How the soil affects the plants
growth in Antarctica?
南極的土壤為這白色大地添上色彩 ?
Jack Wong Yin Chi
C&MA Sun Kei
Secondary School
Jessie Law Ho Yan
YOT Tin Ka Ping
Secondary School
Objectives of the Project
•To understand how the Antarctic soil can help the
Antarctic plants growth
•To understand how the Antarctic plants can resist
the harsh living condition through the soil
•To understand how the form of Antarctic plants can be
stratified by the Antarctic soil
Antarctic soil: characteristics
• Gley soils: infertile and waterlogged with
permafrost underneath.
• “Gleization”: The permafrost prevents water
infiltration (especially melting in summer). Much
water is gathered on the surface area and the wet
mud will be formed.
• Blue and grey: excessive soil moisture 
the iron and manganese compounds restored in
hypoxic conditions
• Shallow weathered profile: due to inactive chemical
weathering
Characteristics of the
Antarctic plants
• very sparse, scattered and discontinuous
• biological diversity: really low (lower than
that in rainforest and desert)
• No plants can grow in winter and only a
limited species of plants can grow at a slow
rate in summer
Methodology
• Observed and measured soils found:
soil colour, texture, thickness, organic matters
& the environment around the soil
• Documented weather conditions:
temperature, wind speed and wind direction
wherever soil was found
• Reviewed the field notes and cross-checked
with references
Venue of study:
Date
Time
Venue
Any soil?
Yes (Soil Sample 1)
11/12/2010
11/12/2010
12/12/2010
07:30-13:00 King George Island
19:15-21:10 Half Moon Island
10:45-11:35
Wilhelmina Bay
12/12/2010
16:45-19:00
Orne Harbour
No
13/12/2010
10:00-12:00
Paradise Bay
No
13/12/2010
16:00-18:10
Danko Island
Yes (Soil Sample 2)
14/12/2010
10:00-12:15
Petermann Island
Yes (Soil Sample 3)
14/12/2010
15:50-16:50
Pleneau Island
No
15/12/2010
9:30-12:00
Neko Harbour
No
15/12/2010
15:30-17:05
Cuverville Island
Yes (Soil Sample 4)
No
No
Soil Sample 1
Date
11/12/2010
Record Time
10:15
Venue
King George Island
Color of soil
Red and Brown
Texture of soil
Sticky
Thickness of soil
Thin (4cm to 5cm)
Penguin’s corpse
Penguin’s faeces
Environment in its immediate surroundings
Input of organic matter
Air temperature
Wing speed
1° Celsius
5-8 m/s = 10-16 knots
Wind direction
Southerly
Red and Brown in color
Sticky and thin
Penguin’s stool
Penguin’s corpse
Soil Sample 2
Date
13/12/2010
Record Time
16:53
Venue
Danko Island
Color of soil
Dark Grey
Texture of soil
Friable
Thickness of soil
Thin (2cm to 3cm)
Input of organic matter
None
Environment in its immediate surroundings
Air temperature
Wing speed
2° Celsius
12 m/s = 24 knots
Wind direction
Southwest wind
Grey in color
Friable and thin
Environment surroundings
Soil Sample 3
Date
14/12/2010
Record Time
10:36
Venue
Petermann Island
Color of soil
Dark Brown
Texture of soil
Sticky
Thickness of soil
Thin (0.5cm to 1cm)
Penguin’s faeces
Krill’s shell
Environment in its immediate surroundings
Input of organic matter
Air temperature
Wing speed
1° Celsius
12 m/s = 24 knots or above
Wind direction
Northwest wind
Sticky and thin
Krill’s shell
Dark Brown in color
Penguin’s stool
Soil Sample 4
Date
15/12/2010
Record Time
16:00
Venue
Cuverville Island
Color of soil
Light gray
Texture of soil
Sticky
Thickness of soil
Thin (3cm to 4cm)
Input of organic matter
Penguin’s faeces
Environment in its immediate surroundings
Air temperature
Wing speed
-1° Celsius
12 m/s = 24 knots or above
Wind direction
Northeasterly
Light gray in color
Sticky and thin
Penguin’s stool
Findings:
• Impact of temperature and drainage on soil
development
- Low temperature limits accumulation of organic
matter to form surface peaty layer.
- It also restricts bacterial and fungal activities.
- As a result, organic activity is slow and incomplete.
• Weathering
- Repeated seasonal freeze-thaw action leads to the
mixing of soil and stone fragment and lack of soil
profile differentiation.
- Hence, tundra soils are immature