C-504 - Permafrost Subsidence Experiment in the Dry Valleys
PI: Dr. Diaz, Dr. Salvatore, Dr. Gooseff
Project Lead: Erika Schreiber
Funding Source: NSF/PLR 2224760
Location: Taylor Valley, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica
Dates: 2025-12-27 to 2026-01-04
Project Summary
The McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV) are the largest ice-free area of the Antarctic continent, and are an important, unique, and heavily studied area of the region. The MDV Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) project was established in 1992, and has since then been running an interdisciplinary study of the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems of the area. The study at Crescent and Bohner Streams seeks to understand the mechanisms and impacts associated with permafrost subsidence and bank collapse of the stream channels. The science team simulated instances of bank collapse due to permafrost thaw by displacing sediment from bank slopes into the channels. The UAS surveys at the sites served to provide high-resolution imagery that was then used to create topographic models of the stream at various times during the study.