Antarctic ice-free coastal environments, like the Vestfold Hills (East Antarctica), are shaped by a complex interplay of physical processes. This study synthesizes new data and existing research from the Vestfold Hills across marine, terrestrial and cryosphere science, meteorology, geomorphology, coastal oceanography and hydrology to explore interconnected processes ranging from icescape morphology and sediment transport to ocean-floor scouring and ocean-atmosphere interactions. Coastal landforms and habitats result from the interaction of marine dynamics with the aeolian and fluvial transport of glacially derived sediments and geomorphic features. Rocky shorelines dominate the region, and extensive fjords are prominent coastal features, whereas intertidal sediments and beaches are scarce. The marine environment is characterized by slow currents, low-energy waves, annually variable land-fast ice, irregular sedimentation rates and a geomorphologically complex shoreline. Aeolian and fluvial sediment deposition into coastal waters and onto sea ice can significantly impact local ecological and physical processes. Human activity further modifies these dynamics. Ice-free coastal areas such as the Vestfold Hills are predicted to experience substantial environmental shifts due to climate change. Wind speeds, temperature and precipitation are increasing in the Vestfold Hills. Retreating grounded ice sheets are likely to expand this coastal area and increase meltwater and sediment inputs into nearshore marine systems. Concurrently, changes in sea-ice extent, thickness and/or duration may profoundly alter the structure and function of this coastal environment.

The finding of an incorrect non-Antarctic locality assigned to a specimen of Trematomus loennbergii at the Natural History Museum, London, led to the discovery of two (of three) syntype specimens, previously considered missing, of this species. The third syntype, a larger specimen in better condition, is designated as the lectotype of T. loennbergii; the two newly discovered specimens, re-identified as Trematomus pennellii, become paralectotypes.

Maritime Antarctica experiences less extreme environmental conditions than much of the Antarctic continent and has further been impacted by considerable warming in recent decades. While inventories exist of macroscopic Antarctic biodiversity, and there is some information available on culturable microorganisms, much less is known about the presence of other cryptic eukaryotic organisms. DNA metabarcoding provides a method for assigning the DNA of multiple different organisms simultaneously from environmental samples. In this study, we used DNA metabarcoding to investigate the environmental DNA (eDNA) diversity of non-fungal eukaryotic organisms associated with rocks in the South Shetland Islands. Five sampling points were selected from a stratigraphic profile at Mazurek Point, King George Island. Collected rock samples were pulverized, total DNA was extracted and amplicons were generated using ITS2 primers, then these were sequenced using an Illumina MiSeq system. Sequences representing five kingdoms and nine phyla were retrieved. Viridiplantae was the most diverse and abundant group, with 42 assigned taxa, followed by Chromista, with 22 assigned taxa. The precise lithology did not influence the assigned diversity. The majority of assigned taxa are widespread and plausibly present in the area, but some are not known from Antarctica, including some from tropical regions. The latter assignments probably result from the limitations of the databases used, although in some cases they may indicate evidence of anthropogenically associated or naturally dispersed DNA-containing material.

