title: Probe technologies for clean sampling and measurement of subglacial lakes.
abstract: It is 4 years since the subglacial lake community published its plans for accessing, sampling, measuring and studying the pristine, and hitherto enigmatic and very different, Antarctic subglacial lakes, Vostok, Whillans and Ellsworth. This paper summarizes the contrasting probe technologies designed for each of these subglacial environments and briefly updates how these designs changed or were used differently when compared to previously published plans. A detailed update on the final engineering design and technical aspects of the probe for Subglacial Lake Ellsworth is presented. This probe is designed for clean access, is negatively buoyant (350 kg), 5.2 m long, 200 mm in diameter, approximately cylindrical and consists of five major units: (i) an upper power and communications unit attached to an optical and electrical conducting tether, (ii)-(iv) three water and particle samplers, and (v) a sensors, imaging and instrumentation pack tipped with a miniature sediment corer. To date, only in Subglacial Lake Whillans have instruments been successfully deployed. Probe technologies for Subglacial Lake Vostok (2014/15) and Lake Ellsworth (2012/13) were not deployed for technical reasons, in the case of Lake Ellsworth because hot-water drilling was unable to access the lake during the field season window. Lessons learned and opportunities for probe technologies in future subglacial access missions are discussed.
authors.affiliation: National Oceanography Centre, European Way, Southampton SO14 3ZH, UK matm@noc.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Matt
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mowlem
authors.affiliation: National Oceanography Centre, European Way, Southampton SO14 3ZH, UK.
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Saw
authors.affiliation: National Oceanography Centre, European Way, Southampton SO14 3ZH, UK.
authors.forename: Robin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: Dyson Ltd., Tetbury Hill, Malmesbury, Wiltshire SN16 0RP, UK.
authors.forename: Edward
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Waugh
authors.affiliation: National Oceanography Centre, European Way, Southampton SO14 3ZH, UK.
authors.forename: Christopher L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Cardwell
authors.affiliation: National Oceanography Centre, European Way, Southampton SO14 3ZH, UK.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wyatt
authors.affiliation: National Oceanography Centre, European Way, Southampton SO14 3ZH, UK.
authors.forename: Iordanis
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Magiopoulos
authors.affiliation: Keen Marine Ltd., 15 Minerva Road, East Cowes, Isle of Wight PO32 6HD, UK.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Keen
authors.affiliation: National Oceanography Centre, European Way, Southampton SO14 3ZH, UK.
authors.forename: Jon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.affiliation: National Oceanography Centre, European Way, Southampton SO14 3ZH, UK.
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rundle
authors.affiliation: Flanders Marine Institute VLIZ, Oostende 8400, Belgium.
authors.forename: Athanasios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gkritzalis-Papadopoulos
keywords: clean; instrumentation; probe; samplers; sensors; subglacial