The new genus and species Bicoloromyces kyffinensis is described as new to science from a sterile crustose lichen, perhaps Lecanora fuscobrunnea or Lecidella sp. from Ebony Ridge of Mount Kyffin, Antarctica. The fungus recalls superficially the lichenicolous species referred to Taeniolella, but differs in having semi-macronematous conidiophores, tissues encrusted with calcium oxalate, aeruginose to blue-black colouration under the microscope, and conidia which are distoseptate and formed in basipetal chains. Energy dispersive spectroscopy established that the encrustations were of calcium oxalate. Differences from genera of rock-inhabiting fungi described from the Antarctic are discussed. This appears to be the furthest south any lichen-inhabiting fungus has been reported.

The aim of this study was to clarify the trophic patterns of the key species Pleuragramma antarctica in the Dumont d’Urville Sea, through its development and possible changes according to sampling locations. Variability in diet composition of larvae, juvenile and adult P. antarctica was analysed using fatty acid markers. Analysis of lipid class in P. antarctica reflected lipid accumulation with increasing size at all sampling stations. The fatty acid composition of triacylglycerol highlighted ontogenetic changes in the diet. Phytoplankton markers, such as C16PUFA:C16 and EPA:DHA ratios >1, and carnivorous markers in larvae suggested an omnivorous diet. Comparison between the fatty acid signature of P. antarctica older stages (juveniles and adults) and zooplankton species using OPLS-discriminant analysis indicated that juveniles fed mainly on euphausiid larvae and to a minor extent on copepods, and confirmed that non-herbivorous copepods were the main prey for adults. Our results suggest that different feeding patterns and a generalist strategy in P. antarctica with juveniles feeding on bigger prey than adults, probably as a result of prey availability according to their vertical segregation pattern.

Wright Valley, Victoria Land contains numerous aquatic habitats suitable for the growth of algae in summer. Excepting diatoms and lichen phycobionts, algal diversity and distribution in the valley was documented. Using cultures and environmental cloning eight cyanobacterial and 14 eukaryotic species were revealed. The cyanobacterium Microcoleus vaginatus and the chlorophycean Chlorococcum sp. 1 were the most common, both occurring in more than one habitat (ponds, soils or streams). Ponds harboured the most diverse communities. Habitat specialization was rare. Chlamydomonads were not found outside ponds, but species capable of zoospore production were able to colonize ponds and soils. Nostocalean cyanobacteria were not detected. Results suggest dispersal within and between valleys, with little evidence of Antarctic endemism. All but one cyanobacterium with similar internally transcribed spacer (ITS) length to clones from Miers Valley proved to be different species when 16S rRNA gene sequences were also considered; thus, ITS length is unreliable for assessing identity and biogeography of these cyanobacteria. Comparison with a 454 16S rRNA gene soil dataset from Wright Valley indicated the occurrence of only one of the cyanobacterial species, the distribution of which may be limited by salinity.

The Adélie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) breeding population at Stranger Point, King George Island (25 de Mayo), increased in number from 1965/66 until 1980/81 after which it started to decrease almost continuously up to the present. A significant decrease in the number of breeding pairs and chicks crèched was observed between 1995/96 and 2013/14 (75% and 78%, respectively), although the rate of this decrease has slowed since 2006/07. Over the last seven years, larger interannual fluctuations were recorded in the number of breeding pairs and chicks in crèches, as well in the breeding success. The values for the index of breeding success during 2007/08, 2009/10 and 2012/13 were low and this parameter showed higher temporal fluctuation in the period 2007/08 to 2013/14. The reduction in breeding success and the number of chicks reared to crèche will unfavourably impact on future population size at Stranger Point through the reduction of new recruits. Although Adélie penguin population trends on the Antarctic Peninsula are linked to the marine environment variability (i.e. reduction in sea ice affecting the availability of prey), breeding success is also influenced by the amount of snow fall which has increased in recent years.

