Antarctic Subglacial Lakes as Environmental Analogues for Possible Hidden Biospheres on the Moons Europa and Enceladus

Abstract: The evolving science of astrobiology for the search for life beyond Earth has put focus on the possibility of subsurface bodies of liquid water beneath the surface of icy moons within our Solar System. Specifically, the Jovian moon of Europa and the Saturnian moon of Enceladus show telling characteristics of endogenous heating through their complex tidal resonances with their parent planets – suggesting the presence of oceans of liquid water and therefore a potential for astrobiology. Today, the planning of upcoming satellite missions to guarantee the identification of completely unknown, possibly habitable environments has become an intriguing task for space agencies worldwide. A method of guidance, ground-truthing, debugging and testing of the viability of planned satellite missions is to utilize relatively accessible analogue environments on the Earth. Fortunately, the research of Antarctic subglacial water environments has been acknowledged as the most suitable analogues to the environments of Europa and Enceladus. Given its recorded motions of ice dynamics, erosion, complex thermal systems, and occasions of sampled microbes within – these sensitive, exotic environments beneath the Antarctic ice bed are currently assessed for their suitability as habitats for extremophilic microorganisms, which may provide important insights into the potential existence of habitats, perhaps even life, on icy moons. Ultimately, viable lessons can be drawn from the research of Antarctic subglacial environments given the uncovering of reliable sanitary methodologies that are going to be required during future approaches and sampling of natural systems of extraterrestrial subglacial environments in order to minimize irreparable anthropogenic disturbances on any potential astrobiology. Regardless of the question if the future investigation of Europa’s and Enceladus environments is going to reveal astrobiology within beneath their icy surfaces; this investigation is going to be of invaluable information for the improving familiarity of physical systems beyond Earth.