McMurdo Dry Valleys
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The McMurdo Dry Valleys are a row of valleys in Antarctica located within Victoria Land west of McMurdo Sound. The region includes many interesting geological features including Lake Vida and the Onyx River, Antarctica's longest. It is also one of the world's most extreme deserts. From north to south, the three main valleys are Victoria Valley, Wright Valley and Taylor Valley.
The Dry Valleys are so named because of their extremely low humidity and their lack of snow or ice cover. Together, at 4800 square kilometers, they form the largest relatively ice-free region in Antarctica. The valley floors are covered with a loose gravelly material, in which ice-wedge polygons may be observed.
Endolithic plants have been found living in the Dry Valleys, sheltered from the dry air in the (relatively) moist interior of rocks. Summer meltwater from the Valleys' overhanging glaciers provides the primary source of soil nutrients. Scientists consider the Dry Valleys perhaps the closest of any terrestrial environment to Mars, and thus an important source of insights into possible extraterrestrial life.
Part of the Valleys was designated an environmentally protected area in 2004.
External links
- Antarctic Connection (http://www.antarcticconnection.com/antarctic/science/dryvalleys.shtml/)
- Study: Life in Antarctic ice may compare to Mars (http://oregonstate.edu/Dept/ncs/newsarch/1998/Jun98/bacteria.htm)nl:McMurdo Droge Valleiën