Perennial Antarctic Lake Ice: An Oasis for Life in a Polar Desert

The permanent ice covers of Antarctic lakes in the McMurdo Dry Valleys develop liquid water inclusions in response to solar heating of internal aeolian-derived sediments. The ice sediment particles serve as nutrient (inorganic and organic)–enriched microzones for the establishment of a physiological...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science
Main Authors: Priscu, John C., Fritsen, Christian H., Adams, Edward E., Giovannoni, Stephen J., Paerl, Hans W., McKay, Christopher P., Doran, Peter T., Gordon, Douglas A., Lanoil, Brian D., Pinckney, James L.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 1998
Subjects:
Antarctic
McMurdo Dry Valleys
Antarc*
polar desert
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.280.5372.2095
https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/science.280.5372.2095
Description
Summary:The permanent ice covers of Antarctic lakes in the McMurdo Dry Valleys develop liquid water inclusions in response to solar heating of internal aeolian-derived sediments. The ice sediment particles serve as nutrient (inorganic and organic)–enriched microzones for the establishment of a physiologically and ecologically complex microbial consortium capable of contemporaneous photosynthesis, nitrogen fixation, and decomposition. The consortium is capable of physically and chemically establishing and modifying a relatively nutrient- and organic matter–enriched microbial “oasis” embedded in the lake ice cover.

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