[{"awards": "2332108 Loewy, Staci", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-180 -60,-144 -60,-108 -60,-72 -60,-36 -60,0 -60,36 -60,72 -60,108 -60,144 -60,180 -60,180 -63,180 -66,180 -69,180 -72,180 -75,180 -78,180 -81,180 -84,180 -87,180 -90,144 -90,108 -90,72 -90,36 -90,0 -90,-36 -90,-72 -90,-108 -90,-144 -90,-180 -90,-180 -87,-180 -84,-180 -81,-180 -78,-180 -75,-180 -72,-180 -69,-180 -66,-180 -63,-180 -60))", "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Thu, 27 Feb 2025 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Technical Abstract This research evaluates whether the small Coats Land crustal block of East Antarctica is a tectonic tracer linking Kalahari and southern Laurentia within the Neoproterozoic supercontinent of Rodinia across an orogenic suture. A Pan-African (~600 Ma) suture separates the small Coats Land block from the main Mawson Craton indicating that this crustal block had an independent pre-Pan-African history. Existing data from the miniscule outcrops of bedrock in Coats Land provide critical clues to that paleogeography, suggesting that Laurentia collided with Kalahari across the Grenville-Namaqua/Natal-Maud orogen. The Coats Land block has only three small groups of bedrock exposures, two form nunataks and the third occurs in a cliff face. The two nunataks comprise granophyre and rhyolite contemporaneous with the ca. 1.1 Ga Keweenawan, mid-continent rift, volcanics of Laurentia and its proposed southwestern extension in El Paso, TX. Moreover, the Pb isotopes of the Coats Land and Keweenawan rocks are identical, and paleomagnetic data are broadly supportive of the Coats Land block having been located adjacent to the present southern margin of the Laurentian craton. Metamorphic rocks from the cliff face exposure lithologically resemble basement rocks of the El Paso, TX. The proposed research will further existing geochemical and geochronologic studies of specimens previously collected from Coats Land and new and existing samples of rocks collected near El Paso, Texas for detailed comparison. Analyses include zircon U-Pb dating and Hf and O isotope analysis, and whole rock geochemistry and Pb, Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr isotope analysis. This research will make maximum use of existing material from this extremely remote part of Antarctica to test this hypothesis. Researchers will collaborate with 2 well-established education-outreach programs in the Jackson School of Geosciences at The University of Texas at Austin. Undergraduate research assistants will be recruited from the Jackson Scholars Program (JSP). Researchers will provide a field- and lab-based seminar on reconstructing Rodinia for the JSP and will conduct research with high school students during GeoFORCE 12th grade summer academy. Non-technical Abstract This research evaluates whether the small Coats Land crustal block of East Antarctica is a piece of ancestral North America (Laurentia) that was transferred to southern Africa (Kalahari) during ~ 1 Ga collision, and subsequent breakup, of the two continents during the formation of the ancient supercontinent of Rodinia. Coats Land is separated from the adjacent Mawson Craton of Antarctica by ~600 Ma continental sutures indicating that Coats Land had an independent history prior to 600 Ma. Existing data from the miniscule outcrops of bedrock in Coats Land provide critical clues to that paleogeography, suggesting that Laurentia collided with Kalahari. The Coats Land block has only three small groups of bedrock exposures, two form nunataks and the third occurs in a cliff face. The two nunataks comprise granophyre and rhyolite contemporaneous with the ca. 1.1 Ga Keweenawan, mid-continent rift, volcanics of Laurentia and its proposed southwestern extension in El Paso, TX. Moreover, the Pb isotopes of the Coats Land and Keweenawan rocks are identical, and paleomagnetic data are broadly supportive of the Coats Land block having been located adjacent to the present southern margin of the Laurentian craton. Metamorphic rocks from the cliff face exposure lithologically resemble basement rocks of the El Paso, TX. The proposed research will further existing geochemical and geochronologic studies of specimens previously collected from Coats Land and new and existing samples of rocks collected near El Paso, Texas for detailed comparison. Analyses include zircon U-Pb dating and Hf and O isotope analysis, and whole rock geochemistry and Pb, Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr isotope analysis. This research will make maximum use of existing material from this extremely remote part of Antarctica to test this hypothesis. Researchers will collaborate with 2 well-established education-outreach programs in the Jackson School of Geosciences at The University of Texas at Austin. Undergraduate research assistants will be recruited from the Jackson Scholars Program (JSP). Researchers will provide a field- and lab-based seminar on reconstructing Rodinia for the JSP and will conduct research with high school students during GeoFORCE 12th grade summer academy. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": 180.0, "geometry": "POINT(0 -89.999)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Coats Land; Geochronology; ISOTOPES; Rodina; zircons; Paleogeography; Isotopes; PLATE TECTONICS; Texas", "locations": "Coats Land; Texas; Rodina", "north": -60.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Loewy, Staci; Dalziel, Ian W.", "platforms": null, "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": -90.0, "title": "Antarctica within Rodinia: Testing the Laurentia Connection", "uid": "p0010500", "west": -180.0}, {"awards": "2418105 Zoet, Lucas", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Thu, 10 Oct 2024 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Glaciers move in response to gravity pulling them downhill and much of the resistance to this motion is supplied by the bedrock that they sit on. For fast moving glaciers this motion is largely the result of basal ice sliding over and around bedrock bumps, and the specific processes at the ice-bed interface that facilitate this sliding play a dominant role in setting the glacier speed. Sliding atop the ice-bed interface is known to create cavities (pockets of water) downstream of bedrock bumps. These cavities facilitate water flow, control areas of ice-bed contact, regulate basal drag, dictate subglacial erosion, and affect ice mechanics in general. Thus, the length and shape of cavities (geometry) as they separate from the bed is of fundamental importance in glaciology. This project will determine the fundamental processes that set the shapes of those cavities. This work will benefit the scientific community by producing improved estimates to basal sliding and subglacial hydrology which are two of the main uncertainties in glacier-flow modeling. It will also lead to a better understanding of subglacial erosion which effectively controls the basal bump geometries. This in turn will lead to improved understanding of the fundamentals of glacier and ice-sheet dynamics. Therefore, the outcome of the project could ultimately improve future projections of sea-level rise, benefitting society at large. In addition, this project will train a postdoctoral researcher and undergraduate students from tribal institutions. This project will: 1) Use a novel experimental device to generate a cavity geometry data set for a range of independent controls; and 2) Use the results from part one to constrain numerical models that will allow for the exploration of a greater range of parameter space than is possible in the physical experiments alone. Using a novel cryogenic ring-shear device, this project will systematically assess three likely controls on cavity geometry: effective stress, sliding speed, and bump geometry, while simultaneously tracking strain indicators within the ice and the geometry of the cavity through the transparent walls of the device. These experiments will be conducted with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, state-of-the-art ring-shear device and represent the first instance where all three parameters\u2019 effects on the resultant cavity geometry can be measured simultaneously. The lab experiment findings of cavity geometry and strain rates within the ice will be used to help constrain the process-based numerical modeling of cavity formation. The numerical simulations of ice flow around obstacles will provide information about the stress and strain distribution within the ice, and from this data we can explore the ability of existing theories to predict cavity geometry for fast-flowing ice. The physics within the numerical model will be updated as needed to incorporate processes such as a stress dependent ice rheology or changes in the ice-bed contact physics that are currently unaccounted for. Outcomes will be 1) a detailed understanding of the physics that govern cavity geometry and 2) a simple parameterization of the lab and modeling results that can be easily incorporated into glaciological models for improved estimates of subglacial sliding, hydrology, and erosion. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "GLACIER MOTION/ICE SHEET MOTION; Madison, WI", "locations": "Madison, WI", "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Zoet, Lucas", "platforms": null, "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Determining the Controls on Subglacial Cavity Geometry", "uid": "p0010481", "west": null}, {"awards": "1939139 Scherer, Reed; 1939146 Siddoway, Christine", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-120 -66,-117.5 -66,-115 -66,-112.5 -66,-110 -66,-107.5 -66,-105 -66,-102.5 -66,-100 -66,-97.5 -66,-95 -66,-95 -67.1,-95 -68.2,-95 -69.3,-95 -70.4,-95 -71.5,-95 -72.6,-95 -73.7,-95 -74.8,-95 -75.9,-95 -77,-97.5 -77,-100 -77,-102.5 -77,-105 -77,-107.5 -77,-110 -77,-112.5 -77,-115 -77,-117.5 -77,-120 -77,-120 -75.9,-120 -74.8,-120 -73.7,-120 -72.6,-120 -71.5,-120 -70.4,-120 -69.3,-120 -68.2,-120 -67.1,-120 -66))", "dataset_titles": "Pliocene diatom abundance, IODP 379-U1532; Population morphometrics of the Southern Ocean diatom Fragilariopsis kerguelensis related to Sea Surface Temperature; U-Pb zircon and apatite fission track dates for IRD (ice-rafted cobbles and mineral grains) from IODP379 drill sites", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601769", "doi": null, "keywords": "Antarctica; Biogenic Silica; Diatom", "people": "Furlong, Heather; Scherer, Reed Paul", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Pliocene diatom abundance, IODP 379-U1532", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601769"}, {"dataset_uid": "601804", "doi": "10.15784/601804", "keywords": "Amundsen Sea; Antarctica; Cryosphere; Oceanography; Sabrina Coast; Sea Surface Temperature; Southern Ocean", "people": "Ruggiero, Joseph", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Population morphometrics of the Southern Ocean diatom Fragilariopsis kerguelensis related to Sea Surface Temperature", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601804"}, {"dataset_uid": "601828", "doi": "10.15784/601828", "keywords": "Amundsen Sea; Antarctica; Cryosphere; Geochronology; Marie Byrd Land; Subglacial Bedrock; Thermochronology", "people": "Siddoway, Christine", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "U-Pb zircon and apatite fission track dates for IRD (ice-rafted cobbles and mineral grains) from IODP379 drill sites", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601828"}], "date_created": "Tue, 20 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Part I, Non-technical Abstract Concerns that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) might be susceptible to releasing its ice as giant icebergs into the Southern Ocean due to a warming climate, raising global sea level, were first expressed more than 40 years ago. To best-assess this threat, scientists need to know whether such events occurred in the geologically recent past, during warm intervals of past glacial-interglacial cycles. Ocean drilling near the most vulnerable sector of the WAIS, in 2019, yielded seafloor geologic records demonstrating times when icebergs dropped large volumes of sands and pebbles, called ice-rafted detritus (IRD) in deep water of the Amundsen Sea. Occurring together with IRD that was eroded from bedrock beneath the ice sheets, there are abundant microfossils of diatoms (algal plankton), which indicate high biological productivity in the open ocean. The new sediment cores provide a complete, uninterrupted record of a time of dramatic fluctuations of ice sheet extent that occurred over the last 3 million years. Therefore, they provide the means to obtain clear answers to the question whether ice sheet collapse occurred in the past and offering clues to its potential future. This project will investigate sediment intervals where IRD coincides with evidence of high diatom production, to test whether these two criteria indicate rapid ice sheet collapse. Geochemical analysis of IRD pebbles will help trace the source of the icebergs to likely on-land sites. By analyzing conditions of high diatom and IRD accumulation in deep ocean sediment, where local coastal influences can be avoided, we will assess oceanographic and climatic conditions associated with past ice sheet collapse events. Diatoms provide powerful evidence of temperature and ocean productivity changes in the past, that, when linked to time, can translate into rates of ice sheet drawdown. These results will provide critical data for designing, constraining and testing the next suite computer models that can determine the likelihood and timing of future ice sheet collapse in a warming world. The project will include training of undergraduate and graduate students from diverse backgrounds, and the public will be introduced to Antarctic science and engaged through several different outreach efforts. Part 2, Technical Abstract New drillcores from the Amundsen Sea, Antarctica (IODP Expedition 379) contain a continuous record of oceanographic changes and iceberg rafted debris (IRD) spanning the last 5 million years. This study aims to identify the signature of retreat/collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) in these continental margin, deep-sea sediments by quantitatively analyzing, in detail, diatom and IRD records across glacial-interglacial lithostratigraphic transitions to establish the timing and frequency of Late Pliocene and Pleistocene WAIS collapse events. The investigators will secure age constraints and diagnostic observations of marine paleoenvironmental conditions for selected interglacial intervals of cores from sites U1532 and U1533, using high resolution micropaleontology of diatom assemblages coupled with microstratigraphic analysis of IRD depositional events, while petrography, geochronology and thermochronology of iceberg rafted clasts will provide evidence of iceberg sources and pathways. Depositional paleotemperatures will be assessed via a new paleotemperature proxy based on quantitative assessment of morphologic changes in the dominant Southern Ocean diatom Fragilariopsis kerguelensis. Their results will contribute to parameterization of new ice sheet models that seek to reconstruct and forecast West Antarctic Ice Sheet behavior. This project will directly contribute to undergraduate education at an undergraduate-only college and at a public university that serves a demographic typified by first generation university students and underrepresented groups. Spanning geology, geochemistry, sedimentology, paleontology and paleoceanography, the proposed work will allow undergraduate students to develop diverse skills through hands-on research within a collaborative team that is dedicated to societally relevant research. The two graduate students will conduct original research and work alongside/mentor undergraduates, making for a well-rounded research experience that prepares them for success in future academic or employment sectors. The discoveries that come from this deep-sea record from West Antarctica will be communicated by students and investigators at national and international conferences and an array of public science outreach events. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": -95.0, "geometry": "POINT(-107.5 -71.5)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "ICEBERGS; SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURE; Amundsen Sea; MICROFOSSILS", "locations": "Amundsen Sea", "north": -66.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": "PHANEROZOIC \u003e CENOZOIC \u003e QUATERNARY; PHANEROZOIC \u003e CENOZOIC \u003e NEOGENE \u003e PLIOCENE", "persons": "Scherer, Reed Paul; Siddoway, Christine", "platforms": null, "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -77.0, "title": "Collaborative Research: Testing the Linchpin of WAIS Collapse with Diatoms and IRD in Pleistocene and Late Pliocene Strata of the Resolution Drift, Amundsen Sea, Antarctica", "uid": "p0010451", "west": -120.0}, {"awards": "2333940 Zhong, Shijie", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-180 -60,-144 -60,-108 -60,-72 -60,-36 -60,0 -60,36 -60,72 -60,108 -60,144 -60,180 -60,180 -63,180 -66,180 -69,180 -72,180 -75,180 -78,180 -81,180 -84,180 -87,180 -90,144 -90,108 -90,72 -90,36 -90,0 -90,-36 -90,-72 -90,-108 -90,-144 -90,-180 -90,-180 -87,-180 -84,-180 -81,-180 -78,-180 -75,-180 -72,-180 -69,-180 -66,-180 -63,-180 -60))", "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Mon, 08 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Satellite observations of Earth\u2019s surface gravity and elevation changes indicate rapid melting of ice sheets in recent decades in northern Antarctica Peninsula and Amundsen Sea Embayment of West Antarctica. This rapid melting may lead to significant global sea level rise which is a major societal concern. Measurements from the Global Positioning System (GPS) show rapid land uplift in these regions as the ice sheets melt. When an ice sheet melts, the melt water flows to oceans, causing global sea level to rise. However, the sea level change at a given geographic location is also influenced by two other factors associated with the ice melting process: 1) the vertical motion of the land and 2) gravitational attraction. The vertical motion of the land is caused by the change of pressure force on the surface of the solid Earth. For example, the removal of ice mass reduces the pressure force on the land, leading to uplift of the land below the ice sheet, while the addition of water in oceans increases the pressure force on the seafloor, causing it to subside. The sea level always follows the equipotential surface of the gravity which changes as the mass on the Earth\u2019s surface (e.g., the ice and water) or/and in its interiors (e.g., at the crust-mantle boundary) is redistributed. Additionally, the vertical motion of the land below an ice sheet has important effects on the evolution and stability of the ice sheet and may determine whether the ice sheet will rapidly collapse or gradually stabilize. The main goal of this project is to build an accurate and efficient computer model to study the displacement and deformation of the Antarctic crust and mantle in response to recent ice melting. The project will significantly improve existing and publicly available computer code, CitcomSVE. The horizontal and vertical components of the Earth\u2019s surface displacement depends on mantle viscosity and elastic properties of the Earth. Although seismic imaging studies demonstrate that the Antarctica mantle is heterogeneous, most studies on the ice-melting induced deformation in Antarctica have assumed that mantle viscosity and elastic properties only vary with the depth due to computational limitations. In this project, the new computational method in CitcomSVE avoids such assumptions and makes it possible to include realistic 3-D mantle viscosity and elastic properties in computing the Antarctica crustal and mantle displacement. This project will interpret the GPS measurements of the surface displacements in northern Antarctica Peninsula and Amundsen Sea Embayment of West Antarctica and use the observations to place constraints on mantle viscosity and deformation mechanisms. The project will also seek to predict the future land displacement Antarctica, which will lead to a better understand of Antarctica ice sheets. Finally, the project has direct implications for the study of global sea level change and the dynamics of the Greenland ice sheet. Technical Description Glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) is important for understanding not only fundamental science questions including mantle viscosity, mantle convection and lithospheric deformation but also societally important questions of global sea-level change, polar ice melting, climate change, and groundwater hydrology. Studies of rock deformation in laboratory experiments, post-seismic deformation, and mantle dynamics indicate that mantle viscosity is temperature- and stress-dependent. Although the effects of stress-dependent (i.e., non-Newtonian) viscosity and transient creep rheology on GIA process have been studied, observational evidence remains elusive. There has been significant ice mass loss in recent decades in northern Antarctica Peninsula (NAP) and Amundsen Sea Embayment (ASE) of West Antarctica. The ice mass loss has caused rapid bedrock uplift as measured by GPS techniques which require surprisingly small upper mantle viscosity of ~1018 Pas. The rapid uplifts may have important feedback effects on ongoing ice melting because of their influence on grounding line migration, and the inferred small viscosity may have implications for mantle rheology and deformation on decadal time scales. The main objective of the project is to test hypotheses that the GPS observations in NAP and ASE regions are controlled by 3-D non-Newtonian or/and transient creep viscosity by developing new GIA modeling capability based on finite element package CitcomSVE. The project will carry out the following three tasks: Task 1 is to build GIA models for the NAP and ASE regions to examine the effects of 3-D temperature-dependent mantle viscosity on the surface displacements and to test hypothesis that the 3-D mantle viscosity improves the fit to the GPS observations. Task 2 is to test the hypothesis that non-Newtonian or/and transient creep rheology controls GIA process on decadal time scales by computing GIA models and comparing model predictions with GPS observations for the NAP and ASE regions. Task 3 is to implement transient creep (i.e., Burgers model) rheology into finite element package CitcomSVE for modeling the GIA process on global and regional scales and to make the package publicly available to the scientific community. The project will develop the first numerical GIA model with Burgers transient rheology and use the models to examine the effects of 3-D temperature-dependent viscosity, non-Newtonian viscosity and transient rheology on GIA-induced surface displacements in Antarctica. The project will model the unique GPS observations of unusually large displacement rates in the NAP and ASE regions to place constraints on mantle rheology and to distinguish between 3-D temperature-dependent, non-Newtonian and transient mantle viscosity. The project will expand the capability of the publicly available software package CitcomSVE for modeling viscoelastic deformation and tidal deformation on global and regional scales. The project will advance our understanding in lithospheric deformation and mantle rheology on decadal time scales, which helps predict grounding line migration and understand ice sheet stability in West Antarctica. The project will strengthen the open science practice by improving the publicly available code CitcomSVE at github. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": 180.0, "geometry": "POINT(0 -89.999)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "WAIS; CRUSTAL MOTION; COMPUTERS; GLACIER MASS BALANCE/ICE SHEET MASS BALANCE", "locations": "WAIS", "north": -60.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Zhong, Shijie", "platforms": "OTHER \u003e MODELS \u003e COMPUTERS", "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": -90.0, "title": "Investigating Effects of Transient and Non-Newtonian Mantle Viscosity on Glacial Isostatic Adjustment Process and their Implications for GPS Observations in Antarctica", "uid": "p0010441", "west": -180.0}, {"awards": "2317927 Hills, Benjamin", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-180 -60,-144 -60,-108 -60,-72 -60,-36 -60,0 -60,36 -60,72 -60,108 -60,144 -60,180 -60,180 -63,180 -66,180 -69,180 -72,180 -75,180 -78,180 -81,180 -84,180 -87,180 -90,144 -90,108 -90,72 -90,36 -90,0 -90,-36 -90,-72 -90,-108 -90,-144 -90,-180 -90,-180 -87,-180 -84,-180 -81,-180 -78,-180 -75,-180 -72,-180 -69,-180 -66,-180 -63,-180 -60))", "dataset_titles": "Radar Reflectivity at Whillans Ice Plain", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "200401", "doi": "10.5281/zenodo.11201199", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "Zenodo", "science_program": null, "title": "Radar Reflectivity at Whillans Ice Plain", "url": "https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11201199"}], "date_created": "Mon, 07 Aug 2023 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Ice flow is resisted by frictional forces that keep a glacier from immediately sliding into the ocean. Friction comes in two varieties: internal friction within the ice column which resists ice deformation and basal friction which resists ice sliding over its bedrock substrate. Partitioning between internal and basal friction is difficult since both have similar expressions at the most common target for data collection\u2014the ice-sheet surface. However, understanding this partitioning is important because the physical processes that control internal and basal friction act and evolve at different timescales. This project combines spaceborne remote sensing observations from the ice-sheet surface with ice-penetrating radar data that images the internal structure of the ice sheet in order to partition the contribution of each source of friction. Results will advance the fundamental understanding of ice flow and will strengthen projections of future sea-level rise. Broader Impacts of the project include facilitating data reuse for the ice-sheet research community; the strategy for distributing the software toolkit includes student mentorship and hackathon teaching. The researcher will expand the impact of existing ice-penetrating datasets by 1) developing new open-source algorithms for extraction of englacial stratigraphy; 2) creating stratigraphy data products that can be assimilated into future studies of ice motion; and 3) using statistical analyses to integrate radar datasets into larger-scale interpretations with remote sensing datasets of ice-surface velocity, altimetry, climate variables, and model-derived basal friction. The computational tools developed as part of this effort will be integrated and released as a reusable software toolkit for ice-penetrating radar data analysis. The toolkit will be validated and tested by deployment to cloud-hosted JupyterHub instances, which will serve as a singular interface to access radar and remote sensing data, load them into a unified framework, step through a predefined processing flow, and carry out statistical analyses. In some areas, the imaged englacial stratigraphy will deviate from the ice-dynamic setting expected based on surface measurements alone. There, the internal dynamics (or ice-dynamic history) are inconsistent with the surface dynamics, likely because internal friction is poorly constrained and misattributed to basal friction instead. This work will develop the data and statistical tools for constraining internal friction from ice-penetrating radar, making those data products and tools available for future work. