Antarctica's buried lakes are connected by a network of rivers moving water far beneath the surface, say UK scientists. It was thought the sub-glacial lakes had been completely sealed for millions of years, enabling unique species to evolve in them. Writing in the journal Nature, experts say international plans to drill into the lakes may now have to be reviewed. Any attempts to drill into one body of water risks contaminating others. "What this paper shows is that not only could you contaminate a lake, you could contaminate the whole drainage system," lead author Duncan Wingham, of University College London, told the BBC News website. The sub-glacial lakes of Antarctica are regarded as "time capsules" of the period when the continent began to freeze over. Scientists believe any life they contain might shed light on extreme environments on other worlds, such as the ice-bound ocean on Jupiter's moon Europa. The presence of the drainage system may change current thinking on the chances of finding microbial life that has evolved "independently". "The notion that these things have been sitting in the lakes evolving for millions of years probably won't wash," said Professor Wingham. "I think the idea that they have an isolated biological environment where things have gone their own way will have to be re-examined." Professor Martin Siegert, of the University of Bristol, a co-author of the Nature study, said there would still be a very interesting microbiological story to uncover. "We have always thought of sub-glacial lakes as being distinct bodies isolated from each other," he said. "For at least some of these lakes, that won't be true but they will still be isolated from the atmosphere."
View: Full Article | Source: BBC News
