Andrew Yee[_1_]
January 20th 08, 03:36 AM
Issued jointly by:
British Antarctic Survey, University of Edinburgh and Northumbria University
Contacts:
Athena Dinar, British Antarctic Survey
Tel: ++44 1223 221414
Catriona Kelly, University of Edinburgh Press Office
Tel: 0131 651 4401
Katrina Alnikizil, Northumbria University
Tel: (0191) 227 4905
or
Ruth Laing, Northumbria University
Tel: (0191) 227 4905
Issue date: 15 Jan 2008
Number: 1/2008
Exploration of lake hidden beneath Antarctica's ice sheet begins
A four-man science team led by British Antarctic Survey's (BAS) Dr Andy
Smith has begun exploring an ancient lake hidden deep beneath Antarctica's
ice sheet. The lake -- the size of Lake Windermere (UK) -- could yield vital
clues to life on Earth, climate change and future sea-level rise.
Glaciologist Dr Smith and his colleagues from the Universities of Edinburgh
and Northumbria are camped out at one of the most remote places on Earth
conducting a series of experiments on the ice. He says, "This is the first
phase of what we think is an incredibly exciting project. We know the lake
is 3.2km beneath the ice; long and thin and around 18 km2 in area. First
results from our experiments have shown the lake is 105m deep. This means
Lake Ellsworth is a deep-water body and confirms the lake as an ideal site
for future exploration missions to detect microbial life and recover climate
records.
"If the survey work goes well, the next phase will be to build a probe,
drill down into the lake and explore and sample the lake water. The UK could
do this as soon as 2012/13."
This ambitious exploration of 'subglacial' Lake Ellsworth, West Antarctica,
involves scientists from 14 UK universities and research institutes, as well
as colleagues from Chile, USA, Sweden, Belgium, Germany and New Zealand.
The International Polar Year* project Principal Investigator is Professor
Martin Siegert from the University of Edinburgh. He says, "We are
particularly interested in Lake Ellsworth because it's likely to have been
isolated from the surface for hundreds of thousands of years. Radar
measurements made previously from aircraft surveys suggest that the lake is
connected to others that could drain ice from the West Antarctic Ice sheet
to the ocean and contribute to sea-level rise."
Professor Siegert is already planning the lake's future exploration. He
continues, "Around 150 lakes have been discovered beneath Antarctica's vast
ice sheet and so far little is known about them. Getting into the lake is
a huge technological challenge but the effort is worth it. These lakes are
important for a number of reasons. For example, because water acts as a
lubricant to the ice above they may influence how the ice sheet flows. Their
potential for unusual life forms could shed new light on evolution of life
in harsh conditions; lake-floor sediments could yield vital clues to past
climate. They can also help us understand the extraterrestrial environment
of Europa (one of the moons of Jupiter)."
Notes to Editors:
Still images and graphics are available from the BAS Press Office as above.
Interview opportunities:
Professor Martin Siegert, University of Edinburgh
Tel: 0131 650 7543
Professor David Vaughan, British Antarctic Survey
Tel: 01223 221643
The 'deep field' Lake Ellsworth team are: British Antarctic Survey's (BAS)
Dr Andy Smith, Dr Neil Ross from University of Edinburgh, Dr John Woodward
from Northumbria University and Dr Dan Fitzgerald Field Assistant and polar
guide. Because of the remoteness of their location interviews are difficult.
Since the 1970's scientists have used radar, seismic and satellite
technologies to discover over 150 lakes locked beneath Antarctica's vast ice
sheets. The water beneath the ice remains liquid because of small levels of
heat from the Earth's core coming up through bedrock and from the insulating
effect of several kilometres of ice above. The largest and most well known
of these is Lake Vostok on East Antarctica. The lake is thought to be
roughly the size of Lake Ontario.
Some subglacial lakes may be as old as the ice sheet. The age of the water
within the lakes will be as old as the ice which melts into them, which in
East Antarctic is around 1 million years.
More information at
http://www.geos.ed.ac.uk/ellsworth
and at
http://www.geos.ed.ac.uk/research/ellsworth/blog.html
British Antarctic Survey is a world leader in research into global issues in
an Antarctic context. It is the UK's national operator and is a component of
the Natural Environment Research Council. It has an annual budget of around
40 million sterling pounds, runs nine research programmes and operates five
research stations, two Royal Research Ships and five aircraft in and around
Antarctica.
* International Polar Year 20072008 is the largest coordinated international
scientific effort for 50 years. From ice sheets and space science to Arctic
communities and the creatures of the Southern Ocean, IPY includes more than
200 Arctic and Antarctic projects and harnesses the skills of 50,000 people
-- including scientists, students and support staff -- from more than 60
nations. IPY is sponsored by the International Council for Science (ICSU)
and The World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in Scotland,
with registration number SC005336.
IMAGE CAPTIONS:
[Image 1:
http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/press/images/andy_et_al_at_lake_ellsworth.jpg
(62KB)]
BAS GA Dr Dan Fitzgerald, Dr John Woodward, University of Northumbria, Dr
Andy Smith, British Antarctic Survey and Dr Neil Ross, University of
Edinburgh.
[Image 2:
http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/press/images/ellsworth_graphic.jpg (127KB)]
Diagram showing the exploration of subglacial Lake Ellsworth.
