@article {4843, title = {Extreme cold (-69.1{\textdegree}C) in the McMurdo Dry Valleys}, journal = {Antarctic Science}, volume = {30}, year = {2023}, month = {03/2023}, pages = {1-4}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, climate, extreme, meteorology, temperature, weather}, issn = {0954-1020}, doi = {10.1017/S0954102022000451}, url = {https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antarctic-science/article/extreme-cold-691c-in-the-mcmurdo-dry-valleys/3516874750E5EF96365A26E8D49CA4EC}, author = {Peter T. Doran and Myers, Krista F. and Christopher P. McKay and David Bromwich} } @article {4716, title = {Photosynthetic adaptation to polar life: Energy balance, photoprotection and genetic redundancy}, journal = {Journal of Plant Physiology}, volume = {268}, year = {2022}, month = {01/2022}, pages = {153557}, abstract = {

The persistent low temperature that characterize polar habitats combined with the requirement for light for all photoautotrophs creates a conundrum. The absorption of too much light at low temperature can cause an energy imbalance that decreases photosynthetic performance that has a negative impact on growth and can affect long-term survival. The goal of this review is to survey the mechanism(s) by which polar photoautotrophs maintain cellular energy balance, that is, photostasis to overcome the potential for cellular energy imbalance in their low temperature environments. Photopsychrophiles are photosynthetic organisms that are obligately adapted to low temperature (0-15 \°C) but usually die at higher temperatures (\≥20 \°C). In contrast, photopsychrotolerant species can usually tolerate and survive a broad range of temperatures (5-40 \°C). First, we summarize the basic concepts of excess excitation energy, energy balance, photoprotection and photostasis and their importance to survival in polar habitats. Second, we compare the photoprotective mechanisms that underlie photostasis and survival in aquatic cyanobacteria and green algae as well as terrestrial Antarctic and Arctic plants. We show that polar photopsychrophilic and photopsychrotolerant organisms attain energy balance at low temperature either through a regulated reduction in the efficiency of light absorption or through enhanced capacity to consume photosynthetic electrons by the induction of O2\ as an alternative electron acceptor. Finally, we compare the published genomes of three photopsychrophilic and one photopsychrotolerant alga with five mesophilic green algae including the model green alga, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. We relate our genomic analyses to photoprotective mechanisms that contribute to the potential attainment of photostasis. Finally, we discuss how the observed genomic redundancy in photopsychrophilic genomes may confer energy balance, photoprotection and resilience to their harsh polar environment. Primary production in aquatic, Antarctic and Arctic environments is dependent on diverse algal and cyanobacterial communities. Although mosses and lichens dominate the Antarctic terrestrial landscape, only two extant angiosperms exist in the Antarctic. The identification of a single \‘molecular key\’ to unravel adaptation of photopsychrophily and photopsychrotolerance remains elusive. Since these photoautotrophs represent excellent biomarkers to assess the impact of global warming on polar ecosystems, increased study of these polar photoautotrophs remains essential.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, genomic redundancy, light, photoprotection, photopsychrophily, photopsychrotolerance, Photosynthesis, temperature}, doi = {10.1016/j.jplph.2021.153557}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0176161721001966}, author = {H{\"u}ner, Norman P. A. and Smith, David R. and Cvetkovska, Marina and Zhang, Xi and Alexander G. Ivanov and Szyszka-Mroz, Beth and Kalra, Isha and Rachael M. Morgan-Kiss} } @article {4403, title = {Subglacial brine flow and wind-induced internal waves in Lake Bonney, Antarctica}, journal = {Antarctic Science}, year = {2020}, month = {02/2020}, abstract = {

Brine beneath Taylor Glacier has been proposed to enter the proglacial west lobe of Lake Bonney (WLB) as well as from Blood Falls, a surface discharge point at the Taylor Glacier terminus. The brine strongly influences the geochemistry of the water column of WLB. Year-round measurements from this study are the first to definitively identify brine intrusions from a subglacial entry point into WLB. Furthermore, we excluded input from Blood Falls by focusing on winter dynamics when the absence of an open water moat prevents surface brine entry. Due to the extremely high salinities below the chemocline in WLB, density stratification is dominated by salinity, and temperature can be used as a passive tracer. Cold brine intrusions enter WLB at the glacier face and intrude into the water column at the depth of neutral buoyancy, where they can be identified by anomalously cold temperatures at that depth. High-resolution measurements also reveal under-ice internal waves associated with katabatic wind events, a novel finding that challenges long-held assumptions about the stability of the WLB water column.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, Dry valleys, hypersalinity, lakes, proglacial, temperature}, doi = {10.1017/S0954102020000036}, url = {https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0954102020000036}, author = {Lawrence, Jade and Peter T. Doran and Winslow, Luke A. and John C. Priscu} }