Lake Vostok

Lake Vostok was named after the Russian research station that is located at the southern end of the lake. The hole that was drilled into the ice sheet at that station was stopped about 120 m above the lake because the water of the lake may contain organisms that have been isolated formiUions of years. The journal Science News (October 9,1999 p. 230) reported that bacteria had actually been found in the ice. The warm water that may be entering the lake via hotsprings, if confirmed, would strenglheu the expectation that organisms have survived in the water of Lake Vostok. 

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Such a mission would require successful drilling through the moon s surface ice layer (Rummel, 2000 de Morais, 2000) testing of a new apparatus required for the study of Europa s ice could be done in the subglacial Antarctic Lake Vostok, under the Antarctic ice. It does not, however, seem appropriate to test such technologies in this extremely sensitive environmental situation. However, Russian scientists are carrying out drilling studies on Lake Vostok (Inman, 2006). 

Priscu JC et al. (11) (1999) Geomicrobiology of subglacial ice above Lake Vostok, Antarctica. Science 286 2141-2144... 

Jean-Baptiste P, Petit JR, Lipenkov VY, Raynaud D, Barkov N (2001) Constraints on hydrothermal processes and water exchange in Lake Vostok from helium isotopes. Nature 411 460-462 Jean-Baptiste P, Raynaud D, Mantisi F, Sowers T, Barkov N (1993) Measurement of helium isotopes in Antarctic ice preliminary results from Vostok. C R Acad Sci Paris 316 491-497 Jenkins WJ (1976) Tritium-helium dating in the Sargasso Sea A measurement of oxygen utilization rates. Science 196 291-292... 

It has been inferred that the waters of Lake Vostok and numerous other subglacial Antarctic lakes contain oxygen sufficient to support life in an unique ecosystem, at 350 atm and — 3°C. in permanent darkness. Though the lake water has not been sampled for fear of introducing bacteria from above, oxygen is found in the refrozen lake water just above the lake. The oxygen comes from the decomposition of air hydrates present in the ice overburden. 

Siegert. M.J. Ellis-Evans. J.C. Tranter, M. Mayer, C. Petit. J.-R. Salamatin, A. Priscu. J.C. Physical, chemical and biological processes in Lake Vostok and other antarctic subglacial lakes. Nature 2001. 414. 603-609. 

Miles beneath the Antarctic ice sheets there are lakes that have been secluded for millions of years. The conditions within these lakes are similar to what may exist beneath the ice sheets of Jupiter s moon Europa. Evidence suggests that these Antarctic lakes may contain microscopic life. If true, this adds to the possibility of I ife forms on Europa. For current information, enter Lake Vostok" into your Internet search engine. 

The present elevation of the bedrock surface of some parts of East and West Antarctica is actually below sea level. Eor example, two large subglacial basins in Wilkes Land of East Antarctica lie below sea level. In addition, the surface of subglacial Lake Vostok at 78°28 S and 106°48 E is below sea level by about 200-300 m. The bedrock surface of most of West Antarctica is also below sea level partly because of the mass of the overlying ice sheet (Drewry et al. 1983 Bentley and Robertson 1982 Bentley et al. 1982). Consequently, the incursion of seawater into the subglacial basins could result in the hreak-np of the West Antarctic ice sheet and of the ice in the Wilkes basin of East Antarctica. 

Fig. 17.35 Lake Vostok in East Antarctica is the largest of about 160 subglacial lakes that have been discovered by radar echo surveys. The lake is about 300 km long and about 50 km wide. It is covered by 3,700 m of ice and occupies a tectonic rift that is bounded by deep faults. Lake Vostok was named after the Russian research station that is located close to the southern end of the subglacial lake. Lake Sovetskaya and 90°E Lake, which are located close to the 90°E Meridian may also occupy rift basins (Adapted from MODIS Mosaic of Antarctica acquired by NASA s satellites Terra and Aqua between November 20, 2003 and February 29,2004)...

Ice is virtually the only substance that is less dense than the liquid from which it forms. Hence ice floats in water, as we all know. An important consequence of this physical property is that the melting tanperatuie of ice decreases with increasing pressure. The temperature at the base of the East Antarctica ice sufficiently high to cause the ice to melt Radar-echo surveys have revealed that about 160 lakes of various sizes (e.g.. Lake Vostok) exist in bedrock basins under several kilometers of overlying ice. 

Perkins S (2006) Cold and deep Antarctica s Lake Vostok has two big neighbors. Science News 169 (Februtuy 4) 69-70 Peikins, S (2008) Down with caibon. Science News, May 10 18-23 Peterson JA, Moresby IF (1979) Subgladal travertine tmd associated deposits in the Qrtstensz area, Irian Jaya, Republic of Indonesia Zeitschrift fur Gletscherkunde und Glazialgeologie 15 23-29 Petit JR, Briat M, Royer A (1981) Ice age aerosol content from East Antarctic ice core samples tmd past wind strength. Nature 293 391-394... 

A group of Russian scientists carefully drilled into it... Y. M. Shtarkman et aL Subglacial Lake Vostok (Antarctica) accretion ice contains a diverse set of sequences from aquatic, marine and sediment-inhabiting bacteria and eukarya. 2013. PLoS One 8(7), p. e67221. DOl 10.1371/journal.pone.0067221. 

Jouzel J., Petit J. R., Souchez R., Barkov N. 1., Fipenkov V. Y., Raynaud D., Stievenard M., Vassiliev N. 1., Verbeke V., and Vimeux F. (1999) More than 200 m thick of lake ice above the subglacial Fake Vostok, Antarctica. Science 2138-2141. 

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