a) multiscale investigations of soils and subsurfaces aimed at identifying water, ice, mineral resources, and potential natural shelters, as well as studying surface and deep dynamic processes and the landscape evolution of terrestrial planets;
b) atmospheric analyses focused on assessing environmental conditions compatible with human or microbial life;
c) astrobiological studies of extremophiles and plants in extreme environments and in simulated planetary conditions;
d) examples of innovative instrumentation and research infrastructures for the analysis of soils, atmospheres, and biological systems in planetary or analogue contexts.
The overall goal is to advance our understanding of planets as integrated and living systems, in which geological, atmospheric, chemical, and potential biological processes interact within a unified picture, and to foster dialogue across disciplines. Contributions from Early Career Scientists, as well as results from experimental campaigns carried out at terrestrial analogue sites, are particularly encouraged.
Posters on site: Tue, 5 May, 14:00–15:45 | Hall X4
Developing science-driven instrumentation and methodologies for the investigation of lunar subsurface materials, such as water ice, and surface to near-surface mineral resources is the main goal of HARLOCK (High-resolution Autonomous Resource Lunar Observation & Characterization Kit) project, which is a strategic Italian project coordinated by CNR and INAF, as part of the PRORIS initiative [1].
Among the HARLOCK technologies, the penetrating radar is one of the few ones having a high Technology Readiness Level since it has been an effective payload for rover and lander adopted in Moon observation missions, for instance the China missions Chang'e-3-6 [2] - [6]. However, as well-known, the penetrating radar provides a high-resolution subsoil image only once the collected data are processed properly. In this frame, an open issue is the design of imaging approaches based on reliable mathematical models of signal propagation and diffraction in stratified media (air/soil), whose electromagnetic characteristics are typical of the planetary environment of interest. Furthermore, another relevant issue is the capability of exploiting the increased information content offered by multi-antenna systems collecting data by using more than one transmitting and receiving antenna.
This contribution deals with two imaging approaches for multi-antenna penetrating radar systems, which face the imaging in a stratified medium as a linear inverse scattering problem. The approaches exploit two different ray-based propagation models: Interface Reflection Point (IRP) model and Equivalent Permittivity (EP) model. These models were previously proposed for single transmitter single receiver penetrating radar system [7], and adopted to process Chang'E-4 Lunar Penetrating Radar data [8]. Specifically, a performance analysis comparing the approaches in terms of reconstruction capabilities and computational burden will be presented at the conference. It is worth pointing out that the performance analysis in terms of resolution supports the definition of the penetrating radar system requirements for a given soil, while considering the size of the objects to be detected. Furthermore, computational efficiency is essential to move towards real time imaging.
References
[1] PRORIS Consortium (2024), PRORIS – Programma di Ricerca Spaziale di Base, INAF–CNR Joint Program. Available at: https://www.proris.it
[2] Ip, W.-H., et al. Preface: The Chang’e-3 lander and rover mission to the Moon. Res. Astron. Astrophys. 14, 1511, 2014.
[3] Jia, Y. et al. The scientific objectives and payloads of Chang’E− 4 mission. Planet. Space Sci. 162, 207–215, 2018.
[4] Li, C. et al. The Moon's farside shallow subsurface structure unveiled by Chang'E-4 Lunar Penetrating Radar, Science Advances, 6 (9), 2020.
[5] Su, Y. et al. Hyperfine Structure of Regolith Unveiled by Chang’E-5 Lunar Regolith Penetrating Radar. IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote Sens. 60, 1–14 (2022)
[6] Li, C. et al. Nature of the lunar farside samples returned by the Chang’E-6 mission. Natl. Sci. Rev. nwae328, 2024.
[7] Catapano, I. et al. Contactless ground penetrating radar imaging: State of the art, challenges, and microwave tomogra-phy-based data processing. IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Magazine, 10.1: 251-273, 2021.
[8] Soldovieri, F. et al. Microwave tomography for Lunar Penetrating Radar data processing in Chang'e 4 mission. Scientific Reports, 15(1):5219, 2025.
How to cite: Esposito, G., Gennarelli, G., Noviello, C., Ludeno, G., Catapano, I., and Soldovieri, F.: Designing a penetrating radar system for lunar surveys as part of the HARLOCK project, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-10438, 2026.
