POLAR2E Newsletter 5 | Spring 2022
Spring is arriving and the Newsletter number 5 of POLAR2E reports on the highlights of the last few months within POLAR2E. Although still affected by the pandemics, this period has seen the research activities returning to the field after two years at home. Despite the strong COVID-19 restrictions in place, it was finally possible for four POLAR2E teams to conduct field work in Antarctica with more research ongoing and planned for the Arctic in 2022. This allowed to conduct new research, for maintaining the network of permafrost observatories and for PhD students to collect much needed data for their dissertations. These are excellent news and come in a transition moment, when POLAR2E starts to move into cruise speed. With the implementation of the new internal regulations in 2021, elections for the Coordination Committee took place in December with the new board starting activities in January. Changes also took place in the Editorial Team of the Newsletter, fully composed of POLAR2E students and early career researchers, which has been renewed now with Diogo Ferreira, Joana Baptista, Pedro Freitas, Vasco Miranda and Viktoriya Nikitina. We take this opportunity to thank them for their dedication to POLAR2E and especially to warmly thank to Afonso Ferreira, Bernardo Rocha, Lígia F. Coelho, Marcelo Fernandes, Marta M. Almeida and Ricardo N. Santos, whom enthusiastically have made the excellent previous four newsletters.
Gonçalo Vieira, Ricardo Trigo, Sandra Balão and Zita Martins
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New Coordination Committee of POLAR2E started activities in January
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Following the approval of the regulations of POLAR2E by the Rector of the University of Lisbon, its implementation led to some modifications in internal organization of the college, including the election of the Coordination Committee of POLAR2E for the period 2022-2024. Gonçalo Vieira (Director), Ricardo Trigo (Vice-Director), Zita Martins (Vice-Director) and Sandra Balão (Board member) have been elected by the Scientific Committee which includes all the members of POLAR2E holding a PhD. Key activities to be developed will be the implementation of a masters degree on Polar and extreme environments, the POLAR2E/PROPOLAR expedition to the Antarctic Peninsula, the POLAR2E Annual Conference and fostering the support to students focusing on internationalization.
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For the 10th time, Portugal, through the Portuguese Polar Program (PROPOLAR), contributed to the international Antarctic logistics by chartering an airplane carrying scientists and technicians between Punta Arenas in Chile and the aerodrome Teniente Rodolfo Marsh Martin located on King George Island (Antarctica). The flight took place on January 22, 2022 and was the anchor of the Portuguese Antarctic Campaign 2021-22 which lasted until the beginning of March, with the support of several partner Antarctic programs.
The inbound and outbound flight took place on the same day and transported 5 researchers integrated in scientific projects supported by the PROPOLAR, and 81 researchers from the Bulgarian, Chilean, Korean and Spanish programs. This is the Portuguese contribution to the international logistics that support scientific activities in Antarctica during the austral summer, the most active time of year on the so-called white continent. PROPOLAR is coordinated by CEG/IGOT, one of the institutions that integrate the College POLAR2E.
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POLAR2E researchers after landing in Antarctica on the 22nd January
(credits: Gonçalo Vieira)
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Zita Martins, Portuguese Astrobiologist and Sub-Director of POLAR2E, was selected to represent the scientific community in the Ariel Space Mission promoted by the European Space Agency (ESA). To be launched in 2029, the goal of this mission will be to research the chemical composition and thermal properties of exoplanets and to better understand their nature. The selection of Zita Martins as a “Community Scientist of the Ariel Science Team” represents a huge step in projecting forward the role of Portuguese scholars in this European mission.
The Portuguese participation in the Ariel mission does not stop here. Active Space Technologies, a Portuguese company, will be present through the manufacturing of a space telescope. Also, ML Analytics will be part of this project since the company won the Machine Learning Data Challenge promoted by ESA.
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The MIT Portugal Program highlighted the important role of women in Science. More specifically, focusing on POLAR2E College members, the role of the Sub-Director Zita Martins and the role of Lígia Coelho, PhD candidate in Bioengineering.
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In the December 2021 edition, the University of Lisbon’s magazine highlighted the POLAR2E’s history and activities.
