@article {4691,
	title = {Episodic basin-scale soil moisture anomalies associated with high relative humidity events in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica},
	journal = {Antarctic Science},
	year = {2021},
	month = {08/2021},
	pages = {1-15},
	abstract = {<p>Outside of hydrologically wetted active layer soils and humidity-sensitive soil brines, low soil moisture is a limiting factor controlling biogeochemical processes in the McMurdo Dry Valleys. But anecdotal field observations suggest that episodic wetting and darkening of surface soils in the absence of snowmelt occurs during high humidity conditions. Here, I analyse long-term meteorological station data to determine whether soil-darkening episodes are present in the instrumental record and whether they are, in fact, correlated with relative humidity. A strong linear correlation is found between relative humidity and soil reflectance at the Lake Bonney long-term autonomous weather station. Soil reflectance is found to decrease annually by a median of 27.7\% in response to high humidity conditions. This magnitude of darkening is consistent with soil moisture rising from typical background values of \&lt; 0.5 wt.\% to 2\&ndash;3 wt.\%, suggesting that regional atmospheric processes may result in widespread soil moisture generation in otherwise dry surface soils. Temperature and relative humidity conditions under which darkening is observed occur for hundreds of hours per year, but are dominated by episodes occurring between midnight and 07h00 local time, suggesting that wetting events may be common, but are not widely observed during typical diel science operations.</p>},
	keywords = {LTER-MCM, deliquescence, hydrology, microclimate, micrometeorology, pedology, remote sensing},
	issn = {0954-1020},
	doi = {10.1017/S0954102021000341},
	url = {https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0954102021000341/type/journal_article},
	author = {Joseph S. Levy}
}
@article {3210,
	title = {Experimental formation of pore fluids in McMurdo Dry Valleys soils},
	journal = {Antarctic Science},
	volume = {27},
	year = {2015},
	month = {04/2015},
	pages = {163 - 171},
	abstract = {<p>The aim of the study was to determine if soil salt deliquescence and brine hydration can occur under laboratory conditions using natural McMurdo Dry Valleys soils. The experiment was a laboratory analogue for the formation of isolated patches of hypersaline, damp soil, referred to as \&lsquo;wet patches\&rsquo;. Soils were oven dried and then hydrated in one of two humidity chambers: one at 100\% relative humidity and the second at 75\% relative humidity. Soil hydration is highly variable, and over the course of 20 days of hydration, ranged from increases in water content by mass from 0\&ndash;16\% for 122 soil samples from Taylor Valley. The rate and absolute amount of soil hydration correlates well with the soluble salt content of the soils but not with grain size distribution. This suggests that the formation of bulk pore waters in these soils is a consequence of salt deliquescence and hydration of the brine from atmospheric water vapour.</p>},
	keywords = {LTER-MCM},
	issn = {0954-1020},
	doi = {10.1017/S0954102014000479},
	url = {http://www.journals.cambridge.org/abstract_S0954102014000479},
	author = {Joseph S. Levy and Andrew G Fountain and W. Berry Lyons and Kathleen A. Welch}
}