The Boulby Underground Laboratory (BUL) is the UK’s deep underground science facility located in north-east of England, 1.1 km below the surface in the ICL Boulby Mine, an active polyhalite mine.
BUL was established in 1988 to search for dark matter, because with an overburden of 2805 meters water equivalent, the cosmic radiation is decreased a million-fold, making BUL one of a few underground laboratories around the world suitable for experiments requiring low background radiation conditions. In the beginning, BUL was purely focused on rare-event searches but has since branched out into multidisciplinary studies and the establishment of a biosciences programme.
The current underground facility includes clean room laboratory space and an Outside Experimentation Area, as well as expansion plans for an underground laboratory five times the size of the current one. The Outside Experimentation Area is well-suited for astrobiology research and analogue space studies, as it is in a layer of 200-million-year-old salt, in a hot, dusty and, in a sense, extreme environment. The flagship of the bioscience programme is the Mine Analogue Research (MINAR) Programme which BUL has hosted since 2013 in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh UK Centre for Astrobiology. Arranged yearly, MINAR brings together international teams from NASA, ESA, and universities in the UK and abroad down to Boulby for a short duration to study life in the extreme and test planetary exploration technologies.
We will give a summary of the Boulby underground laboratory and environment, and the past, present and future of our biosciences programme, with special attention to its role as an analogue site for space exploration. The Boulby lab is funded and operated by the Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) operating under the United Kingdom Research and Innovation.
How to cite: Puputti, J.: Biosciences at Boulby Underground Laboratory: a Deep Subsurface Analogue Test Environment for Planetary Exploration and Astrobiology , EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-111, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-111, 2026.
Landslides are widespread geomorphic features on solid bodies across the Solar System [1]. On Ceres, a densely cratered dwarf planet, landslides are common [2-5] and affect more than 20% of craters larger than 10 km [4]. However, their triggering mechanisms remain poorly constrained given the absence of active geological processes. Previous studies have proposed two impact-related landslide triggers on Solar System bodies: i) direct strikes on pre-existing slopes [4] and, ii) impact-induced ground shaking [6,7].
Based on criteria including freshness, well-defined margins, optimal illumination and no crater saturation, we selected eight landslides ̶ out of fifty-seven associated with nearby impact craters ̶ for detailed morphological analysis. All of the selected landslides occurred on the outer rim of impact craters, and in most cases within the wall of an older, pre-existing crater. Each landslide was mapped using high-resolution LAMO imagery and the 100 m global shape model [8].
Crater size-frequency distributions were measured on both landslide deposits and impact crater ejecta using two approaches: i) including all craters and, ii) considering only primary craters. A Voronoï tessellation was used to filter out secondary impact areas [9], and absolute model ages were computed using the lunar-derived model [10].
The crater counting method revealed that the eight landslides are geologically young, ranging from ~13.5 Ma to ~107 Ma. Notably, these ages are consistent with those of the nearby impact crater ejecta, indicating a temporal overlap between landslides and impact events.
Overall, the analyses revealed a spatial and temporal correlation between the landslides and nearby impacts on Ceres, which provides evidence for the mechanism that triggered the mass movements [12]. The results from Ceres show that this approach is effective in identifying similar relationships between impact events and landslides on other Solar System bodies.
References:
[1] Brunetti M. T. and S. Peruccacci (2023) Oxford Res. Encyclop. Planet. Sci.
[2] Schmidt B. E. et al. (2017) Nature Geosci. 10, 338–343
[3] Chilton H. T. et al. (2019) J. Geophys. Res. Planets 124, 1512–1524
[4] Duarte K. D. et al. (2019) J. Geophys. Res. Planets 124, 3329–3343
[5] Parekh, R. et al. (2021) J. Geophys. Res. Planets 126, e2020JE006573
[6] Neuffer D. P. and R. A. Schultz (2006) Q. J. Eng. Geol. Hydrogeol. 39, 227–240
[7] Bickel V. T. et al. (2020) Nat. Commun. 11, 2862
[8] Park R. S. et al. (2019) Icarus 319, 812–827
[9] Discenza et al. (2022) Planet. Space Sci. 217, 105503
[10] Hiesinger et al. (2016) Science 353, 6303
[11] Discenza et al. (2025) Commun. Earth & Environ. 6, 1042
How to cite: Brunetti, M. T., Discenza, M. E., Molaro, L., Minnillo, M., Komatsu, G., and Miccadei, E.: Landslides and nearby impact events on Ceres: evidence of triggering through morphological analysis and absolute model dating, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-2594, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-2594, 2026.