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": 180.0, "geometry": "POINT(0 -89.999)", "instruments": "EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "GLACIER MOTION/ICE SHEET MOTION; BT-67; Antarctica; GLACIER TOPOGRAPHY/ICE SHEET TOPOGRAPHY; DHC-6; ICE SHEETS", "locations": "Antarctica", "north": -60.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Post Doc/Travel", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Hills, Benjamin", "platforms": "AIR-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e PROPELLER \u003e BT-67; AIR-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e PROPELLER \u003e DHC-6", "repo": "Zenodo", "repositories": "Zenodo", "science_programs": null, "south": -90.0, "title": "Postdoctoral Fellowship: OPP-PRF: Disentangling Ice-sheet Internal and Basal Processes through Novel Ice-penetrating Radar Integration Built on Scalable, Cloud-based Infrastructure", "uid": "p0010428", "west": -180.0}, {"awards": "2152622 Morlighem, Mathieu", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-110 -74,-109 -74,-108 -74,-107 -74,-106 -74,-105 -74,-104 -74,-103 -74,-102 -74,-101 -74,-100 -74,-100 -74.3,-100 -74.6,-100 -74.9,-100 -75.2,-100 -75.5,-100 -75.8,-100 -76.1,-100 -76.4,-100 -76.7,-100 -77,-101 -77,-102 -77,-103 -77,-104 -77,-105 -77,-106 -77,-107 -77,-108 -77,-109 -77,-110 -77,-110 -76.7,-110 -76.4,-110 -76.1,-110 -75.8,-110 -75.5,-110 -75.2,-110 -74.9,-110 -74.6,-110 -74.3,-110 -74))", "dataset_titles": "Sliding-Law Parameter and Airborne Radar-Derived Basal Reflectivity Data Underneath Thwaites Glacier, Antarctica", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601658", "doi": "10.15784/601658", "keywords": "Airborne Radar; Antarctica; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Thwaites; Thwaites Glacier", "people": "Das, Indrani", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "Thwaites (ITGC)", "title": "Sliding-Law Parameter and Airborne Radar-Derived Basal Reflectivity Data Underneath Thwaites Glacier, Antarctica", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601658"}], "date_created": "Tue, 20 Dec 2022 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This project contributes to the joint initiative launched by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.K. Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) to substantially improve decadal and longer-term projections of ice loss and sea-level rise originating from Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica. Thwaites Glacier has been accelerating and widening over the past three decades. How fast Thwaites will disintegrate or how quickly it will find a new stable state have become some of the most important questions of the future of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and its contribution to sea-level rise over the next decades to centuries and beyond. This project will rely on three independent numerical models of ice flow, coupled to an ocean circulation model to (1) improve our understanding of the interactions between the ice and the underlying bedrock, (2) analyze how sensitive the glacier is to external changes, (3) assess the processes that may lead to a collapse of Thwaites, and, most importantly, (4) forecast future ice loss of Thwaites. By providing predictions based on a suite of coupled ice-ocean models, this project will also assess the uncertainty in model projections. The project will use three independent ice-sheet models: Ice Sheet System Model, Ua, and STREAMICE, coupled to the ocean circulation model of the MIT General Circulation Model. The team will first focus on the representation of key physical processes of calving, ice damage, and basal slipperiness that have either not been included, or are poorly represented, in previous ice-flow modelling work. The team will then quantify the relative role of different proposed external drivers of change (e.g., ocean-induced ice-shelf thinning, loss of ice-shelf pinning points) and explore the stability regime of Thwaites Glacier with the aim of identifying internal thresholds separating stable and unstable grounding-line retreat. Using inverse methodology, the project will produce new physically consistent high-resolution (300-m) data sets on ice-thicknesses from available radar measurements. Furthermore, the team will generate new remote sensing data sets on ice velocities and rates of elevation change. These will be used to constrain and validate the numerical models, and will also be valuable stand-alone data sets. This process will allow the numerical models to be constrained more tightly by data than has previously been possible. The resultant more robust model predictions of near-future impact of Thwaites Glacier on global sea levels can inform policy-relevant decision-making. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": -100.0, "geometry": "POINT(-105 -75.5)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "COMPUTERS; Amundsen Sea; ICE SHEETS", "locations": "Amundsen Sea", "north": -74.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": "NOT APPLICABLE", "persons": "Morlighem, Mathieu; Das, Indrani", "platforms": "OTHER \u003e MODELS \u003e COMPUTERS", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -77.0, "title": "NSF-NERC: PROcesses, drivers, Predictions: Modeling the response of Thwaites Glacier over the next Century using Ice/Ocean Coupled Models (PROPHET)", "uid": "p0010400", "west": -110.0}, {"awards": "1917176 Siddoway, Christine; 1916982 Teyssier, Christian; 1917009 Thomson, Stuart", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-160.16 -67.15,-154.572 -67.15,-148.984 -67.15,-143.39600000000002 -67.15,-137.808 -67.15,-132.22 -67.15,-126.632 -67.15,-121.04400000000001 -67.15,-115.456 -67.15,-109.868 -67.15,-104.28 -67.15,-104.28 -68.165,-104.28 -69.18,-104.28 -70.19500000000001,-104.28 -71.21000000000001,-104.28 -72.225,-104.28 -73.24,-104.28 -74.255,-104.28 -75.27,-104.28 -76.285,-104.28 -77.3,-109.868 -77.3,-115.456 -77.3,-121.044 -77.3,-126.632 -77.3,-132.22 -77.3,-137.808 -77.3,-143.396 -77.3,-148.98399999999998 -77.3,-154.572 -77.3,-160.16 -77.3,-160.16 -76.285,-160.16 -75.27,-160.16 -74.255,-160.16 -73.24,-160.16 -72.225,-160.16 -71.21000000000001,-160.16 -70.19500000000001,-160.16 -69.18,-160.16 -68.165,-160.16 -67.15))", "dataset_titles": "Apatite fission track thermochronology data for detrital minerals, offshore clasts, and bedrock; U-Pb detrital zircon geochronological data, obtained by LA-ICP-MS", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "200332", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "in progress", "science_program": null, "title": "U-Pb detrital zircon geochronological data, obtained by LA-ICP-MS", "url": ""}, {"dataset_uid": "200333", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "in progress", "science_program": null, "title": "Apatite fission track thermochronology data for detrital minerals, offshore clasts, and bedrock", "url": ""}], "date_created": "Wed, 19 Oct 2022 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Sediment records off the coast of Marie Byrd Land (MBL), Antarctica suggest frequent and dramatic changes in the size of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) over short (tens of thousands of years) and long (millions of years) time frames in the past. WAIS currently overrides much of MBL and covers the rugged and scoured bedrock landscape. The ice sheet carved narrow linear troughs that reach depths of two to three thousand meters below sea level as outlet glaciers flowed from the interior of the continent to the oceans. As a result, large volumes of fragmented continental bedrock were carried out to the seabed. The glaciers cut downward into a region of crystalline rocks (i.e. granite) whose temperature change as a function of rock depth happens to be significant. This strong geothermal gradient in the bedrock is favorable for determining when the bedrock experienced rapid exhumation or \"uncovering\". Analyzing the chemistry of minerals (zircon and apatite) within the eroded rocks will provide information about the rate and timing of the glacier removal of bedrock from the Antarctic continent. The research addresses the following questions: When did the land become high enough for a large ice sheet to form? What was the regional pre-glacial topography? Under what climate conditions, and at what point in the growth of an ice sheet, did glaciers begin to cut sharply into bedrock to form the narrow troughs that flow seaward? The research will lead to greater understanding of past Antarctic ice sheet fluctuations and identify precise timing of glacial incision. These results will refine ice sheet history and aid the international societal response to contemporary ice sheet change and its global consequences. The project will contribute to the training of two graduate and two undergraduate students in STEM. The objective is to clarify the onset of WAIS glacier incision and assess the evolution of Cenozoic paleo-topography. Low-temperature (T) thermochronology and Pecube 3-D thermo-kinematic modeling will be applied to date and characterize episodes of glacial erosional incision. Single-grain double- and triple-dating of zircon and apatite will reveal the detailed crustal thermal evolution of the region enabling the research team to determine the comparative topographic influences on glaciation versus bedrock uplift induced by Eocene to present tectonism/magmatism. High-T mineral thermochronometers across Marie Byrd Land (MBL) record rapid extension-related cooling at ~100 Ma from temperatures of \u003e800 degrees C to \u0026#8804; 300 degrees C. This signature forms a reference horizon, or paleogeotherm, through which the Cenozoic landscape history using low-T thermochronometers can be explored. MBL\u0027s elevated geothermal gradient, sustained during the Cenozoic, created favorable conditions for sensitive apatite and zircon low-T thermochronometers to record bedrock cooling related to glacial incision. Students will be trained to use state-of-the-art analytical facilities in Arizona and Minnesota, expanding the geo- and thermochronologic history of MBL from bedrock samples and offshore sedimentary deposits. The temperature and time data they acquire will provide constraints on paleotopography, isostasy, and the thermal evolution of MBL that will be modeled in 3D using Pecube model simulations. Within hot crust, less incision is required to expose bedrock containing the distinct thermochronometric profile; a prediction that will be tested with inverse Pecube 3-D models of the thermal field through which bedrock and detrital samples cooled. Using results from Pecube, the ICI-Hot team will examine time-varying topography formed in response to changes in erosion rates, topographic relief, geothermal gradient and/or flexural isostatic rigidity. These effects are manifestations of dynamic processes in the WAIS, including ice sheet loading, ice volume fluctuations, relative motion upon crustal faults, and magmatism-related elevation increase across the MBL dome. The project makes use of pre-existing sample collections housed at the US Polar Rock Repository, IODP\u0027s Gulf Coast Core Repository, and the Antarctic Marine Geology Research Facility. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": -104.28, "geometry": "POINT(-132.22 -72.225)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Marie Byrd Land; GLACIERS/ICE SHEETS; Zircon; Subglacial Topography; FIELD SURVEYS; TECTONICS; Ice Sheet; Thermochronology; Apatite; ROCKS/MINERALS/CRYSTALS; Erosion; United States Of America; LABORATORY", "locations": "United States Of America; Marie Byrd Land", "north": -67.15, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": "PHANEROZOIC", "persons": "Siddoway, Christine; Thomson, Stuart; Teyssier, Christian", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD SURVEYS; OTHER \u003e PHYSICAL MODELS \u003e LABORATORY", "repo": "in progress", "repositories": "in progress", "science_programs": null, "south": -77.3, "title": "Collaborative Research: Ice sheet erosional interaction with hot geotherm in West Antarctica", "uid": "p0010386", "west": -160.16}, {"awards": "1644277 Aschwanden, Andy", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-75 -60,-72 -60,-69 -60,-66 -60,-63 -60,-60 -60,-57 -60,-54 -60,-51 -60,-48 -60,-45 -60,-45 -61.5,-45 -63,-45 -64.5,-45 -66,-45 -67.5,-45 -69,-45 -70.5,-45 -72,-45 -73.5,-45 -75,-48 -75,-51 -75,-54 -75,-57 -75,-60 -75,-63 -75,-66 -75,-69 -75,-72 -75,-75 -75,-75 -73.5,-75 -72,-75 -70.5,-75 -69,-75 -67.5,-75 -66,-75 -64.5,-75 -63,-75 -61.5,-75 -60))", "dataset_titles": "Linear Theory of Orographic Precipitation QGIS Plugin; Parallel Ice Sheet Model (PISM) v2", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601589", "doi": "10.15784/601589", "keywords": "Antarctica", "people": "Aschwanden, Andy", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Parallel Ice Sheet Model (PISM) v2", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601589"}, {"dataset_uid": "601590", "doi": "10.15784/601590", "keywords": "Antarctica", "people": "Aschwanden, Andy", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Linear Theory of Orographic Precipitation QGIS Plugin", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601590"}], "date_created": "Thu, 14 Jul 2022 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Aschwanden/1644277 This award supports a project to study the phenomenon of the rain shadow (technically called orographic precipitation) in the Antarctic Peninsula and its interaction with a mountain range covered in ice and snow. Orographic precipitation gives rise to the largest climatic and ecological gradients on Earth. Air ascending on the windward side of the mountain range expands and cools, condensing the water vapor it carries and producing heavy rain- or snow-fall. As the air descends on the leeward flank, the air warms and dries out, leaving little-to-no precipitation. This pattern of snowfall, caused by the interaction of winds and the landscape, is hypothesized to control the shape of the ice cap itself. The investigators hypothesize that feedbacks between precipitation and topography control ice flux and temperature, impacting basal conditions (frozen versus wet) and motion, which over long time scales can affect basal topography via erosion. The authors propose to investigate the feedbacks between orographically driven precipitation, ice dynamics, thermodynamics, and basal erosion and uplift over the northern Antarctic Peninsula by coupling an orographic precipitation model to the Parallel Ice Sheet Model (PISM). Using idealized and more realistic geometries, they will begin with a 2-D flow band model, which will be expanded into three dimensions to determine the strength of the feedbacks as a function of bedrock geometry and the intensity of the orographic precipitation gradient. The Antarctic Peninsula is targeted as the ideal case study, in the context of its rapid modern and future change as well as its deflation since the Last Glacial Maximum. The broader impacts of the work include the strengthening of predictive models by capturing feedbacks related to orographic precipitation not included in current models. This is likely to provide a more realistic assessment of the impacts of orographic precipitation in a regime of changing climate. The project will support an early career scientist and a female mid-career scientist and will support one PhD student, and provide summer research experience for one undergraduate student as an REU supplement. The project does not require field work in the Antarctic.", "east": -45.0, "geometry": "POINT(-60 -67.5)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "ICE SHEETS; Antarctic Ice Sheet", "locations": "Antarctic Ice Sheet", "north": -60.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Aschwanden, Andy; Pettit, Erin", "platforms": null, "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -75.0, "title": "Collaborative Research: Feedbacks between Orographic Precipitation and Ice Dynamics", "uid": "p0010348", "west": -75.0}, {"awards": "2139497 Balco, Gregory", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-180 -60,-144 -60,-108 -60,-72 -60,-36 -60,0 -60,36 -60,72 -60,108 -60,144 -60,180 -60,180 -63,180 -66,180 -69,180 -72,180 -75,180 -78,180 -81,180 -84,180 -87,180 -90,144 -90,108 -90,72 -90,36 -90,0 -90,-36 -90,-72 -90,-108 -90,-144 -90,-180 -90,-180 -87,-180 -84,-180 -81,-180 -78,-180 -75,-180 -72,-180 -69,-180 -66,-180 -63,-180 -60))", "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Tue, 21 Jun 2022 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This project will conduct basic research into geological dating techniques that are useful for determining the age of glacial deposits in polar regions, Antarctica in particular. These techniques are necessary for determining how large the polar ice sheets were in the geologic past, including during past periods of warm climate that likely resemble present and near-future conditions. Thus, they represent an important technical capability needed for estimating the response of polar ice sheets to climate warming. Because changes in the size of polar ice sheets are the largest potential contribution to future global sea-level change, this capability is also relevant to understanding likely sea-level impacts of future climate change. The research in this project comprises several observational and experimental approaches to improving the speed, efficiency, cost, and accuracy of these techniques, as well as a scientific outreach program aimed at making the resulting capabilities more broadly available to other researchers. The project supports a postdoctoral scholar and contributes to human resources development in polar and climate science. The project focuses on several areas of cosmogenic-nuclide geochemistry, which is a geochemical dating method that relies on the production and decay of cosmic-ray-produced radionuclides in surface rocks. Measurements of these nuclides can be used to quantify the duration of surface exposure and ice cover at locations in Antarctica that are covered and uncovered by changes in the size of the Antarctic ice sheets, thus providing a means of reconstructing past ice-sheet change. The first proposed set of experiments are aimed at implementing a \u0027virtual mineral separation\u0027 approach to cosmogenic noble gas analysis that may allow measurement of nuclide concentrations in certain minerals without physically separating the minerals from the host rock. If feasible, this would realize significant speed and cost improvements for this type of analysis. A second set of experiments will focus on means of identifying and quantifying non-cosmogenic background inventories of some relevant nuclides, which is intended to improve the measurement sensitivity and precision for cosmic-ray-produced inventories of these nuclides. A third focus area aims to improve capabilities to measure multiple cosmic-ray-produced nuclides in the same sample, which has the potential to improve the accuracy of dating methods based on these nuclides and to expand the situations in which these methods can be applied. If successful, these experiments are likely to improve a number of applications of cosmogenic-nuclide geochemistry relevant to Antarctic research, including subglacial bedrock exposure dating, dating of multimillion-year-old glacial deposits, and surface-process studies useful in understanding landform evolution and ecosystem dynamics. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": 180.0, "geometry": "POINT(0 -89.999)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "California; LABORATORY; AMD; GEOCHEMISTRY; Amd/Us; USAP-DC; USA/NSF", "locations": "California", "north": -60.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Balco, Gregory", "platforms": "OTHER \u003e PHYSICAL MODELS \u003e LABORATORY", "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": -90.0, "title": "Targeted Basic Research to Enable Antarctic Science Applications of Cosmogenic-Nuclide Geochemistry", "uid": "p0010343", "west": -180.0}, {"awards": "1744771 Balco, Gregory", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-180 -60,-144 -60,-108 -60,-72 -60,-36 -60,0 -60,36 -60,72 -60,108 -60,144 -60,180 -60,180 -63,180 -66,180 -69,180 -72,180 -75,180 -78,180 -81,180 -84,180 -87,180 -90,144 -90,108 -90,72 -90,36 -90,0 -90,-36 -90,-72 -90,-108 -90,-144 -90,-180 -90,-180 -87,-180 -84,-180 -81,-180 -78,-180 -75,-180 -72,-180 -69,-180 -66,-180 -63,-180 -60))", "dataset_titles": "5 million year transient Antarctic ice sheet model run with \"desensitized\" marine ice margin instabilities; 5 million year transient Antarctic ice sheet model run with \"sensitized\" marine ice margin instabilities", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601602", "doi": "10.15784/601602", "keywords": "Antarctica; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Ice Sheet Modeling; Marine Ice Margin Instability; Model Output", "people": "Halberstadt, Anna Ruth; Buchband, Hannah; Balco, Gregory", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "5 million year transient Antarctic ice sheet model run with \"sensitized\" marine ice margin instabilities", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601602"}, {"dataset_uid": "601601", "doi": "10.15784/601601", "keywords": "Antarctica; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Ice Sheet Modeling; Marine Ice Margin Instability; Model Output", "people": "Balco, Gregory; Buchband, Hannah; Halberstadt, Anna Ruth", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "5 million year transient Antarctic ice sheet model run with \"desensitized\" marine ice margin instabilities", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601601"}], "date_created": "Tue, 21 Jun 2022 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "The purpose of this project is to use geological data that record past changes in the Antarctic ice sheets to test computer models for ice sheet change. The geologic data mainly consist of dated glacial deposits that are preserved above the level of the present ice sheet, and range in age from thousands to millions of years old. These provide information about the size, thickness, and rate of change of the ice sheets during past times when the ice sheets were larger than present. In addition, some of these data are from below the present ice surface and therefore also provide some information about past warm periods when ice sheets were most likely smaller than present. The primary purpose of the computer model is to predict future ice sheet changes, but because significant changes in the size of ice sheets are slow and likely occur over hundreds of years or longer, the only way to determine whether these models are accurate is to test their ability to reproduce past ice sheet changes. The primary purpose of this project is to carry out such a test. The research team will compile relevant geologic data, in some cases generate new data by dating additional deposits, and develop methods and software to compare data to model simulations. In addition, this project will (i) contribute to building and sustaining U.S. science capacity through postdoctoral training in geochronology, ice sheet modeling, and data science, and (ii) improve public access to geologic data and model simulations relevant to ice sheet change through online database and website development. Technical aspects of this project are primarily focused on the field of cosmogenic-nuclide exposure-dating, which is a method that relies on the production of rare stable and radio-nuclides by cosmic-ray interactions with rocks and minerals exposed at the Earth\u0027s surface. Because the advance and retreat of ice sheets results in alternating cosmic-ray exposure and shielding of underlying bedrock and surficial deposits, this technique is commonly used to date and reconstruct past ice sheet changes. First, this project will contribute to compiling and systematizing a large amount of cosmogenic-nuclide exposure age data collected in Antarctica during the past three decades. Second, it will generate additional geochemical data needed to improve the extent and usefulness of measurements of stable cosmogenic nuclides, cosmogenic neon-21 in particular, that are useful for constraining ice-sheet behavior on million-year timescales. Third, it will develop a computational framework for comparison of the geologic data set with existing numerical model simulations of Antarctic ice sheet change during the past several million years, with particular emphasis on model simulations of past warm periods, for example the middle Pliocene ca. 3-3.3 million years ago, during which the Antarctic ice sheets are hypothesized to have been substantially smaller than present. Fourth, guided by the results of this comparison, it will generate new model simulations aimed at improving agreement between model simulations and geologic data, as well as diagnosing which processes or parameterizations in the models are or are not well constrained by the data. