Science The Vostok lake's bottom mapped

[SiberianTiger]

http://www.russia-ic.com/news/show/11083/

Bottom of Lake Vostok Mapped
22.11.2010
Bottom of Lake Vostok Mapped

Russian polar explorers and scientists have mapped the bottom of famous Antarctic subglacial lake Vostok. Information for mapping was obtained by means of complex seismic and radar investigations.

Lake Vostok is the largest subglacial Antarctic lake, known to date. Polar explorers have studied the lake since 1900s. Lake’s coastline is 1030 kilometers long, and its water surface area is 15.5 thousand square kilometers.

For mapping the lake’s bottom Russian researchers have developed unique techniques. Seismic sounding required exploding 5-6 lines of detonating cord – they generated powerful waves, which haven’t been blanketed by 100-meter thick layer of snow.

Lake Vostok appears to be a 310x100 km trough full of water with a hilly bottom. Mean depth is 800 m, maximum depth reaches 1050 m. The trough is completely isolated, despite that it is surrounded by 37 smaller lakes, and lies below sea level. Further research will reveal more interesting facts.

In addition, according to http://www.strf.ru/material.aspx?CatalogId=222&d_no=35210, the lake's rim is tilted Northwards by 0.12°. The trough's slopes are steep, with steepness angle about 15°, and their height can exceed 1500 m. The southern part of the lake, occupying an area of 70×10 kms are deeper. Mean depth there is about 800 m, but there is a single bowl 1050 m deep. The northern part (180×60 km) are shallower, its mean depth is 300 m, the deepest places are 450 m. This part of the lake has hilly landscape.

The subglacial lake Vostok is completely isolated in its trough. Its surface is below mean sea level and begins at 450 m below the edge of the trough. Scientists are looking forward to finding out if there had been any water level changes or subglacial floods in the Vostok.

 

[jedidia]

Do they know how long it has been isolated? It might be interesting to study bacteria from that lake...

 

[SiberianTiger]

Do they know how long it has been isolated? It might be interesting to study bacteria from that lake...

From what I read, this estimation ranges from 500,000 to 15 m years of isolation.

 

[Sky Captain]

Lake Vostok vould be a perfect place to test the technology for exploreration of Jupiter moon Europa underground oceans..

 

[Wishbone]

A.k.a. spoil it with hydrazine and oil and whatever? No, thanks...

 

[Notebook]

Maybe we don't want to know whats down there:

N.

 

[jedidia]

Lake Vostok vould be a perfect place to test the technology for exploreration of Jupiter moon Europa underground oceans..

I think it would be prudent that we first explore the actual lake before using it as training ground to explore hypothetical ones... :facepalm:

 

[Mandella]

I think it would be prudent that we first explore the actual lake before using it as training ground to explore hypothetical ones... :facepalm:

Why jump on Sky Captain? The technologies used to explore Lake Vostok could certainly be considered "training beds" for technologies eventually used to explore more exotic locations, such as the theorized liquid lakes under the surface of the frozen moons of the outer system.

I don't think he was suggesting we fill the lake with ammonia and build a big near-vacuum dome over Antarctica.

 

[Sky Captain]

A.k.a. spoil it with hydrazine and oil and whatever? No, thanks...

Why would it get polluted by oil? Pollution would also make your scientific data worthless the whole point is to get uncontaminated sample so every precaution to avoid contamination with foreign bacteria or chemicals woud be put in place. I have seen meltprobe concepts that uses heat to melt through the ice sheet and when it reaches the water it releases some sort of mini robotsubmarine which do the exploreration. There is no oil or hydrazine involved at all even no drilling in convetional sense and the under ice lake never comes into contact with outside world because when the meltprobe reaches the lake hole behind it is already frozen shut.

 

[jedidia]

Why jump on Sky Captain?

You are right of course. I shouldn't have used the facepalm. We have a version of it here that is usually done in good humor, but of course there's no whay to tell by the emoticon. It was meant in a manner of "maybe you should think that one over once more, there's an obvious misconclusion in there".

Which is, it would be exciting enough already to just explore that lake. Of course technologies and methods would be reused at later occasions in other locations, but that's a bonus, not a purpose.

Sorry Sky Captain, I hope you haven't felt offended. No offence was intended, anyways.

 

[Suzy]

Perhaps they will come across a mysterious alien gateway (link to Charles Stross short story)

 

[Hartmann]

Lake Vostok vould be a perfect place to test the technology for exploreration of Jupiter moon Europa underground oceans..

The tecnology is simple and it could be tested in another places,the main problem is arrive to jupiter and drille a hole in the europa ice .

 

[Notebook]

Bit of an update:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12275979

N.

 

[SiberianTiger]

Bit of an update:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12275979

N.

Well, it had been there for millions of years. One more year of waiting won't matter much, I think.

 

[Suzy]

Washington Post, 1 February: "Scientists close to entering Vostok, Antarctica’s biggest subglacial lake"

 

[fdex]

http://en.rian.ru/science/20120206/171176587.html

and cool infos about the work here :

http://en.rian.ru/infographics/20101225/162509015.html

 

[Suzy]

Daily Mail article (along with some wierd Nazi conspiracy theory b.s. )

 

[NovaSilisko]

I hope the ancient microbes are enjoying the kerosene latte that the Russians just gave them...

 

[Scruce]

Daily Mail article

If an unknown dog shows up with some Norwegians in pursuit, quickly shoot it, burn it and phone Kurt Russell.

:rofl:

 

[Keatah]

Forgive my ignorance.. But.. Why can't the science team continue working year-round at Lake Vostok?

Why can't planes land in the winter? Don't polar overflights by commercial jets experience even colder temps?

Don't we have good enough technology and insulation to handle the -60C temps?
What doesn't work there in the winter and why must they evacuate the base?

Does anyone know of any links or .pdf's about polar base operations and things like that?
Yep, I'll do my part and search around a bit too.