Propuesta de protección ambiental para un enclave libre de hielo de la Antártida Marítima (Punta Elefante, isla Livingston)

  1. Marc Oliva
  2. Jesús Ruiz-Fernández
  3. Andrés Zarankin
  4. María Angélica Casanova-Katny
  5. Jordi Nofre
Revista:
Espacio, tiempo y forma. Serie VI, Geografía

ISSN: 1130-2968

Año de publicación: 2017

Tomo: 10

Páginas: 179-201

Tipo: Artículo

DOI: 10.5944/ETFVI.10.2017.19058 DIALNET GOOGLE SCHOLAR lock_openAcceso abierto editor

Otras publicaciones en: Espacio, tiempo y forma. Serie VI, Geografía

Resumen

Las áreas libres de hielo de la Antártida Marítima son espacios de elevada biodiversidad y riqueza de formas y procesos geomorfológicos. En este trabajo se analiza la geomorfología, geoecología y los vestigios arqueológicos dejados por los primeros colonizadores antárticos en una de estas áreas, Punta Elefante (isla Livingston). Esta área libre de hielo de 1,16 km2 cuenta con un 17% de superficie deglaciada entre 1956-2010. Mediante un enfoque geoecológico se constata una clara imbricación entre las unidades geomorfológicas y la distribución de su fauna y flora. Además, se identificaron 5 sitios arqueológicos que corresponden a los cazadores de focas que explotaron los recursos naturales de la Península Antártica durante los siglos XVIII-XIX. Debido a la riqueza de su patrimonio natural y la singularidad de su registro arqueológico, se propone la designación de Punta Elefante como Área Antártica de Especial Protección con el objetivo de preservar estos valores para las generaciones futuras.

