Description: Publication date: Available online 30 December 2015 Source: Polar Science Author(s): Anish Kumar Warrier, Hemant Pednekar, B.S. Mahesh, Rahul Mohan, Sahina Gazi In this study we report the sediment grain size parameters and surface textural observations (using scanning electron microscopy (SEM)) of quartz grains from sediments of Sandy Lake, Schirmacher Oasis, East Antarctica. The sediment core spans the last 43 cal ka B.P. The statistical parameters of grain size data (sorting, skewness, kurtosis, mean grain size, D 10 , D 50 , D 90 and SPAN index) indicate that the sediments are primarily transported by melt-water streams and glaciers. However, during the last glacial period, sediments seem to be transported due to wind activity as evident by the good correlation between rounded quartz data and dust flux data from EPICA ice-core data. The mean grain size values are low during the last glacial period indicating colder climatic conditions and the values increase after the last glacial maximum suggesting an increase in the energy of the transporting medium, i.e., melt-water streams. The sediments are poorly sorted and finely skewed and show different modes of grain size distribution throughout the last 43 cal ka B.P. SEM studies of selected quartz grains and analyses of various surface textures indicate that glacigenic conditions must have prevailed at the time of their transport. Semi-quantitative analyses of mineral (quartz, feldspar, mica, garnet and rock fragments & other minerals) counts suggest a mixed population of minerals with quartz being the dominant mineral. Higher concentration of quartz grains over other minerals indicates that the sediments are compositionally mature. The study reveals the different types of physical weathering, erosive signatures, and chemical precipitation most of them characteristic of glacial environment which affected these quartz grains before final deposition as lake sediments. The paleoclimatic signals obtained from this study show similarities with ice-core and lake sediment records from Schirmacher Oasis and other ice-free regions in East Antarctica.

Description: Publication date: Available online 21 December 2015 Source: Polar Science Author(s): Yu Hoshina, Koji Fujita, Yoshinori Iizuka, Hideaki Motoyama Major ions, stable oxygen isotopes (δ 18 O), and accumulation rates are analyzed using high temporal resolution data from shallow ice cores and snow pits from East and West Antarctica. Seasonal cycles of major ions and δ 18 O are well preserved at sites with an accumulation rate threshold of >100 kg m −2 a −1 and calm wind conditions. The seasonal cycle is unclear at sites with high wind speeds, even if the accumulation rate is greater than the threshold. To eliminate the influences of different source regions on major ion and δ 18 O signals in ice cores, we calculate correlation coefficients between annually averaged major ion concentrations and δ 18 O, and then compare these with accumulation rates and other geographical variables such as latitude, elevation, and distance from the coast. We find that accumulation rates are highly correlated with elevation and the 10-m snow temperature, and that major ions and δ 18 O are negatively correlated at low accumulation sites in inland Antarctica. Negative correlations could reflect inconsistent accumulation due to a large inter-annual variability in the accumulation rate. The results show that the relationships between major ions and δ 18 O may not reflect climatic signatures, and could be a result of the unique characteristics of this arid environment.

Description: Publication date: Available online 17 December 2015 Source: Polar Science Author(s): Fumihisa Kobayashi, Teruya Maki, Makiko Kakikawa, Takuji Noda, Hiromichi Mitamura, Akinori Takahashi, Satoshi Imura, Yasunobu Iwasaka The relationship between atmospheric bioaerosols and ecosystems is currently of global importance. Antarctica has an extreme climate, meaning that ecosystem behavior in this region is relatively simple. Direct sampling of atmospheric bioaerosols was performed at an Adélie penguin ( Pygoscelis adeliae ) colony at Hukuro Cove, Langhovde, Antarctica on 22 January 2013. The aim of the sampling was to reveal the effect of the penguins on the Antarctic ecosystem within the atmospheric bioaerosols. Samples were bio-analyzed using a next-generation sequencing method. Biomass concentrations of Bacilli-class bacteria were 19.4 times higher when sampled leeward of the penguin colony compared with windward sampling. The source of these bacteria was the feces of the penguins. Predicted atmospheric trajectories indicate that the bacteria disperse towards the Southern Ocean. The largest biomass concentration in the windward bacteria was of the Gammaproteobacteria class, which decreased markedly with distance through the penguin colony, being deposited on soil, surface water, and ocean. It is concluded that bioaerosols and ecosystems near the penguin colony strongly influence each other.

