Project Title

McMurdo LTER site review

Summary

Event Number:
T-904-M

Program Manager:
Dr. Jennifer Burns

ASC POC/Implementer:
Jenny Cunningham / Elizabeth Kauffman / Jennifer Blum

Principal Investigator(s)

Dr. Michael N Gooseff
michael.gooseff@colorado.edu
University of Colorado Boulder
Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research
Boulder, Colorado

Project Web Site:
http://mcmlter.org

Location

Supporting Stations: McMurdo Station
Research Locations: McMurdo Station, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Cape Royds

Description

The McMurdo Dry Valleys Long-Term Ecological Research (MCM LTER) project is an interdisciplinary study of the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems in a cold desert region of Antarctica. Research in the area has been ongoing since 1992, and projects are funded for six-year periods. The MCM LTER mid-term site review brings together McMurdo Dry Valleys LTER scientists, students and field assistants, NSF program directors, and outside peer reviewers to conduct a three-day review of the ongoing progress the project has achieved in its current award period. This assessment will be used to help fine-tune plans for the remaining years of the current award, and to strengthen the 2022 submission of the renewal proposal.

Field Season Overview

MCM LTER scientists, students, field assistants, NSF program directors, and four outside peer reviewers will conduct an intensive, three-day study of the ongoing progress by the scientific team. The site review will include visits to MCM LTER study sites in the McMurdo Dry Valleys and at Cape Royds, tours of field camps and labs, and tours of Crary Laboratory and other McMurdo Station facilities. At the end of the review, an evaluative report will be provided to NSF and presented to the McM LTER team.