High-resolution insights of physical properties of water columns of lakes at the Larsemann Hills, East Antarctica

Abstract

During the Austral summer of 2022, a study was conducted to investigate the physical properties of six lakes in the Larsemann Hills, East Antarctica. The lake water column's key properties, viz. temperature, salinity, density, fluorescence, and depth, were examined using a CTD profiler to establish a high-resolution description of their variations and identify the factors influencing intra and inter-lake variations. The results indicated that the shallow lakes LH14, LH04, and Discussion were well mixed. Lakes LH04 and LH14 on Stornes were affected by salinity, likely sea spray. In contrast, the deeper lakes, namely Nella, Cameron and Progress, were primarily driven by temperature and density dynamics. The hydrological characteristics of Cameron and Progress were notably impacted by their proximity to the ice sheet, while Nella was influenced by the presence of a partial lake ice cover. The lake depth, geographical location and presence of ice cover in the catchment significantly influenced temperature and salinity variations within the lakes. Deep lakes may be more sensitive to changes in temperature and density as compared to shallow lakes and could potentially affect other physical lake parameters. This baseline information is a valuable reference for future investigations on these lakes and similar environments.