What’s Lying Underneath the Arctic Ice?

Remote sensing technology is currently being used to detect and study glaciers. ArcticDEM is one of such - the University of Minnesota is currently using it to gather high-resolution imagery of the Arctic, allowing for greater detail to be studied. Using ArcticDEM satellite data, the first map of a network of subglacial lakes in the Canadian Arctic showing 33 bodies of water under glaciers has been created. Alongside that, at the University of Waterloo, researchers have developed a method to track the draining and filling of active (draining) subglacial lakes using it. By measuring changes in glacier surface elevation, they could predict the presence of subglacial lakes and their activity - some lakes are stable and do not drain. However, further research is needed to accurately measure the amount of water racing the ocean due to meltwater refreezes inside the ice. The University of Waterloo also credited the involvement of the University of Bristol and the Remote Sensing Technology Centre of Japan for their contributions on this topic.

Alongside more classic subglacial lakes which are situated below a single glacier, researchers also noted two other types of subglacial lakes - terminal subglacial lakes, found where two glaciers meet. The other type discovered was partial subglacial lakes, which are found beside open water. Dr. Whyjay Zheng, professor at the National Centre University in Taiwan expresses that “What's important about creating this kind of classification system is that the glacier flow speed will be impacted differently depending on what type of lake it is.” describing how having a body of water under a glacier can act as a lubricant between the glacier and its bed, speeding up its rate of flow. However, further research will be conducted to confirm the stability (whether or not the lakes drain) of these lakes; determining drainage and their impact on glaciers.

To extend on this topic: a research team at the University of Ottawa has started using the new data to conduct fieldwork and take measurements at one of these subglacial lakes, which is active and slowly filling up. Shawn Marshal, research scientist at Environment and Climate Change Canada remarks that the discovery of these lakes is likely just the start. Wychen says that "The hope is in a few years we'll have a really good data set collectively to kind of understand what's happening.”