These ice-free areas host most of the biomass of all Antarctic terrestrial systems, and are also essential breeding grounds for macrofauna such as seals and seabirds. The relative simplicity of those ecosystems make Antarctic soils a great model for studying broader ecosystem functioning. Some of the highest elevation ice-free areas and their dry permafrost conditions represent the closest Mars analogue on Earth.
However, as a result of human activities and climate change, ice-free Antarctic soils are increasingly under complex pressures.
The Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty (1991) requires assessment of the impacts of ongoing human activities in Antarctica. Many non-binding guidelines and codes of conduct have been developed and adopted over time as practical management tools to further minimise environmental impacts. These are particularly important in the ice-free areas, where impactful human activities are undertaken.
Manaaki Whenua’s current commitment to Antarctic soil research builds on many decades of work by the Soil Bureau, later part of the DSIR, which began soil research there in the late 1950s. To advance soil science research in Antarctica, we suggest four priorities:
- Soil information in Antarctica needs to be improved, including soil chemistry and physical properties, scaled up from sparse field observations over many decades to a continental scale using modern remote sensing techniques.
- The impacts of climate change on Antarctic soils needs to be monitored. Modelling based on IPCC climate forcing scenarios suggest that ice-free areas could expand by almost 25%. More precipitation as rain and more liquid water in soils will affect many aspects of Antarctic soils, including the release of salts previously locked in by the cold, arid conditions. Changes in Antarctic permafrost will need to be better monitored – it is much less well understood than Arctic permafrost. Radical changes in air temperature and water availability will also increase the risk of spread of invasive non-native species, but the exact impacts of habitat expansion on Antarctic soil biology are largely unknown. The risk of species spread is further increased by human activity and movement around the continent and between Antarctic and sub-Antarctic regions.
- Specific indicators of soil quality need to be defined and monitored. Useful soil indicators for native polar ecosystems are lacking. Due to geographic remoteness and isolation, Antarctic soils are assumed pristine, but evidence is emerging of degradation by contaminants such as microplastics, persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals. If representative soil regions across the continent are delineated, a suite of soil health indicators and targets can then be proposed and trends monitored.
- Improved science-policy linkages are needed to better manage Antarctic soil ecosystems. To make scientific observations impactful requires a powerful science-to-policy framework. In non-polar regions, holistic, transdisciplinary frameworks have been used with success to address issues such as climate change. Some authors have suggested using the ecosystem services framework, or an indigenous lens, to improve the environmental management of Antarctica. Policy-makers need a more complete picture of the different roles soils play, across scientific disciplines, to better manage and preserve Antarctic soils.
