Project received support from the European Research Council (ERC-CZ) and funding from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports. It will provide new insights into the impact of soil moisture on the stability of permafrost and ecosystems in the rapidly changing climate of the northern part of the Antarctic Peninsula.
Warming of the Antarctic Peninsula and its impacts
Since the mid-20th century, the Antarctic Peninsula has experienced a temperature increase of up to 3.5°C, which has had a significant impact on its soils, permafrost and associated ecosystems. “Our goal is to understand the basic spatial distribution of soil moisture, its future development, and its influence on the thermal regime and stability of permafrost at our sites,” explains Filip Hrbáček, the grant holder and assistant professor from the Department of Geography at MU Faculty of Science. The project is part of the Czech Antarctic Research Programme.
Initial results from James Ross Island show that warming leads to the deepening of the active soil layer. This causes the surface soil to dry out due to higher temperatures while at the same time, water infiltrates deeper layers. This in turn affects heat transfer and the melting of the active layer above the permafrost. Lack of water in the surface layer can negatively affect the spread and health of local vegetation, which has also been observed at some sites in East Antarctica.
Soil moisture – a key yet overlooked factor
This finding challenges the widely held belief that warming generally benefits vegetation. The SEAL project therefore focuses on soil moisture as a key factor that has not been sufficiently studied. Even if temperature conditions were more favourable, it is unclear what vegetation could benefit without available water. This aspect is crucial for understanding the future development of ecosystems on the Antarctic Peninsula.
The importance of long-term monitoring and international cooperation
The research emphasizes the importance of long-term monitoring of soil moisture. “We assume that besides climate change, soil moisture will be one of the main factors determining the future of the Antarctic environment. Our results improve understanding of the current impacts of climate change and allow modelling of the future development of the active layer and permafrost,” adds Filip Hrbáček.
As part of the annual Masaryk University expeditions and our international collaborations with Spain, Portugal and Ukraine, we are establishing a soil moisture monitoring network comprising approximately 20 sites. We currently monitor seven to eight sites, including James Ross Island, the South Shetland Islands and the western part of the Antarctic Peninsula. This provides a basic dataset for tracking spatial variability and seasonal moisture trends in this sensitive area.
Challenges and the need for better understanding
Soil moisture is a frequently discussed topic, yet it is still insufficiently monitored due to its considerable spatial variability. Nevertheless, it is crucial for modelling future environmental changes in areas with permafrost and active soil layers. Therefore, it is essential to improve our understanding of its role in these systems in order to predict and monitor these dynamics more accurately.
The SEAL project makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the processes that will shape Antarctic ecosystems in the coming decades.