January
20
/ 2019
Scientists drilling into Mercer Lake, a Subglacial Antarctic lake locked beneath 3500 feet (one kilometer) of ice have discovered the ancient carcasses of tiny animals including “water bears,” in a finding scientists described as “fully unexpected”. On 26th December, researchers funded by the US National Science Foundation (NSF) succeeded in melting a hole through the thick ice to the water below. A report in the journal Nature said that the Subglacial Antarctic Lakes Scientific Access (SALSA) team “melted through an enormous frozen river with a high-pressure, hot-water drill.” The water below the ice sheet is hydraulically active and connected with the Ross Sea and Mercer Lake has been identified as being at high risk of collapsing with the West Antarctic
