| Lake Bonney | |
|---|---|
 Lake Bonney in 2015 | |
  Lake Bonney | |
| Location | Taylor Valley,Victoria Land,Antarctica |
| Coordinates | 77°44′S162°10′E / 77.733°S 162.167°E /-77.733; 162.167 |
| Type | Saline,endorheic |
| Primary inflows | Doran Stream/Priscu Stream, others |
| Basin countries | Antarctica |
| Max. length | 7 km (4.3 mi) |
| Max. width | 0.9 km (0.56 mi) |
| Surface area | 4.3 km2 (1.7 sq mi) |
| Average depth | 15 m (49 ft) |
| Max. depth | 40 m (130 ft) |
| Water volume | 64,800,000 m3 (2.29×109 cu ft) |
| Surface elevation | 57 m (187 ft) |
| Frozen | 2.8 to 4.5 m (9.2 to 14.8 ft) |
| Settlements | Lake Bonney Hut |
Lake Bonney (77°43′S162°22′E / 77.717°S 162.367°E /-77.717; 162.367) is asalinelake with permanent ice cover at the western end ofTaylor Valley in theMcMurdo Dry Valleys ofVictoria Land,Antarctica.
It is 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) long and up to 900 metres (3,000 ft) wide. A narrow channel only 50 metres (160 ft) wide (Lake Bonney at Narrows) separates the lake intoEast Lake Bonney (3.32 square kilometres [1.28 mi2]) andWest Lake Bonney (0.99 square kilometres [0.38 mi2]).
To the north and south of the lake lie peaks that are over 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) above sea level, and theTaylor Glacier is positioned to the west of the lake. It is 130 feet (40 m) deep and is perpetually trapped under 12 to 15 feet (3.7 to 4.6 m) of ice.
It was first visited by theBritish National Antarctic Expedition of 1901–1904. It was named by theRobert Falcon Scottexpedition of 1910–1913, forThomas George Bonney, professor of geology atUniversity College London, England from 1877 to 1901.
Lake Bonney is one of the main lakes studied by the National Science Foundations, McMurdoLong Term Ecological Research site.
Starting in 2007NASA is funding an autonomous submersible robot calledENDURANCE to explore the water volume of the lake to study its shape and ecology. The robot is built byStone Aerospace, who also developed theDEPTHX submersible. The Endurance Project is led byPeter Doran withBill Stone andJohn Priscu among the co-investigators. Scientists have discovered an ancientecosystem beneath the Taylor Glacier, next to Lake Bonney. This ecosystem survives by transforming sulfur and iron compounds for growth.[1]
The work is seen as a stage in developing an autonomous submersible robot that could explore the ocean onJupiter's moonEuropa.
The green algaeChlamydomonas priscuii is endemic to this lake.[2]
Lake Bonney is fed by a number ofmeltwater streams:[3]