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": 180.0, "geometry": "POINT(0 -89.999)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "BERYLLIUM-10 ANALYSIS; AMD; ICE SHEETS; GLACIATION; Amd/Us; LABORATORY; USA/NSF; Antarctica; ALUMINUM-26 ANALYSIS; USAP-DC", "locations": "Antarctica", "north": -60.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Balco, Gregory", "platforms": "OTHER \u003e PHYSICAL MODELS \u003e LABORATORY", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -90.0, "title": "Synoptic Evaluation of Long-Term Antarctic Ice Sheet Model Simulations using a Continent-Wide Database of Cosmogenic-Nuclide Measurements", "uid": "p0010342", "west": -180.0}, {"awards": "1946326 Doran, Peter", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((161 -77.4,161.3 -77.4,161.6 -77.4,161.9 -77.4,162.2 -77.4,162.5 -77.4,162.8 -77.4,163.1 -77.4,163.4 -77.4,163.7 -77.4,164 -77.4,164 -77.46,164 -77.52,164 -77.58,164 -77.64,164 -77.7,164 -77.76,164 -77.82,164 -77.88,164 -77.94,164 -78,163.7 -78,163.4 -78,163.1 -78,162.8 -78,162.5 -78,162.2 -78,161.9 -78,161.6 -78,161.3 -78,161 -78,161 -77.94,161 -77.88,161 -77.82,161 -77.76,161 -77.7,161 -77.64,161 -77.58,161 -77.52,161 -77.46,161 -77.4))", "dataset_titles": "EAGER: Refining glacial lake history in Taylor Valley, East Antarctica with alternative geochronometers: Infrared Stimulated Luminescence data; EAGER: Refining glacial lake history in Taylor Valley, East Antarctica with alternative geochronometers: in situ 14C data", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601521", "doi": "10.15784/601521", "keywords": "Antarctica; Carbon-14; Sample/collection Description; Sample/Collection Description; Sample Location; Taylor Valley", "people": "Stone, Michael; Doran, Peter", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "EAGER: Refining glacial lake history in Taylor Valley, East Antarctica with alternative geochronometers: in situ 14C data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601521"}, {"dataset_uid": "601520", "doi": "10.15784/601520", "keywords": "Antarctica; Sample/collection Description; Sample/Collection Description; Sample Location; Taylor Valley", "people": "Stone, Michael; Doran, Peter", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "LTER", "title": "EAGER: Refining glacial lake history in Taylor Valley, East Antarctica with alternative geochronometers: Infrared Stimulated Luminescence data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601520"}], "date_created": "Mon, 31 Jan 2022 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Correlating ecosystem responses to past climate forcing is highly dependent on the use of reliable techniques for establishing the age of events (dating techniques). In Antarctic dry regions (land areas without glaciers), carbon-14 dating has been used to assess the ages of organic deposits left behind by ancient lakes. However, the reliability of the ages is debatable because of possible contamination with \"old carbon\" from the surrounding landscape. The proposed research will attempt to establish two alternate dating techniques, in situ carbon-14 cosmogenic radionuclide exposure dating and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), as reliable alternate dating methods for lake history in Antarctic dry areas that are not contaminated by the old carbon. The end goal will be to increase scientific understanding of lake level fluctuation in the lakes of Taylor Valley, Antarctica so that inference about past climate, glacier, and ecosystem response can be inferred. The results of this study will provide a coarse-scale absolute chronology for lake level history in Taylor Valley, demonstrate that exposure dating and OSL are effective means to understand the physical dynamics of ancient water bodies, and increase the current understanding of polar lacustrine and ice sheet responses to past and present climatic changes. These chronologies will allow polar lake level fluctuations to be correlated with past changes in global and regional climate, providing information critical for understanding and modeling the physical responses of these environments to modern change. This research supports a PhD student; the student will highlight this work with grade school classes in the United States. This research aims to establish in situ carbon-14 exposure dating and OSL as reliable alternate (to carbon-14 of organic lake deposits) geochronometers that can be used to settle the long-disputed lacustrine history and chronology of Taylor Valley, Antarctica and elsewhere. Improved lake level history will have significant impacts for the McMurdo Dry Valleys Long Term Ecological Research (MCM LTER) site as the legacy of fluctuating lake levels of the past affects the distribution of organic matter and nutrients, and impacts biological connectivity valley-wide. This work will provide insight into the carbon reservoir of large glacial lakes in the late Holocene and have implications for previously reported radiocarbon chronologies. OSL samples will be analyzed in the Desert Research Institute Luminescence Laboratory in Reno, NV. For the in situ carbon-14 work, rock samples extracted from boulders and bedrock surfaces will be prepared at Tulane University. The prepared in situ carbon-14 samples will be analyzed at the National Ocean Sciences Accelerator Mass Spectrometry laboratory in Woods Hole, MA. The two datasets will be combined to produce a reliable, coarse scale chronology for late Quaternary lake level fluctuations in Taylor Valley. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": 164.0, "geometry": "POINT(162.5 -77.7)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "FIELD SURVEYS; Amd/Us; Taylor Valley; AGE DETERMINATIONS; USA/NSF; AMD; USAP-DC", "locations": "Taylor Valley", "north": -77.4, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Integrated System Science", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Doran, Peter", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD SURVEYS", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": "LTER", "south": -78.0, "title": "EAGER: Refining glacial lake history in Taylor Valley, East Antarctica with alternative geochronometers", "uid": "p0010294", "west": 161.0}, {"awards": "1744949 Campbell, Seth; 1745015 Zimmerer, Matthew; 1744927 Mitrovica, Jerry", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-145 -74,-141.6 -74,-138.2 -74,-134.8 -74,-131.4 -74,-128 -74,-124.6 -74,-121.2 -74,-117.8 -74,-114.4 -74,-111 -74,-111 -74.6,-111 -75.2,-111 -75.8,-111 -76.4,-111 -77,-111 -77.6,-111 -78.2,-111 -78.8,-111 -79.4,-111 -80,-114.4 -80,-117.8 -80,-121.2 -80,-124.6 -80,-128 -80,-131.4 -80,-134.8 -80,-138.2 -80,-141.6 -80,-145 -80,-145 -79.4,-145 -78.8,-145 -78.2,-145 -77.6,-145 -77,-145 -76.4,-145 -75.8,-145 -75.2,-145 -74.6,-145 -74))", "dataset_titles": "Mt. Waesche ground-penetrating radar data 2018-2019", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601490", "doi": "10.15784/601490", "keywords": "Antarctica; GPR; Mt. Waesche", "people": "Braddock, Scott", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Mt. Waesche ground-penetrating radar data 2018-2019", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601490"}], "date_created": "Fri, 22 Oct 2021 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This study will collect a novel dataset to determine how the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) responded to a warmer climate during the last interglacial period (~125,000 years ago) by reconstructing the glacial history at the Mt. Waesche volcano. Reconstructing WAIS geometry when the ice sheet was smaller than present is difficult and data are lacking because the evidence lies beneath the present ice sheet. This study will drill through the ice sheet and recover bedrock that can be analyzed for its surface exposure history to help determine when the surface became overridden by the ice sheet. This study will provide constraints on the past maximum and minimum spatial extent of WAIS during the last glacial-interglacial cycle. Understanding the geometry of a reduced WAIS during intervals when the planet was warmer than present may provide a possible analogue for future environmental conditions given predicted temperature trends. A reduction of WAIS results in rising sea levels which threatens coastal communities across the globe. The data will help improve numerical ice sheet models to better predict WAIS response to current and future climate trends. The project supports a teacher educational workshop and the training of graduate and undergraduate students. The goal of this project is to obtain rock samples from beneath the WAIS through shallow (\u003c80 m) drilling at Mt. Waesche, a volcano in Marie Byrd Land, near an ice dome of WAIS (2000 m elevation). The lithologies of lava flows exposed on the flank of the volcano are well-suited for cosmogenic 3He and 36Cl as well as 40Ar/39Ar measurements which will establish eruption and exposure age. Existing 40Ar/39Ar data indicate basaltic lava flows on the volcano flank as young as 350 ka. Thus, measured cosmogenic nuclides measured in rock cores from beneath the ice surface will be indicative of relatively recent exposure during periods of reduced ice elevation, most likely, during the last interglacial. The first field season is focused on identifying appropriate locations for drilling and a ground penetrating radar (GPR) survey of the subglacial topography \u003c100m under the blue ice area. Mapping and dating the adjacent exposed lava flows will allow tracing of lava flows of known age and composition below the ice margin that will be targeted for drilling the following year. The second field season activities include drilling 8 boreholes (two transects) through blue ice with the Winkie drill near the ice margin to 80 m depth to obtain rock cores from the sub-ice lava flows. 3He exposure ages will constrain the duration and minimum extent of past surface lowering of the WAIS in Marie Byrd Land. Deeper GPR imaging (up to 700 m) will hope to reveal additional evidence of lava/ice interactions that would independently place constraints on lower ice levels during past eruptions. Results from this study will be compared with the modeled ice elevation histories at Mt. Waesche to validate ice sheet modeling efforts. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": -111.0, "geometry": "POINT(-128 -77)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "FIELD SURVEYS; Mt. Waesche; USA/NSF; SNOW/ICE; GLACIER THICKNESS/ICE SHEET THICKNESS; PALEOCLIMATE RECONSTRUCTIONS; LABORATORY; LAVA COMPOSITION/TEXTURE; Amd/Us; AMD; USAP-DC", "locations": "Mt. Waesche", "north": -74.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Braddock, Scott; Campbell, Seth; Ackert, Robert; Zimmerer, Matthew; Mitrovica, Jerry", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD SURVEYS; OTHER \u003e PHYSICAL MODELS \u003e LABORATORY", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -80.0, "title": "Collaborative Research: Constraining West Antarctic Ice Sheet elevation during the last interglacial", "uid": "p0010272", "west": -145.0}, {"awards": "2027615 Paden, John", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Wed, 30 Jun 2021 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This project will develop a new ice-penetrating radar system that can simultaneously map glacier geometry and glacier flow along repeat profiles. Forecasting an ice-sheet\u2019s contribution to sea level requires an estimate for the initial ice-sheet geometry and the parameters that govern ice flow and slip across bedrock. Existing ice-sheet models cannot independently determine this information from conventional observations of ice-surface velocities and glacier geometry. This introduces substantial uncertainty into simulations of past and future ice-sheet behavior. Thus, this new radar capability is conceived to provide the needed data to support higher-fidelity simulations of past and future ice-sheet behavior and more accurate projections of future sea level. The new radar system will integrate two existing radars (the multi-channel coherent radio-echo depth sounder and the accumulation radar) developed by the Center for the Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets, as well as adding new capabilities. An eight-element very high frequency (VHF; 140-215 MHz) array will have sufficient cross-track aperture to swath map internal layers and the ice-sheet base in three dimensions. A single ultra high frequency (UHF; 600-900 MHz) antenna will have the range and phase resolution to map internal layer displacement with 0.25-mm precision. The VHF array will create 3D mappings of layer geometry that enable measurements of vertical velocities by accounting for spatial offsets between repeat profiles and changing surface conditions. The vertical displacement measurement will then be made by determining the difference in radar phase response recorded by the UHF antenna for radar profiles collected at the same locations at different times. The UHF antenna will be dual-polarized and thus capable of isolating both components of complex internal reflections. This should enable inferences of ice crystal orientation fabric and widespread mapping of ice viscosity. Initial field testing of the radar will occur on the McMurdo Ice Shelf and then progress to Thwaites Glacier, Antarctica. The dual-band radar system technology and processing algorithms will be developed with versatile extensible hardware and user-friendly software so that this system will serve as a prototype for a future community radar system. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": "EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e IMAGING RADARS \u003e IMAGING RADAR SYSTEMS", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Amd/Us; USA/NSF; Airborne Radar; AMD; ICE SHEETS; Thwaites Glacier; USAP-DC", "locations": "Thwaites Glacier", "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Instrumentation and Facilities", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Paden, John; Rodriguez-Morales, Fernando ", "platforms": null, "repositories": null, "science_programs": "Thwaites (ITGC)", "south": null, "title": "Collaborative Research: EAGER: A Dual-Band Radar for Measuring Internal Ice Deformation: a Multipass Ice-Penetrating Radar Experiment on Thwaites Glacier and the McMurdo Ice Shelf", "uid": "p0010215", "west": null}, {"awards": "2022920 Zhan, Zhongwen", "bounds_geometry": "POINT(180 -90)", "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Wed, 30 Jun 2021 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This EAGER award will explore the Distributed Acoustic Sensing emerging technology that transforms a single optical fiber into a massively multichannel seismic array. This technology may provide a scalable and affordable way to deploy dense seismic networks. Experimental Distributed Acoustic Sensing equipment will be tested in the Antarctic exploiting unused (dark) strands in the existing fiber-optic cable that connects the U.S. Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station to the Remote Earth Science and Seismological Observatory (SPRESSO) located about 7.5-km from the main station. Upon processing the seismic signals, the Distributed Acoustic Sensing may provide a new tool to structurally image firn, glacial ice, and glacial bedrock. Learning how Distributed Acoustic Sensing would work on the ice sheet, scientists can then check seismological signals propagating through the Earth\u0027s crust and mantle variously using natural icequakes and earthquakes events in the surrounding area. The investigators propose to convert at least 8 km of pre-existing fiber optic cable at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole station into more than 8000 sensors to explore the potential of Distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) as a breakthrough data engine for polar seismology. The DAS array will operate for about one year, allowing them to (1) evaluate and calibrate the performance of the DAS technology in the extreme cold, very low noise (including during the exceptionally quiet austral winter) polar plateau environment; (2) record and analyze local ambient and transient signals from ice, anthropogenic signals, ocean microseism, atmospheric and other processes, as well as to study local, regional, and teleseismic tectonic events; (3) structurally image the firn, glacial ice, glacial bed, crust, and mantle, variously using active sources, ambient seismic noise, and natural icequake and earthquake events. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": 180.0, "geometry": "POINT(180 -90)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "AMD; South Pole Station; GLACIERS/ICE SHEETS; NSF/USA; Amd/Us; SEISMIC SURFACE WAVES; SEISMOLOGICAL STATIONS; USAP-DC", "locations": "South Pole Station", "north": -90.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Instrumentation and Facilities", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Zhan, Zhongwen", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e PERMANENT LAND SITES \u003e SEISMOLOGICAL STATIONS", "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": -90.0, "title": "EAGER: Pilot Fiber Seismic Networks at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station", "uid": "p0010214", "west": 180.0}, {"awards": "1744970 Shevenell, Amelia", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((120 -66,120.1 -66,120.2 -66,120.3 -66,120.4 -66,120.5 -66,120.6 -66,120.7 -66,120.8 -66,120.9 -66,121 -66,121 -66.1,121 -66.2,121 -66.3,121 -66.4,121 -66.5,121 -66.6,121 -66.7,121 -66.8,121 -66.9,121 -67,120.9 -67,120.8 -67,120.7 -67,120.6 -67,120.5 -67,120.4 -67,120.3 -67,120.2 -67,120.1 -67,120 -67,120 -66.9,120 -66.8,120 -66.7,120 -66.6,120 -66.5,120 -66.4,120 -66.3,120 -66.2,120 -66.1,120 -66))", "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Tue, 22 Jun 2021 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Glacial retreat in West Antarctica is correlated with ocean warming; however, less is known about the ocean\u0027s effect on East Antarctica\u0027s glaciers including Totten Glacier located on the Sabrina Coast. The retreat of Totten Glacier has global significance as the glacier drains a sector of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet that contains enough ice to raise global sea levels by as much as 3.5 meters. This study looks to determine the influence of ocean temperatures on East Antarctic glaciers, including Totten Glacier, over the last ~18,000 years by studying seafloor sediment around Antarctica. These sediments, or muds, include the remains of microscopic marine organisms as well as tiny particles originating from eroded Antarctic bedrock. These muds provide a record of past environmental changes including ocean temperatures and the advance and retreat of glaciers. Scientists use a variety of physical and chemical analyses to determine how long ago this mud was deposited, the temperature of the ocean at that location through time, and the relative location of glacial ice. In this project, researchers will refine and test new methods for measuring ocean temperature from the sediments to better understand the influence of ocean temperatures on East Antarctic glacier response. Results will be integrated into ice sheet and climate models to improve the accuracy of ice sheet modeling efforts and subsequent sea level predictions. Results from this project will be disseminated at scientific conferences, in the scientific literature, and more broadly to the general public via the St. Petersburg Science Festival and at the Oceanography Camp for Girls. The influence of ocean temperatures on East Antarctic glaciers is largely unknown. This research focuses on ice-proximal Antarctic margin paleoceanographic proxy calibration and validation, which will improve understanding of past ocean-ice sheet interactions on a variety of timescales. In this project, researchers from the University of South Florida will (1) further develop and refine two ocean temperature proxies, foraminifer Mg/Ca and TEX86, for use in ice-proximal Antarctic continental margin sediments and (2) investigate deglacial to present (~18-0 ka) ocean-ice interactions at the outlet of the climatically sensitive Aurora Subglacial Basin. The proposed research utilizes sediment trap, sediment core, and physical oceanographic data previously collected from the Sabrina Coast continental shelf during NSF-funded cruise NBP14-02. Studies of existing sediment cores will integrate multiple paleotemperature, meltwater/salinity, nutrient, bottom water oxygen, and sea ice proxies with geophysical and lithologic data to understand past regional ocean-ice interactions. While the recent international Antarctic research focus has been on understanding the drivers of West Antarctic Ice Sheet retreat, models suggest it would be imprudent to ignore the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, which is proving more sensitive to climate perturbations than previously realized. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": 121.0, "geometry": "POINT(120.5 -66.5)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "SEDIMENTS; FIELD INVESTIGATION; USA/NSF; USAP-DC; PALEOCLIMATE RECONSTRUCTIONS; Sabrina Coast; AMD; Amd/Us", "locations": "Sabrina Coast", "north": -66.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Shevenell, Amelia", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD INVESTIGATION", "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": -67.0, "title": "Deglacial to Recent Paleoceanography of the Sabrina Coast, East Antarctica: A Multi-proxy Study of Ice-ocean Interactions at the Outlet of the Aurora Subglacial Basin", "uid": "p0010194", "west": 120.0}, {"awards": "1443342 Licht, Kathy; 1443556 Thomson, Stuart", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": "Apatite (U-Th)/He and TREE Data Central Transantarctic Mountains", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601462", "doi": "10.15784/601462", "keywords": "Antarctica; Beardmore Glacier; Erosion; Landscape Evolution; Shackleton Glacier; Transantarctic Mountains; (U-Th)/He", "people": "He, John; Reiners, Peter; Hemming, Sidney R.; Licht, Kathy; Thomson, Stuart", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Apatite (U-Th)/He and TREE Data Central Transantarctic Mountains", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601462"}], "date_created": "Wed, 09 Jun 2021 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Antarctica is almost entirely covered by ice, in places over two miles thick. This ice hides a landscape that is less well known than the surface of Mars and represents one of Earth\u0027s last unexplored frontiers. Ice-penetrating radar images provide a remote glimpse of this landscape including ice-buried mountains larger than the European Alps and huge fjords twice as deep as the Grand Canyon. The goal of this project is to collect sediment samples derived from these landscapes to determine when and under what conditions these features formed. Specifically, the project seeks to understand the landscape in the context of the history and dynamics of the overlying ice sheet and past mountain-building episodes. This project accomplishes this goal by analyzing sand collected during previous sea-floor drilling expeditions off the coast of Antarctica. This sand was supplied from the continent interior by ancient rivers when it was ice-free over 34 million year ago, and later by glaciers. The project will also study bedrock samples from rare ice-free parts of the Transantarctic Mountains. The primary activity is to apply multiple advanced dating techniques to single mineral grains contained within this sand and rock. Different methods and minerals yield different dates that provide insight into how Antarctica?s landscape has eroded over the many tens of millions of years during which sand was deposited offshore. The dating techniques that are being developed and enhanced for this study have broad application in many branches of geoscience research and industry. The project makes cost-effective use of pre-existing sample collections housed at NSF facilities including the US Polar Rock Repository, the Gulf Coast Core Repository, and the Antarctic Marine Geology Research Facility. The project will contribute to the STEM training of two graduate and two undergraduate students, and includes collaboration among four US universities as well as international collaboration between the US and France. The project also supports outreach in the form of a two-week open workshop giving ten students the opportunity to visit the University of Arizona to conduct STEM-based analytical work and training on Antarctic-based projects. Results from both the project and workshop will be disseminated through presentations at professional meetings, peer-reviewed publications, and through public outreach and media. The main objective of this project is to reconstruct a chronology of East Antarctic subglacial landscape evolution to understand the tectonic and climatic forcing behind landscape modification, and how it has influenced past ice sheet inception and dynamics. Our approach focuses on acquiring a record of the cooling and erosion history contained in East Antarctic-derived detrital mineral grains and clasts in offshore sediments deposited both before and after the onset of Antarctic glaciation. Samples will be taken from existing drill core and marine sediment core material from offshore Wilkes Land (100\u00b0E-160\u00b0E) and the Ross Sea. Multiple geo- and thermo-chronometers will be employed to reconstruct source region cooling history including U-Pb, fission-track, and (U-Th)/He dating of zircon and apatite, and 40Ar/39Ar dating of hornblende, mica, and feldspar. This offshore record will be augmented and tested by applying the same methods to onshore bedrock samples in the Transantarctic Mountains obtained from the US Polar Rock Repository and through fieldwork. The onshore work will additionally address the debated incision history of the large glacial troughs that cut the range, now occupied by glaciers draining the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. This includes collection of samples from several age-elevation transects, apatite 4He/3He thermochronometry, and Pecube thermo-kinematic modeling. Acquiring an extensive geo- and thermo-chronologic database will also provide valuable new information on the poorly known ice-hidden geology and tectonics of subglacial East Antarctica that has implications for improving supercontinent reconstructions and understanding continental break-up.