Sampling Dry Valley Study Sites

Sampling Study Sites - First Season

Project Links:

2004-05 Field Season Report

2005-06 Field Season Report

Data

We began establishing sample plots at 4 lake locations and 7 stream locations in Wright Valley and Taylor Valley, Antarctica on January 12, 2005. Sampling commenced on January 15, 2005. A "sampling run" includes: 1) sampling soil for biogeochemical analysis, 2) sampling soil for microbial analysis, 3) sampling soil for soil water stable isotope ratio determination, 4) measuring surface soil electrical conductance, moisture content, temperature, and soil activity, 5) deploying ion-sorbing resin strips, and 6) pushing a T-bar into the ground to measure the depth to the point of refusal (~active layer depth).

Current status:

processing sediment samples for water content and particle size distribution,
processing ion-extracting resins,
processing microbial DNA extracts,
processing sediment samples for biogeochemical constituents

Images from Sampling/Measurement Campaigns: (double click image to see larger version)

Lk Joyce shoreline, site recon trip, looking E.	Lk Joyce shoreline, looking W.	Lk Bonney study site, recon trip, looking W.	Lk Hoare study site, looking W. Jeb is on far side of study plot.
Jeb collects our first soil sample at the Lk Bonney site. [QT Movie - double click to play]	Priscu Stream, near mouth to Lk Bonney.	Jeb samples soils at the Priscu Stream study plot.	Melissa measures surface soil moisture, Jeb samples soils at the Lk Bonney study plot.
Mike samples soil for microbial analysis in transect I, Jeb and Melissa work transect II at Lk Bonney site.	Mike & Lydia collect soils for molecular microbial processing at the upper Onyx River study plot.	Sampling the Upper Onyx River study plot.	Sampling the Lower Onyx River site. Much larger substrate in this location.
Lost Seal Str plot, near Commonwealth Gl.	Looking down on the Lost Seal Str site while Jeb, Lydia, and Melissa take samples & make measurements.	Jeb deploying ion-extraction resins at the Lk Fryxell plot.	The Lk Fryxell plot - note the white Campbell datalogger box, deployed with thermocouples.
Green Cr. plot.	Brad samples soils at a site at Green Cr.	Lower Delta Str plot, Jeb sampling sediment in the middle of a transect.	Ken samples sediments at the Upper Delta Str plot.
Upper Delta Str plot. Ken, Melissa, & Jeb sample.	Melissa surveys elevations at the Upper Onyx plot.	Ken & Melissa run levels at the Lower Onyx River site.	Lk Joyce plot, final visit. Campbell datalogger will monitor subsurface temperatures all winter.