Soils of Enderby Land

Enderby Land is that portion of Antarctica extending from Shirase Glacier and Lutzow-Holm Bay from the west (38°30’E) to Wilma Glacier and Edward VIII Bay to the east (57°E). Enderby Land is bordered by the Cosmonauts Sea in the west and by the Sea of Cooperation in the east, both are part of the Southern Ocean. Nearly 1,500 km2 of Enderby Land is ice-free. Two research stations—Molodezhnaya (Russia, 67o40' S, 45o51' E) and Syowa (Japan, 69°00’S, 39°35’E)—are established in Enderby Land. The dominant soil taxa along the coast are Haploturbels/Haplorthels, Aquiturbels/Aquorthels, and previously unclassified ornithogenic soils and endolithic microsoils. Lithic subgroups both for Haploturbels and Gelorthents (permafrost > 1 m without cryoturbations) are predominant in the territories with shallow rock contact.