Lake Vostok

Lake Vostok
Russian: озеро Восток
Radar satellite image of Lake Vostok
Lake Vostok
Coordinates77°30′S 106°00′E / 77.500°S 106.000°E / -77.500; 106.000
Lake typeAncient lake, Subglacial rift lake
Basin countriesAntarctica
Max. length250 km (160 mi)[1]
Max. width50 km (30 mi)[1]
Surface area12,500 km2 (4,830 sq mi)
Average depth432 m (1,417 ft)
Max. depth510 m (1,700 ft)[1] to 900 m (3,000 ft)[2]
Water volume5,400 km3 (1,300 cu mi)[2] ± 1,600 km3 (400 cu mi)
Residence time13,300 yrs
Surface elevationc. −500 m (−1,600 ft)
Islands1
SettlementsVostok Station

Lake Vostok (Russian: озеро Восток, romanized: ozero Vostok) is the largest of Antarctica's 675 known[3] subglacial lakes. Lake Vostok is located at the southern Pole of Cold, beneath Russia's Vostok Station under the surface of the central East Antarctic Ice Sheet, which is at 3,488 m (11,444 ft) above mean sea level. The surface of this fresh water lake is approximately 4,000 m (13,100 ft) under the surface of the ice, which places it at approximately 500 m (1,600 ft) below sea level.

The lake is named after the Vostok Station, which derives its name from Vostok (Восток), a sloop-of-war, which means "East" in Russian (the lake is also located in East Antarctica).[4] The existence of a subglacial lake was first suggested by Russian geographer Andrey Kapitsa[5] based on seismic soundings made during the Soviet Antarctic Expeditions in 1959 and 1964 to measure the thickness of the ice sheet.[6] The continued research by Russian and British scientists[7] led to the final confirmation of the existence of the lake in 1993 by J. P. Ridley using ERS-1 laser altimetry.[6]

The overlying ice provides a continuous paleoclimatic record of 400,000 years, although the lake water itself may have been isolated for 15[8][9] to 25 million years.[10] Because Lake Vostok may contain an environment sealed off below the ice for millions of years, the conditions could resemble those of ice-covered oceans hypothesized to exist on Jupiter's moon Europa,[11][12] and Saturn's moon Enceladus.[13]

On 5 February 2012, a team of Russian scientists completed the longest ever ice core of 3,768 m (12,400 ft) and pierced the ice shield to the surface of the lake.[14] The first core of freshly frozen lake ice was obtained on 10 January 2013 at a depth of 3,406 m (11,175 ft).[15] However, as soon as the ice was pierced, water from the underlying lake gushed up the borehole, mixing it with the Freon and kerosene used to keep the borehole from freezing.[11][16] It is hypothesized that unusual forms of life could be found in the lake's liquid layer, a fossil water reserve. The drilling project has been opposed by some environmental groups and scientists who have argued that hot-water drilling would have a more limited environmental impact.[17]

  1. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference ASOC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference facts was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Livingstone, S.J.; Li, Y.; Rutishauser, A.; Sanderson, R.J.; Winter, K.; Mikucki, J.A.; Björnsson, H.; Bowling, J.S.; Chu, W.; Dow, C.F.; Fricker, H.A. (February 2022). "Subglacial lakes and their changing role in a warming climate" (PDF). Nature Reviews Earth & Environment. 3 (2): 106–124. Bibcode:2022NRvEE...3..106L. doi:10.1038/s43017-021-00246-9. hdl:10044/1/93683.
  4. ^ Dotan, Yossi (2007). Watercraft on World Coins: Europe, 1800-2005. The Alpha Press. p. 220. ISBN 978-1-898595-49-6. The 900-ton Vostok was built in 1818 at the Okhta Shipyard of Stoke and Kolodnin in St. Petersburg.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference appeal was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "Умер ученый Андрей Капица, сделавший в Антарктиде одно из крупнейших открытий XX века" [The author of one of the greatest discoveries, Andrey Kapitsa, died] (in Russian). NEWSru.com. 3 August 2011. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
  8. ^ Moskvitch, K (27 January 2011). "Lake Vostok drilling in Antarctic 'running out of time'". BBC News. Retrieved 28 January 2011.
  9. ^ Casey Kazan (5 December 2007). "Secrets of Antarctica's 15-Million Year-Old Lake -A Galaxy Classic". The Daily Galaxy. Archived from the original on 16 March 2008. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  10. ^ Studinger, M (2008). "Subglacial Lake Vostok". Columbia University. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
  11. ^ a b Douglas Fox (February 2013). "Hidden Antarctic Lake Spills Its Secrets". Discover Magazine. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  12. ^ "Europa: Ocean Moon". solarsystem.nasa.gov. NASA. Archived from the original on 7 February 2018. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  13. ^ "The Geysers of Enceladus - Will Saturn's Moon Reveal a "Second Genesis"?". The Daily Galaxy. 31 July 2014. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  14. ^ Marc Kaufman (6 February 2012). "Russians drill into previously untouched Lake Vostok below Antarctic glacier". The Washington Post. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  15. ^ Amir Khan (15 January 2013). "Buried Lake Reached: Lake Vostok Water Retrieved After 14 Million Years". International Science Times. Archived from the original on 19 January 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
  16. ^ Michael Marshall (8 July 2013). "Lake Vostok may boast a thriving ecosystem". New Scientist. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference Discovery News was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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