Overview: A Frozen Desert
The continent of Antarctica contains the South Pole, and is the coldest place on Earth. Scientists from around the world have research bases and conduct experiments in a frozen, extremely inhospitable environment where the temperatures are over 100 degrees below zero in the winter. Antarctica is a desert with high mountain ranges, and ice sheets that range from one to two miles thick.
The Discovery of Antarctica
The ancient Greeks believed that a southern land existed to balance the rest of the landmasses around the world. During the 17th century, South America and Australia were candidates for that mythical continent. It wasn’t until the 1800s that Antarctica was discovered and used as a base by whalers and a few explorers. Scientists learned that the continent was a good place to study extreme weather conditions, geology, and astronomy. There are several isolated observatories in Antarctica, where astrophysicists study background radiation and make observations they cannot make anywhere else but in outer space,
Frozen Lakes Below the Surface
Scientists have discovered a huge network of frozen lakes that lie beneath the surface of the ice-covered continent. They mapped the lakes by using radar from planes and from satellites. Before they had an aerial view of Antarctica, no one knew those lakes existed. Some of them may be connected with each other, and flow to the ocean. These lakes have not had direct contact with the atmosphere or direct sunlight since the ice sheets covered them.
Drilling Technology Used to Get Samples
Recently, in 2013, NASA scientists have successfully been able to drill through the ice sheet to get samples of one of the lakes below the surface. They built a special drill that used hot water. Filters were developed In order to protect samples from being contaminated, and all the instruments were cleaned and disinfected with surgical precision. It is very important to rule out any possibility of contamination under such extreme conditions.
Mini-Submarine Explores the Lake Under the Ice Sheet
A special submarine with video cameras, chemical sensors, and other instruments explored beneath the lake surface. It was designed to go through the hole made by the drill and send back pictures to the team waiting at one of the science stations. Scientists were able to map the lake floor and verify that the rest of their equipment would be safe. They collected water samples and discovered bacteria that were able to live under extreme conditions. Studies of the data collected in these experiments will occupy scientists for many years to come.
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