Description: Publication date: Available online 17 December 2015 Source: Polar Science Author(s): Yongwon Kim, Bang-Yong Lee, Rikie Suzuki, Keiji Kushida Ecosystem respiration (ER) is a significant source in estimating terrestrial carbon budget under climate change. Here, we report on the assessment of spatial characteristics of ER, using manual chamber over three tundra ecosystems of Alaska. Annual simulated ER was 254-307 g CO 2 m -2 based on in-situ air temperature and 212-305 g CO 2 m -2 based on soil temperature, at Council, North Slope, and Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) sites of Alaska. Growing-season ERs correspond to 79-92 % (air temperature) and 81-86 % (soil temperature) of simulated annual ER. Hence, soil temperature is a significant driver in modulating ER over tundra, suggesting soil temperature elucidates more than 80 % of air temperature. At Council, between 31 and 84 sampling points during the growing season were required to attain spatial representativeness for ER, falling within ±10 % of the full sample mean, with a 95 % confidence level. At North Slope and ANWR sites, the number of sampling points was chosen to yield results within at least ±20 %, with a 90 % confidence level. These findings suggest that larger-size chamber and its measurement frequency can overcome logistical constraints and determine mean ER at tundra sites for the quantitative assessment of the tundra carbon budget in response to drastically changing Arctic environment and climate.

Description: Publication date: Available online 2 December 2015 Source: Polar Science Author(s): Mukunda M. Gogoi, S. Suresh Babu, K. Krishna Moorthy, Roseline C. Thakur, Jai Prakash Chaubey, Vijayakumar S. Nair In view of the climate impact of aerosol Black Carbon (BC) over snow covered regions (through enhanced absorption of radiation as well as snow-albedo forcing), and in view of the increasing anthropogenic presence and influence in the northern polar regions, continuous long term measurements of airborne BC have been undertaken from the Svalbard region of Norwegian Arctic (Ny-Ålesund, 79°N, 12°E, 8 m a.s.l.). This study, employing data over a period of 4-years (2010–2013) have shown a consistent spring-time enhancement in BC concentrations, having a (climatological) seasonal mean value of ∼50.3 ± 19.5 ng m −3 , nearly 3-times higher than the lowest BC concentrations in summer (∼19.5 ± 6.5 ng m −3 ). Spectral variation of absorbance indicates that long-range transported biomass burning aerosols contribute as high as 25% to the high BC concentrations in the Arctic atmosphere in spring. Concurrent estimates of BC concentrations in the Arctic snow (for an ensemble of snow samples collected over a period of time during spring) showed values ranging from 0.6 ppb to 4.1 ppb. These values have been used to estimate the BC scavenging ratio (SR). Our studies revealed a mean value of SR ∼98 ± 46, which varied over wide range from 40 to 184 for individual samples. In a broader perspective, the seasonal variations of atmospheric BC concentrations at the Arctic are similar to those seen at the high altitude Himalayas; even though the concentrations are much lower at Arctic. It is found that synoptic conditions mainly influence the high altitude Himalayas, while the influences of local anthropogenic influences are not negligible at the Arctic in modulating the seasonal variations of absorbing aerosols.

Description: Publication date: Available online 30 November 2015 Source: Polar Science Author(s): Akihiko Ito, Kazuya Nishina, Hibiki M. Noda This paper assesses future changes in the carbon budgets of northern terrestrial ecosystems (above 60°N) using data from the Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project (ISI-MIP). By analyzing simulations from seven biome models driven by five climate scenarios under two representative concentration pathways (RCP2.6 and RCP8.5), the range of responses and their uncertainty in the 21st century was evaluated. The biome models consistently simulated a gradual increase in vegetation productivity driven by an elevated atmospheric CO 2 concentration and a longer growing period. By the 2090s, most simulations showed average net carbon uptake into the northern terrestrial ecosystems of +27 Pg C for RCP2.6 and +48 Pg C for RCP8.5. These estimates showed a wide range of variability among simulations, especially for soil carbon stocks. Even under low greenhouse gas concentrations (RCP2.6), most simulations indicated that vegetation productivity and biomass would change by more than 10%, implying that it will be difficult to completely prevent climatic impacts in northern regions. Simulated spatial patterns and seasonality in the carbon budget can be used to identify sensitive areas and seasons, allowing for improved monitoring. Further research combining observations and modeling will be required to reduce estimation uncertainty and devise ecosystem management options.

Description: Publication date: December 2015 Source: Polar Science, Volume 9, Issue 4 Author(s): Kentaro Watanabe, Koichiro Doi, Hong Tat Ewe, Kottekkatu Padinchati Krishnan, Jae Il Lee, Ruiyuan Liu The Asian Forum for Polar Sciences (AFoPS) was established in 2004 to encourage and facilitate cooperation for the advance of polar sciences among countries in the Asian region. It commemorated tenth anniversary organizing the AFoPS Symposium on 7 October, 2014 in Port Dickson, Malaysia, hosted by the National Antarctic Research Center (NARC), University of Malaya. This second volume of AFoPS Special Issue includes those presentations submitted to the Symposium and scientific papers from AFoPS countries on wide variety of polar research. This publication is one of the excellent achievements of AFoPS.

