Mysterious Blood Waterfall in Antarctica Finally Solved; Scientists Discovered Why Taylor Glacier Bleeds Red Drool

From 1910 to 1913, a Terra Nova Expedition was conducted in Antarctica under Captain Robert Scott. In this mission, geographer and meteorologist Thomas Griffith Taylor from Essex, England was selected as senior geologist. It was during this quest that he discovered a unique waterfall flowing from beneath the Taylor Glacier which turns blood-red upon getting into contact with air. Since then, this phenomenon has been considered a strange feature that mystifies scientists.

The Real Culprit Behind the Red Waterfall

It has been known that salt concentration combined with the pressure at the base of the Taylor Glacier maintains water flow even at low temperatures. However, it is still a mystery why its color suddenly changes. Most of the time, the formation of scarlet color of rocks or springs is attributed to the weathering of iron-rich minerals such as magnetite, goethite, and hematite.

In the 1960s, there were studies which claimed to have discovered small traces of these minerals in the water samples taken from the glacier. However, scientists were not able to explain the formation of blood-red color.

Another possible explanation behind this mystery is the mass abundance of red ice algae in the melting chunks of ice. The problem with this theory is that even if carbon traces are found, there is still no confirmed presence of algae.

In 2017, a study was conducted by a team of scientists led by the University of Alaska Fairbanks and Colorado College. Using combined analytical techniques, they investigated the subglacial and englacial hydrologic system in Taylor Glacier. Using pulseEKKO PRO ground-penetrating radar, they found out that a buried saltwater reservoir made of a channel of bedrock fissures and ice tunnels feed the waterfall at the glacier's snout. Then the researchers took water and soil samples from the Blood Falls and studied them under a Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), an equipment that effectively magnifies specimens up to 2 million times.

The analysis led to the discovery of tiny spheres as small as a few nanometers in diameter floating in the water samples. After subjecting them to X-ray analysis, it was revealed that the spheres are made up of iron, aluminum, silica, sodium, calcium, and other elements. These nanospheres were missed by previous studies due to their extremely small size. Since they do not have crystalline structure, they cannot be detected by standard analytical methods used by mineralogists.

The result of the study suggests that iron plays a significant role in the mysterious color change of the Blood Falls, but not as previously thought. The red drool is not caused by free iron atoms or iron-rich minerals that come in contact with oxygen, but the presence of iron in the nanospheres tend to form iron-oxides and iron-hydroxides as soon as the meltwater becomes exposed to air.

Effects of Glacial Meltwater in Antarctica

Glacial meltwater is an important element of the glacial system. It is derived from the melting of ice in one of three locations: on the ice surface, at the bed, and within the glacier. The glacial mass melts when there is enough heat to turn the ice into its liquid form. This heat can come from solar heat, friction from ice flow, and geothermal heat.

In glacier hydrology, water flows through glaciers and ice sheets. By describing the sources of meltwater on glaciers and ice sheets, experts can explain the way water is stored in and is transported through ice chunks.

Due to the factors attributed with this event, glacial meltwater is seen as a possible indicator of climate change. This phenomenon is known to have an influence in the marine environment by affecting ocean circulation and triggering a rise in the sea level.

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