Relative Paleoenvironmental Adjustments Following Deglaciation of the Byers Peninsula (Livingston Island, Antarctica)

Fernández, Jesús Ruíz; Oliva, Marc

doi:10.1657/aaar0015-014

Cited by 22 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…Areas with higher edaphic humidity are mainly covered by moss formation, as has been verified in the nearby Byers Peninsula (Correia et al, 2016;Ruiz-Fernández and Oliva, 2016). However, a clear gradation of species can be observed even in this formation, depending on the higher or lower water saturation.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 51%

Topographic and geomorphologic controls on the distribution of vegetation formations in Elephant Point (Livingston Island, Maritime Antarctica)

Fernández

Oliva

García-Hernández

2017

Science of The Total Environment

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This article focuses on the spatial distribution of vegetation formations in Elephant Point, an ice-free area of 1.16km located in Livingston Island (South Shetland Islands, Antarctica). Fieldwork carried out in January 2014 consisted of floristic surveys and designation of a vegetation map. We have examined these data in a GIS environment together with topographical and geomorphological features existing in the peninsula in order to infer the factors controlling vegetation distribution. This has allowed quantifying the total area covered by the four different vegetation formations distributed across the peninsula, proliferating mainly on bedrock plateaus and Holocene raised beaches. Grass formation is essentially composed of Deschampsia antarctica, distributed almost exclusively on raised beaches, and covering 4.1% of the ice-free surface. The remaining three formations are fundamentally composed of cryptogam species. The first of which is fruticose lichen and moss formation, present on high bedrock plateaus and principally formed by lichens such as Usnea aurantiaco-atra. The next is the crustose lichen formation, spreading on bedrock plateaus near the coast populated by bird colonies. In this case, ornitocoprophilous lichens such as Caloplaca regalis, Xanthoria elegans and Haematomma erythromma are predominant. Together, both formations have colonised 5.1% of the peninsula. The last variety, moss carpet and moss cushion formation, occupies 1.4% of the deglaciated surface, spreading primarily in flooded areas, stabilised talus slopes, and bedrock plateaus as well. Therefore, the total surface colonised by vegetation is 12.2ha, which comprises 10.5% of the peninsula. Due to the retreat of the Rotch Dome glacier, 20.1ha remain ice-free since 1956 (17.3% of the deglaciated area). Ever since, even though the Antarctic Peninsula has registered one of the most significant temperature rises on Earth, vegetation has only colonised 0.04ha of this new space, which merely represents 0.3% of the vegetated area in Elephant Point.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 51%

Topographic and geomorphologic controls on the distribution of vegetation formations in Elephant Point (Livingston Island, Maritime Antarctica)

Fernández

Oliva

García-Hernández

2017

Science of The Total Environment

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“…No clear geomorphic indicators were observed along the transect on the raised beaches that confirm the existence of permafrost from a geomorphological point of view. However, at the foot of the Cerro Negro hill (3 km distance), incipient ice-wedge polygonal terrain with visible evidence of recent frost cracking were observed in 2014 (Ruiz-Fernández and Oliva, 2016). Some minor periglacial features related to intense cryoturbation (sorted stone circles, stone stripes) were observed in the area, but these features are not strictly associated to permafrost conditions.…”

Section: Permafrost Distribution Based On Geomorphological Indicatorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of frozen ground conditions along a coastal topographic gradient at Byers Peninsula (Livingston Island, Antarctica) by geophysical and geoecological methods

Correia

Oliva

Fernández

2017

CATENA

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Geophysical surveying and geoelectrical methods are effective to study permafrost distribution and conditions in polar environments. Geoelectrical methods are particularly suited to study the spatial distribution of permafrost because of its high electrical resistivity in comparison with that of soil or rock above 0°C. In the South Shetland Islands permafrost is considered to be discontinuous up to elevations of 20-40 m a.s.l., changing to continuous at higher altitudes. There are no specific data about the distribution of permafrost in Byers Peninsula, in Livingston Island, which is the largest ice-free area in the South Shetland Islands. With the purpose of better understanding the occurrence of permanent frozen conditions in this area, a geophysical survey using an electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) methodology was conducted during the January 2015 field season, combined with geomorphological and ecological studies. Three overlapping electrical resistivity tomographies of 78 m each were done along the same profile which ran from the coast to the highest raised beaches. The three electrical resistivity tomographies are combined in an electrical resistivity model which represents the distribution of the electrical resistivity of the ground to depths of about 13 m along 158 m. Several patches of high electrical resistivity were found, and interpreted as patches of sporadic permafrost. The lower limits of sporadic to discontinuous permafrost in the area are confirmed by the presence of permafrost-related landforms nearby. There is a close correspondence between moss patches and permafrost patches along the geoelectrical transect.

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“…These more favourable moist and temperature conditions are fundamental to soil development in the region (Bockheim, ); in addition to physical rock disintegration, environmental conditions promote chemical weathering of the substrate (Campbell & Claridge, ) with different degrees of intensity depending on the thermal and moisture regimes. A variety of periglacial, and paraglacial alluvial and slope processes and related landforms have been described in ice‐free areas of the South Shetland Islands (e.g., López‐Martínez et al, ; López‐Martínez, Serrano, Schmid, Mink, & Linés, ; Oliva & Ruiz‐Fernández, ), and the close interaction between permafrost and cryoturbation processes have generated patterned ground terrain (Ruiz‐Fernández & Oliva, ; Serrano et al, ; Serrano, López‐Martínez, & Navas, ). Likewise, succession of freeze–thaw cycles triggers rock disintegration facilitating the chemical weathering of the crushed rocks and sediments.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interpreting environmental changes from radionuclides and soil characteristics in different landform contexts of Elephant Island (maritime Antarctica)

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Relative Paleoenvironmental Adjustments Following Deglaciation of the Byers Peninsula (Livingston Island, Antarctica)

Cited by 22 publications

References 41 publications

Topographic and geomorphologic controls on the distribution of vegetation formations in Elephant Point (Livingston Island, Maritime Antarctica)

Topographic and geomorphologic controls on the distribution of vegetation formations in Elephant Point (Livingston Island, Maritime Antarctica)

Evaluation of frozen ground conditions along a coastal topographic gradient at Byers Peninsula (Livingston Island, Antarctica) by geophysical and geoecological methods

Interpreting environmental changes from radionuclides and soil characteristics in different landform contexts of Elephant Island (maritime Antarctica)

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