Studies on the supraglacial lake located on the Shirase Glacier near the Oku-hyoga Rock

Abstract

On the east side of the Shirase Glacier near the Oku-hyoga Rock, the supraglacial lake has been observed nearly at the same position since January 1962. The lake is 2700m long and 360m wide. The elevation of the lake's surface was measured by altimeter between 56 and 65m above sea level and of the bottom of the lake is 16 to 25m above sea level. The lake water was collected and the specific conductivity of it was measured. The composition of the lake water shows the melted snow or ice, not the sea water. Therefore, the bottom of the lake might not be connected with the sea. The lake may have been formed by a fissure on the glacier ice resulting from the strong shear stresses between the west side of fast moving glacier ice mass in the Shirase Glacier and the east side of ice mass obstructed by the subglacial topography.