01763nas a2200157   4500008004100000245010800041210006900149260001200218300001200230490000700242520123700249100002101486700002501507700002501532856004801557       2015                        eng d00aSpatiotemporal Dynamics of Wetted Soils across a Polar Desert Landscape, McMurdo Dry Valleys Antarctica0 aSpatiotemporal Dynamics of Wetted Soils across a Polar Desert La  c04/2015  a197-2090 v273 aLiquid water is scarce across the landscape of the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV), Antarctica, a 3800 km2 ice-free region, and is chiefly associated with soils that are adjacent to streams and lakes (i.e. wetted margins) during the annual thaw season. However, isolated wetted soils have been observed at locations distal from water bodies. The source of water for the isolated patches of wet soil is potentially generated by a combination of infiltration from melting snowpacks, melting of pore ice at the ice table, and melting of buried segregation ice formed during winter freezing. High resolution remote sensing data gathered several times per summer in the MDV region were used to determine the spatial and temporal distribution of wet soils. The spatial consistency with which the wet soils occurred was assessed for the 2009–10 to 2011–12 summers. The remote sensing analyses reveal that cumulative area and number of wet soil patches varies among summers. The 2010–11 summer provided the most wetted soil area (10.21 km2) and 2009–10 covered the least (5.38 km2). These data suggest that wet soils are a significant component of the MDV cold desert land system and may become more prevalent as regional climate changes.1 aLangford, Z., L.1 aGooseff, Michael, N.1 aLampkin, Derrick, J.  uhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S095410201400060102257nas a2200133   4500008004100000245011700041210006900158260004000227490000900267520175200276100002102028700002502049856004902074       2013                        eng d00aAre the Dry Valleys getting wetter? A preliminary assessment of wetness across the McMurdo Dry Valleys landscape0 aAre the Dry Valleys getting wetter A preliminary assessment of w  bPennsylvania State Universityc20130 vM.S.3 a<p>Liquid water is scarce across the landscape of the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV), Antarctica and is associated with soils that are adjacent to streams and lakes, during the annual thaw season. However, seeps, water tracks, and wet patches have been observed at several other locations as well. The source of water for these is likely generated by a combination of infiltration from melting snowpacks, melting of pore ice at the ice table beneath the water tracks, and melting of buried segregation ice formed during winter freezing. We are using high resolution (&lt;1m pixel) remote sensing data gathered several times per week in the MDV region to determine the spatial and temporal distribution of wet soils. We assess the spatial consistency with which these wet soils occur for the 2008-2009 to 2011-2012 austral summers with complete coverage and partial coverage for 2003-2004 and 2006-2007 austral summers using a land cover classification. We also quantify the soil moisture of wetted soils using an artificial neural network (ANN). The ANN utilizes field radiometer data to retrieve estimates of surface moisture based on the spectral measurements and soil moisture samples collected during the 2010-2011 field season. The remote sensing based analyses of the wetted soils have shown the magnitude to vary greatly and how topography and regional microclimates influence the wetted soils in the MDV. The 2010-2011 austral summer provided the most wetted soil area, 10.21 km<sup>2</sup>, and 2008- 2009 covered the least, 5.38 km<sup>2</sup>. The ANN soil moisture distribution in the MDV shows values ranging from 0.36 % to over 19 %. We suggest that wet soils are a significant component of this cold desert land system and ecosystem.</p>1 aLangford, Z., L.1 aGooseff, Michael, N.  uhttps://etda.libraries.psu.edu/catalog/17364