Hydrological Controls on Ecosystem Dynamics in Lake Fryxell, Antarctica

• Published in: PLOS ONE
• Main Authors: Herbei, Radu, Rytel, Alexander L., Lyons, W. Berry, McKnight, Diane M., Jaros, Christopher, Gooseff, Michael N., Priscu, John C.
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Public Library of Science 2016
• Subjects: Research Article; Antarctic; Fryxell; Lake Fryxell; McMurdo Dry Valleys; Taylor Valley; Antarc*; Antarctica; polar desert
• Online Access: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4956314/; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27441705; https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0159038

The McMurdo Dry Valleys constitute the largest ice free area of Antarctica. The area is a polar desert with an annual precipitation of ∼ 3 cm water equivalent, but contains several lakes fed by glacial melt water streams that flow from four to twelve weeks of the year. Over the past ∼20 years, data...