Cowan, Donald A.Mamais, A.Russell, Nick A.Sheppard, Devon M.2010-10-212010-10-212002Cowan, D.A., Mamais, A., Sheppard, D., & Russell, N. (2002). Antarctic Dry Valley mineral soils contain unexpectedly high levels of microbial biomass. Extremophiles, 6(5):431-436.http://hdl.handle.net/10566/162We have applied bioluminescent ATP detection methods to microbial enumeration in Antarctic Dry Valley mineral soils, and validated our ATP data by two independent methods. We have demonstrated that ATP measurement is a valid means of determining microbial biomass in such sites, and that the desiccated surface mineral soils of the Antarctic Dry Valleys contain cell numbers over four orders of magnitude higher than previously suggestedenThis is the author post-print of an article published by Springer Verlag. This version may be used in non-commercial applications subject to full acknowledgementATP measurementOrnithogenic soilsBioluminescenceMicrobial biomassAntarctic Dry ValleysAntarcticaArticle