Life in Antarctic Deserts and other Cold Dry Environments: Astrobiological Analogs (Cambridge Astrobiology)

321 Pages·2010·6 MB·English

by  Peter T. Doran

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LIFE IN ANTARCTIC DESERTS AND OTHER
COLD DRY ENVIRONMENTS
Astrobiological Analogs
The McMurdo Dry Valleys form the largest relatively ice free area on the
antarctic continent. The perennially ice covered lakes, ephemeral streams,
and extensive areas of exposed soil are subject to low temperatures, limited
precipitation, and salt accumulation. The dry valleys thus represent a region
where life approaches its environmental limits. This unique ecosystem has
been studied for several decades as an analog to environments on other
planets, particularly Mars. For the first time, the detailed terrestrial research
of thedryvalleysis broughttogetherhere,presentedfromanastrobiological
perspective. Chapters include a discussion on the history of research in the
valleys,ageologicalbackgroundofthevalleys,settingthemupasanalogsfor
Mars, followed by chapters on the various subenvironments in the valleys
suchaslakes,glaciers,andsoils.Includesconcludingchaptersonbiodiversity
and other analog environments on Earth.
Peter T. Doran is a Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences and
activeresearchscientistattheUniversityofIllinoisatChicago.Heisaveteran
ofnumerousexpeditionstotheArcticandAntarcticinthepursuitofstudying
climate and ecosystem change and astrobiology. Doran is currently the lead
investigatorofNASA’sEnvironmentallyNon-DisturbingUnder-iceRobotic
ANtarctiCExplorer(ENDURANCE).HeisonvariousNASAreviewpanels
and working groups focused on future exploration of Mars and other
locations of astrobiological interest and is a sitting member of the NASA
SubcommitteeonPlanetaryProtection.Hehaspublishedmorethan50peer-
reviewedscholarlyarticles.HeisamemberofAmericanGeophysicalUnion,
the Union of Concerned Scientists, Committee on Space Research, the
GeologicalSocietyofAmerica,andtheAmericanQuaternaryAssociation.
W. Berry Lyons received his Ph.D. in chemical oceanography from the
University of Connecticut in 1979. He has since carried out many research
studiesintheAntarcticandrecentlysteppeddownastheleadinvestigatorof
the McMurdo Dry Valleys Long Term Ecological Research (MCM LTER)
project, one of the 26 LTER sites supported by the U.S. National Science
Foundation. He is a U.S. representative on the Geosciences Scientific Group
of the Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research (SCAR) and also serves
as Treasurer for the International Association of GeoChemistry. He has
coauthored over 200 scientific publications, many of them focused on
antarctic and polar themes. He is currently a Professor in the School of
Earth Sciences and former Director of the Byrd Polar Research Center at
the Ohio State University. His primary research interests include aqueous
geochemistry,environmentalgeochemistry,andtheimpactofclimatechange
and anthropogenic activities on biogeochemical processes.
Diane M. McKnight received her Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering
from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1979. She was a research
hydrologistwiththeU.S.GeologicalSurveyinDenver,Colorado,from1979
to 1996, where she studied the biogeochemistry of aquatic ecosystems. She
has been researching the Antarctic and Arctic since 1987, where she has
conducted research on stream ecosystems as part of the McMurdo Dry
Valleys Long Term Ecological Research (MCM LTER) project and alpine
lakes as part of the Niwot Ridge Long Term Ecological Research (NWT
LTER) project. Since 1996, she has been a Professor in the Department of
Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering and a Fellow of the
Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research at the University of Colorado,
Boulder. She has coauthored over 180 scientific publications, many of them
focused on polar and alpine themes. Her primary research interests include
aquatic ecology of algae in lakes and streams, and biogeochemical studies of
natural organic material and trace metals in freshwater systems.
CambridgeAstrobiology
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LIFE IN ANTARCTIC DESERTS
AND OTHER COLD DRY
ENVIRONMENTS
Astrobiological Analogs
Edited by
PETER T. DORAN
UniversityofIllinoisatChicago
W. BERRY LYONS
OhioStateUniversity
DIANE M. MCKNIGHT
UniversityofColoradoatBoulder
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
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Cambridge University Press
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Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521889193
© Cambridge University Press 2010
This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the
provision of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part
may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published in print format 2010
ISBN-13 978-0-511-71307-1 eBook (NetLibrary)
ISBN-13 978-0-521-88919-3 Hardback
Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy
of urls for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this publication,
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accurate or appropriate.
Contents
List of contributors page ix
1 Introduction 1
Peter T. Doran, W. Berry Lyons, and Diane M. McKnight
2 Geologic analogies between the surface of Mars
and the McMurdo Dry Valleys: microclimate-related
geomorphic features and evidence for climate change 9
David R. Marchant and James W. Head, III
3 The legacy of aqueous environments on soils of the
McMurdo Dry Valleys: contexts for future exploration
of martian soils 78
J. E. Barrett, Michael A. Poage, Michael N. Gooseff,
and Cristina Takacs-Vesbach
4 The antarctic cryptoendolithic microbial ecosystem 110
Henry J. Sun, James A. Nienow, and Christopher P. McKay
5 Antarctic McMurdo Dry Valley stream ecosystems
as analog to fluvial systems on Mars 139
Michael N. Gooseff, Diane M. McKnight, Michael H. Carr,
and Jenny Baeseman
6 Saline lakes and ponds in the McMurdo Dry Valleys:
ecological analogs to martian paleolake environments 160
Jill Mikucki, W. Berry Lyons, Ian Hawes, Brian D. Lanoil,
and Peter T. Doran
7 The biogeochemistry and hydrology of McMurdo Dry
Valley glaciers: is there life on martian ice now? 195
Martyn Tranter, Liz Bagshaw, Andrew G. Fountain,
and Christine Foreman
vii
viii Contents
8 Factors promoting microbial diversity in the McMurdo
Dry Valleys, Antarctica 221
Cristina Takacs-Vesbach, Lydia Zeglin, J. E. Barrett,
Michael N. Gooseff, and John C. Priscu
9 Other analogs to Mars: high-altitude, subsurface, desert,
and polar environments 258
Nathalie A. Cabrol, Dale T. Andersen, Carol R. Stoker,
Pascal Lee, Christopher P. McKay, and David S. Wettergreen
Index 306