Unraveling environmental and anthropogenic factors ShaPing the snow microbiome and antibiotic REsistome At Dome C (Antarctica)
Programme: Programma Nazionale di Ricerca in Antartide (PNRA)
Duration: 3 November 2025 – 2 November 2027
Legacy and emerging organic contaminants have raised increasing concerns due to their persistence, transport potential and toxicity. Polar regions are special eco-environmental systems and generally used as an important global background area. Increasing human activities and presence in Antarctica may have notable impacts at local scale, generating environmental pollution. Among pollutants of interest, there are personal care products (e.g., detergents, soaps, lotions, toothpastes, sunscreens, fragrances, and moisturizers), microplastics, and pharmaceuticals (e.g., antibiotics and their residues, analgesics, anti-inflammatory drugs and antidepressants). Considering the effectiveness of snow scavenging of air pollutants, snow acts as an important sink for the distribution of pollutants among different matrices in polar regions (cold-trapping). Especially, scavenging and remobilization of pollutants by snow deposition and melting under the global climate change condition may enhance the pivotal impact on driving pollutants exchange between environmental matrices. This could affect the microbial ecology (biodiversity and ecological roles) in snowy ecosystems, e.g. stimulating the development of antibiotic resistance in snow and its dissemination through the atmosphere and through snow melting. Despite these potential impacts, the anthropogenic impact on the snow antibiotic resistome remains to be elucidated. With SPREAD, snow samples subjected to different levels of anthropogenic activities, and surrounding the Concordia Base, will be collected over a year at Dome C (Antarctica) to evaluate the pollution level and the potentially related impact on the biological community structure and activities. In particular, the composition of the antibiotic resistome will be explored. Expected results will contribute in surveying antibiotic resistance development in anthropogenically impacted sites, even in remote areas.
Objectives
Specific objectives will be to:
- assess the whole biodiversity spatial distribution and temporal dynamics
- assess the occurrence and spread of personal care products, pharmaceuticals and microplastics
- describe the resistome, and assess the spread of antibiotic resistance and pathogens
- analyze the response by microbial communities to contaminants in snow
- characterize the viable bacterial community for biodiversity and metabolic activities
Coordinator: Angelina Lo Giudice, CNR-ISP
SZN Principal Investigator: Carmen Rizzo
Partners:
National Research Council, Institute of Polar Sciences
Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn
Univerity of Pisa
Programma Nazionale di Ricerca in Antartide (PNRA)
Duration: 3 November 2025 – 2 November 2027
Introduction
Legacy and emerging organic contaminants have raised increasing concerns due to their persistence, transport potential and toxicity. Polar regions are special eco-environmental systems and generallyusedas an important global background area. Increasing human activities and presence in Antarctica mayhavenotable impacts atlocal scale, generatingenvironmentalpollution. Amongpollutants of interest, there are personal care products (e.g., detergents, soaps, lotions, toothpastes, sunscreens, fragrances, and moisturizers), microplastics, and pharmaceuticals (e.g., antibiotics and theirresidues, analgesics, anti-inflammatorydrugs and antidepressants). Considering the effectiveness of snowscavenging of air pollutants, snow acts as an importantsink for the distribution of pollutantsamongdifferentmatrices in polarregions (cold-trapping). Especially, scavenging and remobilization of pollutants by snowdeposition and melting under the global climatechangeconditionmayenhance the pivotal impact on drivingpollutantsexchangebetweenenvironmentalmatrices. Thiscouldaffect the microbialecology (biodiversity and ecologicalroles) in snowyecosystems, e.g. stimulating the development of antibioticresistance in snow and itsdisseminationthrough the atmosphere and throughsnow melting. Despitethesepotential impacts, the anthropogenic impact on the snowantibioticresistomeremains to be elucidated. With SPREAD, snow samples subjected to differentlevels of anthropogenic activities, and surrounding the Concordia Base, will be collected over a yearat Dome C (Antarctica) to evaluate the pollutionlevel and the potentiallyrelated impact on the biological community structure and activities. In particular, the composition of the antibioticresistomewill be explored. Expectedresultswillcontribute in surveyingantibioticresistancedevelopment in anthropogenicallyimpactedsites, even in remote areas.
Objectives
Specificobjectiveswill be to:
- assess the wholebiodiversityspatialdistribution and temporal dynamics
- assess the occurrence and spread of personal care products, pharmaceuticals and
microplastics
- describe the resistome, and assess the spread of antibioticresistance and pathogens
- analyze the response by microbial communities to contaminants in snow
- characterize the viable bacterial community for biodiversity and metabolic activities
Coordinator: Angelina Lo Giudice, CNR-ISP
SZN Principal Investigator:Carmen Rizzo
Partners:
National ResearchCouncil, Institute of Polar Sciences
Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn
Univerity of Pisa
