First exploration of sub-glacial Antarctic lake is a major step closer

2:25 PM Mon 7 Jun 2010 GMT

'Field camp at Lake Ellsworth' British Antarctic Survey &copy Click Here to view large photo

Scientists have located the ideal drill site for the first ever exploration of an Antarctic sub-glacial lake, a development that it likely to facilitate a revolution in climate-change research and which may lead to the discovery of life-forms cut off from the main line of evolution for millions of years. In a paper published in Geophysical Research Letters this week, scientists from Northumbria University, the University of Edinburgh and the British Antarctic Survey have revealed the optimal drill site for exploring Lake Ellsworth, a sub-glacial lake comparable in size to Lake Windermere which is covered by three kilometres of ice. ...

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by British Antarctic Survey