Summary of the Findings
Collectively, the results from this expedition have transformed the way we view the continent of Antarctica.
Although Mercer Subglacial Lake is a freshwater lake, the sediment samples revealed that less than 10,000 years ago the ocean covered the area of the continent where the lake is today.
Given that CO2 levels were lower then, this implies that the ice covering West Antarctica is extremely susceptible to warming temperatures.
The lake waters were shown to have high concentrations of nutrients, which are exported to the ocean when the lake drains, feeding life in coastal ocean environments.
A decade ago the interior portion of the Antarctic continent was thought to be devoid of life. The work has shown that the Antarctic sub-ice environment consists of vast wetlands and a mosaic of rivers and lakes.
Antarctica must now be considered part of the Earth’s biosphere with a dynamic role in the Earth System.
Read More:
Daily Maverick: ‘Red Seas’ of Mars: discovery of multiple ‘salt lakes’ shifts frontiers of planetary science
Quanta Magazine: He Found ‘Islands of Fertility’ Beneath Antarctica’s Ice
Columbia University: SALSA EM: Mapping Subglacial Groundwater in Antarctica
Nature: Tiny animal carcasses found in buried Antarctic lake
Wall Street Journal: The hunt for alien life starts in Earth’s most extreme places
The Guardian: Antarctic expedition yields remains of tiny, ancient ‘water bears’
Smithsonian Magazine: Trove of tiny ancient animal remains recovered from depths of Antarctic ice
Business Insider: In a lost lake 3,500 feet under the Antarctic ice, scientists just found the carcasses of tiny creatures
Bozeman Chronicle: MSU-led team gaining attention for Antarctic discovery
National Geographic Spain: Hallan restos de vida en un lago subglacial de la Antártida
Gizmodo: Evidence of life found in lake deep beneath Antarctic ice
New Scientist: We’ve dug up tiny animals from beneath a frozen Antarctic lake
IFL Science: We’ve dug up tiny animals from beneath a frozen Antarctic lake
BBC Science in Action: Trump’s Hubble trouble (the impact of the government shutdown on science)
BBC Inside Science: Antarctic lake drilling, birds and climate change, cold snap, holograms
El Pais: Hay vida en el fondo de la Antártida
MSN Japan: Scientists drill 3,500 feet into Antarctic ice to find a mysterious subglacial lake
Earther: Scientists just melted a hole through 3,500 feet of ice to reach a mysterious Antarctic lake
Alligator: UF Ph.D. student probing beneath Antarctica’s glaciers
University of Florida: Happy Holidays from UF/IFAS, by way of Antarctica!
The Gainesville Sun: UF student preps for research trip to Antarctica
University of Florida: UF/IFAS CALS Student to Explore Antarctic Lake with National Team
The Sacramento Bee: Sac State film professor heads to Antarctica to film never-before-seen lake
Nebraska Today: Nebraska team to help tap ecosystems beneath Antarctic ice sheet
Lincoln Journal Star: UNL scientists, drillers look for life under Antarctic ice sheet
Colgate University: Professor Amy Leventer to receive 2018 Goldthwait Polar Medal
Scripps Institution of Oceanography: Around the Pier: NASA Launches World’s Most Advanced Ice-Measuring Satellite into Orbit
Horiba: Drilling Deep to Discover Life
Montana State University: MSU Polar Scientist in National Media Spotlight for Martian Lake Finding
Montana State University: Filmmaking Student Documents MSU Research Effort in Antarctica
Montana State University: MSU Team Discovers Large Supply of Methane Beneath Antarctic Ice Sheet
Big Picture Science radio show and podcast: On Thin Ice
Science for Students: Under Antarctic ice, microbes gobble up greenhouse gas
KBZK Montana: MSU Group to Research Subglacial Lakes in Antarctica
San Diego Tribune: Scripps participating in record eight studies in the Antarctic this winter
Montana State University: MSU scientist plays key role in publishing extensive research on climate driven antarctic changes