Clearwater Mesa is a pristine area located SE of Croft Bay in James Ross Island, at the northeast of the Antarctic Peninsula. The closest anthropic construction is the summer Mendel station located 25 km to the NE. Clearwater is a remote basalt volcanic mesa, (64° 01' S, 57° 42' W) located at ~ 250 m a.s.l., with around 50 small shallow lakes, a well-developed lichens flora and scarce fauna. The mesa offers a good opportunity to use lichens, like Usnea antarctica, as a biomonitor species. The aim of this study was to determine the baseline levels of trace elements in Usnea antarctica and their relationships with geographical parameters and climatological aspects, to use them as reference levels in futures studies. Usnea antarctica was collected in 23 sites in two transects: perpendicular and parallel to the shore. We found high contents of the elements associated with long-distance transport like Sm, La, Sc, Fe, Co, Hg, and Ca. The elements linked to the marine biogenic cycle as Sr, Rb, Cs, K, Na, Sb, As, Se, and Br were less significant. The distance to the sea was the factor that related the element contents. Hg, Se, As, and Br content in Usnea antarctica increased from the inland towards the sea coast.
Keywords: Antarctica; Biomonitor; Lichen; Trace elements.