Apparent thermal inertia of soils in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica: Orbital thermal remote sensing reveals modern and ancient hydrological processes in a cold desert landscape

2026/03/17 by J. S. Levy · 2 voices
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Environmental Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Climate change and permafrost #Desert (philosophy) #Planetary Science and Exploration #Polar Research and Ecology #Soil water #Thermal #Thermal inertia #Thermal infrared

paper · doi:10.1080/15230430.2026.2617687

openalex publication_date 2026/03/17 · openalex created_date 2026/03/18 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/14

Abstract

Most of what is known about sedimentary depositional history, sediment composition, ground ice distribution and depth, and soil moisture content in the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV) of Antarctica results from point measurements of soil properties, which can miss larger patterns at the landscape scale. Here, I apply space-borne thermal infrared remote sensing to determine how apparent thermal inertia measurements, coupled with thermal inertia determination of field samples, informs the interpretation of ancient landforms and seasonal processes in Antarctica. Measured soil thermal inertia depends most strongly on coarse grain fraction, soil bulk density, and water content. Apparent thermal inertia measured via Landsat 8 imaging shows distinct spatial patterns by location, elevation, and hydrological position. Satellite-derived apparent thermal inertia provides a novel tool for exploring geological and hydrological relationships at the landscape scale in this polar desert. Notably, apparent thermal inertia measurements reveal the presence of a previously undescribed paleo-lake in the Goldman Pond basin, suggesting that apparent thermal inertia analyses applied to the Dry Valleys could expand our understanding of landform development and the geological history of a landscape which is critical for interpreting past ice sheet response to changing climate conditions.

Discussions

• Hot new paper with cool results—using apparent thermal inertia to study permafrost and landforms in Antarctica’s McMurdo Dry Valleys. Come for the bedrock mapping, stay for the discovery of a possible [bsky, 14 points, 0 comments]
• Levy has a #newarticle out telling readers what’s hot and what’s not in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica. Turns out there’s also a previously undescribed paleolake in the Goldman Pond basin that [bsky, 1 points, 0 comments]

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