<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><xml><records><record><source-app name="Biblio" version="7.x">Drupal-Biblio</source-app><ref-type>17</ref-type><contributors><authors><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Power, Sarah N.</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Osburn, Ernest D.</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">John E. Barrett</style></author></authors></contributors><titles><title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Microbial mat activity and soil biogeochemistry across variable phosphorus availability in Taylor Valley, Antarctica</style></title><secondary-title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Antarctic Science</style></secondary-title></titles><keywords><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">carbon</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">cyanobacteria</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">nitrogen fixation</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">phosphorus</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">pigments</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">soil ecology</style></keyword></keywords><dates><year><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2025</style></year><pub-dates><date><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">05/2025</style></date></pub-dates></dates><urls><web-urls><url><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antarctic-science/article/microbial-mat-activity-and-soil-biogeochemistry-across-variable-phosphorus-availability-in-taylor-valley-antarctica/0655E2F09B8D6961618B8F396BA692F2</style></url></web-urls></urls><language><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">eng</style></language><abstract><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">&lt;p&gt;Primary production is fundamental to ecosystems, and in many extreme environments production is facilitated by microbial mats. Microbial mats are complex assemblages of photo- and heterotrophic microorganisms colonizing sediment and soil surfaces. These communities are the dominant producers of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, where they occupy lentic and lotic environments as well as intermittently wet soils. While the influence of microbial mats on stream nutrient dynamics and lake organic matter cycling is well documented, the influence of microbial mats on underlying soil is less well understood, particularly the effects of microbial mat nitrogen and carbon fixation. Taylor Valley soils occur across variable levels of inorganic phosphorus availability, with the Ross Sea drift containing four times that of the Taylor drifts, providing opportunities to examine how soil geochemistry influences microbial mats and the ecological functions they regulate. We found that inorganic phosphorus availability is positively correlated with microbial mat biomass, pigment concentration and nitrogen fixation potential. Additionally, our results demonstrate that dense microbial mats influence the ecological functioning of underlying soils by enriching organic carbon and total nitrogen stocks (two times higher). This work contributes to ongoing questions regarding the sources of energy fuelling soil food webs and the regional carbon balance in the McMurdo Dry Valleys.&lt;/p&gt;</style></abstract></record><record><source-app name="Biblio" version="7.x">Drupal-Biblio</source-app><ref-type>17</ref-type><contributors><authors><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Thapa‐Magar, Khum B.</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Eric R. Sokol</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Michael N. Gooseff</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Salvatore, Mark R.</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">John E. Barrett</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Joseph S. Levy</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Knightly, J. Paul</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Power, Sarah N.</style></author></authors></contributors><titles><title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Remote sensing for species distribution models: An illustration from a sentinel taxon of the world's driest ecosystem</style></title><secondary-title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Ecology</style></secondary-title></titles><keywords><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Antarctica</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">McMurdo Dry Valleys</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">microbial mats</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">remote sensing</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">species distribution modeling</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">species occurrence</style></keyword></keywords><dates><year><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2025</style></year><pub-dates><date><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">02/2025</style></date></pub-dates></dates><urls><web-urls><url><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ecy.70035</style></url></web-urls></urls><volume><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">106</style></volume><pages><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">e70035</style></pages><language><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">eng</style></language><abstract><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">&lt;p&gt;In situ observed data are commonly used as species occurrence response variables in species distribution models. However, the use of remotely observed data from high-resolution multispectral remote-sensing images as a source of presence/absence data for species distribution models remains under-developed. Here, we describe an ensemble species distribution model of black microbial mats (Nostoc spp.) using presence/absence points derived from the unmixing of 4-m resolution WorldView-2 and WorldView-3 images in the Lake Fryxell basin region of Taylor Valley, Antarctica. Environmental and topographical characteristics such as soil moisture, snow, elevation, slope, and aspect were used as predictor variables in our models. We demonstrate that we can build and run ensemble species distribution models using both dependent and independent variables derived from remote-sensing data to generate spatially explicit habitat suitability maps. Snow and soil moisture were found to be the most important variables accounting for about 80% of the variation in the distribution of black mats throughout the Fryxell basin. This study highlights the potential contribution of high-resolution remote-sensing to species distribution modeling and informs new studies incorporating remotely derived species occurrences in species distribution models, especially in remote areas where access to in situ data is often limited.