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.

河道风成样带（Stream Channel Aeolian Transect, SCAT）项目由麦克默多干谷长期生态研究计划（McMurdo Dry Valleys LTER）于2018-2019年南半球夏季（南极夏季）启动，旨在量化南极泰勒谷弗莱克塞尔盆地内进入河道的沉积物与有机质的季节性通量。数据采集工作于2019年正式开展，每年完成总沉积物、无灰干重（ash-free dry mass, AFDM）的测定，并同步分析当年的沉积物与有机质通量。首批SCAT阵列于2018-2019年南半球夏季（南极夏季）沿冯·盖拉德溪布设完成，该阵列共包含6条样带，每条样带沿冯·盖拉德溪全长布设8台采集器：其中3台布置于河道谷下坡边缘，2台布置于溪流湿润岸带，剩余3台布置于河道谷上坡边缘。2022年，研究团队在格林溪与艾肯溪增设了样带，每条样带均布设4台采集器，全部布置于溪流湿润岸带。本持续推进的数据采集工作，可为风成沉积物与有机质动态研究提供关键科学认知，并阐明其对麦克默多干谷河道过程的影响。