THE HISTORY OF LAKE HOARE, ANTARCTICA: A RECONSTRUCTION BASED ON SEDIMENT CORE ANALYSES

The McMurdo Dry Valleys region of Antarctica represents one of the harshest, most extreme environments on Earth. Despite these conditions, life still manages to survive in the ice-covered lakes that exist within these valleys. Each of these lakes exhibits a unique and fascinating environment, and Lake Hoare is no exception. This work provides an overview of the modern and historical character of Lake Hoare and the Dry Valleys environment, and also presents the results of new research pertaining to the history of Lake Hoare. This research consisted of collecting and analyzing sediment cores from the lake bottom, and using the results to reconstruct the recent history of Lake Hoare. The goal of this study was to take existing knowledge of the physical, chemical and biological processes currently operating in the modern lake environment and use it to explain observed changes within the sediment core and, thus, the lake in the past. This work presents a new method for reconstructing sediment pore water salinity, new data on the physical and chemical changes within the lake sediment and further insight into existing interpretations of the history of Lake Hoare and Taylor Valley.