A University of Malta scientist has spent two weeks in Antarctica studying how global warming is changing the shape of the seabed and the life which inhabits it.

Aaron Micallef, from the university’s Department of Geosciences, was part of a two-man team researching how and where climate change is leading to freshwater “leaking” from the ocean floor.

Micallef and his German colleague, Thomas Müller, spent around six days carrying out fieldwork aboard a Zodiac, a type of small inflatable landing craft popular with science teams.

They collected water samples and recorded video footage of the seabed.

“We hope this journey will help raise awareness about how our actions can, unfortunately, lead to adverse effects on remote and untouched places like Antarctica,” he said, adding the team hopes to be ready to publish the results by June.

The expedition was co-organised by the scientific journal National Geographic.

The university professor travelled to the world’s southernmost continent as part of a two-man team to study the impact of global warming on the oceans’ floors.

The expedition saw Micallef and his German professor colleague visit several coastal sites along the western Antarctic peninsula, where they collected water samples and recorded video footage of the seabed.

University of Malta professor Aaron Micallef on board the ice-class ship National Geographic Explorer in Antarctica.

Speaking to Times of Malta just after returning from the expedition, Micallef described the experience as “extraordinary, almost beyond the power of words to capture”.

Their journey began on January 27 in the southern Argentine town of Ushuaia, where they boarded the National Geographic Explorer, an ice-class expedition ship and the organisation’s flagship.

The voyage saw them spending two days crossing the infamous Drake Passage, a treacherous stretch of open water just above the Southern Ocean where the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans meet.

According to National Geographic, some of the world’s strongest ocean currents flow through the Drake Passage and “huge rogue waves”, even higher than 65 feet, have been reported.

Upon reaching Antarctica, Micallef and Müller spent around six days carrying out fieldwork aboard their small inflatable landing craft.

We hope this journey will help raise awareness about how our actions can, unfortunately, lead to adverse effects on remote and untouched places like Antarctica

Describing the western Antarctic peninsula as “experiencing the most significant warming in the southern hemisphere”, the Maltese scientist said the purpose of their visit was to find places where freshwater is “leaking” from the ocean floor due to global warming.

He said they wanted to see how this was affecting the shape of the seabed and the life which inhabits it.

But, in addition to the scientific value of the expedition, Micallef described how the region had a significant personal impact on him.

“I consider it as one of the most stunning locations I have ever visited. The coastline is dramatic, breathtaking and unspoiled, adorned with vivid colours,” he said.

Sharing that Antarctica had always been at the top of his dream destinations list, Micallef described the continent as “teeming with wildlife, offering us intimate encounters with various whales, seals, penguins and birds”.

Micallef described it as ‘one of the most stunning locations’ he had ever visited.

The university professor said he saw the expedition as a foundation for more ambitious and thorough fieldwork that he hoped to undertake soon. He said the team was hoping to be able to publish the results of their studies by June.

Antarctica is the fifth-largest continent on the planet, larger than both Europe and Oceania.

It is home to the largest single piece of ice on earth – the Antarctic Ice Sheet – according to National Geographic.

At this time of year, summer in the southern hemisphere, temperatures in Antarctica hover around 0°C. In winter, however, the temperature in coastal regions can drop to around -30°C and even lower inland.

By winter, surface ice in Antarctica grows by about six times to reach around 19 million square kilometres.

By winter, ice in Antartica will cover around 19 million square kilometres.

The expedition was part of a Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic voyage, with the financial support of the Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic Fund.

It was not the first sea expedition for Micallef, however, who, in August, was part of a team to discover three large underwater volcanoes and a 100-metre shipwreck off Sicily’s south-west coast.

Logistic support was provided by Lindblad Expeditions with additional support given by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.

Micallef represented the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, in California and Müller the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, in Germany.