Experts Are Worried After Finding 85 Hidden Lakes Filling up and Draining Below Antarctica
Surprising discoveries by scientists and researchers continue to reveal nature’s hidden wonders, from unexplored caves in remote locations to unique deep-sea ecosystems. These findings show the incredible diversity of our planet, and each discovery reminds us how much of the natural world is still unknown to us. In one such news, scientists exploring the Antarctica region recently came across 85 previously unknown subglacial lakes that are hidden beneath the continent’s thick ice sheets. These hidden bodies of water might be holding vital clues about our planet’s climate history and the ecosystems that survive even in extreme conditions, offering new opportunities to conduct scientific studies.
Using over ten years of scientific data collected by the European Space Agency’s CryoSat satellite, scientists located these hidden lakes near the South Pole of the region. This discovery raises the total number of known active subglacial lakes in Antarctica to 231. These findings were revealed in the study titled, ‘Detection of 85 new active subglacial lakes in Antarctica from a decade of CryoSat-2 data.’ It was published in the journal Nature Communications. The discovery is important because active subglacial lakes, which periodically fill and drain as the weather changes, give scientists a unique window into the processes occurring deep beneath the surface of the ice.
As reported by The European Space Agency, the lead author of the study, Sally Wilson, revealed, “Only 36 complete cycles, from the start of subglacial filling through to the end of draining, had been observed worldwide before our study. We observed 12 more complete fill-drain events, bringing the total to 48.” She added, “These new datasets of subglacial lake locations, extents, and timeseries of change will be used to develop our understanding of the processes driving water flow beneath Antarctica.” Anna Hogg, one of the co-authors of the study, also spoke about the fascinating discovery.
She said, “It was fascinating to discover that the subglacial lake areas can change during different filling or draining cycles. This shows that Antarctic subglacial hydrology is much more dynamic than previously thought, so we must continue to monitor these lakes as they evolve in the future.” Moving ahead, Martin Wearing, ESA Polar Science Cluster Coordinator, highlighted the significance of the discovery and explained that learning more about Antarctica’s complex ice dynamics—especially how meltwater moves beneath the ice—will help scientists make better predictions about future sea level changes.
Meanwhile, most of the meltwater lakes beneath the world's glaciers form due to the heat released from Earth’s bedrock and the friction of ice that constantly keeps moving over it. However, not every subglacial lake is active, as they remain stable, with no filling or draining process taking place. The largest of these lakes is Lake Vostok, located beneath the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. It contains around 65,000 cubic kilometers of water, which is more than enough to fill the Grand Canyon, as reported by the University of Leeds. If Lake Vostok were to drain, it may affect the stability of Antarctica’s ice sheet, disrupt the flow of ocean currents and marine ecosystems, and contribute to the dangerous global sea level rise.
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