'Lake Vanda' is a
lake in
Wright Valley,
Victoria Land,
Ross Dependency,
Antarctica. The lake is 5 km long and has a maximum depth of 69 m.
[1] On its shore,
New Zealand maintained
Vanda Station from 1968 to 1995. Lake Vanda is a
hypersaline lake with a salinity more than ten times that of seawater
[1]. It is only one of the many saline lakes in the ice-free valleys of the
Transantarctic Mountains. The largest
river of Antarctica,
Onyx River, flows West into Lake Vanda. There is a meteorological station at the mouth of the river. There are no fish in Onyx River or Lake Vanda. The only life is microorganisms.
Lake
Vanda Station was well known for The Royal Lake Vanda Swim Club. Visitors to Lake Vanda Station could dip into the subfreezing temperature waters (high salinity keeps it from actually turning into ice) and receive a Royal Lake Vanda Swim Club shoulder patch. Many dignitaries and politicians were inducted into the club.
Notes
1. Mathez, Edmond A.. "Cold Fire". July-August 2005. Natural History. 15 Dec 2006
References