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: Text
Language:English
Published: Nature Publishing Group 2017
Subjects:
Article
Antarctic
Island Bay
Pine Island Bay
The Antarctic
Antarc*
Ice Sheet
Online Access:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5461483/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28569750
https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms15591
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.

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