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Hydrological systems from the Antarctic Peninsula under climate change: James Ross archipelago as study case

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Abstract

Hydrological systems of the ice-free areas of the James Ross archipelago (NE Antarctic Peninsula) provide a unique opportunity for studying recent environmental changes associated with the current Global Warming. Geochemical, hydrological, sedimentological, and magnetic studies were carried out on different lake systems and ephemeral ponds from post-Holocene periglacial environments to characterize their natural variability. Significant differences between the lakes were observed based on physicochemical analyses, and can be attributed to several characteristics and processes taking place (geochemical, diagenetic, biological, etc.) in individual lake catchments. Seymour-Marambio Island’s lakes exhibit high total dissolved solids (~3.300 mg L−1) due to the high rate of evaporation in the region, whereas trace elements show differences in the lithological source. Lakes from Vega and James Ross islands are comparatively diluted, with the highest pH values up to 10.2. Within Vega Island, trace elements discriminate lakes into sectors which show statistical differences due to variations in lithological sources. Dissolved sources can be divided according to their kinetics into: high-rate processes which occur during summer months (evaporation, salt precipitation, atmospheric precipitation, melting processes) and low-rate processes (mineral weathering, giving a long-term signature). The present multidisciplinary study contributes to a better understanding of Antarctic lake systems, and can be used as a baseline dataset for further studies investigating the impact of recent climate changes on the biological and geochemical characteristics of these pristine ecosystems in the future.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the UNCPBA, UNC, UNAM, DNA, and CONICET for their financial support. This contribution was supported by the ANPCYT project PICTO-2010-0096. Authors especially thank Ing. J. Escalante from UNAM (México). This study was supported as a long-term research development project RVO no. 67985939. Many thanks to Tyler J. Kohler for the English proof reading and two anonymous reviewers for their comments which improved the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra (CICTERRA) CONICET/Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Av. Vélez Sarsfield 1611, X5016CGA, Córdoba, Argentina

    Karina L. Lecomte

  2. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Av. Vélez Sarsfield 1611, X5016CGA, Córdoba, Argentina

    Paula A. Vignoni

  3. Centro de Investigación y Transferencia de Jujuy (CIT, Jujuy-CONICET), Instituto de Geología y Minería, Universidad Nacional de Jujuy, Av. Bolivia 1661, San Salvador de Jujuy, Argentina

    Francisco E. Córdoba

  4. Centro de Investigaciones en Física e Ingeniería del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (CIFICEN, CONICET-UNCPBA), Pinto 399, 7000, Tandil, Argentina

    Marcos A. E. Chaparro, José D. Gargiulo & María A. Irurzun

  5. Departamento de Matemáticas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales UNMDP, Mar del Plata, Argentina

    Mauro A. E. Chaparro

  6. Faculty of Science, Department of Ecology, Charles University in Prague, Viničná 7, 12844, Prague 2, Czech Republic

    Kateřina Kopalová

  7. Instituto Antártico Argentino, Campus Migeletes, Avenida de Mayo 1143, San Maríin (1650), Pcia de Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Juan M. Lirio

  8. Centro de Geociencias (UNAM), Blvd. Juriquilla 3001, 76230, Santiago de Querétaro, Querétaro, Mexico

    Harald N. Böhnel

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  1. Karina L. Lecomte
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  2. Paula A. Vignoni
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  3. Francisco E. Córdoba
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  4. Marcos A. E. Chaparro
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  5. Mauro A. E. Chaparro
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  6. Kateřina Kopalová
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  7. José D. Gargiulo
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  8. Juan M. Lirio
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  9. María A. Irurzun
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  10. Harald N. Böhnel
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Correspondence to Karina L. Lecomte.

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This article is part of a Topical Collection in Environmental Earth Sciences on “3RAGSU”, guest edited by Daniel Emilio Martinez.

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Lecomte, K.L., A. Vignoni, P., Córdoba, F.E. et al. Hydrological systems from the Antarctic Peninsula under climate change: James Ross archipelago as study case. Environ Earth Sci 75, 623 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-016-5406-y

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