Referencias bibliográficas

  • Anesio, A.M. y Laybourn-Parry, J. Glaciers and ice sheets as a biome. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 2012, 27, 219-225.
  • Anesio, A.M., Mindl, B., Laybourn-Parry, J., Hadson, A.J. y Sattler, B. Viral dynamics in cryoconite holes on a high Arctic glacier (Svalbard). Journal of Geophysical Research, 2007, 112, G04S31.
  • Bañón, M., Justel, A., Velázquez, D. y Quesada, A. Regional weather survey on Byers Peninsula, Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. Antarctic Science, 2013, 25, 146-156.
  • Benayas, J., Pertierra, L., Tejedo, P., Lara, F., Bermudez, O., Hughes, K. A. y Quesada, A. A review of scientific research trends within ASPA No. 126 Byers Peninsula, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. Antarctic Science, 2013, 25 (2), 128-145.
  • Berguño, J. Las Shetland del Sur: el ciclo lobero. Primera parte. Boletín Antártico Chileno, 1993a, 5-13.
  • Berguño, J. Las Shetland del Sur: el ciclo lobero. Segunda parte. Boletín Antártico Chileno, 1993b, 2-9.
  • Bertrand, K. Americans in the Antarctica 1775-1948. New York: American Geographical Society Special Publication, 39, 1971.
  • Casanova-Katny, M.A. y Cavieres, L.A. Antarctic moss carpets facilitate growth of Deschampsia Antarctica but not its survival. Polar Biology, 2012, 35, 1869-1878.
  • Convey, P., Hughes, K.A. y Tina, T. Continental governance and environmental management mechanisms under the Antarctic Treaty System: sufficient for the biodiversity challenges of this century? Biodiversity, 2012, 13 (3-4), 234-248.
  • Cook, A.J. y Vaughan, D.G. Overview of areal changes of the ice shelves on the Antarctic Peninsula over the past 50 years. The Cryosphere, 2010, 4, 77-98.
  • Correia, A., Oliva, M., Ruiz-Fernández, J. Evaluation of frozen ground conditions along a coastal topographic gradient at Byers Peninsula (Livingston Island, Antarctica) by geophysical and geoecological methods. Catena, 2017, 149, 529-537. DOI: 10.1016/j.catena.2016.08.006
  • Del valle, R.A., Montalti, D. y Inbar, M. Mid-Holocene macrofossil-bearing raised marine beaches at Potter Peninsula, King George Island, South Shetland Islands. Antarctic Science, 2002, 14, 263-269.
  • Destéfani, L. La expedición española de 1819 y el Navío San Telmo. Investigaciones y Ensayos, 1988, 38, 77-107.
  • Emslie, S.D. Age and taphonomy of abandoned penguin rockeries in the Antarctic Peninsula Region. Polar Record, 1995, 31, 409-418.
  • Enzenbacher, D. Antarctic tourism policy-making. En: Triggs, G. y Riddell, A. Antarctica: legal and environmental challenges for the future. London: British Institute of International and Comparative Law, 2007, 155-189.
  • Fitte, E. Crónicas del Atlántico Sur: Patagonia, Malvinas y Antártida. Buenos Aires: EMECE, 1982.
  • Fretwell, P.T., Hodgson, D.A., Watcham, E.P., Bentley, M.J. y Roberts, S. J. Holocene isostatic uplift of the South Shetland Islands, Antarctic Peninsula, modelled from raised beaches. Quaternary Science Reviews, 2010, 29, 1880-1893.
  • González-Guzmán, A., Oliva, M., Souza-Júnior, V.S., Pérez-Alberti, A., Ruiz-Fernández, J., Otero, X.L. Biota and geomorphic processes as key environmental factors controlling soil formation at Elephant Point, Maritime Antarctica. Geoderma, 2017, 300, 32-43. DOI: 10.1016/j.geoderma.2017.04.001
  • Hodge, J. El Extremo Sur de América. Washington D.C.: América, 1976.
  • Hughes, K.A. y Convey, P. The protection of Antarctic terrestrial ecosystems from inter- and intra-continental transfer of non-indigenous species by human activities: a review of current systems and practices. Global Environmental Change, 2010, 20, 96-112.
  • Hughes, K.A., Pertierra, L.R. y Walton, D.W.H. Area protection in Antarctica: how can conservation and scientific research goals be managed compatibly? Environmental Science and Policy, 2013, 31, 120-132.
  • IPCC. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Geneva: World Meteorological Organization, 2014.
  • Ives, J.D. y Barry, R.G. Arctic and Alpine environments. London: Methuen, 1974.
  • King, M., y Padman, L. Accuracy assessment of ocean tide models around Antarctica, Geophysical Research Letters, 2005, 32, L23608.
  • Kuklinski, P. y Balazy, P. Scale of temperature variability in the maritime Antarctic intertidal zone. Journal of Sea Research, 2014, 85, 542-546.
  • Liggett, D., Mcintosh, A., Thompson, A., Gilbert, N. y Storey, B. From rozen continent to tourism hotspot? Five decades of Antarctic tourism development and management, and a glimpse into the future. Tourism Management, 2011, 32 (2), 357-366.
