Neste trabalho é apresentado um estudo sobre a estrutura vertical e massas d\'água presentes na região oeste e norte da Península Antártica. Foram utilizados dados de temperatura, salinidade e pressão (profundidade) coletados por plataformas de coleta de dados (PCDs) fixadas em elefantes-marinhos do sul (EMS) pelo Projeto MEOP-BR, coordenado pela Profª Dra Mônica M. C. Muelbert, no período de fevereiro a novembro de 2008. Estes dados são transmitidos via sistema de satélites ARGOS a uma taxa de 2.91+/-0.25 vezes ao dia, distância média entre cada perfil coletado é de 14.43 +/- 12.28 km resultando em uma resolução espacial de 41.61 km/dia. Estes dados permitiram uma descrição detalhada da estrutura vertical e identificação de massas d\'água durante diferentes meses do ano de 2008. São comparados perfis verticais em diferentes estações do ano em regiões de plataformas de gelo marinho, do Estreito de Bransfield (EB) e norte da Península Antártica (PA), comparados transectos da porção oeste da PA coletados durante o verão e inverno de 2008 e são apresentados transectos através do Mar da Escócia (ME) nos meses de Setembro a Outubro de 2008. Os valores de temperatura potencial coletados estiveram na faixa entre -1.89ºC e 2.32ºC, os valores mínimos estão relacionados a áreas de formação de gelo marinho e os máximos a investidas através da Corrente Circumpolar Antártica (CCA) em mar aberto e em direção as Ilhas Georgia (IGS). Os valores de salinidade possuem variações entre 32.36 e 35.03 psu, estes valores resultam de diferentes processos, sendo os extremos relacionados a regiões de derretimento e formação de gelo marinho, respectivamente. Graças à grande área utilizada pelos EMS para forrageio durante o x período analisado, diversas massas d\'água são identificadas através de diagramas -S, são elas: Água Profunda Circumpolar (CDW), Água de Inverno (WW), Água de Plataforma de Baixa Salinidade (LSSW), Água Superficial Antártica (AASW), Água de Plataforma de Alta Salinidade (HSSW), Água Profunda Circumpolar Superior e Inferior (UCDW e LCDW), Água de Plataforma (SW), Água de Plataforma de Gelo (ISW), Água Profunda Cálida (WDW) e Água Profunda Cálida Modificada (MWDW). / To study the termohaline structure and water masses in the north and west sides of Antarctic Peninsula, 10 southern elephant seals (EMS) were equipped with highaccuracy conductivity-temperature-depth satellite-relayed data loggers (CTDSRDLs) by the MEOP-BR Project in beginning of 2008 at Elephant Island. Here, we show that measurements collected by these long-ranging, deep-diving predators allow oceanic vertical structure and water masses of the Southern Ocean to be mapped in regions and at times of year not sampled by other oceanographic instruments. These data are transmitted by the ARGOS satellite system at a rate of 2.91+/-0.25 times per day, mean distance between each profile collected is 14.43+/- 12.28 km, resulting in a spatial resolution of 41.61km/day. Vertical profiles are compared at different seasons in sea ice platforms regions, Bransfield Strait (EB) and northern tip of Antarctic Peninsula (PA). Are compared transects at the western side of the PA collected during summer and winter of 2008 and are presented transects across the Scotia Sea (ME) in the months of September and October of 2008. The collected potential temperature values were in the range from -1.89º C to 2.32ºC, the minimum values are related to areas of sea ice formation and the maximum amounts to dives through the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) in the open sea and towards the South Georgia Islands. The salinity values have variations between 32.36 and 35.03 psu, these values result from different processes, being related to melting and formation of sea ice. The large region sampled allowed us to identify during the study period several water masses from -S diagrams, they are: Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW), Winter Water (WW), Low Salinity Shelf Water xii (LSSW), Antarctic Surface Water (AASW), High Salinity Shelf Water (HSSW), Upper and Bottom Circumpolar Deep Water (UCDW and LCDW), Shelf Water (SW), Ice Shelf Water (ISW), Warm Deep Water (WDW) and Modified Warm Deep Water (MWDW).

