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A microbiologically clean strategy for access to the Whillans Ice Stream subglacial environment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 March 2013

John C. Priscu ,
Amanda M. Achberger ,
Joel E. Cahoon ,
Brent C. Christner ,
Robert L. Edwards ,
Warren L. Jones ,
Alexander B. Michaud ,
Matthew R. Siegfried ,
Mark L. Skidmore  and
Robert H. Spigel
...Show all authors
John C. Priscu*
Affiliation:
Department of Land Resources and Environmental Science, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
Amanda M. Achberger
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
Joel E. Cahoon
Affiliation:
Department of Civil Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
Brent C. Christner
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
Robert L. Edwards
Affiliation:
Department of Land Resources and Environmental Science, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
Warren L. Jones
Affiliation:
Department of Civil Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
Alexander B. Michaud
Affiliation:
Department of Land Resources and Environmental Science, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
Matthew R. Siegfried
Affiliation:
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
Mark L. Skidmore
Affiliation:
Department of Earth Science, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
Robert H. Spigel
Affiliation:
National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Ltd, Box 8602, Christchurch, New Zealand
Gregg W. Switzer
Affiliation:
Department of Land Resources and Environmental Science, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
Slawek Tulaczyk
Affiliation:
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
Trista J. Vick-Majors
Affiliation:
Department of Land Resources and Environmental Science, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
*
jpriscu@montana.edu
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Abstract

The Whillans Ice Stream Subglacial Access Research Drilling (WISSARD) project will test the overarching hypothesis that an active hydrological system exists beneath a West Antarctic ice stream that exerts a major control on ice dynamics, and the metabolic and phylogenetic diversity of the microbial community in subglacial water and sediment. WISSARD will explore Subglacial Lake Whillans (SLW, unofficial name) and its outflow toward the grounding line where it is thought to enter the Ross Ice Shelf seawater cavity. Introducing microbial contamination to the subglacial environment during drilling operations could compromise environmental stewardship and the science objectives of the project, consequently we developed a set of tools and procedures to directly address these issues. WISSARD hot water drilling efforts will include a custom water treatment system designed to remove micron and sub-micron sized particles (biotic and abiotic), irradiate the drilling water with germicidal ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and pasteurize the water to reduce the viability of persisting microbial contamination. Our clean access protocols also include methods to reduce microbial contamination on the surfaces of cables/hoses and down-borehole equipment using germicidal UV exposure and chemical disinfection. This paper presents experimental data showing that our protocols will meet expectations established by international agreement between participating Antarctic nations.

Keywords

clean accessenvironmental stewardshiphot water drillingsubglacial aquatic environments
Type
Biological Sciences
Information
Antarctic Science , Volume 25 , Issue 5 , October 2013 , pp. 637 - 647
Copyright
Copyright © Antarctic Science Ltd 2013 

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