Arctic Pavilion Report

The Arctic Pavilion was first created by the International Organization "Northern Forum" with the support of Andrey Melnichenko Charity Foundation and BRICS Youth Energy Agency in the "Blue" zone of the 29th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Baku, Azerbaijan, on November 11-22, 2024. The report was compiled to present the preparation and the key results of the Pavilion’s work to be taken into account when organizing similar sites at the subsequent conferences of the parties

Contributions to the knowledge of Antarctodon sobrali (Mammalia: Astrapotheria) from the Eocene of Antarctica

The Astrapotheria constitutes one of the five orders of extinct South American native ungulates, with a fossil record that also extends to the Eocene of the Antarctic Peninsula. In contrast to the abundant specimens known for litoptern Sparnotheriodontidae and metatherians, astrapotheres are represented by scant remains assigned to the endemic Antarctodon sobrali and indeterminate astrapotheres, restricted to levels 35Cu0 and 35n of the Cucullaea I Allomember of the La Meseta Formation. The discovery of a lower molar assignable to this species in the Eocene levels of Seymour (Marambio) Island, enables a revision of the diagnosis and the homologies of the dental characters used to describe this taxon. A reanalysis of its phylogenetic relationships reveals the nearly simultaneous presence of basal astrapotheres in the early Eocene of Itaboraí (Brazil), Patagonia, and West Antarctica. These taxa are characterized by lacking dental specializations usually associated with more abrasive diets like terminal forms of Uruguaytheriinae and Astrapotheriinae. Antarctodon appears to have thrived on the Antarctic continent during the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum within the paleoclimatic context of a hot-house world. Unlike present conditions in Antarctica where no terrestrial mammals inhabit, the early Eocene climate was characterized by warmer temperatures and a biologically diverse environment rich in primary producers, dominated by Nothofagus forests, encompassing both deciduous and evergreen forests, which supported a diverse assemblage of continental vertebrates

The first record of dermochelyid turtles in the Eocene of Tierra del Fuego: new insights on the evolution of the Weddellian faunas

The Antarctic Paleogene marine fossil record has been the key to reconstructing the evolution of the Weddellian Sea and final dismemberment of Southern Gondwana. In this context, Eocene marine vertebrates from Seymour (Marambio) Island have provided valuable information. We present the first Eocene record of marine reptiles from the southern Atlantic Coast of South America. This corresponds to several postcranial turtle remains represented by a proximal end of the right humerus, three caudal and one thoracic vertebrae, a fragment of the left pubis, and ten ossicles of the dorsal carapace, coming from the Leticia Formation (late-mid Eocene) at Cabo Tiburones, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. These materials show several features such as the size and general morphology of the humerus and vertebrae, and the presence of relatively small, irregular, smooth, and unkeeled ossicles, which allow us to assign them to Dermochelyidae indet. Dermochelyids are a cosmopolitan group of cryptodiran turtles, registered from the late Cretaceous up to the recent, with some physiological-biological peculiarities (e.g., endothermy and an exclusive jellyfish-based diet) and characterized by the presence of an osseous carapace formed by ossicles. The new finding from the Leticia Formation is an addition to the scarce and extremely fragmentary record of Eocene dermochelyids from the southern seas like those from the La Meseta and Submeseta formations (Antarctica) and the Waihao and Burnside formations (New Zealand). This new information allows us to discuss the presence of these turtles in such high latitudes in the past and its implication in the evolution of the Weddellian fauna

Arctic Value Creation, Employment and Investments

The report covers the Arctic areas (22 regions in total) of eight countries: Norway, the United States, Sweden, Finland, Canada, Iceland, Greenland (Denmark), and Russia. The main objective of this report is to give an overview of the Arctic regional economies with a focus on value creation, employment, and investment trends, as well as basic demographic trends

Comparison of the precision of glacier flow rates derived from offset-tracking using Sentinel-2 and Landsat-8/9 imagery

