Soils of the South Orkney and South Shetland Islands, Antarctica

Abstract

The present Chapter presents an overview on soils from Maritime Antarctica, comprising ice-free areas distributed along the South Orkney (SOI) and South Shetland Islands (SSI). Published and novel data were compiled, with focus on pedogenesis and soils geography, in a total of 365 pedons, of which 71 % are from King George Island. Seven soil-forming processes occur, including cryoturbation, gleization, melanization, podzolization, paludization, and phosphatization. Six soil orders have been reported in the SOI and SSI, including Gelisols, Entisols, Inceptisols, Histosols, Mollisols, and Spodosols, which represent half of the orders in ST. Gelisols are predominant at altitudes above 30 m.a.s.l. to 100 m.a.s.l., where discontinuous permafrost exists. The most abundant great group is the Haploturbels, illustrating the importance of cryoturbation. We conclude with a summary of the current knowledge on soil formation and distribution in the SOI and SSI, and a prospect of future research needs and questions.