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Subglacial brine flow and wind-induced internal waves in Lake Bonney, Antarctica

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 February 2020

Jade P. Lawrence ,
Peter T. Doran Open the ORCID record for Peter T. Doran [Opens in a new window] ,
Luke A. Winslow  and
John C. Priscu
Jade P. Lawrence*
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA70803, USA
Peter T. Doran
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA70803, USA
Luke A. Winslow
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY12180, USA
John C. Priscu
Affiliation:
Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT59717, USA
*
[email protected]
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Abstract

Brine beneath Taylor Glacier has been proposed to enter the proglacial west lobe of Lake Bonney (WLB) as well as from Blood Falls, a surface discharge point at the Taylor Glacier terminus. The brine strongly influences the geochemistry of the water column of WLB. Year-round measurements from this study are the first to definitively identify brine intrusions from a subglacial entry point into WLB. Furthermore, we excluded input from Blood Falls by focusing on winter dynamics when the absence of an open water moat prevents surface brine entry. Due to the extremely high salinities below the chemocline in WLB, density stratification is dominated by salinity, and temperature can be used as a passive tracer. Cold brine intrusions enter WLB at the glacier face and intrude into the water column at the depth of neutral buoyancy, where they can be identified by anomalously cold temperatures at that depth. High-resolution measurements also reveal under-ice internal waves associated with katabatic wind events, a novel finding that challenges long-held assumptions about the stability of the WLB water column.

Keywords

dry valleyshypersalinitylakesproglacialtemperature
Type
Physical Sciences
Information
Antarctic Science , Volume 32 , Issue 3 , June 2020 , pp. 223 - 237
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Copyright
Copyright © Antarctic Science Ltd 2020

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