Components of the energy balance of the ground surface and their effect on the thermics of the substrata of the vegetation oasis at Henryk Arctowski Station, King George Island, South Shetland Islands

• Published in: Polar Record
• Main Authors: Prosek, P., Janouch, M., Láska, K.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 2000
• Subjects: Antarc*; Antarctic; King George Island; Polar Record; South Shetland Islands
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s003224740001593x; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S003224740001593X

Abstract This article presents the results of measurements of the components of ground-surface energy balance (radiation balance, sensible heat flux, latent heat flux, and ground heat flux) taken during the 1994/95 summer season at Poland's Henryk Arctowski Station, King George Island, South Shetland Islands (62°09'42”S, 58°28'10”W). This was the first time that these complex measurements had been taken in the central part of the South Shetlands archipelago. The results are evaluated at the level of daily and seasonal fluctuations. The consequences of energy balance on the temperature conditions of the soil substrata are highlighted. The verification of the degree of influence of a subset of energy-balance components on soil temperature allowed analysis of the relationships among soil temperature, radiation balance, and sensible heat flux. This analysis leads to the conclusion that there is a rapid reaction of the soil temperature to the radiation balance and sensible heat flux to a depth of 5 cm. The boundary atmosphere and soil substrate represent the basic components of the ecotops of the Antarctic vegetation oasis, so these results are interpreted in pedological or botanical studies in the search for environmental influences on the vegetation.