La glace de mer couvre jusqu’à 6% de la surface de notre planète. Autour du continent Antarctique, sa superficie varie entre 3.8 et 19 millions de km² (en février et septembre respectivement). Cette superficie présente des variations interannuelles. En parallèle, une évolution de la superficie de la glace de mer a également pour origine le réchauffement climatique global, très médiatisé à l’heure actuelle. Dans ce contexte, et étant donné le rôle que joue la banquise au sein de l’Océan Austral, des études de l’évolution de la glace de mer sont devenues fondamentales. Ce travail a pour objectif d’étudier les relations complexes qui existent entre les processus chimiques, physiques et biologiques qui se déroulent au sein de la glace de mer. La détermination des propriétés physiques et de la composition chimique des glaces de mer correspond en effet à un pré-requis indispensable à l’étude des cycles géochimiques qui existent dans la banquise. Différentes glaces de mer, naturelles ou artificielles, ont été analysées. Pour ce faire, les caractéristiques spécifiques à ce type de glace font que des méthodes d’analyse de la composition en gaz particulières ont été nécessaires. Nous avons ainsi pu montrer que le contenu et la composition en gaz des différentes glaces analysées dépendent de facteurs physico-chimiques et de facteurs biologiques. L’impact des facteurs physico-chimiques se marque lors de l’incorporation initiale des impuretés dans la glace de mer et via une diffusion "post-génétique" tant que la glace est plus chaude que –5°C. En outre, les organismes photosynthétiques sont à l’origine d’une production d’oxygène et d’une consommation de dioxyde de carbone. La composition en gaz résultante peut donc être sensiblement différente de la composition atmosphérique ou de celle des gaz dissous dans l’eau de mer sous-jacente, en été comme en hiver. Il s’agit par conséquent de sérieusement envisager l’impact potentiel de la glace de mer et des microorganismes qu’elle contient, lors du réchauffement et de la débâcle, sur les échanges entre atmosphère et océan comme sur leurs compositions respectives.

Antarctic fish from the suborder Notothenioidei inhabit what is perhaps the most thermally stable ocean environment on Earth. Evolutionary theory suggests that by specialising for this environment, Antarctic fish have traded-off their ability to respond to variations in temperature, and like their environment, have become extremely stenothermal. However, previous research has revealed that the Antarctic notothenioid fish Pagothenia borchgrevinki is not as thermally limited as evolutionary theory might predict, and is capable of acclimation to 4 ℃ during a one month period. The purpose of the current research was to investigate the physiological mechanisms that underpin this remarkable acclimatory ability. P. borchgrevinki were acclimated for one month to 4 ℃ and changes in oxygen consumption, prolonged swimming ability, cardiovascular function, enzyme activity and haematology were measured. Significant changes in resting oxygen consumption rate and prolonged swimming ability occurred during the acclimation period, and these changes were mediated by adjustments of enzyme activity and specific aspects of the haematology. By monitoring resting oxygen consumption and prolonged swimming ability over a much longer, six month, acclimation period it was confirmed that the adjustments evident during one month at 4 ℃ were sustainable in the long-term, and were not short-term compensatory mechanisms. Interestingly, fish infected with x-cell gill disease did not possess the same ability to acclimate as was demonstrated by healthy P. borchgrevinki. P. borchgrevinki are unusual among the notothenioids, possessing an active, pelagic lifestyle which differs from the sedentary, benthic lifestyle of most other species within the suborder. Therefore, it was hypothesised that the acclimatory ability demonstrated by this species may also be unusual among the notothenioids. To test this hypothesis, the acclimation ability of three sedentary, benthic notothenioids (Trematomus bernacchii, T. hansoni and T. pennellii) was investigated. Results confirmed the hypothesis, with all three species demonstrating very poor survival at 4 ℃ and absolutely no capacity for acclimation. Such results present a disturbing scenario for the future of Antarctic notothenioid fish in Earth?s rapidly warming climate, and highlights the need for continued research combined with immediate action to combat the warming which currently threatens Antarctic marine biodiversity.

The objective of the thesis is to describe the legal regime of the Antarctic specifically in relation to the protection of its environment. The introductory chapters are devoted to brief description of the natural conditions of the Antarctic and the history of its exploration. In relation with the discovery voyages there are also mentioned the first territorial claims of the states and the legal foundations on which these claims were made. The author also deals with the basic legal document in relation to this continent, the Antarctic Treaty, mainly with its main principles as the demilitarization, prohibition of appropriation and the recognition of previous claims. Under the Antarctic Treaty several categories of the Parties to the Treaty can be distinguished which is an un-common situation. The existence of the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting which is related to this situation is also being discussed. This Consultative Meeting further develops the principles of the Antarctic Treaty and issues Measures, Decisions and Resolutions. This thesis focuses on the analysis of the protection of the environment of the Antarctic. The topic has been divided into separate components of the environment and these are dealt with in individual chapters of the thesis where the steady development and the introduction...

