McMurdo Dry Valleys

"Dry Valleys" redirects here. For other uses, see Dry valley.

77°28′S 162°31′E / 77.467°S 162.517°E / -77.467; 162.517

Map of the McMurdo Sound and the Dry Valleys
Location of valleys (indicated by red dot) within the Ross Dependency
Map showing the delineation of the McMurdo Valleys Antarctic Specially Managed Area (ASMA-2)

The McMurdo Dry Valleys are a row of largely snow-free valleys in Antarctica, located within Victoria Land west of McMurdo Sound.[1] The Dry Valleys experience extremely low humidity and surrounding mountains prevent the flow of ice from nearby glaciers. The rocks here are granites and gneisses, and glacial tills dot this bedrock landscape, with loose gravel covering the ground. It is one of the driest places on Earth,[2] though there are several anecdotal accounts of rainfall within the Dry Valleys.[3][4]

The region is one of the world's most extreme deserts, and includes many features including Lake Vida, a saline lake, and the Onyx River, a meltwater stream and Antarctica's longest river. Although no living organisms have been found in the permafrost here, endolithic photosynthetic bacteria have been found living in the relatively moist interior of rocks, and anaerobic bacteria, with a metabolism based on iron and sulfur, live under the Taylor Glacier.

The valleys are located within the McMurdo Valleys Antarctic Specially Managed Area (ASMA-2).[5]

  1. ^ Rejcek, Peter (29 November 2007). "In the cold of the night". The Antarctic Sun. Retrieved 2008-01-13.
  2. ^ Cain, Fraser (2008-06-12). "What is the Driest Place on Earth?". Universe Today. Retrieved 2021-04-12.
  3. ^ Keys, Harry (J.R.) (September 1980). "5.5 Precipitation—Other forms of precipitation". Air temperature, wind, precipitation and atmospheric humidity in the McMurdo Region, Antarctica (PDF). Antarctic Data Series. Vol. 9. Additional credits on p. 51. Victoria University of Wellington, Department of Geology. p. 41. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 March 2022. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  4. ^ Obryk, M. K.; Doran, P. T.; Fountain, A. G.; Myers, M.; McKay, C. P. (16 July 2020). "Climate From the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, 1986–2017: Surface Air Temperature Trends and Redefined Summer Season". Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres. 125 (13): 1. Bibcode:2020JGRD..12532180O. doi:10.1029/2019JD032180. ISSN 2169-897X. S2CID 219738421.
  5. ^ "ASMA 2: Mcmurdo Dry Valleys, Southern Victoria Land". Secretariat of the Antarctic Treaty. Archived from the original on 2013-08-14.