Modern Pine Island and Thwaites Glaciers, which both drain into Pine Island Bay, are some of the fastest moving portions of the cryosphere and may be the most unstable ice streams in Antarctica. I examined over 133 cores to conduct a detailed sedimentological facies analysis. These data, augmented by new radiocarbon and 210Pb dates, and bathymetric data, are used to reconstruct the post-LGM deglacial history of PIB and gain a better understanding of the causes of ice sheet retreat. My results record a clear retreat stratigraphy in PIB composed of, from top to base; terrigenous sandy silt (plumite), pebbly sandy mud (ice-proximal glacimarine), and till. Initial retreat from the outer-continental shelf began shortly after the LGM and before 16.4 k cal yr BP, in response to rising sea level. Bedforms in outer PIB document episodic retreat in the form of back-stepping grounding zone wedges and are associated with proximal glacimarine sediments. A sub-ice shelf facies is observed in central PIB that spans ∼12.3–10.6 k cal yr BP. Widespread impingement of warm water onto the continental shelf caused an abrupt change from sub-ice shelf sedimentation to distal glacimarine sedimentation dominated by dispersal of terrigenous silt between 7.8 and 7.0 k cal yr BP. The uppermost sediments in Pine Island Bay were hydrodynamically sorted by meltwater plumes. Inner Pine Island Bay contains several large basins that are linked by channels. The most recent release of sediment coincides with rapid retreat of the grounding line, and has an order of magnitude greater flux relative to the entire unit, indicating episodic sedimentation. This is the first identification of a meltwater-derived deposit in Antarctica and demonstrates that punctuated meltwater-intensive glacial retreat occurred at least three times throughout the Holocene in this region. Quartz sand grains were used to conduct an analysis of mode of transport for sediments in the Antarctic Peninsula region from the Eocene to present to record the onset of glaciation. Glacial transport imparts a unique suite of microtextures on quartz grains from high shear-stresses. Eocene samples are free of glacial influence. Late Eocene samples show the inception of glacially derived high-stress microtextures, marking the onset of alpine glaciation. Oligocene grains are similar to the late Eocene samples. Middle Miocene microtextures are characteristic of transport from far-field large ice sheets, originating from ice rafting from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. The Pliocene and Pleistocene samples indicate the existence of the northern Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet at this time, consistent with other proxies.

Glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) is the process by which the solid Earth responds to past and present-day changes in glaciers, ice caps, and ice sheets. This thesis focuses on vertical crustal motion of the Earth caused by GIA, which is influenced by several factors including lithosphere thickness, mantle viscosity profile, and changes to the thickness and extent of surface ice. The viscosity of the mantle beneath Antarctica is a poorly constrained quantity due to the rarity of relative sea-level and heat flow observations. Other methods for obtaining a better-constrained mantle viscosity model must be investigated to obtain more accurate GIA model predictions. The first section of this study uses seismic wave tomography to determine mantle viscosity. By calculating the deviation of the P- and S-wave velocities relative to a reference Earth model (PREM), the viscosity can be determined. For Antarctica mantle viscosities obtained from S20A (Ekstrom and Dziewonski, 1998) seismic tomography in the asthenosphere range from 1016 Pa∙s to 1023 Pa∙s, with smaller viscosities beneath West Antarctica and higher viscosities beneath East Antarctica. This agrees with viscosity expectations based on findings from the Basin and Range area of North America, which is an analogue to the West Antarctic Rift System. Section two compares bedrock elevations in Antarctica to crustal thicknesses, to infer mantle temperatures and draw conclusions about mantle viscosity. Data from CRUST 2.0 (Bassin et al., 2000), BEDMAP (Lythe and Vaughan, 2001) and specific studies of crustal thickness in Antarctica were examined. It was found that the regions of Antarctica that are expected to have low viscosities agree with the hot mantle trend found by Hyndman (2010) while the regions expected to have high viscosity are in better agreement with the trend for cold mantle. Bevis et al. (2009) described new GPS observations of crustal uplift in Antarctica and compared the results to GIA model predictions, including IJ05 (Ivins and James, 2005). Here, we have generated IJ05 predictions for a three layered mantle (viscosities ranging over more than four orders of magnitude) and compared them to the GPS observations using a χ2 measure of goodness-of-fit. The IJ05 predictions that agree best with the Bevis et al. observations have a χ2 of 16, less than the null hypothesis value of 42. These large values for the best-fit model indicate the need for model revisions and/or that uncertainties are too optimistic. Equally important, the mantle viscosities of the best-fit models are much higher than expected for West Antarctica. The smallest χ2 values are found for an asthenosphere viscosity of 1021 Pa•s, transition zone viscosity of 1023 Pa∙s and lower mantle viscosity of 2 x 1023 Pa∙s, whereas the expected viscosity of the asthenosphere beneath West Antarctica is probably less than 1020 Pa∙s. This suggests that revisions to the IJ05 ice sheet history are required. Simulated annealing was performed on the ice sheet history and it was found that changes to the recent ice load history have the strongest effect on GIA predictions. / Graduate

VILLELA, FRANCO N. J. Análise decadal do fluxo de CO2 entre o oceano e a atmosfera na passagem de Drake, Oceano Austral. 2011. 148 f. Dissertação (mestrado) Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciência Ambiental (PROCAM), Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, 2011. Para a área delimitada pelos paralelos 60ºS e 62,5ºS e pelos meridianos 60ºW e 65ºW, localizada no sul da Passagem de Drake, no Oceano Austral, próximo à Península Antártica, foram calculadas as distribuições médias de 2000 a 2009, sazonais e anual, do fluxo de CO2 na interface oceano-atmosfera e de suas variáveis associadas: a pressão parcial de CO2 na superfície marinha (PCO2sw), a pressão parcial de CO2 na atmosfera (PCO2ar), a diferença da pressão parcial de CO2 entre o oceano e a atmosfera (PCO2) e a taxa de transferência gasosa (TR), que é produto do coeficiente solubilidade do CO2 na água do mar pela velocidade de transferência gasosa. A parametrização utilizada no cálculo dos fluxos foi a de Takahashi et al. (2009) com TR dependente da velocidade do vento ao quadrado multiplicada por um fator de escala 0,26. A área de estudo tem cerca de 75 mil km2 e foi dividida em uma grade espacial de 0,5º x 0,5º, resultando em 50 quadrículas. Foram utilizados mais de 46 mil medições de PCO2sw, que na média espacial variou de 362,7 ±11,2 a 371,9 ±17,5 µatm, no verão e primavera respectivamente. A PCO2 variou de -0,4 a 5,7 µatm no outono e primavera, respectivamente. A TR variou de 0,065 ±0,04 a 0,088 ±0,002 gC.mês-1.m-2.µatm-1, no verão e inverno, respectivamente. O fluxo líquido, se tomando a concentração de gelo como negligenciável, variou de -0,039 ±0,865 a 0,456 ±1,221 gC.m-2.mês-1, no outono e inverno, respectivamente. O fluxo total anual de carbono, estimado através da média espacial por quadrícula, foi de 95 GgC.ano-1. Dessa maneira, na estimativa anual, a superfície do mar se comporta como fonte de CO2 para a atmosfera, principalmente devido à região da plataforma continental com PCO2sw consideravelmente maior que o da atmosfera. Sazonalmente sugere-se que no verão a maior disponibilidade de radiação solar, a temperatura da superfície do mar (TSM) mais elevada e os ventos mais fracos favorecem a produção de biomassa fitoplanctônica, fazendo com que a bomba biológica seja o processo dominante na diminuição da PCO2sw e na absorção de CO2 atmosférico pela superfície marinha. Já no inverno, os