One of the most critical challenges to expand human exploration on the surface of Mars is radiation protection for astronauts on long-duration missions, due to the severe health effects that can be caused by long-term exposure to radiation.
In space there are two main sources of radiation: Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCRs) and Solar Particle Events (SPEs). Mars does not have an intrinsic magnetic field capable of providing any significant shielding from space radiation. As a result, energetic particles in GCRs and SEPs can penetrate the Mars atmosphere and interact with the atmosphere, before reaching the surface, and with the Martian subsurface, generating many secondary particles. These interactions result in a complex radiation spectrum, given by primary and secondary particles, that depend on the planetary atmospheric and geological properties. An understanding of the Martian radiation environment is important to identify potential natural shelters for astronauts, that can lead to incoming radiation loss of energy through ionization processes and provide a long-term reduction of the exposure to radiation from above. Possible shelter candidates are subterranean lava tubes, natural underground tunnels formed by flowing lava that cools and solidifies on the surface while molten lava continues to flow beneath, that can be large and structurally stable, potentially offering natural protection from cosmic radiation, solar wind, strong temperature excursion, dust and micrometeorite impacts, for future exploration and habitation. Recent works [1] have highlighted the presence on Mars of voluminous underground caves and potential lava tubes with sizes typically ranging from around 50 meters and depths often exceeding 100 meters.
We implemented Monte Carlo simulations, using CORSIKA 8 [2] [3] and FLUKA [4], to study the radiation environment on Mars, with a precise modelling of the cascade of secondary particles generated during interactions and a detailed atmospheric model. Therefore, we made a precise quantification of the change of particle spectra under different shielding environment like at Martian surface, subsurface and within Martian caves, for different given subsurface compositions and solar activity conditions. Also, we compared the simulated radiation levels within caves to surface conditions, in order to quantify the benefits offered by subsurface environments.
[1] Sauro F., et al., Lava tubes on Earth, Moon and Mars: A review on their size and morphology revealed by comparative planetology, Earth Science Reviews, 2020.
[2] Engel R., et al., Towards A Next Generation of CORSIKA: A Framework for the Simulation of Particle Cascades in Astroparticle Physics, 2019.
[3] Alameddine J. M., et al., Simulating radio emission from particle cascades with CORSIKA 8, 2025.
[4] Battistoni G., et al., Overview of the FLUKA code, Annals of Nuclear Energy, 2015.
How to cite: Orientale, N., Bonechi, L., Borselli, D., D'Alessandro, R., Frosin, C., and Gonzi, S.: Monte Carlo simulations of the Martian surface and subsurface radiation environment for human missions, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-6966, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-6966, 2026.
Aeolian processes are a dominant agent of surface modification on Mars, and the distribution, orientation, and morphology of wind-formed bedforms provide key constraints on both present-day atmospheric circulation and past climatic conditions. However, direct measurements of near-surface winds are limited to a small number of landing sites, restricting our ability to characterize wind regimes at regional and global scales. Atmospheric General Circulation Models (GCMs) therefore play a central role in reconstructing Martian wind patterns, but their outputs require substantial post-processing to be meaningfully compared with geomorphological observations. Systematic and accessible tools that link atmospheric simulations to aeolian surface processes are essential for model validation and for interpreting the climatic significance of observed landforms.
We present the Martian Surface/Atmosphere Web Interface, a freely accessible, web-based platform designed to facilitate the investigation of wind-driven sediment transport and bedform formation on Mars. The interface is built upon atmospheric simulations produced by the NASA Ames Global Circulation Model and provides an integrated workflow that converts modeled near-surface winds into quantitative predictions of sand flux and bedform orientations. By enabling remote execution of computationally intensive analyses through a user-friendly interface, the platform removes the need for local installations and specialized expertise in handling large GCM datasets.
