Lake Vostok

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Lore & Background

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. The first core of freshly frozen lake ice was obtained on 10 January 2013 at a depth of 3,406 m (11,175 ft). 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. The lake is estimated to have been sealed off under the ice for 15 to 25 million years, and its overlying ice provides a continuous paleoclimatic record of 400,000 years. The lake is an oligotrophic extreme environment, supersaturated with nitrogen and oxygen at levels 50 times higher than typical freshwater lakes, due to the immense pressure of the ice cap. Geothermal heat from Earth's interior may warm the bottom of the lake. The existence of the lake was first suggested by Russian geographer Andrey Kapitsa based on seismic soundings made during the Soviet Antarctic Expeditions in 1959 and 1964. Continued research by Russian and British scientists led to final confirmation in 1993 by J. P. Ridley using ERS-1 laser altimetry. The lake has at least 22 cavities of liquid water, averaging 10 km (6 mi) each. In 2005 an island was found in the central part of the lake. The coldest naturally occurring temperature ever observed on Earth, −89 °C (−128 °F), was recorded at Vostok Station on 21 July 1983. The average water temperature is calculated to be around −3 °C (27 °F); it remains liquid below the normal freezing point because of high pressure from the weight of the ice above it.

Reader's Guide

Lake Vostok is significant as a unique, isolated environment that may resemble conditions on ice-covered moons such as Jupiter's Europa and Saturn's Enceladus. Its discovery confirmed the existence of large subglacial water bodies in Antarctica, reshaping understanding of the continent's hydrology and geology. The lake's water may have been isolated for 15 to 25 million years, offering a potential fossil water reserve that could harbor unusual forms of life. The drilling project has been opposed by some environmental groups and scientists who argue that hot-water drilling would have a more limited environmental impact. The lake also contains at least 22 cavities of liquid water, and in 2005 an island was found in its central part. The presence of tides (rising about 12 mm depending on the Sun and Moon), a 1 microtesla magnetic anomaly on the east coast spanning 105 by 75 km, and the possibility of interconnected subglacial rivers further highlight its complexity. Its study continues to inform astrobiology and climate science. Living Hydrogenophilus thermoluteolus micro-organisms have been found in Lake Vostok's deep ice core drillings, suggesting the presence of a deep biosphere utilizing a geothermal system of the bedrock encircling the subglacial lake.

Did You Know?

• The coldest naturally occurring temperature ever observed on Earth, −89 °C (−128 °F), was recorded at Vostok Station on 21 July 1983.
• Lake Vostok's water is supersaturated with nitrogen and oxygen at levels 50 times higher than typical freshwater lakes on Earth's surface.
• The lake has tides that rise about 12 mm (0.47 in) depending on the position of the Sun and the Moon.
• Living Hydrogenophilus thermoluteolus micro-organisms have been found in Lake Vostok's deep ice core drillings.
• The overlying ice provides a continuous paleoclimatic record of 400,000 years, though the lake water itself may have been isolated for 15 to 25 million years.