NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI)

1. Hindcasting Ecosystems

   Project Investigators: Hector D' Antoni

   Other Project Members

   Maria Absy (Collaborator)

   Roy Armstrong (Collaborator)

   Seth Burgess (Doctoral Student)

   Lidia Burry (Collaborator)

   Richard Felger (Collaborator)

   Nora Madanes (Collaborator)

   Jorge Marcos (Collaborator)

   Jaime Matta (Collaborator)

   Ante Mlinarevic (Collaborator)

   Jose Perez Gollan (Collaborator)

   Cynthia Schultz (Masters Student)

   Jay Skiles (Co-Investigator)

   Matilde Trivi (Collaborator)

   Nilda Weiler (Collaborator)

   Jeanette Zamora (Undergraduate Student)

   Maximo Magnoni (Collaborator)

   Ellen Metzger (Co-Investigator)

   Estela Mansur (Collaborator)

   Amanda Smith (Undergraduate Student)

   Astrobiology Roadmap Objectives:

   • Objective 6: Define how ecophysiological processes structure microbial communities, influence their adaptation and evolution, and affect their detection on other planets.

   Project Progress

   Project Reports
   Year 9 Annual Report
   July 1, 2006 through June 30, 2007

   Project Progress (Accomplishments)

   Collaboration with Rothschild’s team lead to the discovery of short wavelength UV radiation on the earth’s surface. We recorded high levels of UV radiation in southern South America as Rothschild and Rogoff did in the Bolivian Altiplano. We collaborate to explain this phenomenon and assess its importance. To describe our work we produced the following manuscripts for publication:

   1) D’Antoni H. and L. Rothschild. 2007. Measuring Ultraviolet Radiation in South America. (in revision: adding tests suggested by the reviewers).

   2) D’Antoni, H., A. Mlinarevic, C. Schultz, J. Skiles, J. Zamora. 2007. Hindcasting Sea Surface Temperature in South America. (Internal review).

   
   Figure 1. Hindcasting Sea Surface Temperature (SST) 1246-1620. On the left are cross references to volcanic data from the Antarctic Ice Core (?g of SO4 per liter of ice), the “El Niño” record, the European little Ice Age and its equivalent in the Peruvian Andes. Roman numerals designate intervals when the Pacific SST is below or above the average value. W = warm, c = cool.

   
   Figure 2.

   3) D’Antoni, H.L., L. Rothschild, C. Schultz, S. Burgess, J.W. Skiles. 2007. Extreme Environments in the Forests of Ushuaia, Argentina. (Submitted).

   
   Figure 3.

   
   Figure 4.

   
   Figure 5.

   4) D’Antoni, H. 2007. An Astrobleme? (Internal review)

   5) D’Antoni, H., L. Rothschild, C. Schultz, S. Burgess, J. Skiles. 2007. Ultraviolet Radiation in Southern Argentina. (Internal review).

   
   Figure 6.

   
   Figure 7.

   
   Figure 8.

   
   Figure 9.

   (6) J. Matta and collaborators at the Ponce School of Medicine in Puerto Rico, made an updated version of our study of UV effects on human skin (in Spanish). It was published in Acta Bioquímica that selected our illustrations for the cover of the 40th anniversary issue.

   (7) Burry, Trivi, and D’Antoni have produced a pollen analytic study of central Tierra del Fuego that describes the process of vegetation in the last three millennia (In revision: introducing changes suggested by reviewers).

   (8) Trivi, D’Antoni and Romero produced a history of vegetation work for Patagonia (In review).

   (9) Burry, D’Antoni and Frangi produced a history of vegetation work for Tierra del Fuego (In review).

   (10) Burry, Trivi and D’Antoni wrote chapter on the environmental history of Northern Patagonia for a book edited by Dr. C. Perez de Micou (Internal review).

   We processed the data retrieved from fieldwork (November 2006 and January 2007). Our collaborators in Buenos Aires, Mar del Plata, and Tierra del Fuego continue to monitor specific aspects of ecosystems that we use for model calibration.

   
   Figure 10.

   Modeling: We are refining predictions of past NDVI data for South America, cross referencing past ecosystem predictions with proxy data of forcings of the Holocene climate: volcanic, orbital and solar. Geographical projection of reconstructions is underway using GIS technology.

   Field Expeditions

   Name

   South America during the Ozone Hole Season

   Dates

   11/2/06 - 11/16/06

   Location

   50 S and 54 S ~ 68 W

   Description

   Solar, soil, and chlorophyll measurements

   Name

   South America after the Ozone Hole Season

   Dates

   1/2/07 - 1/12/07

   Location

   50 S and 54 S ~ 68 W

   Description

   Solar, soil, and chlorophyll measurements

   Name

   Radiation measurements in Arizona

   Dates

   11/24/06 - 11/26/06

   Location

   Description

   Solar spectrum measurement

   Name

   Local Solar Measurements

   Dates

   March -

   Location

   Description

   Measuring UV solar spectrum every 10 minutes 12-14:30

Publications

Burry, L.S., D´Antoni, H. & Frangi, J.  (Accepted, 2007).  Relaciones florísticas cuantitativas entre la lluvia polínica y la vegetación [Abstract].  XXXI Jornadas Argentinas de Botánica. Corrientes, 20 al 24 de septiembre 2007..

Burry, L.S., D'Antoni, H.L. & Frangi, J.L.  (In Revision, 2007).  Relaciones Florísticas Cuantitativas entre la lluvia de polen y la Vegetación.  In: C. Perez de Micou (Ed.).  Aquí Vivieron.

Burry, L.S., Trivi de madri, M. & D'Antoni, H.L.  (2006).  Paleocomunidades vegetales del centro de Tierra del Fuego durante el Holoceno temprano y tardío.  Revista del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales, n.s., 8(2):127-133.

Burry, L.S., Trivi de Mandri, M.E. & D'Antoni, H.L.  (Revision Complete, 2007).  Modern Analogues and Past Environments in Central Tierra del Fuego, Argentina.  Anales de la Patagonia.

Burry, L.S., Trivi, M.E. & D'Antoni, H.L.  (2006).  Paleocomunidades vegetales en el centro de la Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego durante el Holoceno. [Abstract].  XIII Simposio Argentino de Paleobotánica y Palinología. Bahía Blanca, 22-25/5/2006..

D'Antoni, H.L.  (In Press, 2007).  Archaeoecology Systemic and Chaotic (in Spanish).  Council of Scientific Research (CSIC), Madrid, Spain.

Mandri, M.E., D'Antoni, H.L. & Romero, E.J.  (Accepted, 2007).  Interpretación del Pasado en Función del Presente: La Cueva Grande del Arroyo Feo o Cueva de Altamirano (Pcia. de Santa Cruz).  In: C. Perez de Micou (Ed.).  Aquí Vivieron.

Matta, J.L., Ramos, J.M., Armstrong, R.A. & D'Antoni, H.L.  (2006).  Niveles de luz ultravioleta ambiental asociados con apoptosis y necrosis en fibroblastos humanos.  Acta Bioquímica Clínica Latinoamericana 2000 [Images of this paper form the Journal cover of the 40th anniversary issue], 40(4):553-560.

Trivi de Mandri, M.B. & D'Antoni, H.L.  (2006).  Modelo de dispersión - depositación del polen actual en Tierra del Fuego, Argentina.  Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad ., 77(1):89-95.