Antarctic Dry Valley Soil Nutrient Subsidy Experiments

Nutrient subsidy experiments in the Garwood Valley tested the hypothesis that McMurdo Dry Valley soils rely on external carbon and nitrogen sources. The dataset includes pre- and post-treatment soil samples analyzed for microbial respiration, community composition, and chemical properties across three field seasons from 2001 to 2005. Data collection was organized by SCIOPS and is hosted on NASA EarthData.

Use Cases

• Modeling the relationship between external nutrient subsidies and in-situ microbial respiration rates.
• Analyzing changes in soil community composition and diversity following the application of lakeshore foam and algal mats.
• Investigating the shift from initial nitrogen limitation to later carbon limitation in decomposition processes.
• Comparing baseline soil chemical parameters like carbon and nitrogen pools across different landforms in the Garwood Valley.

Strengths

• Experimental data spans three distinct field seasons (2001/02, 2002/03, 2004/05).
• Includes both short-term (6-day) and medium-term (2-year) measurements of soil processes.
• Analyses cover multiple soil properties: chemical pools, microbial activity, and invertebrate abundance.

Limitations

• The dataset's specific row count, column names, and file size are unknown.
• Data collection concluded in 2005, limiting analysis of recent environmental changes.
• Geographic scope is limited to the Garwood Valley within the McMurdo Dry Valleys.

Provenance

Source

NASA EarthData, provided by organization SCIOPS.

Collection Method

Field experiments involving soil sampling, controlled subsidy applications, and subsequent laboratory analysis.

Time Range

Field seasons from 2001/02 to 2004/05.

Freshness

Last updated in January 2006; no update frequency specified.

Geography

Garwood Valley, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica.