
NASA
MODIS image of two subglacial lakes in Antarctica.
A 'subglacial lake' is a
lake that is permanently covered by
ice. They can occur under
glaciers and
ice caps. There are many such lakes, with
Lake Vostok in
Antarctica being by far the largest.
The water below the ice remains liquid by the pressure of the ice sheet above and by
geothermal heating.
There is also evidence that there are subglacial lakes on
Jupiter's
moon Europa. (See
Subsurface Ocean.)
See also
★
Lake Vostok
★
Lake Ellsworth
External links
★
The Exploration of Subglacial Lake Ellsworth (University of Bristol)
★
Subglacial Lake Research and Exploration
★
Subglacial Antarctic Lake Environments Program Office, Texas A&M University
★
Date Pinned Down for Ancient Antarctic Flood - By determining the date of an ancient subglacial flood, scientists have linked it to a global warming trend.