Diving Through A Microbial Landscape

October 29, 2009 / Posted by: Aaron Gronstal

Scientist Dale Andersen prepares to dive in Lake Untersee in Queen Maud Land in Antarctica. Photo: Dale Andersen
The ice-covered lakes of Antarctica’s McMurdo Dry Valleys have long been of interest to astrobiologists. These remote and extreme environments harbor unique microbial ecosystems that could provide clues about how life might survive on other worlds – such as Jupiter’s icy moon, Europa. Recently, a team of scientists funded by the NASA Exobiology Program began exploring the unique habitat of the ice-crusted Lake Joyce.

Lake Joyce is of special interest, because it’s waters harbor carbonate structures known as microbialites. These unique structures are formed with layers of cyanobacteria. The research team is interested in how these organisms are able to grow in the dark, cold waters of Lake Joyce.


A recent report concerning the study is available from OnOrbit.com at http://www.onorbit.com/node/1619


Follow field reports from the scientists on twitter at: Dale Andersen: http://twitter.com/daleandersen and Dawn Sumner: http://twitter.com/sumnerd

Lake Joyce, foreground, in the McMurdo Dry Valleys.

Source: [OnOrbit]