Soil and permafrost in the Ross Sea region of Antarctica: stable or dynamic?

Balks, Megan R.; O’Neill, Tanya Ann

doi:10.18172/cig.2923

Cited by 10 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 49 publications

(58 reference statements)

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“…Desert pavement forms as finer materials are eroded, primarily by wind, until a protective surface layer of coarser material remains. Mature, undisturbed Antarctic desert pavements are typically characterized by a closely packed layer of gravel, cobble and boulder-sized material, which can be ventifacted, pitted and coated with desert varnish, depending on age (Balks & O'Neill 2016). Beneath the desert pavement, soil materials are generally loose and unconsolidated.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Insights on the environmental impacts associated with visible disturbance of ice-free ground in Antarctica

2019

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The small ice-free areas of Antarctica provide an essential habitat for most evident terrestrial biodiversity, as well as being disproportionately targeted by human activity. Visual detection of disturbance within these environments has become a useful tool for measuring areas affected by human impact, but questions remain as to what environmental consequences such disturbance actually has. To answer such questions, several factors must be considered, including the climate and biotic and abiotic characteristics. Although a body of research has established the consequences of disturbance at given locations, this paper was conceived in order to assess whether their findings could be generalized as a statement across the Antarctic continent. From a review of 31 studies within the Maritime Antarctic, Continental Antarctic and McMurdo Dry Valleys regions, we found that 83% confirmed impacts in areas of visible disturbance. Disturbance was found to modify the physical environment, consequently reducing habitat suitability as well as directly damaging biota. Visible disturbance was also associated with hydrocarbon and heavy metal contamination and non-native species establishment, reflecting the pressures from human activity in these sites. The results add significance to existing footprint measurements based on visual analysis, should aid on-the-ground appreciation of probable impacts in sites of disturbance and benefit environmental assessment processes.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Insights on the environmental impacts associated with visible disturbance of ice-free ground in Antarctica

2019

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“…The region has experienced short-lived erosion and depositional events resulting from warmer than average summers, or higher than average snowfall, which can lead to melting of subsurface ice. Such disturbances were documented by workers in the 1970s (Chinn, 1979), observed in the 1990s (Campbell et al 1994(Campbell et al , 1998, and again now in the early 21st century (Fountain et al 2014;Balks and O'Neill, 2016). Chinn (1979) described a warm summer event with air temperature of 15°C recorded at Lake Vanda in January 1974, which caused extensive melting and water flow in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, having lasting impacts on the landscape, such as lakes and stream bank erosion.…”

Section: Natural and Human-induced Changes To The Soil-permafrost Env...mentioning

confidence: 93%

“…Consequently salinity is highest at the surface, and soils are alkaline and range from about pH 8 to pH 10 (Campbell and Claridge, 1987;Campbell et al 1998b;O'Neill, 2013). Compared with other areas in the Ross Sea region, Hut Point Peninsula does receive some precipitation falling as snow in the winter or occasional summer snowfall events, and subsequently moisture from melting snow or down-slope flow does provide limited moisture to soil (Sheppard et al 2000;Balks and O'Neill, 2016).…”

Section: General Soil Characteristics and Environmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For much of the year Scott Base soils are at temperatures below 0°C, however, over the summer months (December-January) when sunshine is incident for 24 hours per day the soils are warmed at the surface. The black basalt surface soil absorbs radiant energy and soil surface temperatures often become higher (sometimes >15°C) than the ambient air temperatures which generally remain near or below 0°C (Balks and O'Neill, 2016). Heat is conducted downwards thawing the near-surface soil, known as the active layer.…”

Section: Active Layer and Permafrostmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Scott Base Redevelopment CEE environmental monitoring report: Year one (January 2019)

O’Neill¹

2019

ERI Report

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An understanding of the soils and the underlying permafrost surrounding Scott Base is important to detect impacts of environmental change or human activities, such as the redevelopment of Scott Base, on the unique soil communities and on geomorphological processes. The Scott Base Redevelopment (SBR) is the largest project ever undertaken by New Zealand in Antarctica. It is a requirement of the Environmental Protocol to the Antarctic Treaty and New Zealand's Antarctica (Environmental Protection) Act (1994) that an environmental impact assessment be completed prior to any activity taking place in Antarctica. A Comprehensive Environmental Evaluation (CEE) of the project is being completed in order to support decision-making with an assessment of predicted environmental impacts linked with the redevelopment. A comprehensive monitoring programme was set up to verify the accuracy of the environmental impact assessment presented in the CEE and to detect unforeseen impacts or impacts that are more significant than expected. The soil monitoring sites were established in January 2019 to assess current levels of biodiversity and abundance of invertebrates and microbial communities, along with soil chemical characteristics, and visual characteristics within the wider Scott Base redevelopment area. These 25 soil monitoring plots establish a baseline against which future changes can be detected. My role in the project was to determine the chemical characteristics of soil from the monitoring plots, undertake visual site assessments around each monitoring plot, measure depth to ice-cement, and install 12 passive dust samplers adjacent to the monitoring plots. This report will give background information on the general characteristics of Scott Base soils, including information on active layer, permafrost, soil moisture, soil organisms, and evidence of natural and human induced changes to the soil-permafrost environment. This will be followed by an explanation of the methodology, results and discussion, on my aspect of this multidisciplinary projec

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“…This event had persistent negative impacts on the soil nematode fauna and on lake ecosystems, affecting their chemistry and phytoplankton floristic composition. [26][27][28][29] However, simulated pulse events increasing precipitation (using snow or water additions) without surface disturbance (flooding, erosion, etc.) performed across five degrees of latitude in Victoria Land did not induce changes in soil chemistry, suggesting that such events may trigger persistent changes only when associated with geomorphological disturbance.…”

Section: Accelerated Plant Dynamicsmentioning

confidence: 99%