The interviewees, Gonçalo Vieira, Zita Martins and Ricardo Trigo, talked about past, present and future projects of the POLAR2E. They also emphasized that ULISBOA is the leading Portuguese university in research in polar environments.
POLAR2E has been developing its research in Polar social science topics, with ISCSP being especially active on strategic and geopolitical issues.
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Excerpt from the ULISBOA Magazine
(credits: ULISBOA Magazine)
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NUNATARYUK - Permafrost thaw and the changing Arctic coast: science for socio-economic adaptation
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NUNATARYUK is an international permafrost research project funded by the European Union Horizon 2020 framework programme. 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. POLAR2E is involved in NUNATARYUK through CEG/IGOT (Portuguese partner), with the collaboration of researchers from CQE/IST.
NUNATARYUK means “land-to-sea” in Inuvialuktun, one of the Inuit languages spoken in Northwest Territories and Nunavut in Canada, where land meets the Arctic Ocean. The project combines permafrost research with modelling and socio-economic analysis and includes stakeholders from all over the Arctic. New research is underway, in cooperation with local partners, in Beaufort Sea, Greenland, Svalbard and the north-eastern Siberia in Russia. The findings will be used to develop targeted adaptation and mitigation strategies both for the local communities and for our global society.
The main questions being addressed by the Nuntaryuk team are:
- What happens to the fluxes and organic matter released from thawing coastal and subsea permafrost?
- What risks are posed by thawing coastal permafrost to infrastructure, indigenous and local communities and people’s health?
- What are the long-term impacts of permafrost thaw on global climate and the economy?
The team by CEG/IGOT is leading the task 2.1 on coastal erosion jointly with the Alfred Wegener Institute and with a strong collaboration with the Geological Survey of Canada. Most of the research By CEG/IGOT takes place in the Beaufort Sea coast in the western Canadian Arctic, where satellite remote sensing together with historical aerial imagery and field surveys using drones are being used to calculate coastal change rates and to assess exposure of local communities to coastal hazards, such as flooding and erosion. The CQE/IST is collaborating on the assessment of contaminants in permafrost and their fate. For the summer of 2022 field work is be conducted along the Yukon coast, repeating the coastal surveys done in 2018, as well as in the Northwest Territories, in Tuktoyaktuk and Paulatuk and, potentially, extending research to Ulukhaktok in Banks Island.
Since 2021, NUNATARYUK’s CEG/IGOT activities were extended to the project EO4PAC – Earth Observation for Permafrost dominated Arctic Coasts funded by the European Space Agency. EO4PAC aims at the development of a roadmap for the next generation of the Arctic Coastal Dynamics database. The focus is on complementing in situ records with satellite data across the entire Arctic.
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Thaw slump headwall with exposed ice and carbon-rich permafrost in Qikqtaryuk/Herschel Island
(credits: Gonçalo Vieira)
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In a recent article at the Portugal Space Newsletter, Prof. Gonçalo Vieira highlights the importance of monitoring cryospheric variables (the part of the planet that is frozen) through Earth Observation technologies, especially those provided by the Copernicus program (Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2) from the European Space Agency (ESA). The article emphasizes the role of Portuguese scientists in cryosphere studies, the main Portuguese projects carried out in the Antarctic and the Arctic and the important role of the Portuguese Polar Program (PROPOLAR) on coordinating and supporting polar logistics. Professor Vieira acknowledges the fact that Portugal needs to take full advantage of Earth Observation technologies by keeping an eye on opportunities coming from the European funding arena, such as the European Commission or ESA.
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Several members of the POLAR2ECollege have participated in the 6th episode of the “Biosfera” Program providing an overview on the impacts of global warming on Earth’s cryosphere. The episode was launched on 12 February 2022 by the Portuguese TV station RTP2.
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The cryosphere in the 6th episode of the “Biosfera” Program
(credits: RTP2)
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Four projects of the University of Lisbon in Antarctica in early 2022
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The Antarctic campaign 2021-2022 funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) through the PROPOLAR was an opportunity for field research framed in the four projects of the University of Lisbon, after the cancelation of the last campaign due to the COVID-19 pandemics. These four projects address different themes and had their activities throughout the South Shetlands archipelago.
