Scientists Drilling Frozen Antarctica Lake Hit Roadblocks
- 11 years ago
Scientists who are drilling a frozen Antarctica lake hit roadblocks.
British scientists trying to drill through two mile-thick ice to reach the bottom of a frozen lake in Antarctica have come across some difficulties.
The team of scientists is hoping to use hot water to blast through the ice and collect samples of water and sediment from Lake Ellsworth to test it for any sign of possible living organisms and anything that might give them more information about the lake’s history.
Their equipment has malfunctioned after one of the burners on the boiler that heats the water wasn’t operating properly.
One of the researchers, Martin Siegert told the BBC: "We're working very hard to make sure things are right here. It's not the end of the field season by any means and with our suppliers in the UK and the expertise we have on site we're hopeful to restart drilling in a few days' time."
Other researchers in Antarctica have noticed a troubling trend that is affecting the endemic species of the region.
Hard shell crabs have started moving south after almost 30 million years, as the water temperature in the ocean rises.
The invasive crabs have no natural enemies in Antarctica and could potentially wipe out entire species.
British scientists trying to drill through two mile-thick ice to reach the bottom of a frozen lake in Antarctica have come across some difficulties.
The team of scientists is hoping to use hot water to blast through the ice and collect samples of water and sediment from Lake Ellsworth to test it for any sign of possible living organisms and anything that might give them more information about the lake’s history.
Their equipment has malfunctioned after one of the burners on the boiler that heats the water wasn’t operating properly.
One of the researchers, Martin Siegert told the BBC: "We're working very hard to make sure things are right here. It's not the end of the field season by any means and with our suppliers in the UK and the expertise we have on site we're hopeful to restart drilling in a few days' time."
Other researchers in Antarctica have noticed a troubling trend that is affecting the endemic species of the region.
Hard shell crabs have started moving south after almost 30 million years, as the water temperature in the ocean rises.
The invasive crabs have no natural enemies in Antarctica and could potentially wipe out entire species.