  • López-Martínez, J. y Serrano, E. Geomorphology of Deception Island. En: López-Martínez, J., Smellie, J.L., Thomson, J.W. y Thomson, M.R.A. Geology and Geomorphology of Deception Island. Cambridge: British Antarctic Survey, 2002, BAS Geomap Series, Sheets 6-A and 6-B, 31-39.
  • Macheret, Y., Otero; J., Navarro, F.J., Vasilenko, E.V., Corcuera, M.I., Cuadrado, M.L. y Glazovsky, A.F. Ice thickness, internal structure and subglacial topography of Bowles Plateau ice cap and the main ice divides of Livingston Island, Antarctica, by ground-based radio-echo sounding. Annals of Glaciology, 2009, 50 (51), 49-56.
  • Martin, L. Antarctica discovered by a Connecticut Yankeee, Captain Nathiel Brown Palmer. The Geographical Review, 1940, 30 (4), 529-562.
  • Michel, R.F.M., Schaefer, C.E.G.R., Dias, L.E., Simas, F.N.B., Melo-Benites, V. y Sá Mendonça, E. Ornithogenic Gelisols (Cryosols) from Maritime Antarctica. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 2006, 70 (4), 1370-1376.
  • Michel, R.F.M., Schaefer, C.E.G.R., López-Martínez, J., Simas, F.N.B, HAUS, N.W., Serrano, E. y Bockheim, J. Soils and landforms from Fildes Peninsula and Ardley Island, Maritime Antarctica. Geomorphology, 2014, 225, 76-86.
  • Mieczan, T., Górniak, D., Świątecki, A., Zdanowski, M. y Tarkowska-Kukuryk, M. The distribution of ciliates on Ecology Glacier (King George Island, Antarctica): relationships between species assemblages and environmental parameters. Polar Biology, 2013, 36 (2), 249-258.
  • Mora, C., Vieira, G., Pina, P., Lousada, M. y Christiansen, H.H. Land Cover Classification Using High-Resolution Aerial Photography in Adventdalen, Svalbard. Geografiska Annaler: Series A, Physical Geography, 2015, doi: 10.1111/geoa.12088.
  • Oliva, M. y Ruiz-Fernández, J. Geomorphological processes and frozen ground conditions in Elephant Point (Livingston island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica). Geomorphology, 2016, DOI: 10.1016/j.geomorph.2016.01.020
  • Oliva, M. y Ruiz-Fernández, J. Coupling patterns between paraglacial and permafrost degradation responses in Antarctica. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 2015, 40, 1227-1238. DOI: 10.1002/esp.3716.
  • Oliva, M., Antoniades, D., Giralt, S., Granados, I., Toro, M., Pla-Rabes, S. y Vieira, G. La deglaciación holocena de la península Byers (isla Livingston, Antártida Marítima) a partir de la datación de sedimentos lacustres. Avances de la Geomorfología en España 2012-2014, 2014, 523-526.
  • Oliva, M., navarro, F.J., Hrbáček, F., Hernández, A., Nývlt, D., Pereira, P., Ruiz-Fernández, J., Trigo, R. Recent regional climate cooling on the Antarctic Peninsula and associated impacts on the cryosphere. Science of the Total Environment, 2017, 580, 210-223. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.12.030
  • Osmanoglu, B., navarro, F.J., Hock, R., Braun, M. y Corcuera, M.I. Surface velocity and mass balance of Livingston Island ice cap, Antarctica. The Cryosphere, 2014, 8, 1807-1823.
  • Pertierra, L.R. y Hughes, K.A. Management of Antarctic Specially Protected Areas: permitting, visitation and information exchange practices. Antarctic Science, 2013, 25 (4), 553-564.
  • Pritchard, H.D. y Vaughan, D. G. Widespread acceleration of tidewater glaciers on the Antarctic Peninsula. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface (2003-2012), 2007, 112 (F3), F03S29.
  • Quesada, A., Camacho, A. y Lyons, W.B. Multidisciplinary research on Byers Peninsula, Livingston Island: a future benchmark for change in Maritime Antarctica. Antarctic Science, 2013, 25 (2), 123-127.
  • Remias, D., Wastian, H., Lütz, C. y Leya, T. Insights into the biology and phylogeny of Chloromonas polyptera (Chlorophyta), an alga causing orange snow in Maritime Antarctica. Antarctic Science, 2013, 25 (5), 648-656.
  • Rignot, E., Mouginot, J., Morlighem, M., Seroussi, H. y Scheuchl B. Widespread, rapid grounding line retreat of Pine Island, Thwaites, Smith and Kohler glaciers, West Antarctica from 1992 to 2011. Geophysical Research Letters, 2014, 41 (10), 3502-3509.
  • Ruiz-Fernández, J., Oliva, M. Relative paleoenvironmental adjustments following deglaciation of the Byers Peninsula (Livingston Island, Antarctica). Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research, 2016, 48 (2), 345-359. DOI: 10.1657/AAAR0015-014