Description: Publication date: Available online 4 November 2015 Source: Polar Science Author(s): Fuko Sugimoto, Takeshi Tamura, Haruhito Shimoda, Shotaro Uto, Daisuke Simizu, Kazutaka Tateyama, Seita Hoshino, Toshihiro Ozeki, Yasushi Fukamachi, Shuki Ushio, Kay I. Ohshima Under the Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition (JARE) program, sea-ice thickness has been routinely monitored off Lützow–Holm Bay (East Antarctica) during the summer (mid-December to early January) since 2000/01, using an electromagnetic induction (EM) instrument onboard the icebreaker Shirase . Analysis of these data over a 10-year period, combined with visual observations using a simplified form of the ASPeCt (Antarctic Sea ice Processes and Climate) protocol, suggests a strong interannual variability in sea-ice thickness in this region. For the repeat pack-ice observation area, where the sea-ice thickness averaged over the nine seasons is ∼1.9 m, mean thicknesses of observed sea-ice in 2010/11 and 2011/12 are exceptionally large, at ∼3.3 and ∼5.8 m, respectively. This result is strongly related to regional patterns of sea ice dynamics. Ice convergence caused by anomalous northerly winds was particularly high in 2011/12, suggesting that the extremely thick ice observed in that season resulted largely from sea-ice deformation processes (including pressure ridging). Longer-term analysis of data from the past 34 years confirms that sea-ice conditions and thickness off Lützow–Holm Bay in summer are determined mainly by the large-scale pattern of atmospheric pressure in December.

Description: Publication date: Available online 28 October 2015 Source: Polar Science Author(s): Md. Azharul Hoque, Wayne H. Pollard Block failure is considered to be an important component of coastal retreat in permafrost regions. A comprehensive model is developed to study the effects of thermoerosional niche and ice wedge morphology on the stability of permafrost dominated coastal cliff against block failure. The model is formulated by coupling slope stability analysis with a time dependent progression of thermoerosional niches and the morphology of the nearby ice wedges. Model computations are initially performed for failure conditions for a given cliff height, frozen soil strength, ice content, water pressure in the active layer, thermoerosional niche depth and ice wedge morphology. Under these conditions block failures are found to be predominantly overturning failures and are governed by the tensile strength of frozen soil, thermoerosional niche depth and ice wedge location and depth. The effects of ice wedges are then examined by analyzing failure conditions for ice wedges of different locations and depths. For a given cliff height, strength and thermoerosional niche, block failure may occur at a range of different combinations of ice wedge locations and depths. Two stability nomograms are developed through repeated model calculations for range of cliff heights and frozen soil tensile strength. These nomograms can be used to determine the critical combinations of thermoerosional niche depth, ice wedge distance and ice wedge depth that lead to block collapse of a cliff of known height and soil strength. Some analytical expressions are also derived to determine potential block failure criteria along Arctic coasts.

Description: Publication date: Available online 22 October 2015 Source: Polar Science Author(s): A.A.Mohamed Hatha, C.S. Neethu, S.M. Nikhil, K.M. Mujeeb Rahiman, K.P. Krishnan, A.V. Saramma The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of antibiotic resistance among aerobic heterotrophic bacteria and coliform bacteria from water and sediment of Kongsfjord. The study was based on the assumption that arctic fjord environments are relatively pristine and offer very little selection pressure for drug resistant mutants. In order to test the hypothesis, 200 isolates belonging to aerobic heterotrophic bacteria and 114 isolates belonging to coliforms were tested against 15 antibiotics belonging to 5 different classes such as beta lactams, aminoglycosides, quinolones, sulpha drugs and tetracyclines. Resistance to beta lactam and extended spectrum beta lactam (ESBL) antibiotics was considerably high and they found to vary significantly (p〈 0.05) between heterotrophic and coliform bacteria. Though the coliforms showed significantly high level of antibiotic resistance against ESBL’s extent and diversity of antibiotic resistance (as revealed by multiple antibiotic resistance index and resistance patterns), was high in the aerobic heterotrophic bacteria. Most striking observation was that isolates from fjord sediments (both heterotrophic bacteria and coliforms) in general showed relatively high prevalence of antibiotic resistance against most of the antibiotics tested, indicating to better selection pressure for drug resistance mutants in the fjord sediments.