Active Layer Thickness of Soils in the Ross Sea Region, Antarctica
Abstract
Soil temperature, air temperature, solar radiation, soil water content, and other parameters have been monitored continuously at four locations in the Ross Sea Region, Antarctica since January 1999. Although the time of record is too short to discern long-term trends, relationships between active layer thickness and various other parameters can be appraised. The active layer depth increased at all four sites during the study period. The average annual air temperature increased at three of the four sites and the annual maximum air temperature increased at all sites. One of the more interesting trends show the average annual soil water content near the surface increasing at all sites; however, these soils remain very dry; average annual soil water contents seldom exceed five percent by volume. The maximum soil water content can sometimes exceed 20 percent for short periods during snow melt and this leads to percolation into the soil. Average annual incoming solar radiation behaved similarly to air temperature. January solar radiation increased at two sites and decreased at two.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2003
- Bibcode:
- 2003AGUFM.C21B0810P
- Keywords:
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- 1615 Biogeochemical processes (4805);
- 1823 Frozen ground;
- 1863 Snow and ice (1827);
- 3322 Land/atmosphere interactions;
- 3344 Paleoclimatology