Exploration of Antarctic Subglacial Aquatic Environments: Environmental and Scientific Stewardship

163 Pages·2007·4.23 MB·English

by  Committee on Principles of Environmental Stewardship for the Exploration and Study of Subglacial Env

Committee on Principles of Environmental Stewardship for the
Exploration and Study of Subglacial Environments
Polar Research Board
Division of Earth and Life Studies
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, D.C.
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of Sciences and the National Science Foundation. Any opinions, fndings, conclusions, or recom-
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COMMITTEE ON PRINCIPLES OF ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP FOR
THE EXPLORATION AND STUDY OF SUBGLACIAL ENVIRONMENTS
JOHN E. HOBBIE (Chair), Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole,
Massachusetts
AMY BAKER, Technical Administrative Services, Littleton, Colorado
GARRY CLARKE, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
PETER T. DORAN, University of Illinois at Chicago, Earth and Environmental
Sciences
DAVID KARL, University of Hawaii at Manoa, School of Ocean and Earth Science,
Honolulu
BARBARA METHÉ, The Institute for Genomic Research, Rockville, Maryland
HEINZ MILLER, Alfred-Wegener-Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Germany
SAMUEL B. MUKASA, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
MARGARET RACE, SETI Institute, Lafayette, California
WARWICK VINCENT, Département de Biologie, Université Laval, Québec, Canada
DAVID WALTON, British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, United Kingdom
JAMES WHITE, University of Colorado, Boulder
National Research Council Staff
MARIA UHLE, Study Director
PAUL CUTLER, Study Director until June 2006
RACHAEL SHIFLETT, Senior Program Assistant
POLAR RESEARCH BOARD
ROBIN BELL (Chair), Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Palisades, New York
JAMES E. BERNER, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, Anchorage, Alaska
DAVID BROMWICH, The Ohio State University, Bryd Polar Research Center,
Columbus
CALVIN ROBERT CLAUER, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
JODY W. DEMING, University of Washington, School of Oceanography, Seattle
ANDREW G. FOUNTAIN, Portland State University, Oregon
SVEN D. HAAKANSON, Alutiiq Museum, Kodiak, Alaska
LAWRENCE HAMILTON, University of New Hampshire, Durham
LARRY HINZMAN, International Arctic Research Center, Alaska
STEPHANIE PFIRMAN, Barnard College, New York, New York
DIANA HARRISON WALL, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins
JAMES WHITE, University of Colorado, Department of Geological Sciences,
Boulder
ExOffcio:
JACKIE GREBMEIER, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
MAHLON C. KENNICUTT II (U.S. Delegate to SCAR), Texas A&M University,
College Station
TERRY WILSON (Alternate U.S. Delegate to SCAR), Ohio State University,
Columbus
NRC Staff
CHRIS ELFRING, Director
MARIA UHLE, Program Offcer
RACHAEL SHIFLETT, Senior Program Assistant
ANDREAS SOHRE, Financial Associate
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Acknowledgments
This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse
perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the
National Research Council’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of this indepen-
dent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution
in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report
meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study
charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confdential to protect the
integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for
their review of this report:
• Charlie Bentley, University of Wisconsin
• Don Blankenship, University of Texas, Austin
• Joyce Jatko, Navy Installations Command (CNIC)
• Andrew Fountain, Portland State University
• John Priscu, Montana State University
• John Rummel, NASA Headquarters
• Sergey Bulat, Russian Academy of Sciences
• Martin Siegert, University of Edinburgh
• Lonnie Thompson, The Ohio State University
• Martyn Tranter, University of Bristol
Although the reviewers listed above have provided constructive comments and
suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the report’s conclusions or recommenda-
tions, nor did they see the fnal draft of the report before its release. The review of this
report was overseen by Mary Albert, Cold Regions Research and Engineering Labo-
ratory. Appointed by the National Research Council, she was responsible for making
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iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance
with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered.
Responsibility for the fnal content of this report rests entirely with the authoring com-
mittee and the institution.
Contents
SUMMARY 1
1 INTRODUCTION 11
The Discovery of Subglacial Lakes, 13
SCAR and International Exploration of Subglacial Aquatic Environments, 23
Determining the Suitability of Subglacial Aquatic Environments for
Exploration, 26
Antarctic Preservation Values, 28
Purpose of this Report, 29
2 GEOLOGICAL AND GEOPHYSICAL SETTING 32
Basin Settlings: Rift and Non-Rift, 32
Basement Rock Characteristics, 34
Ice Sheet Description, 37
Geographical Location of Antarctic Subglacial Lakes, 40
Pre-Ice Sheet Lakes and Sediments, 43
Age of Lakes and Water Residence Time, 43
Lake Connectivity, 44
Circulation and Stratifcation, 49
Sediment Environment, 55
Gases, 57
Conclusions, 59
3 SUBGLACIAL ENVIRONMENTS: BIOLOGICAL FEATURES 62
Introduction, 62
Requirements for Life, 62
Potential Impediments to Life in Subglacial Aquatic Environments, 64
Source Populations, 68
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