Vast quantities of water have been detected in sediments that underlie a part of the West Antarctic ice sheet.
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- The volume is equivalent to a reservoir that is several hundred metres deep. The water was detected below the Whillans Ice Stream, but its presence is likely replicated elsewhere across the Antarctic.
- The detection was made by a team led by Dr Chloe Gustafson from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego, US. The study was published in the Journal Science.
First time groundwater detected
- This is the first time scientists have detected groundwater beneath an ice stream in Antarctica, and the discovery could reshape our understanding of how the frigid continent reacts to climate change and what kinds of mysterious organisms lurk beneath its many ice shelves.
Magnetotellurics technique
- The technique deployed by scientists is called magnetotellurics.
- This technique records variations in the the Earth’s natural electric and magnetic fields to determine the properties of deeply buried materials, be that rock, sediments, ice or water.
Water works to lubricate ice movement
- Water at the base of glaciers and ice streams generally works to lubricate their movement.
- Depending on the scenario, the aquifer may be lubricating the ice stream by periodically injecting water into the subglacial system or it may be removing water from the system.
- The exchange of water between the deep system and shallow system could also affect what types of microbial life grow beneath the ice stream and how those microorganisms survive.
(Source: Live Science and BBC)
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