Russian scientists dig into lake under Antarctic ice

 

Russian scientists unearthed a mysterious body of water, Lake Vostok in Antarctica that is believed to have been untouched from the rest of the world for 20 million years, according to Russian news agency RIA Novosti on Feb 6.

Russian Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI) has tried to reach the Lake Vostok for over two decades. The process was slowed down because of the limited mobility of transportation in and out of the area and machinery unable to work most of the year due to the astonishing cold temperatures.

However, the Russian source reported that after drilling 3700m or 2.5 miles beneath Antarctica's ice, researchers have reached the surface. Scientists around the world have expressed excitement and concern over the discovery.

Some compared the accomplishment to the extraterritorial planet discovery, while others worried about the lake contamination from the tool. Lake Vostok is a large (14,000 square kilometers), presumably fresh water body uniquely located beneath 4km of ice. The overlying ice provides a continuous paleoclimatic record. Penetration into the lake that has been isolated for a long time can lead to the discoveries of new life forms and unique geochemical process.

It has been more than 30 years since the Russian research team initiated the project in 1970s. Scientists were studying the Paleozoic climate when they found out about the big mysterious lake hidden underneath the ice with the help from British scholars in 1996. The drilling project began after the lake was named after their base camp, Vostok Station.

In 1998, the digging was delayed due to the rising concerns over the contamination of the lake. In 2000, Russian scholars developed a drilling method that caused less contamination, but members of the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) cast doubts on the technique. The scientists seemed to have given up before scholars from Denmark confirmed the technique in 2004. The project was resumed in 2006.

After the recent report about the project, countless rumors are spreading about the lake. A secret base built by the Nazis is speculated to be hidden in the ice cover. It is even presumed that the DNAS of Hitler were buried there to his revival later. 


http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/tech/2012/02/325_104433.html