La structure de taille et la distribution spatiale du zooplancton ont été étudiées dans deux écosystèmes : une baie de la côte Ouest de la péninsule antarctique et le golfe du Lion en mer méditerranée occidentale. L'acquisition des spectres a été permise par l'utilisation de deux capteurs optiques : le ZooScan / ZooProcess et le Laser Optical Plankton Counter (LOPC). L'impact de différents types de forçages sur les spectres de taille des communautés zooplanctoniques a été mis en évidence dans les deux écosystèmes côtiers, notamment grâce aux caractéristiques des spectres de biomasse normalisée. Le long de la péninsule Antarctique, la fin de l'automne est une période charnière à tous les niveaux trophiques avec la baisse de la production primaire et l'agrégation du krill (Euphausia superba) dans les baies continentales. Les données ADCP ont permis de localiser dans une des baies le plus grand banc de krill échantillonné depuis 20 ans. L'étude du comportement alimentaire du krill en réponse à la baisse de la production primaire a montré l'impact du krill sur les spectres de taille des communautés mésozooplanctoniques, et en particulier sur les espèces de petites tailles. Un autre type de forçage a été mis en avant dans le golfe du Lion, où les structures physiques très variables induites par les apports du Rhône, le courant Liguro-Provençal et les vents influent directement sur la distribution spatiale du zooplancton. Des sous-régions ont été identifiées à partir de corrélations entre des paramètres physiques tels que la stratification de la colonne d'eau et des paramètres biologiques tels que la concentration en chl-a ou la pente des spectres de biomasse normalisée. / Zooplankton size structure and spatial distribution were investigated in a bay along the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) and in the Gulf of Lion in Western Mediterranean Sea. Zooplankton size spectra were determined with the use of two optical sensors, the Laser Optical Plankton Counter (LOPC) and the ZooScan / ZooProcess system. Using features of the biomass size spectrum is was possible to identify different forcing processes that affected zooplankton size spectrum and spatial distribution in the two ecosystems. In WAP, late fall is a transition time at all the trophic levels, with the decrease of primary production and the aggregation of Antarctic krill (Euphausia Superba) in continental bays. ADCP data permitted to find in a bay the largest Antarctic krill swarm reported in the last twenty years. Study of krill feeding behavior in response to the decrease of primary production showed impact of krill on mesozooplankton size spectrum and especially a decrease of the small size species abundance. A different type of forcing was found in the Gulf of Lion, where zooplankton spatial distribution was affected by physical structures such as the inputs by the Rhône river, the Liguro-Provençal current and winds. The correlation between physical and biological parameters e.g. water masses stratification, chl-a concentration, slope of the normalized biomass size spectrum (NBSS), allowed the identification of three different regions in the Gulf of Lion. These potential habitats show different zooplankton size structure, with strong NBSS slopes close to the coast and weaker NBSS slopes in the zone of the Rhône plume influence.

The purpose of the diploma thesis is to describe and summarize the legal regime of Antarctica including its evolution, functioning and the protection of its environment. Chapter one of the thesis consists of the introduction with the Antarctic continent including the natural conditions, the history of the discovering, the competition between Roald Amundsen and Robert Falcon Scott to reach the South Pole and the territorial claims of seven states in the first half of the twentieth century. The second chapter deals with the fundamental document of the legal regime of Antarctica - The Antarctic Treaty. The Antarctic Treaty was signed in Washington on 1 December 1959 by the twelve countries whose scientists had been active in and around Antarctica during the International Geophysical Year of 1957-58. The very important provisions of the Treaty contain international cooperation and prohibition of any measures of a military nature, such as the establishment of military bases and fortifications, carrying out of the military maneuvers, as well as testing of any type of weapons. Antarctica became international space which can not be appropriated by individual states. The third chapter deals with the Antarctic Treaty System and its analysis and summary. The Antarctic Treaty System regulates the international...