Sand fluxes are derived using two complementary parameterizations that reflect different physical assumptions about aeolian transport. The first follows the formulation of Kok (2010), which accounts for saltation hysteresis by distinguishing between fluid and impact thresholds, allowing sediment transport to persist under lower wind stresses. The second approach is based on Rubanenko et al. (2023) and adopts the Martin and Kok (2017) saltation flux law, which assumes a linear scaling of sediment flux with shear stress, supported by field observations and theoretical considerations of splash-dominated entrainment. The parallel implementation of these formulations allows users to evaluate the sensitivity and robustness of transport predictions.
The resulting sand fluxes are further used to estimate bedform orientations through implementations of two end-member formation mechanisms: the bed instability mode and the elongation mode. The interface provides directional statistics and circular plots of transport vectors, enabling rapid comparison between modeled wind regimes and observed aeolian patterns. The underlying simulation dataset spans approximately the last 400 kyr of Martian climate history and explores a broad range of climatic scenarios, including variations in atmospheric pressure, axial obliquity, orbital eccentricity, and longitude of perihelion. These parameters capture the influence of orbital forcing and atmospheric density on near-surface winds and sediment transport.
The Martian Surface/Atmosphere Web Interface provides a unified and accessible framework to explore surface–atmosphere interactions across Mars. It supports the validation of atmospheric models, aids in distinguishing active from relict aeolian landforms, and offers new opportunities to investigate the role of climatic variability in shaping the Martian surface through time.
How to cite: Grasso, F. M., Silvestro, S., Rizza, U., Vaz, D. A., and Fenton, L.: Martian Surface / Atmosphere Web Interface, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-12311, 2026.
The pace of space exploration has visibly accelerated, reminiscent of the 1960s space race era. However, following this reinvigorated drive to establish a presence in the Solar System, a critical issue demands attention: exogeoconservation, the protection of irreplaceable geological heritage on celestial bodies beyond Earth. As scientific and commercial ventures prepare to exploit extraterrestrial resources at increasingly faster pace, exogeoconservation can no longer be ignored. The worlds we seek to explore and exploit contain invaluable records of Solar System evolution and quantitative, data-driven foundations are now required for balanced policies enabling responsible resource utilization while protecting the geological heritage.
While planetary protection policies set strict rules to prevent biological contamination of other worlds, no parallel system exists for managing the impact on abiotic environments and materials. Over 20 years ago, the concept of "planetary parks" was proposed to protect unique geological sites [1]. More recently, authors have called for the establishment of exogeoconservation as a discipline based on terrestrial geoconservation practices that protect geoheritage, i.e. geological features of scientific, cultural or aesthetic importance [2]. However, implementation has stalled.
Existing international laws like the Outer Space Treaty lack mechanisms to identify and designate geological conservation areas on celestial bodies. And, although it has been proposed to draw an example from the Antarctic Treaty System’s regulation system, a fundamental barrier remains: criteria for identifying exogeoheritage features are undefined and attempts to directly translate geoconservation methods to Mars using orbital data have failed to pinpoint targets for protection [3]. This underscores the fundamental lack of strategies and policies to inventory and assess the significance of extraterrestrial geological environments in the context of a fast evolving exploration pace. On Earth, geoconservation relies on extensive field mapping and hierarchization based on rarity, scientific value, and other factors, and now analogous exogeoheritage assessment tools and benchmarks tailored to remote planetary data are needed. The new space race era presents both challenges and opportunities, and it is a collective responsibility to seize this moment and chart a course that balances progress with conservation.
[1] Cockell, C., & Horneck, G. (2004). A planetary park system for Mars. Space policy, 20(4), 291-295.
[2] Matthews, J. J., & McMahon, S. (2018). Exogeoconservation: Protecting geological heritage on celestial bodies. Acta Astronautica, 149, 55-60.
[3] Fletcher, C., Van Kranendonk, M., & Oliver, C. (2025). Practical exogeoconservation of Mars: Lessons from the Mars Desert Research Station, Utah. Planetary and Space Science, 256, 106038.
How to cite: De Toffoli, B.: Identifying and Protecting Geological Heritage in the Solar System, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-19426, 2026.
