Greenland is melting, so what does this mean for the future? In order to find out, a team of scientists looked to the past and quantified how the Greenland Ice Sheet reacted to a warm period that occurred 8,000 to 5,000 years ago. (Photo : Reuters) 
 
 A team of British researchers has identified two subglacial lakes beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet. 
 
 Researchers at the University of Cambridge have identified two subglacial lakes present 800 meters below the Greenland Ice Sheet. The newly discovered lakes measuring almost 8-10 km2 will help researchers in studying how ice responds to the rapid change in the climate and environment. 
 
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 The study, conducted at the Scott Polar Research Institute (SPRI), University of Cambridge, suggests that in the past the two lakes would have been three times larger than their current size and they probably control the flow of ice sheet thereby impacting the changes in global sea levels. The lakes were spotted using airborne radar measurement. 
 
 "Our results show that subglacial lakes exist in Greenland, and that they form an important part of the ice sheet's plumbing system. Because the way in which water moves beneath ice sheets strongly affects ice flow speeds, improved understanding of these lakes will allow us to predict more accurately how the ice sheet will respond to anticipated future warming," explains the lead author Dr Steven Palmer, formerly of SPRI and now at the University of Exeter. 
 
 On comparing the newly discovered lakes with lakes beneath the Antarctic ice sheets, it is evident that these lakes are formed in a different manner. The surface temperature of the lakes beneath Antarctic ice sheet remain below freezing point throughout the year, whereas the lakes beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet are fed by the melting surface waters that seep through the cracks in the ice. A surface lake placed close may also fill the subglacial lakes during the warm summers. 
 
 These lakes are part of an opens surface system dissimilar to the Antarctic ones, which are part of an isolated ecosystem. 
 
 These are the first lakes to be identified in Greenland, whereas under the Antarctic Ice Sheets more than 400 lakes have been identified. Due to the steeper ice surface in Greenland fewer lakes are formed. That is because the steep surface forces out the water below the ice to the margins. Also the Greenland ice is thinner in comparison to the Antarctica, due to which the temperature at the base of the ice sheet is colder. This factor causes the previously existing lakes to freeze rapidly. On the other hand, the Antarctica ice is thicker and plays the role of an insulating blanket, which prevents the water present beneath the surface from getting frozen. 
 
 The study further explains that, "As many surface melt-water lakes form each summer around the Greenland ice sheet, the possibility exists that similar subglacial lakes may be found elsewhere in Greenland. The way in which water flows beneath the ice sheet strongly influences the speed of ice flow, so the existence of other lakes will have implications for the future of the ice sheet." 
 
 The study was published in the Geophysical Research Letters. 

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 Subglacial lakes found in Greenland for first time: study 
 
 WASHINGTON, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) -- British researchers said Wednesday they have discovered two subglacial lakes 800 meters below the Greenland ice sheet. 
 
 While nearly 400 lakes have been detected beneath the Antarctic ice sheets, these are the first to be identified in Greenland, according to researchers from the University of Cambridge, who used airborne radar measurements to reveal the lakes. 
 
 They reported in the U.S. journal Geophysical Research Letters that the two lakes are each roughly 8 to 10 square kilometers, and at one point may have been up to three times larger than their current size. 
 
 Previously, the absence of lakes in Greenland had been explained by the fact that steeper ice surface in Greenland leads to any water below the ice being "squeezed out" to the margin, the researchers said. 
 
 "Our results show that subglacial lakes exist in Greenland, and that they form an important part of the ice sheet's plumbing system," Lead author Steven Palmer, formerly of the University of Cambridge and now at the University of Exeter, said in a statement. 
 
 "Because the way in which water moves beneath ice sheets strongly affects ice flow speeds, improved understanding of these lakes will allow us to predict more accurately how the ice sheet will respond to anticipated future warming," Palme said. 
 
 The lakes are unusual compared with those detected beneath Antarctic ice sheets, suggesting that they formed in a different manner. 
 
 The researchers proposed that, unlike in Antarctica where surface temperatures remain below freezing all year round, the newly discovered lakes are most likely fed by melting surface water draining through cracks in the ice. 
 
 A surface lake situated nearby may also replenish the subglacial lakes during warm summers, they said. This means that the lakes are part of an open system and are connected to the surface, which is different from Antarctic lakes that are most often isolated ecosystems. 
 
 The ice in Greenland is also thinner than that in Antarctica, resulting in colder temperatures at the base of the ice sheet, the researchers said. This means that any lakes that may have previously existed would have frozen relatively quickly, while the thicker Antarctic ice can act like an insulating blanket, preventing the freezing of water trapped underneath the surface. 
 
 As many surface melt-water lakes form each summer around the Greenland ice sheet, the possibility exists that similar subglacial lakes may be found elsewhere in Greenland, the researchers added. 
 
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 http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/xinhua-news-agency/131127/subglacial-lakes-found-greenland-first-time-study
– For the first time, researchers have discovered lakes underneath the Greenland Ice Sheet. The two newly identified subglacial lakes each measure about 8 to 10 square kilometers, and are nearly 2,625 feet below the surface, according to Science World Report. They were likely much bigger—three times bigger—in the past, and as they likely control ice sheet flow, they also have an effect on global sea level changes. Scientists should be able to use them to study how ice could be affected by climate change. Researchers at the University of Cambridge used airborne radar measurement to locate the lakes, which one calls "an important part of the ice sheet's plumbing system." There are almost 400 known lakes beneath the Antarctic ice sheets, but these are different, Xinhua reports. Specifically, they form differently—they're likely fed by melting water from the surface, unlike in Antarctica, where the surface is always freezing—and are connected to the surface, unlike the typically isolated Antarctic lakes.