AMIGA

Antarctic Methane and Ice-Marine-Guano Assessment

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Research Team

Alejandro Román

Alejandro Román

Postdoctoral Researcher

Gabriel Navarro

Gabriel Navarro

Research Scientist

Susana Flecha

Susana Flecha

Postdoctoral Researcher

Emma Huertas

Emma Huertas

Research Scientist

The Project

Drag & Explore
GHG Flux
01

GHG Flux Measurements

Simultaneous CH₄ and CO₂ flux measurements using LI-COR gas analyzers and smart chamber systems, combined with drone-mounted Sniffer 4D sensors for spatially resolved atmospheric sampling over the Emperor penguin colony at Atka Bay.

Ice Shelf
02

Ice Shelf Dynamics

Understanding how ice shelf dynamics affect greenhouse gas emissions. Laboratory analyses of ice cores and meltwater from the Atka and Ekström ice shelves will identify biogeochemical drivers of gas exchange.

AI Upscaling
03

AI-Driven Upscaling

Convolutional neural networks for automated penguin counts and machine learning algorithms integrating drone multispectral data with Sentinel-2 satellite imagery for regional scaling of site measurements.

Penguin Colony
04

Penguin Colony Assessment

Guano analysis and population assessment of the Emperor penguin colony to understand biological methane hotspots and their role in Antarctic carbon cycles, supporting global GHG budget assessments.

Drone Remote Sensing
05

Drone Remote Sensing & Open Data

Drone-based multispectral, thermal, and LiDAR imaging to assess surface properties. All datasets and algorithms published as open-access resources for future polar research.

RI & Study Sites

Neumayer Station III

Neumayer Station III

Research Infrastructure
Atka Bay

Atka Bay

Emperor Penguin Colony
Ice Shelves

Atka & Ekström Ice Shelves

Cryospheric Systems

News

Penguin CH4 publication
September 2026 · Publication

The AMIGA team publishes a pioneering study on chinstrap penguin colonies in npj Climate and Atmospheric Science.

AMIGA poster at SCAR 2026
August 2026 · Conference

We presented the AMIGA project at the 12th SCAR Open Science Conference in Oslo, with a poster in the general Antarctica InSync session.