American Geophysical Union Become an AGU Member
Subscribe to AGU Journals		 AGU Home AGU Publications

Read Full Article (file size: 245820 bytes)    Cited by

GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 31, L12401, doi:10.1029/2004GL019801, 2004

Estimating the depth and shape of subglacial Lake Vostok's water cavity from aerogravity data

Michael Studinger

Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, New York, USA


Robin E. Bell

Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, New York, USA


Anahita A. Tikku

Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan


Abstract

We use aerogravity data to estimate the water depth of subglacial Lake Vostok in East Antarctica. The inversion produces the first bathymetry map covering the entire lake. Lake Vostok consists of two sub-basins separated by a ridge with very shallow water depths. The deeper southern sub-basin is approximately double the spatial area of the smaller northern sub-basin. The close correlation between the pattern of basal melting and freezing and the bathymetric structure has important ramifications for the water circulation and the sediment deposition. We estimate the lake volume to be 5400 ± 1600 km3.

Received 24 February 2004; accepted 17 May 2004; published 19 June 2004.

Index Terms: 1219 Geodesy and Gravity: Local gravity anomalies and crustal structure; 1827 Hydrology: Glaciology (1863); 3010 Marine Geology and Geophysics: Gravity; 3260 Mathematical Geophysics: Inverse theory; 9310 Information Related to Geographic Region: Antarctica.

Read Full Article (file size: 245820 bytes)    Cited by

Citation: Studinger, M., R. E. Bell, and A. A. Tikku (2004), Estimating the depth and shape of subglacial Lake Vostok's water cavity from aerogravity data, Geophys. Res. Lett., 31, L12401, doi:10.1029/2004GL019801.