TY  - JOUR
A1  - German, Laura
A1  - Mikucki, Jill A.
A1  - Welch, Susan A.
A1  - Welch, Kathleen A.
A1  - Lutton, Anthony
A1  - Dachwald, Bernd
A1  - Kowalski, Julia
A1  - Heinen, Dirk
A1  - Feldmann, Marco
A1  - Francke, Gero
A1  - Espe, Clemens
A1  - Lyons, W. Berry
T1  - Validation of sampling antarctic subglacial hypersaline waters with an electrothermal ice melting probe (IceMole) for environmental analytical geochemistry
JF  - International Journal of Environmental Analytical Chemistry
N2  - Geochemical characterisation of hypersaline waters is difficult as high concentrations of salts hinder the analysis of constituents at low concentrations, such as trace metals, and the collection of samples for trace metal analysis in natural waters can be easily contaminated. This is particularly the case if samples are collected by non-conventional techniques such as those required for aquatic subglacial environments. In this paper we present the first analysis of a subglacial brine from Taylor Valley, (~ 78°S), Antarctica for the trace metals: Ba, Co, Mo, Rb, Sr, V, and U. Samples were collected englacially using an electrothermal melting probe called the IceMole. This probe uses differential heating of a copper head as well as the probe’s sidewalls and an ice screw at the melting head to move through glacier ice. Detailed blanks, meltwater, and subglacial brine samples were collected to evaluate the impact of the IceMole and the borehole pump, the melting and collection process, filtration, and storage on the geochemistry of the samples collected by this device. Comparisons between melt water profiles through the glacier ice and blank analysis, with published studies on ice geochemistry, suggest the potential for minor contributions of some species Rb, As, Co, Mn, Ni, NH4+, and NO2−+NO3− from the IceMole. The ability to conduct detailed chemical analyses of subglacial fluids collected with melting probes is critical for the future exploration of the hundreds of deep subglacial lakes in Antarctica.
Y1  - 2021
U6  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03067319.2019.1704750
SN  - 0306-7319
VL  - 101
IS  - 15
SP  - 2654
EP  - 2667
PB  - Taylor & Francis
CY  - London
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Lyons, W. Berry
A1  - Mikucki, Jill A.
A1  - German, Laura A.
A1  - Welch, Kathleen A.
A1  - Welch, Susan A.
A1  - Gardener, Christopher B.
A1  - Tulaczyk, Slawek M.
A1  - Pettit, Erin C.
A1  - Kowalski, Julia
A1  - Dachwald, Bernd
T1  - The Geochemistry of Englacial Brine from Taylor Glacier, Antarctica
JF  - Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences
Y1  - 2019
U6  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2018JG004411
SN  - 2169-8961
PB  - Wiley
CY  - Hoboken
ER  - 
TY  - CHAP
A1  - Dachwald, Bernd
A1  - Mikucki, Jill A.
A1  - Tulaczyk, Slawek
A1  - Digel, Ilya
A1  - Feldmann, Marco
A1  - Espe, Clemens
A1  - Plescher, Engelbert
A1  - Xu, Changsheng
T1  - IceMole - a maneuverable probe for clean in-situ analysis and sampling of subsurface ice and subglacial aquatic ecosystems : extended abstract / SCAR Open Science Conference 2012, Session 29: Advancing Clean Technologies for Exploration of Glacial Aquatic Ecosystems
N2  - The ”IceMole“ is a novel maneuverable subsurface ice probe for clean in-situ analysis and sampling of subsurface ice and subglacial water/brine. It is developed and build at FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences’ Astronautical Laboratory. A first prototype was successfully tested on the Swiss Morteratsch glacier in 2010. Clean sampling is achieved with a hollow ice screw (as it is used in mountaineering) at the tip of the probe. Maneuverability is achieved with a differentially heated melting head. Funded by the German Space Agency (DLR), a consortium led by FH Aachen currently develops a much more advanced IceMole probe, which includes a sophisticated system for obstacle avoidance, target detection, and navigation in the ice. We intend to use this probe for taking clean samples of subglacial brine at the Blood Falls (McMurdo Dry Valleys, East Antarctica) for chemical and microbiological analysis. In our conference contribution, we 1) describe the IceMole design, 2) report the results of the field tests of the first prototype on the Morteratsch glacier, 3) discuss the probe’s potential for the clean in-situ analysis and sampling of subsurface ice and subglacial liquids, and 4) outline the way ahead in the development of this technology.
KW  - Eisschicht
KW  - Sonde
KW  - subsurface ice
KW  - subglacial aquatic ecosystems
Y1  - 2012
ER  -