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Life in Antarctic Deserts and other Cold Dry Environments

Life in Antarctic Deserts and other Cold Dry Environments
Author: Peter T. Doran
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages:
Release: 2010-04-29
Genre: Science
ISBN: 113948754X

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The McMurdo Dry Valleys form the largest relatively ice-free area on the Antarctic continent. The perennially ice-covered lakes, ephemeral streams and extensive areas of exposed soil are subject to low temperatures, limited precipitation and salt accumulation. The dry valleys thus represent a region where life approaches its environmental limits. This unique ecosystem has been studied for several decades as an analog to environments on other planets, particularly Mars. For the first time, the detailed terrestrial research of the dry valleys is brought together here, presented from an astrobiological perspective. Chapters include a discussion on the history of research in the valleys, a geological background of the valleys, setting them up as analogs for Mars, followed by chapters on the various sub-environments in the valleys such as lakes, glaciers and soils. Includes concluding chapters on biodiversity and other analog environments on Earth.


Life in Antarctic Deserts and Other Cold Dry Environments

Life in Antarctic Deserts and Other Cold Dry Environments
Author: Peter T. Doran
Publisher:
Total Pages: 307
Release: 2010
Genre: Antarctica
ISBN: 9780511713903

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"The McMurdo Dry Valleys form the largest relatively ice-free area on the Antarctic continent. The perennially ice-covered lakes, ephemeral streams and extensive areas of exposed soil are subject to low temperatures, limited precipitation and salt accumulation. The dry valleys thus represent a region where life approaches its environmental limits. This unique ecosystem has been studied for several decades as an analog to environments on other planets, particularly Mars. For the first time, the detailed terrestrial research of the dry valleys is brought together here, presented from an astrobiological perspective. Chapters include a discussion on the history of research in the valleys, a geological background of the valleys, setting them up as analogs for Mars, followed by chapters on the various sub-environments in the valleys such as lakes, glaciers and soils. Includes concluding chapters on biodiversity and other analog environments on Earth"--Provided by publisher.


Antarctic Palaeoenvironments and Earth-Surface Processes

Antarctic Palaeoenvironments and Earth-Surface Processes
Author: M.J. Hambrey
Publisher: Geological Society of London
Total Pages: 497
Release: 2013-12-05
Genre: Science
ISBN: 186239363X

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The volume highlights developments in our understanding of the palaeogeographical, palaeobiological, palaeoclimatic and cryospheric evolution of Antarctica. It focuses on the sedimentary record from the Devonian to the Quaternary Period. It features tectonic evolution and stratigraphy, as well as processes taking place adjacent to, beneath and beyond the ice-sheet margin, including the continental shelf. The contributions in this volume include several invited review papers, as well as original research papers arising from the International Symposium on Antarctic Earth Sciences in Edinburgh, in July 2011. These papers demonstrate a remarkable diversity of Earth science interests in the Antarctic. Following international trends, there is particular emphasis on the Cenozoic Era, reflecting the increasing emphasis on the documentation and understanding of the past record of ice-sheet fluctuations. Furthermore, Antarctic Earth history is providing us with important information about potential future trends, as the impact of global warming is increasingly felt on the continent and its ocean.


Limits of Life

Limits of Life
Author: Cyril Ponnamperuma
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 204
Release: 2012-12-06
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9400990855

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This volume is the fourth in the series of the Proceedings of the College Park Colloquia on Chemical Evolution. These Colloquia, and the resulting Proceedings, are presented in the interest of fostering the impact of the interdisciplinary nature of chemical evolu tion on contemporary scientific thought. vii EDITORS'INTRODUCTION The Fourth College Park Colloquium on Chemical Evolution was held on October 18 - 20, 1978 at the University of Maryland. The meeting, supported by the National Aero nautics and Space Administration and the National Science Foundation, centered on the variable environments, both past and present, in which living organisms have survived, grown, and evolved - the limits of life. Previous colloquia had emphasized the Giant Planets (1974) 1, Early Life during the Precambrian (1975)2 and Comparative Planetology (1976)3. The College Park Colloquia have been noted for the broad interdisciplinary nature of the training and interests of the participants. The fourth meeting was no ex ception with the participation of approximately 85 researchers, representing many academic fields. As with previous meetings, the interdisciplinary approach to the question of the limits of life encouraged the exchange of knowledge and information. A major scientific aspiration is to understand why living systems are restricted to certain environments.


Antarctic Terrestrial Microbiology

Antarctic Terrestrial Microbiology
Author: Don A. Cowan
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 324
Release: 2014-07-08
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3642452132

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This book brings together many of the world’s leading experts in the fields of Antarctic terrestrial soil ecology, providing a comprehensive and completely up-to-date analysis of the status of Antarctic soil microbiology. Antarctic terrestrial soils represent one of the most extreme environments on Earth. Once thought to be largely sterile, it is now known that these diverse and often specialized extreme habitats harbor a very wide range of different microorganisms. Antarctic soil communities are relatively simple, but not unsophisticated. Recent phylogenetic and microscopic studies have demonstrated that these communities have well established trophic structuring and play a significant role in nutrient cycling in these cold and often dry desert ecosystems. They are surprisingly responsive to change and potentially sensitive to climatic perturbation. Antarctic terrestrial soils also harbor specialized ‘refuge’habitats, where microbial communities develop under (and within) translucent rocks. These cryptic habitats offer unique models for understanding the physical and biological ‘drivers’ of community development, function and evolution.


