Past and present effects of changing climate and human impact on land surface geochemistry in ice-free areas of Antarctica (GEOCHEM)

Abstract

The GEOCHEM project investigates how climate change and human activity influence land-surface geochemical processes in ice-free areas of the northern Antarctic Peninsula. The research examines both present-day environmental variability and the long-term legacy preserved in soils, waters, and sediments in one of the most sensitive regions on the planet.

Using a multidisciplinary approach, the project combines geomorphological, hydrological, sedimentological, geochemical, and remote sensing analyses in experimental watersheds located in the Byers and Fildes Peninsulas (South Shetland Islands, maritime Antarctica). By comparing nearly pristine environments with areas under stronger human pressure, GEOCHEM studies erosion processes, mineral weathering, nutrient and pollutant redistribution, and sediment dynamics in watershed–lake systems.

Through geochemical and isotopic analyses and palaeoenvironmental reconstructions from lake sediment archives, the project improves understanding of past and present environmental degradation and develops scientific tools to anticipate future impacts under rapid climate change in Antarctic ecosystems.

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