Radar sounding survey over Devon Ice Cap indicates the potential for a diverse hypersaline subglacial hydrological environment
Prior geophysical surveys provided evidence for a hypersaline subglacial lake complex beneath the center of Devon Ice Cap, Canadian Arctic; however, the full extent and characteristics of the hydrological system remained unknown due to limited data coverage. Here, we present results from a new, targ...
Published in: | The Cryosphere |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
Format: | Text |
Language: | English |
Published: |
2022
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-379-2022 https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/16/379/2022/ |
Summary: | Prior geophysical surveys provided evidence for a hypersaline subglacial lake complex beneath the center of Devon Ice Cap, Canadian Arctic; however, the full extent and characteristics of the hydrological system remained unknown due to limited data coverage. Here, we present results from a new, targeted aerogeophysical survey that provides evidence (i) supporting the existence of a subglacial lake complex and (ii) for a network of shallow brine/saturated sediments covering ∼170 km 2 . Newly resolved lake shorelines indicate three closely spaced lakes covering a total area of 24.6 km 2 . These results indicate the presence of a diverse hypersaline subglacial hydrological environment with the potential to support a range of microbial habitats, provide important constraints for future investigations of this compelling scientific target, and highlight its relevance as a terrestrial analog for aqueous systems on other icy worlds. |
---|