Algae and Cyanobacteria in Extreme Environments

Algae and Cyanobacteria in Extreme Environments
Author: Joseph Seckbach
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 786
Release: 2007-09-25
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1402061110

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This collection of essays is devoted to algae that are unexpectedly found in harsh habitats. The authors explain how these algae thrive in various temperature ranges, extreme pH values, salt solutions, UV radiation, dryness, heavy metals, anaerobic niches, various levels of illumination, and hydrostatic pressure. Not only do the essays provide clues about life on the edges of the Earth, but possibly elsewhere in the universe as well.


Future Science Opportunities in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean

Future Science Opportunities in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 212
Release: 2011-12-28
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0309214696

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Antarctica and the surrounding Southern Ocean remains one of the world's last frontiers. Covering nearly 14 million km² (an area approximately 1.4 times the size of the United States), Antarctica is the coldest, driest, highest, and windiest continent on Earth. While it is challenging to live and work in this extreme environment, this region offers many opportunities for scientific research. Ever since the first humans set foot on Antarctica a little more than a century ago, the discoveries made there have advanced our scientific knowledge of the region, the world, and the Universe-but there is still much more to learn. However, conducting scientific research in the harsh environmental conditions of Antarctica is profoundly challenging. Substantial resources are needed to establish and maintain the infrastructure needed to provide heat, light, transportation, and drinking water, while at the same time minimizing pollution of the environment and ensuring the safety of researchers. Future Science Opportunities in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean suggests actions for the United States to achieve success for the next generation of Antarctic and Southern Ocean science. The report highlights important areas of research by encapsulating each into a single, overarching question. The questions fall into two broad themes: (1) those related to global change, and (2) those related to fundamental discoveries. In addition, the report identified key science questions that will drive research in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean in coming decades, and highlighted opportunities to be leveraged to sustain and improve the U.S. research efforts in the region.


River Science

River Science
Author: David J. Gilvear
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 430
Release: 2016-05-02
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1119994349

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River Science is a rapidly developing interdisciplinary field at the interface of the natural sciences, engineering and socio-political sciences. It recognises that the sustainable management of contemporary rivers will increasingly require new ways of characterising them to enable engagement with the diverse range of stakeholders. This volume represents the outcome of research by many of the authors and their colleagues over the last 40 years and demonstrates the integral role that River Science now plays in underpinning our understanding of the functioning of natural ecosystems, and how societal demands and historic changes have affected these systems. The book will inform academics, policy makers and society in general of the benefits of healthy functioning riverine systems, and will increase awareness of the wide range of ecosystem goods and services they provide.


Mars On Earth: A Study Of The Qaidam Basin

Mars On Earth: A Study Of The Qaidam Basin
Author: Long Xiao
Publisher: World Scientific
Total Pages: 356
Release: 2021-01-04
Genre: Science
ISBN: 981122403X

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Mars has been extensively photographed by cameras and compositionally detected by spectrometers onboard orbiters on a global scale, and explored in-situ by landers and rovers at both local and outcrop scales in different locations. The results have proved that the Martian surface is rich in Earth-like geomorphologies, and the study of terrestrial analogs to Mars has been listed as one of the highest priorities of Martian science. With increasing new discoveries by in-situ explorations, Mars exploration has begun to enter the era of focusing on detailed analyses at regional to outcrop levels, rather than global mapping. Analog studies are playing a crucial role in this transition, making this book, which introduces the methodology and provides cases for readers, essentially important.Dozens of sites on Earth have been listed as analog targets for comparative study with the geomorphology, geology, geochemistry, environment and habitability of Mars. However, due to the diversity of landforms and forming mechanisms, and the long history of Mars, no single analog site on Earth can be fully compared to Mars. Nonetheless, the Qaidam Basin has been listed as an unique Mars analog site for studying the red planet's geomorphology, geology, and environmental changes, particularly regarding the evolution of paleolakes on Mars. This kind of setting has always been listed as a top priority for the search of life on Mars.This book contains first-hand information and on-site images obtained by the work's contributing authors, and is an essential read for anyone interested in Martian geomorphology and its evolution processes and history.


Antarctic Ecosystems

Antarctic Ecosystems
Author: Alex D. Rogers
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 585
Release: 2012-02-28
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1444347225

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Since its discovery Antarctica has held a deep fascination for biologists. Extreme environmental conditions, seasonality and isolation have lead to some of the most striking examples of natural selection and adaptation on Earth. Paradoxically, some of these adaptations may pose constraints on the ability of the Antarctic biota to respond to climate change. Parts of Antarctica are showing some of the largest changes in temperature and other environmental conditions in the world. In this volume, published in association with the Royal Society, leading polar scientists present a synthesis of the latest research on the biological systems in Antarctica, covering organisms from microbes to vertebrate higher predators. This book comes at a time when new technologies and approaches allow the implications of climate change and other direct human impacts on Antarctica to be viewed at a range of scales; across entire regions, whole ecosystems and down to the level of species and variation within their genomes. Chapters address both Antarctic terrestrial and marine ecosystems, and the scientific and management challenges of the future are explored.