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Poster Number:
255
Presenter/Primary Author:
Amy Chiuchiolo The McMurdo Dry Valley (MCM) study site is located in an ice-free region of Antarctica at 77° S, 162-163 E. The lakes in this region are highly responsive to changes in climate. More than 20 years of phytoplankton productivity data (1993-2014) reveal that these lakes produce up to 9000 kg of new carbon per year. Long-term trends of chlorophyll-a, phytoplankton productivity, water temperature and ice thickness were compared. The rate of carbon production is strongly influenced by available light, which is controlled to a large extent by the thickness of the permanent ice cover.
