Subglacial Lakes Discovered 800 Meters Below Greenland Sheets

The subglacial lakes are the first to be identified in Greenland that were 800 meters below the Ice Sheet. These lakes are each roughly 8 to 10 km2. Yet at one point, the study notes that they may have been up to three times larger than their actual size. 

As subglacial lake may influence the flow of the ice sheet, thus impacting global level change. The discovery of such lakes in Greenland shows how some can respond to changing environmental conditions. 

Researchers at the Scott Polar Research Institute (SPRI) at the University of Cambridge used airborned radar measurements to reveal the lakes beneath the ice sheet. 
Lead study author Dr. Stevel Plamer notes the following regarding their findings, via a press release: "Our results show that subglacial lakes exist in Greenland, and that they form an important part of the ice sheet's plumbing system.

Because the way in which water moves beneath ice sheets strongly affects ice flow speeds, improved understanding of these lakes will allow us to predict more accurately how the ice sheet will respond to anticipated future warming."

As many of the lakes sport unusual tendencies below the Antartic ice sheets, some researchers suggest that draining lakes situated nearby a replenish of the subglacial lakes during warm summers potentially form in a different manner. 

For instance, this means that the lakes are part of an open system that's connected to the surface of many often isolated ecosystems. 

While close to 400 lakes have been identified beneath Anartica, these are the first to be identified in Greenland and may explain steeper ice surface conditions in the area.

More information regarding the study can be found via the Geophysical Research Letters.