02111nas a2200205 4500008004100000245010700041210006900148260001200217300001600229490000700245520142400252100002401676700002201700700002501722700002101747700002101768700002001789700002501809856007101834 2021 eng d00aCounting carbon: Quantifying biomass in the McMurdo Dry Valleys through orbital and field observations0 aCounting carbon Quantifying biomass in the McMurdo Dry Valleys t c10/2021 a8597 - 86230 v423 a

We use correlative field studies and high-resolution multispectral remote sensing data from the WorldView-2 instrument to estimate the abundance of photosynthetically active biomass (photoautotrophs consisting primarily of microbial mats and mosses) in Canada Stream in Taylor Valley, McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV), Antarctica. In situ field investigations were performed to (1) acquire ground validation targets for atmospherically correcting satellite imagery, (2) derive spectra of “pure” geologic and biological endmembers, (3) estimate photoautotroph cover from remote sensing data, and (4) convert these coverage estimates to biomass using data collected in the field. Our results suggest that, on the morning of 12 December 2018, the Canada Stream system contained more than 3,800 kg of photosynthetically active carbon. Extrapolating our unmixing results to the entirety of the Fryxell basin of Taylor Valley, Antarctica, we model the presence of more than 750,000 kg of photosynthetically active carbon across the landscape and carbon fixation rates roughly equivalent to five hectares of tropical rainforest. The ability to spatially and temporally quantify the amount of photosynthetically active biomass using remote sensing data in the MDV of Antarctica is a revolutionary development that will help elucidate the ecological drivers and environmental responses in this cold desert landscape.

1 aSalvatore, Mark, R.1 aBarrett, John, E.1 aBorges, Schuyler, R.1 aPower, Sarah, N.1 aStanish, Lee, F.1 aSokol, Eric, R.1 aGooseff, Michael, N. uhttps://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01431161.2021.198155901794nas a2200181 4500008004100000245015800041210006900199260001200268300001400280490000600294520113500300100002201435700002101457700001601478700002201494700002401516856007201540 2018 eng d00aCatch and release: Hyporheic retention and mineralization of N-fixing Nostoc sustains downstream microbial mat biomass in two polar desert streams0 aCatch and release Hyporheic retention and mineralization of Nfix c07/2018 a357 - 3640 v33 a

 

Much work has been performed to investigate controls on nitrogen (N) uptake in streams, yet the fate of assimilated N is comparatively poorly resolved. Here, we use in-stream fixed N as an isotopic tracer to study the fate of assimilated N in glacial meltwater streams. We characterized d15N signatures of Oscillatorean, Chlorophyte, and N-fixing Nostoc mats over the lengths of two streams, and transported particulate organic matter (POM) in one. POM was isotopically most similar to Nostoc, which always had values near the atmospheric standard, suggesting N-fixation. Other mat types were depleted upstream, and became progressively enriched downstream, indicating a shift in N source. These results collectively show that Nostoc-derived N is mobilized, mineralized, and increasingly assimilated downstream as more depleted glacier-derived N is exhausted, demonstrating the importance of organic matter processing to balancing elemental budgets, and improving our understanding of nutrient cycling in lotic environments.

 

1 aKohler, Tyler, J.1 aStanish, Lee, F.1 aLiptzin, D.1 aBarrett, John, E.1 aMcKnight, Diane, M. uhttps://aslopubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/lol2.10087