Lake Ellsworth is a natural freshwater liquid subglacial lake located in West Antarctica under approximately of ice. It is approximately 10 km long and is estimated to be in depth. The lake is named after the American explorer Lincoln Ellsworth. The surface of the lake itself is located over below sea level. Exploration Lake Ellsworth was discovered in 1996 by British scientist Professor Martin Siegert of the University of Bristol; it is one of 387 known subglacial Antarctic lakes and it is a target site for exploration due to the speculation that new forms of microbial life could have evolved in the unique habitats of Antarctica’s sub-glacial lakes after half a million years of isolation. Life in subglacial lakes would have to adapt to total darkness, low nutrient levels, high water pressure, and isolation from the atmosphere. Subglacial lakes thus represent unique biological habitats. The lake remains liquid deep below the Antarctic surface because the pressure exerted by thousands of meters of ice drives down the freezing point of water. On 2 March 2009 the UK's Natural Environment Research Council authorized a team of British scientists to drill through the overlaying ice to the surface of the lake in December 2012. The drilling was to be overseen by The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research from the International Council for Science (ICSU). The British team spent sixteen years developing the technology to explore the lake using methods that would not lead to chemical or biological contamination. Scientists hoped to use a hot water jet to drill a borehole 36 centimeters (14 inches) wide down through the ice to the lake, to enable a probe to retrieve sediment and water to be analyzed for microorganisms. This would be a test to determine if water correlates with life under extreme pressure, cold and nutrient deficiencies. If the group could not find life, it would inform a limit where there is water and no life. Radar surveys indicated that the lake floor sediments are suitable for coring, which could contain a record of ice sheet history. Scientists think that the sediment and water samples could also hold key information about climate change. In January 2012 the drilling was scheduled to start between November 2012 and January 2013. Depending on the weather, the team expected to drill continuously for 100 hours to reach the lake. On 12 December 2012 the British research team of twelve