COASTANTAR 2024 is the first Portuguese scientific expedition to the Antarctic Peninsula

The COASTANTAR 2024expedition 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 and Extreme Environment Sciences (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 consist 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 Catholic University of Chile. The scientists will carry out observations within the framework 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 terms of climate change and where interdisciplinary scientific research is most urgent. The COASTANTAR 2024 expedition is based on a low-cost, low-environmental-impact logistics model, an innovative and efficient approach to a Polar Program.

Funded by FCT, PROPOLAR's mission is to promote and support the development of Portuguese polar science of excellence, allowing 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.