British Antarctic Survey - in pictures

The shines night and day in the Antarctic during December, but the temperatures are far below freezing Photograph: British Antarctic Survey

A plane with special skis delivers supplies to the camp above the subglacial lake Photograph: British Antarctic Survey

Scientists raise the union flag above Ellsworth Photograph: British Antarctic Survey

The team melt snow to make tea in a tent that houses the kitchen, dining area and office facilities, around which there are a handful of smaller tents for sleeping Photograph: British Antarctic Survey

The UK team will spend this week preparing for a three-day drilling operation, which is due to start on 12 December. They will use a sterile hot water drill to bore down to the subglacial lake to retrieve samples of water and sediments Photograph: British Antarctic Survey

Some of the samples they recover may have been isolated from the rest of the world for a million years Photograph: British Antarctic Survey

Break time for the deep field team, which consists of Andy Webb, Riet van de Velde, Chris Hill and Andy Tait. They will spend six weeks on the ice Photograph: British Antarctic Survey

A snowcat vehicle will help the team traverse the ice in the harsh Antarctic conditions Photograph: British Antarctic Survey

The crew wash up at base camp Photograph: British Antarctic Survey

Scientists want to know first whether life can endure such harsh environments, and if it can, how Photograph: British Antarctic Survey

Lake Ellsworth is one of more than 360 subglacial lakes in Antarctica that formed when gentle heat from the planet's interior melted the base of an overlying glacier Photograph: British Antarctic Survey