McMurdo Dry Valleys LTER: Microbial mat biomass and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) values from Lake Fryxell Basin, Antarctica, January 2018

This package contains data collected from microbial mat surveys (i.e., percent cover, ash-free dry mass (AFDM), and pigment concentrations – chlorophyll-a, scytonemin, and carotenoids) associated with satellite-derived Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) values from the Lake Fryxell Basin of Taylor Valley, located in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica. The purpose of this study was to quantitatively compare key microbial mat characteristics to NDVI. Data were collected at seven plot locations within the Canada Glacier Antarctic Specially Protected Area (ASPA) near Canada Stream, as well as alongside Green Creek and McKnight Creek. NDVI values were derived from a WorldView-2 multispectral satellite image taken of the Lake Fryxell Basin on January 19, 2018, while biological ground surveying and sampling were conducted during the 2nd and 4th weeks of January 2018.