The “Earth Moon Mars” (EMM) Research Infrastructure has been established within the framework of the Italian National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) to support scientific activities across multiple domains, particularly in the areas of Planetary Sciences and Earth Observation. EMM is conceived as a distributed research ecosystem articulated into a set of complementary elements, including an upgrade of the Sardinia Radio Telescope aimed at extending its reception capabilities to deep-space signals, an initiative addressing feasibility studies and prototypical developments for a lunar outpost and Moon-based instrumentation for Universe and Earth observation, and the Earth and Mars Research Network (EMN), which provides an integrated system specifically designed to enable long-term observational, modelling, and data integration capabilities across Earth and planetary science domains. EMM is the outcome of a joint effort involving the National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF), the National Research Council (CNR), and the Italian Space Agency (ASI), which contribute distinct but synergistic expertise and assets.
At the time of writing, the EMM Research Infrastructure is evolving from an initial construction and consolidation phase toward a fully operational configuration. Within this context, the present contribution focuses on the EMN component, realized as a composite and distributed system that implements an end-to-end scientific workflow, ranging from observations to modelling activities. EMN integrates heterogeneous elements including hardware facilities, software environments, data resources, and consolidated scientific and technological know-how. Its architecture supports the full observational and analytical chain, encompassing calibration and validation of satellite data, radiative transfer modelling, data fusion approaches, data assimilation systems, and meteorological and climate models applicable to both terrestrial and planetary atmospheres.
A central aspect of EMN lies in its capacity to promote interaction and cross-fertilization between Earth Observation and Planetary Sciences communities. This interaction is pursued through the integration of observational assets and modelling tools, as well as through the harmonization of methodologies and workflows that are traditionally developed within separate disciplinary contexts. In this sense, EMN provides a structure in which observational data and modelling activities are jointly exploited, enabling consistent interpretation and enhanced scientific use of multi-source datasets.
The contribution outlines how the various EMN segments have been progressively developed during the course of the EMM project These include observational infrastructures, modelling and simulation environments, data processing and analysis chains, and knowledge-based components supporting interpretation and scientific exploitation. Together, these elements form an integrated system designed to operate across a wide range of spatial and temporal scales.
EMN is expected to enter its operational phase in 2026 and will be made available to the international scientific community for at least a decade, supporting a wide range of Earth and planetary science applications. While operating as an autonomous component, EMN remains tightly integrated with the other elements of the EMM Research Infrastructure, contributing to its overall coherence and long-term sustainability.
How to cite: Cortesi, U.: The Earth and Mars Research Network: an end-to-end component of the EARTH MOON MARS Research Infrastructure , EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-21448, 2026.
While AI and neural networks automation advance, human interpretation of planetary imagery remains essential for mapping surface features, yet it introduces uncertainty due to variable expertise, fatigue, and ambiguous boundaries. Standardized protocols, best practices, and scalable participation are increasingly important to ensure reproducibility while addressing the growing volume of data. This study examines whether non‑expert individuals, after targeted training, can integrate with or substitute expert researchers in identifying and mapping boulders on the lunar surface, and quantifies where human variability most affects outcomes.
Two high‑resolution Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter image subsets in Mare Crisium, east of the Luna‑24 landing site and adjacent to a fresh ~1‑km Copernican crater, served as test areas (pixel scale ~0.5 m). An expert benchmark was established by three professional mappers and compared against two participant cohorts: 26 trainees from a winter school focused on planetary geological mapping and 65 amateur astronomers contributing via Zooniverse, a Citizen‑Science web platform. All participants received concise training to independently map two areas with different boulder densities. Detection performance and internal consistency were evaluated as a function of observer-related factors, image features, and boulder size/density, alongside the impact of simple workflow rules designed to reduce ambiguity.
Results reveal observer‑dependent variability, with larger discrepancies in the amateur cohort, particularly in dense fields and for smaller features close to the detection threshold. Agreement is highest on isolated, high‑contrast boulders and declines where shadowing, albedo variations, or overlapping features complicate the interpretation. Short, standardized criteria and targeted examples reduce differences in results between observers, especially among trainees, while improving repeatability within each cohort. Aggregating multiple non‑expert annotations and applying basic quality gates, such as mapped features abundance, produces outputs approaching expert‑level reliability.
