathered at Sesimbra Hotel & Spa for the 6th Nunataryuk General Assembly to review the work carried out, plan for the future and discuss the coming Arctic field season. The CEG/IGOT organised the logistics of this assembly.
Nunataryuk is an international permafrost research project funded by the European Union Horizon 2020 framework program. In Nunataryuk, 26 partners from 12 countries work together to understand how thawing permafrost on land, along the coast and below the sea changes the global climate and life for people in the Arctic. The CEG/IGOT in the Portuguese partner at NUNATARYUK, which also includes researchers of the CQE/IST and the University of Coimbra, contributes to the WP1 - Terrestrial Permafrost and WP2 - Coastal Permafrost.
Five posters by Early Career Researchers from the POLAR2E were presented: Bernardo Costa, Daniel Baptista, Pedro Freitas and Rodrigue Tanguy, with Joana Baptista and Sofia Bilbao, also attending the General Assembly.
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Group photo
(credits: Khaled Abass)
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EU-PolarNet 2 will launch on the 30th of June the Catalyst Platform that has been under development in Work Package 1 - Research Coordination, led by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion y Universidades, with the cooperation of Instituto de Geografia e Ordenamento do Território (IGOT), Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) and Netherlands Polar Programme (NWO). This tool aims to strengthen European Polar coordination and facilitate interaction among national Polar research programmes in Europe. The platform is a key to advancing coordination with easily discoverable and up-to-date information on national research activities, upcoming large-scale scientific projects or programmes, or the possibility of sharing infrastructure and logistics. This catalyst platform will accommodate a continuous information exchange and an interactive room as a discussion forum for the Polar community to identify synergies and develop partnerships within Europe. The final version of the Catalyst Platform was presented to the EU Polar Cluster community at the annual meeting held in Brussels.
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EU-PolarNet 2 Catalyst Platform Homepage
(credits: EU-PolarNet)
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Polardex is a new online platform for polar infrastructure and logistics discovery and planning developed by the European Polar Board and EU-PolarNet 2, on which part of the IGOT Zephyrus Polar and Mountain Team participated through the European Polar Infrastructure Database assembly.
Polardex includes detailed information about polar research infrastructure in the Arctic and Antarctic, including field facilities (stations, camps, laboratories, weather stations, shelters), vessels and aircraft. Polardex compiles information on its facilities and capabilities for science, as well as links to further details relating to access, ongoing science and data. It gives details of logistical plans for research in the polar regions, allowing scientists and managers to identify potential collaborations and opportunities for deploying equipment or collecting samples. With Polardex, duplication of logistics can be avoided, saving time, resources and environmental impacts. The Planned Routes section, development of SOOS’ DueSouth database now fully integrated with Polardex, gives details of scientific research cruises as well as tourist routes in the Southern Ocean that could offer ships of opportunity to scientists. Polardex’s functionalities are all for planned routes or field campaigns by sea, land and air in both the Arctic and Antarctic.
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Polardex Planned Routes section
(credits: European Polar Board)
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Aiming at creating synergies among the four schools that compose POLAR2E with members interested in research in the Serra da Estrela, the first meeting of the Serra da Estrela working group took place on the 23rd of June. The College POLAR2E has a long tradition of research in the Estrela range, with various projects on paleoenvironmental reconstruction, glacial and periglacial geomorphology, mountain climatology and vegetation dynamics. POLAR2E is also co-coordinating the project for the Lagoa Comprida Research Station, together with the owners of the building and the Estrela UNESCO Global Geopark. This first meeting aimed to introduce the plans of POLAR2E for the Lagoa Comprida station, as well as to open the floor for several students conducting research in the Serra da Estrela, to present their results and discuss them with the group. The Serra Estrela Working Group is open to all POLAR2E members interested in the Serra da Estrela and in discussing ongoing research and project planning. It will hold regular meetings and activities and will serve as a point of connection and dissemination of ongoing and proposed work. The coordinator of the group is Inês Mendes. So, if you are interested in joining, drop her an email (inesmendes2@campus.ul.pt).
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On the 25th of June 2022, POLAR2E members that will be heading to the Canadian Arctic this summer participated in a Basic Life Support course in IGOT. The course is certified by the European Resuscitation Council (ERC) and the Conselho Português de Ressuscitação (CPR). It focused on learning and practicing Basic Life Support techniques with and without an Automatic External Defibrillator. It will certainly help should any emergency case occur in a future Arctic expedition.
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POLAR2E members with the two trainers.
