Figure 1
Overview of human biology-research methods in Antarctica. Milestones of a data collection. (i) Planning; including approval by a Research Ethics Committee. The volunteers are informed about the objectives and experimental procedures and are free to decide, at any time, not to participate in any procedure or the entire data collection without providing explanations. (ii) The locations for data collection in the summer period in Antarctica; data collection occurs in Antarctic field period and, when possible, in pre-and post-field moments on the ship, or even in laboratory-controlled environmental conditions in Brazil (15 to 30 days before the expedition and after return). For the participants’ physical characterization, anthropometric characteristics are usually evaluated. We performed collections of biological samples (e.g., blood, saliva, and urine), cardiac autonomic control measures, temperatures, and mood states using questionnaires. To assess physical fitness, incremental tests to estimate aerobic capacity are conducted on the ship (to estimate their V̊O2MAX and to assess HR at submaximal intensities) or in laboratories in Brazil (by direct measure of V̊O2MAX) (for detailed technical protocols, see Moraes et al. 2018MORAES MM, MENDES TT, MARTINS YAT, ESPINOSA CN, MALUF CB, SOARES DD, WANNER SP & ARANTES RME. 2018. The changes in maximal oxygen uptake (V̊O2MAX) induced by physical exertion during an Antarctic expedition depend on the initial V̊O2MAX of the individuals: a case study of the Brazilian expedition. Int J Circumpolar Health 77(1): 1521244., 2020MORAES MM, BRUZZI RS, MARTINS YAT, MENDES TT, MALUF CB, LADEIRA RVP, NÚÑEZ-ESPINOSA C, SOARES DD, WANNER SP & ARANTES RME. 2020. Hormonal, autonomic cardiac and mood states changes during an Antarctic expedition: From ship travel to camping in Snow Island. Physiol Behav 224: 113069., 2021MORAES MM, MENDES TT & ARANTES RME. 2021. Smart Wearables for Cardiac Autonomic Monitoring in Isolated, Confined and Extreme Environments: A Perspective from Field Research in Antarctica. Sensors 21(4): 1303., Martins et al. in press). (iii) Timeline representing a day with basal data collections in Antarctica; the collections of biological materials occur in the morning and, if necessary, at other time points of the day. Also, morning resting heart rate variability measures are obtained to assess autonomic control. To assist in the understanding of the variables, the participants are asked to answer a mood questionnaire. We also accompany the volunteers over field activities, during which we evaluate the intensity of effort and thermoregulatory responses, and monitor the daily displacement of the participants. For thermoregulatory monitoring, we measure skin temperatures by contact sensors attached to the participant’s body and by infrared thermometer for the skin exposed area (i.e., face). However, a defy is the measurement of internal temperature. A practical and wireless method that allows monitoring the internal temperature while working in the field for long hours is the use of ingestible capsules for measurement by telemetry. We performed this measure in fieldwork camps on individuals who had previously ingested a capsule in Brazil. To these methods previously used in the aforementioned works, others were added (results not yet published), such as the measure of the activity pattern over 24 hours, to evaluate the sleep/wake cycle, by actigraphy (a clock-shaped device) throughout the measurement period. (iv) After data collection and return of samples and data analysis, samples and data are processed considering fieldwork’s specific conditions. The number of volunteers in camps varied between 7 to 10 [8.2 ± 1.3 (average data and standard deviation)]. Of these, 41.5% of the participants were women [in each camp, the number of women varied from 30 to 62% (including data not yet published)].
Figure 2
Perspectives on the interaction and insights for mixed-methods of human-related research activities in Antarctica. The anthropological/qualitative views and the physiology/quantitative views methods present their field research tools that result, respectively, in socio-related and biological-focused explanations. Explanations from the methods of anthropology allow for cultural insights, while explanations from the methods of physiology allow for mechanistic insights; collectively, these responses are complementary approaches that contribute to understanding the same research problem, which is the human presence in Antarctica.