Russian crew drills through 2 miles of ice to reach Lake Vostok

Russian scientists reach buried Antarctic Lake Vostok

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  Peter Doran/National Science Foundation

  Sunlight plays off the Canada Glacier in the Wrigth Valley, one of the McMurdo Dry Valleys.

A group of Russian scientists in Antarctica has succeeded in drilling to a lake buried two miles beneath the icy landmass, the state-run Russian news service Ria Novosti reported — following a week of radio silence from the team that had some scratching their heads.

“Yesterday, our scientists stopped drilling at the depth of 3,768 meters and reached the surface of the sub-glacial lake,” the source reportedly said in a story posted Monday, Feb. 6.

An unnamed source with Russia’s Federal Service for Hydrometeorology confirmed the news as well, Russian business newspaper The View reported.

John Priscu, a microbiologist with Montana State University who has worked on a similar Antarctic exploration program, hopes Vostok and other subglacial lakes buried beneath the continent may offer a glimpse of extreme new forms of life.

“If they were successful, their efforts will transform the way we do science in Antarctica and provide us with an entirely new view of what exists under the vast Antarctic ice sheet,” he told FoxNews.com.

The team from Russia’s Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI) had been drilling for weeks in an effort to reach isolated Lake Vostok, a vast, dark body of water hidden 13,000 ft. below the ice sheet’s surface. The lake hasn’t been exposed to air in more than 20 million years.

Russia has not yet officially confirmed the breakthrough.

Beyond the fantastic science, Ria Novosti noted a number of rumors about the lake, including one that talks of a secret Nazi sub base, and the bodies of Hitler and his mistress being delivered there for cloning — fantastic stories that again are surfacing in the Russian press.

A brief break in communication with colleagues in the unfrozen world had some asking questions about the scientists, as Antarctica’s killing winter draws near. But despite the lack of info and onset of winter, which brings temperatures as low as -80 F or colder, the team was never in danger, Priscu said.

“They are very capable scientists and drillers and the thought never entered my mind that they are in any kind of danger,” he told FoxNews.com.

The buried lake may be similar to the conditions on Mars and Jupiter’s moon Europa, Ria Novosti said.

The Lake Vostok project has been years in the making, with initial drilling at the massive lake — 6,060 square miles (15,690 square kilometers) — starting in 1998. The scientists were quickly able to reach 11,800 feet (3,600 meters), but had to stop due to concerns of possible contamination of the never-before-touched lake water.

The scientists came up with a clever way to make sure the water would not be contaminated: They agreed to drill until a sensor warned them of free water. At that point they took out the kerosene and adjusted the pressure so that none of the liquids would fall into the lake, but rather lake water would rise through the hole due to pressure from below.

The Russians are not alone in such a mission: Scientists from around the world are literally racing to explore the mysteries of Antarctica. There are two other Antarctic digs underway.

A team from the British Antarctic Survey is on a competing mission, set to plumb the depths of Lake Ellsworth, one of a string of more than 370 lakes beneath Antarctica that may soon see light for the first time. And a third Antarctic expedition – a study of the subglacial Whillans Ice Stream – mainly features U.S. scientists.

POSTCARD FROM ANTARCTICA: Portage Daily Register, January 30, 2012

Editor’s Note: John Bauhs, a Portage High School graduate and chef to 250 scientists and workers at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in Antarctica, has agreed to update Daily Register readers about his adventures. Here is his second report from Jan. 25.

Although Portage is more than 9,200 miles away from the South Pole, Wisconsin is near to my heart in Antarctica, both emotionally and in reality.

For the 11 hours per day we receive coverage from orbital satellites, I am able to keep in touch with family and friends by phone or email. And when really lucky, a care package of goodies or a sweet note arrives by cargo plane.

Wisconsin has a strong identity and physical presence at the South  Pole in the realm of high science. Invented and managed from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, the IceCube Neutrino Observatory (or simply IceCube) is the largest neutrino telescope in the world. It is located here at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station.

IceCube contains thousands of spherical optical sensors called Digital Optical Modules (DOMs). The DOMs are suspended on cables of 60 modules each at depths ranging from 4,200 to 7,200 feet, into 83 holes melted in the ice using a hot water drill. IceCube is designed to look for sources of neutrinos in the Crab Nebula (6,500 light years away) to explore evidence of the birth of our galaxy.

It still amazes and amuses me to have discussions with astrophysicists about cosmic particles from outer space and then suddenly shift to how often they stroll to State Street to get a gyro at the Parthenon.

I plan on visiting my new scientist friends when I visit Madison again this spring … and yes, I WILL get a gyro at the Parthenon!

This season has seen a steady stream of VIP’s visiting the station. Some were bureaucrats and government leaders who were checking in on the progress of certain projects and others were current or former world leaders.

A great highlight of the season was the visit of Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, who resided at the South Pole station for three days to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Roald Amundsen being the first human to reach the South Pole on Dec. 14, 1911.

