Directory

Start date:
December 2015
End date:
February 2016
Locations:
Garwood Valley, Lake Bonney, Lake Hoare, New Harbor, Taylor Valley
Principle Investigator:
Dr. Andrew Fountain
Organisation:
Portland State University
Rapid landscape change has been observed in the McMurdo Dry Valleys during the past decade. Increased solar radiation is hypothesized to cause surface sediment warming and subsequent rapid melting of ice in areas where sediment is in contact with ice. Surface topography, energy budget, biogeochemistry, and hydrology are changing as a result. This project will evaluate the range of changes occurring in the Dry Valleys and subsequent impacts on biological, glaciological, and hydrological systems using airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) measurements and supporting ground analyses.