Antarctica

LTER EU BG 001 “ANTARCTICA, LIVINGSTONE ISLAND”

Livingston Island (62º39’S, 60º21’W) is situated in the South Shetlands, one of the Earth’s regions where warming has been more significant in the last 50 years. Livingston island shows high mountain relief, is 90% covered by glaciers and the bedrock in the research area (Hurd Peninsula) is a low-grade metasedimentary sequence of sandstone, shales and quartzite. About 10% free of ice vegetated terrains. There are two types of terrestrial ecosystems on Livingston island. The ice-free parts of the region of Hurd Peninsula form scarcely vegetated area resembling Antarctic herb tundra formation (well represented at King George Island). The two native vascular plant species (Colobanthus quitensis and Deschampsia antarctica) together with mosses and lichens form the vegetation cover. Different water bodies (small lakes, creeks) form specific freshwater habitats.

Metadata: https://deims.org/d8000a4d-76fa-47c9-85c4-3f28380741f5

Available data

Hydrochemical characteristics – Temperature, рН etc.
Chemical flows
Content of biogenic elements in soil
Biodiversity
- Diatoms in terrestrial and freshwater habitats
- Moss diversity
- Distribution of the main groups of the heterotrophic block of the micro-flora in soils, moss, rocks and ice
- Nematodes in soil habitats

Monitoring data

- Heavy metals in soil
- Heavy metal content in Neuropogon sp.

Facilities

Bulgarian Antarctic Research station with laboratories.

Research projects and On-going collaborations

Complex geological, geochemical, geophysical and ecosystem research in the area of The Bulgarian Antarctic Station on Livingstone, Antarctica, MOEW and Bulgarian Antarctic Institute, since 1995. At the Bulgarian base, studies in the field of geology, biology, glaciology, meteorology, medicine, topography and geography with multinational participation are carried out. The base is regularly visited by representatives of the Bulgarian institutions responsible for Bulgaria’s activities in the Antarcti

Main references

Chipev, N. 2005. Lichens as biomonitors with special reference to the Antarctic. In: Proceedings of the International Conference on High Precision Atomic and Nuclear Methods (Editors: A. Olariu, K. Strenstrom, R. Hellborg), Editura Academica Romane, Bucuresti. 12-16.
Chipev, N., A. Kovatchev. 1999. Preliminary data on heavy metal contents in lichens from the Livingston Island (Antarctica). In: Bulgarian Antarctic Research. Life Sciences, vol. 2: 106-109.
Chipev, N., D. Temniskova-Topalova. 1999. Diversity dynamics and distribution of diatom assemblages in land habitats on Livingston Island (Antarctica). In: Bulgarian Antarctic Research. Life Sciences, vol. 2: 32-42.
Chipev, N., K. Veltchev. 1996. Livingston Island: an environment for Antarctic life. In: Bulgarian Antarctic Research. Life Sciences: 1-10.
Chipev, N., V. Peneva, S. Nedelchev. 1996. Abundance and distribution of nematode feeding groups in relation to habitat conditions on Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands (Antarctica). In: Bulgarian Antarctic Research. Life Sciences: 1-10.
Chipeva, V., K. Christova, N. Chipev, P. Moncheva. 1996. Extracellular enzyme activity of Streptomyces strains isolated from soils on Livingston Island, Antarctica. In: Bulgarian Antarctic Research. Life Sciences: 1-10.
Dimitrova, Z., N. Chipev, B. Georgiev.1996. Record of Corynosoma pseudohamanni Zdzitowiecki, 1994 (Acanthocephala, Polymorphidae) in birds at Livingston Island, Soth Shetlands, with a review of Antarctic avian acanthocephalans. In: Bulgarian Antarctic Research. Life Sciences: 1-10.
Gyosheva, M., N. Chipev. 1999. Arrhenia salina (Hoiland)Gulden – new macromycete species to Livingston Island, South Shetlands, Maritime Antarctic. In: Bulgarian Antarctic Research. Life Sciences, vol. 2: 26-32.
Ivanova V, Dornberger K-J, Härtl A, Möllmann U, Dahse H-M, Kolarova M, Aleksieva K, Chipev N. 2007. Sanionins: Antiinflammatory and antibacterial agents from the antarctic moss Sanionia georgico-uncinata with weak/low cytotoxicity. Prep Biochem Biotech, 37 (4), pp. 343-352.
Pandurski, I., N. Chipev. 1999. Morphological variability in a Boeckella poppei Mrazek, 1901 (Crustacea, Copepoda) population from a glacial lake on the Livingston Island, the Antarctic. In: Bulgarian Antarctic Research. Life Sciences, vol. 2: 83-89.
Peneva, V., N. Chipev, S. Nedelchev. 1996. Prionchulus punctatus Cobb, 1917, a new record from Patagonia (Chile), with notes on other mononchids from Antarctic regions. In: Bulgarian Antarctic Research. Life Sciences: 1-10.
Peneva, V., N. Chipev. 1999. Laimaphelenchus helicosoma (Maslen, 1979) n.com. from the Livingston Island (Antarctica). In: Bulgarian Antarctic Research. Life Sciences, vol. 2: 57-61.
Sokolovska,M., L. Petrova, N. Chipev. 1996. Particularty of humus formation in Antarctic soils: factors, mechanisms, properties. In: Bulgarian Antarctic Research. Life Sciences: 1-10.
Temniskova-Topalova, D., N. Chipev, K. Manoilova. 1996. Preliminary report on diatoms from the Livingston Island, the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. In:
Temniskova-Topalova, D., N. Chipev. 2000. Diatoms from Livingston Island, the South-Shetland Islands, Antarctica. Proceedings of the 16-th InternationalDiatom Symposium [Ed: A. Economou-Amilli] 291-314.
Tzvetkov,Y., A. Kril, B. Georgiev, N. Chipev. 1999. Preliminary data on morphology of lesions in the intestinal wall of the gentoo penguin, Pygoscelis papua, caused by Parorchites zederi (Cestoda: Dilepididae). In: Bulgarian Antarctic Research. Life Sciences, vol. 2: 62-67.
Vasileva, G., B. Georgiev, N. Chipev, Z. Dimitrova. 1996. Cestodes from seabirds at Livingston Island, South Shetlands. In: Bulgarian Antarctic Research. Life Sciences: 1-10.