Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 03/13/2008 - 06:37
Forums
Lake Ecosystems in Antarctica

how  do you scuba dive in a desert?Undecided

Mr.beals,earth science.

Billings.MT.

Fri, 03/14/2008 - 02:38

Robin Ellwood

 So - it is true that Antarctica is a desert; it is the coldest and driest desert on the planet. But, there is water surrounding the continent, which provides opportunities for scuba diving in the ocean, and there are a few lakes in some of the valleys. The lakes are ice covered, so in order to do any diving, we have to melt a dive hole (which takes 2-3 days!) to get through the ice. This leaves a "tube" that is 15 feet thick! When we drill/melt through the ice and hit water, the water fills the hole. It is a bit like sitting on the edge of a swimming pool as we wait to get into the water- but the pool is only about a 4 foot circle!
 
The diving is AMAZING!!!
I hope this helps shed some light on the diving in the desert! 

Tue, 04/15/2008 - 18:25

Gerty Ward

Ms. Ellwood you are SO COOL!  I recently saw a movie about scientists SCUBA diving under the ice. I did not see you    But going under the ice is VERY BRAVE.  I would like to know what kind of training you have had in order to be able to dive in these Antarctic desert conditions.   The film is called "Encounters at the End of the World" by Werner Herzog. 
Read my review!