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ANTERMON – ANTarctic Electrical Resistivity Monitoring Network
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The Project ANTERMON is coordinated by Mohammad Farzamian (IDL/FCUL) and its main objective is the implementation of an active layer and permafrost observation network based on soil electric resistivity monitorization. In the Antarctic campaign 2021-2022 the activities were developed in Hurd Peninsula (Livingston Island) and Barton Peninsula (King George Island).
In Hurd Peninsula, master student Patrícia Valadares (CEG/IGOT) with the support of PERMANTAR (Gonçalo Vieira and Joana Baptista) and NUNANTAR (Paula Matos) teams, conducted resistivity surveys in different geomorphological settings in order to better understand permafrost distribution and to evaluate resistivity changes compared to previous seasons. The Automatic Electrical Resistivity Tomography (A-ERT) installed at the Reina Sofia Peak since 2020 was maintained, with the installation of a new solar panel and replacement of electrical parts.
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ERT profile in the Catedral moraine, Hurd Peninsula
(credits: Joana Baptista)
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Project ANTERMON is coordinated by Mohammad Farzamian (IDL/FCUL) and its main objective is the implementation of an active layer and permafrost observation network based on soil electric resistivity monitorization.
In the Antarctic campaign 2021-2022 the activities were developed in Hurd Peninsula (Livingston Island) and Barton Peninsula (King George Island).
In Hurd Peninsula, master student Patrícia Valadares (CEG/IGOT) with the support of PERMANTAR (Gonçalo Vieira and Joana Baptista) and NUNANTAR (Paula Matos) teams, conducted resistivity surveys in different geomorphological settings in order to better understand permafrost distribution and to evaluate resistivity changes compared to previous seasons. The Automatic Electrical Resistivity Tomography (A-ERT) installed at the Reina Sofia Peak since 2020 was maintained, with the installation of a new solar panel and replacement of electrical parts.
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Installation of the ERT electrodes in Barton Peninsula
(credits: Henrique Zilhão)
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PERMANTAR – Permafrost and Climate Change in Western Antarctic Peninsula
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The PERMANTAR project is coordinated by Gonçalo Vieira (CEG/IGOT) and aims at monitoring and modelling permafrost temperatures and distribution in the Antarctic Peninsula, one of the regions in Antarctica where the response to climate change is more complex. The monitoring of permafrost temperature is conducted through a network of boreholes framed in the Global Terrestrial Network for Permafrost (GTN-P). In the Antarctic campaign 2021-2022 the activities were developed in Hurd Peninsula (Livingston Island), Barton Peninsula (King George Island) and Deception Island. The team field included Joana Baptista and counted with the collaboration of Paula Matos and Patrícia Valadares in Hurd Peninsula, Mohammad Farzamian and Henrique ZIlhão in Barton Peninsula and Miguel Angel de Pablo in Deception Island.
Activities in Hurd Peninsula included the maintenance of four observatories of the network. Near the St. Kliment Ohridski station (Bulgaria) the GTN-P observatories Bulgarian Base, CALM-SKO and Papagal were visited and the meteorological monitoring and permafrost boreholes were maintained. At Reina Sofia Peak, support was given on the maintenance of the Permamodel-Gulbenkian 1 borehole.
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Meteorological station close to the St. Kliment Ohridski station, Hurd Peninsula
(credits: Joana Baptista)
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In False Bay (Hurd Peninsula) the team conducted the measurements of the deformation of Hurd rockglacier using a DGPS. These measurements are conducted every year and allow an estimation of the velocity and direction of the movement of the frozen debris mass.
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Installation of DGPS near Hurd rock glacier, which is visible in the valley floor
(credits: Joana Baptista)
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In Barton Peninsula, PhD student Henrique Zilhão (CQE/IST) collected samples of soil, water and snow for evaluating the presence and distribution of contaminants. He also collected a set of ground surface temperature sensors installed in 2020.
