Solar Radiation and Air and Ground Temperature Relations in the Cold and Hyper-Arid Quartermain Mountains, McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica

This study compares the relations between solar radiation and air and ground temperatures in the Quartermain Mountains of the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica with those in ice‐free Victoria Land and Arctic Canada. The surface offset is near 0°C at all sites in the Quartermain Mountains and other sites in coastal Victoria Land, whereas the thermal offset is near 0°C at shallow ice table depths ( 0°C for at least a few hours. Soils in the PCZs experience water exchange through vapour diffusion, whereas soils in the NCZs contain features associated with liquid water activity, such as increased soil moisture and frozen ponds recharged by snow/glacier meltwater. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.