10:45am - 11:00amFR1-5: 1
Contribution of free and combined amino acids and nucleobases to the organic matter on Antarctic peninsula aerosol particles and their influencing factors
Christina Breitenstein, Manuela Van Pinxteren, Sebastian Zeppenfeld, Hartmut Herrmann
Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS), Germany
Free and combined amino acids and nucleobases were measured in extracts from Antarctic marine aerosol and water samples. Transfer processes were studied, revealing a gap for atmospheric biotic and abiotic processing of the analytes. Samples were also investigated for mass, back trajectories, Ion concentrations and OC/EC or WSOC.
11:00am - 11:15amFR1-5: 2
Study of the mineral dust in the Antarctic plateau: the SIDDARTA project
Silvia Nava1, Giulia Calzolai1, Fabio Giardi1, Franco Lucarelli1, Stefano Bertinetti2, Mery Malandrino2, Francisco Ardini3, Marco Grotti3, David Cappelletti4, Chiara Petroselli4, Federica Bruschi4, Marco Massetti4, Rita Traversi5, Silvia Becagli5
1Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence and INFN; 2Department of Chemistry, University of Turin; 3Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, University of Genoa; 4Department of Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnology, University of Perugia; 5Department of Chemistry, University of Florence
The SIDDARTA project aims to investigate present-day sources and transport processes supplying mineral dust to the Antarctic plateau. The project includes the study of the composition of mineral dust at Dome C (Concordia Station), both in the form of atmospheric particulate matter (PM10), surface snow and snow-pit samples (to achieve a multi-annual record of dust deposition), as well as the resuspension and analysis of soil samples previously collected in Potential Source Areas (PSA) in Australia and Southern South America. The analysis included measurements of elemental composition, major and trace metals, and isotopic composition of Pb and Sr.
11:15am - 11:30amFR1-5: 3
Preliminary Findings on Microbial Life in Antarctic Precipitation: Insights into Atmospheric River-Associated Microbes
Sharath Chandra Thota1,2, Ksenija Vučković1, Catarina Magalhães1,2, Irina Gorodetskaya1
1CIIMAR- Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, Porto, 4450-208, Portugal; 2Department of science, University of Porto, Porto, 4169-007, Portugal
Antarctica, the coldest and driest continent, is crucial for global climate regulation. Recent warming trends, especially in West Antarctica and the Antarctic Peninsula, have increased surface melting and altered precipitation patterns. Atmospheric Rivers (ARs), though infrequent, contribute significantly to precipitation, ice shelf destabilization, and microbial transport. To study microbial communities in precipitation over the northern Antarctic Peninsula, we conducted a culture-dependent analysis on samples from expeditons during 2022 and 2024. Using DNA sequencing and back-trajectory analysis, we identified viable microbial taxa and their sources. These findings provide insights into the role of ARs in microbial dispersal and ecosystem impacts.
11:30am - 11:45amFR1-5: 4
Summertime particle concentrations in coastal Antarctica from aircraft and tethered balloon in situ observations
Michael Lonardi1, Yolanda Temel1, Zsofia Juranyi2, René Forsberg3, Andreas Rønne Stokholm3, Julia Schmale1
1Extreme Environments Research Laboratory, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Sion, Switzerland; 2Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany; 3Department of Space Research and Technology, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
Clouds enhance Antarctic Ice Sheet melting through thermal-infrared emissions but remain poorly understood and misrepresented in models. Inaccurate treatment of ice-nucleating particles and cloud condensation nuclei impacts cloud persistence and radiative effects. Surface aerosol observations represent local features, while satellite sensing struggles with low concentrations. To address this, two campaigns in 2024-2025 deployed a tethered balloon for vertical profiles at Neumayer III Station and a Twin Otter aircraft for a 15000 km transect. These platforms measured aerosols concentrations, providing insights into regional variability, with the aim of improving the representation of aerosol-cloud interactions in the Antarctic lower troposphere.
11:45am - 12:00pmFR1-5: 5
From phytoplankton to clouds – understanding the complex atmospheric processes in the pristine region of the Southern Ocean and Antarctica.
Ruhi Humphries1,2, Melita Keywood1,2, Gerald Mace3, Roger Marchand4, Marc Mallet2, Sonya Fiddes2, Alain Protat5, Erin Dunne1, Emily Franklin1, Caleb Mynard1,6, Salvatore Sodano2,1, Sarah Prior5, Branka Miljevic7, Jennifer Powell1
1CSIRO Environment, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; 2Australian Antarctic Program Partnership, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia; 3Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America; 4College of the Environment, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America; 5Bureau of Meteorology, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; 6Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; 7Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
The Southern Ocean and Antarctica are remote from anthropogenic influence, making the region one of the most pristine in the world and a unique testbed for probing natural atmospheric processes. Understanding these “baseline” conditions is critical for reducing the uncertainty in our climate models. A recent effort, PICCAASO, was initiated to coordinate the over 20 international projects funded since 2020 aimed at investigating the complex natural interactions between ocean biogeochemistry, trace gas emissions, aerosols and clouds. In this presentation, early results from several Australian-based PICCAASO-themed campaigns (MISO, CAPE-k, COAST-k and Denman Marine Voyage) in the region are presented.
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