A blue-ice ecosystem on the margins of the East Antarctic ice sheet
Freezing temperatures, desiccation and high levels of solar radiation make the surface of the Antarctic ice sheet one of Earth’s harshest habitats. However, our study in the Vestfold Hills area of East Antarctica shows that favourable conditions for microbial production become established just benea...
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ftuglasgow:oai:eprints.gla.ac.uk:215729 2023-05-15T13:52:39+02:00 A blue-ice ecosystem on the margins of the East Antarctic ice sheet Hodson, Andy Paterson, Harriet Westwood, Karen Cameron, Karen Laybourn-Parry, Johanna 2013 http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/215729/ unknown International Glaciological Society Hodson, A., Paterson, H., Westwood, K., Cameron, K. <http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/view/author/55427.html> and Laybourn-Parry, J. (2013) A blue-ice ecosystem on the margins of the East Antarctic ice sheet. Journal of Glaciology <http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/view/journal_volume/Journal_of_Glaciology.html>, 59(214), pp. 255-268. (doi:10.3189/2013JoG12J052 <http://dx.doi.org/10.3189/2013JoG12J052>) Articles PeerReviewed 2013 ftuglasgow https://doi.org/10.3189/2013JoG12J052 2021-10-21T22:10:17Z Freezing temperatures, desiccation and high levels of solar radiation make the surface of the Antarctic ice sheet one of Earth’s harshest habitats. However, our study in the Vestfold Hills area of East Antarctica shows that favourable conditions for microbial production become established just beneath the surface of blue-ice areas, which collectively cover about 2% of the ice-sheet periphery. Their translucent, wind-polished surface allows solar heating to create meltwater in a greenhouse-type environment at depths of up to 1 m. Melting is intensified around dark debris particles, or cryoconite, where we found microbiological activity to be greatest. Rates of photosynthesis (average 2060 ng C (g cryoconite)−1 d−1) were adapted to low light intensities (∼10% of surface irradiance values) and most likely dominated by cyanobacteria and Chloroplastida. A heterotrophic bacterial community was also found to be active within the cryoconite, although average bacterial growth rates (5.7 ng C (g cryoconite)−1 d−1) were far lower than average community respiration (1870 ng C (g cryoconite)−1 d−1). The majority of the respired carbon was most likely associated with the autotrophs and several protists. Therefore, blue-ice areas constitute oases for microbial life around the periphery of Earth’s coldest ice sheet. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica East Antarctica Ice Sheet Journal of Glaciology University of Glasgow: Enlighten - Publications Antarctic East Antarctic Ice Sheet East Antarctica The Antarctic Vestfold Vestfold Hills Journal of Glaciology 59 214 255 268 |
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University of Glasgow: Enlighten - Publications |
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description |
Freezing temperatures, desiccation and high levels of solar radiation make the surface of the Antarctic ice sheet one of Earth’s harshest habitats. However, our study in the Vestfold Hills area of East Antarctica shows that favourable conditions for microbial production become established just beneath the surface of blue-ice areas, which collectively cover about 2% of the ice-sheet periphery. Their translucent, wind-polished surface allows solar heating to create meltwater in a greenhouse-type environment at depths of up to 1 m. Melting is intensified around dark debris particles, or cryoconite, where we found microbiological activity to be greatest. Rates of photosynthesis (average 2060 ng C (g cryoconite)−1 d−1) were adapted to low light intensities (∼10% of surface irradiance values) and most likely dominated by cyanobacteria and Chloroplastida. A heterotrophic bacterial community was also found to be active within the cryoconite, although average bacterial growth rates (5.7 ng C (g cryoconite)−1 d−1) were far lower than average community respiration (1870 ng C (g cryoconite)−1 d−1). The majority of the respired carbon was most likely associated with the autotrophs and several protists. Therefore, blue-ice areas constitute oases for microbial life around the periphery of Earth’s coldest ice sheet. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Hodson, Andy Paterson, Harriet Westwood, Karen Cameron, Karen Laybourn-Parry, Johanna |
spellingShingle |
Hodson, Andy Paterson, Harriet Westwood, Karen Cameron, Karen Laybourn-Parry, Johanna A blue-ice ecosystem on the margins of the East Antarctic ice sheet |
author_facet |
Hodson, Andy Paterson, Harriet Westwood, Karen Cameron, Karen Laybourn-Parry, Johanna |
author_sort |
Hodson, Andy |
title |
A blue-ice ecosystem on the margins of the East Antarctic ice sheet |
title_short |
A blue-ice ecosystem on the margins of the East Antarctic ice sheet |
title_full |
A blue-ice ecosystem on the margins of the East Antarctic ice sheet |
title_fullStr |
A blue-ice ecosystem on the margins of the East Antarctic ice sheet |
title_full_unstemmed |
A blue-ice ecosystem on the margins of the East Antarctic ice sheet |
title_sort |
blue-ice ecosystem on the margins of the east antarctic ice sheet |
publisher |
International Glaciological Society |
publishDate |
2013 |
url |
http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/215729/ |
geographic |
Antarctic East Antarctic Ice Sheet East Antarctica The Antarctic Vestfold Vestfold Hills |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic East Antarctic Ice Sheet East Antarctica The Antarctic Vestfold Vestfold Hills |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica East Antarctica Ice Sheet Journal of Glaciology |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica East Antarctica Ice Sheet Journal of Glaciology |
op_relation |
Hodson, A., Paterson, H., Westwood, K., Cameron, K. <http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/view/author/55427.html> and Laybourn-Parry, J. (2013) A blue-ice ecosystem on the margins of the East Antarctic ice sheet. Journal of Glaciology <http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/view/journal_volume/Journal_of_Glaciology.html>, 59(214), pp. 255-268. (doi:10.3189/2013JoG12J052 <http://dx.doi.org/10.3189/2013JoG12J052>) |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3189/2013JoG12J052 |
container_title |
Journal of Glaciology |
container_volume |
59 |
container_issue |
214 |
container_start_page |
255 |
op_container_end_page |
268 |
_version_ |
1766257076123729920 |