Posted on 02/05/2012 7:19:42 AM PST by PJ-Comix
A TEAM of Russian scientists has gone quiet as they race against winter to uncover an ancient Antarctic lake.
The group from Russia's Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI) have been drilling for weeks in an effort to reach isolated Lake Vostok, a vast, dark body of water hidden 4000m below the surface of the continent. Lake Vostok has not been exposed to air in more than 20 million years.
The team's last contact with colleagues in the outside world was six days ago, and scientists from around the globe are unsure of the fate of the mission - and the scientists themselves - as Antarctica's deadly winter draws near.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailytelegraph.com.au ...
Why not vodka?
Oh wait...russians.
The Lake Vostok project has been years in the making, with initial drilling at the massive lake -- 15,690 square kilometers (6,060 sq mi) -- starting in 1998. Initially, they were able to reach 3,600 meters, but had to stop due to concerns of possible contamination of the never-before-touched lake water. "Ice isn't like rock, it's capable of movement," Dr. Priscu told FoxNews.com.
"So in order to keep the hole from squeezing shut, they put a fluid in the drill called kerosene. Kerosene also grows bacteria, and there's about 65 tons of kerosene in that hole. It would be a disaster if that kerosene contaminated this pristine lake."
But the scientists came up with a clever way to make sure this debacle would not occur. They agreed to drill until a sensor warned them of free water. At that point they will take out the right amount of kerosene and adjust the pressure so that none of the liquids fall into the lake, but rather lake water would rise through the hole.
Priscu was concerned for his colleagues, but also admits the stunning scope of the story.
"It could be fodder for a great made-for-TV movie," he said.
Nice comment (the whole thing).
If any organisms lived in that 50 degree water they probably won't do very well when exposed to the -50 degree environment outside. Fortunately.
I think it just doesn’t report as often as most stations (probably doesn’t have continuous connectivity).
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GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother & Ernest_at_the_Beach | |
Thanks PJ-Comix. They've resumed contact, I just found this topic, sorry for the delayed response. :') When the Sun sets for the last time for six months, the temp drops remarkably quickly, and stays down. |
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How did you get through school and to a first job without a slide rule?.... It would’ve looked stupid running through the jungle with one of those things.
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