Researchers have made a groundbreaking discovery beneath the ice of Lake Enigma in Antarctica, finding an unknown ecosystem teeming with microbial life. The lake, named for its peculiar cone of debris at its center, was previously thought to be frozen solid. However, scientists discovered a layer of fresh water hidden beneath the ice-covered surface, inhabited by diverse microorganisms.
During an expedition from November 2019 to January 2020, researchers used ground-penetrating radar and drilling techniques to explore the lake’s depths. They found that the water was consistently replenished by the nearby Amorphous Glacier through an unknown underground pathway.
The scientists discovered a high concentration of dissolved oxygen in the waters, home to photosynthetic microorganisms that cover the bottom of the lake in blobs known as microbial mats. These organisms include several species of Patescibacteria, which have never been found in ice-covered lakes and don’t normally thrive in high-oxygen conditions.
The researchers believe that these unique metabolic tricks allowed the Patescibacteria to survive in Lake Enigma’s extreme environment. The discovery highlights the complexity and diversity of food webs in Antarctic permanently ice-covered lakes, with symbiotic and predatory lifestyles a possibility not previously recognized.
This finding offers insights into conditions on icy moons like Europa or Enceladus, where microbial life might be found. As study co-author Stefano Urbini stated, “The lake’s extreme ecosystem could therefore offer insights into conditions in places where microbial life might be found on other worlds.”
Source: https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/antarctica/scientists-peered-beneath-a-frozen-antarctic-lake-and-uncovered-a-never-before-seen-ecosystem