ventos se intensificam e, associados com o forte resfriamento da TSM, promovem a mistura com águas profundas ricas em carbono inorgânico dissolvido, levando a superfície marinha a um estado de supersaturação de CO2 em relação à atmosfera. Ventos circumpolares de oeste mais intensos e deslocados para sul tem sido apontados como a causa do aumento da PCO2sw em igual ou maior taxa do que ocorre na atmosfera. Na área de estudo foi levantada uma tendência média da intensidade do vento de 0,23 ±0,03 m.s-1.década-1 e um aumento na freqüência da componente zonal de oeste (positiva) de 1,47 ± 1,13 % .década-1. Sugere-se que estas tendências estejam relacionadas com o Modo Anular Austral (SAM). Entretanto, a tendência decadal estimada para a PCO2sw foi menor que para a atmosfera, apesar de ambas indicarem tendência de aumento. Acredita-se que a grande variabilidade e distribuição esparsa de dados tenham mascarado a magnitude da estimativa da tendência de PCO2sw. / VILLELA, FRANCO N. J. Decadal analysis of the CO2 sea-air flux in the Drake Passage, Southern Ocean 2011. 148 f. Dissertação (mestrado) Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciência Ambiental (PROCAM), Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, 2011. For the area bounded by parallels 60°S and 62.5°S and meridians 60°W and 65°W, located in the southern Drake Passage in the Southern Ocean, near the Antarctic Peninsula, mean seasonal and annual distributions of CO2 flux at the ocean-atmosphere interface, from 2000 to 2009, have been computed, as well as their associated variables: the CO2 partial pressure at sea surface (PCO2sw), the CO2 partial pressure in atmosphere (PCO2ar), the CO2 pressure difference between ocean and atmosphere (PCO2), and the gas transfer rate (TR), which is the product of the CO2 solubility coefficient in sea water by the gas transfer velocity. The parameterization used to calculate fluxes was that of Takahashi et al. (2009) with TR depending on the squared wind speed multiplied by a scale factor 0.26. The study area has about 75,000 km2 and was divided into a grid of 0.5° x 0.5°, resulting in 50 area boxes. Over 46,000 PCO2sw measurements were used, which in the spatial mean varied from 362.7±11.2 to 371.9±17.5 µatm, in summer and spring, respectively. The PCO2 varied from 0.4 to 5.7 µatm in autumn and spring, respectively. TR varied from 0.065±0.04 to 0,088±0.002 gC.month-1.m-2.µatm-1, in summer and winter, respectively. The net flux, taking ice concentration as negligible, varied from 0.039±0.865 to 0.456±1.221 gC.month-1.m-2, in autumn and winter, respectively. The total annual carbon flux, estimated through the spatial mean per square, was 95 GgC.y-1. Thus, in the annual estimate the region acts as a source to the atmosphere, mainly due to the continental shelf having PCO2sw considerably greater than that of the atmosphere. Seasonally, it is suggested that in summer the greater availability of solar radiation, warmer sea surface temperature (SST), and weaker winds favor the production of phytoplanktonic mass, making the biological pump the dominating process in lowering the PCO2sw and the absorption of atmospheric CO2 by the sea surface. On the other hand, in winter winds intensify and, in association with the strong cooling of the SST, promote mixing with deep waters rich in dissolved inorganic carbon, leading the sea surface to a state of supersaturation in CO2 relative to the atmosphere. Stronger circumpolar west winds and displaced to the south have been pointed as the cause for the increase of PCO2sw at a rate equal to or greater than that occurring in the atmosphere. In the study area it has been detected a mean trend of wind intensity 0.23±0.03 m.s-1.decade-1 and an increase in the western zonal component of 1.47±1.3%.decade-1. It is suggested that these trends are related to the Southern Annular Mode (SAM). However, the decadal trend estimated for the PCO2sw was smaller than for the atmosphere, in spite of both indicating increasing tendencies. It is believed that the great variability and scatter distribution of the data have masked the magnitude of the PCO2SW trend estimate.