McMurdo Dry Valleys LTER - Antarctica

Basic Information
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Site Name
McMurdo Dry Valleys LTER
Short name
MCM
Country
Antarctica
Site Description
The McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDVs) (78°S, 162°E) represent the largest (4500 km^2) ice-free area on the Antarctic continent. The MDV landscape is a mosaic of glaciers, soil and exposed bedrock, and stream channels that connect glaciers to closed-basin, permanently ice-covered lakes on the valley floors. Mean annual air temperatures are cold (ranging from -15 to -30°C on the valley floors), and precipitation is low (~50 mm annual water equivalent as snow). Summer air temperatures typically hover around freezing and winter air temperatures are commonly < -40°C. While the water columns of the lakes are liquid and biologically active year round, glacial meltwater streams flow and soils thaw only during the austral summer. There are no ...
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Last modified
2022-09-14 18:09:39

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General Characteristics and Status
Site Status
Operational
Year Established
1993
Observed properties
chemical parameterecosystem parameteratmospheric parameterremote sensing parameterbiological parametersoil parameterwater parameterlandscape parameterammoniumcontentammoniumnitrateconcentrationammoniumnitrogencontentavailablephosphorusbasecationscontentinwatercarbontonitrogenratiochemicalcompositionchemicalcompositionofwaterchlorophyllacontentinwaterdissolvednutrientdissolvedorganiccarboninwaterdissolvedorganicnitrogendissolvedorganicphosphorusdrylandsalinityinorganiccarboncontentinorganicnitrogencontentinorganicnutrientcontentmicrobialbiomasscarbonnitrogenavailabilitynutrientavailabilitynutrientconcentrationnutrientcontentpercentcarbonpercentnitrogenpHvalueofwatersoilnutrientalgaespeciesabundancealgaespeciespresencebacteriaabundancebacteriapresencebacterialdiversitychangeinpopulationsizeovertimecommunitycompositionphotosyntheticallyactiveradiationintensityphytoplanktonabundancephytoplanktonbiomasssoilmicrobialdiversityspeciesabundancespeciescompositionspecieslistspeciespresencespeciesrichnessairtemperatureatmosphericpressurelongwaveradiationmaximumtemperaturemeanannualairtemperaturemeanannualprecipitationmeanannualtemperaturerelativehumiditysolarradiationwinddirectionwindspeedalbedolongwaveradiationphotosyntheticallyactiveradiationintensitysoilalbedosolarradiationwateralbedomicrobialbiomasscarbonprimaryproductivitysoiltemperaturesoilwatercontentsnowwaterequivalentwatertemperaturelandscapeconnectivity
Affiliation and Network Specific Information
Affiliation
ILTERThis site is a verified "ILTER" member.
US LTER (LTER-NAM-US-7)This site is a verified "US LTER" member.
Photos
Taylor Valley Panorama (Photo Credit: Hassan Basagic)
Taylor Valley Panorama (Photo Credit: Hassan Basagic)
Geographic
Marker
100 km
50 mi
Centroid/Representative Coordinates

Latitude: -78 Longitude: 162

Size
ca. 500000.00ha
Elevation (average)
100.00msl
Elevation (min)
0.00msl
Elevation (max)
1500.00msl
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Site information [.json]

Centroid/representative coordinates [.shp] [.kml]