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@article{Siegert:2016:10.1130/focus052016.1,
author = {Siegert, MJ},
doi = {10.1130/focus052016.1},
journal = {Geology},
pages = {399--400},
title = {A wide variety of unique environments beneath the Antarcticice sheet},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1130/focus052016.1},
volume = {44},
year = {2016}
}
TY - JOUR
AB - It is 20 years since subglacial Lake Vostok in central East Antarcticawas found to be one of the world’s largest freshwater bodies (Kapitsa et al.,1996). It was hypothesized to be both an ancient, extreme yet viable environmentfor microbial life, and a recorder of past climate change. Testingthese hypotheses is possible with direct measurement and sampling, butin-situ examination is challenging because of the thick ice to drill through,the necessary cleanliness required of the experiment, and the extremepolar conditions in which to operate. In this issue of Geology, Michaudet al. (2016, p. 347) report on water and sedimentary material collectedin January 2013 from Lake Whillans, a component of the hydrologicalsystem beneath Whillans ice stream in West Antarctica. They reveal thewater comprises melted basal ice and a small proportion of seawater, theconcentration of which increases with sediment depth, making it uniqueamong known subglacial environments within and outside of Antarctica.Here, to place the Lake Whillans work in context, I discuss the range ofAntarctic subglacial lake environments, showing the continent to containan assortment of systems in which novel physical, chemical, and biologicalprocesses may take place.
AU - Siegert,MJ
DO - 10.1130/focus052016.1
EP - 400
PY - 2016///
SN - 0091-7613
SP - 399
TI - A wide variety of unique environments beneath the Antarcticice sheet
T2 - Geology
UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1130/focus052016.1
UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/31391
VL - 44
ER -
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