(credits: Gonçalo Vieira)
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PHYTO-UP: Response of two Southern Ocean PHYTOplankton species to climate-driven changes in the Upper-ocean
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PHYTO-UP is a one-year project funded by the Portuguese Polar Program (PROPOLAR), led by FCUL (PI: Dr. Ana Brito) and in collaboration with researchers from the Federal University of Rio Grande (FURG; Brazil). The focus of PHYTO-UP is to disentangle phytoplankton-specific responses to projected climate-change-driven alterations, providing key information for future accurate predictions or shifts in Antarctic phytoplankton communities, particularly in the Northern Antarctic Peninsula (West Antarctica).
The upper ocean west of the Northern Antarctic Peninsula (NAP) has been in constant change over the past 50 years due to climate change forcing. While most identified changes were linked to environmental conditions, the effects of such changes on the biological communities are complex and still poorly understood, particularly in phytoplankton communities. A decrease in primary productivity in the NAP, as well as changes in community size and composition, have already been detected, including a decrease in the abundance of diatoms and an increase in the abundance of cryptophytes (smaller and less nutritious flagellates). Both in the short- and long-term, these trends are expected to continue as ocean warming aggravates, potentially with severe consequences for the pelagic food web.
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Polar Research Ship Almirante Maximiano, the Brazilian ship aboard which the Antarctic phytoplankton species studied in PHYTO-UP were collected and isolated.
(credits: Catarina V. Guerreiro)
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Within the PHYTO-UP project, laboratory experiments with microcosms are being used to explore the response of both diatoms and cryptophytes to changes in the environmental conditions (temperature, salinity, light availability) simulating warming, and subsequent ice melting and enhanced stratification. Two key species previously isolated from summer campaigns to the NAP and stored at FURG are being tested: the diatom Porosira glaciallis and cryptophyte Geminigera cryophile. In particular, we want to explore whether cryptophytes are likely to respond favourably to climate-driven ocean warming, leading them to be more frequent in the future, at the expense of diatoms.
Full team (including collaborators): Ana C. Brito (PI; FCUL), Vanda Brotas (FCUL), Catarina V. Guerreiro (FCUL), Afonso Ferreira (FCUL), Carlos Rafael Borges Mendes (FURG), Raul Rodrigo Costa (FURG), Savênia Bonoto da Silveira (FURG).
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Phytoplankton cultures used in the laboratory experiments conducted within the scope of the PHYTO-UP project.
(credits: Afonso Ferreira)
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Ricardo Trigo, Associate Professor at the FCUL and member of the POLAR2E College, participated in a study led by colleagues from the Antarctic Group of the Spanish Meteorological Agency (AEMET), the CSIC and the University of Barcelona, where it is confirmed that climate change is partially responsible for the amplification of major heat waves on the Antarctic continent. In particular, the study concluded that the probability of experiencing a similar heat wave increased about ten times from 1950-1984, largely due to climatic change.
The paper entitled "Climate warming amplified the 2020 record-breaking heatwave in the Antarctic Peninsula" was published in the journal "Communications Earth & Environment" which is part of the group "Nature". It describes one of the most intense heat waves recorded on the Peninsula Antarctica that took place between February 6 and 11, 2020. A new absolute temperature long-term record for the entire Antarctic continent was observed on February 6, 2020, with 18.3ºC registered at the Esperanza base.
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A heat wave over the Antarctic Peninsula from February 6 to 11, 2020: (a) 500 hPa geopotential field anomalies (contours; in GPM) and 2-meter temperature (shaded; in °C); (b) temperature percentiles at 2 meters, with regions that reach the 99th percentile and new maximum values represented plotted and dotted, respectively. Reference period: 1950-2019.
(credits: Nature)
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An international team of researchers from IST, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Université Laval, and Cornel, with logistic support from the Centre d´étude Nordiques (CEN), published the paper “Color Catalogue of Life in Ice: Surface Biosignatures on Icy Worlds”. The manuscript, which included as co-authors the POLAR2E members Lígia F. Coelho, João Canário and Zita Martins, received the attention of Forbes Magazine through an article named “Catalog Of Colorful Microbes Could Help Us Find Life On Icy Planets” published on the 16 of March 2022, and of Cornell Chronicle by an article published on the previous day, named “Tint of life: Color catalog built to find frozen worlds”. The article was the cover of the March 2022 issue of the journal Astrobiology.
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Cover of the journal Astrobiology, March 2022 issue.
(Credits: Jack Madden/Lígia F. Coelho/Carl Sagan Institute (CSI)).
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Planet A is a documentary series co-produced by RTP and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, focusing on the challenge of sustainability and climate change. In nine episodes, it showcases some of the innovative approaches, found globally and locally, to tackle issues such as air and sea pollution, global warming, exponential population growth, poverty, and inequality, as well as proposals to ease the cultural, political, and racial tensions that emerge from all of these challenges.
