Display options
Cite
Makinson K, Pearce D, Hodgson DA, et al. Clean subglacial access: prospects for future deep hot-water drilling. Philos Trans A Math Phys Eng Sci. 2016;374(2059)doi: 10.1098/rsta.2014.0304.
Makinson, K., Pearce, D., Hodgson, D. A., Bentley, M. J., Smith, A. M., Tranter, M., Rose, M., Ross, N., Mowlem, M., Parnell, J., & Siegert, M. J. (2016). Clean subglacial access: prospects for future deep hot-water drilling. Philosophical transactions. Series A, Mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences, 374(2059), . https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2014.0304
Makinson, Keith, et al. "Clean subglacial access: prospects for future deep hot-water drilling." Philosophical transactions. Series A, Mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences vol. 374,2059 (2016). doi: https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2014.0304
Makinson K, Pearce D, Hodgson DA, Bentley MJ, Smith AM, Tranter M, Rose M, Ross N, Mowlem M, Parnell J, Siegert MJ. Clean subglacial access: prospects for future deep hot-water drilling. Philos Trans A Math Phys Eng Sci. 2016 Jan 28;374(2059). doi: 10.1098/rsta.2014.0304. PMID: 26667913; PMCID: PMC4685967.
Copy Download .nbib Format: NLM
Share it on

Philos Trans A Math Phys Eng Sci. 2016 Jan 28;374(2059). doi: 10.1098/rsta.2014.0304.

Clean subglacial access: prospects for future deep hot-water drilling.

Philosophical transactions. Series A, Mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences

Keith Makinson, David Pearce, Dominic A Hodgson, Michael J Bentley, Andrew M Smith, Martyn Tranter, Mike Rose, Neil Ross, Matt Mowlem, John Parnell, Martin J Siegert

Affiliations

  1. British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK [email protected].
  2. Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Northumbria, Ellison Building, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8ST, UK.
  3. British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK.
  4. Department of Geography, Durham University, Lower Mountjoy, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK.
  5. School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, University Road, Bristol BS8 1SS, UK.
  6. School of Geography, Politics and Sociology, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK.
  7. National Oceanography Centre, University of Southampton Waterfront Campus, European Way, Southampton SO14 3ZH, UK.
  8. School of Geosciences, University of Aberdeen, King's College, Aberdeen AB24 3UE, UK.
  9. Grantham Institute and Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, South Kensington SW7 2AZ, UK.

PMID: 26667913 PMCID: PMC4685967 DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2014.0304

Abstract

Accessing and sampling subglacial environments deep beneath the Antarctic Ice Sheet presents several challenges to existing drilling technologies. With over half of the ice sheet believed to be resting on a wet bed, drilling down to this environment must conform to international agreements on environmental stewardship and protection, making clean hot-water drilling the most viable option. Such a drill, and its water recovery system, must be capable of accessing significantly greater ice depths than previous hot-water drills, and remain fully operational after connecting with the basal hydrological system. The Subglacial Lake Ellsworth (SLE) project developed a comprehensive plan for deep (greater than 3000 m) subglacial lake research, involving the design and development of a clean deep-ice hot-water drill. However, during fieldwork in December 2012 drilling was halted after a succession of equipment issues culminated in a failure to link with a subsurface cavity and abandonment of the access holes. The lessons learned from this experience are presented here. Combining knowledge gained from these lessons with experience from other hot-water drilling programmes, and recent field testing, we describe the most viable technical options and operational procedures for future clean entry into SLE and other deep subglacial access targets.

© 2015 The Author(s).

Keywords: clean access; deep hot-water drilling; environmental stewardship; subglacial environment

References

  1. Philos Trans A Math Phys Eng Sci. 2016 Jan 28;374(2059). pii: 20140303. doi: 10.1098/rsta.2014.0303 - PubMed
  2. Philos Trans A Math Phys Eng Sci. 2016 Jan 28;374(2059). pii: 20140305. doi: 10.1098/rsta.2014.0305 - PubMed
  3. Philos Trans A Math Phys Eng Sci. 2016 Jan 28;374(2059). pii: 20150056. doi: 10.1098/rsta.2015.0056 - PubMed
  4. Nature. 2014 Jan 23;505(7484):463 - PubMed
  5. Philos Trans A Math Phys Eng Sci. 2016 Jan 28;374(2059). pii: 20140291. doi: 10.1098/rsta.2014.0291 - PubMed

Publication Types