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Lake Whillans is a subglacial lake in Antarctica. The lake is located under the Whillans Ice Stream at the southeastern edge of the Ross Ice Shelf in the west of the continent. The lake surface is 800 m (2,600 ft) beneath the surface of the ice and the lake covers an estimated area of 60 km² (20 sq mi). Lake depths measured thus far have been around 2 metres (7 feet).[1] Its temperature is −0.49 °C,[2] below 0 °C because of the high pressure.

Lake Whillans
Lake Whillans
Coordinates	84°15′S 153°30′W
Type	Subglacial
Basin countries	Antarctica
Surface area	60 km2 (20 sq mi)
Average depth	2 m (7 ft)

Lake Whillans, like the Whillans Ice Stream, is named for Ohio State University glaciologist Dr. Ian Whillans.

Discovery

The lake was first described in 2007 by Helen Fricker, a glaciologist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Satellite laser altimeter data from NASA's ICESat had revealed the ice at that location rising and falling, leading her team to conclude the presence of the lake.[3]

Research

On 28 January 2013, the Whillans Ice Stream Subglacial Access Research Drilling (WISSARD) team announced that they had reached the lake surface having drilled 800 m (2,600 ft) through the ice above.[1] Drilling was accomplished using a hot-water drill to create a borehole 30 cm (12 in) in diameter.[4] Over the following days the team collected water samples and also sediment cores from the lake bottom. Initial analysis of water and sediment has revealed that they contain more than 3,900 kinds of microbial life.[5] Bacteria are surviving in this environment without photosynthesis.[1] The ecosystem is apparently based on the oxidation of ammonia and methane from sediments laid down at least 120,000 years ago.[2]

According to WISSARD, the project “marks the first successful retrieval of clean whole samples from an Antarctic subglacial lake”.[6] Similar efforts have been undertaken at Lake Vostok, where samples have yet to yield any discoveries, and at Lake Ellsworth, where drilling had to be abandoned.[3]

These projects may yield insights into the search for life elsewhere in the Solar System. In particular, the moons Europa (Jupiter) and Enceladus (Saturn) have large amounts of liquid water beneath icy crusts.[4]

In January 2015, drilling near the grounding line (transition point from fresh water to sea water) revealed a colony of fish, crustaceans, and jellyfish inhabiting the dark, frigid waters below the ice shelf. Images taken with a remote camera showed fish 20 centimetres (7.9 in) and amphipods.[7]

See also

• Whillans Ice Stream
• Lake Vostok
• Lake Ellsworth

References

External links

• Whillans Ice Stream Subglacial Access Research Drilling (WISSARD)

На других языках

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[de] Lake Whillans

Der Lake Whillans ist ein subglazialer See unterhalb des Whillans-Eisstromes, an der südöstlichen Ecke des Ross-Schelfeises. Der See befindet sich 800 Meter unterhalb der Eisschicht. Seine Temperatur beträgt −0,49 °C. Aufgrund des hohen Drucks ist er trotzdem flüssig.[1][2] Er ist nach dem Glaziologen Ian Whillans von der Ohio State University benannt.

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- [en] Lake Whillans

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[fr] Lac Whillans

Le lac Whillans est un lac subglaciaire de l'Antarctique occidental situé sous le courant glaciaire Whillans (en) en amont de la plate-forme de Ross. Situé sous 700 mètres d'épaisseur de glace, c'est un lac actif qui se remplit et se vide tous les trois ans[1]. Il fait l'objet de recherches dans le cadre du projet Wissard (The Whillans Ice Stream Subglacial Access Research Drilling Project, 2009 à 2015) qui veut y accéder par forage en utilisant une technique d'injection d'eau chaude[2]. Ces chercheurs y parviennent le 27 janvier 2013 et prélèvent des échantillons d’eau et de sédiments[3].

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[ru] Уилланс (озеро)

Уи́лланс (англ. Lake Whillans) — подлёдное озеро в Антарктиде. Своё название получило в честь гляциолога Айана Уилланса, доктора университета штата Огайо.

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