Physical Controls on the Taylor Valley Ecosystem, Antarctica

The presence of liquid water remains the primary limiting condition for life in Antarctica (Kennedy 1993). Therefore, processes that affect the formation, location, and distribution of liquid water greatly influence ecological function and biological diversity in the McMurdo Dry Valleys. Understandi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Bioscience 1999-12, Vol.49 (12), p.961-971
Main Authors: Fountain, Andrew G., Lyons, W. Berry, Burkins, Melody B., Dana, Gayle L., Doran, Peter T., Lewis, Karen J., Mcknight, Diane M., Moorhead, Daryl L., Parsons, Andrew N., Priscu, John C., Wall, Diana H., Wharton, Robert A., Virginia, Ross A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antarctica
Aquatic communities
Freshwater ecosystems
Glacial accumulation
Glacial lakes
Glaciers
Lentic systems
Snow
Special Section on the McMurdo Dry Valleys
Streams
Valleys
Watersheds
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Summary:The presence of liquid water remains the primary limiting condition for life in Antarctica (Kennedy 1993). Therefore, processes that affect the formation, location, and distribution of liquid water greatly influence ecological function and biological diversity in the McMurdo Dry Valleys. Understanding the role of present and past climate variability on the distribution of liquid water has been a major emphasis of the McMurdo LTER. In this article, we describe the physical environment of the McMurdo Dry Valleys and outline the current understanding of the climatic controls in the dry valleys. The data we present will also provide background for the more biologically focused manuscripts on the McMurdo Dry Valleys in this issue of BioScience.
ISSN:0006-3568
1525-3244
DOI:10.1525/bisi.1999.49.12.961