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "LABORATORY; LANDSCAPE; AGE DETERMINATIONS; FIELD INVESTIGATION; GLACIAL PROCESSES; Transantarctic Mountains; USA/NSF; Thermochronology; Amd/Us; USAP-DC; TRACE ELEMENTS; Provenance Analysis; AMD; LANDFORMS; GLACIAL LANDFORMS", "locations": "Transantarctic Mountains", "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Thomson, Stuart; Reiners, Peter; Licht, Kathy", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD INVESTIGATION; OTHER \u003e PHYSICAL MODELS \u003e LABORATORY", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Collaborative Research: East Antarctic Glacial Landscape Evolution (EAGLE): A Study using Combined Thermochronology, Geochronology and Provenance Analysis", "uid": "p0010188", "west": null}, {"awards": "2317097 Venturelli, Ryan; 1738989 Venturelli, Ryan", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-114 -74,-112.2 -74,-110.4 -74,-108.6 -74,-106.8 -74,-105 -74,-103.2 -74,-101.4 -74,-99.6 -74,-97.8 -74,-96 -74,-96 -74.2,-96 -74.4,-96 -74.6,-96 -74.8,-96 -75,-96 -75.2,-96 -75.4,-96 -75.6,-96 -75.8,-96 -76,-97.8 -76,-99.6 -76,-101.4 -76,-103.2 -76,-105 -76,-106.8 -76,-108.6 -76,-110.4 -76,-112.2 -76,-114 -76,-114 -75.8,-114 -75.6,-114 -75.4,-114 -75.2,-114 -75,-114 -74.8,-114 -74.6,-114 -74.4,-114 -74.2,-114 -74))", "dataset_titles": "200 MHz ground-penetrating radar from Winkie Nunatak, West Antarctica; Cosmogenic-Nuclide data at ICE-D; Firn and Ice Density at Winkie Nunatak; Ice-penetrating radar data from the northern embayment of the Mt. Murphy massif; Ice-penetrating radar data from the Thwaites Glacier grounding zone; In situ 14C data from a subglacial bedrock core near Pope and Thwaites glaciers; NBP1902 Expedition data; Pine Island Bay Relative Sea-Level Data", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "200083", "doi": "10.7284/908147", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "NBP1902 Expedition data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP1902"}, {"dataset_uid": "601834", "doi": "10.15784/601834", "keywords": "Antarctica; Cryosphere; Mount Murphy", "people": "Balco, Greg; Goehring, Brent; Campbell, Seth", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "Thwaites (ITGC)", "title": "Ice-penetrating radar data from the northern embayment of the Mt. Murphy massif", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601834"}, {"dataset_uid": "200296", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "ICE-D", "science_program": null, "title": "Cosmogenic-Nuclide data at ICE-D", "url": "https://version2.ice-d.org/antarctica/nsf/"}, {"dataset_uid": "601677", "doi": "10.15784/601677", "keywords": "Antarctica; Ice Penetrating Radar; Pine Island Glacier; Subglacial Bedrock", "people": "Braddock, Scott", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "Thwaites (ITGC)", "title": "200 MHz ground-penetrating radar from Winkie Nunatak, West Antarctica", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601677"}, {"dataset_uid": "601860", "doi": "10.15784/601860", "keywords": "Antarctica; Cryosphere; Grounding Zone; Ice Penetrating Radar; Thwaites Glacier", "people": "Balco, Greg; Goehring, Brent; Campbell, Seth", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "Thwaites (ITGC)", "title": "Ice-penetrating radar data from the Thwaites Glacier grounding zone", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601860"}, {"dataset_uid": "601705", "doi": "10.15784/601705", "keywords": "Antarctica; Cosmogenic Radionuclides; Mount Murphy; Subglacial Bedrock", "people": "Venturelli, Ryan; Goehring, Brent; Balco, Gregory", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "Thwaites (ITGC)", "title": "In situ 14C data from a subglacial bedrock core near Pope and Thwaites glaciers", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601705"}, {"dataset_uid": "601554", "doi": "10.15784/601554", "keywords": "Antarctica; Pine Island Bay; Radiocarbon; Raised Beaches", "people": "Braddock, Scott; Hall, Brenda", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "Thwaites (ITGC)", "title": "Pine Island Bay Relative Sea-Level Data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601554"}, {"dataset_uid": "601838", "doi": "10.15784/601838", "keywords": "Antarctica; Cryosphere; Density; Firn; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Ice Core Density; Ice Core Records; Snow/ice; Snow/Ice", "people": "Venturelli, Ryan", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "Thwaites (ITGC)", "title": "Firn and Ice Density at Winkie Nunatak", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601838"}], "date_created": "Tue, 16 Mar 2021 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This project contributes to the joint initiative launched by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.K. Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) to substantially improve decadal and longer-term projections of ice loss and sea-level rise originating from Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica. The Thwaites Glacier system dominates the contribution to sea-level rise from Antarctica. Predicting how this system will evolve in coming decades, and thereby its likely contribution to sea level, requires detailed understanding of how it has responded to changes in climate and oceanographic conditions in the past. This project will provide a record of regional sea-level change by establishing chronologies for raised marine beaches as well as the timing and duration of periods of retreat of Thwaites Glacier during the past 10,000 years by sampling and dating bedrock presently covered by Thwaites Glacier via subglacial drilling. Together with climatic and oceanographic conditions from other records, these will provide boundary conditions for past-to-present model simulations as well as those used to predict future glacier changes under a range of climate scenarios. Specifically, the project will test the hypothesis--implied by existing geological evidence from the region--that present rapid retreat of the Thwaites Glacier system is reversible. The team aims to utilize two approaches: 1. To reconstruct relative sea level during the Holocene, it will map and date raised marine and shoreline deposits throughout Pine Island Bay. Chronological constraints on sea-level change will be provided by radiocarbon dating of organic material in landforms and sediments that are genetically related to past sea level, such as shell fragments, bones of marine fauna, and penguin guano. 2. To obtain geological evidence for past episodes of grounding-line retreat, the team will apply cosmogenic-nuclide exposure-dating of subglacial bedrock. Using drill systems recently developed for subglacial bedrock recovery, the team will obtain subglacial bedrock from sites where ice thickness is dynamically linked to grounding-line position in the Thwaites system (specifically in the Hudson Mountains, and near Mount Murphy). Observation of significant cosmogenic-nuclide concentrations--the team will primarily measure Beryllium-10 and in situ Carbon-14--in these samples would provide direct, unambiguous evidence for past episodes of thinning linked to grounding-line retreat as well as constraints on their timing and duration. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": -96.0, "geometry": "POINT(-105 -75)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "AMD; FIELD INVESTIGATION; GLACIERS/ICE SHEETS; GLACIAL LANDFORMS; LABORATORY; Amd/Us; USAP-DC; GLACIATION; Amundsen Sea; USA/NSF", "locations": "Amundsen Sea", "north": -74.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Glaciology; Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Goehring, Brent; Hall, Brenda; Campbell, Seth; Venturelli, Ryan A; Balco, Gregory", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD INVESTIGATION; OTHER \u003e PHYSICAL MODELS \u003e LABORATORY", "repo": "R2R", "repositories": "ICE-D; R2R; USAP-DC", "science_programs": "Thwaites (ITGC)", "south": -76.0, "title": "NSF-NERC: Geological History Constraints on the Magnitude of Grounding Line Retreat in the Thwaites Glacier System", "uid": "p0010165", "west": -114.0}, {"awards": "2002346 Tinto, Kirsteen; 2001714 Muto, Atsuhiro", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-115 -70,-113 -70,-111 -70,-109 -70,-107 -70,-105 -70,-103 -70,-101 -70,-99 -70,-97 -70,-95 -70,-95 -70.8,-95 -71.6,-95 -72.4,-95 -73.2,-95 -74,-95 -74.8,-95 -75.6,-95 -76.4,-95 -77.2,-95 -78,-97 -78,-99 -78,-101 -78,-103 -78,-105 -78,-107 -78,-109 -78,-111 -78,-113 -78,-115 -78,-115 -77.2,-115 -76.4,-115 -75.6,-115 -74.8,-115 -74,-115 -73.2,-115 -72.4,-115 -71.6,-115 -70.8,-115 -70))", "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Tue, 02 Mar 2021 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Predictions of future changes of the Antarctic ice sheet are essential for understanding changes in the global sea level expected for the coming centuries. These predictions rely on models of ice-sheet flow that in turn rely on knowledge of the physical conditions of the Antarctic continent beneath the ice. Exploration of Antarctica by land, sea, and air has advanced our understanding of the geological material under the Antarctic ice sheet, but this information has not yet been fully integrated into ice-sheet models. This project will take advantage of existing data from decades of US and international investment in geophysical surveys to create a new understanding of the geology underlying the Amundsen Sea and the adjacent areas of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet\u2014a portion of Antarctica that is considered particularly vulnerable to collapse. A series of new datasets called \u201cBed Classes\u201d will be developed that will translate the geological properties of the Antarctic continent in ways that can be incorporated into ice-sheet models. This project will develop a new regional geologic/tectonic framework for the Amundsen Sea Embayment and its ice catchments using extensive marine and airborne geophysical data together with ground-based onshore geophysical and geological constraints to delineate sedimentary basins, bedrock ridges, faults, and volcanic structures. Using this new geologic interpretation of the region, several key issues regarding the geologic influence on ice-sheet stability will be addressed: whether the regional heat flow is dominated by localization along the faults or lithology; the role of geology on the sources, sinks, and flow-paths of subglacial water; the distribution of sediments that determine bed-character variability; and the extent of geologic control on the current Thwaites Glacier grounding line. The impact of improved geological knowledge on ice-sheet models will be tested with the development of a set of \u201cBed Class\u201d grids to capture these new insights for use in the models. Bed Classes will be tested within the Parallel Ice Sheet Model framework with initial experiments to identify the sensitivity of model simulations to geological parameterizations. Through a series of workshops with ice-sheet modelers, the Bed Classes will be refined and made accessible to the broader modelling community. This work aims to ensure that the Bed-Class concept can be applied more broadly to ice-sheet models working in different geographic areas and on different timescales. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": -95.0, "geometry": "POINT(-105 -74)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Amundsen Sea; COMPUTERS; GRAVITY ANOMALIES; Amd/Us; GLACIERS/ICE SHEETS; AMD; USA/NSF; USAP-DC", "locations": "Amundsen Sea", "north": -70.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Glaciology; Antarctic Integrated System Science; Antarctic Glaciology; Antarctic Integrated System Science", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Tinto, Kirsty; Bell, Robin; Porter, David; Muto, Atsu", "platforms": "OTHER \u003e MODELS \u003e COMPUTERS", "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": -78.0, "title": "Collaborative Research: Building Geologically Informed Bed Classes to Improve Projections of Ice Sheet Change", "uid": "p0010164", "west": -115.0}, {"awards": "0838968 Putkonen, Jaakko; 0838757 Balco, Gregory", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-158.00085 -83.2093,-157.945063 -83.2093,-157.889276 -83.2093,-157.833489 -83.2093,-157.777702 -83.2093,-157.721915 -83.2093,-157.666128 -83.2093,-157.610341 -83.2093,-157.554554 -83.2093,-157.498767 -83.2093,-157.44298 -83.2093,-157.44298 -83.50197,-157.44298 -83.79464,-157.44298 -84.08731,-157.44298 -84.37998,-157.44298 -84.67265,-157.44298 -84.96532,-157.44298 -85.25799,-157.44298 -85.55066,-157.44298 -85.84333,-157.44298 -86.136,-157.498767 -86.136,-157.554554 -86.136,-157.610341 -86.136,-157.666128 -86.136,-157.721915 -86.136,-157.777702 -86.136,-157.833489 -86.136,-157.889276 -86.136,-157.945063 -86.136,-158.00085 -86.136,-158.00085 -85.84333,-158.00085 -85.55066,-158.00085 -85.25799,-158.00085 -84.96532,-158.00085 -84.67265,-158.00085 -84.37998,-158.00085 -84.08731,-158.00085 -83.79464,-158.00085 -83.50197,-158.00085 -83.2093))", "dataset_titles": "Interface to observational data and geologic age information calculated therefrom; Web page with links to files containing cosmogenic noble gas concentrations and related analytical data", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "200198", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "PI website", "science_program": null, "title": "Web page with links to files containing cosmogenic noble gas concentrations and related analytical data", "url": "http://noblegas.berkeley.edu/~balcs/ongvalley/"}, {"dataset_uid": "200197", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "ICE-D", "science_program": null, "title": "Interface to observational data and geologic age information calculated therefrom", "url": "https://version2.ice-d.org/antarctica/nsf/"}], "date_created": "Sun, 20 Dec 2020 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). The proposed project will investigate the coldest and driest parts of the Transantarctic Mountains (Ong Valley at Nimrod Glacier and Moraine Canyon at Amundsen Glacier) where the lack of running water and biological activity in the modern environment is thought to have preserved the landscape, essentially unchanged, for millions of years. Contrary to this common belief, it is hypothesized that the landscape does evolve, perhaps as fast as many surfaces in the Dry Valleys area where both loose soil and bedrock surfaces have been degrading at a rate of about 1-2 m/Myrs for the past several million years. The research team will rely on analysis of the both stable and radioactive cosmogenic isotopes that accumulate in near surface soil and bedrock. Collectively these measurements allow comparison of the long term landscape evolution to current processes and environmental drivers such as wind speed. The results of this work will improve understanding of the evolution of the Earth\u0027s surface and directly aid in evaluating imagery of Martian geomorphology. Continued reliance on students provides a broader impact to this proposed research and firmly grounds this effort in its educational mission.", "east": -157.44298, "geometry": "POINT(-157.721915 -84.67265)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "GLACIERS/ICE SHEETS; NOT APPLICABLE; Antarctica", "locations": "Antarctica", "north": -83.2093, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": "PHANEROZOIC \u003e CENOZOIC \u003e QUATERNARY \u003e HOLOCENE; PHANEROZOIC \u003e CENOZOIC \u003e QUATERNARY \u003e PLEISTOCENE", "persons": "Balco, Gregory; Putkonen, Jaakko; Morgan, Daniel", "platforms": "OTHER \u003e NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE", "repo": "PI website", "repositories": "ICE-D; PI website", "science_programs": null, "south": -86.136, "title": "Collaborative Research: Systematic Analysis of Landscape Evolution and Surface Ages in Transantarctic Mountains", "uid": "p0010152", "west": -158.00085}, {"awards": "1643873 Hansen, Samantha; 1643798 Emry, Erica", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-180 -60,-144 -60,-108 -60,-72 -60,-36 -60,0 -60,36 -60,72 -60,108 -60,144 -60,180 -60,180 -63,180 -66,180 -69,180 -72,180 -75,180 -78,180 -81,180 -84,180 -87,180 -90,144 -90,108 -90,72 -90,36 -90,0 -90,-36 -90,-72 -90,-108 -90,-144 -90,-180 -90,-180 -87,-180 -84,-180 -81,-180 -78,-180 -75,-180 -72,-180 -69,-180 -66,-180 -63,-180 -60))", "dataset_titles": "GEOSCOPE Network; IU: Global Seismograph Network; Shear Wave Velocity of the Antarctic Upper Mantle from Full Waveform Inversion and Long Period Ambient Seismic Noise; XP (2000-2004): A Broadband Seismic Investigation of Deep Continental Structure Across the East-West Antarctic Boundary ; YT (2007-2023): IPY POLENET-Antarctica: Investigating links between geodynamics and ice sheets; ZJ (2012-2015): Transantarctic Mountains Northern Network ; ZM (2007-2013): A Broadband Seismic Experiment to Image the Lithosphere beneath the Gamburtsev Mountains, East Antarctica", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601909", "doi": "10.15784/601909", "keywords": "Ambient Seismic Noise; Antarctica; Cryosphere; Full-Waveform Inversion; Seismic Tomography; Shear Wave Velocity", "people": "Hansen, Samantha; Emry, Erica", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Shear Wave Velocity of the Antarctic Upper Mantle from Full Waveform Inversion and Long Period Ambient Seismic Noise", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601909"}, {"dataset_uid": "200172", "doi": "10.7914/SN/ZM_2007", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "IRIS", "science_program": null, "title": " ZM (2007-2013): A Broadband Seismic Experiment to Image the Lithosphere beneath the Gamburtsev Mountains, East Antarctica", "url": "http://www.fdsn.org/networks/detail/ZM_2007/"}, {"dataset_uid": "200173", "doi": "10.7914/SN/ZJ_2012", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "IRIS", "science_program": null, "title": "ZJ (2012-2015): Transantarctic Mountains Northern Network ", "url": "http://www.fdsn.org/networks/detail/ZJ_2012/"}, {"dataset_uid": "200171", "doi": "10.7914/SN/YT_2007", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "IRIS", "science_program": null, "title": "YT (2007-2023): IPY POLENET-Antarctica: Investigating links between geodynamics and ice sheets", "url": "http://www.fdsn.org/networks/detail/YT_2007/"}, {"dataset_uid": "200170", "doi": "10.7914/SN/XP_2000", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "IRIS", "science_program": null, "title": "XP (2000-2004): A Broadband Seismic Investigation of Deep Continental Structure Across the East-West Antarctic Boundary ", "url": "http://www.fdsn.org/networks/detail/XP_2000/"}, {"dataset_uid": "200169", "doi": "10.7914/SN/IU", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "IRIS", "science_program": null, "title": "IU: Global Seismograph Network", "url": "http://www.fdsn.org/networks/detail/IU/"}, {"dataset_uid": "200168", "doi": "10.18715/GEOSCOPE.G", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "IRIS", "science_program": null, "title": "GEOSCOPE Network", "url": "http://geoscope.ipgp.fr/networks/detail/G/"}], "date_created": "Thu, 15 Oct 2020 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Nontechnical description of proposed research: This project will apply cutting-edge seismic imaging methods to existing seismic data to study the three-dimensional structure of the Earth beneath the ice-covered Antarctic continent. The study will improve understanding of Earth structure and hotspots and geologically recent and ancient rift systems. The results will be useful for models of ice movement and bedrock elevation changes due to variation in ice sheet thickness. The results will also help guide future seismic data collection. The researchers will transfer existing software from the high-performance computers at The University of Rhode Island to the Alabama supercomputer facilities. The project will also broaden public understanding of scientific research in Antarctica by engaging with the students and teachers in Socorro County, New Mexico to discuss career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), the Earth Sciences, and the importance of computers in scientific research. Project personnel from Alabama will visit Socorro and share research with students at New Mexico Tech and at the Socorro High School. The project will also train undergraduate and graduate students in the expanding field of computational seismology, by applying these approaches to study Antarctic geology. Technical description of proposed research: The project seeks to better resolve the three-dimensional Antarctic mantle structure and viscosity and to identify locations of ancient rifts within the stable East Antarctic lithosphere. To accomplish this, the researchers will utilize full-waveform tomographic inversion techniques that combine long-period ambient noise data with earthquake constraints to more accurately resolve structure than traditional tomographic approaches. The proposed research will be completed using the Alabama supercomputer facilities and the programs and methodology developed at The University of Rhode Island. The new tomographic results will be useful in assessing lithospheric structure beneath Dronning Maud Land as well as the Wilkes and Aurora Subglacial Basins in East Antarctica, where previous rifting episodes and mid-lithospheric discontinuities will be explored. In West Antarctica, the work will elucidate the easternmost extent of the West Antarctic Rift System as well as rifted structure and possible compositional variations within the Weddell Sea. The accuracy of existing Antarctic seismic models will be quantified through model validation approaches. The researchers will highlight regions of Antarctica where tomographic resolution is still lacking and where future deployments would improve resolution.", "east": 180.0, "geometry": "POINT(0 -89.999)", "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e MAGNETIC/MOTION SENSORS \u003e SEISMOMETERS \u003e SEISMOGRAPHS", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "SEISMIC SURFACE WAVES; USA/NSF; USAP-DC; SEISMOLOGICAL STATIONS; Amd/Us; AMD; POLNET; TECTONICS; Antarctica", "locations": "Antarctica", "north": -60.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Emry, Erica; Hansen, Samantha", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e PERMANENT LAND SITES \u003e SEISMOLOGICAL STATIONS", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "IRIS; USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -90.0, "title": "Collaborative Research: Imaging Seismic Heterogeneity within the Antarctic Mantle with Full Waveform Ambient Noise Tomography", "uid": "p0010139", "west": -180.0}, {"awards": "1724670 Williams, Trevor", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-70 -60,-65 -60,-60 -60,-55 -60,-50 -60,-45 -60,-40 -60,-35 -60,-30 -60,-25 -60,-20 -60,-20 -62.5,-20 -65,-20 -67.5,-20 -70,-20 -72.5,-20 -75,-20 -77.5,-20 -80,-20 -82.5,-20 -85,-25 -85,-30 -85,-35 -85,-40 -85,-45 -85,-50 -85,-55 -85,-60 -85,-65 -85,-70 -85,-70 -82.5,-70 -80,-70 -77.5,-70 -75,-70 -72.5,-70 -70,-70 -67.5,-70 -65,-70 -62.5,-70 -60))", "dataset_titles": "Argon thermochronological data on detrital mineral grains from the Weddell Sea embayment", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601379", "doi": "10.15784/601379", "keywords": "40Ar/39Ar Thermochronology; Antarctica; Argon; Chemistry:sediment; Chemistry:Sediment; Detrital Minerals; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Marine Geoscience; Mass Spectrometer; Provenance; R/v Polarstern; Sediment Core Data; Subglacial Till; Till; Weddell Sea", "people": "Williams, Trevor", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Argon thermochronological data on detrital mineral grains from the Weddell Sea embayment", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601379"}, {"dataset_uid": "601377", "doi": "10.15784/601377", "keywords": "40Ar/39Ar Thermochronology; Antarctica; Argon; Chemistry:sediment; Chemistry:Sediment; Detrital Minerals; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Marine Sediments; Mass Spectrometer; Provenance; R/v Polarstern; Sediment Core Data; Subglacial Till; Till; Weddell Sea", "people": "Williams, Trevor", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Argon thermochronological data on detrital mineral grains from the Weddell Sea embayment", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601377"}, {"dataset_uid": "601378", "doi": "10.15784/601378", "keywords": "40Ar/39Ar Thermochronology; Antarctica; Argon; Chemistry:sediment; Chemistry:Sediment; Detrital Minerals; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Marine Sediments; Mass Spectrometer; Provenance; R/v Polarstern; Sediment Core Data; Subglacial Till; Till; Weddell Sea", "people": "Williams, Trevor", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Argon thermochronological data on detrital mineral grains from the Weddell Sea embayment", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601378"}], "date_created": "Thu, 10 Sep 2020 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Abstract for the general public: The margins of the Antarctic ice sheet have advanced and retreated repeatedly over the past few million years. Melting ice from the last retreat, from 19,000 to 9,000 years ago, raised sea levels by 8 meters or more, but the extents of previous retreats are less well known. The main goal of this project is to understand how Antarctic ice retreats: fast or slow, stepped or steady, and which parts of the ice sheet are most prone to retreat. Antarctica loses ice by two main processes: melting of the underside of floating ice shelves and calving of icebergs. Icebergs themselves are ephemeral, but they carry mineral grains and rock fragments that have been scoured from Antarctic bedrock. As the icebergs drift and melt, this \u0027iceberg-rafted debris\u0027 falls to the sea-bed and is steadily buried in marine sediments to form a record of iceberg activity and ice sheet retreat. The investigators will read this record of iceberg-rafted debris to find when and where Antarctic ice destabilized in the past. This information can help to predict how Antarctic ice will behave in a warming climate. The study area is the Weddell Sea embayment, in the Atlantic sector of Antarctica. Principal sources of icebergs are the nearby Antarctic Peninsula and Weddell Sea embayment, where ice streams drain about a quarter of Antarctic ice. The provenance of the iceberg-rafted debris (IRD), and the icebergs that carried it, will be found by matching the geochemical fingerprint (such as characteristic argon isotope ages) of individual mineral grains in the IRD to that of the corresponding source area. In more detail, the project will: 1. Define the geochemical fingerprints of the source areas of the glacially-eroded material using samples from each major ice stream entering the Weddell Sea. Existing data indicates that the hinterland of the Weddell embayment is made up of geochemically distinguishable source areas, making it possible to apply geochemical provenance techniques to determine the origin of Antarctica icebergs. Few samples of onshore tills are available from this area, so this project includes fieldwork to collect till samples to characterize detritus supplied by the Recovery and Foundation ice streams. 