PhD student Joana Baptista (CEG/IGOT-ULisboa) participated in the EGU General Assembly held in Vienna from April 14th to 19th. Thanks to funding support from the POLAR2E grant for young researchers to attend international conferences, she was able to engage in Cryosphere sessions and other initiatives organized by the Union throughout the week. During the session CR4.2 on Permafrost dynamics, interactions, feedbacks, disturbances, and GHGs across scales: perspectives from observation to modelling, she delivered an oral presentation titled “Cryogrid potential for modeling permafrost temperature in Maritime Antarctica (Barton Peninsula, King George Island)“.

The Fall/Winter POLAR2E Newsletter is now available. Along with news about POLAR2E researchers’ activities and events, we continue to support the participation in international conferences for masters and doctoral students, as well as for Early Career Researchers.

The Newsletter is available here: https://shorturl.at/ekPY8

From the funded Exploratory Projects of POLAR2E: “Mercury Dynamics in Permafrost Thaw Systems:
“After my students were here on fieldwork last year, we returned to Fairbanks, Alaska, for another sampling campaign. Sampling permafrost and ice tens of thousands years old in the Vault Permafrost Tunnel and getting samples from permafrost thaw lakes with the aim of understanding the dynamics of organic matter and mercury in this systems, were our goals. This project is coordinated by João Canário from Instituto Superior Técnico e Carla Mora from Instituto de Geografia e Ordenamento do Território. In the field, besides João Canário, Henrique Zilhão and Diogo Gonçalves PhD students from IST are part of the team. Nothing would have been possible without funding from POLAR2E and the scientific support of Dr. Katey Anthony and Dr. Sarah Ellen from the University of Alaska in Fairbanks.”
(PI: João Canário)

On January 11th, the #THAWIMPACT team departed for King George Island, boarded the Bulgarian Ship St. St. Cyril and Methodius, and sailed to Livingston and Deception Islands. Henrique Zilhão and Rodrigo Dias arrived at Hurd Peninsula (Livingston Island) and will collect soil samples to study contaminants and microorganisms at the St. Kliment Ohridski Station.

Bernardo Costa’s concise presentation on December 12 highlighted the Arctic’s accelerated warming trend since 1979. Focused on Tuktoyaktuk Peninsula, Canada, his emphasis on practical solutions involves local collaboration. The 2023 Expedition, a crucial part of his PhD, established a database for shoreline evolution. Using UAV and DGPS RTK surveys, the team gathered temperature data, installed cameras, and collaborated with local stakeholders for field surveys. Bernardo emphasized the urgency of addressing Arctic climate change, stressing community engagement for practical solutions. The Tuktoyaktuk Peninsula work serves as a significant example of addressing environmental challenges for indigenous well-being.