Watch the following two videos and write down 10 facts about ANTARCTICA.
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Drilling into the Unknown - "What might be in the water is a mystery waiting to be unravelled"
Scientists are about to start drilling though 3000 metres of Antarctic ice sheet in hope of reaching a Lake Ellsworth, a freshwater supply of water deep underground. It has been kept from freezing by the layer of magma not far beneath the surface. This is exciting and potentially dangerous as the lake has been locked away under the ice for many millions of years, undisturbed - until now!
Website - Here is your information on the mission.
Even better Website - For those brain boxes in the class!
Factfile - Some great stuff here!
Update
What does the diagram show?
1. A hot water drill will melt its way through the frozen ice sheet, which is up to 3km (2 miles) thick. After drilling, they will have an estimated 24 hours to collect samples before the borehole re-freezes
2. A probe will be lowered through the borehole to capture water samples
3. A specialised corer will then recover sediment from the floor of the lake through the same borehole
Source: Subglacial Lake Ellsworth Consortium
Website - Here is your information on the mission.
Even better Website - For those brain boxes in the class!
Factfile - Some great stuff here!
Update
What does the diagram show?
1. A hot water drill will melt its way through the frozen ice sheet, which is up to 3km (2 miles) thick. After drilling, they will have an estimated 24 hours to collect samples before the borehole re-freezes
2. A probe will be lowered through the borehole to capture water samples
3. A specialised corer will then recover sediment from the floor of the lake through the same borehole
Source: Subglacial Lake Ellsworth Consortium
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Your mission should you choose to accept it... (you will btw!)
Tasks:
1. Watch up to 10:10 minutes of the Lost World of Lake Vostok YouTube video (bottom of this page)
2. What do you think could live in this lake, if anything?
3. Watch the 'Creatures From the Dark Abyss and Other' YouTube video (bottom of this page). Students should make notes and comments on the different types of life that could be found deep down in the under-ice lake. Think about the lack of light (would eyes be necessary) and the temperature.
Over to you.
Task 1. Students must use their imaginations to make up a scenario based on what the British scientists might find when they drill through the ice into Lake Ellsworth. The events must be recorded as a diary of events starting from today. For example:
Thursday October 13th 2011.
8am - Today we awoke early. Overnight, a blizzard had been raging outside the research station and temperatures had dropped to -40°C. Snow has piled up against the exit door and we had to dig ourselves out and were we were greeted by bright sunshine and a clear blue sky. All traces of the overnight storm had vanished. Our hot water drill was already in position right between the two buildings. The boiler was turned on and the hot water began to spray from the tip. We all have to be incredibly careful we don't get scalded by the hot water as the nearest hospital is more than 5,000km away! The drill starts to bore into the ice making a hole about 36cm in diameter. Soon the head of the drill was out of sight and we had to switch over to the monitors to observe it's progress. One thing is for sure, I really wouldn't like to be heading down that hole into the unknown!
Update. 7pm. The drill has just made it through the last layer of ice and is now suspended 3000 metres below us over the lake. We are just doing the final checks with the probe before it descends into the unknown waters of Lake Ellsworth and explores the lake bed to collect samples.
Update. 10pm. Something strange has just happened. Whilst turning around the camera, Captain Lucy Sattar and Dr Ojas Hewlett saw something very big dart past the camera lense. Wait, there is is again! We need to pause and zoom in on that.
The story continues ........... you decide how it ends.
Think carefully about the type of life that could survive down there. Perhaps read this article to give you more information. Think about this quote: "I'm not sure there is enough energy down there ... to make a Loch Ness monster,"
Task 2 - Use this template or create your own to write a front page story of the events that have just happened in the British Drilling Camp in Antarctica. Your report should contain as much geography as possible (locations, climate, why the lake is not frozen) and should not be too over the top (no zombies, headless monsters or Justin Beiber!).
1. Watch up to 10:10 minutes of the Lost World of Lake Vostok YouTube video (bottom of this page)
2. What do you think could live in this lake, if anything?
3. Watch the 'Creatures From the Dark Abyss and Other' YouTube video (bottom of this page). Students should make notes and comments on the different types of life that could be found deep down in the under-ice lake. Think about the lack of light (would eyes be necessary) and the temperature.
Over to you.
Task 1. Students must use their imaginations to make up a scenario based on what the British scientists might find when they drill through the ice into Lake Ellsworth. The events must be recorded as a diary of events starting from today. For example:
Thursday October 13th 2011.
8am - Today we awoke early. Overnight, a blizzard had been raging outside the research station and temperatures had dropped to -40°C. Snow has piled up against the exit door and we had to dig ourselves out and were we were greeted by bright sunshine and a clear blue sky. All traces of the overnight storm had vanished. Our hot water drill was already in position right between the two buildings. The boiler was turned on and the hot water began to spray from the tip. We all have to be incredibly careful we don't get scalded by the hot water as the nearest hospital is more than 5,000km away! The drill starts to bore into the ice making a hole about 36cm in diameter. Soon the head of the drill was out of sight and we had to switch over to the monitors to observe it's progress. One thing is for sure, I really wouldn't like to be heading down that hole into the unknown!
Update. 7pm. The drill has just made it through the last layer of ice and is now suspended 3000 metres below us over the lake. We are just doing the final checks with the probe before it descends into the unknown waters of Lake Ellsworth and explores the lake bed to collect samples.
Update. 10pm. Something strange has just happened. Whilst turning around the camera, Captain Lucy Sattar and Dr Ojas Hewlett saw something very big dart past the camera lense. Wait, there is is again! We need to pause and zoom in on that.
The story continues ........... you decide how it ends.
Think carefully about the type of life that could survive down there. Perhaps read this article to give you more information. Think about this quote: "I'm not sure there is enough energy down there ... to make a Loch Ness monster,"
Task 2 - Use this template or create your own to write a front page story of the events that have just happened in the British Drilling Camp in Antarctica. Your report should contain as much geography as possible (locations, climate, why the lake is not frozen) and should not be too over the top (no zombies, headless monsters or Justin Beiber!).
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