Ecology of Hidden Lake

A small crew of scientists exploring the planet Ilion discovered this unique habitat when one of them broke through the surface and fell into the deep waters below. She had to jettison her oxygen tank to swim back up, but was otherwise none the worse for wear (read her account of the event here [link] ). The team's biologist later drew this diagram based on samples taken from the location and wrote up his speculation on how it all works.

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Ecology of the Hidden Lake

What at first appeared to be a marsh turned out to be lake, blanketed almost entirely in a floating layer of vegetation. The habitat is uniquely Ilian, and thus worthy of continued study.

Central to the system is a colony of tightly interwoven red plants known as buoyphytes. As the name suggests, their air-filed bladders are necessary to keep the mat afloat. Any creature that tries to eat into the bladder is likely to drown in a bath of digestive enzymes; this is probably more effective as a defensive strategy than a nutrient source. Ammonia (a source of nitrogen) is already as abundant in the water as it is in the air. This does not mean, however, that the buoyphyte can survive on photosynthesis alone. In the absence of soil, the plant must trap and consume aquatic life in order to obtain phosphorus, bromine, sulfur, lead, calcium, iron, and other essential nutrients.

On the surface, lightweight wildlife can graze on the buoyphyte foliage as well as any other plants that may be growing out of the thin topsoil. Heavier animals such as the star walrus may deliberately break through the mat to hunt in the warm waters. A mold-like organism carpets the underwater surface, catching and decomposing detritus from the surface. The mold is a major food source for waterborne microbes, which in turn provide the foundation for the lake’s substantial animal population.

- Alex O'Hearn

Naming Rights

We had a nice jaunt at my favorite lake today. Delightfully uneventful, even. This time, we followed the ravine to where it empties (that is, vanishes) into the lake. Most of the hike was spent making jokes at my expense, some of which were admittedly pretty funny. “One tank for me, one for Alex, and two for Erin, just in case.” In fact, we brought three extra oxygen cans so we could stay out longer, and left them on what I’m assuming was solid ground before venturing carefully onto the mat.

“Who needs a net to catch the worms when you can just go for a swim and see what sticks?” Indeed, we ended up doing exactly that, too. Alex volunteered to unhook himself from his tank and swim around a bit, which is good because I sure as hell wasn’t volunteering. We learned about proper spoonworm removal – submerge them in a jar of water until they detach on their own. We learned that even to a trained astronaut, swimming in the covered lake is an incredibly claustrophobic experience. Alex was stuttering and shuddering when we pulled him out of the water, and I stopped being the butt of all the jokes from then on.

We spent the walk home throwing out ideas for a new name for the place. After all, “Marcario Marsh” is nothing short of misleading to whoever might follow our footsteps in the future. We’re going for something more descriptive, and we all have our favorites:

Trapdoor Lake
Hidden Lake
Lake Surprise!
Pond of Pondering Your Mortality
New Lake Deception
Lake Holy-Hell-I’m-Underwater-And-I-Can’t-See-My-Feet-Is-That-A-Shark-Yes-It’s-A-Shark-Oh-Shit

- Erin Carellos (Day 7)
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I drew this with a rolling-ball pen and scanned it in black and white into MS paint, where I added the labels. I might color in the original drawing with watercolor now that I've got a black and white scan saved on my computer.

Read Odyssey here [link]