Properties and processes of recently established soils from deglaciation of Cierva Point, Western Antarctic Peninsula

Abstract

For more than sixty years the Antarctic Peninsula has experienced significant temperature increases that have accelerated glacial retreat. Glacial losses, along with the relatively warm and moist climatic conditions of the region, have increased the rate of soil development. The objective of this study is to study the properties and genesis of soils at Cierva Point, which is located in the zone of maximum warming along the western Antarctic Peninsula. Cierva Point is a terraced, steeply sloping, ice-free peninsula containing a small retreating glacier. The peninsula contains a large penguin rookery and significant areas of moss buildup. Twenty-seven soils were described; physical and chemical properties from each horizon were analyzed. Four categories of soil were identified: acidic (pH<5), neutral (pH>5), moss-dominated (high organic matter accumulations), and ornithogenic (high phosphorus accumulations). Neutral soils were newly formed soils which had undergone the least development and were located closest to the glacier margin. Acidic soils were located farthest from the glacier margin, allowing for a greater nutrient leaching to occur; these soils have extremely low pH values (as low as 3.5) but did not have the high phosphorus accumulations found in ornithogenic soils or the high soil carbon content found in moss-dominated soils. In a region with rapidly retreating glaciers, such as the Antarctic Peninsula, proximity to the glacier margin becomes an important factor determining soil properties. Soils farther from the glacier have had more time to be affected by leaching, penguin activity, and moss buildup.