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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
A Dynamic Physical Model For Soil Temperature And Water In Taylor Valley, Antarctica, H. W. Hunt, Andrew G. Fountain, Peter T. Doran, Hassan J. Basagic
A Dynamic Physical Model For Soil Temperature And Water In Taylor Valley, Antarctica, H. W. Hunt, Andrew G. Fountain, Peter T. Doran, Hassan J. Basagic
Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations
We developed a simulation model for terrestrial sites including sensible heat exchange between the atmosphere and ground surface, inter- and intra-layer heat conduction by rock and soil, and shortwave and longwave radiation. Water fluxes included snowmelt, freezing/thawing of soil water, soil capillary flow, and vapour flows among atmosphere, soil, and snow. The model accounted for 96-99% of variation in soil temperature data. No long-term temporal trends in soil temperature were apparent. Soil water vapour concentration in thawed surface soil in summer often was higher than in frozen deeper soils, leading to downward vapour fluxes. Katabatic winds caused a reversal of …
Snow-Patch Influence On Soil Biogeochemical Processes And Invertebrate Distribution In The Mcmurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, Michael N. Gooseff, John E. Barrett, Peter T. Doran, Andrew G. Fountain, W. Berry Lyons, Andrew N. Parsons, Dorota L. Porazinska, Ross A. Virginia, Diana H. Wall
Snow-Patch Influence On Soil Biogeochemical Processes And Invertebrate Distribution In The Mcmurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, Michael N. Gooseff, John E. Barrett, Peter T. Doran, Andrew G. Fountain, W. Berry Lyons, Andrew N. Parsons, Dorota L. Porazinska, Ross A. Virginia, Diana H. Wall
Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations
The McMurdo Dry Valleys is the largest of the ice-free areas in Antarctica. Precipitation events in excess of 1 cm of snow accumulation are rare. During the winter, snow is transported by strong katabatic winds blowing from the polar plateau, and deposited into the lee of topographic features (e.g., stream channels and other topographic depressions). At the start of the austral summer (early October), as much as 10% of the valley soils may be covered by distributed snow patches. Because liquid water is the primary driver of biological, physical, and chemical processes in this polar desert, quantifying fluxes of water …