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Young World
Lake under ice
Photo: AFP
Revealing: A lake of secrets.
An Edinburgh scientist’s study of a 15 million-year-old lake buried under the ice of Antarctica could yield clues on climate change and the origins of life. Edinburgh University researcher Neil Ross is part of a four-man team camped on an Antarctic ice sheet. The group, which also includes members of the British Antarctic Survey, are to explore an ancient sub-glacial lake called Lake Ellsworth, in West Antarctica, which is buried under 3.2 km of ice. The scientists b
elieve the 10-km-long lake could give scientists vital insights into climate change, future rises in sea-levels and the origins of life on earth. It is one of more than 150 lakes locked beneath Antarctica’s vast ice sheets that have been discovered using radar and satellite technologies. 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. 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.
COMPLIED BY SUBAJAYANTHI
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