- Study is the first evidence of a lake of liquid water on Mars still in existence today
- Subsurface lake spans 12 miles (20km) and is buried a mile (1.5km) underground
- It was uncovered by scientists using radar to probe the planet's icy south pole
- The reservoir is an ideal environment for the growth of alien life, experts claim
An underground lake of liquid water has been discovered on Mars for the first time in a landmark discovery that bolsters the possibility of extra-terrestrial life.
The reservoir, which spans 12 miles (20km) and is buried a mile (1.6km) underground, was uncovered by scientists using radar to probe the planet's icy south pole.
Despite the triangle-shaped lake sitting at a hyper-cooled -68°C (-90°F), scientists believe the water is kept in liquid form as a 'sludge-like' salty brine.
The discovery is the first proof of a liquid water on Mars that still exists today – an environment scientists say is ideal for the growth of microbial life.
Experts said the 'stunning' find could provide the first evidence of life outside of Earth, and will serve as a key target for future missions to the red planet, potentially providing a key resource for future human settlements.
A hidden lake of liquid water has been found on Mars for the first time in a landmark discovery that bolsters the possibility of life on the red planet. Pictured is the lake uncovered by radar readings (left), as well as its position on the Martian south pole (right)
The presence of the underground lake was discovered by scientists at the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF), in Rome.
Following the discovery, Warwick Holmes, an aerospace engineer at the University of Sydney, said future spacecraft missions to Mars will be working 'very hard' to design methods to sample liquid from the newly discovered lake.
As it stands, current generation technologies do not allow for drills to penetrate deep enough to reach the liquid water in the lake.
Despite this, Mr Holmes remained cautiously optimistic.
'This is currently our best, albeit slim chance of discovering life elsewhere in our solar system,' he said.
The liquid water was found using data from the European Space Agency's Mars Express probe, which has orbited the red planet since 2003, and was the first planetary mission launched by the Paris-based agency.
Researchers used the probe's Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding (Marsis) instrument to explore the planet's polar ice caps.
The device sends radar signals that penetrate the ice at the planet's surface, and measures how the radio waves spread and reflect back to the probe.
The reservoir, which spans 12 miles (20km) and is buried a mile (1.6km) underground, was uncovered by scientists using radar to probe the planet's icy south pole. Pictured are radar readings (coloured) and the outline of the feature they uncovered (black)
As it stands, current space exploration technologies would not allow for drills to penetrate deep enough to reach the lake. Pictured is an image taken by Mars Express probe of the Martian southern polar ice cap
Reflected waves sent back by the planet's subsurface features help scientists to map what lies deep below the Martian crust.
In a study spanning three and a half years, INAF astronomer Dr Roberto Orosei and colleagues used Marsis to survey a region called Planum Australe, located in the southern ice cap of Mars.
They gathered 29 sets of radar samplings, mapping out a large area that showed a sharp change in its radar signals compared to its surrounding area.
The region sits almost a mile (1.6km) below the Martian surface and measures 12 miles (20km) across.
Marsis wasn't able to determine how deep the layer of water might be, but the research team estimate that it is a minimum of one metre (3.2ft).
Outside experts have not yet been able to confirm the findings with other radar detections, like SHARAD, the Shallow Radar sounder onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
The radar profile of the region resembles bodies of water found beneath the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets on Earth.
Scientists said similarities between subsurface lakes on Earth and the region they explored suggest the Martian anomaly is itself an underground reservoir.
HOW DOES A LAKE ON MARS CHANGE WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT LIFE ON THE RED PLANET?
Liquid water is known to be one of the key components to life as we know it, and scientists have spent decades searching for it on Mars.
If a large, permanent of body of water exists on the red planet then it has a good chance of hosting microbial life.
Researchers had long speculated liquid water is present under the planet's surface, but lacked solid evidence to confirm this.
A new finding from a team of Italian scientists suggests a subsurface lake that stretches 12 miles (20km) long is hidden beneath the Martian south pole.
The discovery is the first evidence of a lake of liquid water on Mars that still exists today – an environment scientists believe is ideal for the growth of life.
While the lake exists at a hostile temperature of -68°C (-90°F), microbes could grow there, as they do in similar environments on Earth, scientists said.
Dr Brendan Burns, a microbiologist and astrobiologist from The University of New South Wales, who was not involved in the research, said: 'While the surface of Mars is inhospitable, there is the fascinating possibility that microbial life could survive and flourish in sub-glacial Martian waters.'The discovery finally provides conclusive proof that Mars holds a large body of water capable of hosting microscopic, alien life.
