Under the dry valleys of Antarctica, there is water (possibly life). What about mars?

Photo by J. Mikucki



Many of us consider Antarctica a frozen desert. In principle, this is almost the case, and, besides the places covered with a multi-kilometer layer of ice, there are so-called dry valleys. There is nothing at all in such valleys - these are the driest places on Earth, animals with plants simply cannot live here. However, scientists have found that in the valleys themselves there may be no life, but under the valleys it most likely is.



A few days ago, the results of a study that received financial support from the National Science Foundation were published, which show that under the valleys there is a network of underground lakes that communicate with each other. And since there is liquid water, there must be life, which can shed light on the climate change process in the previous few hundred thousand years.



According to scientists, groundwater flows constitute a significant part of the ocean food chain. The dynamics of the “underground lake-ocean” system can serve as a tool to clarify the nutrient exchange patterns of polar ecosystems.

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Researchers believe that there are colonies of microorganisms in the groundwater of Antarctica, which live despite difficult conditions. And the same colonies can be on Mars, in the surface layers of the soil, where there is ice and (possibly) liquid water. Scientists have used a special device to obtain an extensive picture of the surface layers of the dry valleys of the Antarctic. The device, equipped with a number of sensors, worked from the air, where the system was raised by a helicopter.



The same system was used to study the Taylor glacier, which is known for having waterfalls whose water is saturated with iron. In this water, large microbial communities have long been discovered that use iron and sulfur for energy. Perhaps similar communities exist on Mars.