Microbial processes in the weathering crust aquifer of a temperate glacier
Incident solar radiation absorbed within the ablation zone of glaciers generates a shallow perched aquifer and seasonal icebound microbial habitat. During the melt seasons of 2014 and 2015, borehole investigations were used to examine the physical, geochemical, and microbiological properties in the...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:e7e3809742e046469bcdbee272331088 2023-05-15T16:20:41+02:00 Microbial processes in the weathering crust aquifer of a temperate glacier B. C. Christner H. F. Lavender C. L. Davis E. E. Oliver S. U. Neuhaus K. F. Myers B. Hagedorn S. M. Tulaczyk P. T. Doran W. C. Stone 2018-11-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-3653-2018 https://doaj.org/article/e7e3809742e046469bcdbee272331088 EN eng Copernicus Publications https://www.the-cryosphere.net/12/3653/2018/tc-12-3653-2018.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0416 https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0424 doi:10.5194/tc-12-3653-2018 1994-0416 1994-0424 https://doaj.org/article/e7e3809742e046469bcdbee272331088 The Cryosphere, Vol 12, Pp 3653-3669 (2018) Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 article 2018 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-3653-2018 2022-12-31T10:32:17Z Incident solar radiation absorbed within the ablation zone of glaciers generates a shallow perched aquifer and seasonal icebound microbial habitat. During the melt seasons of 2014 and 2015, borehole investigations were used to examine the physical, geochemical, and microbiological properties in the near-surface ice and aquifer of the temperate Matanuska Glacier (south-central Alaska). Based on temperature, solar forcing, and ice optical properties, the dissipation of shortwave radiation promoted internal melting and the formation of a weathering crust with a maximum depth of ∼2 m. Boreholes into the weathering crust provided access to water percolating through the porous ice. The water had low ion concentrations (4–12 µ S cm −1 ), was aerobic (12 mg O 2 L −1 ), contained 200 to 8300 cells mL −1 , and harbored growing populations with estimated in situ generation times of 11 to 14 days. During the melt season, the upper 2 m of ice experienced at least 3 % of the surface photosynthetically active radiation flux and possessed a fractional water content as high as 10 %. Photosynthetic subsistence of biogeochemical reactions in the weathering crust ecosystem was supported by ex situ metabolic experiments and the presence of phototrophic taxa (cyanobacteria, golden and green algae) in the aquifer samples. Meltwater durations of ∼7.5 months coupled with the growth estimates imply biomass may increase by 4 orders of magnitude each year. Our results provide insight into how seasonal dynamics affect habitability of near-surface ice and microbial processes in a portion of the glacial biome poised to expand in extent with increasing global temperature and ablation season duration. Article in Journal/Newspaper glacier glaciers The Cryosphere Alaska Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles The Cryosphere 12 11 3653 3669 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 |
spellingShingle |
Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 B. C. Christner H. F. Lavender C. L. Davis E. E. Oliver S. U. Neuhaus K. F. Myers B. Hagedorn S. M. Tulaczyk P. T. Doran W. C. Stone Microbial processes in the weathering crust aquifer of a temperate glacier |
topic_facet |
Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 |
description |
Incident solar radiation absorbed within the ablation zone of glaciers generates a shallow perched aquifer and seasonal icebound microbial habitat. During the melt seasons of 2014 and 2015, borehole investigations were used to examine the physical, geochemical, and microbiological properties in the near-surface ice and aquifer of the temperate Matanuska Glacier (south-central Alaska). Based on temperature, solar forcing, and ice optical properties, the dissipation of shortwave radiation promoted internal melting and the formation of a weathering crust with a maximum depth of ∼2 m. Boreholes into the weathering crust provided access to water percolating through the porous ice. The water had low ion concentrations (4–12 µ S cm −1 ), was aerobic (12 mg O 2 L −1 ), contained 200 to 8300 cells mL −1 , and harbored growing populations with estimated in situ generation times of 11 to 14 days. During the melt season, the upper 2 m of ice experienced at least 3 % of the surface photosynthetically active radiation flux and possessed a fractional water content as high as 10 %. Photosynthetic subsistence of biogeochemical reactions in the weathering crust ecosystem was supported by ex situ metabolic experiments and the presence of phototrophic taxa (cyanobacteria, golden and green algae) in the aquifer samples. Meltwater durations of ∼7.5 months coupled with the growth estimates imply biomass may increase by 4 orders of magnitude each year. Our results provide insight into how seasonal dynamics affect habitability of near-surface ice and microbial processes in a portion of the glacial biome poised to expand in extent with increasing global temperature and ablation season duration. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
B. C. Christner H. F. Lavender C. L. Davis E. E. Oliver S. U. Neuhaus K. F. Myers B. Hagedorn S. M. Tulaczyk P. T. Doran W. C. Stone |
author_facet |
B. C. Christner H. F. Lavender C. L. Davis E. E. Oliver S. U. Neuhaus K. F. Myers B. Hagedorn S. M. Tulaczyk P. T. Doran W. C. Stone |
author_sort |
B. C. Christner |
title |
Microbial processes in the weathering crust aquifer of a temperate glacier |
title_short |
Microbial processes in the weathering crust aquifer of a temperate glacier |
title_full |
Microbial processes in the weathering crust aquifer of a temperate glacier |
title_fullStr |
Microbial processes in the weathering crust aquifer of a temperate glacier |
title_full_unstemmed |
Microbial processes in the weathering crust aquifer of a temperate glacier |
title_sort |
microbial processes in the weathering crust aquifer of a temperate glacier |
publisher |
Copernicus Publications |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-3653-2018 https://doaj.org/article/e7e3809742e046469bcdbee272331088 |
genre |
glacier glaciers The Cryosphere Alaska |
genre_facet |
glacier glaciers The Cryosphere Alaska |
op_source |
The Cryosphere, Vol 12, Pp 3653-3669 (2018) |
op_relation |
https://www.the-cryosphere.net/12/3653/2018/tc-12-3653-2018.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0416 https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0424 doi:10.5194/tc-12-3653-2018 1994-0416 1994-0424 https://doaj.org/article/e7e3809742e046469bcdbee272331088 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-3653-2018 |
container_title |
The Cryosphere |
container_volume |
12 |
container_issue |
11 |
container_start_page |
3653 |
op_container_end_page |
3669 |
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1766008645091328000 |