&lt;/p&gt;</style></abstract><issue><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2</style></issue></record><record><source-app name="Biblio" version="7.x">Drupal-Biblio</source-app><ref-type>17</ref-type><contributors><authors><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Snyder, Meredith D.</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Adams, Byron J.</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Borgmeier, Abigail</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Jorna, Jesse</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Power, Sarah N.</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Salvatore, Mark R.</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">John E. Barrett</style></author></authors></contributors><titles><title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Soil biota sensitivity to hydroclimate variability in a polar desert ecosystem</style></title><secondary-title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research</style></secondary-title></titles><keywords><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">climate variation</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">extreme weather</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">McMurdo Dry Valleys</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">microbial community</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">soil invertebrates</style></keyword></keywords><dates><year><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2025</style></year><pub-dates><date><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">05/2025</style></date></pub-dates></dates><urls><web-urls><url><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15230430.2025.2485283</style></url></web-urls></urls><volume><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">57</style></volume><language><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">eng</style></language><abstract><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">&lt;p&gt;An anomalous warm weather event in the Antarctic McMurdo Dry Valleys on 18 March 2022 created an opportunity to characterize soil biota communities most sensitive to freeze&amp;ndash;thaw stress. This event caused unseasonal melt within Taylor Valley, activating stream water and microbial mats around Canada Stream. Liquid water availability in this polar desert is a driver of soil biota distribution and activity. Because climate change impacts hydrological regimes, we aimed to determine the effect on soil communities. We sampled soils identified from this event that experienced thaw, nearby hyper-arid areas, and wetted areas that did not experience thaw to compare soil bacterial and invertebrate communities. Areas that exhibited evidence of freeze&amp;ndash;thaw supported the highest live and dead nematode counts and were composed of soil taxa from hyper-arid landscapes and wetted areas. They received water inputs from snowpacks, hyporheic water, or glacial melt, contributing to community differences associated with organic matter and salinity gradients. Inundated soils had higher organic matter and lower conductivity (p &amp;lt;&amp;nbsp;.02) and hosted the most diverse microbial and invertebrate communities on average. Our findings suggest that as liquid water becomes more available under predicted climate change, soil communities adapted to the hyper-arid landscape will shift toward diverse, wetted soil communities.&lt;/p&gt;</style></abstract><issue><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">1</style></issue></record><record><source-app name="Biblio" version="7.x">Drupal-Biblio</source-app><ref-type>17</ref-type><contributors><authors><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Power, Sarah N.</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Thomas, Valerie A.</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Salvatore, Mark R.</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">John E. Barrett</style></author></authors></contributors><titles><title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Habitat suitability of biocrust communities in a cold desert ecosystem</style></title><secondary-title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Ecology and Evolution</style></secondary-title></titles><keywords><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">biocrust</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">carbon</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">dryland</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">habitat suitability</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">remote sensing</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">soil ecology</style></keyword></keywords><dates><year><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2024</style></year><pub-dates><date><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">07/2024</style></date></pub-dates></dates><urls><web-urls><url><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/20457758/14/7</style></url></web-urls></urls><volume><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">14</style></volume><language><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">eng</style></language><abstract><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">&lt;p&gt;Drylands are unique among terrestrial ecosystems in that they have a significant proportion of primary production facilitated by non-vascular plants such as colonial cyanobacteria, moss, and lichens, i.e., biocrusts, which occur on and in the surface soil. Biocrusts inhabit all continents, including Antarctica, an increasingly dynamic continent on the precipice of change. Here, we describe in-situ field surveying and sampling, remote sensing, and modeling approaches to assess the habitat suitability of biocrusts in the Lake Fryxell basin of Taylor Valley, Antarctica, which is the main site of the McMurdo Dry Valleys Long-Term Ecological Research Program. Soils suitable for the development of biocrusts are typically wetter, less alkaline, and less saline compared to unvegetated soils. Using random forest models, we show that gravimetric water content, electrical conductivity, and snow frequency are the top predictors of biocrust presence and biomass. Areas most suitable for the growth of dense biocrusts are soils associated with seasonal snow patches. Using geospatial data to extrapolate our habitat suitability model to the whole basin predicts that biocrusts are present in 2.7 &amp;times; 10&lt;sup&gt;5&lt;/sup&gt;&amp;nbsp;m&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; and contain 11&amp;ndash;72 Mg of aboveground carbon, based on the 90% probability of occurrence. Our study illustrates the synergistic effect of combining field and remote sensing data for understanding the distribution and biomass of biocrusts, a foundational community in the carbon balance of this region. Extreme weather events and changing climate conditions in this region, especially those influencing snow accumulation and persistence, could have significant effects on the future distribution and abundance of biocrusts and therefore soil organic carbon storage in the McMurdo Dry Valleys.