Lake Burton (Antarctica)
| Lake Burton | ||
|---|---|---|
| Burton Lagoon | ||
Primary inflows Streams from Vestfold Hills | | |
| Primary outflows | Tidal channel with Crooked Fjord | |
| Basin countries | Antarctica | |
| Surface area | 1.35 km2 (0.52 sq mi) | |
| Average depth | 7.16 m (23.5 ft) | |
| Max. depth | 18.3 m (60 ft) | |
| Water volume | 9.69 million cubic metres (7,860 acre⋅ft) | |
| Frozen | Yes | |
| Islands | None | |
Lake Burton, also known as Burton Lagoon, is a
The lake is covered with ice for 10–11 months in a year. A tidal channel links the lake with Crooked Fjord only seasonally for about 6–7 months in the year. The tidal channel has a width of 20 metres (66 ft) and is about 2 metres (6.6 ft) deep. Lake Burton is the only meromictic lagoon that is part of the Antarctic Specially Protected Area No. 143, within East Antarctica, and access to the lake can only legally be obtained by a special permit and adhering to some strict regulations.
A
Geography and climate
Lake Burton is located on the
The climate within the Antarctic Specially Protected Area is monitored at the Davis Station, which is 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) northwest of Marine Plain, not far from the lake.[8] Hence, all meteorological data collected at this site is relevant to the lake environment also. The area has a polar maritime climate; cold, dry and windy, with sunny days during summer. The temperature varies from −1 °C (30 °F) to 3 °C (37 °F) during summer with a maximum of 5 °C (41 °F); however, the dominant temperature during most of the year is below 0 °C (32 °F). During winter, the temperature falls to as low as −40.7 °C (−41.3 °F).[7]
Protected area
Lake Burton is the only meromictic lagoon that is part of the Antarctic Specially Protected Area (ASPA) No. 143, within East Antarctica. The lake is also defined as lagoon as it characterizes a stage in the biological and physio-chemical evolution of a terrestrial water body from the marine environment namely, the geological creation of a lake.[7]
- Entry restrictions
Entry to the protected area, including the lake, is controlled by the Australian government. Permits are strictly issued only for specific scientific research in the field of
Access and movement within the protected areas is restricted. In the lake area in particular, no motorized boats are permitted. Flying over the lakes is also discouraged except for scientific reasons. Vehicular traffic is banned in the reserved areas. Taking samples from the lake is to be kept to the minimum even for scientific studies and also the equipment brought from outside for sampling, and it must be thoroughly washed to avoid any type of contamination from outside. There are many more rules and regulations that are set by the authorities, which have to be strictly adhered to.[7]
Fauna and flora
The Mule Peninsula, in which the lake is located, is an area rich in
The lake also has an ultra structure of
- Fish species
The only fish species ever sighted in the lake, and on just one occasion, is
- Zooplankton
Four species of
Vegetation
The small water courses that flow radially from the northern direction into the lake, which are seasonal streams, abound in
Research findings
The heterotrophic bacterial microbiota and the ecology of photosynthetic bacteria of the Lake Burton have been studied in the 1970s and 1980s. Some of the findings indicate that salinity levels increase from below the ice level towards the lake bottom resulting in dense waters, the microbiota activity caused depletion of oxygen, separate water bodies of distinct chemistry got formed, the intervening chemical gradients have created niches for colonization by unique microbial communities and 68 bacteria were isolated.[10]
In the research studies on photosynthetic bacteria conducted in 1983, the dominant species identified were Chlorobium vibrioforme and Chlorobium limicola. Thiocapsa roseopersicina and Rhodopseudomonas palustris were also found but at lower density. In the anoxic water zone (temperature range of −5 °C (23 °F) to −2.2 °C (28.0 °F)) of the lake, Chlorobium spp. and T. roseopersicina were found. It was also noted that the environmental conditions, presence of light in summer, darkness during winter, and oxic and anoxic water status of the lake waters dictated the growth of bacterial phototrophs. The dominance of the species Chlorobium spp. was attributed to "more efficient maintenance metabolism in winter and of their greater efficiency in utilizing low intensity light".[11]
In 1984, during the Antarctic summer when phytoplankton bloom was apparent, the lake was studied, along with several others in the Vestfold Hills area to assess the reduced sulfuric gases by gas chromatography. The gases were trapped in a solid adsorbent – a molecular sieve with 5 Å pores (80–100 mesh) – and reduced sulfur compounds (RSCs) were detected.[12] The most apparent RSCs were dimethyl sulfide (DMS), carbonyl sulfide and hydrogen sulfide.[12]
References
- ISBN 978-0-387-10303-7. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
- ISBN 978-90-6193-616-9. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
- ISBN 978-0-471-98665-2. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-471-98665-2.
- ^ "Lake Burton: World Lake Data Base". International Lake Environment Committee Foundation – ILEC. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved November 26, 2010.
- ^ "Antarctic Specially Protected Area No 143 Marine Plain, Mule Peninsula, Vestfold Hills, Princess Elizabeth Land". Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research. Archived from the original on July 9, 2010. Retrieved November 26, 2010.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Antarctic Specially Protected Area No. 143 Marine Plain, Mule Peninsula, Vestfold Hills, Princess Elizabeth Land" (PDF). National Science Foundation. p. 1116. Retrieved November 26, 2010.
- ISBN 978-0-87590-838-0. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
- ISBN 978-0-87590-830-4.)
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - S2CID 36202964.
- S2CID 19531883.
- ^ .
