@article {1166, title = {Snow in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica.}, journal = {International Journal of Climatology}, volume = {30}, year = {2010}, month = {04/2010}, pages = {633-642}, type = {Journal}, abstract = {

Snowfall was measured at 11 sites in the McMurdo Dry Valleys to determine its magnitude, its temporal changes, and spatial patterns. Annual values ranged from 3 to 50 mm water equivalent with the highest values nearest the coast and decreasing inland. A particularly strong spatial gradient exists in Taylor Valley, probably resulting from local uplift conditions at the coastal margin and valley topography that limits migration inland. More snow occurs in winter near the coast, whereas inland no seasonal pattern is discernable. This may be due, again, to local uplift conditions, which are common in winter. We find no influence of the distance to the sea ice edge. Katabatic winds play an important role in transporting snow to the valley bottoms and essentially double the precipitation. That much of the snow accumulation sublimates prior to making a hydrologic contribution underscores the notion that the McMurdo Dry Valleys are indeed an extreme polar desert. Copyright \© 2009 Royal Meteorological Society

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Biggie}, doi = {10.1002/joc.1933}, author = {Andrew G Fountain and Thomas H. Nylen and Andrew Monaghan and Hassan J. Basagic and David Bromwich} } @article {1184, title = {A Contemporary Microbially Maintained Subglacial Ferrous "Ocean"}, journal = {Science}, volume = {324}, year = {2009}, month = {04/2009}, pages = {397-400}, type = {Journal}, abstract = {

An active microbial assemblage cycles sulfur in a sulfate-rich, ancient marine brine beneath Taylor Glacier, an outlet glacier of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, with Fe(III) serving as the terminal electron acceptor. Isotopic measurements of sulfate, water, carbonate, and ferrous iron and functional gene analyses of adenosine 5\′-phosphosulfate reductase imply that a microbial consortium facilitates a catalytic sulfur cycle. These metabolic pathways result from a limited organic carbon supply because of the absence of contemporary photosynthesis, yielding a subglacial ferrous brine that is anoxic but not sulfidic. Coupled biogeochemical processes below the glacier enable subglacial microbes to grow in extended isolation, demonstrating how analogous organic-starved systems, such as Neoproterozoic oceans, accumulated Fe(II) despite the presence of an active sulfur cycle.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Biggie}, doi = {10.1126/science.1167350}, url = {http://www.sciencemag.org/content/324/5925/397.short}, author = {Jill A. Mikucki and Pearson, A and Johnston, D and Turchyn, A and Farquhar, J and Schrag, D and Anbar, A and John C. Priscu and Lee, P} } @inbook {1213, title = {Glacial ecosystems}, booktitle = {Ecological Monographs}, volume = {78}, year = {2008}, pages = {41-67}, edition = {1}, abstract = {
There is now compelling evidence that microbially mediated reactions impart a significant effect upon the dynamics, composition, and abundance of nutrients in glacial melt water. Consequently, we must now consider ice masses as ecosystem habitats in their own right and address their diversity, functional potential, and activity as part of alpine and polar environments. Although such research is already underway, its fragmentary nature provides little basis for developing modern concepts of glacier ecology. This paper therefore provides a much-needed framework for development by reviewing the physical, biogeochemical, and microbiological characteristics of microbial habitats that have been identified within glaciers and ice sheets. Two key glacial ecosystems emerge, one inhabiting the glacier surface (the supraglacial ecosystem) and one at the ice-bed interface (the subglacial ecosystem). The supraglacial ecosystem is characterized by a diverse consortium of microbes (usually bacteria, algae, phytoflagellates, fungi, viruses and occasional rotifers, tardigrades, and diatoms) within the snowpack, supraglacial streams, and melt pools (cryoconite holes). The subglacial system is dominated by aerobic/anaerobic bacteria and most probably viruses in basal ice/till mixtures and subglacial lakes. A third, so-called englacial ecosystem is also described, but it is demonstrated that conditions within glacier ice are sufficient to make metabolic activity and its impact upon nutrient dynamics negligible at the glacier scale.
Consideration of the surface and internal heat balances of the glacier show that all glacial ecosystems are sensitive to climate change, although at different timescales. Thus, while rapid, melt-driven habitat changes lead to melt-out, resuscitation, and redistribution of microorganisms in many supraglacial ecosystems, much slower climatic and glacial mass-balance processes effect such changes in the subglacial ecosystem. Paradoxically, it is shown that these forces have brought about net refreezing and the onset of cryostasis in the subglacial ecosystems of many Arctic glaciers subject to thinning in recent decades.
}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Biggie, snow ecology}, doi = {10.1890/07-0187.1}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/07-0187.1}, author = {Hodson, A and Alexandre M. Anesio and Martyn Tranter and Andrew G Fountain and Osborn, M and John C. Priscu and Johanna Laybourn-Parry and Sattler, B} } @article {1236, title = {Biogeochemical stoichiometry of Antarctic Dry Valley ecosystems}, journal = {Journal of Geophysical Research}, volume = {112}, year = {2007}, month = {02/2007}, pages = {G01010+12}, abstract = {

