Clean access, measurement, and sampling of Ellsworth Subglacial Lake: A method for exploring deep Antarctic subglacial lake environments
Clean access, measurement, and sampling of Ellsworth Subglacial Lake: A method for exploring deep Antarctic subglacial lake environments
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DOI：
10.1029/2011rg000361
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发表时间：
2012-03
影响因子：
25.2
通讯作者：
M. Siegert;Rachel J. Clarke;M. Mowlem;N. Ross;Christopher S. Hill;A. Tait;D. Hodgson;J. Parnell;M. Tranter;D. Pearce;M. J. Bentley;C. Cockell;M. Tsaloglou;Andrew M. Smith;J. Woodward;M. Brito;E. Waugh
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文献类型：
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作者：
M. Siegert;Rachel J. Clarke;M. Mowlem;N. Ross;Christopher S. Hill;A. Tait;D. Hodgson;J. Parnell;M. Tranter;D. Pearce;M. J. Bentley;C. Cockell;M. Tsaloglou;Andrew M. Smith;J. Woodward;M. Brito;E. Waugh
南极冰下湖泊被认为是微生物生命的极端栖息地，在其湖底沉积物中可能包含冰盖历史和气候变化的重要记录。为了确定这是否属实，并回答随之而来的科学问题，需要对这些环境进行直接测量和采样。自从沃斯托克冰下湖的水深超过500米以来，人们一直在关注如何在没有污染和不利干扰的情况下进入这些独特、古老和原始的环境。几个组织已经提供了关于直接采样实验所需清洁度和无菌要求的指导方针，包括美国国家科学院和南极研究科学委员会。在这里，我们总结了科学协议和方法正在开发的勘探埃尔斯沃思冰下湖在南极洲西部，计划在2012-2013年，我们提供了未来的冰下环境研究任务的指导。拟议的勘探涉及使用热水钻进入湖泊，并部署采样探头和沉积物取样器以收集样本。我们在这里关注的是如何在最小的环境影响下进行这项工作，同时最大限度地提高科学回报，而不损害未来实验的环境。
Antarctic subglacial lakes are thought to be extreme habitats for microbial life and may contain important records of ice sheet history and climate change within their lake floor sediments. To find whether or not this is true, and to answer the science questions that would follow, direct measurement and sampling of these environments are required. Ever since the water depth of Vostok Subglacial Lake was shown to be >500 m, attention has been given to how these unique, ancient, and pristine environments may be entered without contamination and adverse disturbance. Several organizations have offered guidelines on the desirable cleanliness and sterility requirements for direct sampling experiments, including the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research. Here we summarize the scientific protocols and methods being developed for the exploration of Ellsworth Subglacial Lake in West Antarctica, planned for 2012–2013, which we offer as a guide to future subglacial environment research missions. The proposed exploration involves accessing the lake using a hot‐water drill and deploying a sampling probe and sediment corer to allow sample collection. We focus here on how this can be undertaken with minimal environmental impact while maximizing scientific return without compromising the environment for future experiments.