Answers for Chris Kearns-McCoy

Hi Chris, sorry I'm taking so long to respond. My schedule has been pretty hectic lately...

1. How do you relate to other scientists doing research elsewhere in Antarctica? For instance, are there techniques and methods that you can benefit from that come from say, the research being done in places like Lake Vostok? Even though dry valleys and submerged lakes are clearly different, they are both undisturbed environments requiring great caution, and I was wondering if some of the concerns are the same?

Great question. I'll answer this as best I can, but I am not involved in any of the subglacial lake projects. You may have read about WISSARD, which is a project where researchers are studying subglacial Lake Whillans. One of the really innovative aspects of the WISSARD project is their sterile drilling method. By avoiding contamination of the subglacial lake, with microbes and chemicals from above, they can be sure that the samples they collect represent subglacial life and the subglacial environment. Some of the scientists involved in this project consult with research groups from other countries, like Russia and South Korea, so that those countries may also develop sterile drilling methods. This is about the extent of my knowledge on that topic.

In our studies of Dry Valley soils, we work closely with microbiologists at the University of Waikato, New Zealand to understand how environmental factors, such as extreme soil chemistry, temperatures, and dispersal by wind, influence microbial diversity in arid soils.

2. As the climate warms and glacial melts in the Dry Valleys become more frequent, how do you expect the organisms you are studying to respond? Will more and more become active, or are there some that are suited to this cold that will die out?

This is a great question! This is the central question for the McMurdo Long Term Ecological Research Program! Based on observations we have made over the past few decades, and general climate projections, we anticipate increased glacial melt over the coming decades. Glacial melt water is the main source of water in the Dry Valleys, so an increase in glacial melt will be the main driver of ecological change in the Dry Valley ecosystem. We are just beginning to understand how different types life will respond to an increased presence of melt water. Overall, we hypothesize that the increased flow of water will increase the connectivity of the ecosystem. In other words, there will be more liquid water flowing through Dry Valley soils, which will be moving and mixing nutrients and microorganisms. This can be over very small scales, for example, microbes may not be able to access nutrients that are only micrometers away in dry soils, but saturating soil with water can give microbes access to nearby nutrients. At larger scales, water may mobilize nutrients and microbes and move them down stream channels over distances of 100s of meters to a few kilometers, or from stream channels into lakes. Some previous studies suggest that species that are adapted to the cold and dry antarctic climate, such as diatoms that are native to the Dry Valleys,  may lose out to more generalist species, but we're not entirely sure if this is true for all the types of organisms in the Dry Valleys.

3. What kind of infrastructure exists in Antarctica. If someone had a serious medical problem while doing research, are there sufficient resources nearby? If not, how would they be evacuated? I would imagine there are procedures in place, but I was curious as to what they are.

The infrastructure at McMurdo Station is quite extensive. There are dorms and a science lab and many buildings for support staff, equipment, and resources. There is a medical building with limited resources, but people are medevaced on the first available flight to New Zealand if a real emergency occurs.

View of McMurdo Station, Antarctica from the top of Ob Hill

McMurdo - the blue building is the cafeteria, the brown buildings at the top right are dorms, and the building with the red roof in the lower left is the medical building.

Crary Lab in McMurdo

Our lab space in Crary Lab at McMurdo Station