Newly discovered subterranean lake in Antarctica could be home to ancient life

A massive body of water believed to be buried beneath the ice of Antarctica could be home to living organisms that have not been seen for millions of years, according to research presented last week at the European Geosciences Union’s General Assembly in Vienna, Austria.

The subglacial lake, which according to New Scientist is second in terms of size only to Lake Vostok, was identified by Martin Siegert of Imperial College London in the UK and colleagues from China and the US. The researchers were studying satellite images when they identified grooves on the surface of the ice similar to those above other subglacial bodies of water.

“We’ve seen these strange, linear channels on the surface, and are inferring these are above massive, 1000-kilometer-long channels, and there’s a relatively large subglacial lake there too,” Siegert explained to the website, adding that the newfound lake is believed to be ribbon-shaped, approximately 100 km long by 10 km wide, and located relatively close to a research station.

The initial discover came earlier in the year, Science Alert reported on Tuesday, and researchers recently returned to the site to gather additional radar data on what lies beneath the ice. While the team plans to review that observations next month, Siegert said that he is confident that they will see evidence of a massive canyon system they suspect is buried just beneath the ice.

Life forms found there might not have been seen for millennia

The underground lake and channels extends for at least 1000 km on Princess Elizabeth Land, between Vestfold Hills and the West Ice Shelf, towards the continent’s eastern coast, according to New Scientist. While the discovery itself is noteworthy, the most exciting proposition is that this region could present the opportunity to study rarely seen biological organisms.

If such life forms have managed to survive in this subterranean canyon system, they might not have been seen for several millennia, Science Alert noted. With the lake located a mere 100 km from the closest research station, Siegert said that scientists would have little trouble conducting studies there – provided the new data confirms their suspicions about the buried ecosystem.

“It’s the last un-researched part of Antarctica, so it’s very exciting news,” Bryn Hubbard from the University of Aberystwyth in the UK told New Scientist, “but it’s still tentative pending full confirmation.” If the lake’s existence if verified, Siegert said that the discovery would be a huge boost for research in the Antarctic, and for studies of subglacial lakes in particular.

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Image credit: NASA

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