The Chilean Antarctic Institute (INACH) recently published the list of scientific articles about Antarctica for the year 2025 obtained from the Web of Science, a repository that brings together journals that meet high standards for article publication, reaching the historic figure of 134 articles.
“It is very important to have these records of the total number of Antarctic publications each year and the impact factor of the journals to understand which research lines have more publications and thus be able to define policies that allow for the continued development of Antarctic science and the design of public competitions,” comments INACH researcher Dr. Lorena Rebolledo, who is in charge of preparing this list.
The search criteria for articles in Web of Science include all researchers with a Chilean affiliation and the keyword “antarc*”, along with the application of filters to exclude results referring to non-Antarctic species or studies, such as cochayuyo (Durvillaea antarctica), ñirre (Nothofagus antarctica), or the yeast Candida antarctica.
These results provide an objective basis for institutional evaluation, strategic planning, and policy definition for strengthening polar science.
Scientific production during the year 2025 was primarily concentrated in lines I and VI of the National Antarctic Science Program (PROCIEN), State of the Antarctic ecosystem and Human footprints in Antarctica, respectively, with 79 papers.
Line III, Climate Change in Antarctica, shows the greatest average impact factor, but also the largest standard deviation, indicating high heterogeneity among the journals in which it is published.
The least developed line of research is Line VII, Social Sciences and Humanities, an incipient line in PROCIEN.
Furthermore, it is important to note that the publications are concentrated in high-impact journals in the Q1–Q2 quartiles, which account for 72 % of the publications during the period.
Since 2006, when PROCIEN was reformed to enhance its quality and competitiveness through open and transparent competitions, there has been a sustained increase in the number and impact of Antarctic scientific publications, rising from 16 articles to 134 reported for the year 2025.
“The international prestige achieved by Chilean polar science has facilitated collaboration with other National Antarctic Programs across all lines of PROCIEN,” comments INACH Director Gino Casassa.
For several years, INACH has been disseminating this list in both its Spanish-language journal, Boletín Antártico Chileno, and in Ilaia, in English and aimed at the international Antarctic community, available on the website https://www.inach.cl/tag/boletin-antartico-chileno/
Source INACH
