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Geodynamics of Lake Evolution
The distribution of subglacial lakes is determined by the availability of water and basins to collect water.
Subglacial environments rest at the intersection of continental ice sheets and the underlying lithosphere. While surface water distributions are closely linked to climatic cycles, the distribution of water in subglacial environments is related to accumulation rates, ice thickness, ice velocities, and geothermal flux.
Most subglacial lakes identified to date are within 100 km of an ice divide and are less than 20 km in length. The volume of water in known Antarctic subglacial lakes is approximately 25 percent of the water in world-wide surface lakes. To address scientific questions, related to the geodynamics of lake evolution, the lithosphere structure and morphology of Antarctica must be assessed by regional- and continental-scale geophysical surveys. Space borne observations must be integrated with field measurements and the bed rock sampled. In situ and remote lithosphere heat flux measurements must be made.
A continent-wide campaign to systematically define large-scale subglacial lake systems with targeted regional-scale geophysical experiments to quantify lake processes is needed. Studies of the geodynamics of subglacial environments will improve our understanding of lithospheric controls on ice sheet stability, Antarctic geology and the role of subglacial lake outbursts in reshaping the earth’s surface.
Geodynamics....The Long Version
Scientific questions related to the geodynamics of lake evolution:
- What role does lithospheric structure play in the origin and evolution of subglacial lakes?
- What role do lithospheric processes play in determining the temporal and spatial stability of subglacial environments?
- Does the geographic distribution of subglacial lakes of differing origins follow trends observed in surface lakes?
- How do lithospheric processes affect or alter the physical, chemical and biological character of subglacial environments?
- Do subglacial lake processes modify landscapes and how important is this process in the evolution of Earth’s surface?
For more details go to.......GEOLOGY, GEOPHYSICS AND TECTONIC SETTING OF SUBGLACIAL ENVIRONMENTS
Related topics:
- THE DISTRIBUTION OF ANTARCTIC SUBGLACIAL LAKE ENVIRONMENTS WITH IMPLICATIONS FOR THEIR ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION
- SUBGLACIAL LAKE DISTRIBUTION AND GEOLOGICAL SETTING IN THE DOME C REGION
- SUBGLACIAL LAKES AND THEIR ENVIRONMENTS: LINKING TECTONICS, GLACIOLOGY, AND BIOLOGY WITH GEOPHYSICAL METHODS
- ON THE TECTONIC SETTING OF ANTARCTIC SUBGLACIAL LAKES