The Antarctic Subglacial Lake Vostok

Glaciology, Biology and Planetology

Igor A. Zotikov

Over 30 years ago, the scientific community was thrilled by the discovery of Lake Vostok. Covered by 4000 meters of thick ice, this vast freshwater lake, up to more than 1000 meters deep, has been separated from the rest of the world for a million years.

The Antarctic Subglacial Lake Vostok is the first book to tell the story of the lake from a multi-disciplinary viewpoint: glaciology, geology, biology and engineering. It shows how the theories that the lake existed were finally proved by observations and analyses of the scientific data that have been gathered over the past decades.

The development of a sterile melt probe to explore the ice above the lake has led to the exciting plan to use the same device to gather data about the ice sheet covering Europa, Jupiter’s moon. Finding that a similar lake exists, and the possibility of finding life in the form of microorganisms, would be a significant advancement in our scientific knowledge about our world and beyond.

Table of Contents

Preface
List of figures
List of abbreviations and acronyms
Acknowledgements
1. From Lake Vostok to Europa: Tractors and satellites
2. Water below the central part of the ice sheet
3. Does subglacial water exist?
4. Discovery of subglacial lakes by radio-echo sounding
5. The need for reinterpretation of seismic data
6. A thick water layer exists under Vostok Station!
7. Deep drilling at Vostok Station
8. Vostok Station and the ice shelf
9. New data on Lake Vostok
10. Plan for the international study of Lake Vostok
11. Penetration of Lake Vostok
Epilog
Bibliography
Index

Extent: 160 pages
Binding: Hardback
Publication Date: June 2006
ISBN: 978-3-540-42649-3

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