On that day, many speeches were given and an ice sculpture of the bust of Roald Amundsen was unveiled at the South Pole Marker. Prime Minister Stoltenberg’s visit was the first ever at pole by a head of state. The prime minister and his cabinet were a dignified and friendly group who mixed freely with the general population, gladly stopped to talk, pose for photographs, and went cross-country skiing every day. Meeting the prime minister, his staff, and having the honor of cooking for him, is something I will always cherish.

Fantastic expeditions reach the South Pole almost every day. The vast Antarctic wilderness is the last great exploration prize on Earth. In the massive interior region many mountain peaks remain untouched by man. The pristine and rugged nature of the geography and ecosystem attracts adventurers from around the world.

The range of locomotion types is simply fascinating. The most common mode of travel to the South Pole by expeditions is cross-country skiing. However, 4×4 vehicles (and many 6×6 customized Ford Expeditions were seen), kite skiers, a blind skier, a paralyzed skier (arrived on a hand-propelled sled) and even two crazy souls who rode in on bicycles included some of the wild and wacky ways that folks got to the pole.

For those wanting to avoid physical exhaustion (or those with bigger bank accounts), a payment of $40,000 to a private expedition company would get you a round-trip airplane ride to the pole for the day, and your “hero-shot” photograph at the South Pole Marker. To be honest, if I had that kind of cash on-hand, I’d spend just a little bit more to climb Mount Everest!

The sky above Antarctica alternates from a turquoise blue to a steel gray, depending on the level of moisture in the air and the atmospheric pressure. When the conditions are clear, the smooth curvature of the Earth is visible as a slow left to right slope, as if a huge mixing bowl is up-ended many miles away. On days when noctilucent clouds are creating a wispy layer in the heavens, the sky appears as a brilliant blue dome above. Noctilucent clouds are the highest clouds located up in the Earth’s mesosphere at altitudes of around 47 to 53 miles.

Although the work here is long and sometimes very difficult, we do allow ourselves time for recreation and, sometimes, simply silly fun.

Christmas Day’s “Race Around The World” is a good example. The officials here at pole design a two-mile race course that encircles the geographic South Pole where all the lines of longitude converge.

Many runners are serious athletes that speed around the course in a blur of running shoes, fleece and ice crystals, however most participants spend their time laughing around the course in hilarious costumes. At times it seemed like a bizarre parade in a blizzard at Halloween.

Christmas also provided an all-time record. The outside temperature rose that day to 10 degrees, which is the highest temperature ever recorded at the South Pole (the previous high was 7.5 degrees). Those living in more temperate zones may initially laugh at a “high” temperature of 10, but that temperature caused us some difficulty for several days.

In the kitchen, our freezers and coolers began to overheat because they are assisted by glycol (antifreeze) lines from the outside. And on Dec. 26, a cargo plane nearly didn’t make it off the ground because the softened ice runway wasn’t nearly slick enough. Thankfully, the temperature fell to minus 15 degrees several days later. We are now losing about one degree of temperature per day. Yesterday, the high temperature was minus 27.

Super Bowl Sunday is a special time here at pole … although a bit late. Because we can’t receive broadcast television transmission, the great game is delayed by two days to wait for the DVD recording to be flown-in on an LC-130 cargo plane. A fine spread of snacks such as jalapeno poppers, nachos, buffalo wings and roasted suckling pigs will greet our game day. The challenge will be avoiding news about the game from the Internet so the surprise of the victor is real. But since our beloved Packers are not returning to the Super Bowl this year, I doubt that I will care either way who will win.

I think of Portage every day here at the South Pole. With fondness, I pray for the continued good health and happiness of all the great citizens of Portage. After an epic three and a half months on the ice, I am anticipating my redeployment to New Zealand on Feb. 13. So, my next article to you will likely be written from Christchurch, New Zealand. Until then, I look forward to seeing family and friends in Portage this spring “where the north begins” … best wishes for now from the deep-deep south … ANTARCTICA!

Twelve days and counting…gosh it’s so cold…hey! look at the puppy!

Weather for South Pole Station Today is Tuesday, January 31st 1:54pm
	Temperature -37.8 °C -36.0 °F Windchill -52.7 °C -62.8 °F Wind 10.5 kts Grid 75  Barometer 675.2 mb (10,810 ft)
If you want to see official met data - click on this link. If you want to see South Pole Weather FAQ’s - click this link.

A QUICK SNAP-SHOT OF THE CURRENT WEATHER AND PHYSIO-ALTITUDE TODAY AT THE SOUTH POLE…-26.9F/-47.3F WINDCHILL WITH 10,844 FT OF ALTITUDE.

Weather for South Pole Station Today is Tuesday, January 24th 2:23pm
	Temperature -32.7 °C -26.9 °F Windchill -44.1 °C -47.3 °F Wind 7.2 kts Grid 3 Barometer 674.3 mb (10,844 ft)
If you want to see official met data - click on this link. If you want to see South Pole Weather FAQ’s - click this link.

ULTRA-MARATHONER PAT FARMER SUCCESSFULLY ENDS HIS “POLE TO POLE RUN” AT THE SOUTH POLE YESTERDAY

Yet another example of the extraordinary people and causes that visit the South Pole.

