Lake Ellsworth
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (December 2007) |
Lake Ellsworth | |
---|---|
Location | West Antarctica |
Coordinates | |
Lake type | subglacial |
Basin countries | (Antarctica) |
Max. depth | >10 m (est.) |
Lake Ellsworth is a subglacial lake located in West Antarctica under approximately 3.4 km of ice. It is approximately 10 km long and is estimated to be tens of meters in depth.[1] It is strongly considered as a site for direct exploration due to the possibility that it may harbor unique life forms as well as its relatively easy accessibility.[2] The lake is named for the American explorer Lincoln Ellsworth.
[edit] References
- ^ Siegert et al., "Subglacial Lake Ellsworth: A candidate for in situ exploration in West Antarctica" Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 31, L23403, doi:10.1029/2004GL021477, 2004
- ^ Siegert, Martin J. and the Lake Ellsworth Consortium, "Exploration of Subglacial Lake Ellsworth", Poster, University of Bristol, September 2004