Offset-tracking is an essential method for deriving glacier flow rates using optical imagery. Sentinel-2 (S2) and Landsat-8/9 (L8/9) are popular optical satellites or constellations for polar studies, offering high spatial resolution with relatively short revisit time, wide swath width, and free accessibility. To evaluate and compare the precision of offset-tracking results yielded with these two kinds of data, in this study S2 and L8/9 imagery observed in Petermann Glacier in Greenland, Karakoram in High-Mountains Asia, and Amery Ice Shelf in the Antarctic are analyzed. Outliers and various systematic error sources in the offset-tracking results including orbital and strip errors were analyzed and eliminated at the pre-process stage. Precision at the off-glacier (bare rock) region was evaluated by presuming that no deformation occurred; then for both glacierized and the off-glacier regions, precision of velocity time series was evaluated based on error propagation theory. The least squares method based on connected components was used to solve flow rates time series based on multi-pair images offset-tracking. The results indicated that S2 achieved slightly higher precision than L8/9 in terms of both single-pair derived displacements and least square solved daily flow rates time series. Generally, the RMSE of daily velocity is 26% lower for S2 than L8/9. Moreover, S2 provided higher temporal resolution for monitoring glacier flow rates

Vision for Nordic Defence Cooperation (NORDEFCO)

The Nordic countries are committed to strengthening the deterrence and defence of the Nordic region and the Euro-Atlantic Area. The Nordic countries are prepared and able to conduct combined joint military operations to manage both present and future challenges together and with allies of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. Nordic Defence Cooperation complements and contributes to European and transatlantic security and collective defence

Atmospheric gaseous elemental mercury in the Arctic: role of long-range transport and sea ice

The potential sources of atmospheric mercury in the Arctic are still not well understood. Here, we analyzed the round-year observations of atmospheric gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) concentrations in 2010 at two sites in the Arctic: Zeppelin Observatory (78.90°N, 11.88°E) and Alert Observatory (82.47°N, 62.50°W). The results showed clearly different characteristics at these two sites. During the winter of 2010, the long-range transport of anthropogenic emissions was the dominant factor for elevated GEM at Zeppelin Observatory while which had little contribution to GEM at Alert Observatory. The change in GEM at Zeppelin Observatory during January, February and October was dominated by long-range transported anthropogenic emissions. The emission inventory combined with backward trajectory analysis suggested that the main sources were unintentional industrial sources, stationary combustion sources, and intentional use and product waste-associated sectors, which contributed 49%, 33%, and 18%, respectively. Potential source contribution function analysis was then conducted and found that Europe was the important source region. During the summer of 2010, sea ice concentration was an important factor affecting GEM at Alert Observatory while which had little effect on GEM at Zeppelin Observatory. These results further indicated the role of anthropogenic sources and climate warming on the spatial variation in GEM over the Arctic

Antarctic red algae in dye-sensitized photoelectrochemical cells for water splitting

Phycoerythrin extracted from Antarctic red seaweeds shows promising characteristics to be applied as an anode sensitizer in water-splitting photoelectrochemical cells. Under light irradiation and using an LED lamp, the red-colored protein shows an interesting ability to profit the incident light, as confirmed by the presence of oxygen bubbles next to the electrode surface without applying any external potential. Our results showed that the addition of iodide is helpful to allow the regeneration of the dye; nevertheless, oxygen evolution is not favored. Thermodynamics analysis of the involved semi-reactions is also helpful to understand the observed results. The exploration of Antarctic resources offers then an alternative for the development of green energies, with a particular focus on their use as sensitizers to profit from the sunlight in water-splitting as well as in photovoltaic devices

Impact of transparent exopolymer particles on the dynamics of dissolved organic carbon in the Amundsen Sea, Antarctica

The Southern Ocean is an important carbon sink pool and plays a critical role in the global carbon cycling. The Amundsen Sea was reported to be highly productive in inshore area in the Southern Ocean. In order to investigate the influence of transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) on the behavior of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in this region, a comprehensive study was conducted, encompassing both open water areas and highly productive polynyas. It was found that microbial heterotrophic metabolism is the primary process responsible for the production of humic-like fluorescent components in the open ocean. The relationship between apparent oxygen utilization and the two humic-like components can be accurately described by a power-law function, with a conversion rate consistent with that observed globally. The presence of TEP was found to have little impact on this process. Additionally, the study revealed the accumulation of DOC at the sea surface in the Amundsen Sea Polynya, suggesting that TEP may play a critical role in this phenomenon. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the dynamics and surface accumulation of DOC in the Amundsen Sea Polynya, and provide valuable insights into the carbon cycle in this region