&lt;/p&gt;</style></abstract><issue><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">7</style></issue></record><record><source-app name="Biblio" version="7.x">Drupal-Biblio</source-app><ref-type>17</ref-type><contributors><authors><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Power, Sarah N.</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Salvatore, Mark R.</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Eric R. Sokol</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Lee F. Stanish</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Borges, Schuyler R.</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Byron Adams</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">John E. Barrett</style></author></authors></contributors><titles><title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Remotely characterizing photosynthetic biocrust in snowpack-fed microhabitats of Taylor Valley, Antarctica</style></title><secondary-title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Science of Remote Sensing</style></secondary-title></titles><keywords><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Antarctica</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">biocrust</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">carbon</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">reflectance spectroscopy</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">snow</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">soil ecology</style></keyword></keywords><dates><year><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2024</style></year><pub-dates><date><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">02/2024</style></date></pub-dates></dates><urls><web-urls><url><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S266601722400004X</style></url></web-urls></urls><pages><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">100120</style></pages><language><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">eng</style></language><abstract><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">&lt;p&gt;Microbial communities are the primary drivers of carbon cycling in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica. Dense microbial mats, consisting mainly of photosynthetic cyanobacteria, occupy aquatic areas associated with streams and lakes. Other microbial communities also occur at lower densities as patchy surface biological soil crusts (hereafter, biocrusts) across the terrestrial landscape. Multispectral satellite data have been used to model microbial mat abundance in high-density areas like stream and lake margins, but no previous studies have investigated the lower detection limits of biocrusts. Here, we describe remote sensing and field-based survey and sampling approaches to study the detectability and distribution of biocrusts in the McMurdo Dry Valleys. Using a combination of multi- and hyperspectral tools and spectral linear unmixing, we modeled the abundances of biocrust in eastern Taylor Valley. Our spectral approaches can detect low masses of biocrust material in laboratory microcosms down to biocrust concentrations of 1% by mass. These techniques also distinguish the spectra of biocrust from both surface rock and mineral signatures from orbit. We found that biocrusts are present throughout the soils of eastern Taylor Valley and are associated with diverse underlying soil communities. The densest biocrust communities identified in this study had total organic carbon 5x greater than the content of typical arid soils. The most productive biocrusts were located downslope of melting snowpacks in unique soil ecosystems that are distinct from the surrounding arid landscape. There are similarities between the snowpack and stream sediment communities (high diversity of soil invertebrates) as well as their ecosystem properties (e.g., persistence of liquid water, high transfer of available nutrients, lower salinity from flushing) compared to the typical arid terrestrial ecosystem of the dry valleys. Our approach extends the capability of orbital remote sensing of photosynthetic communities out of the aquatic margins and into the drier soils which comprise most of this landscape. This interdisciplinary work is critical for measuring and monitoring terrestrial carbon stocks and predicting future ecosystem dynamics in this currently water-limited but increasingly dynamic Antarctic landscape, which is particularly climate-sensitive and difficult to access.&lt;/p&gt;</style></abstract></record><record><source-app name="Biblio" version="7.x">Drupal-Biblio</source-app><ref-type>17</ref-type><contributors><authors><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">John E. Barrett</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Adams, Byron J.</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Doran, Peter T.</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Hilary A. Dugan</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Myers, Krista F.</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Salvatore, Mark R.</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Power, Sarah N.</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Snyder, Meredith D.</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Wright, Anna T.</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Michael N. Gooseff</style></author></authors></contributors><titles><title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Response of a terrestrial polar ecosystem to the March 2022 Antarctic weather anomaly</style></title><secondary-title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Earth's Future</style></secondary-title></titles><keywords><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">atmospheric river</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">climate variability</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">extreme weather</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">polar desert</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">soil biota</style></keyword></keywords><dates><year><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2024</style></year><pub-dates><date><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">08/2024</style></date></pub-dates></dates><urls><web-urls><url><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2023EF004306</style></url></web-urls></urls><volume><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">12</style></volume><pages><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">e2023EF004306</style></pages><language><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">eng</style></language><abstract><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">&lt;p&gt;Record high temperatures were documented in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, on 18 March 2022, exceeding average temperatures for that day by nearly 30&amp;deg;C. Satellite imagery and stream gage measurements indicate that surface wetting coincided with this warming more than 2 months after peak summer thaw and likely exceeded thresholds for rehydration and activation of resident organisms that typically survive the cold and dry conditions of the polar fall in a freeze-dried state. This weather event is notable in both the timing and magnitude of the warming and wetting when temperatures exceeded 0&amp;deg;C at a time when biological communities and streams have typically entered a persistent frozen state. Such events may be a harbinger of future climate conditions characterized by warmer temperatures and greater thaw in this region of Antarctica, which could influence the distribution, activity, and abundance of sentinel taxa. Here we describe the ecosystem responses to this weather anomaly reporting on meteorological and hydrological measurements across the region and on later biological observations from Canada Stream, one of the most diverse and productive ecosystems within the McMurdo Dry Valleys.