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南极洲干谷下发现隐秘湖泊

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Many view Antarctica as a frozen wasteland. Turns out there are hidden interconnected lakes underneath its dry valleys that could sustain life and shed light on ancient climate change. Jill Mikucki, a University of Tennessee, Knoxville, microbiology assistant professor, was part of a team that detected extensive salty groundwater networks in Antarctica using a novel airborne electromagnetic mapping sensor system called SkyTEM.

The research, funded by the National Science Foundation, provides compelling evidence that the underground lakes and brine-saturated sediments may support subsurface microbial ecosystems.

The study is published in the current edition of the journal Nature Communications.

The findings allow scientists to better learn how Antarctica has responded to climate change over time, said Mikucki, the study's lead author. The findings also help them understand glacial dynamics.

"It may change the way people think about the coastal margins of Antarctica," she said. "We know there is significant saturated sediment below the surface that is likely seeping into the ocean and affecting the productivity of things that feed ocean food webs. It lends to the understanding of the flow of nutrients and how that might affect ecosystem health."

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