Scientists had debated for decades whether subtle signs of water beneath the planet's surface were evidence of intermittent streams or an enduring river or lake.
Professor Alan Duffy, an astronomer at Swinburne University in Melbourne, Australia who was not involved in the study, said: 'This is a stunning result that suggests water on Mars is not a temporary trickle like previous discoveries but a persistent body of water that provides the conditions for life for extended periods of time.
'The underground water might exist as a lake trapped beneath rock layers or mixed in with Martian soil to create a salty sludge, but either way at 20 kilometre across there is a lot of it.'
Though the lake's water could drop to temperatures as low as -68°C (-90°F), its subsurface lake remains liquid.
The discovery is the first evidence of a lake of liquid water on Mars that still exists today. The study combined radar reflection data (top image shows data as a cross section of Mars) from the planet's surface (red in bottom image) and the lake's base (blue in bottom image)
Scientists at the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics in Rome uncovered the subsurface lake using data from the European Space Agency's Mars Express probe (artist's impression)
Scientists said dissolving Martian rock could provide the reservoir with a constant supply of magnesium, calcium, and sodium salts.
Together with the pressure of the overlying ice, this lowers the melting point, allowing the lake to remain liquid, as happens on Earth.
Scientists said the find provides strong evidence for the existence of life on the red planet.
WHAT PROOF HAS BEEN FOUND OF LIQUID WATER ON MARS?
How important is the presence of liquid water?
It is now widely believed that Mars holds a reasonably large volume of water.
However, the surface of the planet is so cold, this water exists only as ice.
In order for life to exist on a planet, many scientists believe it is essential for the world to possess liquid water.
Ever since technology has enabled mankind to gaze at Mars in detail, humans have been looking for indications that there was water on the red planet.
Did water used to flow on the surface of Mars?
The Mariner 9 mission revealed clues of water erosion in river beds and canyons, as well as evidence of weather fronts and fogs on Mars in 1971.
Later missions from the Viking orbiters, which first launched in 1975, revealed yet more details about how water flowed on the surface and carved valleys.
Several studies investigated the presence of liquid water for decades. In 2000, the first proof of liquid water on Mars was discovered.
It was claimed the gullies seen on the surface of the planet had to have been formed by flowing water.
Scientists cited the debris and mud deposits left behind as evidence for moving water existing at some point in the history of the red planet.
However, the formation of these gullies has been hotly debated throughout the ensuing years.
Proof of ice in geological samples from Mars
Spirit and Opportunity, the twin rovers, found evidence of the presence of water enclosed in rock in 2007, when one of Spirit's wheels broke and gorged a piece of stone.
Analysis of the silica-rich layer discovered in the scratch suggested it formed in the presence of liquid water.
In 2008, the Phoenix lander was gathering geological samples, and they disappeared after a few days.
Scientists thought these were pieces of ice. This assessment was confirmed when the lander later detected water vapour in a sample.
In 2012, Curiosity was meandering over an ancient martian seabed when it examined a number of rocks that were exposed to liquid water billions of years ago.
'While the surface of Mars is inhospitable, there is the fascinating possibility that microbial life could survive and flourish in sub-glacial Martian waters.'
The reservoir could one day serve to help human colonies on the red planet thrive.
Dr Brad Tucker, a researcher at the Mt. Stromlo Observatory at the Australian National University in Canberra, said the lake's water 'could be used as a resource' by any humans who eventually inhabit the planet.
Scientists had debated for decades whether subtle signs of water beneath the planet's surface were evidence of intermittent streams or an enduring river or lake. Researchers had previously found dried up ancient lakes on the red planet, like the one pictured
But according to some scientists, the underground lake is likely to deep for humans to reach using current technologies.
Professor Bobby Braun, a scientist at the University of Colorado and former chief technologist at Nasa, told National Geographic: 'I think it's very unlikely the first humans on Mars are going to drill down to several kilometers.'
'But I think it's probably true that if this is a lake, there are other bodies of water like it that are perhaps closer to the surface.
'If we knew that there was a big body of water at tens of meters down, that would be something you'd certainly want to know about when you're planning a base camp.'
Also in the way of further exploration are UN regulations set up to protect planets from contamination.
Nathalie Cabrol of the SETI Institute said the lake would be a 'very problematic' place to explore due to the sactions, designed to stop human explorers from accidentally killing off microbes in habitable regions of other plants.
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