Patrick Francis Daniel “Pat” Farmer (born 14 March 1962^[2]), an ultra-marathon athlete, motivational speaker, and former Australianpolitician, was a Member of the Australian House of Representatives, representing the seat of Macarthur in south-west Sydney, New South Wales from 2001 to 2010, as a member of the Liberal Party. Farmer has an established reputation in international and national ultra-marathons. Between April 2011 and January 2012, Farmer successfully completed the world’s longest ultra-marathon, “Pole to Pole Run” from the North Pole to the South Pole, raising A$100,000 for Red Cross International.

Pole to Pole Run

In his valedictory speech to Parliament on 23 June 2010, Pat Farmer formally announced his long held goal of running from the North Pole to the South Pole, covering some 21,000 km, in order to raise A$100 million for clean water programs^[11] for Red Cross International. Farmer departed the North Pole on 8 April 2011^[12] and finished at the South Pole on 19 January 2012, raising A$100,000 for his efforts.^[13]]

ROBERT FALCON SCOTT – a memorial to a lost expedition that arrived at the South Pole on January 17, 1912

ROBERT FALCON SCOTT

Robert Falcon Scott, CVO (6 June 1868 – c. 29 March 1912) was a Royal Navy officer and explorer who led two expeditions to theAntarctic regions: the Discovery Expedition, 1901–04, and the ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition, 1910–13. During this second venture, Scott led a party of five which reached the South Pole on 17 January 1912, only to find that they had been preceded by Roald Amundsen‘s Norwegian expedition. On their return journey, Scott and his four comrades all perished from a combination of exhaustion, starvation and extreme cold.

Before his appointment to lead the Discovery Expedition, Scott had followed the conventional career of a naval officer in peacetime Victorian Britain, where opportunities for career advancement were both limited and keenly sought after by ambitious officers. It was the chance for personal distinction that led Scott to apply for the Discovery command, rather than any predilection for polar exploration.^[1]However, having taken this step, his name became inseparably associated with the Antarctic, the field of work to which he remained committed during the final twelve years of his life.

Following the news of his death, Scott became an iconic British hero, a status maintained for more than 50 years and reflected by the many permanent memorials erected across the nation. In the closing decades of the 20th century, the legend was reassessed as attention focused on the causes of the disaster that ended his and his comrades’ lives, and the extent of Scott’s personal culpability. From a previously unassailable position, Scott became a figure of controversy, with questions raised about his competence and character. Commentators in the 21st century have on the whole regarded Scott more positively, emphasising his personal bravery and stoicism while acknowledging his errors, but ascribing his expedition’s fate primarily to misfortune.

SOUTH POLE STATION…A MODERN BUILDING BUILT ON STILTS, DESIGNED TO WITHSTAND THE HARSHEST WEATHER IN THE WORLD

The Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station is the American scientific research station on the high plateau of Antarctica. This station is located at the southernmost place on the Earth, the Geographic South Pole, at an elevation of 2,835 meters (9301 feet) above sea level.

The original Amundsen-Scott Station was built by the United States Government during November 1956 as a part of its commitment to the scientific goals of the International Geophysical Year (I.G.Y.), an international effort lasting from January 1957 through June 1958 to study, among other things, the geophysics of the polar regions.

Before November 1956, there was no permanent human structure at the South Pole, and very little human presence in the interior of Antarctica at all. The few scientific stations in Antarctica were located on and near its seacoast. The station has been continuously occupied by people since it was built. The Amundsen-Scott Station has been rebuilt, demolished, expanded, and upgraded several times since 1956.

Since the Amundsen-Scott Station is located at the South Pole, it is at the only place on the land surface of the Earth where the sun is continuously up for six months and then continuously down for six months. (The only other such place is at the North Pole, on the sea ice in the middle of the Arctic Ocean.) Thus, during each year, this station experiences one extremely long “day” and one extremely long “night”. During the six-month “day”, the angle of elevation of the Sun above the horizon varies continuously. The sun rises on the September equinox, reaches its maximum angle above the horizon on the summer solstice in the Southern Hemisphere, around 20 December, and sets on the March equinox.

During the six-month “night”, it gets extremely cold at the South Pole, with air temperatures sometimes dropping below −73 °C (−100 °F). This is also the time of the year when blizzards, sometimes with gale-force winds, strike the Amundsen-Scott Station. The continuous period of darkness and dry atmosphere make the station an excellent place from which to make astronomicalobservations.

The number of scientific researchers and members of the support staff housed at the Amundsen-Scott Station has always varied seasonally, with a peak population during the summer operational season, which lasts from October to February. In recent years the wintertime population has been around 50 people.

Situated at 90 degrees south, the South Pole Station houses the scientists and support personnel necessary to make science happen at the South Pole, Antarctica.  In this photograph from several years back, you can see the progression of time…with the new elevated station in the foreground, and the iconic South Pole Dome in the rear.

After reaching the end of it’s projected life, and requiring yearly dig-outs to prevent being buried, the dome was decommissioned and deconstructed a few years ago.