[Dale Andersen] : Hi Keith, A quick note while the base WiFi is up and running. We spent the last two days digging out the entrance to our hut, removing […]
McMurdo Dry Valleys
Posted inDale Andersen's Field Reports
Astrobiologist Dale Andersen’s Antarctic Field Report: 26 October 2026: Flying South
Keith’s note: This report may be updated over the course of the day. Dale’s departure from Cape Town was scheduled for 10:00 am Local time but ended up at 10:28 […]
Posted inDale Andersen's Field Reports
Astrobiologist Dale Andersen’s Antarctic Field Report: 25 October 2026: Hurry Up And Wait
Dale Andersen: “Hurry up and wait.” Anyone who works in the polar regions knows the phrase, and knows the experience: storms, blowing snow, and low visibility set the schedule.
Posted inArctic / Antarctic / Alpine
Microbial Mats Influence The Isotopic Composition And Provenance of Soil Organic Matter In The McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica
[Biogeosciences via ESS Open Archive] In the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV), Antarctica, microbial mats are responsible for primary productivity in both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems; yet their influence on soil […]
Posted inDale Andersen's Field Reports
Astrobiologist Dale Andersen’s Antarctic Field Report: 20 Oct 2026: Wheels Down In Cape Town
[Dale Andersen]: The 787 Dreamliner rolled to a stop far out on the apron, as the big jets often do here, and I climbed down into a gray afternoon and […]
Posted inDale Andersen's Field Reports
Astrobiologist Dale Andersen’s Antarctic Field Report: Preview: Fall 2026 Lake Untersee Field Season
Keith’s note: Dale Andersen is preparing for his second expedition to Lake Untersee, Antarctica for 2026. The first 2026 Field season at Lake Untersee was conducted from January – March […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather
Where Does Earth’s Nitrogen Go? Two Atoms Offer A Clue
[Science] Nitrogen is one of life’s building blocks, but it’s only helpful in the right amounts. Too much nitrogen in water, for example, can lead to poor water quality and […]
Posted inCryobiology
Ancient Marine Life May Be Hiding In Antarctica’s Blood Falls
[Scripps/JCVI] Blood Falls has long been one of Antarctica’s strangest landmarks: a red-stained outflow that spills from the face of Taylor Glacier into the cold, dry landscape of the McMurdo […]
Posted inArctic / Antarctic / Alpine
Molecular Evidence For A Relict Marine Community In An Antarctic Dry Valleys Subglacial Brine-fed System
[Nature] The McMurdo Dry Valleys contain a mosaic of specialized microbial habitats structured by strong physical and chemical gradients.
Posted inArctic / Antarctic / Alpine
Could Lake Joyce Have Acted As A Long-lived Proglacial Refugium In Antarctica’s McMurdo Dry Valleys?
[Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research] Lake Joyce of the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV), Antarctica, contains an endemic copepod population (Diacyclops joycei) that has not been identified from apparently suitable habitats […]