Lake Ellsworth (Antarctica)
| Ellsworth Lake | ||
|---|---|---|
| Geographical location | Ellsworthland , West Antarctica | |
| Drain | none | |
| Data | ||
| Coordinates | 78 ° 59 ′ S , 90 ° 31 ′ W | |
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| surface | 28.9 km² | |
| length | 14.7 km | |
| width | 3.1 km | |
| volume | 1.37 km³ | |
| Maximum depth | 156 m | |
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particularities |
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The Lake Ellsworth and Ellsworth Lake is one more well-known by the time of its discovery than 100 subglacial lakes in West Antarctica , the Western Hemisphere Antarctica near the Ellsworth Mountains . It lies in a depression under an approximately 3400 m thick layer of ice. The references on its size vary; A measurement from 2010 stated 14.7 km in length, 3.1 km in width and a depth between 52 and 156 meters. This corresponds to an area of 28.9 km² and a water volume of 1.37 km³. The lake is named after the American polar explorer Lincoln Ellsworth .
The age of the lake is not known, but it is believed that it was isolated by ice inclusion for at least 100,000 years. Therefore, water and sediment samples should be taken from it. By examining the samples, the researchers expect knowledge about the development of life and about life under extreme conditions. The drilling started by a British expedition in December 2012 had to be stopped at a depth of 300 m due to technical problems.
See also
Web links
- Cinthia Briseño: Researchers are looking for unknown life in Antarctica. Spiegel Online , October 16, 2011, accessed December 24, 2012 .
- The Exploration of Subglacial Lake Ellsworth. School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh , accessed December 24, 2012 .
- British Antarctic Survey engineering team heads to Antarctica to explore hidden lake. British Antarctic Survey , October 11, 2011, accessed on February 9, 2016 (English, press release on the British expedition with clear descriptions of the mission).
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f Martin J. Siegert u. a .: Subglacial Lake Ellsworth: A candidate for in situ exploration in West Antarctica. In: Geophysical Research Letters 31, L23403, 2004, 4 pages, doi : 10.1029 / 2004GL021477 (English)
- ↑ a b c d e f J. Woodward u. a .: Location for direct access to subglacial Lake Ellsworth: An assessment of geophysical data and modeling. In: Geophysical Research Letters 37, 2010, L11501, 5 pages, doi : 10.1029 / 2010GL042884 (English)
- ^ Martin J. Siegert: Lake Ellsworth . In: Beau Riffenburgh (ed.): Encyclopedia of the Antarctic , Routledge, New York and London 2007, p. 581, ISBN 0-415-97024-5 (English)
- ↑ Popular science website of the research mission (English)
- ^ Marc Kaufman: Race Is On to Find Life Under Antarctic Ice. In: National Geographic Daily News , December 27, 2012 (English)