Proposed Exploration of Subglacial Lake Ellsworth Antarctica Final Comprehensive Environmental Evaluation May 2012 1 The cover art was created by first, second, and third grade students at The Village School, a Montessori school located in Waldwick, New Jersey. Art instructor, Bob Fontaine asked his students to create an interpretation of the work being done on The Lake Ellsworth Project and to create over 200 of their own imaginary microbes. This art project was part of The Village School’s art curriculum that links art with ongoing cultural work. 2 Contents Non-Technical Summary ..................................................4 Contingency plans ...............................................................................30 Chapter 1: Introduction ....................................................6 Safe Site Procedures ...........................................................................30 Chapter 2: Description of proposed activity...................7 Chapter 6: Identification or prediction of impacts, Background and justification ...............................................................7 including preventative or mitigating measures ............32 The site ....................................................................................................8 Methods and data used to predict impacts and mitigation Chapter 3: Baseline conditions of Lake Ellsworth ..........9 measures ...............................................................................................32 Location...................................................................................................9 Impact on native flora and fauna within Lake Ellsworth.............32 Geophysical surveys and available data ............................................9 Microbial control at design stage .....................................................33 Radio echo sounding (RES) surveys ................................................10 Microbial control during construction, transport and deployment on site .............................................................................33 Ice sheet surface ..................................................................................11 Population Reduction Methods .......................................................35 Lake surface and extent .....................................................................11 Verification and assessment ..............................................................36 Bed topography ...................................................................................12 Analytical methods .............................................................................36 Englacial layering ..................................................................................12 Results of efficacy assessment ..........................................................36 Lake-water depth ................................................................................12 Impact to air .........................................................................................36 Water circulation and lake hydrological balance..........................13 Impact to ice ........................................................................................37 Basal sediments....................................................................................13 Impact to native flora and fauna (on the ice surface) .................39 Ice flow ..................................................................................................13 Non-recovery of equipment.............................................................39 Ice cores and lake geochemistry .....................................................14 Impact on wilderness and aesthetics ..............................................39 Surface accumulation ..........................................................................15 Cumulative impacts ............................................................................39 Meteorological conditions ................................................................15 Programme and site management ...................................................39 Summary of lake access site .............................................................15 Impact matrices ...................................................................................40 Microbial content of the lake ...........................................................16 Chapter 7: Alternatives ...................................................44 Microbial content of the snow .........................................................16 Lake access technique ........................................................................44 Fauna and Flora ...................................................................................16 Alternative lakes ..................................................................................44 Protected Areas ...................................................................................16 Microbial control .................................................................................46 Chapter 4: Description of the technologies ..................17 Not proceeding ...................................................................................46 Hot Water Drill ...................................................................................17 Chapter 8: Assessment and verification of impacts Deployment of instruments ..............................................................18 and monitoring ................................................................47 Probe description ................................................................................22 Monitoring ............................................................................................47 Probe mounted corer ........................................................................22 Environmental Audit ...........................................................................47 Instrumentation ...................................................................................22 Chapter 9: Gaps in knowledge and uncertainties ........48 Topside equipment ..............................................................................23 Chapter 10: Conclusions .................................................48 Sediment corer ....................................................................................23 Authors and contact details ...........................................49 Sampling strategy ................................................................................23 Acknowledgements .........................................................49 Fieldwork analysis ...............................................................................24 References ........................................................................49 Laboratory analysis .............................................................................24 Appendix 1: Access to Lake Ellsworth: blowout Microbiology ........................................................................................24 likelihood, risk analysis and mitigation ..........................53 Biological analysis ................................................................................25 Annex 1: Engineering blowout prevention strategies .................59 Organic geochemistry ........................................................................25 Appendix 2: Subglacial Lake Ellsworth Programme – Hydrochemistry ..................................................................................26 Advisory Committee ......................................................62 Sedimentology and palaeo-analysis .................................................26 Appendix 3: Sea container biosecurity procedure .......63 Integration of in situ and laboratory data ......................................26 Annex A: Sea container biosecurity declaration ..........................64 Chapter 5: Description of the camp and the logistics .27 Annex B: Specific requirements for wood packaging Camp overview and location ...........................................................27 material ..................................................................................................65 Personnel ..............................................................................................27 Annex B1: Approved methods of treatment according Power generation and fuel calculations .........................................27 to ISPM 15 ............................................................................................66 Vehicles ..................................................................................................29 Annex B2: Systems acceptable for the marking of wood ..........67 packaging materials treated according to ISPM 15 Water and waste .................................................................................29 Annex B3: Other approved treatments .........................................68 Communications .................................................................................30 Annex C: Suitable aerosol sprays for sea container ....................69 Transport of equipment and personnel .........................................30 Appendix 4: Comments received by all Treaty Equipment and personnel removal .................................................30 parties ...............................................................................70 Non-Technical Summary Introduction