We know more about Mars than we know about Antarctica’s subglacial environment, but new information about its nature is changing the way we view the continent. The Subglacial Antarctic Lakes Scientific Access (SALSA) project is uncovering new knowledge about this newly explored biome through an integrative study of subglacial geobiology, water column and sedimentary organic carbon, and geobiological processes in one of the largest subglacial lakes in West Antarctica.

From December 2018 through January 2019, SALSA set up a field camp of 50 scientists, drillers, and support staff and drilled 4,000 feet into the ice to sample from Mercer Subglacial Lake. Located roughly 500 miles from the South Pole, team members reached the study site using specialized tractors and ski equipped aircraft.