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NUNANTAR – Analysis of nunataks of the Antarctic Peninsula as multiproxy data sources on environmental change and climate dynamics
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The NUNANTAR project is coordinated by Marc Oliva (CEG/IGOT) and aims to reconstruct the deglaciation in the Antarctic Peninsula since the Last Glacial Maximum. To do so, rock samples are collected from exposed surfaces along altitudinal gradients in nunataks to identify spatial and temporal patterns of the deglaciation. In the Antarctic campaign 2021-2022, the sampling activities were conducted in Hurd Peninsula (Livingston Island). Paula Matos (CEG/IGOT), with the support of PERMANTAR and ANTERMON teams, visited the McGregor and Castillo nunataks and the moraines in False Bay and Hannah Point. From each site, three to five rock samples of 1 kg were collected using a grinder and chisel. The samples will be used for dating using cosmogenic isotopes and will allow identifying the moment in which the rock surfaces or moraine boulders became exposed following glacier retreat.
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Sampling of rocks in False Bay
(credits: Joana Baptista)
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VEGETANTAR - Multitemporal vegetation mapping in the AntarcticPeninsula through multiscale remote sensing
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The VEGETANTAR project is coordinated by Pedro Pina (IA/DCT) and its main objective is to capture vegetation and its diversity using ultra-high resolution images for later mapping vegetation in the Antarctic Peninsula and perform multitemporal analysis.
In this year’s campaign, VEGETANTAR field work focused on Livingston Island. Gabriel Goyanes and Vasco Miranda (CERENA/IST) returned to Byers Peninsula but with a new multispectral camera. The new spectral data will be valuable in the goal of mapping Antarctica’s vegetation. The field work was divided between flying the drone and taking DGPS control points to be used in image processing. In the following months, the data will be used jointly with satellite imagery for the creation of vegetation thematic maps for the Antarctic Peninsula.
After a year without field work, due to the pandemic situation, the campaign represents a pivotal endeavor in the PhD thesis of the young researcher Vasco Miranda. This campaign wasn’t, however, without its problems and constraints, most still a result of the COVID-19. For that reason, field work in Deception Island was canceled, halving the sites mapped.
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Collecting DGPS ground control points
(credits: Vasco Miranda)
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DJI Phantom 4 Pro drone with a Micasense Multispetral RedEdge-MX multispectral camera
(credits: Vasco Miranda)
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Bernardo Rocha
Bernardo Rocha has a degree in Biology from the Faculty of Sciences and Technology of the University of Coimbra, followed by a Master’s degree in Ecology and Environmental Management at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon. He has conducted fieldwork in the Maritime Antarctic while studying lichen communities and was involved in the early stage of the POLAR2E College as a member of the Early Career Researchers Newsletter Editorial team.
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(Interview by Diogo Folhas Ferreira)
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How did you end up working in polar science? ☃️
Since I am studying lichens in a wide range of environments, namely in urban settings and dry regions, the possibility of gathering information from lichen communities in polar regions can provide a broader view and assess how changes in these communities can be used as an indicator for climate change impact on different environments.
What does a typical day look like in your PhD student life? 👨🎓
Honestly, I feel I have been able to find a healthy balance between my PhD work and my personal time. Although we all have those intense PhD moments where we need to get work done as soon as possible, since I returned to Lisbon, I have been able to progress my work and learn how to deal with the “highs and lows” of a PhD project, and maintain time for leisure activities when I get home.
Can you give examples of projects you have been working on?🕵️♀️
I have been a part of project LichenEarlyMeter2, aiming at developing ecological indicators using Maritime Antarctic terrestrial vegetation to evaluate the effects of climate change in polar regions. Furthermore, I have also been a part of project BioVeins, mainly focusing on utilizing lichens in urban environments given their sensitivity to pollution.
In what way do you believe POLAR2E will help you to reach your research goal? ✔
I think POLAR2E provides a valuable platform to cooperate with a wide range of researchers in different fields, allowing interactions and establishing possible collaborations for future work. It also allows you to get different perspectives from other researchers, particularly from other areas of expertise, that can prove to be very beneficial for research purposes. This multidisciplinary approach ultimately improves the work of every member of the POLAR2E College.
