Field Sampling

Antarctic dry valley soils – sampled for nematode extraction

1. Sampling bags were prepared with one sterile ‘Whirlpak’ bag and clean scoop per sample. ‘Whirlpak’ bags (approx. 15 x 25 cm) were labelled with tape and marked with sample number before going to the field.
2. With a plastic scoop, soil was collected to 10 cm depth. Very large rocks (>20 mm diameter) were excluded from the sample. The soil was shovelled into a’Whirlpak’ bag until three quarters full (about 1.5 kg soil).
3. The soil was mixed well in the bag, then the bag was closed tightly, expelling as much air as possible.
4. The soil samples were stored in a cooler for transportation.
5. The soils were stored at +4°C until further processing. THEY MUST NOT BE FROZEN. All samples should be refrigerated at about +3 to +5C on return to the lab

Antarctic dry valley soils – sampled for chlorophyll a analysis

1. Sampling bags were prepared with one plastic vial and clean plastic teaspoon per sample. The vials were marked with tape and labelled with the sample number before going to the field.
2. In the field, soil was collected to 1 cm depth with a plastic spoon, excluding rocks with a diameter >5 mm.
3. About 4 teaspoons of soil were placed into a vial, keeping the vial out of the light in a closed hand.
4. The soil samples were stored in a light-tight bag, in a cooler for transportation.
5. On return to the laboratory, soils were stored at 5°C until further processing.