Distribution models of microbial mats and mosses across Fryxell Basin, Taylor Valley, Antarctica (2018-2019) ...

• Main Authors: Borges, Schuyler, Salvatore, Mark, Stanish, Lee, Power, Sarah, Sokol, Eric, Barrett, John "Jeb", Tai Udovicic, Christian
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: Environmental Data Initiative 2023
• Subjects: Antarc*; Antarctica; McMurdo Dry Valleys
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.6073/pasta/de796f76bc4aa7cbff001733805adf72; https://portal.edirepository.org/nis/mapbrowse?packageid=knb-lter-mcm.5501.1

Long-term ecological field surveys from the McMurdo Dry Valleys Long Term Ecological Research program (MCM LTER) have documented the abundance and diversity of microbial mat types across ephemeral glacial meltwater streams in the McMurdo Dry Valleys region of Antarctica. However, field surveys are limited and are incapable of being performed across the entirety of streams within a field season. Therefore, we used remote sensing to examine the distribution of these diverse communities across streams in order to determine whether large scale distribution patterns are similar to those the MCM LTER has already thoroughly studied in situ. As part of our 2018-2019 field campaign, we established two to three 20 x 20 m plots within five different streams (Bowles Creek, McKnight Creek, a relict channel, Canada Stream, and Crescent Stream) in the Fryxell Basin of Taylor Valley. We performed point transect and quadrat field surveys of microbial mat and moss cover within each 20 x 20 m plot. We then used hyperspectral ...