Return of Czech scientists from Antarctica: Expedition brings valuable data and samples

Twenty-six researchers and technical staff participated in the 20th scientific expedition to the Czech Antarctic research station of Johann Gregor Mendel on James Ross Island; part of the technical and scientific work was also carried out on Galindez Island, King George Island, and Nelson Island. In these harsh conditions, they monitored climate development, the state of glaciers and permafrost, and also focused on research of lower plants.

“A new development was the deepening of cooperation with Charles University in Prague, which resulted in the establishment of a new research section for comprehensive long-term environmental monitoring,” said Daniel Nývlt, head of the Czech Antarctic Research Programme (CARP) at the Faculty of Science, Masaryk University.

Researchers from the fields of geography, climatology, microbiology, ecology, and other disciplines successfully fulfilled their objectives in Antarctica – they are bringing back a large quantity of scientific samples and datasets to the Czech Republic.

The Mendel part of the expedition was led by Peter Váczi, Assistant Professor at the Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University.

“Peter was appointed expedition leader not only because of his experience but also due to his role as the manager of the Johann Gregor Mendel Czech Antarctic station, as this unique infrastructure provides absolutely essential support and forms the foundation of all our Antarctic research. In the next season, on February 22, 2027, we will celebrate the 20th anniversary of its official opening,” explained Nývlt.

Let us now introduce some of the research activities – and the scientists behind them.

Research on permafrost, microorganisms and climate

One of the five women in the expedition, Stanislava Bezdíček Králová, works as a microbiologist at the Faculty of Pharmacy of Masaryk University and at Mendel University in Brno. During the expedition, she studied bioactive peptides produced by microorganisms as well as microbial communities in permafrost, the active soil layer, and in Antarctic mosses and lichens.

Lucia Kaplan Pastíriková, on her third trip south, focused on periglacial geomorphology. She studied the properties and changes of permafrost and the active layer within the prestigious ERC-CZ project “The Influence of Soil Moisture on the Dynamics of the Active Layer and Permafrost in the Antarctic Peninsula Region,” led by Filip Hrbáček from the Department of Geography, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University. Working closely with the Polar-Geo-Lab Brno team was engineering geologist Martin Maľa from Comenius University in Bratislava. He investigated, among other topics, heat propagation in rock massifs and thermomechanical processes leading to slope deformation. During the expedition, he installed a prototype temperature dilatometer, maintained monitoring stations, and collected thermal and multispectral surface data using unmanned systems.

Matěj Roman, also a member of Polar-Geo-Lab Brno and coordinator of the geoscience section of CARP, collected data and samples for the broader scientific community; he also focused on reconstructing glacier retreat chronology using exposure dating of erratic boulders.

Simona Szymszová from the Department of Geography, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, worked on meteorology and climatology on James Ross Island, particularly solar radiation, cloud cover, and their interactions. She was also responsible for maintaining automatic weather stations and downloading and checking data.

Kamil Láska, also from the same department, coordinates the atmospheric research section. He focuses on measuring and modeling microclimate and local climate in polar regions, studying energy exchange between the Earth’s surface and the atmosphere. In cooperation with Charles University, he has recently focused on snow cover research and glacier response to climate change.

Pavel Švec from the Czech Collection of Microorganisms coordinates microbiological research within the Czech Antarctic Programme. He studies the diversity of microorganisms, particularly bacteria, in the extreme environment of Antarctica.

Experienced sientists and long-term research

Some researchers have participated in the expedition multiple times. Tomáš Uxa from the Institute of Geophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences took part for the third time. During the expedition, he initiated a new series of measurements of ground movements caused by freezing and thawing. His research aims to refine models describing soil temperature. In connection with the ERC-CZ project, he also monitored permafrost changes as part of Masaryk University’s long-term monitoring.

Tyler Kohler, an ecosystem ecologist from Charles University, visited Antarctica for the fourth time, though this was his first participation within the Czech Antarctic Research Programme. On James Ross Island, he launched long-term ecological monitoring (LTEM) to track changes in Antarctic ecosystems over time and understand how climate change affects the region.

Michal Goga from Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice studied the adaptation of lichens and bryophytes to environmental stress, including proteins, secondary metabolites, and their potential applications in biotechnology.

A smaller sub-expedition, the “Nelson” team, in addition to its research, completed repairs of a deteriorating roof of a facility belonging to the logistical background of the Czech field camp provisionally named CZ*ECO Nelson. Besides the main research objectives, intensive work was carried out here within an ERC-CZ project focused on remote sensing and soil moisture mapping. Observations were also conducted for several institutes of the Czech Academy of Sciences, including the Institute of Psychology, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Institute of Nuclear Physics, and the Astronomical Institute.

Doctoral students and a medical doctor on the expedition

Doctoral students also took part in the expedition. Jakub Kilnar studies environmental geography at the University of Ostrava. In Antarctica, he investigated the formation of landslides in deglaciated areas of James Ross Island. His research often required moving through rugged terrain, where he had to spend several nights in a tent.

The youngest member of the expedition was plant stress physiologist Jiří Sekerák from the Department of Experimental Biology, Masaryk University. He focused on vegetation gradients around lakes, measured chlorophyll fluorescence in lichens, mosses, and biological soil crusts, and collected samples for follow-up experiments in Brno. Stress physiology was also studied by researcher Josef Hájek, who examined the cold and frost resistance of thalli of selected foliose lichen species.

A medical doctor was also essential for the expedition – Bronislav Stibor, who in civilian life specializes in anesthesiology and intensive care medicine. His main role during the expedition was to improve the medical equipment at the Mendel station and ensure that all team members returned safely and in good health.

Field assistant Veronika Švecová supported the scientists with sample collection, ensured their safety in the field, and documented the expedition photographically. She also played an important role as an assistant to the expedition doctor.

The station also required technical support, provided by members of the technical team, Honza Lunga and electrical engineer Marek Záleský, who was seconded to the expedition for the season by Thermo Fisher. They were responsible primarily for the station’s electrical systems as well as other technical equipment. “Although both were in Antarctica for the first time, they performed excellently,” said expedition leader Peter Váczi.

Expedition logistics and course

Due to different timing and research locations, the Mendel and Nelson expedition teams did not meet in Antarctica this year. Both parts of the expedition started later, as arranging transport has become increasingly complicated.

“We are a national Antarctic programme with the smallest budget of all. Without our own icebreaker or helicopter, we must rely on transport provided by national programmes of other countries or use services of small private operators active in the region,” said Pavel Kapler, manager of the Czech Antarctic Research Programme.

Despite complications with weather and equipment, the expedition logistics were successful: researchers spent five weeks at the Johann Gregor Mendel Czech Antarctic station and two weeks in the field camp on Nelson Island.

More information can be found on CARP’s social media channels:  https://www.facebook.com/polar.sci.muni.cz