Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2plfb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-27T13:50:31.186Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Short- and long-term impacts of human disturbances on snow-free surfaces in Antarctica

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 October 2009

I. B. Campbell ,
G. G. C. Claridge  and
M. R. Balks
I. B. Campbell
Affiliation:
Land & Soil Consultancy Services, 23 View Mount, Nelson, New Zealand
G. G. C. Claridge
Affiliation:
Land & Soil Consultancy Services, 23 View Mount, Nelson, New Zealand
M. R. Balks
Affiliation:
University of Waikato, Department of Earth Sciences, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton, New Zealand
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The speed with which tracks form as a result of trampling on exposed ground surfaces in Antarctica was investigated in the McMurdo Sound and Dry Valleys regions, by a simple treading experiment. Distinct tracks formed with fewer than 20 foot passes — as measured by stone cover, surface soil exposure, and track width — and they continued to develop with increasing traffic levels. Track development was rapid and most obvious on sandy gravel soils with a pebbly desert pavement, but slower and less distinct on soils with an extensive cover of surface boulders.

The persistence of human impact from ground disturbances, which occurred up to 30 years previously, when pits were dug during field science investigations, was assessed using a range of previously defined criteria. Recently disturbed sites, where some action had been taken to restore the site immediately after disturbance, showed the least overall impact. Impacts persisted longer at sites where no restoration had been undertaken, but the remaining impact varied with factors such as exposure to wind and the age of the land surface. These results demonstrate the fragility of Antarctic soil surfaces and the terrestrial environment, as well as the long time-scales for recovery of Antarctic ground-surface disturbances.

Type
Articles
Information
Polar Record , Volume 34 , Issue 188 , January 1998 , pp. 15 - 24
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1998

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Balks, M.R., Campbell, D.I., Campbell, I.B., and Claridge, G.G.C.. 1995. Interim results of 1993/94 soil climate, active layer and permafrost investigations at Scott Base, Vanda and Beacon Heights, Antarctica. Hamilton, NZ: University of Waikato, Department of Earth Sciences (Special Report 1).Google Scholar
Campbell, I.B., Balks, M.R., and Claridge, G.G.C.. 1993. A simple visual technique for estimating the effects of fieldwork on the terrestrial environment in an ice-free area of Antarctica. Polar Record 29 (171): 321–328.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Campbell, I.B., and Claridge, G.G.C.. 1978. Soils and Late Cenozoic history of the upper Wright Valley, Antarctica. NZ Antarctic Record 1 (2): 1–5.Google Scholar
Campbell, I.B., and Claridge, G.G.C.. 1987. Antarctica: soils weathering and environment. Amsterdam: Elsevier Science Publishers.Google Scholar
Campbell, I.B., Claridge, G.G.C., and Balks, M.R.. 1992. The properties and genesis of cryosols at Marble Point, McMurdo Sound region, Antarctica. In: Proceedings, 1st International Conference on Cryopedology. Pushchino: Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Soil Science and Photosynthesis: 59–66.Google Scholar
Campbell, I.B., Claridge, G.G.C., and Balks, M.R.. 1994. The effects of human activities on moisture content of soils and underlying permafrostfrom the McMurdo Sound region, Antarctica. Antarctic Science 6 (3): 307–314.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Campbell, I.B., Claridge, G.G.C., Balks, M.R., and Campbell, D.I.. In press. Moisture content in soils of the McMurdo Sound region of Antarctica. In: Lyons, W.B., Howard-Williams, C., and Hawes, I. (editors). Ecosystem processes in Antarctic ice-free landscapes. Balkema.Google Scholar
Claridge, G.G.C., Campbell, I.B., Balks, M.R., Powell, H.K.J., and Amin, Z.H.. 1995. Heavy metal contamination in some soils of the McMurdo Sound region, Antarctica. Antarctic Science 7: 9–14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Denton, G.H., Sugden, D.E., Marchant, D.R., Hall, B.L., and Wilch, T.I.. 1993. East Antarctic ice sheet sensitivity to Pliocene climatic change from a Dry Valleys perspective. Geografiska Annaler 75A: 155–204.Google Scholar
Marchant, D.R., Denton, G.H., Sugden, D.E., and Swisher, C.C.. 1993. Miocene glacial stratigraphy and landscape evolution of the western Asgard Range, Antarctica. Geografiska Annaler 75A: 303–330.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scott, J.J., and Kirkpatrick, J.B.. 1994. Effects of human trampling on the sub-Antarctic vegetation of Macquarie Island. Polar Record 30 (174): 202–220.Google Scholar
Sheppard, D.S., Campbell, I.B., Claridge, G.G.C., and Deely, J.M. 1994. Contamination of soils about Vanda Station, Antarctica. Lower Hutt, New Zealand: Institute of Geological & Nuclear Sciences (Science Report 94/20).Google Scholar
Tedrow, J.C.F. 1977. Soils of the polar landscape. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.Google Scholar
Vincent, W.F. (editor). 1996. Environmental management of a cold desert ecosystem: the McMurdo Dry Valleys. Las Vegas: Desert Research Institute, University of Nevada.Google Scholar
Wentworth, J.G. 1922. A scale of grade and clast terms for clastic sediments. Journal of Geology 30: 377–392.Google Scholar