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Modelled composition of cryogenically produced subglacial brines, Antarctica

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 March 2019

Christopher B. Gardner Open the ORCID record for Christopher B. Gardner [Opens in a new window]  and
W. Berry Lyons
Christopher B. Gardner*
Affiliation:
School of Earth Sciences and Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA
W. Berry Lyons
Affiliation:
School of Earth Sciences and Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA
*
[email protected]
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Extract

Polar subglacial hydrologic systems have garnered much interest since the recognition of Lake Vostok in 1996. In Antarctica, these environments are hydrologically diverse, including isolated lakes of different sizes, river–lake flow-through systems, “swamps” and groundwater (Siegert 2016). The refreezing of subglacial meltwater is also an important process beneath a large portion of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (Bell et al. 2011). As subglacial water refreezes it exsolves salts, potentially leaving behind saline and hypersaline brines. Brines thought to derive from this cryoconcentration process have been observed in the northern polar permafrost regions and in the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDVs) region of Antarctica. Additionally, sediments in the Victoria Land Basin have diagenetic signatures produced by brine movement dating from 3–11 m.y.a, suggesting hypersaline brines have existed in the McMurdo region since at least this time (Staudigel et al. 2018).

Type
Short Note
Information
Antarctic Science , Volume 31 , Issue 3 , June 2019 , pp. 165 - 166
Copyright
Copyright © Antarctic Science Ltd 2019 

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References

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