STUDY OF UNDERGROUND LAKES IN ANTARCTICA COULD BE CRITICAL, PROF SAYS,
June 05, 2007
The discovery of interconnected lakes beneath kilometers of ice in Antarctica could be one of the most important scientific finds in recent years, but proper procedures need to be established before investigation begins, says a Texas A&M University scientist who is a leader in the research efforts.
Full story at http://www.physorg.com/news100282928.html Mahlon “Chuck” Kennicutt II, professor of oceanography and director of the Sustainable Development Program in Texas A&M’s Office of the Vice President for Research, says the National Science Foundation and 11 countries involved in the research and exploration are seeking agreement on how best to study these unique environments, which include at least 145 lakes under Antarctica’s massive ice sheets. Several of the lakes are immense, and one, Lake Vostok, is similar in size to Lake Ontario, roughly 5,400 square miles, scientists note.
Participants in the project known as The Russian Antarctic Expedition have announced their intentions to penetrate Lake Vostok during the coming Antarctic field season.
“These lakes were rediscovered within the past 10 years or so, but no one yet has penetrated them and we want to make sure that the research is done properly and adheres to the highest environmental stewardship principles,” says Kennicutt, who also serves as a director of the SALE (Subglacial Antarctic Lake Environments) office, which is maintained at Texas A&M.
“This has the potential to be one of the most important scientific discoveries in years, since sub-ice water appears to be an important player in many different processes fundamental to Antarctica and our planet.
“We believe that these lakes are part of an interconnected system that spans the entire Antarctic continent,” he adds. “These bodies of water are several miles beneath the ice sheet which took millions of years to form, meaning these lakes have been undisturbed and disconnected from our atmosphere for hundreds of thousands of years. It is highly likely that unique microbial communities that we never knew existed are lake residents.”
The Department of State coordinates U.S. policy on Antarctica and works closely with the National Science Foundation, which administers and manages the U.S. Antarctic Program. Kennicutt also assists the NSF’s Office of Polar Program.
“We are probably 3-5 years away from conducting U.S. research on these underground lakes,” Kennicutt believes.
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HUNDREDS OF ANTARCTIC PENINSULA GLACIERS ACCELERATING AS CLIMATE WARMS,
June 05
Hundreds of glaciers on the Antarctic Peninsula are flowing faster, further adding to sea level rise according to new research published this week in the Journal of Geophysical Research. Climate warming, that is already causing Antarctic Peninsula increased summer snow melt and ice shelf retreat, is the most likely cause.
Full story at http://www.physorg.com/news100268924.html
*********************************** Sound lands on Google Earth
Bernie Krause teaches the world to listen – not just to a few bird chirps, but the whole environmental symphony.
Glen Ellen, Calif. - In the living room of bioacoustician Bernie Krause's California wine country home, a reporter's click on a Google Earth computer image of Antarctica produces a sound so foreign, there seems no possible way it could emanate from this planet.
But Dr. Krause, who has spent the past 40 years collecting sounds from around the globe, explains that the clicks, chirps, and howling ethereal decrescendos are indeed from this planet: They're made by Weddell seals inhabiting the frozen continent's McMurdo Sound.
"You know what they're doing?" asks Krause, suddenly animated. "They're imitating thunderstorms at the equator." He explains the theory that the seals use their skulls to pick up the electrical energy of thunderstorms transmitted through the earth's magnetic field from half a world away.
Through Krause's
http://wildsanctuary.com/ website, one can now not only see the Amazonian rain forest, but hear the monkeys, jaguars, birds, and musical frogs that call it home. The same goes for the inhabitants of the wild places of
Zimbabwe,
Costa Rica,
Madagascar,
Indonesia, and
Yellowstone National Park, as well as the not-so-wild urban soundscapes of
New York, London, Paris, and
Lisbon.
