Originally presented 13 Dec 2008
Here is the introductory slide show for this workshop:
The AGAP Project and other LDEO Antarctic Research (ppt)
The AGAP Project and other LDEO Antarctic Research (pdf)
Twenty-five years ago no one would have believed that there could be lakes under glaciers. Today we know that there are 200 or more of them in Antarctica. These lakes form when heat from the Earth’s core and pressure from the overlying ice sheet melts ice, releasing water in its liquid form.
Ten years ago scientists thought these lakes were isolated from one another and were like small underwater museums. Today we know that subglacial lakes are connected under the ice through a maze of plumbing. These connections can cause them to rapidly drain, allowing water to move from one lake into another. This movement between lakes can be sudden, like pulling the plug from a bathtub. We are learning that this movement of water may contribute to the release of ice streams that flow under glaciers, accelerating their movement towards the continental edges where they meet the surrounding ocean water. This process starts a chain reaction as it breaks off pieces of glacial ice that have acted as a “stopper,” holding a glacier in position.
The AGAP (Antarctica’s GAmburtsev Province) Project is part of the LDEO contributions to the International Polar Year. Dr. Robin Bell and Dr. Michael Studinger are part of the team of U. S. Antarctic scientists working with international partners from Britain, Germany, Australia, and China who will complete the first comprehensive study of the Gamburtsev Mountains, located in the deep interior of East Antarctica and hidden several miles beneath the thick ice sheet. Dr. Bell’s research has be featured in a recent Scientific American online article:
Dispatches from the Bottom of the Earth: An Antarctic Expedition in Search of Lost Mountains Encased in Ice — Scientific American, 12 Nov 2008
Previous E2C Polar-Themed Workshops:
- “Uncovering the Secrets of Lake Vostok” — Michael Studinger (Nov 2003)
- “Exploring the Southern Oceans with Ships and Satellites” — Christopher Small (Mar 2004)
- “Under 4 km of Ice: Studying Lake Vostok” — Michael Studinger (Apr 2004)
- “Remote Sensing on Land and Under Lake Vostok’s Ice” — Michael Studinger (Apr 2005)
- “ANDRILL: geologic drilling to produce stratigraphic records of the Antarctic” — Trevor Williams (Sep 2006)
- “Using Remote Sensing to Study Antarctica’s Subglacial Lakes” — Michael Studinger (Dec 2006)
- “Exploring Polar Regions with Geophysical Tools” — Michael Studinger (Nov 2007)
- “ANDRILL (Antarctic Drilling Project) Results” — Trevor Williams (Dec 2007
Classroom Resources
Antarctica Geology (Project Explore Module 5)
Deep Earth Academy/Consortium for Ocean Leadership Activities (formerly JOI Learning)
Earth Exploration Toolbook (SERC)
Analyzing the Antarctic Ozone Hole
National Geographic To the Ends of the Earth: Research in Polar Seas
Teachers Experiencing the Antarctic and Arctic (TEA/Armada Project)
Activities from the 2003 TEA Transfer Workshop
Other Resources
The AGAP Project — Antarctic research: Peering through the Ice