Geoenvironments from the vicinity of Arctowski Station, Admiralty Bay, King George Island, Antarctica: vulnerability and valuation assessment

The use of a geographic information system (GIS) allows the mapping and quantification of biotic and physical features of importance to the environmental planning of Antarctic areas. In this paper we examined the main aspects of the geoenvironments of Arctowski Station vicinity (Admiralty bay, Maritime Antartica), by means of a photointerpretation of an orthomosaic at 1:6000 scale, produced by non-conventional aerial photographs obtained by the Brazilian Cryosols project. We carried out a preliminary environmental valuation and vulnerability assessment of the area. Hence, geoenvironments were classified and ranked according with their biological valuation and vulnerability (fragility), mapping 20 units covering approximately 150 ha. The most fragile geoenvironmental units were former and present penguin rookeries with different vegetation covers, all very prone to degradation by over-trampling and human perturbations. The relationships between each geoenvironment were also explored, emphasizing the ecological aspects and their valuation. In quantitative terms, the most vulnerable and fragile units (classes 4 and 5) occupy nearly 22 % of the total area, being highly concentrated near the coastal areas. There, ornithogenic input is an important factor favoring the vegetation development. Citation: Schaefer, C. E. G. R., Santana, R. M., Simas, F. B., Francelino M. R., Fernandes Filho, E. I., Albuquerque, M. A., and Calijuri, M. L. (2007), Geoenvironments from the vicinity of Arctowski Station, Admiralty Bay, King George Island, Antarctica: vulnerability and valuation assessment, in Antarctica: A keystone in a Changing World - Online Porceedings of The ISAES, edited by A.K. Cooper and C.R. Raymond et al.