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Lacustrine systems of Clearwater Mesa (James Ross Island, north-eastern Antarctic Peninsula): geomorphological setting and limnological characterization

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 May 2019

Matěj Roman Open the ORCID record for Matěj Roman [Opens in a new window] ,
Linda Nedbalová ,
Tyler J. Kohler ,
Juan M. Lirio ,
Silvia H. Coria ,
Jiří Kopáček ,
Paula A. Vignoni ,
Kateřina Kopalová ,
Karina L. Lecomte  and
Josef Elster
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Matěj Roman*
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, 611 37, Brno, Czech Republic Department of Physical Geography and Geoecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Albertov 6, 128 43, Praha 2, Czech Republic
Linda Nedbalová
Affiliation:
Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, 128 44, Praha 2, Czech Republic
Tyler J. Kohler
Affiliation:
Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, 128 44, Praha 2, Czech Republic
Juan M. Lirio
Affiliation:
Instituto Antártico Argentino, 25 de Mayo 1143, San Martín, Prov. Buenos Aires, Argentina
Silvia H. Coria
Affiliation:
Instituto Antártico Argentino, 25 de Mayo 1143, San Martín, Prov. Buenos Aires, Argentina
Jiří Kopáček
Affiliation:
Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, v.v.i., Institute of Hydrobiology, Na Sádkách 7, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
Paula A. Vignoni
Affiliation:
Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra (CICTERRA), CONICET/Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Av. Vélez Sarsfield 1611, X5016CGA Córdoba, Argentina
Kateřina Kopalová
Affiliation:
Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, 128 44, Praha 2, Czech Republic
Karina L. Lecomte
Affiliation:
Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra (CICTERRA), CONICET/Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Av. Vélez Sarsfield 1611, X5016CGA Córdoba, Argentina Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Av. Vélez Sarsfield 1611, X5016CGA Córdoba, Argentina
Josef Elster
Affiliation:
Centre for Polar Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Na Zlaté stoce 3, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
Daniel Nývlt
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, 611 37, Brno, Czech Republic
*
[email protected]
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Abstract

Lentic freshwater habitats are important centres of biodiversity within the infrequent ice-free oases across Antarctica. Given imminent climate changes, it is crucial to catalogue these habitats in order to provide baseline data for future monitoring and biological surveys. The lacustrine systems of Clearwater Mesa, a previously unexplored part of James Ross Island, north-eastern Antarctic Peninsula, are described here. We conducted basic geomorphological and limnological surveys over three Antarctic summers (2009–16) to characterize landscape evolution, infer the origin of lake basins and assess the variability in their water chemistry. Stable shallow lakes, formed in depressions between lava tumuli following the last deglaciation, were found to dominate the volcanic mesa, although several peripheral lakes in ice-proximal settings appear to have formed recently as a result of post-Neoglacial ice recession. We found large heterogeneity in conductivity (~10–7000 μS cm−1), despite the lithologically uniform substrate. This variability was shown to be related to lake type, basin type (open vs closed), meltwater source and proximity to the coast. Inter-annual differences were attributed to changes in sea spray influx and snow accumulation driven by variable weather conditions. Overall, the ion composition of lakes suggested that sea spray was the dominant source of ions, followed by the weathering of bedrock.

Keywords

deglaciationhydrologylake originlake typologylandscape evolutionwater chemistry
Type
Biological Sciences
Information
Antarctic Science , Volume 31 , Issue 4 , August 2019 , pp. 169 - 188
Copyright
Copyright © Antarctic Science Ltd 2019 

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