GEOCHANGES, Land surface covers within ice-free areas of the South Shetland Islands, 2022

Surface cover characteristics from different sites of the South Shetland Islands (Byers Peninsula, Hurd Peninsula, Fildes Peninsula and Barton Peninsula) are compiled. This includes soil surfaces, vegetation and clasts coverages. Each site represents a surface of at least 100 square meters in size. Within these sites between 4 and 7 plots representing 1 square meter each were selected for field characterization and obtaining surface samples. Furthermore, soil profiles from different sites with a corresponding field description and sampling of the profiles were carried out. The samples from the soil surface covers and profiles were transported back to the laboratories in CIEMAT for analyses. These analyses include the following parameters: colour, structure, coarse fraction, texture, pH, electric conductivity, organic matter, free iron oxides and elemental analysis (C, H, N, S) and soil respiration. In the case of some selected soil surfaces and profiles, mineralogical analysis by means of X-Ray powder diffraction, soil respiration and microbial biodiversity are determined. For vegetation and clast covered surfaces, percentages of coverage were estimated.
Surface water samples were obtained in different streams and lakes of the ice-free areas to determine the chemical composition (major, minor and trace components), heavy metals as well as stable isotopes oxygen-18 and deuterium and lead. Surface hydrology included a survey of stream profiles on Byers Peninsula in order to carry out geomorphological and relief evolution studies.
A spectral library called the Northern Antarctic Peninsula region SPECtral library (NAPSPEC) is being compiled from the different sites. Field and laboratory spectra within the visible, near infrared and shortwave infrared ranges (350 to 2450 nm) were obtained for different surface covers surface covers related to periglacial and glacial landforms and deposits. Furthermore, laboratory spectra are also obtained from soil and sediment samples and included in the spectral library.

本数据集汇编了南设得兰群岛（South Shetland Islands）不同采样站点的地表覆盖特征，采样站点涵盖拜尔斯半岛（Byers Peninsula）、赫德半岛（Hurd Peninsula）、菲尔德斯半岛（Fildes Peninsula）与巴顿半岛（Barton Peninsula），涵盖土壤表层、植被与岩屑覆盖情况。每个采样站点的地表面积不小于100平方米，在此类站点中选取4至7个面积为1平方米的样地开展野外表征工作并采集地表样品。此外，针对不同站点的土壤剖面开展了配套的野外描述与剖面采样工作。地表覆盖物与土壤剖面样品均被送至西班牙能源、环境与技术研究中心（CIEMAT）实验室进行分析，分析参数涵盖颜色、结构、粗颗粒组分、质地、pH值、电导率、有机质、游离氧化铁、元素分析（C、H、N、S）以及土壤呼吸速率。针对部分选取的土壤表层与剖面，还开展了X射线粉末衍射（X-Ray powder diffraction）矿物学分析、土壤呼吸速率测定以及微生物多样性检测。针对植被与岩屑覆盖地表，同步估算了其覆盖百分比。
在无冰区的不同溪流与湖泊中采集地表水样品，用于测定其化学成分（常量、微量与痕量组分）、重金属含量，以及氧-18、氘与铅的稳定同位素组成。地表水文调查涵盖拜尔斯半岛的溪流剖面测量，以开展地貌学与地形演化研究。
本数据集还针对各采样点构建了北南极半岛区域光谱库（Northern Antarctic Peninsula region SPECtral library, NAPSPEC）：针对与冰缘及冰川地貌、沉积物相关的各类地表覆盖物，采集了可见光、近红外与短波红外波段（350~2450 nm）的野外与实验室光谱数据；此外，还采集了土壤与沉积物样品的实验室光谱数据并纳入该光谱库中。