Soil samples from two sites near Scott Base with LiCl added to determine how far water soluble materials spilt on the soil surface will travel

A leaching trial was set up at Scott Base to determine how rapidly and how far water-soluble materials spilt on the soil surface will move. Lithium chloride (LiCl) was added to two trial sites near Scott Base (2m2), one a dry site where snow does not accumulate and the other a wet site in a gully which fills with snow during the winter. The plots were sampled two weeks after establishment and again in Dec 1991. In the 92-93 season, the dry site was sampled in December and the wet site, which was still under snow, was sampled in January after the removal of the snow. Samples were taken from the area where the LiCl was added and at intervals down slope from these areas to minimum depths of 1m. This experiment was repeated in a contrasting climatic environment (the Wright Valley) by setting up a series of 1 x 1 m plots and control sites on the north shore of Lake Vanda opposite the station and sampling four days after treatment to determine the initial distribution of salt and moisture in the soils.