Publication Abstracts

Glaser et al. 2022

Glaser, D.M., H.E. Hartnett, D.R. Finn, S. Perez-Montaño, H. Cadillo-Quiroz, and S. Desch, 2022: Water vapor adsorption provides daily, sustainable water to soils of the hyperarid Atacama Desert. Astrobiology, 22, no. 10, 1222-1238, doi:10.1089/ast.2021.0171.

Water is necessary for all life on Earth. Water is so critical that organisms have developed strategies to survive in hyperarid environments. These regions with extremely low water availability are also unique analogs in which to study the physico-chemical conditions of extraterrestrial environments such as Mars. We have identified a daily, sustainable cycle of water vapor adsorption (WVA) and desorption that measurably affects soil water content (SWC) in the hyperarid region of the Atacama Desert in southern Perú. We pair field-based soil temperature and relative humidity soil profiles with laboratory simulations to provide evidence for a daily WVA cycle. Using our WVA model, we estimate that one adsorptive period — one night — increases SWC by 0.2-0.3 mg/g of soil (∼30 µm rainfall). We can plausibly rule out other water inputs during our field campaign that could account for this water input, and we provide evidence that this WVA cycle is driven by solar heating and maintained by atmospheric water vapor. The WVA may also serve to retain water from infrequent rain events in these soils. If the water provided by WVA in these soils is bioavailable, it could have significant implications for the microorganisms that are endemic to hyperarid environments.

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BibTeX Citation

@article{gl03100n,
  author={Glaser, D. M. and Hartnett, H. E. and Finn, D. R. and Perez-Montaño, S. and Cadillo-Quiroz, H. and Desch, S.},
  title={Water vapor adsorption provides daily, sustainable water to soils of the hyperarid Atacama Desert},
  year={2022},
  journal={Astrobiology},
  volume={22},
  number={10},
  pages={1222--1238},
  doi={10.1089/ast.2021.0171},
}

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RIS Citation

TY  - JOUR
ID  - gl03100n
AU  - Glaser, D. M.
AU  - Hartnett, H. E.
AU  - Finn, D. R.
AU  - Perez-Montaño, S.
AU  - Cadillo-Quiroz, H.
AU  - Desch, S.
PY  - 2022
TI  - Water vapor adsorption provides daily, sustainable water to soils of the hyperarid Atacama Desert
JA  - Astrobiology
VL  - 22
IS  - 10
SP  - 1222
EP  - 1238
DO  - 10.1089/ast.2021.0171
ER  -

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