The McMurdo Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) project monitors patterns of inorganic material transport in perennial ice-capped lakes. This data set addresses this core area of research and quantifies dissolved inorganic nitrogen concentrations at specific depths in McMurdo Dry Valley lakes.
Dataset Results
Blood Falls, a subglacial discharge from the Taylor Glacier, Antarctica provides an example of the diverse physical and chemical habitats available for life in the polar desert of the McMurdo Dry Valleys. Geochemical analysis shows that Blood Falls outflow resembles concentrated seawater remnant from the Pliocene intrusion of marine waters combined with products of weathering. The result is an iron-rich, salty seep at the terminus of Taylor Glacier, which is subject to episodic releases into permanently ice-covered Lake Bonney.
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Surface water and hyporheic porewater samples were collected at high frequency during the 2017-18 (01/20/2018-01/21/2018) and 2018-19 (01/10/2019-01/12/2019) flow seasons, and opportunistically throughout the 2019-20 flow season (12/17/2019-1/25/2020) from the lower reaches of Von Guerard Stream, Taylor Valley, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. Porewater samples were collected using plastic tubing inserted to depths of 15 or 30 cm and drawn out by syringe.
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We conducted a field survey to quantify the biomass (chlorophyll-a and ash-free dry mass), nutrient ratios (molar C:N:P), and isotopic signatures (δ13C and δ15N) of four microbial mat types (green, orange, black, and red) in the glacial meltwater streams of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. All samples were taken from late December to late January during the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 austral summers, and included sites from Taylor, Miers, Garwood, and Wright valleys. Most collection sites were located at the lake outlet of streams, but for a subset (e.g.