What steps have you taken to adapt your PhD research amidst the COVID-19 pandemic? 🦠
Since the University was closed for a while, and we were unable to conduct research on the samples we obtained from the fieldwork, some adaptations were made. Given the limitations, we tried to focus on specific characteristics of Lichens, bryophytes and vascular plants, namely their color and shape, and measure their abundance through imagery analysis of obtained images from our sampling sites.
How is lichen diversity connected to climate change on a global scale? 💡
Since lichens are unable to regulate their temperature and water content, they have a higher sensitivity to climate changes in their environment. Given their simplicity as organisms, they also have a widespread presence in ecosystems around the world. Therefore, there is great potential in utilizing lichens and their response to climate change to understand future impacts in various regions of the globe. Lichens can act as early warners and indicators for global change.
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Other news from POLAR2E ECR
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POLAR2E ECR Ricardo N. Santos is now a master's in Geology! The thesis entitled: “ Hydroclimate of Western Iberia over the last 2000 years: Insights from leaf wax n-alkanes of Lake Peixão sediments (Serra da Estrela, Portugal)” was successfully approved in November 2021. His study focused on the lipid biomarkers of Lake Peixão (Serra da Estrela) sediments, which he used to reconstruct the last 2000 years' regional climate. Data shows periods such as the Roman Period and the Little Ice Age and allowed us to infer how the past climatic changes impacted the vegetation cover on the Serra da Estrela highlands. The work also reinforced the sensitive nature of the alpine ecosystems and contributed to improving the spatial coverage of the Iberian paleoclimate studies. |
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ECR Pedro Freitas won the best poster competition at the XIII Portuguese Conference on Polar Sciences
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Pedro Freitas, PhD student in Physical Geography from CEG/IGOT - ULisboa and ECR from Polar2E, won the poster competition at the Portuguese Polar Conference of 2021, held both personally and virtually and hosted by the Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental (CIIMAR), Universidade do Porto.
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Oral presentation by ECR Joana Batista at XIII Portuguese Conference on Polar Sciences
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Oral presentation by ECR Joana Batista at XIII Portuguese Conference on Polar Sciences Bernardo Costa, ECR at POLAR2E has successfully presented his master's thesis in Physical geography and spatial planning on the 3rd March 2022. I study focussed on the “Remote sensing analysis of recent coastal change and its controlling factors in Tuktoyaktuk Peninsula (Beaufort Sea Coast, Canada)”. He analyzed shoreline retreat rates from 1985 to 2020, identifying the main shoreline change types and controlling factors and providing new data for the study of this sensitive area of the Beaufort Sea. His research is part of the project NUNATARYUK and is a collaboration between CEG/IGOT and Natural Resources Canada.
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Poster presentation by ECR Vasco Miranda at XIII Portuguese Conference on Polar Sciences
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The ECR Vasco Miranda presented a poster at the XII Portuguese Conference on Polar Sciences entitled: “Upscale classification of Antarctic vegetation: from drone ground truth to very high resolution and high-resolution satellite images” with the co-authors Pina, P., Heleno, S., Vieira, G., and Hong, S.
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Oral presentation by ECR Daniel Pinheiro at the ArcticNet Annual Scientific Meeting 2021
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The ECR Daniel Pinheiro performed an oral presentation as first author at the ArcticNet Annual Scientific Meeting 2021, along with the co-authors Vieira, G., Whalen, D., Pina, P., Canário, J., Freitas. P and Stuckey, S, entitled: “Evaluating Hydrodynamic and Bathtub Water-Level Models to Assess Storm Surge Flooding in Tuktoyaktuk”.
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Pedro Freitas presented a poster in the ArcticNet Annual Scientific Meeting 2021 entitled: “Evaluation of the impacts of vegetation shadows and scattering on remotely sensed detected optical properties of small thermokarst lakes” along with the co-authors Vieira, G., Mora, C., Canário, J., Folhas, D. and Vincent F. W.
