Whillans Ice Stream Subglacial Access Research Drilling

Diagram of the drilling zone. The well reached open water thin to where Ross glacier in its movement towards the sea, separated from the ground. © Rachel Xidis, NIU
Under the ice, an ecosystem to misunderstand workings

An amphipod collected under the ice. © Reed Scherer, Northern Illinois University
An amphipod collected under the ice. © Reed Scherer, Northern Illinois University
What interactions between the oceans and glaciers?

This expedition Wissard (Whillans Ice Stream Subglacial Access Research Drilling) is primarily concerned with the dynamics of the glacier and the parameters that determine the rate of melting (which, given the freshwater bodies involved, can influence the level of the world ocean). modern home design austin Moreover, Ross Powell is a geologist, not a biologist.

Besides images, sediment samples were performed to better understand the interactions between these giant tongues of ice and the bottom. "No one had ever made direct measurements in such an environment," says Slawek Tulaczyk, one of the scientists responsible in the press release from the University of Illinois.