IMCOAST is an international research program that features a multidisciplinary approach involving geo and biological sciences, field investigations, remote sensing and modeling and knowledge into the hydrographical and biological history of the marine coastal ecosystems of the Western Antarctic Peninsula region

Abele, Doris

Bers, A. V.

Costi, Juliana

Deregibus, D.

English

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IMCOAST is subdivided in Work Packages (WP) with Individual (IP) and Associated (AP) Projects, each one with more specific objectives.• To quantify variability and changes  in fresh water budgetsin coastal ecosystems • provide the physical boundary conditions for geochemical, sedimentological and biophysical research• To understand the effect of glacial retreat on sub‐glacial and past and present melt water run‐off dynamics• To analyze the effects of the current climate change on coastal pelagic ecosystems• To analyze carbon recycling in the sediment surface of coastal systems with and without impact of sedimentation, and the bentho‐pelagic coupling in KGI coastal food webs• To evaluate impact and strength of late Holocene warm phases on the KGI coastal systemThe strong input of sediment containing melt water changes surface seawater properties during summer,leading to shallow salinity stratification and strongly enhanced irradiance attenuation.Field work is carried out in collaboration with the Instituto Antártico Argentino (IAA), The Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) and the Department of Antarctic Biology of the Polish Academy of Sciences. The funding comes mainly from the ESF for European partners, and many national funding agencies which support the Associated Projects.Doris Abele1, Valeria Bers1, Juliana Costi 2 & Dolores Deregibus3.1: Alfred-Wegener-Institut für Polar- und Meeresforschung,  2: Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia da Criosfera, 3: Instituto Antártico ArgentinoDoris.Abele@awi.de; Valeria.Bers@awi.de; ju.costi@gmail.com; dolidd@yahoo.comImpact of climate induced glacial meltingon coastal marine systems in the Western Antarctic Peninsula regionKING GEORGE ISLAND is the largest island of the South Shetland Islands archipelago.~ 120 kilometers off the coast of the Antarctic continent in the Southern Ocean ~ 95 km long and up to 25 km wideRose Peak, with 655 m above sea level, is its highest pointVarious big and small bays characterize its appearanceMost of the field work is carried out in Potter Cove, a shallow bay at the Southern side of King George Island. The observed elevated air temperatures at King George Island have resulted in significant glacier retreat, longer annual glacier melt periods accompanied by increased fresh water discharge volumes. About 90% of theKGI surface is covered byglaciersWP 2  Glacier melt and discharge dynamicsWP 3  Marine environmental changesWP 4  Biological response to climate changeCoordination& datamanagementWP 1

Impact of climate induced glacial melting on coastal marine systems in the Western Antarctic Peninsula region

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