COASTANTAR 2024 is the first Portuguese scientific expedition to the Antarctic Peninsula
The COASTANTAR 2024 expedition began in February – the first Portuguese scientific sailing expedition to the Arctic Peninsula, co-financed by FCT through the Portuguese Polar Program(PROPOLAR/FCT) and by the University of Lisbon, through the College of Polar Sciences and Extreme Environments(POLAR2E/ULISBOA).
The Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, Elvira Fortunato, met with the team of scientists on January 31 via videoconference. The COASTANTAR expedition will be at sea for 15 days on a 24-meter sailboat and will be made up of an interdisciplinary team of 10 scientists from the universities of Lisbon, Algarve and Coimbra, joined by guests from the Autonomous University of Madrid and the Pontifical University of Chile. The scientists will carry out observations as part of 10 projects in the areas of marine biology, terrestrial ecology, permafrost, atmospheric sciences, natural hazards, sustainable architecture and energy efficiency, and scientific diplomacy.
Antarctica is one of the most sensitive regions on the planet in the face of climate change and where interdisciplinary scientific research is most urgently needed. The COASTANTAR 2024 expedition is based on a low-cost logistical model with reduced environmental impact, an innovative and efficient approach for a Polar Program.
Funded by FCT, PROPOLAR’s mission is to promote and support the development of Portuguese polar science of excellence, giving Portuguese researchers access to the Arctic and Antarctic. Through strong international cooperation and logistics management, PROPOLAR encourages multidisciplinary research in order to promote knowledge about the polar regions, pillars of the global climate system.
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