The report comes not a moment too soon. In the past couple of years there has been a sea change in how scientists think about Vostok and its sub-glacial brethren.
Recent studies on changing elevations of the surface ice in and around the lakes have revealed that Vostok is not as isolated as once thought. Instead, it and the other lakes are tied to an enormous network of subglacial waterways that can push the surface ice up and down. That action may have created huge outbursts of water in coastal areas in the not-too-distant past.
And since Antarctica holds the world's largest reserve of fresh water, knowing more about the workings of that subglacial hydrological system is critical for understanding how it might respond to global warming.
"Suddenly the lakes are important on a much larger scale," said Robin Bell, a subglacial lake researcher at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University in New York. "Used to be (Vostok) was just a novelty. Over the last decade it's become important for our planet."
Russian researchers are moving ahead with plans to penetrate Lake Vostok, said Kennicutt, and a team of scientists from the U.K. is getting closer to doing so at Lake Ellsworth.
"Other countries are doing their own things," said Kennicutt. "We hope (the NAS report) will set a standard."
