User:Susan.kelly/Lake Whillans

Lake Whillans (Antarctica) new article content ... Subglacial Lake Whillans (SLW) is an active subglacial lake on lower Whillans Ice Stream. The ICESat data detected deformation of the ice surface in response to subglacial water activity [Fricker et al., 2007; Fricker and Scambos, 2009], and were used to monitor the activity of SLW intermittently between October 2003 and October 2009. During this time there were two complete fill/drain cycles (see Figure). There are no data available before ICESat, so it is not known how long the lake had been quiescent before 2003. However these data do allow for a periodic drainage cycle with a residence time on the order of three years.

The Whillans Ice Stream (formerly Ice Stream B) on the Siple Coast in West Antarctica, which has long been the focus of field-work within the US Antarctic Program. In 2007, an extensive hydrological system under Whillans and Mercer ice streams was discovered through analysis of ICESat laser altimetry data.