British Antarctic Survey, University of Edinburgh and Northumbria University
Contacts:
Athena Dinar, British Antarctic Survey
Tel: ++44 1223 221414
Catriona Kelly, University of Edinburgh Press Office
Tel: 0131 651 4401
Katrina Alnikizil, Northumbria University
Tel: (0191) 227 4905
or
Ruth Laing, Northumbria University
Tel: (0191) 227 4905
Issue date: 15 Jan 2008
Number: 1/2008
Exploration of lake hidden beneath Antarctica's ice sheet begins
A four-man science team led by British Antarctic Survey's (BAS) Dr Andy
Smith has begun exploring an ancient lake hidden deep beneath Antarctica's
ice sheet. The lake -- the size of Lake Windermere (UK) -- could yield vital
clues to life on Earth, climate change and future sea-level rise.
Glaciologist Dr Smith and his colleagues from the Universities of Edinburgh
and Northumbria are camped out at one of the most remote places on Earth
conducting a series of experiments on the ice. He says, "This is the first
phase of what we think is an incredibly exciting project. We know the lake
is 3.2km beneath the ice; long and thin and around 18 km2 in area. First
results from our experiments have shown the lake is 105m deep. This means
Lake Ellsworth is a deep-water body and confirms the lake as an ideal site
for future exploration missions to detect microbial life and recover climate
records.
"If the survey work goes well, the next phase will be to build a probe,
drill down into the lake and explore and sample the lake water. The UK could
do this as soon as 2012/13."
This ambitious exploration of 'subglacial' Lake Ellsworth, West Antarctica,
involves scientists from 14 UK universities and research institutes, as well
as colleagues from Chile, USA, Sweden, Belgium, Germany and New Zealand.
The International Polar Year* project Principal Investigator is Professor
Martin Siegert from the University of Edinburgh. He says, "We are
particularly interested in Lake Ellsworth because it's likely to have been
isolated from the surface for hundreds of thousands of years. Radar
measurements made previously from aircraft surveys suggest that the lake is
connected to others that could drain ice from the West Antarctic Ice sheet
to the ocean and contribute to sea-level rise."
Professor Siegert is already planning the lake's future exploration. He
continues, "Around 150 lakes have been discovered beneath Antarctica's vast
ice sheet and so far little is known about them. Getting into the lake is
a huge technological challenge but the effort is worth it. These lakes are
important for a number of reasons. For example, because water acts as a
lubricant to the ice above they may influence how the ice sheet flows. Their
potential for unusual life forms could shed new light on evolution of life
in harsh conditions; lake-floor sediments could yield vital clues to past
climate. They can also help us understand the extraterrestrial environment
of Europa (one of the moons of Jupiter)."
Notes to Editors:
Still images and graphics are available from the BAS Press Office as above.
Interview opportunities:
Professor Martin Siegert, University of Edinburgh
Tel: 0131 650 7543
Professor David Vaughan, British Antarctic Survey
Tel: 01223 221643
The 'deep field' Lake Ellsworth team are: British Antarctic Survey's (BAS)
Dr Andy Smith, Dr Neil Ross from University of Edinburgh, Dr John Woodward
from Northumbria University and Dr Dan Fitzgerald Field Assistant and polar
guide. Because of the remoteness of their location interviews are difficult.
Since the 1970's scientists have used radar, seismic and satellite
technologies to discover over 150 lakes locked beneath Antarctica's vast ice
sheets. The water beneath the ice remains liquid because of small levels of
heat from the Earth's core coming up through bedrock and from the insulating
effect of several kilometres of ice above. The largest and most well known
of these is Lake Vostok on East Antarctica. The lake is thought to be
roughly the size of Lake Ontario.
Some subglacial lakes may be as old as the ice sheet. The age of the water
within the lakes will be as old as the ice which melts into them, which in
East Antarctic is around 1 million years.
More information at
http://www.geos.ed.ac.uk/ellsworth
and at
http://www.geos.ed.ac.uk/research/ellsworth/blog.html
British Antarctic Survey is a world leader in research into global issues in
an Antarctic context. It is the UK's national operator and is a component of
the Natural Environment Research Council. It has an annual budget of around
40 million sterling pounds, runs nine research programmes and operates five
research stations, two Royal Research Ships and five aircraft in and around
Antarctica.
* International Polar Year 20072008 is the largest coordinated international
scientific effort for 50 years. From ice sheets and space science to Arctic
communities and the creatures of the Southern Ocean, IPY includes more than
200 Arctic and Antarctic projects and harnesses the skills of 50,000 people
-- including scientists, students and support staff -- from more than 60
nations. IPY is sponsored by the International Council for Science (ICSU)
and The World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in Scotland,
with registration number SC005336.
IMAGE CAPTIONS:
[Image 1:
http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/press/images/andy_et_al_at_lake_ellsworth.jpg
(62KB)]
BAS GA Dr Dan Fitzgerald, Dr John Woodward, University of Northumbria, Dr
Andy Smith, British Antarctic Survey and Dr Neil Ross, University of
Edinburgh.
[Image 2:
http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/press/images/ellsworth_graphic.jpg (127KB)]
Diagram showing the exploration of subglacial Lake Ellsworth.