Associate Professor Ricardo Trigo at FCUL and member of the POLAR2E College featured in the first episode: Climate Change and Energy, published on 18th April and available in RTP Play and on the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation website.
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Planeta A.
(Credits: RTP).
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On the 23 of May 2022, the CQE, IST had a Polar Science Exhibitor at the IST anniversary event. This Institution from the Universidade de Lisboa is now 111 years old! The Polar Science team from CQE/IST communicated polar science to kids, high school students and faculty for a full day. The exhibitor was dedicated to Antarctic and Arctic projects in which the CQE Polar Team has been involved for several years and was an excellent opportunity to attract the attention and interest of hundreds of students that visited the IST.
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PERMAMERC - Mercury biogeochemistry, fate and impact in permafrost thaw ecosystems and BIOMOON - Spectroscopic detection of bio-signatures in natural Arctic ice samples as a proxy of icy moons
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Between the 6th and 14th of March 2022, the CQE/IST team went to the Canadian subarctic (Kuujjuarapik-Whapmagoostui) to do fieldwork related to the FCT-funded projects PERMAMERC and BIOMOON. The PERMAMERC project is led by João Canário (CQE/IST) and Gonçalo Vieira (CEG/IGOT) and aims to study the mercury cycle in permafrost thaw lakes and their impacts on the arctic ecosystems. The project BIOMOON is led by João Canário e Zita Martins (CQE/IST) and is funded under the MIT Portugal Program. This project aims to identify chemical signatures in natural ice samples and to use them as terrestrial analogues of the icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn.
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Viktoriya Nikitina
Viktoriya Nikitina has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and International Relations from the School of Social Sciences and Humanities of the NOVA University of Lisbon and a master’s degree in Strategy from the Institute of Social and Political Sciences (ISCSP) of the University of Lisbon. She became a member of POLAR2E earlier this year. Currently, she is enrolled in a PhD in International Relations at ISCSP, University of Lisbon, focusing on the Russian Foreign Policy in the Arctic and is involved as a member of the Early Career Researchers Newsletter Editorial team.
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(Interview by Bernardo Costa)
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How did you end up working in polar science? ☃️
I started to get interested in polar social sciences during my internship at the Portuguese Navy. There, I was researching Arctic geopolitics, namely Russian geopolitics in the Arctic, and found this topic fascinating and new. I understood that global warming will cause drastic changes in the arctic regions and the importance to study the change from a geopolitical and strategic perspective.
What does a typical day look like in your PhD student life? 👨🎓
I always try to engage myself in different tasks during the day. To avoid boringness, I start my day by doing some review of the literature (with lots of reading), then writing down my ideas, watching some institutional videos, and at the end of the day, I do some extra readings. Unfortunately, my research does not include research on the field so I try to make different things every day.
What are your current goals? In what way do you believe POLAR2E will help you to reach your research goal? ✔
My current goals are related to scientific contributions. For the next academic year, I have in mind some scientific contributions I want to make and events/conferences that I want to attend. POLAR2E will certainly be a helpful platform to engage with other researchers and discuss my ideas. Hopefully, this year we will get more social sciences researchers.
What steps did you take to adapt your PhD research amidst the COVID-19 pandemic? 🦠
Fortunately, I got lucky. Since my PhD research does not involve research in the field, I did not have to adapt. Sometimes I need to go to the university’s library, but, practically, all my research is done at home. Although I was really sad to have to attend the Arctic Science Summit Week in 2021 from home, I hope that more opportunities will come to visit different Arctic places as the restrictions are down.
Can you describe the importance of your study to the Arctic Geopolitics Knowledge? 🌐
Roughly said, geopolitics is the model of power based on geography. Due to global warming, the Arctic is becoming gradually more open and accessible. The geographic changes caused by climate change are awakening geopolitical and strategic interests in the region. Navigation routes, along the Russian coast and Canadian archipelago, enable to cut distances and save fuel expenses. High amounts of oil and gas are becoming more accessible.
My research will contribute to Arctic geopolitics by understanding better what Russia perceives about its geography in the Arctic and its position in the international system, and what it tries to achieve in the Arctic now that the Ukrainian conflict has escalated to war between Russia.
Did your dissertation change results/approaches due to the ongoing war? ⚔️
The Russian invasion of Ukraine was a critical moment for those that study International Relations. It has changed everything. My research topic is Russian Foreign Policy in the Arctic. Now I had to look at the Russian policy with other eyes. I’ve changed the lens of analysis of the Russian goals in the Arctic from a cooperative approach to a more realistic one.
