Rock Weathering, Soil Development and Colonization under a Changing Climate [and Discussion]

Antarctic continental soils are arid, saline and lacking in organic matter, whereas maritime soils, in a wetter environment, range from structureless lithosols to frozen peat. Two important factors in the development and diversity of their associated terrestrial communities are water availability an...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B. Biological sciences 1992-11, Vol.338 (1285), p.269-277
Main Authors: Hall, K. J., Walton, D. W. H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Climate change
Climate models
Glaciers
Global warming
Peat soils
Pedogenesis
Permafrost
Plants
Soil organic matter
Weathering processes
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Antarctic continental soils are arid, saline and lacking in organic matter, whereas maritime soils, in a wetter environment, range from structureless lithosols to frozen peat. Two important factors in the development and diversity of their associated terrestrial communities are water availability and the period of exposure since deglaciation. The retreat of ice sheets offers new sites for colonization by microbes, plants and animals. The interactions between snow lie, freeze-thaw cycles, wet-dry cycles and the length of the summer are considered as critical in determining the extent and rate of localized changes in weathering and pedogenesis. The implications of higher temperatures and differing precipitation regimes are considered in relation to weathering, soil development and the establishment and development of terrestrial communities. It is concluded that, in the context of decades, most changes will be slow and localized. They are unlikely to be of regional significance, unlike some of those in the Arctic. They will, however, provide a good model of how present soils and communities developed at the end of the last glacial maximum.
ISSN:0962-8436
1471-2970
DOI:10.1098/rstb.1992.0147