Sediment and organic matter fluxes from the Stream Channel Aeolian Transect (SCAT), McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica (2019-2023, ongoing)

The Stream Channel Aeolian Transect (SCAT) project was established by the McMurdo Dry Valleys LTER during the 2018-2019 austral summer to quantify the seasonal sediment and organic matter flux into stream channels in Fryxell Basin, Taylor Valley, Antarctica. Data collection began in 2019, with annual measurements of total sediment, ash-free dry mass (AFDM), and associated fluxes of sediment and organic matter analyzed each year. The initial SCAT array was installed along Von Guerard Stream during the 2018-2019 austral summer. It consists of six transects, each with eight collectors spanning the length of Von Guerard Stream, with three placed at the down-valley edge of the stream channel, two in the wetted margins, and three at the up-valley edge. In 2022, additional transects were established in Green Creek and Aiken Creek, each with four collectors placed in the wetted margins. These ongoing data collections provide critical insights into aeolian sediment and organic matter dynamics, highlighting their influence on stream channel processes in the McMurdo Dry Valleys.