The Universidad Mayor has been awarded a new project by the National Agency for Research and Development (ANID), in the Specific Thematic Area of “Antarctic Science”.
Dr. Cristóbal Galbán, from the GEMA (Genomics, Ecology and Environment) Centre, is leading the initiative “Recirculation of emerging organic contaminants driven by meltwater and its trophic effects in Antarctic coastal ecosystems (ICE-trophic)”, which he will develop alongside researchers from the University of Talca, Universidad San Sebastián, and Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, institutions associated with the project.
The study will focus on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals,” found in everyday products such as waterproof fabrics, firefighting foams, cosmetics, and takeaway food packaging. These contaminants are highly resistant to degradation and can travel thousands of kilometres via air and ocean currents.
“They have been detected in Antarctica in higher concentrations than classic pollutants,” warned the academic. The team will investigate how these compounds are released as a result of melting accelerated by climate change, how they move through the ecosystem, how they affect microorganisms, plankton, fish, and invertebrates, and what their impact is on the Antarctic coastal food chain.
The project aims to generate key information for the design of conservation strategies for the white continent and for the training of new polar scientists, among other objectives.
For Galbán, this award “will allow us to answer frontier questions alongside researchers with whom I usually work,” adding that “we will make a scientific contribution that had not been made before in Chile from the perspective of the objective we are addressing”.