Among aquatic and terrestrial landscapes of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, ecosystem stoichiometry ranges from values near the Redfield ratios for C:N:P to nutrient concentrations in proportions far above or below ratios necessary to support balanced microbial growth. This polar desert provides an opportunity to evaluate stoichiometric approaches to understand nutrient cycling in an ecosystem where biological diversity and activity are low, and controls over the movement and mass balances of nutrients operate over 10\–106\ years. The simple organisms (microbial and metazoan) comprising dry valley foodwebs adhere to strict biochemical requirements in the composition of their biomass, and when activated by availability of liquid water, they influence the chemical composition of their environment according to these ratios. Nitrogen and phosphorus varied significantly in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems occurring on landscape surfaces across a wide range of exposure ages, indicating strong influences of landscape development and geochemistry on nutrient availability. Biota control the elemental ratio of stream waters, while geochemical stoichiometry (e.g., weathering, atmospheric deposition) evidently limits the distribution of soil invertebrates. We present a conceptual model describing transformations across dry valley landscapes facilitated by exchanges of liquid water and biotic processing of dissolved nutrients. We conclude that contemporary ecosystem stoichiometry of Antarctic Dry Valley soils, glaciers, streams, and lakes results from a combination of extant biological processes superimposed on a legacy of landscape processes and previous climates.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Biggie}, doi = {10.1029/2005JG000141}, author = {John E. Barrett and Ross A. Virginia and W. Berry Lyons and Diane M. McKnight and John C. Priscu and Andrew G Fountain and Diana H. Wall and Daryl L. Moorhead and Peter T. Doran} } @article {1234, title = {Global Change tipping points: Above- and below-ground biotic interactions in a low diversity ecosystem}, journal = {Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, Biological Sciences}, volume = {362}, year = {2007}, month = {12/2007}, pages = {2291-2306}, type = {Journal}, abstract = {

Low diversity ecosystems are expected to be more vulnerable to global changes although they have received less attention than high diversity ecosystems. Addressing the present state of the Antarctic Dry Valley region by focusing on the potential global changes that may alter the coupling of above- and below-ground species and ecosystem processes is a realistic and critical need that has value beyond the Antarctic community. Presented here are suggested implications of global change on the Dry Valley terrestrial systems and how these effects might be manifested in the future.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Biggie, soil}, doi = {10.1098/rstb.2006.1950}, url = {http://rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/362/1488/2291.full}, author = {Diana H. Wall} } @article {1257, title = {Adaptation and acclimation of photosynthetic microorganisms to permanently cold environments}, journal = {Microbial and Molecular Biology Review}, volume = {70}, year = {2006}, month = {03/2006}, pages = {222-252}, abstract = {

