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Data from a NASA airborne science mission has revealed an immense and previously unknown canyon hidden under a mile of Greenland ice.
“One might assume that the landscape of the Earth has been fully explored and mapped,” said Jonathan Bamber, professor of physical geography at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom, and lead author of the study published in today's issue of Science. “Our research shows there's still a lot left to discover.”
The canyon has the characteristics of a winding river channel and is at least 460 miles (750 kilometers) long, making it longer than the Grand Canyon. In some places, it is as deep as 2,600 feet (800 meters), on scale with segments of the Grand Canyon.
This immense feature is thought to predate the ice sheet that has covered Greenland for the last few million years.
The scientists used thousands of miles of airborne radar data, collected by NASA and researchers from the United Kingdom and Germany over several decades, to piece together the landscape lying beneath the Greenland ice sheet.
A large portion of this data was collected from 2009 through 2012 by NASA's Operation IceBridge, an airborne science campaign that studies polar ice.
One of IceBridge's scientific instruments, the Multichannel Coherent Radar Depth Sounder, can see through vast layers of ice to measure its thickness and the shape of bedrock below.
In their analysis of the radar data, the team discovered a continuous bedrock canyon that extends from almost the center of the island and ends beneath the Petermann Glacier fjord in northern Greenland. At certain frequencies, radio waves can travel through the ice and bounce off the bedrock underneath.
The amount of times the radio waves took to bounce back helped researchers determine the depth of the canyon. The longer it took, the deeper the bedrock feature.
“Two things helped lead to this discovery,” said Michael Studinger, IceBridge project scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. “It was the enormous amount of data collected by IceBridge and the work of combining it with other datasets into a Greenland-wide compilation of all existing data that makes this feature appear in front of our eyes.”
The researchers believe the canyon plays an important role in transporting sub-glacial meltwater from the interior of Greenland to the edge of the ice sheet into the ocean. Evidence suggests that before the presence of the ice sheet, as much as 4 million years ago, water flowed in the canyon from the interior to the coast and was a major river system.
“It is quite remarkable that a channel the size of the Grand Canyon is discovered in the 21st century below the Greenland ice sheet,” said Studinger. “It shows how little we still know about the bedrock below large continental ice sheets.”
The IceBridge campaign will return to Greenland in March 2014 to continue collecting data on land and sea ice in the Arctic using a suite of instruments that includes ice-penetrating radar.
Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Lake County Public Services announced that the Konocti Regional Trail (KRT) docents will once again be leading hikes to the summit of Wright’s Peak on Mt. Konocti.
The first scheduled hike will be Sunday, Sept. 29.
There will be a total of six hikes open to the public.
Sign ups can be made through the Lake County Parks Office in Lakeport by calling 707-262-1618.
Hikes are limited to 20 people and fill up fast, so call early. Steady rain or unforeseen environmental issues may cancel the hike.
The hikes include a six-mile round trip hike up and down the mountain that is primarily designed for those in generally good physical shape. Appropriate clothing, footwear, food and water are important for participants.
All hikes begin at 8 a.m. at the main parking area located approximately three miles up the mountain after the pavement ends on Konocti Road, just past the turnoff to Mountain Vista Middle School.
The hike lasts about four hours and includes a stop at the Downen Cabin historic area in the canyon oak forest just below the summit.
Participants over 18 years of age, who sign a required waiver of liability as required by the County, will also be able to access the Cal Fire tower on Wright’s Peak for spectacular views of the Clear Lake Basin as well as Mt. Lassen.
Docents leading the hikes are Val Nixon, Mike Riley, Ed Dearing and Hans Dobusch.
The schedule for Fall 2013 is as follows:
- Sunday Sept. 29 (Docents Nixon/Riley);
- Sunday Oct. 13 (Docent Dearing);
- Saturday Oct. 19 (Docents Nixon/Dobusch);
- Sunday Oct. 27 (Docent Dearing);
- Sunday Nov. 3 (Docent Dearing);
- Saturday Nov. 9 (Docents Nixon/Riley).
If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact the Public Services Department at 707-262-1618.
The California interagency effort fighting the spread of invasive quagga and zebra mussels urges boaters to remain vigilant over the three-day Labor Day weekend.
People who launch vessels at any body of water are subject to watercraft inspections and are encouraged to clean, drain and dry their motorized and non-motorized boats, including personal watercraft, and any equipment that comes into contact with the water before and after recreating at a waterway.
“Boaters play an invaluable role in preventing the spread of quagga and zebra mussels,” said California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Director Charlton H. Bonham. “Their continued vigilance will greatly help to protect our state’s aquatic resources.”
Quagga and zebra mussels, non-native freshwater mussels native to Eurasia, multiply quickly and encrust watercraft and infrastructure, and compete for food with native and sport fish species.
These mussels can be spread from one body of water to another attached to nearly anything that has been in an infested waterbody, or via standing water from an infested waterbody entrapped in boat engines, bilges, live-wells and buckets.
To ensure watercraft are clean, drained and dry, many local agencies are conducting boat inspections. CDFW has posted a list of these inspections on its website ( www.dfg.ca.gov/invasives/quaggamussel ) along with additional information about the invasive mussels and what people can do to help prevent their spread in California.
Boaters should call ahead to check for restrictions prior to visiting their destination.
To prevent spreading invasive mussels and to breeze through an inspection, boaters can take a few simple steps before arriving at a water body.
These include inspecting all exposed surfaces, removing all plants and organisms, draining all water, including water contained in lower outboard units, live-wells and bait buckets, and allowing the watercraft to thoroughly dry.
