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Patterns of snow patch formation within and adjacent to stream channels in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica

In the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica (MDV), streams are an important source of water and hydrologic connectivity between glaciers and lakes across the valleys, however, these streams only run for a few weeks to a few months out of the year. Unlike the streams that are only active in the summer season, aeolian transport connects aspects of the valleys year round by transporting sediment, snow, and organic matter across the landscape.  Although the MDV receives minimal amounts of precipitation, the snow that is received gets transported across valleys by wind and deposited in distinct locations, which tend to accumulate in the same areas each year and are an important source of moisture for their local soil environments. Using satellite imagery and a 1 meter LiDAR Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of the Taylor Valley, this study assesses the spatial and temporal dynamics of snow patch formation within and adjacent to the stream channels in order to identify preferential locations of carbon deposition across the valleys. Supervised classification of satellite imagery which covers 11 years across the summer months of October- March was used to identify “hot spots†of where snow is accumulating and persisting in various watersheds in the Fryxell Basin over time. Many of these snow “hot spots†fall within the stream channel and other topographic indentations across the watersheds. Preliminary data show that snow patches form in the same locations each year, and snow is preferentially deposited in the stream channels. By using this understanding of where snow is getting deposited from aeolian transport, we can assess potential areas that may act as deposition locations for organic material as well. This study increases our understanding of the input of allochthonous material to MDV streams, and the role that aeolian transport plays in connectivity across the valleys.