Persistently cold environments constitute one of our world\&$\#$39;s largest ecosystems, and microorganisms dominate the biomass and metabolic activity in these extreme environments. The stress of low temperatures on life is exacerbated in organisms that rely on photoautrophic production of organic carbon and energy sources. Phototrophic organisms must coordinate temperature-independent reactions of light absorption and photochemistry with temperature-dependent processes of electron transport and utilization of energy sources through growth and metabolism. Despite this conundrum, phototrophic microorganisms thrive in all cold ecosystems described and (together with chemoautrophs) provide the base of autotrophic production in low-temperature food webs. Psychrophilic (organisms with a requirement for low growth temperatures) and psychrotolerant (organisms tolerant of low growth temperatures) photoautotrophs rely on low-temperature acclimative and adaptive strategies that have been described for other low-temperature-adapted heterotrophic organisms, such as cold-active proteins and maintenance of membrane fluidity. In addition, photoautrophic organisms possess other strategies to balance the absorption of light and the transduction of light energy to stored chemical energy products (NADPH and ATP) with downstream consumption of photosynthetically derived energy products at low temperatures. Lastly, differential adaptive and acclimative mechanisms exist in phototrophic microorganisms residing in low-temperature environments that are exposed to constant low-light environments versus high-light- and high-UV-exposed phototrophic assemblages.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Biggie}, doi = {10.1128/​MMBR.70.1.222-252.2006}, author = {Rachael M. Morgan-Kiss and John C. Priscu and Pocock, T and Gudynaite-Savitch, L and Norman P.A. Huner} } @article {1256, title = {Antarctic Climate Cooling and Response of Diatoms in Glacial Meltwater Streams}, journal = {Geophysical Research Letters}, volume = {33}, year = {2006}, month = {04/2006}, pages = {L07406}, type = {Journal}, abstract = {

To understand biotic responses to an Antarctic cooling trend, we analyzed diatom samples from glacial meltwater streams in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, the largest ice-free area in Antarctica. Diatoms are abundant in these streams, and 24 of 40 species have only been found in the Antarctic. The percentage of these Antarctic diatom species increased with decreasing annual stream flow and increasing harshness of the stream habitat. The species diversity of assemblages reached a maximum when the Antarctic species accounted for 40\–60\% of relative diatom abundance. Decreased solar radiation and air-temperatures reduce annual stream flow, raising the dominance of these Antarctic species to levels above 60\%. Thus, cooling favors the Antarctic species, and lowers diatom species diversity in this region.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Biggie}, doi = {10.1029/2006GL025903}, author = {Rhea M.M. Esposito and Horn, S and Diane M. McKnight and Cox, M and Grant, M and Sarah A. Spaulding and Peter T. Doran and Cozzetto, K} } @article {1279, title = {Wind dispersal of soil invertebrates in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica}, journal = {Polar Biology}, volume = {29}, year = {2006}, pages = {346-352}, abstract = {

Dispersal of soil organisms is crucial for their spatial distribution and adaptation to the prevailing conditions of the Antarctic Dry Valleys. This study investigated the possibility of wind dispersal of soil invertebrates within the dry valleys. Soil invertebrates were evaluated in (1) pockets of transported sediments to lake ice and glacier surfaces, (2) wind-transported dust particles in collection pans (Bundt pans) 100\ cm above the soil surface, and (3) sediments transported closer to the surface (\<50\ cm) and collected in open top chambers (OTCs). Invertebrates were extracted and identified. Nematodes were identified to species and classified according to life stage and sex. Three species of nematodes were recovered and\ Scottnema lindsayae\ was the most dominant. There were more juveniles (\∼71\%) in the transported sediments than adults (29\%). Tardigrades and rotifers were more abundant in sediments on lake and glacier surfaces while nematodes were more abundant in the dry sediment collections of Bundt pans and OTCs. The abundance of immobile (dead) nematodes in the Bundt pans and OTCs was three times greater than active (live) nematodes. Anhydrobiosis constitutes a survival mechanism that allows wind dispersal of nematodes in the McMurdo Dry Valleys. Our results show that soil invertebrates are dispersed by wind in the Dry Valleys and are viable in ice communities on lake surfaces and glaciers.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Biggie}, doi = {10.1007/s00300-005-0061-x}, url = {http://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007\%2Fs00300-005-0061-x}, author = {Johnson N. Nkem and Diana H. Wall and Ross A. Virginia and John E. Barrett and Broos, E and Porazinska, D and Byron Adams} } @article {1289, title = {Potential soil organic matter turnover in Taylor Valley, Antarctica}, journal = {Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research}, volume = {37}, year = {2005}, month = {02/2005}, pages = {108-117}, type = {Journal}, abstract = {

