The Antarctic Peninsula region undergoes a faster warming pace than in many places on the planet, almost six times more than the global average. The increase in temperature causes the coastal glaciers to retreat, releasing to the sea, fresh water, nutrients and sediment that modify the biological activity in the water (pelagos) and on the seabed (benthos). This project aims to investigate, through the carbon biogeochemical cycle, how the Antarctic coastal ecosystem changes throughout the year, the relationship of this change with environmental variation and whether there is a connection with global warming. The IDEAL-ICM project is especially important because for the first time, at least as far as we know, coastal sedimentary processes can be investigated permanently over several years.

Study glacial melting effects on the Antarctic coastal water column and their relationship with the carbon cycle.

This approach will be possible due to the installation of an instrumented moored line, including pH, conductivity, temperature and CO₂ pressure sensors and a sediment trap for several years in a coastal area with little risk of destruction by the passage of large icebergs.