&lt;/p&gt;</style></abstract><issue><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">8</style></issue></record><record><source-app name="Biblio" version="7.x">Drupal-Biblio</source-app><ref-type>17</ref-type><contributors><authors><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Salvatore, Mark R.</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Barrett, John E.</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Fackrell, Laura E.</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Sokol, Eric R.</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Levy, Joseph S.</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Kuentz, Lily C.</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Gooseff, Michael N.</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Adams, Byron J.</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Power, Sarah N.</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Knightly, J. Paul</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Matul, Haley M.</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Szutu, Brian</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Doran, Peter T.</style></author></authors></contributors><titles><title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">The distribution of surface soil moisture over space and time in eastern Taylor Valley, Antarctica</style></title><secondary-title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Remote Sensing</style></secondary-title></titles><keywords><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Dry valleys</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">ecology</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">hydrology</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">remote sensing</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">soil moisture</style></keyword></keywords><dates><year><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2023</style></year><pub-dates><date><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">06/2023</style></date></pub-dates></dates><urls><web-urls><url><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/15/12/3170</style></url></web-urls></urls><volume><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">15</style></volume><pages><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">3170</style></pages><language><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">eng</style></language><abstract><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">&lt;p&gt;Available soil moisture is thought to be the limiting factor for most ecosystem processes in the cold polar desert of the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDVs) of Antarctica. Previous studies have shown that microfauna throughout the MDVs are capable of biological activity when sufficient soil moisture is available (~2&amp;ndash;10% gravimetric water content), but few studies have attempted to quantify the distribution, abundance, and frequency of soil moisture on scales beyond that of traditional field work or local field investigations. In this study, we present our work to quantify the soil moisture content of soils throughout the Fryxell basin using multispectral satellite remote sensing techniques. Our efforts demonstrate that ecologically relevant abundances of liquid water are common across the landscape throughout the austral summer. On average, the Fryxell basin of Taylor Valley is modeled as containing 1.5 &amp;plusmn; 0.5% gravimetric water content (GWC) across its non-fluvial landscape with ~23% of the landscape experiencing an average GWC &amp;gt; 2% throughout the study period, which is the observed limit of soil nematode activity. These results indicate that liquid water in the soils of the MDVs may be more abundant than previously thought, and that the distribution and availability of liquid water is dependent on both soil properties and the distribution of water sources. These results can also help to identify ecological hotspots in the harsh polar Antarctic environment and serve as a baseline for detecting future changes in the soil hydrological regime.&lt;/p&gt;</style></abstract><issue><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">12</style></issue></record><record><source-app name="Biblio" version="7.x">Drupal-Biblio</source-app><ref-type>17</ref-type><contributors><authors><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Salvatore, Mark R.</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">John E. Barrett</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Borges, Schuyler R.</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Power, Sarah N.</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Lee F. Stanish</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Eric R. Sokol</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Michael N. Gooseff</style></author></authors></contributors><titles><title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Counting carbon: Quantifying biomass in the McMurdo Dry Valleys through orbital and field observations</style></title><secondary-title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">International Journal of Remote Sensing</style></secondary-title></titles><dates><year><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2021</style></year><pub-dates><date><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">10/2021</style></date></pub-dates></dates><urls><web-urls><url><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01431161.2021.1981559</style></url></web-urls></urls><volume><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">42</style></volume><pages><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">8597 - 8623</style></pages><language><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">eng</style></language><abstract><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">&lt;p&gt;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 &amp;ldquo;pure&amp;rdquo; 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.&lt;/p&gt;</style></abstract><issue><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">22</style></issue></record><record><source-app name="Biblio" version="7.x">Drupal-Biblio</source-app><ref-type>17</ref-type><contributors><authors><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Power, Sarah N.