Polar Soils Blog

Hi Katya, Yes, the McMurdo Dry Valleys are consid...

2013-04-15T14:33:21.852+12:00

Hi Katya,

Yes, the McMurdo Dry Valleys are considered to have soil. It is published in the scientific literature as such (for example, you may refer papers describing the soils classifications, such as Bockheim & McLeod (2008) Geoderma 144: 43–49). On the philosophical side, there are several definitions of "soil" that each incorporate varying degrees of biological processing, and people can debate the symantics of when a pedon goes from "weathered parent material" to "soil" for ages. It depends on how you subjectively determine when it's "different looking" or when organic matter is "high enough" or how many of the classified horizons are enough. In the Dry Valleys, there is indeed weathered parent material that has been biologically processed. It is much less developed than in other places, of course, given the conditions and time since exposure. But, if your chosen definition of soil is that it needs to have high organic matter content, all of the visible horizons in the textbook, and be a different color than the original rock, then yes, the world has a lot fewer soils than the classification guides would suggest. It's certainly not a new debate. But, whatever we call it, the Dry Valleys' weathered-parent-material has biology and biogeochemical cycling, and therefore I find it very interesting to study!

Hellow! I have one question - is it right to affir...

2013-04-07T02:36:27.962+12:00

Hellow! I have one question - is it right to affirm that the friable layer in Dry Valleys - is "soil" (- a natural body consisting of layers (soil horizons) that are primarily composed of minerals which differ from their parent materials in their texture, structure, consistency, color, chemical, biological and other characteristics as told) because in it's true definition soil is the body made from lifeless rock and living organisms with high content of organic matter. Just differentiated rock layers are called "residual soil" formed primery by physicochemical influences. How can You prove that this subsurface layer is just "soil"?
I saw the wet sand under the mosses in Larsemann Hills wich pedologists called "soils" but for me it is just wet sand with some organic matter...
For me in continental Antarctic there is no soils. Maybe on it's Nord Islands.
Thank You for the notice,
Katya

same here ^__^

2013-03-05T15:29:05.830+13:00

same here ^__^

this really helped my mobile thxs

2013-03-05T10:47:42.215+13:00

this really helped my mobile thxs

Thanks so much, it helped with my Science project....

2013-03-05T09:45:32.269+13:00

Thanks so much, it helped with my Science project.

This blog was originally started as a way to teach...

2013-02-15T08:29:10.260+13:00

This blog was originally started as a way to teach elementary school students in Vermont about our research. Since then, it has been used by many students of all ages in different schools around the world!

Hi! I was surprised in a good way the moment I ope...

2013-02-15T01:04:06.632+13:00

Hi! I was surprised in a good way the moment I opened this page of your portal. What was the leading reason at that moment when you to compose this site?

Oh, I didn't know that. Thank you for your ans...

2012-12-06T23:22:50.161+13:00

Oh, I didn't know that. Thank you for your answer!

No, I don't know anybody that sells them. As f...

2012-12-05T11:08:40.114+13:00

No, I don't know anybody that sells them. As far as I'm aware, it's illegal to sell them (at least for the Antarctic wildlife it would be).

Amazing skulls! Do you know someone who sells skul...

2012-12-05T10:15:28.130+13:00

Amazing skulls! Do you know someone who sells skulls of the leopard seal?

Lovely! Thanks for the interesting information! :)...

2012-10-04T06:00:20.648+13:00

Lovely! Thanks for the interesting information! :)

nice pictures

2012-06-08T14:16:15.102+12:00

nice pictures

2012-06-08T14:15:05.178+12:00

nice pictures

Thanks, I got full marks on my geography report T...

2012-04-04T05:39:44.653+12:00

Thanks, I got full marks on my geography report

Thanks!

No, we of course didn't kill the seals for the...

2012-03-06T05:17:57.749+13:00

No, we of course didn't kill the seals for their skulls! They were collected. :)

Cool. WHERE DID YOU GET THE SKULLS? DID YOU KILL T...

2012-03-04T14:18:40.492+13:00

Cool. WHERE DID YOU GET THE SKULLS? DID YOU KILL THE SEAL FOR IT? im hoping you found it...

i hate the skulls but apart from that it was alrig...

2012-02-25T10:04:31.371+13:00

i hate the skulls but apart from that it was alright

This was interesting. Thanks!

2012-02-07T14:10:50.792+13:00

This was interesting. Thanks!

Absolutely exceptional!

2012-02-07T00:09:06.965+13:00

Absolutely exceptional!

Hello Dr. Becky, I am also working on Antarctic En...

2012-01-27T20:22:02.347+13:00

Hello Dr. Becky,
I am also working on Antarctic Environment, Please provide some info on soil quality of Antarctica.
Thanx.
gurupawanbharti@gmail.com

Jūs esate laukiami!

2012-01-09T04:16:22.405+13:00

Jūs esate laukiami!

Ačiū jūsų informacija man tikrai labai pagelbėjo d...

2012-01-09T02:15:30.880+13:00

Ačiū jūsų informacija man tikrai labai pagelbėjo darai skaidres apie antarktį. :)

Antarctica is the best place for discovery and I h...

2012-01-05T16:55:42.568+13:00

Antarctica is the best place for discovery and I had also seen many times that scientist are researching many things in Antarctica.

hello this was informative and very helpful :D gr...

2011-11-16T20:36:32.806+13:00

hello
this was informative and very helpful :D
grazas amigos

This was sooo much help. Thank-you!!!! It was real...

2011-11-07T20:11:36.289+13:00

This was sooo much help. Thank-you!!!!
It was really informative. I have an assignment on Antarctica.