  • Ruiz-Fernández, J., Oliva, M., García-Hernández, C. Procesos geomorfológicos y formas del relieve en dos cuencas lacustres de la Península Byers (isla Livingston, Antártida Marítima): implicaciones paleoambientales. Polígonos, Revista de Geografía, 2016, 28, 211-237.
  • Ruiz-Fernández, J., Oliva, M., García-Hernández C. Topographic and geomorphologic controls on the distribution of vegetation formations in Elephant Point (Livingston Island, Maritime Antarctica). Science of the Total Environment, 2017, 587-588, 340-349. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.02.158
  • Serrano, E. Hielo, montañas, mar y fauna: el turismo en las islas Shetland del Sur (Antártida marítima). Revue de Géographie Alpine, 2002, 1 (90), 9-24.
  • Serrano, E., López-Martínez, J., Cuchí, J.A., Durán, J.J., Mink, S. y Navas, A. Permafrost in the South Shetland Islands (Maritime Antarctica): spatial distribution pattern. En: KANE, D.L. y HINKEL, K.M. Proceedings of 9th International Conference on Permafrost. Fairbanks: University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2008, 2, 1621-1625.
  • Slaney, H. Notice of the voyage of Edward Bransfield, Master of his Majesty´s Ship Andromache, to New South Shetland. Edinburgh philosophical Journal, 1921, 4, 345-348.
  • Stackpole, E. The Voyages of the Hurton and the Huntress: The American Sealers and the Discovery of the Continent of Antarctica. Connecticut: Nabu Press, 1955.
  • Steig, E.J., Ding, Q., White, J.W.C., Kuttel, M., Rupper, S.B., Neumann, T.A., Neff, P.D., Gallant, A.J.E., Mayewski, P.A., Taylor, K.C., Hoffman, G., Dixon, D., Schoenemann, S.W., Markle, B.R., Fudge, T.J., Schneider, D.P., Schauer, A.J., Teel, R.P., Vaughn, B.H., Burgener, L., Williams, J. Y Korotkikh, E. Recent climate and ice-sheet changes in West Antarctica compared with the past 2,000 years. Nature Geoscience, 2009, 6, 372-375.
  • Terauds, A., Chown, S.L., Morgan, F., Peat, H.J., Watts, D.J., Keys, H., Convey, P. y Bergstrom, D.M. Conservation biogeography of the Antarctic. Diversity and Distributions, 2012, 18, 726-741.
  • Toro, M., Camacho, A., Rochera, C., Rico, E., Banon, M., Fernandez-Valiente, E., Marco, E., Justel, A., Avendano, M.C., Ariosa, Y., Vincent, W. F. y Quesada, A. Limnological characteristics of freshwater ecosystems of Byers. Polar Biology, 2007, 30 (5), 635-649.
  • Torres-Mellado, J.A., Jaña, R., Casanova-Katny, M.A. Antarctic hairgrass expansion in the South Shetland archipelago and Antarctic Peninsula revisited. Polar Biology, 2011, 34 (11), 1679-1688.
  • Troll, C. Geoecology of the Mountainous Regions of the Tropical Americas. Proceedings of the UNESCO Mexican Symposium. Bonn: Ferd. Dümmers Verlag, 1968.
  • Troll, C. Geoecology of the High-Mountain Regions of Eurasia. Erdwissenschaftsliche Forschung der Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur. Mainz: Franz Steiner Verlag GMBH, 1972.
  • Troll, C. The upper timberlines in different climatic zones. Arctic and Alpine Research, 1973, 5 (3), 3-18.
  • Turner, J., Colwell, S.R., Marshall, G.J., Lachlan-Cope, T.A., Carleton, A.M., Jones, P.D., Lagun, V., Reid, P.A. y Iagovkina, S. Antarctic climate change during last 50 years. International Journal of Climatology, 2005, 25, 279-294.
  • Vera, M.L. Colonization and demographic structure of Deschampsia Antarctica and Colobanthus quitensis along an altitudinal gradient on Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. Polar Research, 2011, 30, 7146.
  • Verbitsky, J. Antarctic tourism management and regulation: the need for change. Polar Record, 2013, 49 (250), 278-285.
  • Vieira, G., Bockheim, J., Guglielmin, M., Balks, M., Abramov, A.A., Boelhouwers, J., Cannone, N., Ganzert, L., Gilichinsky, D., Goryachkin, S., López-Martínez, J., Raffi, R., Ramos, M., Schaefer, C., Serrano, E., Simas, F., Sletten, R. y
  • Wagner, D. Thermal state of permafrost and active-layer monitoring in the Antarctic: advances during the international polar year 2007-2008. Permafrost and Periglacial Processes, 2010, 21, 182-197.
  • Watcham, E.P., Bentley, M.J., Hodgson, D.A., Roberts, S.J., Fretwell, P.T., Lloyd, J.M., Larter, R.D., Whitehouse, P.L., Leng, M.J., Monien, P. y Moreton, S.G. A new relative sea level curve for the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. Quaternary Science Reviews, 2011, 30, 3152-3170.
  • Zarankin, A. y Senatore, M.X. Archaeology in Antarctica, 19th century capitalism expansion strategies. International Journal of Historical Archaeology, 2005, 9(1), 43-56.
  • Zarankin, A. y Senatore, M.X. Historias de un Pasado en Blanco; Arqueología Histórica Antártica. Belo Horizonte: Argumentum, 2007.