2. Document the stratigraphic changes in provenance of iceberg-rafted debris (IRD) and glacially-eroded material in two deep water sediment cores in the NW Weddell Sea. Icebergs calved from ice streams in the embayment are carried by the Weddell Gyre and deposit IRD as they pass over the core sites. The provenance information identifies which groups of ice streams were actively eroding and exporting detritus to the ocean (via iceberg rafting and bottom currents), and the stratigraphy of the cores shows the relative sequence of ice stream activity through time. A further dimension is added by determining the time lag between fine sediment erosion and deposition, using a new method of uranium-series isotope measurements in fine grained material. Technical abstract: The behavior of the Antarctic ice sheets and ice streams is a critical topic for climate change and future sea level rise. The goal of this proposal is to constrain ice sheet response to changing climate in the Weddell Sea during the three most recent glacial terminations, as analogues for potential future warming. The project will also examine possible contributions to Meltwater Pulse 1A, and test the relative stability of the ice streams draining East and West Antarctica. Much of the West Antarctic ice may have melted during the Eemian (130 to 114 Ka), so it may be an analogue for predicting future ice drawdown over the coming centuries. Geochemical provenance fingerprinting of glacially eroded detritus provides a novel way to reconstruct the location and relative timing of glacial retreat during these terminations in the Weddell Sea embayment. The two major objectives of the project are to: 1. Define the provenance source areas by characterizing Ar, U-Pb, and Nd isotopic signatures, and heavy mineral and Fe-Ti oxide compositions of detrital minerals from each major ice stream entering the Weddell Sea, using onshore tills and existing sediment cores from the Ronne and Filchner Ice Shelves. Pilot data demonstrate that detritus originating from the east and west sides of the Weddell Sea embayment can be clearly distinguished, and published data indicates that the hinterland of the embayment is made up of geochemically distinguishable source areas. Few samples of onshore tills are available from this area, so this project includes fieldwork to collect till to characterize detritus supplied by the Recovery and Foundation ice streams. 2. Document the stratigraphic changes in provenance of iceberg-rafted debris (IRD) and glacially-eroded material in two deep water sediment cores in the NW Weddell Sea. Icebergs calved from ice streams in the embayment are carried by the Weddell Gyre and deposit IRD as they pass over the core sites. The provenance information will identify which ice streams were actively eroding and exporting detritus to the ocean (via iceberg rafting and bottom currents). The stratigraphy of the cores will show the relative sequence of ice stream activity through time. A further time dimension is added by determining the time lag between fine sediment erosion and deposition, using U-series comminution ages.", "east": -20.0, "geometry": "POINT(-45 -72.5)", "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e CORERS \u003e SEDIMENT CORERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e SPECTROMETERS/RADIOMETERS \u003e MASS SPECTROMETERS", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "TERRIGENOUS SEDIMENTS; Subglacial Till; USAP-DC; ICEBERGS; AMD; USA/NSF; ISOTOPES; AGE DETERMINATIONS; Argon; Provenance; Till; Amd/Us; R/V POLARSTERN; FIELD INVESTIGATION; SEDIMENT CHEMISTRY; Weddell Sea; Antarctica; LABORATORY", "locations": "Weddell Sea; Antarctica", "north": -60.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Williams, Trevor; Hemming, Sidney R.", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD INVESTIGATION; OTHER \u003e PHYSICAL MODELS \u003e LABORATORY; WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V POLARSTERN", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -85.0, "title": "Collaborative Research: Deglacial Ice Dynamics in the Weddell Sea Embayment using Sediment Provenance", "uid": "p0010128", "west": -70.0}, {"awards": "1935755 Lamp, Jennifer; 1935907 Balco, Gregory; 1935945 Tremblay, Marissa", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((160 -77.25,160.4 -77.25,160.8 -77.25,161.2 -77.25,161.6 -77.25,162 -77.25,162.4 -77.25,162.8 -77.25,163.2 -77.25,163.6 -77.25,164 -77.25,164 -77.325,164 -77.4,164 -77.475,164 -77.55,164 -77.625,164 -77.7,164 -77.775,164 -77.85,164 -77.925,164 -78,163.6 -78,163.2 -78,162.8 -78,162.4 -78,162 -78,161.6 -78,161.2 -78,160.8 -78,160.4 -78,160 -78,160 -77.925,160 -77.85,160 -77.775,160 -77.7,160 -77.625,160 -77.55,160 -77.475,160 -77.4,160 -77.325,160 -77.25))", "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Tue, 25 Aug 2020 00:00:00 GMT", "description": ". ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Part I: Nontechnical Description Scientists study the Earth\u0027s past climate in order to understand how the climate will respond to ongoing global change in the future. One of the best analogs for future climate might the period that occurred approximately 3 million years ago, during an interval known as the mid-Pliocene Warm Period. During this period, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was similar to today\u0027s and sea level was 15 or more meters higher, due primarily to warming and consequent ice sheet melting in polar regions. However, the temperatures in polar regions during the mid-Pliocene Warm Period are not well determined, in part because we do not have records like ice cores that extend this far back in time. This project will provide constraints on surface temperatures in Antarctica during the mid-Pliocene Warm Period using a new type of climate substitute, known as cosmogenic noble gas paleothermometry. This project focuses on an area of Antarctica called the McMurdo Dry Valleys. In this area, climate models suggest that temperatures were more than 10 C warmer during the mid-Pliocene than they are today, but indirect geologic observations suggest that temperatures may have been similar to today. The McMurdo Dry Valleys are also a place where rocks have been exposed to Earth surface conditions for several million years, and where this new climate substitute can be readily applied. The team will reconstruct temperatures in the McMurdo Dry Valleys during the mid-Pliocene Warm Period in order to resolve the discrepancy between models and indirect geologic observations and provide much-needed constraints on the sensitivity of Antarctic ice sheets to warming temperatures. The temperature reconstructions generated in this project will have scientific impact in multiple disciplines, including climate science, glaciology, geomorphology, and planetary science. In addition, the project will (1) broaden the participation of underrepresented groups by supporting two early-career female principal investigators, (2) build STEM talent through the education and training of a graduate student, (3) enhance infrastructure for research via publication of a publicly-accessible, open-source code library, and (4) be broadly disseminated via social media, blog posts, publications, and conference presentations. Part II: Technical Description The mid-Pliocene Warm Period (3-3.3 million years ago) is the most recent interval of the geologic past when atmospheric CO2 concentrations exceeded 400 ppm and is widely considered an analog for how Earth\u2019s climate system will respond to current global change. Climate models predict polar amplification - the occurrence of larger changes in temperatures at high latitudes than the global average due to a radiative forcing - both during the mid-Pliocene Warm Period and due to current climate warming. However, the predicted magnitude of polar amplification is highly uncertain in both cases. The magnitude of polar amplification has important implications for the sensitivity of ice sheets to warming and the contribution of ice sheet melting to sea level change. Proxy-based constraints on polar surface air temperatures during the mid-Pliocene Warm Period are sparse to non-existent. In Antarctica, there is only indirect evidence for the magnitude of warming during this time. This project will provide constraints on surface temperatures in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica during the mid-Pliocene Warm Period using a newly developed technique called cosmogenic noble gas (CNG) paleothermometry. CNG paleothermometry utilizes the diffusive behavior of cosmogenic 3He in quartz to quantify the temperatures rocks experience while exposed to cosmic-ray particles within a few meters of the Earth\u2019s surface. The very low erosion rates and subzero temperatures characterizing the McMurdo Dry Valleys make this region uniquely suited for the application of CNG paleothermometry for addressing the question: what temperatures characterized the McMurdo Dry Valleys during the mid-Pliocene Warm Period? To address this question, the team will collect bedrock samples at several locations in the McMurdo Dry Valleys where erosion rates are known to be low enough that cosmic ray exposure extends into the mid-Pliocene or earlier. They will pair cosmogenic 3He measurements, which will record the thermal histories of our samples, with measurements of cosmogenic 10Be, 26Al, and 21Ne, which record samples exposure and erosion histories. We will also make in situ measurements of rock and air temperatures at sample sites in order to quantify the effect of radiative heating and develop a statistical relationship between rock and air temperatures, as well as conduct diffusion experiments to quantify the kinetics of 3He diffusion specific to each sample. This suite of observations will be used to model permissible thermal histories and place constraints on temperatures during the mid-Pliocene Warm Period interval of cosmic-ray exposure. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": 164.0, "geometry": "POINT(162 -77.625)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "FIELD INVESTIGATION; AMD; LABORATORY; USA/NSF; Amd/Us; ISOTOPES; Dry Valleys; AIR TEMPERATURE RECONSTRUCTION; GEOCHEMISTRY; USAP-DC", "locations": "Dry Valleys", "north": -77.25, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Tremblay, Marissa; Granger, Darryl; Balco, Gregory; Lamp, Jennifer", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD INVESTIGATION; OTHER \u003e PHYSICAL MODELS \u003e LABORATORY", "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": -78.0, "title": "Collaborative \r\nResearch: Reconstructing Temperatures during the Mid-Pliocene Warm \r\nPeriod in the McMurdo Dry Valleys with Cosmogenic Noble Gases", "uid": "p0010123", "west": 160.0}, {"awards": "1443690 Young, Duncan", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((95 -68,100.5 -68,106 -68,111.5 -68,117 -68,122.5 -68,128 -68,133.5 -68,139 -68,144.5 -68,150 -68,150 -70.2,150 -72.4,150 -74.6,150 -76.8,150 -79,150 -81.2,150 -83.4,150 -85.6,150 -87.8,150 -90,144.5 -90,139 -90,133.5 -90,128 -90,122.5 -90,117 -90,111.5 -90,106 -90,100.5 -90,95 -90,95 -87.8,95 -85.6,95 -83.4,95 -81.2,95 -79,95 -76.8,95 -74.6,95 -72.4,95 -70.2,95 -68))", "dataset_titles": "Airborne potential fields data from Titan Dome, Antarctica; ICECAP Basal Interface Specularity Content Profiles: IPY and OIB; ICECAP: Gridded boundary conditions for Little Dome C, Antarctica, and extracted subglacial lake locations; ICECAP: High resolution survey of the Little Dome C region in support of the IPICS Old Ice goal; ICECAP radargrams in support of the international old ice search at Dome C - 2016; Ice-penetrating radar internal stratigraphy over Dome C and the wider East Antarctic Plateau; SPICECAP/ICECAP II Instrument Measurements (LASER, MAGNETICS and POSITIONING); Titan Dome, East Antarctica, Aerogeophysical Survey", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601355", "doi": "10.15784/601355", "keywords": "Aerogeophysics; Antarctica; Bed Elevation; Bed Reflectivity; Epica Dome C; Ice Thickness", "people": "Blankenship, Donald D.; van Ommen, Tas; Richter, Thomas; Greenbaum, Jamin; Cavitte, Marie G. P; Beem, Lucas H.; Quartini, Enrica; Tozer, Carly; Ng, Gregory; Habbal, Feras; Kempf, Scott D.; Ritz, Catherine; Roberts, Jason; Young, Duncan A.", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "Dome C Ice Core", "title": "ICECAP: High resolution survey of the Little Dome C region in support of the IPICS Old Ice goal", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601355"}, {"dataset_uid": "601437", "doi": "10.15784/601437", "keywords": "Airborne Laser Altimetry; Airborne Radar; Airplane; Antarctica; Bedrock Elevation; East Antarctica; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Ice Thickness; Radar Echo Sounder; Surface Elevation; Titan Dome", "people": "Beem, Lucas H.; Young, Duncan; Ng, Gregory; Young, Duncan A.; Blankenship, Donald D.; Cavitte, Marie G. P; Jingxue, Guo; Bo, Sun; Greenbaum, Jamin", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Titan Dome, East Antarctica, Aerogeophysical Survey", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601437"}, {"dataset_uid": "200233", "doi": "http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.26179/5wkf-7361", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "AADC", "science_program": null, "title": "ICECAP radargrams in support of the international old ice search at Dome C - 2016", "url": "https://data.aad.gov.au/metadata/records/AAS_4346_ICECAP_OIA_RADARGRAMS"}, {"dataset_uid": "200235", "doi": "10.26179/jydx-yz69", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "AADC", "science_program": null, "title": "SPICECAP/ICECAP II Instrument Measurements (LASER, MAGNETICS and POSITIONING)", "url": "https://data.aad.gov.au/metadata/records/AAS_4346_ICECAP_OIA_Level1B_AEROGEOPHYSICS"}, {"dataset_uid": "601371", "doi": "10.15784/601371", "keywords": "Antarctica; East Antarctica; ICECAP; Ice Penetrating Radar; Radar Echo Sounder; Radar Echo Sounding; Subglacial Hydrology", "people": "Young, Duncan A.; Blankenship, Donald D.; Roberts, Jason; Siegert, Martin; van Ommen, Tas; Greenbaum, Jamin; Schroeder, Dustin", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "ICECAP Basal Interface Specularity Content Profiles: IPY and OIB", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601371"}, {"dataset_uid": "601461", "doi": "10.15784/601461", "keywords": "Antarctica; ICECAP; Titan Dome", "people": "Blankenship, Donald D.; Jingxue, Guo; Bo, Sun; Young, Duncan A.; Greenbaum, Jamin", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Airborne potential fields data from Titan Dome, Antarctica", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601461"}, {"dataset_uid": "601463", "doi": "10.15784/601463", "keywords": "Antarctica; Epica Dome C; ICECAP; Ice Penetrating Radar; Subglacial Lake", "people": "Blankenship, Donald D.; Cavitte, Marie G. P; Young, Duncan A.; Roberts, Jason; Ritz, Catherine; Frezzotti, Massimo; Quartini, Enrica; Tozer, Carly; Steinhage, Daniel; Urbini, Stefano; Corr, Hugh F. J.; Van Ommen, Tas", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "Dome C Ice Core", "title": "ICECAP: Gridded boundary conditions for Little Dome C, Antarctica, and extracted subglacial lake locations", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601463"}, {"dataset_uid": "601411", "doi": "10.15784/601411", "keywords": "Antarctica; East Antarctic Plateau; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; ICECAP; Ice Penetrating Radar; Internal Reflecting Horizons", "people": "Kempf, Scott D.; Ng, Gregory; Greenbaum, Jamin; Ritz, Catherine; Mulvaney, Robert; Schroeder, Dustin; Roberts, Jason; Frezzotti, Massimo; Paden, John; Muldoon, Gail R.; Quartini, Enrica; Cavitte, Marie G. P; Blankenship, Donald D.; Tozer, Carly; Young, Duncan A.", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "Dome C Ice Core", "title": "Ice-penetrating radar internal stratigraphy over Dome C and the wider East Antarctic Plateau", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601411"}], "date_created": "Tue, 07 Jul 2020 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Non-technical description: East Antarctica holds a vast, ancient ice sheet. The bedrock hidden beneath this ice sheet may provide clues to how today\u0027s continents formed, while the ice itself contains records of Earth\u0027s atmosphere from distant eras. New drilling technologies are now available to allow for direct sampling of these materials from more than two kilometers below the ice surface. However, getting this material will require knowing where to look. The Southern Plateau Ice-sheet Characterization and Evolution of the Central Antarctic Plate (SPICECAP) project will use internationally collected airborne survey data to search East Antarctica near the South Pole for key locations that will provide insight into Antarctica\u0027s geology and for locating the oldest intact ice on Earth. Ultimately, scientists are interested in obtaining samples of the oldest ice to address fundamental questions about the causes of changes in the timing of ice-age conditions from 40,000 to 100,000 year cycles. SPICECAP data analysis will provide site survey data for future drilling and will increase the overall understanding of Antarctica\u0027s hidden ice and geologic records. The project involves international collaboration and leveraging of internationally collected data. The SPICECAP project will train new interdisciplinary scientists at the undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral levels. Technical description: This study focuses on processing and interpretation of internationally collected aerogeophysical data from the Southern Plateau of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. The data include ice penetrating radar data, laser altimetry, gravity and magnetics.\u00a0 The project will provide information on geological trends under the ice, the topography and character of the ice/rock interface, and the stratigraphy of the ice. The project will also provide baseline site characterization for future drilling. Future drilling sites and deep ice cores for old ice require that the base of the ice sheet be frozen to the bed (i.e. no free water at the interface between rock and ice) and the assessment will map the extent of frozen vs. thawed areas. Specifically, three main outcomes are anticipated for this project. First, the study will provide an assessment of the viability of Titan Dome, a subglacial highland region located near South Pole, as a potential old ice drilling prospect. The assessment will include determining the\u00a0hydraulic context of the bed by processing and interpreting the radar data,\u00a0ice sheet mass balance through time by mapping englacial reflectors in the ice and connecting them to ice stratigraphy in the recent South Pole,\u00a0and ice sheet geometry using laser altimetry. Second, the study will provide an assessment of the geological context of the Titan Dome region with respect to understanding regional geologic boundaries and the potential for bedrock sampling. For these two goals, we will use data opportunistically collected by China, and the recent PolarGAP dataset. Third, the study will provide an assessment of the risk posture for RAID site targeting in the Titan Dome region, and the Dome C region. This will use a high-resolution dataset the team collected previously at Dome C, an area similar to the coarser resolution data collected at Titan Dome, and will enable an understanding of what is missed by the wide lines spacing at Titan Dome. Specifically, we will model subglacial hydrology with and without the high resolution data, and statistically examine the detection of subglacial mountains (which could preserve old ice) and subglacial lakes (which could destroy old ice), as a function of line spacing.", "east": 150.0, "geometry": "POINT(122.5 -79)", "instruments": "EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e RADAR SOUNDERS \u003e RADAR; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e ALTIMETERS \u003e LIDAR/LASER ALTIMETERS \u003e LIDAR ALTIMETERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e MAGNETIC/MOTION SENSORS \u003e GRAVIMETERS \u003e GRAVIMETERS; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e MAGNETIC FIELD/ELECTRIC FIELD INSTRUMENTS \u003e NUCLEAR PRECESSION MAGNETOMETER", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "BT-67; MAGNETIC ANOMALIES; Epica Dome C; GRAVITY ANOMALIES; GLACIER ELEVATION/ICE SHEET ELEVATION; GLACIER THICKNESS/ICE SHEET THICKNESS", "locations": "Epica Dome C", "north": -68.