@article {4844, title = {Causes and characteristics of electrical resistivity variability in shallow (<4 m) soils in Taylor Valley, East Antarctica}, journal = {Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface}, volume = {128}, year = {2023}, month = {02/2023}, pages = {e2022JF006696}, abstract = {

Airborne electromagnetic surveys collected in December 2011 and November 2018 and three soil sampling transects were used to analyze the spatial heterogeneity of shallow (\<4 m) soil properties in lower Taylor Valley (TV), East Antarctica. Soil resistivities from 2011 to 2018 ranged from \∼33 Ωm to \∼3,500 Ωm with 200 Ωm assigned as an upper boundary for brine-saturated sediments. Elevations below \∼50 m above sea level (masl) typically exhibit the lowest resistivities with resistivity increasing at high elevations on steeper slopes. Soil water content was empirically estimated from electrical resistivities using Archie\&$\#$39;s Law and range from \∼\<1\% to \∼68\% by volume. An increase in silt- and clay-sized particles at low elevations increases soil porosity but decreases hydraulic conductivity, promoting greater residence times of soil water at low elevations near Lake Fryxell. Soil resistivity variability between 2011 and 2018 shows soils at different stages of soil freeze-thaw cycles, which are caused predominantly by solar warming of soils as opposed to air temperature. This study furthers the understanding of the hydrogeologic structure of the shallow subsurface in TV and identifies locations of soils that are potentially prone to greater rates of thaw and resulting ecosystem homogenization of soil properties from projected increases in hydrological connectivity across the region over the coming decades.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, active layer, airborne electromagnetic surveys, McMurdo Dry Valleys, permafrost dynamics}, issn = {2169-9003}, doi = {10.1029/2022JF006696}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2022JF006696}, author = {Gutterman, William S. and Peter T. Doran and Ross A. Virginia and John E. Barrett and Myers, Krista F. and Tulaczyk, Slawek M. and Foley, Neil T. and Jill A. Mikucki and Hilary A. Dugan and Grombacher, Denys and Bording, Thue S. and Auken, E.} } @article {1057, title = {Controls on diel soil CO2 flux across moisture gradients in a polar desert}, journal = {Antarctic Science}, year = {2015}, month = {06/2015}, abstract = {

The McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica are a climate-sensitive ecosystem, where future projected climate warming will increase liquid water availability to release soil biology from physical limitations and alter ecosystem processes. For example, many studies have shown that CO2\ flux, an important aspect of the carbon cycle, is controlled by temperature and moisture, which often overwhelm biotic contributions in desert ecosystems. However, these studies used either single-point measurements during peak times of biological activity or diel cycles at individual locations. Here, we present diel cycles of CO2\ flux from a range of soil moisture conditions and a variety of locations and habitats to determine how diel cycles of CO2\ flux vary across gradients of wet-to-dry soil and whether the water source influences the diel cycle of moist soil. Soil temperature, water content and microbial biomass significantly influenced CO2\ flux. Soil temperature explained most of the variation. Soil CO2\ flux moderately increased with microbial biomass, demonstrating a sometimes small but significant role of biological fluxes. Our results show that over gradients of soil moisture, both geochemical and biological fluxes contribute to soil CO2\ flux, and physical factors must be considered when estimating biological CO2\ flux in systems with low microbial biomass.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1017/S0954102015000255}, url = {http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online\&aid=9776001\&fileId=S0954102015000255}, author = {Ball, Becky and Ross A. Virginia} } @article {1264, title = {Co-variation in soil biodiversity and biogeochemistry in Northern and Southern Victoria Land, Antarctica}, journal = {Antarctic Science}, volume = {18}, year = {2006}, pages = {535-548}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {10.1017/S0954102006000587}, url = {https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antarctic-science/article/covariation-in-soil-biodiversity-and-biogeochemistry-in-northern-and-southern-victoria-land-antarctica/C3514C28DB75F3A19DB5F266D4B1B56E}, author = {John E. Barrett and Ross A. Virginia and Diana H. Wall and Craig S Cary and Byron Adams and Hacker, A and Aislabie, J} } @article {1293, title = {Comment on {\textquoteleft}{\textquoteleft}El Ni{\~n}o suppresses Antarctic warming{\textquoteright}{\textquoteright} by N. Bertler et al.}, journal = {Geophysical Research Letters}, volume = {32}, year = {2005}, pages = {L07706}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Tropical meteorology}, doi = {10.1029/2004GL021716}, author = {Peter T. Doran and Gary D. Clow and Christian H. Fritsen and Christopher P. McKay and Andrew N. Parsons and John C. Priscu and W. Berry Lyons and Walsh, J and Andrew G Fountain and Diane M. McKnight and Daryl L. Moorhead and Ross A. Virginia and Diana H. Wall} } @article {1453, title = {Controls on soil biodiversity: insight s from extreme environments}, journal = {Applied Soil Ecology}, volume = {13}, year = {1999}, pages = {137-150}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Diana H. Wall and Ross A. Virginia} } @article {1547, title = {Carbon cycling in soils of the McMurdo Dry Valley region, Antarctica}, journal = {Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America Supplement}, volume = {78}, year = {1997}, pages = {230}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, author = {Melody B. Burkins and Ross A. Virginia and Diana W. Freckman and C. Page Chamberlain} }