Neste trabalho a variabilidade climatica do oceano Austral e a ocorrencia da Onda Circumpolar Antartica (OCA) sao investigadas. Foram usados os dados de uma simulaçao do modelo numerico acoplado do Nacional Centre for Atmospheric Research/ Community System Model - NCAR CCSM de 150 anos, e um conjunto de dados climatologicos como base de comparaçao dos dados do modelo. estes foram obtidos da Re-analise do NCEP/NCAR (National Center for Envirommental Prediction) para o periodo de janeiro de 1948 a julho de 2002. Com o intuito de analisar o comportamento sazonal e anual foram analisadas as climatologias e utilizada a tecnica de analise harmonica das variaveis de temperatura da superficie do mar (TSM), pressao ao nivel do mar (PNM), componentes meridional (Vy) e zonal (Vx) do vento. Para analisar o comportamento interanual dessas variaveis sao utilizados diagramas Hovmoeller, espectros de potencia, alem de tecnicas estatisticas como Empirical Ortogonal Functions (EOF) e singular Value Decomposition (SVD). / In this study the climatic variability of the Southern ocean and the Antarctic Circumpolar Wave (ACW) are investigated. The National Center for Atmospheric Research/ Community System Model _ NCAR CCSM coupled model 150 years simulation data is compered with the climatology data from the Nacional Center for Envirommental Prediction - NCEP/NCAR Re-analysis, for a period from january/1948 until july/2002. Annual and seasonal climatology and harmonic analysis are used for the following variables: sea surface temperature (SST), sea level pressure (SLP), meridional and zonal wind. Hovmoeller diagrams, potencial spectra and statistics methods such as Empirical Ortogonal Functions (EOF) and Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) are used to analyze changes in interannual behavior of this variables.

The South Atlantic has a relevant role on the AMOC variability as it includes two main conduits of its upper-ocean return flow: the NBUC and the IWBC that carry, mainly, the SACW and the AAIW and are originated from the bifurcation of the SEC. One of the hypotheses of this work is that analyzing the bifurcation variability it is possible to get an index of the AMOC changes. Another hypothesis is that in a global warming scenario, changes in the hydrological cycle would drive modifications in the water masses that are part of the AMOC, and thus, contribute to its variability. Four global model results were used, with different forcing and spatial resolution. Results show that changes in the bifurcation are linked to modications in the currents both caused by variations in the wind stress curl. Good correlations were found between the SEC bifurcation at the surface and the AMOC. The NBUC seems to be the link between them. Shallowing of the SACW core is related to an increase of the salinity on neutral surfaces. The AAIW is occupying less space in the water column due to an increasing of the salinity in the neutral surfaces at 11°S, while the opposite happens at 27°S / The South Atlantic has a relevant role on the AMOC variability as it includes two main conduits of its upper-ocean return flow: the NBUC and the IWBC that carry, mainly, the SACW and the AAIW and are originated from the bifurcation of the SEC. One of the hypotheses of this work is that analyzing the bifurcation variability it is possible to get an index of the AMOC changes. Another hypothesis is that in a global warming scenario, changes in the hydrological cycle would drive modifications in the water masses that are part of the AMOC, and thus, contribute to its variability. Four global model results were used, with different forcing and spatial resolution. Results show that changes in the bifurcation are linked to modications in the currents both caused by variations in the wind stress curl. Good correlations were found between the SEC bifurcation at the surface and the AMOC. The NBUC seems to be the link between them. Shallowing of the SACW core is related to an increase of the salinity on neutral surfaces. The AAIW is occupying less space in the water column due to an increasing of the salinity in the neutral surfaces at 11°S, while the opposite happens at 27°S

O objetivo central da tese é discutir a governança do turismo antártico. Com o crescente turismo no Continente Antártico, surge a ameaça da tragédia dos comuns, ou seja, na ausência de uma regulamentação internacional específica sobre o turismo na Antártica, o aumento desenfreado do fluxo turístico poderia ser insustentável levando a danos permanentes ao meio-ambiente da região. A partir de ampla revisão bibliográfica, documental de entrevistas com atores envolvidos e da execução do trabalho de campo a bordo do MS Veendam da Holland America a hipótese da tragédia dos comuns em curso foi rejeitada, pois foi possível observar que o turismo antártico tem uma governança dada pela existência de uma rede público privada de governança (RPPG). / The main objective of this work is to discuss Antarctics tourism governance. With the growing number of tourists visiting the Antarctic Continent increases the threat of the tragedy of commons. In other words, in the absence of a specific international regulation on Antarctic tourism the rapid influx of tourists may be unsustainable leading to permanent damages to the environment. After a thoughtful literature and documental revision, semistructured interviews with actors involved in the question and field work aboard MS Veendam from Holland America I rejected the hypothesis of an ongoing tragedy of commons. There is already in place a system of governance of Antarctic tourism through a network of public private governance (NPPG).

