title: Pared-down landscapes in Antarctica

authors: Cotton, C.A.

abstract: The frigid-arid climate that now prevails in ice-free parts of Victoria Land, Antarctica, inhibits glacial erosion. If certain landscapes, more or less remote from the great troughs of outlet glaciers, have been glaciated in the past, as seems very probable, landforms that resulted from glaciation have been replaced by surfaces of different origin.
A widespread landscape glaciation was probably contemporaneous with the excavation of large cirques which still survive in mountain summit areas.
Replacement of glaciated landforms by others, in a general paring down of the land surface to forms of moderate relief, seems to have resulted from the process of gravity removal of debris from precipitous rock outcrops that were retreating because of disintegration by salt weathering and were eventually eliminated, in most cases, so that the landscape became a mosaic of smooth denudation slopes inclined at 33° to 350.
In the Darwin Mountains ice-free area (80ºS) an advanced stage of such denudation with respect to a base level some 400 m above the present level of surrounding glaciers has produced some pyramidal landforms. Just above the present ice level, however, narrow Richter denudation slopes that border weathering rock faces are at only a juvenile stage of development. Thus the ice level appears to have stood alternately at about its present position and 400 m higher in Pleistocene interglacials and glacial ages respectively. The higher ice levels must have been due to extensions of the ice sheet seaward caused by groundings of the shelf ice during low glacio-eustatic stands of sea level

text: Pared-down landscapes in Antarctica The frigid-arid climate that now prevails in ice-free parts of Victoria Land, Antarctica, inhibits glacial erosion. If certain landscapes, more or less remote from the great troughs of outlet glaciers, have been glaciated in the past, as seems very probable, landforms that resulted from glaciation have been replaced by surfaces of different origin.
A widespread landscape glaciation was probably contemporaneous with the excavation of large cirques which still survive in mountain summit areas.
Replacement of glaciated landforms by others, in a general paring down of the land surface to forms of moderate relief, seems to have resulted from the process of gravity removal of debris from precipitous rock outcrops that were retreating because of disintegration by salt weathering and were eventually eliminated, in most cases, so that the landscape became a mosaic of smooth denudation slopes inclined at 33° to 350.
In the Darwin Mountains ice-free area (80ºS) an advanced stage of such denudation with respect to a base level some 400 m above the present level of surrounding glaciers has produced some pyramidal landforms. Just above the present ice level, however, narrow Richter denudation slopes that border weathering rock faces are at only a juvenile stage of development. Thus the ice level appears to have stood alternately at about its present position and 400 m higher in Pleistocene interglacials and glacial ages respectively. The higher ice levels must have been due to extensions of the ice sheet seaward caused by groundings of the shelf ice during low glacio-eustatic stands of sea level

year: 1971

title: Influences of soil properties on archaeal diversity and distribution in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica

authors: Richter, Ingrid

abstract: The Antarctic Dry Valleys are characterized by extremely low temperatures, arid conditions, high salinity and virtual absence of plants. Therefore, food webs of these microbially dominated soils are among the simplest on earth making these mineral soils a perfect model to study microbial biogeography. This study aims to characterize the distribution and diversity of Archaea within the Dry Valleys as part of the New Zealand Terrestrial Antarctic Biocomplexity Survey (NZTABS). An international multidisciplinary organization focusing on biotic organisms, community structure and their functional linkage to determine what environmental factors drive biocomplexity. Archaea are so far the least known members of the microbial community with only a few successful attempts at detection indicating a patchy distribution and low diversity. A wide range of soil samples, collected from various sites within the Dry Valleys were analyzed using a suite of genetic approaches. DNA fingerprinting techniques (RFLP, T- RFLP) were applied to examine distribution and diversity of archaeal species living in soils of Miers Valley, Marshall Valley, Garwood Valley and Shangri- La. Detailed analysis of physicochemical differences between mineral soils was undertaken in hope to unveil environmental factors driving distribution and biodiversity of archaeal communities present in these soils. Multivariate statistical analysis and ordination of T- RFLP results and physicochemical data revealed a widespread distribution of Archaea across all three valleys, including Shangri- La. Overall, archaeal diversity was relatively low and most of the archaeal communities were composed in majority of one species affiliated with Crenarchaeota Marine Group 1.1b. Archaeal communities that sustain a relatively high diversity appear to be restricted to high elevation ridge areas and coastal moraines. This variation in diversity may be best explained by differences in moisture availability and availability of carbon and nitrogen in mineral soils that harbour these communities. Conversely, soils that harbour high bacterial diversity and primary producers revealed extremely low abundance of Archaea, possibly even total absence of Archaea in these organic rich soils.

text: Influences of soil properties on archaeal diversity and distribution in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica The Antarctic Dry Valleys are characterized by extremely low temperatures, arid conditions, high salinity and virtual absence of plants. Therefore, food webs of these microbially dominated soils are among the simplest on earth making these mineral soils a perfect model to study microbial biogeography. This study aims to characterize the distribution and diversity of Archaea within the Dry Valleys as part of the New Zealand Terrestrial Antarctic Biocomplexity Survey (NZTABS). An international multidisciplinary organization focusing on biotic organisms, community structure and their functional linkage to determine what environmental factors drive biocomplexity. Archaea are so far the least known members of the microbial community with only a few successful attempts at detection indicating a patchy distribution and low diversity. A wide range of soil samples, collected from various sites within the Dry Valleys were analyzed using a suite of genetic approaches. DNA fingerprinting techniques (RFLP, T- RFLP) were applied to examine distribution and diversity of archaeal species living in soils of Miers Valley, Marshall Valley, Garwood Valley and Shangri- La. Detailed analysis of physicochemical differences between mineral soils was undertaken in hope to unveil environmental factors driving distribution and biodiversity of archaeal communities present in these soils. Multivariate statistical analysis and ordination of T- RFLP results and physicochemical data revealed a widespread distribution of Archaea across all three valleys, including Shangri- La. Overall, archaeal diversity was relatively low and most of the archaeal communities were composed in majority of one species affiliated with Crenarchaeota Marine Group 1.1b. Archaeal communities that sustain a relatively high diversity appear to be restricted to high elevation ridge areas and coastal moraines. This variation in diversity may be best explained by differences in moisture availability and availability of carbon and nitrogen in mineral soils that harbour these communities. Conversely, soils that harbour high bacterial diversity and primary producers revealed extremely low abundance of Archaea, possibly even total absence of Archaea in these organic rich soils.

year: 2011

title: Building capacity for sustainable Iwi development

authors: Bishop, Russell

subjects: Māori community development

abstract: Since 1998, four iwi groups have participated in a Māori Sustainable Development project with researchers from the University of Waikato. This project has sought to develop a better understanding of iwi aspirations for economic, social and cultural development. Based on this research, the project seeks to identify, in conjunction with iwi, capacity building models and options in order to provide sustainable economic, social and cultural development. One finding of the research, based on the responses from iwi who have participated in this project, identifies iwi values and identity as the basis for a capacity building model for Māori sustainable development. It is this that is the focus of this paper.

text: Building capacity for sustainable Iwi development Since 1998, four iwi groups have participated in a Māori Sustainable Development project with researchers from the University of Waikato. This project has sought to develop a better understanding of iwi aspirations for economic, social and cultural development. Based on this research, the project seeks to identify, in conjunction with iwi, capacity building models and options in order to provide sustainable economic, social and cultural development. One finding of the research, based on the responses from iwi who have participated in this project, identifies iwi values and identity as the basis for a capacity building model for Māori sustainable development. It is this that is the focus of this paper.

year: 2002-09