Assessment of thermobaric state and change of the mass balance in the subgkacial Lake Vostok after drilling-in

A. N. Markov; P. G. Talalay

doi:10.15356/2076-6734-2014-1-20-26

Assessment of thermobaric state and change of the mass balance in the subgkacial Lake Vostok after drilling-in

A. N. Markov, P. G. Talalay

https://doi.org/10.15356/2076-6734-2014-1-20-26

Abstract

Estimation of temperature and pressure conditions in the subglacial reservoirs is one of the most important tasks of modern subglacial research, since it provides an adequate tool for predicting the process of their accessing. This paper presents the estimation of pressure in the subglacial reservoirs for different baric system statuses. Opening of isolated subglacial reservoirs is attended by disturbance of their thermobaric equilibrium, thus the conditions of phase transition are changed on the entire surface of the ice-water contact. At the same time reducing the pressure in the subglacial reservoirs leads to «lowering» of the phase transition of ice-water boundary and to the growth of additional layer of congelation ice on the entire bottom surface of the ice sheet contact with water. Realized accessing of Lake Vostok and technology re-entry involves water rise into the borehole from the lake as one of the steps to prevent pollution of relict water system. With the use of this technology the reliability of estimate the pressure in Lake Vostok is extremely important and, consequently, the value of the differential pressure when the borehole accesses with lake. The paper presents analysis of the possible consequences of incorrect estimation of the pressure in isolated water system of Lake Vostok, when the borehole accesses in conditions of incomplete compensation of subglacial water pressure by hydrostatic pressure of the drilling fluid column.

Keywords

Antarctica, ice drilling, ice mass balance, subglacial lakes,

About the Authors

A. N. Markov

Tszi Lin University, China
China

P. G. Talalay

Tszi Lin University, China
China

References

1. Vasiliev N.I., Lipenkov V.Ya., Dmitriev A.N., Podolyak A.V., Zubkov V.M. Results and peculiarity of drilling the borehole 5Г and first opening of Lake Vostok. Led i Sneg. Ice and Snow. 2012, 4 (120): 12–20. [In Russian].

2. Zotikov I.A. Antarkticheskoe podlednikovoe ozero Vostok: Glyatsiologiya, biologiya, planetologiya. Antarctic subglacial Lake Vostok: glaciology, biology, planet science. Moscow: Nauchnyi mir, 2010: 148 p. [In Russian].

3. Zotikov I.A., Nikolaenko A.V. Study the dependence of thermal physics characteristics of ice from the hydrostatic pressure and temperature. Materialy Glyatsiologicheskikh Issledovaniy. Data of Glaciological Studies. 1991, 71: 22–27. [In Russian].

4. Lukin V.V. Poslednie shagi pered nachalom proniknoveniya v ozero Vostok. The last steps before beginning of penetration to the Lake Vostok. Press-relies of AARI. 15 Decemder 2011. http://www.aari.nw.ru/docs/press_release/2011/Восток 1412 add.pdf [In Russian].

5. Lipenkov V.Ya., Ekaykin A.A., Vsiliev N/I/. Podolyak A.V. Drilling works at the Vostok station in the season of 58th RAE. Report of RAE. 15 March 2013. [In Russian].

6. Popov S.V., Masolov V.N., Lukin V.V. Lake Vostok, Eastern Antarctica: glacier thickness, depth of the lake, subglacier and bottom relief. Led i Sneg. Ice and Snow. 2011, 1 (113): 25–35. [In Russian].

7. Popov S.V., Chernoglazov Yu.B. Subglacial Lake Vostok, Eastern Antarctica: coastal line and surrounding water reservoirs. Led i Sneg. Ice and Snow. 2011, 1 (113): 13–24. [In Russian].

8. Salamatin A.N., Vostretsov R.N., Petit J.-R., Lipenkov V.Ya., Barkov N.I. Geophysical and paleoclimatic applications of composite temperature profile from the deep borehole at the Vostok station. Materialy Glyatsiologicheskikh Issledovaniy. Data of Glaciological Studies. 1998, 85: 233–240. [In Russian].

9. Lipenkov V.Y, Salamatin A.N., Duval P. Bubbly-ice densification in ice sheets: 11. Applications. Journ. of Glaciology. 1997, 43 (145): 397–407.

10. Feynman R. F., Leighton R. B., Sands M. The Feynman Lectures on Physics. Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, INC. 1963–1964: 1400 p.

11. Lukin V., Lipenkov V., Vasiliev N. Drilling into subglacial Lake Vostok. Report on XXXII SCAR Open Science Conference, 15–19 July 2012. Portland, USA.

12. Rodert J. Urick Principles of underwater sound. McGraw-Hill, 1975: 384 p.

13. Talalay P.G., Markov A.N., Sysoev M.A. New frontiers of Antarctic subglacial lakes exploration // Geography. Environment. Sustainability. 2013, 6 (1):14–28.

14. Tchistyakov V.K., Kracilev A., Lipenkov V.Ya., Balestrieri J.Ph., Rado C., Petit J.R. Behavior of a deep hole drilled in ice at Vostok Station. Memoirs of National Institute of Polar Research. 1994, 49: 247–255.

15. Ueda H.T. Byrd Station drilling 1966–69. Annals of Glaciology. 2007, 47: 24–27.

16. Verkulic S.R., Kudryashov B.B., Barkov N.I., Vasiliev N.I., Vostretsov R.N., Dmitriev A.N., Zubkov V.M., Krasilev A.V., Talalay P.G., Lipenkov V.Ya., Savatyugin L.M., Kuz’mina I.N. Proposal for penetration and exploration of sub-glacial Lake Vostok, Antarctica. Memoirs of National Institute of Polar Research: Special issue. 2002, 56: 245–252.

17. Wilhelms F. Sub-glacial penetration from an ice driller’s and a biologist’s perspective. Geophys. Research Abstracts. 2007, 9: 09619.

Supplementary files

For citation: Markov A.N., Talalay P.G. Assessment of thermobaric state and change of the mass balance in the subgkacial Lake Vostok after drilling-in. Ice and Snow. 2014;54(1):20-26. https://doi.org/10.15356/2076-6734-2014-1-20-26

Refbacks

There are currently no refbacks.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

ISSN 2076-6734 (Print)
ISSN 2412-3765 (Online)

Username
Password