Scientists from the Centro de Estudios Cientificos, of Valdivia Chile, continued glacier flow rate and bedrock studies in the Ellsworth Mountains, using ground penetrating radar. During their 2010 fieldwork they extended our knowledge of sub-glacial lakes near Lake Ellsworth.
We were pleased to once again host a team from the National Science Foundation’s POLENET project. The project will collect GPS and seismic data from autonomous systems deployed at remote sites spanning much of the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets.
Meanwhile, researchers from the University of New South Wales continued their study of how the West Antarctic Ice Sheet has responded to temperature changes in the recent geological past. The team found erratics perched 250m above today’s ice sheet and collected important samples that show that the Rutford Ice Stream was once more than 300m higher than today. Several of our guests noted important areas of lichen growth while exploring Union Glacier. They reported these to the UNSW scientists who took samples for identification by lichen experts outside Antarctica.
Logistic support for non-commercial and scientific expeditions is provided by ALE. Read more about these projects below.
West Antarctic Ice Sheet
- Professor Chris Turney’s blog http://www.christurney.com/Home/Blog/Entries/2010/12/1_Delving_in_Antarctica.html
- The New Scientist
- http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20928024.200-antarctic-ice-may-be-more-stable-than-we-thought.html
Lake Ellsworth Project
www.geos.ed.ac.uk/research/ellsworth/chilean_expedition.html
The proposed exploration of Lake Ellsworth is a component of a plan to explore Antarctic Subglacial Lake Environments (a SCAR research programme). Link to: Subglacial Antarctic Lake Exploration