Evidence for a palaeo-subglacial lake on the Antarctic continental shelf

Subglacial lakes are widespread beneath the Antarctic Ice Sheet but their control on ice-sheet dynamics and their ability to harbour life remain poorly characterized. Here we present evidence for a palaeo-subglacial lake on the Antarctic continental shelf. A distinct sediment facies recovered from a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature Communications
Main Authors: Kuhn, Gerhard, Hillenbrand, Claus-Dieter, Kasten, Sabine, Smith, James A., Nitsche, Frank O., Frederichs, Thomas, Wiers, Steffen, Ehrmann, Werner, Klages, Johann P., Mogollón, José M.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:unknown
Published: Springer Nature 2017
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Online Access:https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/44687/
https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/44687/1/Kuhn_etal_2017_subglacial_lake.pdf
https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/44687/2/Kuhn_etal_2017_subglacial_lake-s1.pdf
https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/44687/3/Kuhn_etal_2017_subglacial_lake_movies.zip
https://doi.org/10.1038/NCOMMS15591
https://hdl.handle.net/10013/epic.50945
https://hdl.handle.net/10013/epic.50945.d001
https://hdl.handle.net/10013/epic.50945.d002
https://hdl.handle.net/10013/epic.50945.d003
Description
Summary:Subglacial lakes are widespread beneath the Antarctic Ice Sheet but their control on ice-sheet dynamics and their ability to harbour life remain poorly characterized. Here we present evidence for a palaeo-subglacial lake on the Antarctic continental shelf. A distinct sediment facies recovered from a bedrock basin in Pine Island Bay indicates deposition within a low-energy lake environment. Diffusive-advection modelling demonstrates that low chloride concentrations in the pore water of the corresponding sediments can only be explained by initial deposition of this facies in a freshwater setting. These observations indicate that an active subglacial meltwater network, similar to that observed beneath the extant ice sheet, was also active during the last glacial period. It also provides a new framework for refining the exploration of these unique environments.