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RECENT PUBLICATIONS FROM MEMBERS
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Fernandes, M., Oliva, M., Vieira, G., Palacios, D., Fernández-Fernández, J. M., Garcia-oteyza, J., Schimmelpfennig, I., Team, A., & Antoniades, D. (2021). Glacial oscillations during the Bølling–Allerød Interstadial–Younger Dryas transition in the Ruda Valley, Central Pyrenees. Journal of Quaternary Science, 37(1), 42–58. https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.3379
Fernandes, Marcelo, Oliva, M., Vieira, G., Palacios, D., Fernández-Fernández, J. M., Delmas, M., García-Oteyza, J., Schimmelpfennig, I., Ventura, J., Aumaître, G., & Keddadouche, K. (2021). Maximum glacier extent of the Penultimate Glacial Cycle in the Upper Garonne Basin (Pyrenees): new chronological evidence. Environmental Earth Sciences, 80(24), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-021-10022-z
Ferreira, A., Brito, A. C., Mendes, C. R. B., Brotas, V., Costa, R. R., Guerreiro, C. V, Carolina, S., & Jackson, T. (2022). OC4-SO : A New Chlorophyll- a Algorithm for the Western Antarctic Peninsula Using Multi-Sensor Satellite Data. Remote Sensing, 14(5), 1–24. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14051052
Garcia-Oteyza, J., Oliva, M., Palacios, D., Fernández-Fernández, J. M., Schimmelpfennig, I., Andrés, N., Antoniades, D., Christiansen, H. H., Humlum, O., Léanni, L., Jomelli, V., Ruiz-Fernández, J., Rinterknecht, V., Lane, T. P., Adamson, K., Aumaître, G., Bourlès, D., & Keddadouche, K. (2022). Late Glacial deglaciation of the Zackenberg area, NE Greenland. Geomorphology, 401, 108125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2022.108125
Malcata Martins, B., O’Driscoll, N. J., Mallory, M. L., & Canário, J. (2021). A Review of Freshwater Invertebrates as Biomonitors of Methylmercury: the Importance of More Complete Physical and Chemical Reporting. Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 107(5), 801–808. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-021-03274-9
Nikitina, V. (2021). The Arctic, Russia and Coercion of Navigation. Em L. Heininen, H. Exner-Pirot, & J. Barnes (Eds.), Arctic Yearbook 2021: Defining and Mapping the Arctic Sovereignties, Policies and Perceptions. Arctic Portal. https://arcticyearbook.com/arctic-yearbook/2021/2021-full-version
Nozais, C., Vincent, W. F., Belzile, C., Gosselin, M., Blais, M. A., Canário, J., & Archambault, P. (2021). The Great Whale River Ecosystem: Ecology of a Subarctic River and its Receiving Waters in Coastal Hudson Bay, Canada. Ecoscience, 28(3–4), 327–346. https://doi.org/10.1080/11956860.2021.1926137
Santos, J. B., Vieira, G., Santos-González, J., Woronko, B., & Redondo-Vega, J. M. (2020). Macrofabric and grain size analysis of moraines and other till deposits in the Serra da Estrela Mountains, central Portugal. Physical Geography, 43(2), 238–264. https://doi.org/10.1080/02723646.2020.1838136
Vieira, G., Palacios, D., Andrés, N., Mora, C., Vázquez Selem, L., Woronko, B., Soncco, C., Úbeda, J., & Goyanes, G. (2021). Penultimate Glacial Cycle glacier extent in the Iberian Peninsula: New evidence from the Serra da Estrela (Central System, Portugal). Geomorphology, 388(107781), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2021.107781
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EGU 2022
Vienna, Austria
23-27 May 2022
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Support from Polar2E for young researchers to attend international conferences
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POLAR2E is opening a continuous call for applications for financial support for young researchers to attend international conferences. Applications are evaluated in March, June, September, and December each year. Applications to request financial support must be submitted at least 90 days before the international conference. The subject of the conference abstract must be associated with the research performed by Polar2E. Preference is given to participation in key international conferences in the strategic research areas covered by Polar2E.
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