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Young, Duncan A.; Blankenship, Donald D.; Roberts, Jason; Bo, Sun", "platforms": "AIR-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e PROPELLER \u003e BT-67", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "AADC; USAP-DC", "science_programs": "Dome C Ice Core", "south": -90.0, "title": "Collaborative Research: Southern Plateau Ice-sheet Characterization and Evolution of the Central Antarctic Plate (SPICECAP)", "uid": "p0010115", "west": 95.0}, {"awards": "1341658 Mukhopadhyay, Sujoy", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-116.45 -84.786,-116.443 -84.786,-116.436 -84.786,-116.429 -84.786,-116.422 -84.786,-116.415 -84.786,-116.408 -84.786,-116.401 -84.786,-116.394 -84.786,-116.387 -84.786,-116.38 -84.786,-116.38 -84.7864,-116.38 -84.7868,-116.38 -84.7872,-116.38 -84.7876,-116.38 -84.788,-116.38 -84.7884,-116.38 -84.7888,-116.38 -84.7892,-116.38 -84.7896,-116.38 -84.79,-116.387 -84.79,-116.394 -84.79,-116.401 -84.79,-116.408 -84.79,-116.415 -84.79,-116.422 -84.79,-116.429 -84.79,-116.436 -84.79,-116.443 -84.79,-116.45 -84.79,-116.45 -84.7896,-116.45 -84.7892,-116.45 -84.7888,-116.45 -84.7884,-116.45 -84.788,-116.45 -84.7876,-116.45 -84.7872,-116.45 -84.7868,-116.45 -84.7864,-116.45 -84.786))", "dataset_titles": "Ohio Range Subglacial rock core cosmogenic nuclide data", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601351", "doi": "10.15784/601351", "keywords": "Aluminum-26; Antarctica; Beryllium-10; Cosmogenic Dating; Cosmogenic Radionuclides; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Ice Sheet Fluctuations; Ohio Range; Rocks", "people": "Mukhopadhyay, Sujoy", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Ohio Range Subglacial rock core cosmogenic nuclide data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601351"}], "date_created": "Sun, 28 Jun 2020 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Modeling fluctuations in the extent of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) over time is a principal goal of the glaciological community. These models will provide a critical basis for predictions of future sea level change, and therefore this work great societal relevance. The mid-Pliocene time interval is of particular interest, as it is the most recent period in which global temperatures were warmer and atmospheric CO2 concentrations may have been higher than current levels. However, observational constraints on fluctuations in the WAIS older than the last glacial maximum are rare. The investigators propose to collect geochemical data from the Ohio Range and Scott Glacier to quantify past variability in the height of the WAIS. Limited available cosmogenic nuclide data are broadly consistent with a model indicating that Pliocene WAIS elevations and volumes were smaller than at present, and that WAIS collapse was common. The PIs will use geologic observations and cosmogenic nuclide concentrations from bedrock samples at multiple locations and at multiple elevations, including sub-ice samples, to constrain WAIS ice volume changes in a \"dipstick\" like fashion. Data obtained from the proposed research will provide targets for data-ice sheet model comparisons to accurately characterize Plio-Pleistocene and future WAIS behavior. As part of this project, the investigators will work with the Natural History Museum and the Earth \u0026 Planetary Science department at Harvard to develop an exhibit that will become part of the Museum\u0027s recently opened Earth and Planetary Science Gallery. The project involves mentoring of a female graduate student as well as an undergraduate student.", "east": -116.38, "geometry": "POINT(-116.415 -84.788)", "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e CORERS \u003e ROCK CORERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e SPECTROMETERS/RADIOMETERS \u003e AMS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e CHEMICAL METERS/ANALYZERS \u003e GAS CHROMATOGRAPHS", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Ice Sheet Fluctuations; ALUMINUM-26 ANALYSIS; BERYLLIUM-10 ANALYSIS; Cosmogenic Radionuclides; USAP-DC; FIELD INVESTIGATION; AMD; Ohio Range; GLACIER THICKNESS/ICE SHEET THICKNESS; ICE SHEETS; LABORATORY", "locations": "Ohio Range", "north": -84.786, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Mukhopadhyay, Sujoy", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD INVESTIGATION; OTHER \u003e PHYSICAL MODELS \u003e LABORATORY", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -84.79, "title": "Constraining Plio-Pleistocene West Antarctic Ice Sheet Behavior from the Ohio Range and Scott Glacier", "uid": "p0010113", "west": -116.45}, {"awards": "1419979 Severinghaus, Jeffrey", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((166.65 -78.62,166.654 -78.62,166.658 -78.62,166.662 -78.62,166.666 -78.62,166.67 -78.62,166.674 -78.62,166.678 -78.62,166.682 -78.62,166.686 -78.62,166.69 -78.62,166.69 -78.6205,166.69 -78.621,166.69 -78.6215,166.69 -78.622,166.69 -78.6225,166.69 -78.623,166.69 -78.6235,166.69 -78.624,166.69 -78.6245,166.69 -78.625,166.686 -78.625,166.682 -78.625,166.678 -78.625,166.674 -78.625,166.67 -78.625,166.666 -78.625,166.662 -78.625,166.658 -78.625,166.654 -78.625,166.65 -78.625,166.65 -78.6245,166.65 -78.624,166.65 -78.6235,166.65 -78.623,166.65 -78.6225,166.65 -78.622,166.65 -78.6215,166.65 -78.621,166.65 -78.6205,166.65 -78.62))", "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Mon, 18 May 2020 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "The PIs will design and build a new rapid access ice drill (RAID) for use in Antarctica. This drill will have the ability to rapidly drill through ice up to 3300 m thick and then collect samples of the ice, ice-sheet bed interface, and bedrock substrate below. This drilling technology will provide a new way to obtain in situ measurements and samples for interdisciplinary studies in geology, glaciology, paleoclimatology, microbiology, and astrophysics. The RAID drilling platform will give the scientific community access to records of geologic and climatic change on a variety of timescales, from the billion-year rock record to thousand-year ice and climate histories. Successful development of the RAID system will provide a research tool that is currently unavailable. Development of this platform will enable scientists to address critical questions about the deep interface between the Antarctic ice sheets and the substrate below. Development of RAID will provide a way to address many of the unknowns associated with general stability of the Antarctic ice sheets in the face of changing climate and sea level rise. The scientific rationale for RAID was reviewed in a previous proposal (Goodge 1242027). The PIs were granted ?Phase I? funding to develop a more detailed conceptual design for the RAID drill that would provide a better understanding of construction costs as well as operation and maintenance costs for RAID once it is constructed. Phase I support also allowed the PIs to work with the research community to develop more detailed science requirements for the drill. This proposal requests continued funding (Phase II) to construct, assemble and test the RAID drilling platform, through to staging it in Antarctic for future scientific operations.", "east": 166.69, "geometry": "POINT(166.67 -78.6225)", "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e CORERS \u003e CORING DEVICES", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "WAIS Divide Ice Core; ICE CORE AIR BUBBLES; FIELD INVESTIGATION; USAP-DC; Minna Bluff", "locations": "Minna Bluff", "north": -78.62, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Instrumentation and Support", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Severinghaus, Jeffrey P.", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD INVESTIGATION", "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": -78.625, "title": "Collaborative Research: Phase 2 Development of A Rapid Access Ice Drilling (RAID) Platform for Research in Antarctica", "uid": "p0010099", "west": 166.65}, {"awards": "9978236 Bell, Robin", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((101 -75.5,101.9 -75.5,102.8 -75.5,103.7 -75.5,104.6 -75.5,105.5 -75.5,106.4 -75.5,107.3 -75.5,108.2 -75.5,109.1 -75.5,110 -75.5,110 -75.85,110 -76.2,110 -76.55,110 -76.9,110 -77.25,110 -77.6,110 -77.95,110 -78.3,110 -78.65,110 -79,109.1 -79,108.2 -79,107.3 -79,106.4 -79,105.5 -79,104.6 -79,103.7 -79,102.8 -79,101.9 -79,101 -79,101 -78.65,101 -78.3,101 -77.95,101 -77.6,101 -77.25,101 -76.9,101 -76.55,101 -76.2,101 -75.85,101 -75.5))", "dataset_titles": "SOAR-Lake Vostok Survey airborne radar data; SOAR-Lake Vostok Survey bed elevation data; SOAR-Lake Vostok Survey Gravity data; SOAR-Lake Vostok Survey ice thickness data; SOAR-Lake Vostok survey magnetic anomaly data; SOAR-Lake Vostok Survey surface elevation data", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601296", "doi": " 10.1594/IEDA/306564", "keywords": "Airborne Magnetic; Airplane; Antarctica; East Antarctica; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Lake Vostok; Magnetic; Magnetic Anomaly; Magnetometer; Potential Field; SOAR; Solid Earth", "people": "Bell, Robin; Studinger, Michael S.", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "SOAR-Lake Vostok survey magnetic anomaly data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601296"}, {"dataset_uid": "601297", "doi": "10.1594/IEDA/306567", "keywords": "Airborne Laser Altimeters; Airborne Radar; Airplane; Antarctica; East Antarctica; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Ice; Ice Sheet; Ice Stratigraphy; Ice Thickness; Ice Thickness Distribution; Lake Vostok; Radar; Radar Altimetry; Radar Echo Sounder; SOAR; Subglacial Lake", "people": "Bell, Robin; Studinger, Michael S.", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "SOAR-Lake Vostok Survey ice thickness data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601297"}, {"dataset_uid": "601298", "doi": "10.1594/IEDA/306566", "keywords": "Airborne Altimetry; Airborne Laser Altimeters; Airborne Radar; Airplane; Antarctica; East Antarctica; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Ice Sheet; Ice Sheet Elevation; Ice Surface; Lake Vostok; Radar Echo Sounder; SOAR; Surface Elevation", "people": "Bell, Robin; Studinger, Michael S.", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "SOAR-Lake Vostok Survey surface elevation data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601298"}, {"dataset_uid": "601300", "doi": "10.1594/IEDA/306568", "keywords": "Airborne Radar; Airplane; Antarctica; East Antarctica; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Lake Vostok; Navigation; Radar; SOAR; Subglacial Lakes", "people": "Studinger, Michael S.; Bell, Robin", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "SOAR-Lake Vostok Survey airborne radar data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601300"}, {"dataset_uid": "601299", "doi": "10.1594/IEDA/306565", "keywords": "Airborne Laser Altimeters; Airborne Laser Altimetry; Airborne Radar; Airplane; Antarctica; Bed Elevation; Bedrock Elevation; Digital Elevation Model; East Antarctica; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Ice Sheet; Lake Vostok; Radar; Radar Echo Sounder; SOAR", "people": "Bell, Robin; Studinger, Michael S.", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "SOAR-Lake Vostok Survey bed elevation data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601299"}, {"dataset_uid": "601295", "doi": "10.1594/IEDA/306563", "keywords": "Airborne Gravity; Airplane; Antarctica; East Antarctica; Free Air Gravity; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Gravimeter; Gravity; Lake Vostok; Potential Field; Solid Earth", "people": "Studinger, Michael S.; Bell, Robin", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "SOAR-Lake Vostok Survey Gravity data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601295"}], "date_created": "Fri, 24 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "9978236 Bell Abstract This award, provided by the Office of Polar Programs under the Life in Extreme Environments (LExEn) Program, supports a geophysical study of Lake Vostok, a large lake beneath the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. Subglacial ecosystems, in particular subglacial lake ecosystems are extreme oligotrophic environments. These environments, and the ecosystems which may exist within them, should provide key insights into a range of fundamental questions about the development of Earth and other bodies in the Solar System including: 1) the processes associated with rapid evolutionary radiation after the extensive Neoproterozoic glaciations; 2) the overall carbon cycle through glacial and interglacial periods; and 3) the possible adaptations organisms may require to thrive in environments such as on Europa, the ice covered moon of Jupiter. Over 70 subglacial lakes have been identified beneath the 3-4 kilometer thick ice of Antarctica. One lake, Lake Vostok, is sufficiently large to be clearly identified from space with satellite altimetry. Lake Vostok is similar to Lake Ontario in area but with a much larger volume including measured water depths of 600 meters. The overlying ice sheet is acting as a conveyer belt continually delivering new water, nutrients, gas hydrates, sediments and microbes as the ice sheet flows across the lake. The goal of this program is to determine the fundamental boundary conditions for this subglacial lake as an essential first step toward understanding the physical processes within the lake. An aerogeophysical survey over the lake and into the surrounding regions will be acquired to meet this goal. This data set includes gravity, magnetic, laser altimetry and ice penetrating radar data and will be used to compile a basic set of ice surface elevation, subglacial topography, gravity and magnetic anomaly maps. Potential field methods widely used in the oil industry will be modified to estimate the subglacial topography from gravity data where the ice penetrating radar will be unable to recover the depth of the lake. A similar method can be modified to estimate the thickness of the sediments beneath the lake from magnetic data. These methods will be tested and applied to subglacial lakes near South Pole prior to the Lake Vostok field campaign and will provide valuable comparisons to the planned survey. Once the methods have been adjusted for the Lake Vostok application, maps of the water cavity and sediment thickness beneath the lake will be produced. These maps will become tools to explore the geologic origin of the lake. The two endmember models are, first, that the lake is an active tectonic rift such as Lake Baikal and, second, the lake is the result of glacial scouring. The distinct characteristics of an extensional rift can be easily identified with our aerogeophysical survey. The geological interpretation of the airborne geophysical survey will provide the first geological constraints of the interior of the East Antarctic continent based on modern data. In addition, the underlying geology will influence the ecosystem within the lake. One of the critical issues for the ecosystem within the lake will be the flux of nutrients. A preliminary estimation of the regions of freezing and melting based on the distance between distinctive internal layers observed on the radar data will be made. These basic boundary conditions will provide guidance for a potential international effort aimed at in situ exploration of the lake and improve the understanding of East Antarctic geologic structures.", "east": 110.0, "geometry": "POINT(105.5 -77.25)", "instruments": "EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e RADAR SOUNDERS \u003e RADAR ECHO SOUNDERS; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e MAGNETIC FIELD/ELECTRIC FIELD INSTRUMENTS \u003e MAGNETOMETERS \u003e MGF; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e MAGNETIC/MOTION SENSORS \u003e GRAVIMETERS \u003e AIRGRAV", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Gravity; GLACIERS/ICE SHEETS; East Antarctica; USAP-DC; Lake Vostok; Airborne Radar; Subglacial Lake; MAGNETIC FIELD; GRAVITY", "locations": "East Antarctica; Lake Vostok", "north": -75.5, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Bell, Robin; Studinger, Michael S.", "platforms": null, "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -79.0, "title": "Understanding the Boundary Conditions of the Lake Vostok Environment: A Site Survey for Future Work\r\n", "uid": "p0010097", "west": 101.0}, {"awards": "9615282 Siddoway, Christine; 9615281 Luyendyk, Bruce", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-170 -76,-166.5 -76,-163 -76,-159.5 -76,-156 -76,-152.5 -76,-149 -76,-145.5 -76,-142 -76,-138.5 -76,-135 -76,-135 -76.8,-135 -77.6,-135 -78.4,-135 -79.2,-135 -80,-135 -80.8,-135 -81.6,-135 -82.4,-135 -83.2,-135 -84,-138.5 -84,-142 -84,-145.5 -84,-149 -84,-152.5 -84,-156 -84,-159.5 -84,-163 -84,-166.5 -84,-170 -84,-170 -83.2,-170 -82.4,-170 -81.6,-170 -80.8,-170 -80,-170 -79.2,-170 -78.4,-170 -77.6,-170 -76.8,-170 -76))", "dataset_titles": "Bedrock sample data, Ford Ranges region (Marie Byrd Land); SOAR-WMB Airborne gravity data", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601294", "doi": "10.15784/601294", "keywords": "Aerogeophysics; Airborne Gravity; Airplane; Antarctica; Free Air Gravity; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Gravimeter; Gravity; Gravity Data; Marie Byrd Land; Potential Field; Ross Sea; Solid Earth", "people": "Bell, Robin", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "SOAR-WMB Airborne gravity data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601294"}, {"dataset_uid": "601829", "doi": "10.15784/601829", "keywords": "Antarctica; Cryosphere; Gondwana; Marie Byrd Land; Migmatite", "people": "Siddoway, Christine", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Bedrock sample data, Ford Ranges region (Marie Byrd Land)", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601829"}], "date_created": "Fri, 24 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "OPP 9615281 Luyendyk OPP 9615282 Siddoway Abstract This award supports a collaborative project that combines air and ground geological-geophysical investigations to understand the tectonic and geological development of the boundary between the Ross Sea Rift and the Marie Byrd Land (MBL) volcanic province. The project will determine the Cenozoic tectonic history of the region and whether Neogene structures that localized outlet glacier flow developed within the context of Cenozoic rifting on the eastern Ross Embayment margin, or within the volcanic province in MBL. The geological structure at the boundary between the Ross Embayment and western MBL may be a result of: 1) Cenozoic extension on the eastern shoulder of the Ross Sea rift; 2) uplift and crustal extension related to Neogene mantle plume activity in western MBL; or a combination of the two. Faulting and volcanism, mountain uplift, and glacier downcutting appear to now be active in western MBL, where generally East-to-West-flowing outlet glaciers incise Paleozoic and Mesozoic bedrock, and deglaciated summits indicate a previous North-South glacial flow direction. This study requires data collection using SOAR (Support Office for Aerogeophysical Research, a facility supported by Office of Polar Programs which utilizes high precision differential GPS to support a laser altimeter, ice-penetrating radar, a towed proton magnetometer, and a Bell BGM-3 gravimeter). This survey requires data for 37,000 square kilometers using 5.3 kilometer line spacing with 15.6 kilometer tie lines, and 86,000 square kilometers using a grid of 10.6 by 10.6 kilometer spacing. Data will be acquired over several key features in the region including, among other, the eastern edge of the Ross Sea rift, over ice stream OEO, the transition from the Edward VII Peninsula plateau to the Ford Ranges, the continuation to the east of a gravity high known from previous reconnaissance mapping over the Fosdick Metamorphic Complex, an d the extent of the high-amplitude magnetic anomalies (volcanic centers?) detected southeast of the northern Ford Ranges by other investigators. SOAR products will include glaciology data useful for studying driving stresses, glacial flow and mass balance in the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS). The ground program is centered on the southern Ford Ranges. Geologic field mapping will focus on small scale brittle structures for regional kinematic interpretation, on glaciated surfaces and deposits, and on datable volcanic rocks for geochronologic control. The relative significance of fault and joint sets, the timing relationships between them, and the probable context of their formation will also be determined. Exposure ages will be determined for erosion surfaces and moraines. Interpretation of potential field data will be aided by on ground sampling for magnetic properties and density as well as ground based gravity measurements. Oriented samples will be taken for paleomagnetic studies. Combined airborne and ground investigations will obtain basic data for describing the geology and structure at the eastern boundary of the Ross Embayment both in outcrop and ice covered areas, and may be used to distinguish between Ross Sea rift- related structural activity from uplift and faulting on the perimeter of the MBL dome and volcanic province. Outcrop geology and structure will be extrapolated with the aerogeophysical data to infer the geology that resides beneath the WAIS. The new knowledge of Neogene tectonics in western MBL will contribute to a comprehensive model for the Cenozoic Ross rift and to understanding of the extent of plume activity in MBL. Both are important for determining the influence of Neogene tectonics on the ice streams and WAIS.", "east": -135.0, "geometry": "POINT(-152.5 -80)", "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e MAGNETIC/MOTION SENSORS \u003e GRAVIMETERS \u003e LGS", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "GRAVITY; USAP-DC; Ross Sea; TECTONICS; Marie Byrd Land", "locations": "Ross Sea; Marie Byrd Land", "north": -76.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Luyendyk, Bruce P.; Siddoway, Christine", "platforms": null, "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -84.0, "title": "Air-Ground Study of Tectonics at the Boundary Between the Eastern Ross Embayment and Western Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica: Basement Geology and Structure", "uid": "p0010096", "west": -170.0}, {"awards": "9725374 Bell, Robin", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-180 -60,-144 -60,-108 -60,-72 -60,-36 -60,0 -60,36 -60,72 -60,108 -60,144 -60,180 -60,180 -63,180 -66,180 -69,180 -72,180 -75,180 -78,180 -81,180 -84,180 -87,180 -90,144 -90,108 -90,72 -90,36 -90,0 -90,-36 -90,-72 -90,-108 -90,-144 -90,-180 -90,-180 -87,-180 -84,-180 -81,-180 -78,-180 -75,-180 -72,-180 -69,-180 -66,-180 -63,-180 -60))", "dataset_titles": "AWI processed ship-based Gravimeter Data from the Antarctica assembled as part of the ADGRAV Data Compilation (1990); BGR processed Gravimeter data from the Antarctica assembled as part of the ADGRAV Data Compilation (1990); CNES processed Gravimeter Data from the Antarctica (Continent) assembled as part of the ADGRAV Data Compilation (1990); Japanese processed Gravimeter Data from the Antarctica assembled as part of the ADGRAV Data Compilation (1990); Norwegian Processed ship-based Gravimeter data from the Antarctica assembled as part of the ADGRAV Data Compilation (1990); Russian processed Gravimeter data from the Antarctica assembled as part of the ADGRAV Data Compilation (1990)", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601279", "doi": null, "keywords": "ADGRAV; Antarctica; Geology/Geophysics - Other; Gravimeter; Gravity", "people": "Tronstad, Stein; Bell, Robin", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Norwegian Processed ship-based Gravimeter data from the Antarctica assembled as part of the ADGRAV Data Compilation (1990)", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601279"}, {"dataset_uid": "601278", "doi": null, "keywords": "ADGRAV; Antarctica; Geology/Geophysics - Other; Gravimeter; Gravity; Marine Geoscience", "people": "Biancale, Richard; Bell, Robin", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "CNES processed Gravimeter Data from the Antarctica (Continent) assembled as part of the ADGRAV Data Compilation (1990)", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601278"}, {"dataset_uid": "601277", "doi": null, "keywords": "ADGRAV; Antarctica; Geology/Geophysics - Other; Gravimeter; Gravity; Marine Geoscience; R/v Polarstern; Weddell Sea", "people": "Bell, Robin; Jokat, Wilfred", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "AWI processed ship-based Gravimeter Data from the Antarctica assembled as part of the ADGRAV Data Compilation (1990)", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601277"}, {"dataset_uid": "601280", "doi": null, "keywords": "ADGRAV; Antarctica; Geology/Geophysics - Other; Gravimeter; Gravity; PMGRE Il-38", "people": "Andrianov, Sergei; Bell, Robin", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Russian processed Gravimeter data from the Antarctica assembled as part of the ADGRAV Data Compilation (1990)", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601280"}, {"dataset_uid": "601282", "doi": null, "keywords": "ADGRAV; Antarctica; Geology/Geophysics - Other; Gravimeter; Gravity; Marine Geoscience; Ship", "people": "Nogi, Yasufumi; Bell, Robin", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Japanese processed Gravimeter Data from the Antarctica assembled as part of the ADGRAV Data Compilation (1990)", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601282"}, {"dataset_uid": "601281", "doi": null, "keywords": "ADGRAV; Antarctica; Geology/Geophysics - Other; Gravimeter; Gravity; Marine Geoscience; Ship", "people": "Damaske, Detlef; Bell, Robin", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "BGR processed Gravimeter data from the Antarctica assembled as part of the ADGRAV Data Compilation (1990)", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601281"}], "date_created": "Mon, 13 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "9725374 Bell The goal of this project is to develop a Web-based Antarctic gravity database to globally facilitate scientific use of gravity data in Antarctic studies. This compilation will provide an important new tool to the Antarctic Earth science community from the geologist placing field observations in a regional context to the seismologist studying continental scale mantle structure. The gravity database will complement the parallel projects underway to develop new continental bedrock (BEDMAP) and magnetic (ADMAP) maps of Antarctica. An international effort will parallel these ongoing projects in contacting the Antarctic geophysical community, identifying existing data sets, agreeing upon protocols for the use of data contributed to the database and finally assembling a new continental scale gravity map. The project has three principal stages. The first stage will be to investigate the accuracy and resolution of currently available high resolution satellite derived gravity data and quantify spatial variations in both accuracy and resolution. The second stage of this project will be to develop an interactive method of accessing existing satellite, shipboard, land based, and airborne gravity data via a Web based interface. The Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory RIDGE Multi-beam bathymetry database will be used as a template for this project. The existing online RIDGE database allows users to access the raw data, the gridded data and raster images of the seafloor topography. A similar structure will be produced for the existing Antarctic gravity data. The third stage of this project will be to develop an international program to compile existing gravity data south of 60 S. This project will be discussed with leaders of both the ADMAP and BEDMAP efforts and the appropriate working groups of SCAR. A preliminary map of existing gravity data will be presented at the Antarctic Earth Science meeting in Wellington in 1999. A gravity working group meeting will be held in conjunction with the Wellington meeting to reach a consensus on the protocols for placing data into the database. By the completion of the project, existing gravity data will be identified and international protocols for placing this data in the on-line database will have been defined. The process of archiving the gravity data into the database will be an ongoing project as additional data become available.", "east": 180.0, "geometry": "POINT(0 -89.999)", "instruments": "NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "NOT APPLICABLE; Antarctica; USAP-DC; GRAVITY FIELD", "locations": "Antarctica", "north": -60.