Many authors have studied the biogeography of the Southern Ocean (SO), defined its limits and proposed their division into biogeographical zones and provinces. In this work we analyse the biogeography of sea slugs in a broad sense (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Heterobranchia) in the different areas and zones of the SO below 41°S. Most of the published scientific publications, databases and technical reports where records of benthic sea slugs appear in the SO have been analysed in addition to our own records, cataloguing a total of 355 different benthic species. The following areas and zones of the SO have been considered: Antarctica (Weddell Sea, West Antarctica, Ross Sea, East Antarctica), the sub-Antarctic zone (Falkland Islands, South Georgia Island, South Orkney Islands, South Sandwich Islands, Bouvet Island, Crozet and Prince Edward islands, Kerguelen Islands, Macquarie Island), southern South America (Patagonia/Magellan), Tasmania and New Zealand (South Island). A presence/absence table for all recorded species in the different zones has been compiled, and the differences and similarities between them have been calculated using the Sorensen index. The best representation has been obtained by classifying the zones into five groups: G1 (the four Antarctic zones, South Georgia Island, South Sandwich Islands, South Orkney Islands), G2 (Kerguelen Islands, Crozet and Prince Edward islands and Macquarie Island), G3 (Falkland Islands and Patagonia/Magellan), G4 (Tasmania and New Zealand’s South Island) and G5 (Bouvet Island). In addition, the concordance between the non-hierarchical classification (K-mean) and the hierarchical classification obtained using the WARD and UPGMA cluster analysis methods has been verified. The representative and distinctive species of each of these groups are indicated. In this work, as regards benthic sea slugs, the biogeographical affinities between the Antarctic zones and some of the sub-Antarctic zones are confirmed, as well as between the fauna of these molluscs in the Patagonian/Magallan zone and the Falkland Islands, while the affinities between the other zones need further confirmation when more species records become available.

In 1988, meteorological measurements started at the Spanish research station Juan Carlos I (JCI) on Livingston Island. A second station - Gabriel de Castilla (GdC) - was installed in 2005 on Deception Island. These long-term measurements improved our climatological understanding of the western region of the South Shetland Islands (SSI), a region that has received less attention than the more station-populated King George Island in the central SSI. Here, we present a complete climatological analysis of these stations after undertaking a full quality control process of the data. This analysis covers temperature, wind, precipitation, radiation, relative humidity and pressure, as well as trends and variability. The results show: 1) the stations along the western SSI coastline, particularly JCI, are warmer than those on the central SSI, especially in summer, 2) at GdC, winters are colder due to stagnant cold air pooling within the Deception Island caldera, 3) the importance of island orography in shaping local climatology, especially regarding wind patterns, and 4) the critical need to correct precipitation measurements for undercatchment of solid precipitation by common pluviometers. This study provides a climatological framework to support further research conducted in the region.

A Doppler Sonic Detection and Ranging (SODAR) wind-profiling system was deployed at Jang Bogo Station, Antarctica, during the summer of 2017. The parameters measured by the SODAR system were wind speed and direction averaged for 15 min from 30 m above the surface to 500 m aloft. Additionally, wind measurements obtained from the nearby walk-up tower and automatic weather station (AWS) were also used for additional data and comparison, respectively. The analysis and comparison used hourly average for consistency. The mean wind speed obtained from the SODAR measurement is highly correlated with those from the walk-up tower and the AWS measurements. All three measurements recorded westerlies during all strong wind events but varied during calm periods. The measurements also reveal that Jang Bogo Station experiences lower wind speeds compared to the nearest katabatic confluence region (Inexpressible Island), where the maximum airflow usually occurred. From the hourly averaged data, SODAR only detected a maximum wind speed of 18.1 m s−1. There were 238 occurrences of strong wind events equal to or above 10.8 m s−1 (Beaufort scale 6) from 10 May to 31 October 2017. These occurrences were recorded in 50 out of 175 days analysed in this study. From 10 to 12 June 2017, predominantly south-westerly-westerly winds were recorded at the surface and aloft during two strong wind events. Based on this case study, the boundary layer during calm and strong wind periods was also analysed.

The population status of Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) on the Antarctic Peninsula highlights opportunities for the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) to address uncertainty more directly and effectively in its conservation efforts. The heightened uncertainty posed by climate change is testing CCAMLR’s commitment to balancing science and international cooperation in decision-making. Uncertainty underpins some of the justification to postpone reaching a consensus on the establishment of Marine Protected Areas, leaving Adélie penguins vulnerable to change. Two key opportunities to adapt current management approaches emerge: 1) reduce uncertainty by systematically identifying knowledge gaps within CCAMLR’s processes; and 2) integrate uncertainty more explicitly into decisions through a standardized approach to assessing and communicating it.