A limnological survey of the Ablation Point area, Alexander Island, Antarctica

The ice-free area around Ablation Point (70° 49' S, 68° 25' W) is of particular limnological interest. Numerous ponds and pools lie on coastal moraines and large, permanently ice-covered lakes lie in the valleys. Two of the lakes are unusual in that they are in contact with seawater from G...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. B, Biological Sciences
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: The Royal Society 1977
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.1977.0070
https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rstb.1977.0070
Description
Summary:The ice-free area around Ablation Point (70° 49' S, 68° 25' W) is of particular limnological interest. Numerous ponds and pools lie on coastal moraines and large, permanently ice-covered lakes lie in the valleys. Two of the lakes are unusual in that they are in contact with seawater from George VI Sound which is covered by an ice shelf, 100-500 m thick, and which separates Alexander Island from the Antarctic mainland. Evidence for the existence of a marine biome, 100 km from the open sea, was obtained from one lake. Freshwater biological samples added new genera to Antarctic lists, extended the known range of species, and illustrated the important role of isolation in the determination of antarctic biocoeneses.