Subglacial lakes discovered in Greenland

Researchers at the University of Cambridge’s Scott Polar Research Institute have discovered two subglacial lakes beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet, according to a release. They say the lakes likely influence the flow of the ice sheet.

Airborne radar measurements were used to detect the lakes that the researchers say are most likely fed by melting surface water draining through cracks in the ice. This is in contrast to subglacial lakes in Antarctica that aren’t fed by surface melt because temperatures are below freezing year round.

The subglacial lakes are the first to be discovered in Greenland and will likely help researchers locate more. Full study results have been posted in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

Image: Greenland ice sheet (Credit: Hannes Grobe, via Wikimedia Commons)