</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Salvatore, Mark R.</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Eric R. Sokol</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Lee F. Stanish</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">John E. Barrett</style></author></authors></contributors><titles><title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Estimating microbial mat biomass in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica using satellite imagery and ground surveys</style></title><secondary-title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Polar Biology</style></secondary-title></titles><keywords><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Antarctica</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">microbial mat</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">multispectral imagery</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">NDVI</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Nostocales</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">remote sensing</style></keyword></keywords><dates><year><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2020</style></year><pub-dates><date><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">09/2020</style></date></pub-dates></dates><urls><web-urls><url><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00300-020-02742-y</style></url></web-urls></urls><language><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">eng</style></language><abstract><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">&lt;p&gt;Cyanobacterial mat communities are the main drivers of primary productivity in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. These microbial communities form laminar mats on desert pavement surfaces adjacent to glacial meltwater streams, ponds, and lakes. The low-density nature of these communities and their patchy distribution make assessments of distribution, biomass, and productivity challenging. We used satellite imagery coupled with in situ surveying, imaging, and sampling to systematically estimate microbial mat biomass in selected wetland regions in Taylor Valley, Antarctica. On January 19th, 2018, the WorldView-2 multispectral satellite acquired an image of our study areas, where we surveyed and sampled seven 100 m&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; plots of microbial mats for percent ground cover, ash-free dry mass (AFDM), and pigment content (chlorophyll-a, carotenoids, and scytonemin). Multispectral analyses revealed spectral signatures consistent with photosynthetic activity (relatively strong reflection at near-infrared wavelengths and relatively strong absorption at visible wavelengths), with average normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) values of 0.09 to 0.28. Strong correlations of microbial mat ground cover (R&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;&amp;thinsp;=&amp;thinsp;0.84), biomass (R&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;&amp;thinsp;=&amp;thinsp;0.74), chlorophyll-a content (R&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;&amp;thinsp;=&amp;thinsp;0.65), and scytonemin content (R&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;&amp;thinsp;=&amp;thinsp;0.98) with logit transformed NDVI values demonstrate that satellite imagery can detect both the presence of microbial mats and their key biological properties. Using the NDVI&amp;mdash;biomass correlation we developed, we estimate carbon (C) stocks of 21,715 kg (14.7 g C m&lt;sup&gt;&amp;minus;2&lt;/sup&gt;) in the Canada Glacier Antarctic Specially Protected Area, with an upper and lower limit of 74,871 and 6312 kg of C, respectively.&lt;/p&gt;</style></abstract></record><record><source-app name="Biblio" version="7.x">Drupal-Biblio</source-app><ref-type>17</ref-type><contributors><authors><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Salvatore, Mark R.</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Borges, Schuyler R.</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">John E. Barrett</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Eric R. Sokol</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Lee F. Stanish</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Power, Sarah N.</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Morin, Paul</style></author></authors></contributors><titles><title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Remote characterization of photosynthetic communities in the Fryxell basin of Taylor Valley, Antarctica</style></title><secondary-title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Antarctic Science</style></secondary-title><short-title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Antarctic Science</style></short-title></titles><keywords><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">ecology</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">hydrology</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">McMurdo Dry Valleys</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">microbiology</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">remote sensing</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">spectroscopy</style></keyword></keywords><dates><year><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2020</style></year><pub-dates><date><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">03/2020</style></date></pub-dates></dates><urls><web-urls><url><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antarctic-science/article/remote-characterization-of-photosynthetic-communities-in-the-fryxell-basin-of-taylor-valley-antarctica/8576F6BB1BCFDCA8409F5EA96CA00C6F</style></url></web-urls></urls><language><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">eng</style></language><abstract><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">&lt;p&gt;We investigate the spatial distribution, spectral properties and temporal variability of primary producers (e.g. communities of microbial mats and mosses) throughout the Fryxell basin of Taylor Valley, Antarctica, using high-resolution multispectral remote-sensing data. Our results suggest that photosynthetic communities can be readily detected throughout the Fryxell basin based on their unique near-infrared spectral signatures. Observed intra- and inter-annual variability in spectral signatures are consistent with short-term variations in mat distribution, hydration and photosynthetic activity. Spectral unmixing is also implemented in order to estimate mat abundance, with the most densely vegetated regions observed from orbit correlating spatially with some of the most productive regions of the Fryxell basin. Our work establishes remote sensing as a valuable tool in the study of these ecological communities in the McMurdo Dry Valleys and demonstrates how future scientific investigations and the management of specially protected areas could benefit from these tools and techniques.&lt;/p&gt;</style></abstract></record></records></xml>