Dr. Andrew G. Fountain is a collaborator in the McMurdo Dry Valleys Long Term Ecological Research Project, a collaborative project consisting of investigators from 7 other institutions. For information about the entire project please see the main web page for the whole project (MCM-LTER). PSU's contribution to the project is to study the activity and meltwater production from the glaciers in the dry valleys. Glaciers provide the only source of water to the streams and lakes in the dry valleys, which in turn provide vital habitat for life in the valleys.
From this series of web pages you can trace the exploits of Thomas Nylen (Field team leader), Robin Johnston (Master's student), and Andrew Fountain (Project co-PI) in Antarctica. Thomas left in mid-October 1999, and Robin and Andrew joined him in early January 2000. Dr. Martyn Tranter from the University of Bristol, UK joined them this year for the month of January. They all left Antarctica in early February.
The goals for this season were to,
(1) Map one surface channel on Taylor Glacier to understand the rate of channel development and, though modeling, the processes that govern the development.
(2) Measure the geochemistry of meltwaters on Canada Glacier to determine the water quality and nutrient concentration that feeds the streams on the valley floors.
(3) Measure the glacier mass balance on 4 glaciers and the meteorological environment at 11 sites in the valleys.
Questions? Comments? Contact FountainA@pdx.edu
Page last updated: Tuesday, February 08, 2000