The Antarctica continent brings on images of white ice and a blue sky. However, moss beds suddenly appear in Australia’s Casey Station, 3,880 km south of Perth. Sadly, heatwaves, ozone depletion, and changing climate conditions all contribute to the decline in the health of these moss beds. We don’t fully comprehend the issue, though. In Antarctica, research is challenging. Data gathering times are brief and may take years between study opportunities. Fortunately, new technology provides answers. We went to Casey Station in December 2022. We spent two months in the field to understand the moss and discover better solutions, combining our expertise in biology, drone piloting, programming, and artificial intelligence.
Large moss beds were mapped, and a new sensor system that provides year-round, continuous moss data was tested. We’re excited to share the preliminary findings with you while conducting this study. Little woodlands teeming with activity Sunlight, warmth, and liquid water are necessities for plants. Antarctic plants must endure months of darkness, icy conditions, and drought brought on by frozen water, but moss has adapted to this harsh habitat.
Moss surveillance in Antarctica
In Antarctica, moss predominates over other plant species. More than 99% of Antarctica’s land biodiversity comprises invertebrates, microorganisms, and fungi, and it offers habitat for these species. The moss beds are alive with life and resemble small woods. Antarctic moss uses pigments to absorb sunlight to produce its warm microclimate. This warmth promotes photosynthesis and aids in the melting of snow by mosses so they may acquire liquid water. The mosses’ microclimates and health are affected by changes in the amount of light that moss beds’ little hills and valleys receive. We would cautiously balance on rocks once we reached the moss to collect samples and set up data recorders. These were made up of four sensors that gauged the temperature of the canopy at various points in the moss bed. Additionally, we monitored photosynthesis and gathered moss samples for pigment analysis, which shows stress and health status. A moss bed with our equipment attached can be seen in the shot below. The intricate microtopography and a mix of healthy and distressed mosses are visible. Green and soft moss indicates health. Red mosses that are under stress eventually turn grey. Even mosses only a few centimeters apart might have very diverse microclimates. In the image below, some mosses (near the red marker) had warmed up to 19°C, whereas just 30cm away, the moss was only at 0.6°C.
Investigating the Relationship between Moss beds
Thanks to the data we collect, we can investigate relationships between the moss beds’ physical composition, microclimates, and moss health indicators: smart transmitters, cameras, and sensors. We also put the first iteration of an intelligent, autonomous, and long-term sensing platform to the test while we were in Antarctica. Since it can collect and send data over a longer time outside of typical summer field operations, including winter time, it provides scientists with more information than earlier data-collection systems. The prototype kept an eye on the mossy area close to Casey Station for a month and a half. Its sensors recorded the amount of light, the temperature and humidity of the surrounding air, the temperature of the moss canopy, and finally, the energy exchanged between the soil and the surrounding air. A webcam known as MossCam regularly recorded photographs of the moss bed.
Intelligent Sensors and AI for Studying in Australia
Additionally, we set up the first LoRaWAN wireless network antenna in Antarctica. It costs nothing to use and has a long range. This enabled us to transmit data back to Australia in almost real-time and show it on a dashboard website that is exclusively accessible to Australians. The platform worked better than anticipated after a few early problem fixes. At the end of the season, we took it home to be improved upon and used the following year. Hyperspectral imaging and drones We conducted 25 drone flights, gathering information from the ASPAs 135 and 136 in the Antarctic. Antarctica provides substantial difficulties for drone operations. Strong winds and proximity to the magnetic pole make flying challenging and interfere with GPS navigation.
Smart Sensors for Mapping
Extreme cold shortens battery life and is hard on the user’s fingers. We equipped our drones with RTK (real-time kinematics, a method to remove position mistakes), multiple redundancies, and battery warmers to make them more resistant to adverse weather. On each flight, our drones could take between 5,000 and 10,000 pictures. They had sophisticated sensors as well. These sensors capture the “spectral signatures” that separate landscape elements like moss, rock, and snow inside the image.
These photos will be combined and mapped to their physical locations on Earth. Using machine learning, we will train a model to recognize vegetation, including moss, lichen, and cyanobacteria. Additionally, we will develop ecology and hydrology. Virtual reality experiences, 3D fly-throughs, and maps help management and conservation decision-making. One adventure comes to an end, while another just started. We frequently had curious penguins come over while working to observe what we were doing. The best part of the day was always making friends with these locals. However, after a few beautiful months working in the field, it was time to pack up and go home. In order to get to Wilkins Aerodrome, we traveled 60 kilometers inland, crossing the Antarctic Circle. Before boarding and departing for Tasmania, we waited at -20°C to see our aircraft touch down on the runway made of blue ice. There, it seemed as though we had just awoken from a dream.