Antarctic Dry Valley ecosystems are among the most inhospitable soil ecosystems on earth with simple food webs and nearly undetectable fluxes of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N). Due to the lack of vascular plants, soil organic matter concentrations are extremely low, and it is unclear how much of the contemporary soil C budget is actively cycling or a legacy of paleolake production and sedimentation. While recent work indicates multiple sources of organic matter for dry valley soils, the composition and kinetics of organic pools remain poorly characterized. We examined soil organic matter pools and potential C and N turnover in soils from within six sites located across three hydrological basins of Taylor Valley, Antarctica that differed in surface age, microclimate and proximity to legacy (paleolake) sources of organic matter. We estimated potential C and N mineralization, and rate kinetics using gas exchange and repeated leaching techniques during 90-d incubations of surface soils collected from valley basin and valley slope positions in three basins of Taylor Valley. Soil organic C content was negatively correlated with the ages of underlying tills, supporting previous descriptions of legacy organic matter. Carbon and N mineralization generally followed 1st order kinetics and were well described by exponential models. Labile pools of C (90 d) were 10\% of the total organic C in the upper 5 cm of the soil profile. Labile N was 50\% of the total N in surface soils of Taylor Valley. These results show that a large proportion of soil C and particularly N are mineralizable under suitable conditions and suggest that a kinetically defined labile pool of organic matter is potentially active in the field during brief intervals of favorable microclimate. Climate variation changing the duration of these conditions may have potentially large effects on the small pools of C and N in these soils.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Biggie}, doi = {10.1657/1523-0430(2005)037[0108:PSOMTI]2.0.CO;2}, url = {http://instaar.metapress.com/content/e653225425230175/}, author = {John E. Barrett and Ross A. Virginia and Andrew N. Parsons and Diana H. Wall} } @article {1376, title = {Snow patch influence on soil biogeochemical processes and invertebrate distribution in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica}, journal = {Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research}, volume = {35}, year = {2002}, month = {02/2003}, pages = {91-99}, type = {Journal}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Biggie}, doi = {10.1657/1523-0430(2003)035[0091:SPIOSB]2.0.CO;2}, url = {http://instaar.metapress.com/content/r086455ju7213711/}, author = {Michael N. Gooseff and John E. Barrett and Peter T. Doran and Andrew G Fountain and W. Berry Lyons and Andrew N. Parsons and Porazinska, D and Ross A. Virginia and Diana H. Wall} } @article {1374, title = {Valley floor climate observations from the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, 1986-2000}, journal = {Journal of Geophysical Research}, volume = {107}, year = {2002}, month = {12/2002}, pages = {4772-4784}, type = {Journal}, abstract = {

