Published by the American Geophysical Union as part of the Geophysical Monograph Series, Volume 192.
Antarctic Subglacial Aquatic Environments is the first volume on this important and fascinating subject. With its underlying theme of bridging existing knowledge to future research, it is a benchmark in the history of subglacial lake exploration and study, containing up-to-date discussions about the history and background of subglacial aquatic environments and future exploration. The main topics addressed are identification, location, physiography, and hydrology of 387 subglacial lakes; protocols for environmental stewardship and protection of subglacial lake environments; details of three programs aiming to explore Vostok Subglacial Lake, Ellsworth Subglacial Lake, and Whillans Subglacial Lake over the next 35 years; assessment of technological requirements for exploration programs based on best practices for environmental stewardship and scientific success; and knowledge of subglacial lakes as habitats for microbial life and as recorders of past climate and ice sheet change. Its uniqueness, breadth, and inclusiveness will appeal to microbiologists and those interested in life in extreme environments, paleoclimatologists and those interested in sedimentary records of past changes, glaciologists striving to understand how water beneath glaciers affects their flow, and those engaged in developing technology to undertake direct measurement and sampling of extreme environments on Earth and in the solar system.
Preface
Martin J. Siegert, Mahlon C. Kennicutt II, and Robert A. Bindschadler vii
Section I: History and Background
Subglacial Aquatic Environments: A Focus of 21st Century Antarctic Science
Mahlon C. Kennicutt II and Martin J. Siegert 1
The Identification and Physiographical Setting of Antarctic Subglacial Lakes: An Update Based on Recent Discoveries
Andrew Wright and Martin J. Siegert 9
Antarctic Subglacial Lake Discharges
Frank Pattyn 27
Section II: Vostok Subglacial Lake and Recognition of Subglacial Aquatic Environments
Vostok Subglacial Lake: A Review of Geophysical Data Regarding Its Discovery and Topographic Setting
Martin J. Siegert, Sergey Popov, and Michael Studinger 45
Microbial Communities in Antarctic Subglacial Aquatic Environments
Mark Skidmore 61
Subglacial Lake Sediments and Sedimentary Processes: Potential Archives of Ice Sheet Evolution,
Past Environmental Change, and the Presence of Life
M. J. Bentley, P. Christoffersen, D. A. Hodgson, A. M. Smith, S. Tulaczyk, and A. M. Le Brocq 83
The Geomorphic Signature of Massive Subglacial Floods in Victoria Land, Antarctica
David R. Marchant, Stewart S. R. Jamieson, and David E. Sugden 111
Subglacial Environments and the Search for Life Beyond the Earth
Charles S. Cockell, Elizabeth Bagshaw, Matt Balme, Peter Doran, Christopher P. McKay, Katarina Miljkovic, David Pearce, Martin J. Siegert, Martyn Tranter, Mary Voytek, and Jemma Wadham 129
Section III: Future Exploration Missions
Environmental Protection and Stewardship of Subglacial Aquatic Environments
Peter T. Doran and Warwick F. Vincent 149
Probe Technology for the Direct Measurement and Sampling of Ellsworth Subglacial Lake
Matthew C. Mowlem, Maria-Nefeli Tsaloglou, Edward M. Waugh, Cedric F. A. Floquet, Kevin Saw, Lee Fowler, Robin Brown, David Pearce, James B. Wyatt, Alexander D. Beaton, Mario P. Brito, Dominic A. Hodgson, Gwyn Griffiths, M. Bentley, D. Blake, L. Capper, R. Clarke, C. Cockell, H. Corr, W. Harris, C. Hill, R. Hindmarsh, E. King, H. Lamb, B. Maher, K. Makinson, J. Parnell, J. Priscu, A. Rivera, N. Ross, M. J. Siegert, A. Smith, A. Tait, M. Tranter, J. Wadham, B. Whalley, and J. Woodward 159
Vostok Subglacial Lake: Details of Russian Plans/Activities for Drilling and Sampling
Valery Lukin and Sergey Bulat 187
Siple Coast Subglacial Aquatic Environments: The Whillans Ice Stream Subglacial
Access Research Drilling Project
Helen Amanda Fricker, Ross Powell, John Priscu, Slawek Tulaczyk, Sridhar Anandakrishnan, Brent Christner, Andrew T. Fisher, David Holland, Huw Horgan, Robert Jacobel, Jill Mikucki, Andrew Mitchell, Reed Scherer, and Jeff Severinghaus 199
Ellsworth Subglacial Lake, West Antarctica: A Review of Its History and Recent Field Campaigns
N. Ross, M. J. Siegert, A. Rivera, M. J. Bentley, D. Blake, L. Capper, R. Clarke, C. S. Cockell, H. F. J. Corr, W. Harris, C. Hill, R. C. A. Hindmarsh, D. A. Hodgson, E. C. King, H. Lamb, B. Maher, K. Makinson, M. Mowlem, J. Parnell, D. A. Pearce, J. Priscu, A. M. Smith, A. Tait, M. Tranter, J. L. Wadham, W. B. Whalley, and J. Woodward 221
AGU Category Index 235
Index 237
