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A mini‐corer for precision sampling of the water‐sediment interface in subglacial lakes and other remote aqueous environments
Author(s) -
Keen Peter,
Saw Kevin,
Rundle Nicholas,
Brown Robin,
Wyatt James,
Shorter Stephen,
Edwards Michael,
Siegert Martin,
Mowlem Matthew
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography: methods
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.898
H-Index - 72
ISSN - 1541-5856
DOI - 10.1002/lom3.10288
Subject(s) - coring , bespoke , sediment , sampling (signal processing) , interface (matter) , sediment–water interface , environmental science , geology , sedimentary rock , hydrology (agriculture) , geomorphology , drilling , computer science , geochemistry , engineering , geotechnical engineering , filter (signal processing) , computer vision , mechanical engineering , bubble , maximum bubble pressure method , parallel computing , political science , law
Recent interest in Antarctic subglacial lakes has seen the development of bespoke systems for sampling them. These systems are considered pristine environments potentially harboring undisturbed sedimentary sequences and ecosystems adapted to these cold oligotrophic environments in the absence of sunlight. The water/sediment interface is considered a prime location for the detection of microbial life and so is of particular interest. This article describes the development of a small corer to capture and retain a short core that includes the water/sediment interface specifically to address the question of whether life exists in these lakes. This apparatus was developed as part of the UK led project to access, measure, and sample subglacial Lake Ellsworth. In addition to addressing the constraints of coring in this difficult environment, the results of subsequent testing suggest that this corer can be applied to sampling sediments in other environments and would be particularly useful in low energy environments when the water‐sediment interface is indistinct or unconsolidated.