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Bell, Robin; Small, Christopher", "platforms": "OTHER \u003e NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -90.0, "title": "The Development of a New Generation Gravity Map of Antarctica", "uid": "p0010092", "west": -180.0}, {"awards": "1341728 Stone, John", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-86.3 -81,-86.17 -81,-86.04 -81,-85.91 -81,-85.78 -81,-85.65 -81,-85.52 -81,-85.39 -81,-85.26 -81,-85.13 -81,-85 -81,-85 -81.03,-85 -81.06,-85 -81.09,-85 -81.12,-85 -81.15,-85 -81.18,-85 -81.21,-85 -81.24,-85 -81.27,-85 -81.3,-85.13 -81.3,-85.26 -81.3,-85.39 -81.3,-85.52 -81.3,-85.65 -81.3,-85.78 -81.3,-85.91 -81.3,-86.04 -81.3,-86.17 -81.3,-86.3 -81.3,-86.3 -81.27,-86.3 -81.24,-86.3 -81.21,-86.3 -81.18,-86.3 -81.15,-86.3 -81.12,-86.3 -81.09,-86.3 -81.06,-86.3 -81.03,-86.3 -81))", "dataset_titles": "Cosmogenic nuclide data, Harter Nunatak; Cosmogenic nuclide data, John Nunatak; Cosmogenic nuclide data, Mt Axtell; Cosmogenic nuclide data, Mt Goodwin; Cosmogenic nuclide data, Mt Tidd; Cosmogenic nuclide data, Mt Turcotte; Pirrit Hills subglacial bedrock core RB-2, cosmogenic Be-10, Al-26 data", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601214", "doi": "10.15784/601214", "keywords": "Aluminum-26; Antarctica; Be-10; Bedrock Core; Beryllium-10; Chemistry:rock; Chemistry:Rock; Cosmogenic; Cosmogenic Dating; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Ice Core Records; Isotope Data; Pirrit Hills; Rocks; Solid Earth; Subglacial Bedrock", "people": "Stone, John", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Pirrit Hills subglacial bedrock core RB-2, cosmogenic Be-10, Al-26 data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601214"}, {"dataset_uid": "200075", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "ICE-D", "science_program": null, "title": "Cosmogenic nuclide data, Mt Axtell", "url": "https://version2.ice-d.org/antarctica/nsf/"}, {"dataset_uid": "200076", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "ICE-D", "science_program": null, "title": "Cosmogenic nuclide data, Mt Tidd", "url": "https://version2.ice-d.org/antarctica/nsf/"}, {"dataset_uid": "200078", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "ICE-D", "science_program": null, "title": "Cosmogenic nuclide data, Mt Goodwin", "url": "https://version2.ice-d.org/antarctica/nsf/"}, {"dataset_uid": "200079", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "ICE-D", "science_program": null, "title": "Cosmogenic nuclide data, Harter Nunatak", "url": "https://version2.ice-d.org/antarctica/nsf/"}, {"dataset_uid": "200077", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "ICE-D", "science_program": null, "title": "Cosmogenic nuclide data, Mt Turcotte", "url": "https://version2.ice-d.org/antarctica/nsf/"}, {"dataset_uid": "200080", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "ICE-D", "science_program": null, "title": "Cosmogenic nuclide data, John Nunatak", "url": "https://version2.ice-d.org/antarctica/nsf/"}], "date_created": "Tue, 08 Oct 2019 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Stone/1341728 This award supports a project to determine if the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) has thinned and collapsed in the past and if so, when did this occur. This topic is of interest to geologists who have long been studying the history and behavior of ice sheets (including the WAIS) in order to determine what climatic conditions allow an ice sheet to survive and what conditions have caused them to collapse in the past. The bulk of this research has focused on the last ice age, when climate conditions were far colder than the present; this project will focus on the response of ice sheets to warmer climates in the past. A new and potentially transformative approach that uses the analysis of atoms transformed by cosmic-rays in bedrock beneath the WAIS will allow a definitive test for ice free conditions in the past. This is because the cosmic rays capable of producing the necessary reactions can penetrate only a few meters through glacier ice. Therefore, if they are detected in samples from hundreds of meters below the current ice sheet surface this would provide definitive proof of mostly ice-free conditions in the past. The concentrations of different cosmic ray products in cores from different depths will help answer the question of how frequently bedrock has been exposed, how much the ice sheet has thinned, and which time periods in the past produced climatic conditions capable of making the ice sheet unstable. Short bedrock cores beneath the ice sheet near the Pirrit Hills in West Antarctica will be collected using a new agile sub-ice geological drill (capable of drilling up to 200 meters beneath the ice surface) that is being developed by the Ice Drilling Program Office (IDPO) to support this and other projects. Favorable drilling sites have already been identified based on prior reconnaissance mapping, sample analysis and radar surveys of the ice-sheet bed. The cores collected in this study will be analyzed for cosmic-ray-produced isotopes of different elements with a range of half-lives from 5700 yr (C-14) to 1.4 Myr (Be-10), as well as stable Ne-21. The presence or absence of these isotopes will provide a definitive test of whether bedrock surfaces were ice-free in the past and due to their different half-lives, ratios of the isotopes will place constraints on the age, frequency and duration of past exposure episodes. Results from bedrock surfaces at different depths will indicate the degree of past ice-sheet thinning. The aim is to tie evidence of deglaciation in the past to specific periods of warmer climate and thus to gauge the ice sheet\u0027s response to known climate conditions. This project addresses the broad question of ice-sheet sensitivity to climate warming, which previously has been largely determined indirectly from sea-level records. In contrast, this project will provide direct measurements that provide evidence of ice-sheet thinning in West Antarctica. Results from this work will help to identify the climatic factors and thresholds capable of endangering the WAIS in future. The project will make a significant contribution to the ongoing study of climate change, ice-sheet melting and associated sea-level rise. This project has field work in Antarctica.", "east": -85.0, "geometry": "POINT(-85.65 -81.15)", "instruments": "NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "DEPTH AT SPECIFIC AGES; USAP-DC; Antarctica; NOT APPLICABLE", "locations": "Antarctica", "north": -81.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Stone, John", "platforms": "OTHER \u003e NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "ICE-D; USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -81.3, "title": "EXPROBE-WAIS: Exposed Rock Beneath the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, A Test for Interglacial Ice Sheet Collapse", "uid": "p0010057", "west": -86.3}, {"awards": "1443263 Higgins, John; 1443306 Mayewski, Paul", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": "Allan Hills ice water stable isotope record for dD, d18O; Carbon dioxide concentration and its stable carbon isotope composition in Allan Hills ice cores; Elemental and isotopic composition of heavy noble gases in Allan Hills ice cores; Elemental and isotopic composition of nitrogen, oxygen, and argon in Allan Hills ice cores; Greenhouse gas composition in the Allan Hills S27 ice core; Methane concentration in Allan Hills ice cores; Stable isotope composition of the trapped air in the Allan Hills S27 ice core; Stable water isotope data for the AH-1502 ice core drilled at the Allan Hills Blue ice area; Stable water isotope data for the AH-1503 ice core drilled at the Allan Hills Blue ice area; Stable water isotope data for the surface samples collected at the Allan Hills Blue ice area", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601202", "doi": "10.15784/601202", "keywords": "Allan Hills; Allan Hills Project; Antarctica; Carbon Dioxide; Carbon Isotopes; Chemistry:ice; Chemistry:Ice; CO2; Gas Chromatography; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Ice; Ice Core Data; Ice Core Gas Records; Ice Core Records; Mass Spectrometer; Mass Spectrometry; Methane; Snow/ice; Snow/Ice", "people": "Higgins, John; Brook, Edward J.; Yan, Yuzhen; Bender, Michael", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "Allan Hills", "title": "Carbon dioxide concentration and its stable carbon isotope composition in Allan Hills ice cores", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601202"}, {"dataset_uid": "601512", "doi": "10.15784/601512", "keywords": "Allan Hills; Antarctica; Blue Ice; Ice Core; Ice Core Gas Records; Isotope; Nitrogen; Oxygen", "people": "Bender, Michael; Higgins, John; Yan, Yuzhen", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "Allan Hills", "title": "Stable isotope composition of the trapped air in the Allan Hills S27 ice core", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601512"}, {"dataset_uid": "601201", "doi": "10.15784/601201", "keywords": "Allan Hills; Allan Hills Project; Antarctica; Argon; Chemistry:ice; Chemistry:Ice; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Ice Core; Ice Core Data; Ice Core Gas Records; Krypton; Mass Spectrometer; Noble Gas; Snow/ice; Snow/Ice; Xenon", "people": "Higgins, John; Severinghaus, Jeffrey P.; Ng, Jessica; Yan, Yuzhen; Bender, Michael", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "Allan Hills", "title": "Elemental and isotopic composition of heavy noble gases in Allan Hills ice cores", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601201"}, {"dataset_uid": "601203", "doi": "10.15784/601203", "keywords": "Allan Hills; Allan Hills Project; Antarctica; Chemistry:ice; Chemistry:Ice; Gas Chromatography; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Greenhouse Gas; Ice; Ice Core Data; Ice Core Gas Records; Methane; Snow/ice; Snow/Ice", "people": "Yan, Yuzhen; Bender, Michael; Brook, Edward J.; Higgins, John", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "Allan Hills", "title": "Methane concentration in Allan Hills ice cores", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601203"}, {"dataset_uid": "601483", "doi": "10.15784/601483", "keywords": "Allan Hills; Antarctica; Argon; Ice; Ice Core Data; Ice Core Gas Records; Isotope; Mass Spectrometry; Nitrogen; Oxygen", "people": "Higgins, John; Yan, Yuzhen; Bender, Michael", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "Allan Hills", "title": "Elemental and isotopic composition of nitrogen, oxygen, and argon in Allan Hills ice cores", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601483"}, {"dataset_uid": "601128", "doi": "10.15784/601128", "keywords": "Allan Hills; Antarctica; Blue Ice; Chemistry:ice; Chemistry:Ice; Delta 18O; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Ice Core Records; Isotope Record; Mass Spectrometry; Stable Water Isotopes", "people": "Mayewski, Paul A.; Yan, Yuzhen; Kurbatov, Andrei V.; Introne, Douglas", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "Allan Hills", "title": "Stable water isotope data for the AH-1503 ice core drilled at the Allan Hills Blue ice area", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601128"}, {"dataset_uid": "601129", "doi": "10.15784/601129", "keywords": "Allan Hills; Allan Hills Project; Antarctica; Blue Ice; Delta 18O; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Ice Core; Ice Core Chemistry; Ice Core Records; Isotope Data; Oxygen; Snow/ice; Snow/Ice; Stable Water Isotopes; Transantarctic Mountains", "people": "Yan, Yuzhen; Kurbatov, Andrei V.; Mayewski, Paul A.; Introne, Douglas", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "Allan Hills", "title": "Stable water isotope data for the AH-1502 ice core drilled at the Allan Hills Blue ice area", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601129"}, {"dataset_uid": "601863", "doi": null, "keywords": "Allan Hills; Antarctica; Cryosphere; Isotope Data", "people": "Introne, Douglas; Severinghaus, Jeffrey P.; Kurbatov, Andrei V.; Mayewski, Paul A.; Brook, Edward; Higgins, John", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "Allan Hills", "title": "Allan Hills ice water stable isotope record for dD, d18O", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601863"}, {"dataset_uid": "601863", "doi": null, "keywords": "Allan Hills; Antarctica; Cryosphere; Isotope Data", "people": "Kurbatov, Andrei V.; Higgins, John; Severinghaus, Jeffrey P.; Brook, Edward; Mayewski, Paul A.; Introne, Douglas", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "COLDEX", "title": "Allan Hills ice water stable isotope record for dD, d18O", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601863"}, {"dataset_uid": "601425", "doi": "10.15784/601425", "keywords": "Allan Hills; Antarctica; Blue Ice; Carbon Dioxide; Ice Core; Methane", "people": "Brook, Edward J.; Yan, Yuzhen", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "Allan Hills", "title": "Greenhouse gas composition in the Allan Hills S27 ice core", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601425"}, {"dataset_uid": "601130", "doi": "10.15784/601130", "keywords": "Allan Hills; Allan Hills Project; Antarctica; Blue Ice; Chemistry:ice; Chemistry:Ice; Delta 18O; Delta Deuterium; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Ice Core Gas Records; Ice Core Records; Oxygen; Snow/ice; Snow/Ice; Stable Water Isotopes; Transantarctic Mountains", "people": "Mayewski, Paul A.; Kurbatov, Andrei V.; Introne, Douglas; Yan, Yuzhen", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "Allan Hills", "title": "Stable water isotope data for the surface samples collected at the Allan Hills Blue ice area", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601130"}], "date_created": "Thu, 18 Oct 2018 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Bubbles of ancient air trapped in ice cores permit the direct reconstruction of atmospheric composition and allow us to link greenhouse gases and global climate over the last 800,000 years. Previous field expeditions to the Allan Hills blue ice area, Antarctica, have recovered ice cores that date to one million years, the oldest ice cores yet recovered from Antarctica. These records have revealed that interglacial CO2 concentrations decreased by 800,000 years ago and that, in the warmer world 1 million years ago, CO2 and Antarctic temperature were linked as during the last 800,000 years. This project will return to the Allan Hills blue ice area to recover additional ice cores that date to 1 million years or older. The climate records developed from the drilled ice cores will provide new insights into the chemical composition of the atmosphere and Antarctic climate during times of comparable or even greater warmth than the present day. Our results will help answer questions about issues associated with anthropogenic change. These include the relationship between temperature change and the mass balance of Antarctic ice; precipitation and aridity variations associated with radiatively forced climate change; and the climate significance of sea ice extent. The project will entrain two graduate students and a postdoctoral scholar, and will conduct outreach including workshops to engage teachers in carbon science and ice cores. Between about 2.8-0.9 million years ago, Earth\u0027s climate was characterized by 40,000-year cycles, driven or paced by changes in the tilt of Earth\u0027s spin axis. Much is known about the \"40,000-year\" world from studies of deep-sea sediments, but our understanding of climate change during this period is incomplete because we lack records of Antarctic climate and direct records of atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations. We propose to address these issues by building on our recent studies of ancient ice from the Main Ice Field, Allan Hills, Antarctica. During previous field seasons we recovered ice extending, discontinuously, from 0.1-1.0 million years old. Ice was dated by measuring the 40Ar/38Ar (Argon) ratio of the trapped gases. Our discovery of million year-old ice demonstrates that there is gas-record-quality ice from the 40,000-year world in the Allan Hills Main Ice Field. We have identified two different sites, each overlying bedrock at ~ 200 m depth, that are attractive targets for coring ice dating to 1 million years and older. This project aims to core the ice at these two sites, re-occupy a previous site with million year-old ice and drill it down to the bedrock, and generate 10-20 short (~10-meter) cores in areas where our previous work and terrestrial meteorite ages suggest ancient surface ice. We plan to date the ice using the 40Ar/38Ar ages of trapped Argon. We also plan to characterize the continuity of our cores by measuring the deuterium and oxygen isotope ratios in the ice, methane, ratios of Oxygen and Argon to Nitrogen in trapped gas, the Nitrogen-15 isotope (d15N) of Nitrogen, and the Oxygen-18 isotope (d18O) of Oxygen. As the ice may be stratigraphically disturbed, these measurements will provide diagnostic properties for assessing the continuity of the ice-core records. Successful retrieval of ice older than one million years will provide the opportunity for follow-up work to measure the CO2 concentration and other properties within the ice to inform on the temperature history of the Allan Hills region, dust sources and source-area aridity, moisture sources, densification conditions, global average ocean temperature, and greenhouse gas concentrations. We will analyze the data in the context of leading hypotheses of the 40,000-year world and the Mid-Pleistocene Transition to the 100,000-year world. We expect to advance understanding of climate dynamics during these periods.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e CORERS \u003e CORING DEVICES", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Amd/Us; AMD; Allan Hills; USA/NSF; FIELD INVESTIGATION; USAP-DC; Ice Core; LABORATORY", "locations": "Allan Hills", "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology; Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Mayewski, Paul A.; Kurbatov, Andrei V.; Higgins, John; Bender, Michael", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD INVESTIGATION; OTHER \u003e PHYSICAL MODELS \u003e LABORATORY", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": "Allan Hills", "south": null, "title": "Collaborative Research: Window into the World with 40,000-year Glacial Cycles from Climate Records in Million Year-old Ice from the Allan Hills Blue Ice Area", "uid": "p0000760", "west": null}, {"awards": "1543256 Shuster, David", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": "Detrital low-temperature thermochronometry from Bourgeois Fjord, AP; Expedition Data; Expedition data of LMG1702", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "000402", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/LMG1702"}, {"dataset_uid": "002733", "doi": null, "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition data of LMG1702", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/LMG1702"}, {"dataset_uid": "601259", "doi": "10.15784/601259", "keywords": "Antarctica; Antarctic Peninsula", "people": "Clinger, Anna", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Detrital low-temperature thermochronometry from Bourgeois Fjord, AP", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601259"}], "date_created": "Fri, 29 Dec 2017 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "The extreme mountain topographies of alpine landscapes at mid latitudes (e.g., European Alps, Patagonia, Alaska) are thought to have formed by the erosive action of glaciers, yet our understanding of exactly when and how those topographies developed is limited. If glacial ice was responsible for forming them, then those landscapes must have developed primarily over the last 2-3 million years when ice was present at those latitudes; this timing has only recently been confirmed by observations. In contrast, the Antarctic Peninsula, which contains similarly spectacular topographic relief, is known to have hosted alpine glaciers as early as 37 million years ago, and is currently covered by ice. Thus, if caused by glacial erosion, the high relief of the peninsula should have formed much earlier than what has been observed at mid latitude sites, yet we know nearly nothing about the timing of its development. The primary benefit of this research will be to study the timing of topography development along the Antarctic Peninsula by applying state of the art chemical analyses to sediments collected offshore. This research is important because studying a high latitude site will enable comparison with sites at mid latitudes and test current hypotheses on the development of glacial landscapes in general. This project aims to apply low-temperature thermochronometry based on the (U-Th)/He system in apatite to investigate the exhumation history, the development of the present topography, and the pattern of glacial erosion in the central Antarctic Peninsula. A number of recent studies have used this approach to study the dramatic, high-relief landscapes formed by Pleistocene alpine glacial erosion in temperate latitudes: New Zealand, the Alps, British Columbia, Alaska, and Patagonia. These studies have not only revealed when these landscapes formed, but have also provided new insights into the physical mechanisms of glacial erosion. The Antarctic Peninsula is broadly akin to temperate alpine landscapes in that the dominant landforms are massive glacial troughs. However, what we know about Antarctic glacial history suggests that the timing and history of glacial erosion was most likely very different from the temperate alpine setting: The Antarctic Peninsula has been glaciated since the Eocene, and Pleistocene climate cooling is hypothesized to have suppressed, rather than enhanced, glacial erosion. Our goal is to evaluate these hypotheses by developing a direct thermochronometric record of when and how the present glacial valley relief formed. We propose to learn about the timing and process of glacial valley formation through apatite (U-Th)/He and 4He/3He measurements on glacial sediment collected near the grounding lines of major glaciers draining the Peninsula. In effect, since we cannot sample bedrock directly that is currently covered by ice, we will rely on these glaciers to do it for us.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e CTD; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e CHEMICAL METERS/ANALYZERS \u003e FLUOROMETERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e RECORDERS/LOGGERS \u003e AWS; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e POSITIONING/NAVIGATION \u003e GPS \u003e GPS; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e ACOUSTIC SOUNDERS \u003e ECHO SOUNDERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e THERMOSALINOGRAPHS", "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "R/V LMG; LMG1702; Antarctic Peninsula; ICE SHEETS", "locations": "Antarctic Peninsula", "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Kohut, Josh; Shuster, David; Balco, Gregory; Jenkins, Bethany", "platforms": "WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V LMG", "repo": "R2R", "repositories": "R2R; USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Antarctic Peninsula Exhumation and Landscape Development Investigated by Low-Temperature Detrital Thermochronometry", "uid": "p0000876", "west": null}, {"awards": "1143981 Domack, Eugene", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-69.9517 -52.7581,-69.02971 -52.7581,-68.10772 -52.7581,-67.18573 -52.7581,-66.26374 -52.7581,-65.34175 -52.7581,-64.41976 -52.7581,-63.49777 -52.7581,-62.57578 -52.7581,-61.65379 -52.7581,-60.7318 -52.7581,-60.7318 -54.31551,-60.7318 -55.87292,-60.7318 -57.43033,-60.7318 -58.98774,-60.7318 -60.54515,-60.7318 -62.10256,-60.7318 -63.65997,-60.7318 -65.21738,-60.7318 -66.77479,-60.7318 -68.3322,-61.65379 -68.3322,-62.57578 -68.3322,-63.49777 -68.3322,-64.41976 -68.3322,-65.34175 -68.3322,-66.26374 -68.3322,-67.18573 -68.3322,-68.10772 -68.3322,-69.02971 -68.3322,-69.9517 -68.3322,-69.9517 -66.77479,-69.9517 -65.21738,-69.9517 -63.65997,-69.9517 -62.10256,-69.9517 -60.54515,-69.9517 -58.98774,-69.9517 -57.43033,-69.9517 -55.87292,-69.9517 -54.31551,-69.9517 -52.7581))", "dataset_titles": "Expedition Data; Processed Camera Images acquired during the Laurence M. Gould expedition LMG1311", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "000402", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/LMG1702"}, {"dataset_uid": "601311", "doi": "10.15784/601311", "keywords": "Antarctica; Antarctic Peninsula; Benthic Images; Camera; LARISSA; LMG1311; Marine Geoscience; Photo; Photo/video; Photo/Video; R/v Laurence M. Gould", "people": "Domack, Eugene Walter", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "LARISSA", "title": "Processed Camera Images acquired during the Laurence M. Gould expedition LMG1311", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601311"}, {"dataset_uid": "001366", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/LMG1702"}], "date_created": "Fri, 29 Dec 2017 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This project aims to identify which portions of the glacial cover in the Antarctic Peninsula are losing mass to the ocean. This is an important issue to resolve because the Antarctic Peninsula is warming at a faster rate than any other region across the earth. Even though glaciers across the Antarctic Peninsula are small, compared to the continental ice sheet, defining how rapidly they respond to both ocean and atmospheric temperature rise is critical. It is critical because it informs us about the exact mechanisms which regulate ice flow and melting into the ocean. For instance, after the break- up of the Larsen Ice Shelf in 2002 many glaciers began to flow rapidly into the sea. Measuring how much ice was involved is difficult and depends upon accurate estimates of volume and area. One way to increase the accuracy of our estimates is to measure how fast the Earth\u0027s crust is rebounding or bouncing back, after the ice has been removed. This rebound effect can be measured with very precise techniques using instruments locked into ice free bedrock surrounding the area of interest. These instruments are monitored by a set of positioning satellites (the Global Positioning System or GPS) in a continuous fashion. Of course the movement of the Earth\u0027s bedrock relates not only to the immediate response but also the longer term rate that reflects the long vanished ice masses that once covered the entire Antarctic Peninsula?at the time of the last glaciation. These rebound measurements can, therefore, also tell us about the amount of ice which covered the Antarctic Peninsula thousands of years ago. Glacial isostatic rebound is one of the complicating factors in allowing us to understand how much the larger ice sheets are losing today, something that can be estimated by satellite techniques but only within large