Delayed Due to Snow!

Around 98% of Antarctica is covered with ice. The Dry Valleys region is the largest area on the continent NOT covered by ice.

Located in the mountains by McMurdo Sound, on the part closest to New Zealand, the Valleys receive the equivalent of 10cm of water per year in the form of snow.

However, this year, we will most likely surpass that average .......our departure to Lake Fyrxell and F6 was delayed due to SNOW!



This delay gave us time to catch up on email, do some research and REST UP for the next day's adventure! Stay tuned for our journey to Lake Fyrxell .........

In the meantime, here are some Facts On the Dry Valleys.........

• There are (3) Large Valleys that make up the Dry Valleys:
• 

Taylor,

Wright,

and Victoria

• The Valleys are about 80-100km long, 8-10km wide and 3km deep.

For comparison, how far is it from Boulder to Ft. Collins?

• The Surface of the valleys include: gravel floors with large expanses of bedrock. The bedrock consists of Precambrian metamorphic rock of the Koettliz Group (OK -- now you have some HOMEWORK!)
  

• It is thought that the valley landscape is due to glacial erosion.

Next..... A WORD ON GLACIERS

• Glaciers of the McMurdo Dry Valleys are fundamental to the hydrology and biology of the Dry Valleys because they are the only significant source of water.

• Understanding the glacial events and meltwater runoff is the key to understanding the Dry Valley ecosystem.

• Of all forms of mass loss, sublimation accounts for 70% of total glacial mass loss. What is sublimation?

• The Dry Valley Glaciers are classified as polar glaciers. Polar Glaciers mean their interior and basal temperature are well below freezing and the glacier is frozen to the ground underneath (thus the glacier is not advancing much).

• The climate of the Dry Valleys is that of a cold desert. Average air temperature is -20C and the warmest summer months (Oct-Feb) 1.4C.

• Solar radiation is the important driving force for the hydrological and biological systems in the Dry Valleys. It influences sublimation, heating of the soils and air, and providing energy for photosynthesis by the microbial communities.

• Solar radiation levels were 84-117 W/m2 in 1994. In 2007, the average was 208 W/m2.
  

What would be some possible outcomes of increased solar radiation?