Comprehensive geochemical analyses (bulk parameters, major and trace elements, organic matter, mineralogy and particle analysis) were carried out on sediments from seven lakes on Fildes Peninsula, King George Island. The resulting compositional dataset was subjected to principal component analysis and cluster analysis. The results showed that four different lacustrine sedimentary environments can be distinguished: i) lakes 1 and 2 with relatively high values of secondary aluminous clay minerals, ii) lake 4 with anthropogenic enrichment of Co, Cu and Zn, iii) lake 7 with relatively high values of Ba and P and a high zeolite content, and iv) all the other studied lakes. Our results indicate moderate chemical weathering in all lacustrine sediments and that the distance to the glacial ice margin is one of the most important factors influencing the chemical weathering in the area. Furthermore, depositional processes have little influence on the geochemistry of the investigated elements and that local bedrock is the main source of sediments in the lakes on Fildes Peninsula.

The WorldView-2 (WV2) instrument, operated by DigitalGlobe, is the only high-resolution multispectral sensor currently capable of imaging the entirety of the Transantarctic Mountains (TAM), making it a valuable resource for remote compositional investigations. Through the utility of both field- and laboratory-based verification techniques, this study shows that biotic and abiotic chemical variations can be readily observed and mapped remotely. Within the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV), primary compositional variability, intra-lithologic compositional heterogeneity and variations in surface weathering and oxidation can be successfully identified and mapped, providing confidence in both the spectral capabilities of the WV2 instrument and the methodologies associated with calibrating and correcting these data. These studies within the MDV provide confidence in extending these analyses to more remote regions of the TAM, including the vicinity of Shackleton Glacier. The identification of comparable geochemical variations in these remote locations provides valuable additions to the currently available geologic maps at much lower spatial resolutions. This work confirms the utility of the WV2 instrument to identifying, quantifying and mapping geochemical variations throughout the TAM, supporting future field work and providing geospatial context for localized field and laboratory analyses.

Qualitative and quantitative analysis of surface species on size-segregated atmospheric particulate collected in Antarctica during the 2010–11 summer was performed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). This represents the first example of surface characterization of Antarctic aerosols. The size class with particle cut-off diameter of 3 μm was richest in terms of chemical elements. Peculiar findings of the application included detection of Ca (possibly surface-segregated) and surface enrichment of Mg. The determination of nitrate, ammonium and sulphate species on collection filters provides evidence for a possible advantage of XPS over more laborious techniques (e.g. ion chromatography). The presence of these species is in reasonable agreement with other recent reports from Antarctica.

This study investigated the mass balance, melting, near-surface ice thermal structure and meteorological conditions of the Ecology and Sphinx glacier system (ESGS), located on King George Island, Antarctic Peninsula. The study also analysed the role of climate change in glacial retreat of the ESGS in the long (1979–2012) and short term, with a particular focus on the impact on the 2012–13 mass balance of the ESGS. In 2012–13, the glaciers had a mean annual net mass balance of +17.8 cm w.e., but over the long term the glaciers have been receding in this region. The area loss of the ESGS between 1979 and 2012 amounted to 41%. This investigation of mass balance is especially important as it offers one of only a few records available on King George Island. The mean near-surface ice temperature (February to June 2012) for the Ecology and Sphinx glaciers was -0.3°C and -1.0°C at 10 m depth, respectively. From 1948–2012, the air temperature on King George Island increased by 1.2°C (0.19°C per decade).

Monitoring the rate of ice flow into ice shelves is vital to understanding how, where and when mass changes occur in Antarctica. Previous observations of ice surface velocity indicate that the Amery Ice Shelf and tributary glaciers have been relatively stable over the period 1968 to 1999. This study measured the displacement of features on the ice surface over a sequence of Landsat 7 images separated by approximately one year and spanning 2004 to 2012 using the surface feature tracking software IMCORR. The focus is on the region surrounding the southern grounding zone of the Amery Ice Shelf and its primary tributary glaciers: the Fisher, Lambert and Mellor glaciers. No significant changes in surface velocity were observed over this period. Accordingly, the velocity fields from each image pair between 2004 and 2012 were used to synthesize an average velocity dataset of the Amery Ice Shelf region and to compare it to previously published velocity datasets and in situ global positioning system velocity observations. No significant change in ice surface velocities was found between 2004 and 2012 in the Amery Ice Shelf region, which suggests that it continues to remain stable.