Identification of subglacial lakes using ERS-1 radar altimeter

Ridley, Jeff; Cudlip, W.; Laxon, Seymour W.

doi:10.1017/s002214300001652x

Cited by 84 publications

(55 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Russian pilots, searching for navigational aides, called persistently flat regions on the surface of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet ''lakes'' [Robinson, 1964]. High-resolution surface mapping by satellite radar altimetry has since confirmed the presence of these persistent flat features on the ice surface [Ridley et al, 1993], and is now used to estimate the boundaries of known lakes . Ice-penetrating radar, however, has been the principal tool by which subglacial lakes have been identified and catalogued.…”

Section: Previous Methods Of Lake Detectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We make several allowances in locating continuous sections along which hydrostatic equilibrium is present. Across a ''flat'' region the hydraulic slope can approach 0.1% to allow for the apparent increase in hydraulic head associated with flexural support by nearby bedrock [Ridley et al, 1993]. We also relax the interface continuity criterion slightly to allow for possible islands and rough spots within the subglacial lake.…”

Section: Data Acquisition and Interpretationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Radar‐based subglacial lake classification in Antarctica

Carter

Blankenship

Peters

et al. 2007

Geochem Geophys Geosyst

139

237

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[1] Subglacial lakes in East Antarctica can be separated into four categories specified by radar reflection properties. Definite lakes are brighter than their surroundings by at least 2 dB (relatively bright) and both are consistently reflective (specular) and have a reflection coefficient greater than À10 dB (absolutely bright). Dim lakes are relatively bright and specular but not absolutely bright, indicating nonsteady ice dynamics. Fuzzy lakes are both relatively and absolutely bright, but not specular, and may indicate saturated sediments or ''swamps.'' Indistinct lakes are absolutely bright and specular but no brighter than their surroundings. Lakes themselves and the different classes of lakes are not arranged randomly throughout Antarctica but are clustered around ice divides, ice stream onsets, and prominent bedrock troughs, with each cluster demonstrating a different characteristic lake classification distribution. The lake classification algorithm expands on previous studies and demonstrates a novel way to characterize icewater interactions in East Antarctica.

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Section: Previous Methods Of Lake Detectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Data Acquisition and Interpretationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Radar‐based subglacial lake classification in Antarctica

Carter

Blankenship

Peters

et al. 2007

Geochem Geophys Geosyst

139

237

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Inspection of the ERS-1 radar altimetry shows that the icesurface morphology of Lake Vostok is related closely to the extent of the water mass [Ridley et al, 1993;Kapitsa et al, 1996). The accurate topography recorded by the altimeter has revealed simple, yet markedly different, contouring over the lake and nearby grounded ice, and complex surface contours at the lake boundaries.…”

Section: Paper Number 98jb00390mentioning

confidence: 99%

An analysis of the ice‐sheet surface and subsurface topography above the Vostok Station subglacial lake, central East Antarctica

Siegert

Ridley²

1998

J. Geophys. Res.

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Abstract. Radio-echo sounding (RES) and satellite radar-altimeter data were analyzed in order to identify the surface and subsurface topography around the largest known subglacial lake, at Vostok Station, East Antarctica (named here as Lake Vostok). In doing so, a data set was established from which a qualitative description of the flow of ice across the lake was developed. Patterns of ice flow were constructed through consideration of (1) the ice-sheet surface from the satellite altimeter and (2) internal layering from RES. It is concluded that Lake Vostok influences the dynamics of the overriding ice. Specifically, although the flow of ice across the lake is dominated by the general eastward flow of the grounded ice sheet, a southward velocity component, caused by an ice-shelf-type ice-flow mechanism, is also present over the subglacial lake. A further 67 smaller subglacial lakes exist within central regions of the Antarctic Ice Sheet, occupying 5-10% of the ice-sheet base. Subglacial lakes may therefore exert a significant control on ice dynamics within central Antarctica.

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“…The drilling stopped 130 m above Lake Vostok, a deep subglacial water body discovered and mapped earlier from satellite observations (Ridley et al, 1993). The lake extends below the ice sheet over an area of 15,000 km 2 , similar to Lake Ontario today.…”

Section: Surprises From the Deep Icementioning

confidence: 74%

The Vostok Venture: An Outcome of the Antarctic Treaty

Petit¹

2011

Science Diplomacy : Science, Antarctica, and the Governance of International Spaces

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INTRODUCTIONPolar ice sheets and glaciers contain well-ordered archives of ancient ice that fell as snow, years to millions of years ago. With an ice blanket of more than 3 km thick and an annual precipitation rate comparable to that from hyperarid regions (equivalent to 2-5 cm water annually), the slow-moving East Antarctic plateau has considerable potential for providing a long-undisturbed ice sequence. Because of the remoteness of inland sites along with the harsh weather conditions, exploration and deployment of scientific traverses or deep ice core drilling operations require coordination of considerable logistic support, technical, and scientific skills.Vostok station was settled at the time of the International Geophysical Year (IGY) by the Soviet Union and is a location 1,400 km from the coast at 3,488 m above sea level altitude, with an annual temperature of -55°C. Thanks to the Antarctic Treaty, which promoted the international collaboration, the study of a 2-km-deep ice core revealed the close link between temperature and atmospheric CO 2 over the last 150,000 years. This fact soon revealed the climate issues caused by increasing anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases.The ice composition and impurities and the gases trapped in air bubbles provide a unique history of the past climate change and environmental and atmospheric composition. By reaching 3.4 km depth, the climate record was extended back 400,000 years, confirming the close climate-greenhouse gas relationship. This link is now further extended over 800,000 years.At the base of the ice sheets the geothermal flux warms the ice, up to the melting point in some places. The water produced accumulates at the interface with the bedrock to form a lake. This is the case in the region of Vostok, where a giant lake lies under the station. Ice core drilling penetrated an ice massif of refrozen lake water at 3.6 km depth. The recovery of frozen lake samples opens new fields for research, especially for the search for life in this very extreme environment, which may help the search for life elsewhere.

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Identification of subglacial lakes using ERS-1 radar altimeter

Cited by 84 publications

References 15 publications

Radar‐based subglacial lake classification in Antarctica

Radar‐based subglacial lake classification in Antarctica

An analysis of the ice‐sheet surface and subsurface topography above the Vostok Station subglacial lake, central East Antarctica

The Vostok Venture: An Outcome of the Antarctic Treaty

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