You may have heard the news during the last day or so, that after 20 years of drilling in Antarctica Russian scientists have reached the surface of a gigantic freshwater lake hidden under miles of ice for some 20 million years.
You may also have wondered why. Here, then, are some questions and answers about the project.
Where is Lake Vostok?
It lies just more than 2 miles beneath the icy surface of Antarctica and is the largest lake in a web of nearly 400 known sub-glacial lakes in Antarctica.
How big is the lake?
It’s about 160 miles long and 30 miles across at its widest point, similar in area to Lake Ontario. In terms of area, that’s about eight times larger than Galveston Bay. So it’s a good sized body of water.
Why do scientists care about drilling there?
It’s like exploring a brand new world without leaving Earth.
For one thing, any life there might provide clues for what to look for in the ice-crusted moons of Jupiter and Saturn or under Mars’ polar ice caps where conditions could be similar.
“Whatever living organisms are found in these environments have been able to live under extreme conditions, and this could tell us if and how life has evolved in the ocean hundreds of millions of years ago and possibly about other icy worlds in our solar system,” said Mahlon C. Kennicutt II, a professor of oceanography at Texas A&M University.
Are there other scientific reasons?
The lake and its sediments could also help scientists understand more about the Earth’s history.
“They could find sedimentary records of climate change that are available nowhere else on Earth,” Kennicutt said. “These records of climate change would give us insight into the evolution of the Southern Ocean and the continent of Antarctica, which is estimated to have been ice-covered for 35 million years. It could also tell us important clues about the history of ice flow from the continent to the ocean, giving us critical information for predicting future sea level rise as our planet warms.”
Why did the Russians accomplish this before Americans?
It’s been a point of pride for the Russians.
The Russian research team has been drilling in the area for more than three decades and “they clearly want to be the first ever to enter the lake,” Kennicutt said. “For them, it is a matter of national pride that they be the first and if this accomplishment is verified, it will be a valued prize by the Russian people.”
Are there environmental concerns about drilling into pristine environments?
The project has drawn strong fears that 66 tons of lubricants and antifreeze used in the drilling may contaminate the lake. The Russian researchers have insisted the bore would only slightly touch the lake’s surface and that a surge in pressure will send the water rushing up the shaft where it will freeze, immediately sealing out the toxic chemicals. An official said 50 cubic feet of kerosene and freon poured up to the surface from the boreshaft, proof that the lake water streamed up from beneath, froze, and blocked the hole.
How will the lake be explored?
Russian researchers plan to explore the lake using an underwater robot equipped with video cameras that would collect water samples and sediments from the bottom of the lake.
It’s Antarctica. Why isn’t the lake frozen?
The lake is warmed underneath by geothermal energy.