Brief communication: New sonde to unravel the mystery of polar subglacial lakes

Abstract

The newly developed RECoverable Autonomous Sonde (RECAS) allows sampling and analysis of subglacial water while the subglacial lake remains isolated from the surface. The sonde was successfully tested in East Antarctica during the 2021-2022 field season: it reached the ice-sheet base at a depth of 200.3m, sampled basal meltwater and measured its pressure, temperature, pH and conductivity and returned to the ice surface. The average downward penetration rate was 1.85mh-1, and the average upward penetration rate was 2.94mh-1. The successful test of a self-melting, recoverable probe in Antarctica marks further progress towards the clean exploration of subglacial water bodies.