The first book on the subject, this monograph examines the phenomenon of a huge sealed, freshwater lake, isolated from the rest of the world by kilometers' thick ice. The existence of melting ice at the bottom of the huge Vostok Lake has served as a model and inspired the team planning the Galileo space craft to gather data on the ice sheet of the Jupiterian moon Europa. The book provides interpretation of, and calculations for, stimulating factors for possible melting and a huge lake's existence at the bottom of the Martian ice sheets.

Only book showing the phenomenon of a huge freshwater body Presented from various perspectives

Zusammenfassung

From the reviews:

"The Antarctic Subglacial Lake Vostok is ... a historically valuable and personal account of the history of the Soviet and Russian Antarctic research with respect to the subglacial lake and the future activities, i.e. the development of different drilling techniques in order to penetrate subglacial Lake Vostok. ... the book remains a very valuable historical account as well as good reading." (Frank Pattyn, Journal of Sedimentary Research, November, 2006)

"Lake Vostok is one of our planet's largest lakes. It is encased beneath 4 km of ice in the centre of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. ... The book is accessible to anyone who is interested in an introduction to subglacial lakes or in the process of discovery. ... The book provides excellent food for thought." (Robin Elizabeth Bell, Journal of Geology, Vol. 116, 2008)

"The aim of this book ... is to 'collate material about Lake Vostok and to organize and synthesize it to establish its complete geographical picture.' This book fulfills this aim ... which makes it very readable. ... Zotikov has done a nice job of presenting an overview of the history and future of Lake Vostok. The presentation of the Russian literature alone makes this book an important read for those interested in the exploration of Lake Vostok." (John C. Priscu, Polar Record, Vol. 44 (2), 2008)

Inhalt
From Lake Vostok to Europa: Tractors and satellites.- Water below the central part of the ice sheet.- Does subglacial water exist?.- Discovery of subglacial lakes by radio-echo sounding.- The need for reinterpretation of seismic data.- A thick water layer exists under Vostok Station!.- Deep drilling at Vostok Station.- Vostok Station and the ice shelf.- New data on Lake Vostok.- Plan for the international study of Lake Vostok.- Penetration of Lake Vostok.