📋 Tender Overview
Field work combines seismic, bathymetry and oceanographic analysis to understand carbon fluxes in polar environments.Researcher at the Geological, Mining and Metallurgical Institute (Ingemmet) has been developing a study in Western Antarctica to understand how underwater geological processes and glacial retreat influence the release of greenhouse gases from the seabed.
His work seeks to understand how the seabed releases carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4), two gases that trap heat in the atmosphere and accelerate global warming. Not all of that gas comes from human activities. Some also comes from the ocean.
The project is being developed in the Bransfield Strait and the South Shetland Islands, areas where there are underwater volcanoes and where glaciers are melting faster and faster. West Antarctica is one of the regions most vulnerable to rising temperatures. When the ice retreats, it not only changes the landscape: it can also alter chemical and geological processes that were asleep.
Engineer Anthony Quilca Huanca participates in a scientific campaign aboard the BAP Carrasco. There it collects information from the marine subsoil using seismic profiles. In simple terms, it sends waves to the sea floor and analyzes how they bounce back to see what is underneath, up to about 100 meters deep.
It also uses multibeam bathymetry, a technology that allows a detailed map of underwater relief to be made. With this, you can detect possible areas where gases are coming out, as occurs in the Hook Ridge sector.
In addition, it extracts sediment samples with a Van Veen-type dredge, a type of large metal spoon that collects material from the seabed. These samples come from places like McKellar Inlet and Fildes Bay, areas where the ice has changed a lot in recent years.
The study includes water measurements with a rosette equipped with CTD sensors. These instruments measure conductivity (which helps calculate salinity), temperature and depth. With these data, we analyze how sea conditions influence the production or capture of gases.
Microscopic material suspended in the water is also collected. This allows us to study the role of microorganisms, which can produce or consume methane and CO2.
Ingemmet integrates a broader scientific campaign together with other specialists who develop complementary studies. Their work focuses specifically on geologically characterizing the sources, flows and possible sinks of carbon in these polar environments.
The results will contribute to improving global climate models and strengthening monitoring strategies in critical regions. Understanding what happens under the ice and at the bottom of the Antarctic sea is key to anticipating how the planet will respond to climate change.
