BRIEF NARRATIVE SUMMARY OF THE CONTENT OF THE RESOURCES(S)

Calibrated (in unit of solar disk brightness) measurements of the sky brightness at DOME C as obtained by the ESCAPE experiment during the campaign 2018-2019

Here we present the firn cores collected along the international EAIIST project traverse, which took place in 2019-2020 Antarctic Campaign. We report the number of firn cores collected, the depth of the samplings and their geographic information.

Trophic interactions underlie coexistence mechanisms between species and affect biodiversity and heavy metal bioaccumulation processes. Sea ice dynamics, which at Terra Nova Bay is characterized by an extraordinary seasonality, drives interspecific interactions. Indeed, the activation of the primary production after sea-ice break up opens alternative trophic pathways for consumers. By means of C and N stable isotope analyses, the present project aims at (i) determining food web structure at Terra Nova Bay at different bathymetries and in opposite sea-ice cover conditions; (ii) evaluating heavy metal bioaccumulation in species along food chains, including fish of commercial interests, both in the presence and absence of photosynthetic primary producers. The hypothesis to be tested is if the activation of primary producers following sea-ice break up significantly modifies the food web structure and stability against species loss, as well as heavy metals concentration along food chains. Data on Antarctic food webs are scarce, and even scarcer is our knowledge on mechanisms of primary and secondary biodiversity loss and biomagnification processes in invertebrates and fish. The present research project will shed light on mechanisms underlying biodiversity maintenance in the Antarctic ecosystem and on risks for human health related to heavy metals accumulation in fish species currently or potentially exploited commercially, also in light of expected changes in the extension of sea ice cover. A valuable reference baseline will be established for future studies at the Italian Antarctic Station and for the Marine Protected Area in the Ross Sea.

Concentrations of major, minor and trace elements in particulate matter (PM10) samples, collected at Concordia with monthly time resolution, since January 2018, obtained by PIXE-PIGE and HR-ICP-MS measurements.

This dataset reports the snow density observations at the Concordia Station, Antarctica. A snow trench is dig once per month (or every three months during winter) in the clean area near the Station (< 1 km). Four measurements are taken inserting a core barrel (with a diameter of 4.5 cm and a length of 25 cm) horizontally into the snow at 10 cm depth, and four more measurements are taken inserting another core barrel (with a diameter of 3.7 cm and a length of 9.2 cm) vertically, from the surface to 10 cm depth. The snow density is calculated from the weight.

Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea, Antarctica), characterized by a moltitude of ice tongues flowing from land to sea, represents an ideal study site for understanding the complex interaction between relative sea level variations and ice sheet dynamics during the Holocene. The DISGELI project, thanks to the combination of innovative technology and traditional methods for geomorphologic and stratigraphic analysis, aims to: i) reconstruct the local variations of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet after the Last Glacial Maximum; ii) provide a time constrain for the deglaciation processes along the coast; iii) reconstruct, with unprecedent detail, the relative sea level variations during Holocene in the Drygalski basin. The morpho-bathymetric and topographic data obtained through this study will be integrated using digital terrain models based on the analyses of key areas onland, where palaeo-coastlines and sea-level markers have been identified.

Isotopic composition (Pb and Sr) in particulate matter (PM10) samples, collected at Concordia with monthly time resolution, since January 2018, obtained by ICP-MS.

Calibrated (in unit of solar disk brightness) measurements of the sky brightness at DOME C as obtained by the ESCAPE experiment during the campaign 2022-2023

Here we present the surface snow samples collected along the international EAIIST project traverse, which took place in 2019-2020 Antarctic Campaign. We report the number of surface samples (upper 10 cm and integrated 1m samples) collected and their geographic information.