Ss. Abyzov et al., THE ICE-SHEET OF CENTRAL ANTARCTICA AS AN OBJECT OF STUDY OF PAST ECOLOGICAL EVENTS ON THE EARTH, Izvestia Akademii nauk SSSR. Seria biologiceskaa, (5), 1998, pp. 610-616
Microbiological studies of the Central Antarctica glacier have reveale
d a diverse microflora in all layers: from the surface to the ancient
located at a depth of-about 3000 m and approximately 250000 years old.
The total number of microbial cells in all studied horizons of the gl
acier varied within the limits of 10(2)-10(3) cells per cm(3) of ice.
The abundance of microorganisms in different horizons of the glacier v
aried by an order of magnitude. Comparison of these data with the resu
lts of glaciological studies has shown a direct relationship between t
he number of microbial cells in the studied glacier layers and climati
c changes on the Earth during different periods of its geological hist
ory.