Non‑expert contributors, when provided with focused instruction and lightweight quality control, can reliably augment expert efforts in lunar boulder mapping, particularly for routine counting and mapping in simple settings. However, they do not fully substitute experts in ambiguous contexts, where professional judgment remains remarkably better for consistent classification and boundary decisions. These findings support an hybrid approach combining expert‑defined standards, brief training modules, consensus‑based citizen contributions, and standardized workflows to enhance throughput without compromising scientific robustness, reliability, and consistency. More broadly, the structured approach demonstrated here, by combining expert-defined standards, targeted training, and consensus mechanisms, offers a potentially transferable methodological framework for research domains facing similar challenges of graphic data volume and interpretive complexity.
How to cite: Rossato, S., Criscuolo, L., Da Lio, C., Dal Sasso, G., Frasca, G., Rossi, V. M., Vivaldo, G., Zaggia, L., Pajola, M., and Tusberti, F.: Human Factors in Lunar Boulder Mapping: Can Citizen Scientists Support Experts?, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-21837, 2026.
Brine pockets embedded within Antarctic permafrost and subglacial environments represent natural laboratories for studying microbial life under polyextreme conditions—high salinity, sub-zero temperatures, and oligotrophy. These analogues to extraterrestrial environments, such as the sub-ice oceans of Europa or the briny regolith of Mars, are crucial to astrobiological investigations looking to define the limits of life. As part of the Italian National Research Programme in Antarctica (PNRA) in the framework of the CLICPERECO project, a structured sampling campaign was conducted in the Tarn Flat (TF) area of Northern Victoria Land, where multiple brine inclusions were discovered and sampled. Samples were collected from a triangular sampling grid with vertices TF1, TF2, and TFB, each 18 meters apart, and from a central point (TF3) at three depths: 380, 460, and 510 cm (TF3-380, TF3-460, TF3-510), along with a sediment sample at the lake bottom (SED-TF3). DNA was extracted using the DNeasy PowerSoil Kit, followed by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing on the Illumina HiSeqX platform. Taxonomic assignment was performed using the SILVA 138.1 database. The prokaryotic community displayed substantial spatial and vertical heterogeneity. Across all samples, Actinomycetota, Bacteroidota, and Proteobacteria were the dominant phyla. In the triangular grid, Actinomycetota reached over 32% at TF1 and TFB, while Cyanobacteriota dominated TF2 (29.4%), suggesting influence from light exposure or surface dynamics. In the central borehole, clear depth-related stratification was observed. Actinomycetota decreased from 48.9% at TF3-380 to 14.6% at TF3-510, whereas anaerobic lineages like Thermodesulfobacteriota (from 0.02% to 4.3%) and Campylobacterota (up to 2.1%) increased with depth, indicating a shift toward more reduced conditions. At the genus level, “Candidatus Aquiluna” and Ilumatobacter dominated surface layers, while deep samples harbored sulfate reducers such as Desulfoconvexum, Desulfuromusa, and Geopsychrobacter. The genus Thiomicrorhabdus surged from <0.01% in surface layers to >11.6% at 460 cm, further indicating sulfur-driven metabolisms in deeper brines. The detection of high abundances of Patescibacteria (up to 7.5% at TF3-460), a superphylum comprising ultra-small, often symbiotic bacteria, suggests that deep brine ecosystems may support complex, syntrophic microbial interactions.
These findings highlight the presence of stratified, diverse microbial consortia finely tuned to microenvironmental gradients within analysed brines. The ecological novelty and functional potential of these communities extend the known boundaries of microbial life on Earth and offer compelling analogies for life detection strategies beyond our planet. Future work integrating metagenomics, metabolomics, and in situ geochemical measurements will be crucial to uncover the evolutionary and adaptive mechanisms underlying life in these cryo-habitats.
How to cite: Azzaro, M., Lo Giudice, A., Rappazzo, A. C., Guglielmin, M., and Papale, M.: Prokaryotic Communities in polar Brines: Ecological and Astrobiological Insights from Antarctica, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-21972, 2026.
