The Antarctic ice is finding its secrets harder and harder to keep.
of liquid water – known as subglacial lakes – have been discovered hidden beneath the ice that covers the continent.
In addition, the ice sheet itself provides insulation against the frigid air, while rocks below provide a source of gentle heating. What's more, if the water is briny, saturated with salts, that too can lower the freezing point further.We can detect subglacial lakes by using ice-penetrating radar from above. The radar signal is propagated through the ice and bounced back, and by comparing the transmitted signal with the returned signal, scientists can study what's below the ice.
So a research team, led by geophysicist Shuai Yan of The University of Texas at Austin, set about obtaining radar data for the region, as well as measurements of Earth's magnetic field, over a period of three years, from 2016 to 2019. At the bottom of the lake sits a layer of unconsolidated sediment. Given how long it takes sediment to accumulate in these subglacial environments, the team believes it must have been there for a very long time – perhaps since before the ice sheet even formed.
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