Organic Lake

Organic Lake is a lake in the Vestfold Hills in eastern Antarctica. It was formed 6,000 years ago when sea levels were higher; it is isolated, rather shallow (7.5m), meromictic, a few hundred meters in diameter and has extremely salty water. It has the highest recorded concentration of dimethyl sulfide in any natural body of water.[1][2]

In 2011, a new species of virophage (a satellite virus that impairs the ability of its co-infective host virus to replicate) was discovered in Organic Lake, the Organic Lake virophage. It is a parasite of a phycodnavirus, a large virus that infects algae and belongs to the nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 "'Virus-eater' discovered in Antarctic lake". Nature News. 28 March 2011.
  2. ↑ Franzmann, PD; PP Deprez; HR Burton; J van den Hoff (1987-01-01). "Limnology of Organic Lake, Antarctica, a meromictic lake that contains high concentrations of dimethyl sulfide". Mar. Freshwater Res. 38 (3): 409–417.

Coordinates: 68°27′23″S 78°11′23.5″E / 68.45639°S 78.189861°E / -68.45639; 78.189861

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