Neste trabalho a variabilidade climatica do oceano Austral e a ocorrencia da Onda Circumpolar Antartica (OCA) sao investigadas. Foram usados os dados de uma simulaçao do modelo numerico acoplado do Nacional Centre for Atmospheric Research/ Community System Model - NCAR CCSM de 150 anos, e um conjunto de dados climatologicos como base de comparaçao dos dados do modelo. estes foram obtidos da Re-analise do NCEP/NCAR (National Center for Envirommental Prediction) para o periodo de janeiro de 1948 a julho de 2002. Com o intuito de analisar o comportamento sazonal e anual foram analisadas as climatologias e utilizada a tecnica de analise harmonica das variaveis de temperatura da superficie do mar (TSM), pressao ao nivel do mar (PNM), componentes meridional (Vy) e zonal (Vx) do vento. Para analisar o comportamento interanual dessas variaveis sao utilizados diagramas Hovmoeller, espectros de potencia, alem de tecnicas estatisticas como Empirical Ortogonal Functions (EOF) e singular Value Decomposition (SVD). / In this study the climatic variability of the Southern ocean and the Antarctic Circumpolar Wave (ACW) are investigated. The National Center for Atmospheric Research/ Community System Model _ NCAR CCSM coupled model 150 years simulation data is compered with the climatology data from the Nacional Center for Envirommental Prediction - NCEP/NCAR Re-analysis, for a period from january/1948 until july/2002. Annual and seasonal climatology and harmonic analysis are used for the following variables: sea surface temperature (SST), sea level pressure (SLP), meridional and zonal wind. Hovmoeller diagrams, potencial spectra and statistics methods such as Empirical Ortogonal Functions (EOF) and Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) are used to analyze changes in interannual behavior of this variables.

Neste trabalho foram estudadas duas abordagens para a obtenção de novos metabólitos secundários a partir de fungos. Na primeira, o ácido hidroxâmico suberoilanilida (SAHA) e cinco análogos foram sintetizados. Sua atividade como modificadores epigenéticos foi avaliada em oito linhagens fúngicas do ambiente marinho. Os fungos Penicillium sp. e Acremonium sp. apresentaram modificações no seu perfil metabolómico quando foram crescidos em pequena escala em presença do derivado 4F-SAHA, enquanto Microphaeropsis sp. apresentou modificação em presença do 3AM-SAHA. O fungo P. decaturense foi crescido em maior escala e os compostos de interesse foram isolados. Na segunda abordagem, uma nova estratégia de extração utilizando mistura de resinas XAD 2-4-7 permitiu a extração e posterior isolamento de seis novos alcaloides peptídicos (72-77) e dois peptídeos (78-79) a partir da fração aquosa do meio de cultivo do fungo antártico Penicillium solitum IS1-A. Utilizando a mesma metodologia, o metabolismo secundário do fungo antártico Thelebolus globosus E2 foi estudado. A partir de seu extrato metanólico do meio liquido PDB foram isoladas a ciclopenina (86) e o ciclopenol (87) e foram detectados os alcaloides viridicatina (88) e viridicatol (89). O fungo Thelebolus globosus mostrou-se produtor de estatinas, sendo isoladas como composto majoritário a mevastatina (90). / In this work two approaches to obtain new secondary metabolites from fungi were studied. Suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA) and five analogues were synthesized and assessed as epigenetic modifiers in eight marine-derived fungi. The fungus Penicillium sp. and Acremonium sp. presented changes in their metabolomic profile when they were grown on a small scale in presence of 4F-SAHA derivative and Microphaeropsis sp. presented a modification in the presence of the 3 AM-SAHA. In the second approach a new extraction strategy using XAD 2-4-7 resin mixture allowed the extraction and subsequent isolation of six new peptide alkaloids (72-77) and two peptides (78-79) from the aqueous fraction of the culture medium of the Antarctic fungus Penicillium solitum IS1-A. Using the same methodology, the secondary metabolism of the Antarctic fungus Thelebolus globosus E2 was studied. From the methanolic extract of the PDB liquid medium cyclopenine (86) and cyclopenol (87) were isolated and the viridicatine (88) and viridicatol (89) alkaloids were detected. The fungus Thelebolus globosus was shown to be a producer of statins, mainly of mevastatin (90).