Timing and duration of ephemeral Antarctic water tracks and wetlands using high temporal–resolution satellite imagery, high spatial–resolution satellite imagery, and ground-based sensors in the McMurdo Dry Valleys

Kuentz, Lily; Levy, Joseph S.; Salvatore, M. R.

doi:10.1080/15230430.2022.2123858

Cited by 5 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…Despite these exceptions, the observed changes reach up to 60 days in general, although there are seasons where the changes are up to 90 days. These values indicate a marked change in soil thermal regimes in both Livingston and Deception islands, consistent with the results of other recent studies elsewhere in Antarctica using both in situ and remote sensing data (Kuentz et al, 2022), which seems to indicate a regional impact, rather than local one that may be affecting other regions in the Antarctic.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…They facilitate the mobility of certain chemical compounds, such as C or N, in the soil (e.g., Aislabie et al, 2004;Batista et al, 2022;Claridge, 1965;Cowan et al, 2014;Edwards & Cresser, 1992;Otero et al, 2013;Zhu et al, 2011) and the development of fauna and flora (e.g., Cannone, Ellis-Evans, et al, 2006;Green et al, 2007;Knox et al, 2016Knox et al, , 2017Melick and Seppelt, 1992;Miranda et al, 2020;Sander-DeMott et al, 2019;Sierra-Almeida et al, 2018;Yergeau & Kowalchuk, 2008). All these implications require a more detailed study, considering that these sensing data (Kuentz et al, 2022), which seems to indicate a regional impact, rather than local one that may be affecting other regions in the Antarctic. • Changes in snow cover duration affected the FDD and TDD, but both of them showed a warming trend in the study period.…”

Section: Thermal Regimementioning

confidence: 99%

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Interannual variability of ground surface thermal regimes in Livingston and Deception islands, Antarctica (2007–2021)

de Pablo,

Ramos,

Vieira

et al. 2023

Land Degrad Dev

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The absence of vegetation in most ice‐free areas of Antarctica makes the soil surface very sensitive to atmosphere dynamics, especially in the western sector of the Antarctic Peninsula, an area within the limits of the permafrost zone. To evaluate the possible effects of regional warming on frozen soils, we conducted an analysis of ground surface temperatures (GSTs) from 2007 to 2021 from different monitoring sites in Livingston and Deception islands (South Shetlands archipelago, Antarctica). The analysis of the interannual evolution of the GST and their daily regimes and the freezing and thawing indexes reveals that climate change is showing impacts on seasonal and perennially frozen soils. Freezing Degree Days (FDD) have decreased while Thawing Degree Day (TDD) have increased during the study period, resulting in a balance that is already positive at the sites at lower elevations. Daily freeze–thaw cycles have been rare and absent since 2014. Meanwhile, the most common thermal regimes are purely frozen – F1 (daily temperatures < = −0.5°C), isothermal – IS (ranging between −0.5°C to +0.5°C), and purely thawed – T1 (> = +0.5°C). A decrease in F1 days has been observed, while the IS and T1 days increased by about 60 days between 2007 and 2021. The annual number of days with snow cover increased between 2009 and 2014 and decreased since then. The GST and the daily thermal regimes evolution point to general heating, which may be indicative of the degradation of the frozen soils in the study area.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Thermal Regimementioning

confidence: 99%

Interannual variability of ground surface thermal regimes in Livingston and Deception islands, Antarctica (2007–2021)

de Pablo,

Ramos,

Vieira

et al. 2023

Land Degrad Dev

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“…Together, these measurements of carbon build-up and silicate weathering in the HG water track are consistent with a positive feedback model in which water track biogeochemical reactions, driven by meltwater flow through the water tracks, lead to stronger or more persistent pedogenic processes. Groundwater flow leads to organic carbon build up; organic acids coupled with meltwater interactions with fresh sediment grains lead to enhanced chemical weathering and fines production; decreases in porosity due to the presence of organic matter, precipitated carbonates, and silt/clay particles lead to enhanced capillary rise in water tracks; and enhanced capillary rise leads to greater evaporation from water tracks, concentrating the pore water solutions into freeze-resistant soil brines, which can remain wet late into the spring and fall shoulder seasons (Kuentz et al 2022).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Antarctic water track hydrology and geochemistry from drone and ground sensors: active layer wetland processes in a cold desert

Levy,

Andrews,

Guller

et al. 2024

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We report on drone-borne remote sensing and ground-based geochemical results from water track soils collected in 2022-2023 in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica that aim to address how much water is flowing through Antarctic water tracks, what remote sensing reveals about water track melt sources, and what impacts water track flow has on soil biogeochemical processes that may be leading to soil development in the water tracks. Water tracks were measured using drone-borne remote sensing: a Headwall Extended VNIR imaging spectrometer (900-1700 nm spectral range). Soil moisture content was measured during UAV flights using co-located soil moisture probes and was extrapolated beyond probe locations across the water track and adjacent dry soil using a linear fit between in situ measured water content and the depth of the 1.4 µm reflectance spectrum absorption feature associated with water. We report on ground-truth measurements of sediment characteristics, organic matter content, and dissolved silica and clay properties (abundance, soil texture, and exchange chemistry) to evaluate whether Antarctic water tracks are in a positive feedback loop, in which wetting of previously dry ground results in enhancement of soil organic matter, enhanced chemical weathering, and leading to longer wetted periods. This work expands on previous studies by presenting multiple wavelengths of remote sensing data, further refining the water budget for the Antarctic active layer, and by integrating deeper soil sensor and ground-truth measurements to explore the range of biogeochemical processes at work in these Antarctic wetland features.

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“…Water availability is essential, but it is not the sole environmental factor controlling the distribution and abundance of photosynthetic life in Antarctica (Kennedy, 1993 ). The interaction of water and soluble salts can create wet, salty sites that are inhospitable to biocrusts, likely because of the physiological stress associated with salts, as has been documented in the “water track” environments of the McMurdo Dry Valleys (Kuentz et al., 2022 ; Levy et al., 2011 , 2014 ). For example, dense biocrust sites with the highest AFDM values (>400 g m −2 ) all had EC under 55 μS cm −1 , while the average EC for sites without biocrust was 1700 μS cm −1 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat suitability of biocrust communities in a cold desert ecosystem

Power,

Thomas,

Salvatore

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

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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 × 105 m2 and contain 11–72 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.

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Timing and duration of ephemeral Antarctic water tracks and wetlands using high temporal–resolution satellite imagery, high spatial–resolution satellite imagery, and ground-based sensors in the McMurdo Dry Valleys

Cited by 5 publications

References 55 publications

Interannual variability of ground surface thermal regimes in Livingston and Deception islands, Antarctica (2007–2021)

Interannual variability of ground surface thermal regimes in Livingston and Deception islands, Antarctica (2007–2021)

Antarctic water track hydrology and geochemistry from drone and ground sensors: active layer wetland processes in a cold desert

Habitat suitability of biocrust communities in a cold desert ecosystem

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