08.04.2026
Antarctic Expedition: Pegah Khosravani Investigates Soil Formation Processes
Pegah Khosravani, a soil scientist at the University of Tübingen, recently (in March 2026) participated in a research expedition to Antarctica to carry out her project titled “Soil Formation in Antarctica.” Along with her colleague, Florian Carlo Ficher, she conducted fieldwork and collected soil samples necessary for scientific analyses.
According to her, the trip aimed to perform field activities and gather soil samples in one of the most unique and challenging natural environments on Earth.
Pegah expressed her gratitude to her academic supervisors, stating that the support of Professor Thomas Scholten and Professor Dirk Wagner was crucial in making this exploratory trip possible. Additionally, the equipment required for sampling and laboratory work was provided by the University of Tübingen and GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, to which she extended her sincere thanks.
She also thanked the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) for providing specialized clothing and equipment suitable for the extreme Antarctic conditions, noting: “The professional equipment provided by AWI played a key role in the success of our field operations under harsh climatic conditions.”
Pegah further highlighted the substantial support of INACH Chilean Antarctic Institute, stating that from the beginning to the end of the mission, the professional INACH team in Chile offered substantial assistance and created excellent conditions at the Chilean research station for conducting this project. She also expressed her gratitude to Pablo Espinoza, the head of the Chilean station, and his team for establishing a professional environment conducive to scientific research.
During this research expedition, Pegah Khosravani and Florian Carlo Ficher were joined by other researchers, including Dr. Silvia Simonetti from the University of Siena, Italy; Prof. Dr. Javier Correa Álvarez from Universidad EAFIT, Colombia; and Prof. Dr. Mario H. Londoño-Mesa from the University of Antioquia, Colombia, as well as colleagues and researchers from Chile, Guatemala, Ecuador, and Brazil. This international group of scientists, photographers, journalists, and researchers each contributed to the study and sample collection in the unique Antarctic environment. She sincerely thanks all of them for their invaluable support, collaboration, and contributions throughout this expedition.
Pegah and her colleague, Florian Carlo Ficher, focused on investigating soil formation processes under Antarctic climatic conditions and successfully collected the samples and data required for their project.
The results of this research are expected to significantly enhance our understanding of soil formation processes under extreme climatic conditions and contribute to studies related to climate change.
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