Antarctica weathering

Campbell, I. B. and Claridge, G. G. C. (1987). "Antarctica Soils, Weathering Processes and Environment." Developments m Soil Science, Vol 16. Elsevier, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. 

Cold, wet times in Greenland occurred with very cold, dry, windy conditions in Europe and North America along with very warm weather in the South Atlantic and Antarctica. This weather is indicated by studies of high mountain glaciers, the thickness of tree rings, and the types of pollen and shells found in mud at the bottoms of lakes and oceans. 

About the same time that meteorites were found in Antarctica, an important collection of meteorites was being put together in Roosevelt County, New Mexico. Over a period from 1966 to 1972, several meteorite hunters collected 140 meteorite specimens representing about 100 separate fall events. This collection demonstrated another way for nature to concentrate meteorites. The meteorites in Roosevelt County were found in blowout areas where up to a meter of soil had been blown away by wind, leaving meteorites in plain view on the hardpan surface. Based on this experience, systematic and successful searches of desert areas in Western Australia have been carried out. Subsequently, the deserts of North Africa have turned out to be especially prolific sources of meteorites. The shifting desert sands expose meteorites that have accumulated over thousands of years. The meteorites are collected by nomads and sold to western collectors. Although most desert meteorites are weathered to some degree, new and rare meteorite classes have been discovered. 

Sancho L. G. and Rodriguez P. C. (1990) The weathering action of saxicolous lichens in maritime antarctica. Polar Biol. 11(1), 33-40. 

Glazovskaya, M.A. (1958) Weathering and primary soil formations in Antarctica. Scientific Paper of the Institute, Moscow University, Faculty of Geography 1, 63-76. 

Ishimaru, S. Yoshikawa, K. (2000) The weathering of granodiorite porphyry in the Thiel Mountains, Inland Antarctica. Geografiska Annaler A82, 45-57. 

Matsuoka, N. (1995) Rock weathering processes and landform development in the Sor Rondane Mountains, Antarctica. Geomorphology 12, 323-339. 

In this type of incubations, the samples are exposed to solar radiation in their natural habitat and at their natural in situ depth. To assess the effects of ambient UVR, this approach often involves three types of radiation fields, achieved by filters, i.e. PAR + UV-B + UV-A, PAR + UV-A, and only PAR (see section 11.2.3). Although in situ incubations will result in the most realistic responses, they certainly have the constraint of being conditioned by weather conditions. Therefore, comparatively few in situ studies on the effects of UVR on algal photosynthesis have been conducted, particularly in rough-weather areas, such as the Arctic [17] and Antarctica [18,19]. 

Jackson, M. L. (1969). "Soil Chemical Analysis Advanced Course," 2nd edn. 7th printing, 1973. Department of Soil Science, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin. Jackson, M. L. and G. D. Sherman (1953). Chemical weathering of minerals in soils. Adv. Agron. 5, 219-318. Jackson, M. L., S. Y. Lee, F. C. Ugolini, and P. A. Heimke (1976). Age and uranium content of soil micas from Antarctica by the fission track replica method. Soil Sci. 123, 241-248. 

Wexler, H., W. Moreland, and W. Weyant (1960). A preliminary report on ozone observations in Little America, Antarctica. Mon. Weather Rev. 88, 43-45. 

---