Climate observations from the McMurdo dry valleys, East Antarctica are presented from a network of seven valley floor automatic meteorological stations during the period 1986 to 2000. Mean annual temperatures ranged from \−14.8\°C to \−30.0\°C, depending on the site and period of measurement. Mean annual relative humidity is generally highest near the coast. Mean annual wind speed increases with proximity to the polar plateau. Site-to-site variation in mean annual solar flux and PAR is due to exposure of each station and changes over time are likely related to changes in cloudiness. During the nonsummer months, strong katabatic winds are frequent at some sites and infrequent at others, creating large variation in mean annual temperature owing to the warming effect of the winds. Katabatic wind exposure appears to be controlled to a large degree by the presence of colder air in the region that collects at low points and keeps the warm less dense katabatic flow from the ground. The strong influence of katabatic winds makes prediction of relative mean annual temperature based on geographical position (elevation and distance from the coast) alone, not possible. During the summer months, onshore winds dominate and warm as they progress through the valleys creating a strong linear relationship (r2\ = 0.992) of increasing potential temperature with distance from the coast (0.09\°C km\−1). In contrast to mean annual temperature, summer temperature lends itself quite well to model predictions, and is used to construct a statistical model for predicting summer dry valley temperatures at unmonitored sites.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Biggie}, doi = {10.1029/2001JD002045}, author = {Peter T. Doran and Christopher P. McKay and Gary D. Clow and Gayle L. Dana and Andrew G Fountain and Thomas H. Nylen and W. Berry Lyons} } @article {1375, title = {Weathering reactions and hyporheic exchange controls on stream water chemistry in a glacial meltwater stream in the McMurdo Dry Valleys}, journal = {Water Resources Research}, volume = {38}, year = {2002}, month = {12/2002}, pages = {1279-1296}, type = {Journal}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Biggie}, doi = {10.1029/2001WR000834}, url = {http://www.agu.org/pubs/crossref/2002/2001WR000834.shtml}, author = {Michael N. Gooseff and Diane M. McKnight and W. Berry Lyons and Blum, A} } @article {1398, title = {Bacterial dissolved organic carbon demand in antarctic dry valley lakes}, journal = {Limnology and Oceanography}, volume = {46}, year = {2001}, month = {07/2001}, pages = {1189-1194}, type = {Journal}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Biggie}, doi = {10.4319/lo.2001.46.5.1189}, url = {http://www.jstor.org/stable/2671031}, author = {Cristina D. Takacs-Vesbach and John C. Priscu and Diane M. McKnight} } @article {1422, title = {Phytoplankton dynamics in a stably stratified Antarctic lake during winter darkness}, journal = {Journal of Phycology}, volume = {36}, year = {2000}, month = {10/2000}, pages = {852-861}, type = {Journal}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Biggie, winter}, doi = {10.1046/j.1529-8817.2000.00031.x}, author = {Diane M. McKnight and B. L. Howes and C. D. Taylor and D. D. Goehringer} } @article {1421, title = {Stratification and dynamics of microbial loop communities in Lake Fryxell, Antarctica}, journal = {Freshwater Biology}, volume = {44}, year = {2000}, month = {12/2001}, pages = {649-661}, type = {Journal}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Biggie, protozoa}, doi = {10.1046/j.1365-2427.2000.00612.x}, url = {http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1365-2427.2000.00612.x/abstract}, author = {Emily C. Roberts and Johanna Laybourn-Parry and Diane M. McKnight and Novarino, G} } @article {1423, title = {The use of anhydrobiosis by soil nematodes in the Antarctic Dry Valleys}, journal = {Functional Ecology}, volume = {14}, year = {2000}, month = {08/2000}, pages = {460-467}, type = {Journal}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Biggie, survival strategies}, doi = {10.1046/j.1365-2435.2000.00442.x}, url = {http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1365-2435.2000.00442.x/full}, author = {Amy M Treonis and Diana H. Wall and Ross A. Virginia} } @inbook {1449, title = {Arctic and Antarctic lakes: contrast or continuum?}, booktitle = {Poles Apart: A Study in Contrasts}, year = {1999}, pages = {59-68}, publisher = {University of Ottawa Press}, organization = {University of Ottawa Press}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Biggie}, author = {Peter T. Doran and Peter Adams and Ecclestone, M} } @article {1482, title = {Perennial Antarctic Lake Ice: An Oasis for Life in a Polar Desert}, journal = {Science}, volume = {280}, year = {1998}, month = {06/1998}, pages = {2095-2098}, type = {Journal}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Biggie}, doi = {10.1126/science.280.5372.2095}, url = {http://www.sciencemag.org/content/280/5372/2095.short}, author = {John C. Priscu and Christian H. Fritsen and Edward E. Adams and Stephen J. Giovannoni and Hans W. Paerl and Christopher P. McKay and Peter T. Doran and Douglas A. Gordon and Brian D. Lanoil and James L. Pinckney} } @article {1535, title = {Viruses in antarctic lakes}, journal = {Limnol. Oceanogr.}, volume = {43}, year = {1998}, pages = {1754-1761}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Biggie}, author = {Kepner, R.L. and Robert A. Wharton Jr. and C. Suttle} } @article {1611, title = {Aquatic fulvic acids in algal-rich antarctic ponds}, journal = {Limnology and Oceanography}, volume = {39}, year = {1994}, month = {07/1994}, pages = {1972-1979}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Biggie}, author = {Diane M. McKnight and Edmund D. Andrews and Sarah A. Spaulding and George R. Aiken} } @article {1624, title = {Nematode biodiversity and community structure in Antarctic Polar Desert Soils}, journal = {Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America}, volume = {75}, year = {1994}, pages = {186}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Biggie}, author = {Powers, Laura E. and Diana W. Freckman and Ross A. Virginia} }