ECA60 Transect 1 and 2
Composite soil samples were collected from eight sampling sites distributed along two independent transects extending from the glacier to the coast on Fildes Peninsula, King George Island, Maritime Antarctica, between January and February 2024. T1; consisting of four sites from the Bellingshausen Dome of Collins Glacier towards the coast along the Drake Passage (North Exposition), and T2; from the Bellingshausen Dome towards the coast of Maxwell Bay (South Exposition). Sampling sites were categorized based on their proximity to the glacier and their geomorphological characteristics as follows: Glacier Forefield (GF), representing soils in direct contact with the glacier and recently exposed by ice retreat; Proglacial Zone 1 (PGZ-1), describing areas near the glacier forefront where soils begin stabilizing following ice melt; Proglacial Zone 2 (PGZ-2), representing more distal proglacial areas with higher geomorphological stability and initial soil development; and Coastal Zone (CZ), encompassing soils in proximity to the coastline but without direct contact with intertidal areas.