Researchers have for the first time discovered two subglacial lakes hiding 800 metres below the Greenland Ice Sheet. The subglacial lakes, the first to be identified in Greenland, are each roughly 8-10 square km, and at one point may have been up to three times larger than their current size.
Subglacial lakes are likely to influence the flow of the ice sheet, impacting global sea level change. The discovery of the lakes in Greenland will also help researchers to understand how the ice will respond to changing environmental conditions. The study, conducted at the Scott Polar Research Institute (SPRI) at the University of Cambridge, used airborne radar measurements to reveal the lakes underneath the ice sheet.
“Our results show that subglacial lakes exist in Greenland, and that they form an important part of the ice sheet’s plumbing system,” said lead author Dr Steven Palmer, formerly of SPRI and now at the University of Exeter.