Permafrost and Active Layer Monitoring in the Maritime Antarctic: A Contribution to TSP and ANTPAS projects

Permafrost and active layer monitoring in the Maritime Antarctic (PERMANTAR) is a Portuguese funded International Project that, in cooperation with the Spanish project PERMAMODEL, will assure the installation and the maintenance of a network of boreholes and active layer monitoring sites, in order to characterize the spatial distribution of the physical and thermal properties of permafrost, as well as the periglacial processes in Livingston and Deception Islands (South Shetlands). The project is part of the International Permafrost Association IPY projects Thermal State of Permafrost (TSP) and Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic Permafrost, Soils and Periglacial Environments (ANTPAS). It contributes to GTN-P and CALM-S networks. The PERMANTAR-PERMAMODEL permafrost and active layer monitoring network includes several boreholes: Reina Sofia hill (since 2000, 1.1m), Incinerador (2000, 2.3m), Ohridski 1 (2008, 5m), Ohridski 2 (2008, 6m), Gulbenkian-Permamodel 1 (2008, 25m) and Gulbenkian- Permamodel 2 (2008, 15m). For active layer monitoring, several CALM-S sites have been installed: Crater Lake (2006), Collado Ramos (2007), Reina Sofia (2007) and Ohridski (2007). The monitoring activities are accompanied by detailed geomorphological mapping in order to identify and map the geomorphic processes related to permafrost or active layer dynamics. Sites will be installed in early 2009 for monitoring rates of geomorphological activity in relation to climate change (e.g. solifluction, rockglaciers, thermokarst). In order to analyse the spatial distribution of permafrost and its ice content, electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), and seismic refraction surveys have been performed and, in early 2009, continuous ERT surveying instrumentation will be installed for monitoring active layer evolution. The paper presents a synthesis of the activities, as well as the results obtained up to the present, mainly relating to ground temperature monitoring and from permafrost characteristics and spatial distribution.