ANTÁRTICA: Layered lakes in the Vestfold Hills

Complex lake systems around the proposed site of the Davis aerodrome are being intensively studied by scientists from the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD). The Vestfold Hills is the location of Davis research station and the proposed aerodrome, and has hundreds of lakes of various sizes and salinities. This research will determine whether there are unique communities in the area of the proposed aerodrome area, and how similar they are to communities found elsewhere in the Vestfold Hills

Layered lakes in the Vestfold Hills

Dr Kathryn Brown (left) and Dr Catherine King collect soil samples in Antarctica. (Photo: AAD)

Complex lake systems around the proposed site of the Davis aerodrome are being intensively studied by scientists from the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD).

The Vestfold Hills is the location of Davis research station and the proposed aerodrome, and has hundreds of lakes of various sizes and salinities.

Leader of the lakes team, AAD ecotoxicologist Dr Catherine King, said each water body is likely to have different chemical and physical properties, which may be home to distinct biological communities.

“Our program is looking at a range of lakes of different sizes and salinities, and studying the biological communities and how diverse they are,” said Dr King.

Along with water samples, Dr King and Dr Kathryn Brown are collecting soil and sediment samples from the base of each lake or pond, at the water’s edge, and at varying distances from each site.

“We’re looking at what occurs in the soil community as you progress along a moisture gradient out from each lake, or alternatively, from one lake to another.”

“And whether there’s any connectivity or differences between lakes that we might need to be particularly careful about protecting,” Dr King said.

One of the unique characteristics of the Vestfold Hills are meromictic lakes, where the water column is stratified into layers of varying density ranging from freshwater to hypersaline.

“Vestfold Hills has the largest concentration of meromictic lakes on the planet,” Dr King said.

“Between the layers you get very different chemistry, as well as very different biological communities.”

A part of their sampling, the lakes team will tow nets to capture plankton, using inflatable boats to access the larger lakes.

Most of the samples will be analysed by microscopy back in Australia to identify microalgae and micro-invertebrates.

Broader community composition will also be assessed by DNA sequencing of water, algae, and soil samples.

This research will determine whether there are unique communities in the area of the proposed aerodrome area, and how similar they are to communities found elsewhere in the Vestfold Hills.

The Davis aerodrome project is required to undergo environmental assessments under the Antarctic Treaty (Environment Protection) Act 1980 (ATEP Act) and the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999(EPBC Act). Public comment is currently open until 26 February 2020 and can be made via the Regulator’s website

Dr Kathryn Brown and Dr Catherine King collect a soil sample from a lake edge at the proposed aerodrome site in the Vestfold Hills near Davis research station (Photo: Mark Horstman)



Dr Kathryn Brown and Dr Catherine King collect data from a lake in the Vestfold Hills (Photo: Mark Horstman)



Bagging a sample from a lake's edge for DNA analysis (Photo: Mark Horstman)



Sampling in a landscape of rocks and frozen shallow lakes (Photo: Mark Horstman)

Australian Antartic Division