Formation and character of an ancient 19-m ice cover and underlying trapped brine in an “ice-sealed” east Antarctic lake
Abstract
Lake Vida, one of the largest lakes in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica, was previously believed to be shallow (<10 m) and frozen to its bed year-round. New ice-core analysis and temperature data show that beneath 19 m of ice is a water column composed of a NaCl brine with a salinity seven times that of seawater that remains liquid below −10°C. The ice cover thickens at both its base and surface, sealing concentrated brine beneath. The ice cover is stabilized by a negative feedback between ice growth and the freezing-point depression of the brine. The ice cover contains frozen microbial mats throughout that are viable after thawing and has a history that extends to at least 2,800 14C years B.P., suggesting that the brine has been isolated from the atmosphere for as long. To our knowledge, Lake Vida has the thickest subaerial lake ice cover recorded and may represent a previously undiscovered end-member lacustrine ecosystem on Earth.
Acknowledgments
We thank J. Schmok for carrying out the GPR survey, K. Welch for performing major ion analysis, and D. Gilles for supervising the ice coring. This work was supported by National Science Foundation Grants OPP-9211773, OPP-9419413, OPP-9814972, and OPP-0085400 and National Aeronautics and Space Administration Exobiology Grants NAGW-1947 and NAG5-9889.
References
1
Doran, P. T., McKay, C. P., Clow, G. D., Dana, G. L., Fountain, A. & Nylen, T. (2003) J. Geophys. Res., in press.
2
A T Wilson Nature 201, 176–177 (1964).
3
W B Lyons, S W Tyler, R A Wharton, D M McKnight, B H Vaughn Antarct Sci 10, 247–256 (1998).
4
B C Parker, K G Seaburg, D D Cathey, F T C Allnutt J Plankton Res 4, 271–286 (1982).
5
S A Spaulding, D M McKnight, E F Stoermer, P T Doran J Paleolimnol 17, 403–420 (1997).
6
J C Priscu, C H Fritsen, E E Adams, S J Giovannoni, H W Paerl, C P McKay, P T Doran, D A Gordon, B D Lanoil, J L Pinckney Science 280, 2095–2098 (1998).
7
W J Green, E I Friedmann Antarctic Research Series (Am. Geophys. Union, Washington, DC) 59, xi, 216. (1993).
8
P E Calkin, C Bull J Glaciol 6, 833–836 (1967).
9
C H Hendy Geografiska Annaler Ser A Phys Geogr 82A, 411–432 (2000).
10
G M Marion, S A Grant frezchem: A Chemical-Thermodynamic Model for Aqueous Solutions at Subzero Temperatures (Cold Regions Res. Eng. Lab., U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, Hanover, NH), 1994).
11
G M Marion Antarct Sci 9, 92–99 (1997).
12
C H Fritsen, J C Priscu J Phycol 34, 587–597 (1998).
13
R H Spigel, J C Priscu Hydrobiologia 321, 177–190 (1996).
14
S Sleewaegen, R Lorrain, Z Offer, E Azmon, S Fitzsimons, R Souchez Earth Surf Processes Landforms 27, 307–315 (2002).
15
J A Baross, R Y Morita Microbial Life in Extreme Environments, ed D J Kushner (Academic, New York), pp. 9–71 (1978).
16
R A Herbert Microbes in Extreme Environments, eds R A Herbert, A A Codd (Academic, London), pp. 1–23 (1986).
17
D J Kushner Microbial Life in Extreme Environments, ed D J Kushner (Academic, New York, 1978).
18
A D Brown Microbial Water Stress Physiology: Principles and Perspectives (Wiley, New York, 1990).
19
P T Doran, J C Poiscu, W B Lyons, J E Walsh, A G Fountain, D M McKnight, D L Moorhead, R A Virginia, D H Wall, G D Clow, et al. Nature 415, 517–520 (2002).
20
G S Campbell An Introduction to Environmental Biophysics (Springer, New York, 1977).
21
C P McKay, G D Clow, R A Wharton, S W Squyres Nature 313, 561–562 (1985).
22
S G Warren, R E Brandt, T C Grenfell, C P McKay J Geophys Res 107, 3167 (2002).
23
C P McKay, G D Clow, D T Andersen, R A Wharton J Geophys Res Oceans 99, 20427–20444 (1994).
24
E R Decker, G J Bucker Antarct J US XII, 102–104 (1977).
25
J G Webster, K L Brown, W F Vincent Hydrobiologia 281, 171–186 (1994).
26
M J Siegert, J C Ellis-Evans, M Tranter, C Mayer, J R Petit, A Salamatin, J C Priscu Nature 414, 603–609 (2001).
27
P F Hoffman, A J Kaufman, G P Halverson, D P Schrag Science 281, 1342–1346 (1998).
28
C P McKay Origins Life Evol Biosphere 27, 263–289 (1997).
Information & Authors
Information
Published in
Classifications
Copyright
Copyright © 2003, The National Academy of Sciences.
Submission history
Received: August 22, 2002
Accepted: November 8, 2002
Published online: December 23, 2002
Published in issue: January 7, 2003
Acknowledgments
We thank J. Schmok for carrying out the GPR survey, K. Welch for performing major ion analysis, and D. Gilles for supervising the ice coring. This work was supported by National Science Foundation Grants OPP-9211773, OPP-9419413, OPP-9814972, and OPP-0085400 and National Aeronautics and Space Administration Exobiology Grants NAGW-1947 and NAG5-9889.
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Altmetrics
Citations
Cite this article
Formation and character of an ancient 19-m ice cover and underlying trapped brine in an “ice-sealed” east Antarctic lake, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.
100 (1) 26-31,
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.222680999
(2003).
Copied!
Copying failed.
Export the article citation data by selecting a format from the list below and clicking Export.
Cited by
Loading...
View Options
View options
PDF format
Download this article as a PDF file
DOWNLOAD PDFLogin options
Check if you have access through your login credentials or your institution to get full access on this article.
Personal login Institutional LoginRecommend to a librarian
Recommend PNAS to a LibrarianPurchase options
Purchase this article to access the full text.