Lake Vida

Lake Vida
Map of approximate location
Coordinates	77°23′S 161°56′E / 77.383°S 161.933°E / -77.383; 161.933Coordinates: 77°23′S 161°56′E / 77.383°S 161.933°E / -77.383; 161.933
Lake type	Endorheic
Primary inflows	Victoria River, Kite Stream, Dune Creek
Primary outflows	none
Catchment area	Vida Basin
Basin countries	(Antarctica)
Max. length	5.4 km (3.4 mi)
Max. width	1.7 km (1.1 mi)
Surface area	6.8 km2 (2.6 sq mi)
Average depth	undetermined
Max. depth	undetermined
Water volume	undetermined
Surface elevation	349 m (1,145 ft)
Islands	0 (none)
Settlements	Lake Vida Camp

Lake Vida is a hypersaline lake in Victoria Valley, the northernmost of the large McMurdo Dry Valleys, on the continent of Antarctica. It is isolated under year-round ice cover, and is considerably more saline than seawater. It came to public attention in 2002 when microbes frozen in its ice cover for more than 2,800 years were successfully thawed and reanimated.

Lake Vida is one of the largest lakes in the McMurdo Dry Valley region and is a closed-basin endorheic lake. The permanent surface ice on the lake is the thickest non-glacial ice on earth, reaching a depth of at least 21 metres (69 ft). The ice at depth is saturated with brine that is seven times as saline as seawater. The high salinity allows the brine to remain liquid at an average yearly water temperature of −13 °C (9 °F). The ice cap has sealed the saline brine from external air and water for thousands of years creating a time capsule for ancient DNA. This combination of lake features make Lake Vida a unique lacustrine ecosystem on Earth.

The lake gained widespread recognition in December 2002 when a research team, led by the University of Illinois at Chicago's Peter Doran, announced the discovery of 2,800‑year‑old halophile microbes (primarily filamentous cyanobacteria) preserved in ice layer core samples drilled in 1996. The microbes reanimated upon thawing, grew and reproduced. Due to this discovery and the freezing mechanisms forming Lake Vida's ice-seal, Lake Vida is now noted as a location for research into Earth's climate and life under extreme conditions, specifically the fauna that could have existed on Mars. The unmanned Lake Vida Meteorological Station monitors climate conditions around the lake year round for such scientific study.