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In Antarctica for science: two DEB researchers on a mission to study climate change’s Impact on microbial communities

Two DEB Researchers on a Mission to Antarctica to Study Microbial Communities and Climate Change

Dr. Fabiana Canini and Dr. Giorgia Cavallini, researchers at the Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences (DEB) at the University of Tuscia, have embarked on a scientific mission to Antarctica. The expedition began at the Antarctic gateway in Christchurch, New Zealand, with a flight operated by a C-130 aircraft of the US Air Force. The flight took them to the US McMurdo Station. They traveled to the Italian Mario Zucchelli Station aboard a Basler aircraft.

The researchers are part of the AMICO project (An Antarctic Terrestrial Observation System for Detecting, Understanding, and Interpreting Antarctic Microbial Communities and Their Response to Environmental Change). Funded by the Italian National Antarctic Research Program (PNRA) and coordinated by Professor Laura Zucconi, the project involves collaboration with the Laboratory for Environmental and Climate Observations and Measurements of ENEA (Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy, and Sustainable Economic Development).

The AMICO Antarctic Observatory aims to continuously and systematically monitor the environmental parameters of rocks and soils to analyze ongoing climate change and its impact on microbial communities in the Victoria Land region. The observatory consists of four strategically located monitoring stations, continuously collecting and transmitting data via satellite systems. The collected data are made publicly available through the official portal: https://www.antarcticamico.it/.

During the current Antarctic campaign, scientific activities include collecting rock and soil samples at two distinct times of the day, corresponding to peak and minimum solar radiation and temperature. This procedure will enable the analysis of variations in the metabolic activity of microbial communities in relation to the environmental parameters recorded.

Drs. Canini and Cavallini will maintain a travel journal, documenting the expedition’s milestones with regular updates shared on the official social media channels of the Department.