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OTHER NEWS FROM POLAR2E ECRs
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Lígia F. Coelho was awarded a Fulbright Schuman
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Lígia F. Coelho, a PhD student at CQE and Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences (iBB), IST, soon to defend her thesis, was recently awarded a Fulbright Schuman award to pursue a postdoc at Cornell University, USA. Her work will focus on the study and creation of databases of biosignatures that serve as a tool for space missions searching for extraterrestrial life.
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Afonso Ferreira received a Fulbright Grant for Research with the support of the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
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Afonso Ferreira, a PhD student in Marine Sciences at the Faculdade de Ciências of the University of Lisbon, has been awarded a Fulbright Grant for Research with the support of the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT).
The Fulbright grant will allow Afonso to stay 5 months (April-August 2023) at the University of Rutgers, in New Jersey, under the supervision of Prof. Oscar Schofield, chief scientist of the National Science Foundation‘s funded Palmer Long Term Ecological Research program. During this time, Afonso will study the link between the dynamics of phytoplankton communities and CO2 fluxes in the Southern Ocean using both field and satellite data. See the link for more information.
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Viktoriya Nikitina is now a master in Strategy
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POLAR2E ECR Viktoriya Nikitina (ISCSP) has successfully defended her master’s thesis entitled “The Arctic, Russia and Coercion of Navigation in the 21st Century”. Her study concluded that Russia benefits from limitations in the Law of the Sea to create a different legal regime in the Northern Sea Route (NSR) that restricts freedom of navigation to protect and control this route in light of global warming. Also, coercion of navigation in the NSR is complemented by the power of dissuasion created by Russian naval power (composed of the Northern Fleet and the Russian Coast Guard). |
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POLAR2E ECR participated in the EGU General Assembly
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Several POLAR2E Early Career Researchers attended the EGU General Assembly held in Vienna from 23 to 27 of May 2022. This congress is one of the most prestigious European events within the geosciences community.
The PhD candidate Marcelo Fernandes (CEG/IGOT - University of Lisbon) presented part of the PhD thesis entitled "Maximum glacier extent of the Penultimate Glacial Cycle in the Upper Garonne Basin (Pyrenees): new chronological evidence" in the oral session of "Mountain glaciations: Developments in geomorphology, geochronology, glaciology and climate change".
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Entrance of the EGU General Assembly-Vienna
(credits: Marcelo Fernandes)
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The ECR Ricardo N. Santos (FCUL) was present at EGU General Assembly where he presented the communication "Climate and environmental changes over the last 2000 years in the Serra da Estrela, Portugal".
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(credits: Ricardo N. Santos)
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The ECR Bernardo Costa (IGOT-UL) attended (virtually) the EGU General Assembly where he presented the work developed during his master's dissertation “The fast-changing coast of Tuktoyaktuk Peninsula: analysis of changes between 1985 and 2020”.
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(credits: Bernardo Costa)
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RECENT PUBLICATIONS FROM MEMBERS
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Clark, A.., Moorman, B., Whalen, D., Vieira, G. (2022). Multiscale Object-Based Classification and Feature Extraction along Arctic Coasts. Remote Sensing, 14, 2982. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14132982
Coelho, L. F., Couceiro, J. F., Keller-Costa, T., Valente, S. M., Ramalho, T. P., Carneiro, J., Comte, J., Blais, M. A., Vincent, W. F., Martins, Z., Canário, J., & Costa, R. (2022). Structural shifts in sea ice prokaryotic communities across a salinity gradient in the subarctic. Sci. Total Environ., 827(154286), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154286
Coelho, L. F., Madden, J., Kaltenegger, L., Zinder, S., Philpot, W., Esquível, M. G., Canário, J., Costa, R., Vincent, W. F., & Martins, Z. (2022). Color Catalogue of Life in Ice: Surface Biosignatures on Icy Worlds. Astrobiology, 22(3), 313–321. https://doi.org/10.1089/ast.2021.0008
González-Herrero, S., Barriopedro, D., Trigo, R. M., López-Bustins, J. A., & Oliva, M. (2022). Climate warming amplified the 2020 record-breaking heatwave in the Antarctic Peninsula. Communications Earth & Environment, 3(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-022-00450-5
Pina, P., Vieira, G. (2022). UAVs for Science in Antarctica. Remote Sensing, 14(7), 1610, http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rs14071610.
Raab G., Dollenmeier W., Tikhomirov D., Vieira G., Migoń P., Ketterer M.E., Christl M., Stutz J., Egli M. (2022). Contrasting soil dynamics in a formerly glaciated and non-glaciated Mediterranean mountain plateau (Serra da Estrela, Portugal). Catena. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2022.106314
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