Spectral and biological characteristics of microbial mats and mosses across Fryxell Basin, Taylor Valley, Antarctica (2018-2019)

An intensive field campaign was conducted during the 2018-2019 austral summer to assess spectral and biological characteristics of multiple microbial mat types, as well as mosses, across nine ephemeral glacial meltwater streams in the Fryxell Basin of Taylor Valley, located in the McMurdo Dry Valleys region of Antarctica. In addition to biological sample collection, hyperspectral visible/near-infrared (VNIR) measurements were conducted using an ASD FieldSpec4 spectrometer, corrected and averaged across each mat, moss, and soil type, and downsampled to the multispectral resolution of the WorldView-2 satellite. This package contains a detailed sample archive, associated images, biological characteristics that include ash free dry mass (AFDM), chlorophyll-a, and pigment concentrations, as well as hyperspectral and multispectral reflectance spectra.