The first major research area is hydrology. Understanding the structure and function of the dry valley ecosystem requires understanding hydrological responses to climate, both now and in the past. The second area is biological activity and diversity. Biological activity in the dry valley is directly related to the past and present distribution of water, and is found when liquid water is present and nutrient availability is adequate. Microbial mats and phytoplankton are found in ephemeral streams and perennially ice-covered lakes.
Nematodes represent the top of the food chain in the coldest, oldest and driest soils on Earth.
While nematodes are aquatic animals, they are uniquely suited for survival in this extreme environment, since they can enter a survival state, anhydrobiosis, for extended periods. Anhydrobiosis is a state in which the organism are capable of prolonged survival with limiting moisture and temperatures below freezing. Biogeochemical processes, is the last major area of research. Here the research focuses on the mineralization of nutrients, and geochemical weathering that occurs when liquid water is present.