Ohio State University
Byrd Polar Research Center
Supporting Stations: McMurdo Station
Research Locations: Dry Valleys
In 1980, the National Science Foundation (NSF) funded the US Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Network, a collaborative effort involving more than 1,800 scientists and students. The McMurdo LTER is one of 26 sites that investigates ecological processes over long temporal and broad spatial scales. The McMurdo LTER program is an inter-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary study of the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems in the ice-free McMurdo Dry Valleys. This six-year award cycle comprises seven collaborative projects: Andrew Fountain B-504, John Priscu B-505, Diane McKnight B-506, Diana Wall B-507, Jeb Barrett, B-508, Berry Lyons B-509, and Peter Doran B-511. This project is the “geochemistry” component of the McMurdo LTER. Researchers monitor the inorganic geochemistry of waters and solid samples collected from the glaciers, streams, ponds, lakes and landscape of the Dry Valleys. They continue to study the upland seeps and ponds to gain a better understanding of their hydrologic and geochemical controls.
Field Season Overview:
Four participants will collect water, snow, and sediment samples. The sampling will be done on foot or by taking day trips by helicopter from McMurdo or Lake Hoare to the sampling sites. They will work with the limno and stream teams at Lakes Hoare, Bonney, F6, and Fryxell. At upland pond sites within the Dry Valleys team members will collect additional water samples. They will return to Crary Lab to perform chemical analysis of lake, stream, glacier, and other samples.
Deploying Team Members:
W. Berry Lyons (PI)
Kathy Welch (Team Leader)