Between launches watercraft should be kept dry for at least five days in warm weather and up to 30 days in cool weather. These measures are essential to safeguard California waterways.
A detailed guide to cleaning vessels of invasive mussels is available on the Division of Boating and Waterways Web site at http://dbw.parks.ca.gov/BoaterInfo/QuaggaLoc.aspx .
Travelers are also advised to be prepared for inspections at California Department of Food and Agriculture Border Protection Stations.
Inspections, which can also be conducted by CDFW and the Department of Parks and Recreation, include a check of boats and personal watercraft, as well as trailers and all onboard items. Contaminated vessels and equipment are subject to quarantine or impoundment.
Quagga mussels were first detected in the Colorado River system in January 2007 and were later found in San Diego and Riverside counties.
They are now known to be in 25 waters in California, all in Southern California. Zebra mussels were discovered in San Justo Reservoir in San Benito County in January 2008.
Both species can attach to and damage virtually any submerged surface. They can:
- Ruin a boat engine by blocking the cooling system and causing it to overheat;
- Jam a boat’s steering equipment, putting occupants and others at risk;
- Require frequent scraping and repainting of boat hulls;
- Colonize all underwater substrates such as boat ramps, docks, lines and other underwater surfaces, causing them to require constant cleaning;
- Cost the owners of these items a lot of money.
A multi-agency effort that includes CDFW, the Department of Parks and Recreation/Division of Boating and Waterways, Department of Water Resources and Department of Food and Agriculture has been leading an outreach campaign to alert the public to the quagga and zebra mussel threats.
A toll-free hotline at 1-866-440-9530 is available for those seeking information on quagga or zebra mussels.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – This week, following the service of search warrants, Lake County Sheriff's detectives – assisting the US Marshal's Service – took a Florida man wanted on a fugitive warrant into custody, and also arrested a Lucerne man.
Nathan Lee Steffen, 35, of Fort Meyers, Fla., and 31-year-old Charles Daniel Wilson of Lucerne were arrested on Thursday, according to Lt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
Brooks said that on Monday, the Lake County Sheriff’s Major Crimes Unit was contacted by officials with the United States Marshal’s Service, who asked if the sheriff’s office would assist them with the service of a felony justice warrant on Steffen.
The deputy marshals and Lake County Sheriff's detectives were in constant communication while tracking the fugitive, who was eventually located in Lucerne, Brooks said.
On Thursday, detectives secured a search warrant for a residence in the 6000 block of 14th Avenue in Lucerne where Steffen was believed to be hiding, according to Brooks.
At 12:30 a.m. Thursday, while detectives were en route to serve the warrant, the fugitive entered a vehicle, which left the residence as detectives arrived, Brooks said.
Brooks said the Lake County Sheriff’s Narcotic Task Force, along with the Major Crimes Unit detectives, conducted an enforcement stop of the vehicle and took Steffen into custody.
Inside the vehicle detectives located a US Postal Box, which was addressed to an individual in Tampa. Steffen told detectives that the box contained between four and five ounces of marijuana, Brooks said.
When asked why he was sending marijuana back to Florida, Steffen told detectives he was just trying to pay his bills. Brooks said Steffen also told detectives that he was on his way to the post office to mail the box of marijuana when he was pulled over.
During the investigation, detectives were able to locate a large residential marijuana grow at the residence, which was secured until another search warrant could be obtained. At approximately 2 p.m. detectives secured the second search warrant and served it at the 14th Avenue address, Brooks said.
When detectives entered the residence, Brooks said they located and detained Wilson, who admitted to cultivating 10 marijuana plants located in the yard.
During the search detectives located 15 marijuana plants growing outside. Brooks said they also located 60 mature marijuana plants growing inside the garage.
When detectives asked Wilson about the indoor grow, he told them he wanted to talk to his attorney, according to Brooks.
Brooks said approximately 63 ounces of processed marijuana was located inside the residence in several different areas. All of the processed marijuana and the marijuana plants were seized as evidence.
Steffen was arrested for possession of marijuana for sales, the cultivation of marijuana and his out-of-state warrant, Brooks said, while Wilson was arrested for possession of marijuana for sales and the cultivation of marijuana.
Both Steffen and Wilson were transported to the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility and booked, Brooks said.
The Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force can be contacted through its anonymous tip line at 707-263-3663.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The annual Lake County Fair Parade took place on Thursday night, officially opening the fair.
The parade wound its way through downtown Lakeport before arriving at the main gate, where Duane and Dorothy Furman of Scotts Valley, the parade's grand marshals, cut the ribbon to officially open the event.
See highlights of the annual parade and the groups and individuals involved in the video compilation above.
The fair runs through Sunday night. The schedule for the remaining three days is here, http://bit.ly/194FGRd .
Visit www.lakecountyfair.com for more information.
CLEARLAKE PARK, Calif. – Firefighters contained a wildland fire burning in Clearlake Park Friday afternoon.
The fire was reported at around 2 p.m. on Lakeshore Drive and San Joaquin Avenue, according to radio reports.
It was reported contained at nearly seven acres just before 3:30 p.m.
Cal Fire and Lake County Fire held unified command on the incident, with Northshore Fire also sending resources, reports from the scene indicated.
Cal Fire air tankers, air attack and a helicopter worked the fire, as radio reports indicated the winds were picking up.
Reports from the scene indicated resources were to remain on scene into the early evening.
Email Elizabeth Larson at