| Lake CECs | |
|---|---|
  Lake CECs Location of CECs Lake nearUnion Glacier. | |
| Coordinates | 79°14′49″S87°38′28″W / 79.2470°S 87.6411°W /-79.2470; -87.6411 |
| Lake type | Subglacial |
| Basin countries | Antarctica(Territory only claimed by Chile) |
| Surface area | 18 km2 (10 mi2)[1] |
| Surface elevation | ~ −600 m (−2,000 ft) sea level; −2.65 km (−8,700 ft) ice surface[1] |
| Islands | 0 |
Lake CECs is asubglacial lake inAntarctica at approximatelylatitude 80°S. It has an estimated area of 18 km2. The territory where the lake is located, some 160 km fromUnion Glacier, isclaimed only byChile.
The lake is located in a buffer zone of three majorWest Antarctic glaciers. The movement of the ice is almost nonexistent and the area is in a situation of low disturbance. This allows thebody of water to be extremely stable, with minimal mass exchanges with its environment.[1] This favors thehypothesis that the lake could supportendemic life, which would have developed in extreme isolation.[2]
Lake CECs was discovered by the Chileanresearch centerCentro de Estudios Científicos (CECs). The first signs of the lake were detected during Antarcticsummer in January 2014, when a mobile research station team journeyed through the centralplateau of West Antarctica. Measurements showed unusual subglacial radar returns, indicating the presence of a waterbody at some 2.6 km depth under the ice. An initial mapping with an ice-penetrating radar confirmed the finding. The research team returned in summer of 2015 and the mapping was completed. The findings were published in aGeophysical Research Letters report by four members of the CECs Glaciology Laboratory.[2]
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| Unclaimed | ||
| Unrecognized and proposed claims |
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