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Slide 6: Lake Vanda is formed from summer snowmelt carried from the Polar Plateau by the Onyx River.  A small lake, measuring only 5 miles long by slightly more than a mile wide, with a maximum depth of more than 250 feet, it is permanently covered by about 13 feet of ice. Because of solar heating through the ice, the water temperature at the lake bottom of Lake Vanda averages around 78 deg. F with some areas having temperatures as high as 113 deg. F!  The lake is also divided by salinity and density - the surface is freshwater, while the salinity at the lake bottom is about 6%. The density difference keeps the lake waters from mixing.  In recent years, the level of Lake Vanda has been rising about 3 feet a year.  The volume of meltwater carried by the Onyx River has more than doubled in the last ten years.  There is speculation that global warming, may be causing increased melting of the Antarctic glaciers.  New Zealand has been studying this area of Antarctica intensely and has a website dedicated to helping school children learn more about the region, including Lake Vanda.  See also the ICAIR Gateway to Antarctica site which has many resources.