Evidence for Pathways of Concentrated Submarine Groundwater Discharge in East Antarctica from Helicopter-Borne Electrical Resistivity Measurements

The Southern Ocean receives limited liquid surface water input from the Antarctic continent. It has been speculated, however, that significant liquid water may flow from beneath the Antarctic Ice Sheet, and that this subglacial flow carries that water along with dissolved nutrients to the coast. The...

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Main Authors: Neil Foley, Slawek M. Tulaczyk, Denys Grombacher, Peter T. Doran, Jill Mikucki, Krista F. Myers, Nikolaj Foged, Hilary Dugan, Esben Auken, Ross Virginia
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2019-06-01
Series:Hydrology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5338/6/2/54
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author Neil Foley
Slawek M. Tulaczyk
Denys Grombacher
Peter T. Doran
Jill Mikucki
Krista F. Myers
Nikolaj Foged
Hilary Dugan
Esben Auken
Ross Virginia
author_facet Neil Foley
Slawek M. Tulaczyk
Denys Grombacher
Peter T. Doran
Jill Mikucki
Krista F. Myers
Nikolaj Foged
Hilary Dugan
Esben Auken
Ross Virginia
author_sort Neil Foley
collection DOAJ
description The Southern Ocean receives limited liquid surface water input from the Antarctic continent. It has been speculated, however, that significant liquid water may flow from beneath the Antarctic Ice Sheet, and that this subglacial flow carries that water along with dissolved nutrients to the coast. The delivery of solutes, particularly limiting nutrients like bioavailable iron, to the Southern Ocean may contribute to ecosystem processes including primary productivity. Using a helicopter-borne time domain electromagnetic survey along the coastal margins of the McMurdo Dry Valleys region of Southern Victoria Land, Antarctica, we detected subsurface connections between inland lakes, aquifers, and subglacial waters. These waters, which appear as electrically conductive anomalies, are saline and may contain high concentrations of biologically important ions, including iron and silica. Local hydraulic gradients may drive these waters to the coast, where we postulate they emerge as submarine groundwater discharge. This high latitude groundwater system, imaged regionally in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, may be representative of a broader system of Antarctic submarine groundwater discharge that fertilizes the Southern Ocean. In total, it has the potential to deliver tens of gigagrams of bioavailable Fe and Si to the coastal zone.
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spelling doaj.art-4307bd0d2e064fac8960503b67924aec2022-12-21T20:35:51ZengMDPI AGHydrology2306-53382019-06-01625410.3390/hydrology6020054hydrology6020054Evidence for Pathways of Concentrated Submarine Groundwater Discharge in East Antarctica from Helicopter-Borne Electrical Resistivity MeasurementsNeil Foley0Slawek M. Tulaczyk1Denys Grombacher2Peter T. Doran3Jill Mikucki4Krista F. Myers5Nikolaj Foged6Hilary Dugan7Esben Auken8Ross Virginia9Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95061, USADepartment of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95061, USADepartment of Geoscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, 8000 Midtjylland, DenmarkGeology and Geophysics, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USADepartment of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USAGeology and Geophysics, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USADepartment of Geoscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, 8000 Midtjylland, DenmarkCenter for Limnology, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USADepartment of Geoscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, 8000 Midtjylland, DenmarkEnvironmental Studies Program, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USAThe Southern Ocean receives limited liquid surface water input from the Antarctic continent. It has been speculated, however, that significant liquid water may flow from beneath the Antarctic Ice Sheet, and that this subglacial flow carries that water along with dissolved nutrients to the coast. The delivery of solutes, particularly limiting nutrients like bioavailable iron, to the Southern Ocean may contribute to ecosystem processes including primary productivity. Using a helicopter-borne time domain electromagnetic survey along the coastal margins of the McMurdo Dry Valleys region of Southern Victoria Land, Antarctica, we detected subsurface connections between inland lakes, aquifers, and subglacial waters. These waters, which appear as electrically conductive anomalies, are saline and may contain high concentrations of biologically important ions, including iron and silica. Local hydraulic gradients may drive these waters to the coast, where we postulate they emerge as submarine groundwater discharge. This high latitude groundwater system, imaged regionally in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, may be representative of a broader system of Antarctic submarine groundwater discharge that fertilizes the Southern Ocean. In total, it has the potential to deliver tens of gigagrams of bioavailable Fe and Si to the coastal zone.https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5338/6/2/54subglacialAntarctica time-domain electromagneticssubmarine groundwater dischargeresistivity
spellingShingle Neil Foley
Slawek M. Tulaczyk
Denys Grombacher
Peter T. Doran
Jill Mikucki
Krista F. Myers
Nikolaj Foged
Hilary Dugan
Esben Auken
Ross Virginia
Evidence for Pathways of Concentrated Submarine Groundwater Discharge in East Antarctica from Helicopter-Borne Electrical Resistivity Measurements
Hydrology
subglacial
Antarctica time-domain electromagnetics
submarine groundwater discharge
resistivity
title Evidence for Pathways of Concentrated Submarine Groundwater Discharge in East Antarctica from Helicopter-Borne Electrical Resistivity Measurements
title_full Evidence for Pathways of Concentrated Submarine Groundwater Discharge in East Antarctica from Helicopter-Borne Electrical Resistivity Measurements
title_fullStr Evidence for Pathways of Concentrated Submarine Groundwater Discharge in East Antarctica from Helicopter-Borne Electrical Resistivity Measurements
title_full_unstemmed Evidence for Pathways of Concentrated Submarine Groundwater Discharge in East Antarctica from Helicopter-Borne Electrical Resistivity Measurements
title_short Evidence for Pathways of Concentrated Submarine Groundwater Discharge in East Antarctica from Helicopter-Borne Electrical Resistivity Measurements
title_sort evidence for pathways of concentrated submarine groundwater discharge in east antarctica from helicopter borne electrical resistivity measurements
topic subglacial
Antarctica time-domain electromagnetics
submarine groundwater discharge
resistivity
url https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5338/6/2/54
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