Severe Melt Season in the McMurdo Dry Valleys

One extreme melt season that will change the McMurdo Dry Valleys glaciers/lakes/ice for years to come.

Nicholas DuVernay (Photo credit- Peter Rejcek, NSF)

Introduction/Summary of the McMurdo Dry Valleys

Shown in the image above (Steve Chignell, 2016) is one of the research sites that scientists have been sampling and observing at. The scientists main goal is to measure the change in biodiversity that resulted from the abrupt melting in 2002. As the research goes on, the scientists have found patterns that suggest that as the permafrost melts, (hence climate change intensifies) the more biodiverse the McMurdo Dry Valleys get (Gooseff et al., 2017). This would make sense because the McMurdo Dry Valleys are so cold that they support little life. But, as it starts to warm up, more and more life is able to live in its less-harsh environment.

Graphs that help display the rapid change that occurred in the summer of 2002

This figure shows the mean summer air temperature (red) and the mean summer solar flux (green) (Gooseff et al., 2017). From 1986-2001, there was a net cooling of -1.1ºC per decade. From 2003-2013 there was a net warming of +0.54ºC (Gooseff et al., 2017). This is consistent with the graph. Before 2002 there was an obvious cooling trend in the summers and then after there was no significant cooling or warming trends. Solar radiation on the other hand has increased in the summer time since 2002 as shown in the graph. Overall the melt season made the temperatures more average in the summer and the solar radiation more intense in the summer (Gooseff et al., 2017).

This graph is displaying the lake ice thickness in the top graph and the water level of Lake Bonney (a lake in the McMurdo Dry Valleys) in the bottom graph. Both of these graphs show expected trends. The lake thickness in the top graph is increasing all the way up until 2002 when the ice started to melt due to warming. The second graph shows that the Lake Bonney water level was relatively low until 2002 when warming caused ice to melt and increase water level (Gooseff et al., 2017).

Important implications and what to look for in the future

The extreme melt that occurred in the McMurdo Dry Valleys in 2002 may be a look into the future. With the poles warming at such a rapid pace, these extreme melt seasons could become normal, or even expected. As the warming continues the water level will rise, glaciers will retreat, temperatures will increase, and solar intensity will also increase. It's important to note that as the McMurdo Dry Valleys warm, more and more species will be able to inhabit the space. Wheather the change is good or bad, the McMurdo Dry Valleys will experience some kind of change in the future.

Citations

Extreme melt season leads to decade-long ecosystem changes in Antarctica's dry valleys. NSF. https://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=242559 (Accessed December 1, 2021). 

Gooseff, M. N., and Coauthors, 2017: Decadal ecosystem response to an anomalous melt season in a polar desert in Antarctica. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 1, 1334–1338, doi:10.1038/s41559-017-0253-0. 

Shown in the image above (Steve Chignell, 2016) is one of the research sites that scientists have been sampling and observing at. The scientists main goal is to measure the change in biodiversity that resulted from the abrupt melting in 2002. As the research goes on, the scientists have found patterns that suggest that as the permafrost melts, (hence climate change intensifies) the more biodiverse the McMurdo Dry Valleys get (Gooseff et al., 2017). This would make sense because the McMurdo Dry Valleys are so cold that they support little life. But, as it starts to warm up, more and more life is able to live in its less-harsh environment.

This figure shows the mean summer air temperature (red) and the mean summer solar flux (green) (Gooseff et al., 2017). From 1986-2001, there was a net cooling of -1.1ºC per decade. From 2003-2013 there was a net warming of +0.54ºC (Gooseff et al., 2017). This is consistent with the graph. Before 2002 there was an obvious cooling trend in the summers and then after there was no significant cooling or warming trends. Solar radiation on the other hand has increased in the summer time since 2002 as shown in the graph. Overall the melt season made the temperatures more average in the summer and the solar radiation more intense in the summer (Gooseff et al., 2017).

This graph is displaying the lake ice thickness in the top graph and the water level of Lake Bonney (a lake in the McMurdo Dry Valleys) in the bottom graph. Both of these graphs show expected trends. The lake thickness in the top graph is increasing all the way up until 2002 when the ice started to melt due to warming. The second graph shows that the Lake Bonney water level was relatively low until 2002 when warming caused ice to melt and increase water level (Gooseff et al., 2017).