errors when the isostatic (rebound) correction is unknown. The research proposed consists of maintaining a set of six rebound stations until the year 2016, allowing for a longer time series and thus more accurate estimates of immediate elastic and longer term rebound effects. It also involves the establishment of two additional GPS stations that will focus on constraining the \"bull\u0027s eye\" of rebound suggested by measurements over the past two years. In addition, several more geologic data points will be collected that will help to reconstruct the position of the ice sheet margin during its recession from the full ice sheet of the last glacial maximum. These will be based upon the coring of marine sediment sequences now recognized to have been deposited along the margins of retreating ice sheets and outlets. Precise dating of the ice margin along with the new and improved rebound data will help to constrain past ice sheet configurations and refine geophysical models related to the nature of post glacial rebound. Data management will be under the auspices of the UNAVCO polar geophysical network or POLENET and will be publically available at the time of station installation. This project is a small scale extension of the ongoing LARsen Ice Shelf, Antarctica Project (LARISSA), an IPY (International Polar Year)-funded interdisciplinary study aimed at understanding earth system connections related to the Larsen Ice Shelf and the northern Antarctic Peninsula.", "east": -60.7318, "geometry": "POINT(-65.34175 -60.54515)", "instruments": "EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e PHOTON/OPTICAL DETECTORS \u003e CAMERAS \u003e CAMERAS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e SEISMIC REFLECTION PROFILERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e CTD; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e CHEMICAL METERS/ANALYZERS \u003e FLUOROMETERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e RECORDERS/LOGGERS \u003e AWS; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e POSITIONING/NAVIGATION \u003e GPS \u003e GPS; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e ACOUSTIC SOUNDERS \u003e ECHO SOUNDERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e THERMOSALINOGRAPHS", "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "LMG1702; R/V LMG", "locations": null, "north": -52.7581, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Integrated System Science", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Kohut, Josh; Domack, Eugene Walter", "platforms": "WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V LMG", "repo": "R2R", "repositories": "R2R; USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -68.3322, "title": "Continuation of the LARISSA Continuous GPS Network in View of Observed Dynamic Response to Antarctic Peninsula Ice Mass Balance and Required Geologic Constraints", "uid": "p0000233", "west": -69.9517}, {"awards": "1344349 Tulaczyk, Slawek; 1344348 Mikucki, Jill", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": "2011 Time-domain ElectroMagnetics data for McMurdo Dry Valleys; Marinobacter lipolyticus BF04_CF-4 genomic scaffold, whole genome shotgun sequence; Marinobacter sp. BF14_3D 16S ribosomal RNA gene, partial sequence", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "000196", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "NCBI GenBank", "science_program": null, "title": "Marinobacter sp. BF14_3D 16S ribosomal RNA gene, partial sequence", "url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nuccore/KX364066"}, {"dataset_uid": "601071", "doi": "10.15784/601071", "keywords": "Antarctica; Dry Valleys; Electromagnetic Data; Geology/Geophysics - Other; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; McMurdo", "people": "Tulaczyk, Slawek", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "2011 Time-domain ElectroMagnetics data for McMurdo Dry Valleys", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601071"}, {"dataset_uid": "000197", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "NCBI GenBank", "science_program": null, "title": "Marinobacter lipolyticus BF04_CF-4 genomic scaffold, whole genome shotgun sequence", "url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nuccore?term=PRJNA165567"}], "date_created": "Wed, 08 Nov 2017 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Intellectual Merit: The MCM-SkyTEM project mapped resistivity in the McMurdo Dry Valleys and at Cape Barne on the Ross Island during the 2011-12 austral season using an airborne transient electromagnetic method. The SkyTEM system is mounted to a helicopter enabling a broad geophysical survey of subsurface resistivity structure over terrain that is inaccessible to traditional ground-based methods. Resistivity measurements obtained distinguish between highly resistive geologic materials such as glacier ice, bedrock and permafrost, and conductive materials such as unfrozen sediments or permafrost with liquid brine to depths of about 300 m. The PIs request funding to derive data products relevant to physical and chemical conditions in potential subsurface microbial habitats of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, similar cold regions on Earth and other planetary bodies. They will use these data products to characterize the hydrologic history of McMurdo Dry Valleys as well as the subsurface hydrologic connectivity in the region to investigate the implications for nutrient and microbial transport. The PIs will make these data products accessible to the research community. Broader impacts: Polar microbial habitats are of high societal and scientific interest because they represent important testing grounds for the limits of life on Earth and other planetary bodies. Project deliverables will include teaching aids for undergraduate and graduate students. Two Ph.D. students will obtain advanced research training as part of this project. The PIs and students on this project will also engage in informal public outreach opportunities by presenting at local K-12 schools and reaching out to local media outlets on stories relating to SkyTEM research.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Integrated System Science; Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Tulaczyk, Slawek; Mikucki, Jill", "platforms": "Not provided", "repo": "NCBI GenBank", "repositories": "NCBI GenBank; USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Collaborative Research: EAGER: Processing, Interpretation and Dissemination of the Proof-of-Concept Transient Electromagnetic Survey of the McMurdo Dry Valleys Region", "uid": "p0000329", "west": null}, {"awards": "1443260 Conway, Howard", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((159 -76.68,159.03 -76.68,159.06 -76.68,159.09 -76.68,159.12 -76.68,159.15 -76.68,159.18 -76.68,159.21 -76.68,159.24 -76.68,159.27 -76.68,159.3 -76.68,159.3 -76.697,159.3 -76.714,159.3 -76.731,159.3 -76.748,159.3 -76.765,159.3 -76.782,159.3 -76.799,159.3 -76.816,159.3 -76.833,159.3 -76.85,159.27 -76.85,159.24 -76.85,159.21 -76.85,159.18 -76.85,159.15 -76.85,159.12 -76.85,159.09 -76.85,159.06 -76.85,159.03 -76.85,159 -76.85,159 -76.833,159 -76.816,159 -76.799,159 -76.782,159 -76.765,159 -76.748,159 -76.731,159 -76.714,159 -76.697,159 -76.68))", "dataset_titles": "2015-2016 GPR Field Report for Allan Hills Shallow Ice Coring; Ground-based ice-penetrating radar profiles collected on the Allan Hills blue ice region", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601005", "doi": "10.15784/601005", "keywords": "Allan Hills; Antarctica; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; GPR; Navigation; Radar", "people": "Conway, Howard", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "Allan Hills", "title": "Ground-based ice-penetrating radar profiles collected on the Allan Hills blue ice region", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601005"}, {"dataset_uid": "601668", "doi": "10.15784/601668", "keywords": "Allan Hills; Antarctica; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; GPR; Ice Core; Report", "people": "MacKay, Sean; Brook, Edward J.", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "Allan Hills", "title": "2015-2016 GPR Field Report for Allan Hills Shallow Ice Coring", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601668"}], "date_created": "Tue, 02 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Marine paleoclimate archives show that approximately one million years ago Earth\u0027s climate transitioned from 40,000-year glacial /interglacial cycles to 100,000-year cycles. This award will support a study designed to map the distribution of one million year-old ice in the Allan Hills Blue Ice Area, Antarctica using state-of-the-art ground penetrating radar. The Allen Hills was demonstrated to contain a continuous record of the past 400,000 years and is also the collection location of the oldest ice samples (990,000 years) yet recovered. The maps resulting from this study will be used to select an ice-core drilling site at which a million-plus year-old continuous record of climate could be recovered. Ice cores contain the only kind of record to directly capture atmospheric gases and aerosols, but no ice-core-based climate record yet extends continuously beyond the past 800,000 years. A million-plus year-old record will allow better understanding of the major mechanisms and driving forces of natural climate variability in a world with 100,000-year glacial/interglacial cycles. The project will support two early career scientists in collaboration with senior scientists, as well as a graduate student, and will conduct outreach to schools and the public. The Allan Hills Blue Ice Area preserves a continuous climate record covering the last 400,000 years along an established glaciological flow line. Two kilometers to the east of this flow line, the oldest ice on Earth (~1 million years old) is found only 120 m below the surface. Meteorites collected in the area are reported to be as old as 1.8 million years, suggesting still older ice may be present. Combined, these data strongly suggest that the Allen Hills area could contain a continuous, well-resolved environmental record, spanning at least the last million years. As such, this area has been selected as an upcoming target for the new Intermediate Depth Ice Core Drill by the US Ice Core Working Group. This drill will recover a higher-quality core than previous dry drilling attempts. This project will conduct a comprehensive ground penetrating radar survey aimed at tracing the signature of the million-year-old ice layer throughout the region. The resulting map will be used to select a drill site from which an ice core containing the million-plus year-old continuous climate record will be collected. The proposed activities are a necessary precursor to the collection of the oldest known ice on Earth. Ice cores provide a robust reconstruction of past climate and extending this record beyond the 800,000 years currently available will open new opportunities to study the climate system. The data collected will also be used to investigate the bedrock and ice flow parameters favorable to the preservation of old ice, which may allow targeted investigation of other blue ice areas in Antarctica.", "east": 159.3, "geometry": "POINT(159.15 -76.765)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Allan Hills; FIELD SURVEYS; ICE SHEETS", "locations": "Allan Hills", "north": -76.68, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Conway, Howard", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD SURVEYS", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": "Allan Hills", "south": -76.85, "title": "Collaborative Research: Allan HILLs Englacial Site (AHILLES) Selection", "uid": "p0000385", "west": 159.0}, {"awards": "1142162 Stone, John", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-104.14 -81.07,-102.24 -81.07,-100.34 -81.07,-98.44 -81.07,-96.54 -81.07,-94.64 -81.07,-92.74 -81.07,-90.84 -81.07,-88.94 -81.07,-87.04 -81.07,-85.14 -81.07,-85.14 -81.207,-85.14 -81.344,-85.14 -81.481,-85.14 -81.618,-85.14 -81.755,-85.14 -81.892,-85.14 -82.029,-85.14 -82.166,-85.14 -82.303,-85.14 -82.44,-87.04 -82.44,-88.94 -82.44,-90.84 -82.44,-92.74 -82.44,-94.64 -82.44,-96.54 -82.44,-98.44 -82.44,-100.34 -82.44,-102.24 -82.44,-104.14 -82.44,-104.14 -82.303,-104.14 -82.166,-104.14 -82.029,-104.14 -81.892,-104.14 -81.755,-104.14 -81.618,-104.14 -81.481,-104.14 -81.344,-104.14 -81.207,-104.14 -81.07))", "dataset_titles": "Cosmogenic nuclide data at ICE-D; Glacial-interglacial History of West Antarctic Nunataks and Site Reconnaissance for Subglacial Bedrock Sampling", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "200299", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "ICE-D", "science_program": null, "title": "Cosmogenic nuclide data at ICE-D", "url": "https://version2.ice-d.org/antarctica/nsf/"}, {"dataset_uid": "600162", "doi": "10.15784/600162", "keywords": "Antarctica; Be-10; Chemistry:rock; Chemistry:Rock; Cosmogenic Dating; Glaciology; Nunataks; Sample/collection Description; Sample/Collection Description; Solid Earth; Whitmore Mountains", "people": "Stone, John", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Glacial-interglacial History of West Antarctic Nunataks and Site Reconnaissance for Subglacial Bedrock Sampling", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/600162"}], "date_created": "Wed, 16 Mar 2016 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "1142162/Stone This award supports a project to conduct a reconnaissance geological and radar-sounding study of promising sites in West Antarctica as a prelude to a future project to conduct subglacial cosmogenic nuclide measurements. Field work will take place in the Whitmore Mountains, close to the WAIS divide, and on the Nash and Pirrit Hills, downflow from the divide in the Weddell Sea drainage. At each site geological indicators of higher (and lower) ice levels in the past will be mapped and evidence of subglacial erosion or its absence will be documented. Elevation transects of both glacial erratics and adjacent bedrock samples will be collected to establish the timing of recent deglaciation at the sites and provide a complement to similar measurements on material from depth transects obtained by future subglacial drilling. At each site, bedrock ridges will be traced into the subsurface with closely-spaced ice-penetrating radar surveys, using a combination of instruments and frequencies to obtain meter-scale surface detail, using synthetic aperture techniques. Collectively the results will define prospective sites for subglacial sampling, and maximize the potential information to be obtained from such samples in future studies. The intellectual merit of this project is that measurements of cosmogenic nuclides in subglacial bedrock hold promise for resolving the questions of whether the West Antarctic ice sheet collapsed completely in the past, whether it is prone to repeated large deglaciations, and if so, what is their magnitude and frequency. Such studies will require careful choice of targets, to locate sites where bedrock geology is favorable, cosmogenic nuclide records are likely to have been protected from subglacial erosion, and the local ice-surface response is indicative of large-scale ice sheet behavior. The broader impacts of this work include helping to determine whether subglacial surfaces in West Antarctica were ever exposed to cosmic rays, which will provide unambiguous evidence for or against a smaller ice sheet in the past. This is an important step towards establishing whether the WAIS is vulnerable to collapse in future, and will ultimately help to address uncertainty in forecasting sea level change. The results will also provide ground truth for models of ice-sheet dynamics and long-term ice sheet evolution, and will help researchers use these models to identify paleoclimate conditions responsible for WAIS deglaciation. The education and training of students (both undergraduate and graduate students) will play an important role in the project, which will involve Antarctic fieldwork, technically challenging labwork, data collection and interpretation, and communication of the outcome to scientists and the general public.", "east": -85.14, "geometry": "POINT(-94.64 -81.755)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Not provided; Antarctica; ICE SHEETS", "locations": "Antarctica", "north": -81.07, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Stone, John; Conway, Howard; Winebrenner, Dale", "platforms": "Not provided", "repo": "ICE-D", "repositories": "ICE-D; USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -82.44, "title": "Glacial-interglacial History of West Antarctic Nunataks and Site Reconnaissance for Subglacial Bedrock Sampling", "uid": "p0000335", "west": -104.14}, {"awards": "1043761 Young, Duncan", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-145 -74,-141.6 -74,-138.2 -74,-134.8 -74,-131.4 -74,-128 -74,-124.6 -74,-121.2 -74,-117.8 -74,-114.4 -74,-111 -74,-111 -74.6,-111 -75.2,-111 -75.8,-111 -76.4,-111 -77,-111 -77.6,-111 -78.2,-111 -78.8,-111 -79.4,-111 -80,-114.4 -80,-117.8 -80,-121.2 -80,-124.6 -80,-128 -80,-131.4 -80,-134.8 -80,-138.2 -80,-141.6 -80,-145 -80,-145 -79.4,-145 -78.8,-145 -78.2,-145 -77.6,-145 -77,-145 -76.4,-145 -75.8,-145 -75.2,-145 -74.6,-145 -74))", "dataset_titles": "AGASEA 4.7 ka Englacial Isochron over the Thwaites Glacier Catchment; Geophysical Investigations of Marie Byrd Land Lithospheric Evolution (GIMBLE) Airborne VHF Radar Transects: 2012/2013 and 2014/2015; Gravity disturbance data over central Marie Byrd Land, West Antarctica (GIMBLE.GGCMG2); Ice thickness and related data over central Marie Byrd Land, West Antarctica (GIMBLE.GR2HI2); Magnetic anomaly data over central Marie Byrd Land, West Antarctica (GIMBLE.GMGEO2)", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "200407", "doi": "10.18738/T8/BMXUHX", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "Texas Data Repository", "science_program": null, "title": "Geophysical Investigations of Marie Byrd Land Lithospheric Evolution (GIMBLE) Airborne VHF Radar Transects: 2012/2013 and 2014/2015", "url": "https://doi.org/10.18738/T8/BMXUHX"}, {"dataset_uid": "601673", "doi": "10.15784/601673", "keywords": "Antarchitecture; Antarctica; Ice Penetrating Radar; Isochron; Layers; Radar; Radioglaciology; Thwaites Glacier", "people": "Young, Duncan A.; Blankenship, Donald D.; Muldoon, Gail R.; Jackson, Charles", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "AGASEA 4.7 ka Englacial Isochron over the Thwaites Glacier Catchment", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601673"}, {"dataset_uid": "601003", "doi": "10.15784/601003", "keywords": "Antarctica; Gimble; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Gravity; Marie Byrd Land; Navigation; Potential Field; Solid Earth", "people": "Holt, John W.; Young, Duncan A.; Blankenship, Donald D.", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Gravity disturbance data over central Marie Byrd Land, West Antarctica (GIMBLE.GGCMG2)", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601003"}, {"dataset_uid": "601002", "doi": "10.15784/601002", "keywords": "Antarctica; Gimble; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Magnetic; Marie Byrd Land; Navigation; Potential Field; Solid Earth", "people": "Blankenship, Donald D.; Young, Duncan A.; Holt, John W.", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Magnetic anomaly data over central Marie Byrd Land, West Antarctica (GIMBLE.GMGEO2)", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601002"}, {"dataset_uid": "601001", "doi": "10.15784/601001", "keywords": "Airborne Radar; Antarctica; Gimble; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Ice Thickness; Marie Byrd Land; Navigation; Radar", "people": "Holt, John W.; Young, Duncan A.; Blankenship, Donald D.", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Ice thickness and related data over central Marie Byrd Land, West Antarctica (GIMBLE.GR2HI2)", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601001"}], "date_created": "Tue, 01 Dec 2015 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Intellectual Merit: The PIs propose to use airborne geophysics to provide detailed geophysical mapping over the Marie Byrd Land dome of West Antarctica. They will use a Basler equipped with advanced ice penetrating radar, a magnetometer, an airborne gravimeter and laser altimeter. They will test models of Marie Byrd Land lithospheric evolution in three ways: 1) constrain bedrock topography and crustal structure of central Marie Byrd Land for the first time; 2) map subglacial geomorphology of Marie Byrd Land to constrain landscape evolution; and 3) map the distribution of subglacial volcanic centers and identify active sources. Marie Byrd Land is one of the few parts of West Antarctica whose bedrock lies above sea level; as such, it has a key role to play in the formation and decay of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS), and thus on eustatic sea level change during the Neogene. Several lines of evidence suggest that the topography of Marie Byrd Land has changed over the course of the Cenozoic, with significant implications for the origin and evolution of the ice sheet. Broader impacts: This work will have important implications for both the cryospheric and geodynamic communities. These data will also leverage results from the POLENET project. The PIs will train both graduate and undergraduate students in the interpretation of large geophysical datasets providing them with the opportunity to co-author peer-reviewed papers and present their work to the broader science community. This research will also support a young female researcher. The PIs will conduct informal education using their Polar Studies website and contribute formally to K-12 curriculum development. The research will incorporate microblogging and data access to allow the project?s first-order hypothesis to be confirmed or denied in public.", "east": -111.0, "geometry": "POINT(-128 -77)", "instruments": "EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e RADAR SOUNDERS \u003e HICARS1; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e ALTIMETERS \u003e LIDAR/LASER ALTIMETERS \u003e LIDAR ALTIMETERS; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e MAGNETIC FIELD/ELECTRIC FIELD INSTRUMENTS \u003e NUCLEAR PRECESSION MAGNETOMETER; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e MAGNETIC/MOTION SENSORS \u003e GRAVIMETERS \u003e CMG-GT-1A", "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "BT-67; Marie Byrd Land; ICE SHEETS", "locations": "Marie Byrd Land", "north": -74.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Young, Duncan A.; Holt, John W.; Blankenship, Donald D.", "platforms": "AIR-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e PROPELLER \u003e BT-67", "repo": "Texas Data Repository", "repositories": "Texas Data Repository; USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -80.0, "title": "Geophysical Investigations of Marie Byrd Land Lithospheric Evolution (GIMBLE)", "uid": "p0000435", "west": -145.0}, {"awards": "1343649 Levy, Joseph", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((162.852 -77.6111,162.9893 -77.6111,163.1266 -77.6111,163.2639 -77.6111,163.4012 -77.6111,163.5385 -77.6111,163.6758 -77.6111,163.8131 -77.6111,163.9504 -77.6111,164.0877 -77.6111,164.225 -77.6111,164.225 -77.65331,164.225 -77.69552,164.225 -77.73773,164.225 -77.77994,164.225 -77.82215,164.225 -77.86436,164.225 -77.90657,164.225 -77.94878,164.225 -77.99099,164.225 -78.0332,164.0877 -78.0332,163.9504 -78.0332,163.8131 -78.0332,163.6758 -78.0332,163.5385 -78.0332,163.4012 -78.0332,163.2639 -78.0332,163.1266 -78.0332,162.9893 -78.0332,162.852 -78.0332,162.852 -77.99099,162.852 -77.94878,162.852 -77.90657,162.852 -77.86436,162.852 -77.82215,162.852 -77.77994,162.852 -77.73773,162.852 -77.69552,162.852 -77.65331,162.852 -77.6111))", "dataset_titles": "Cryptic Hydrology of the McMurdo Dry Valleys: Water Track Contributions to Water and Geochemical Budgets in Taylor Valley, Antarctica", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "600139", "doi": "10.15784/600139", "keywords": "Antarctica; Chemistry:soil; Chemistry:Soil; Critical Zone; Dry Valleys; Permafrost; Sample/collection Description; Sample/Collection Description; Well Measurements", "people": "Levy, Joseph", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Cryptic Hydrology of the McMurdo Dry Valleys: Water Track Contributions to Water and Geochemical Budgets in Taylor Valley, Antarctica", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/600139"}], "date_created": "Mon, 05 Oct 2015 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Intellectual Merit: The PIs propose to quantify the hillslope water, solute, and carbon budgets for Taylor Valley in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, using water tracks to investigate near-surface geological processes and challenge the paradigm that shallow groundwater is minimal or non-exixtant. Water tracks are linear zones of high soil moisture that route shallow groundwater downslope in permafrost dominated soils. Four hypotheses will be tested: 1) water tracks are important pathways for water and solute transport; 2) water tracks transport more dissolved silica than streams in Taylor Valley indicating they are the primary site of chemical weathering for cold desert soils and bedrock; 3) water tracks that drain highland terrains are dominated by humidity-separated brines while water tracks that drain lowland terrains are dominated by marine aerosols; 4) water tracks are the sites of the highest terrestrial soil carbon concentrations and the strongest CO2 fluxes in Taylor Valley and their carbon content increases with soil age, while carbon flux decreases with age. To test these hypotheses the PIs will carry out a suite of field measurements supported by modeling and remote sensing. They will install shallow permafrost wells in water tracks that span the range of geological, climatological, and topographic conditions in Taylor Valley. Multifrequency electromagnetic induction sounding of the upper ~1 m of the permafrost will create the first comprehensive map of soil moisture in Taylor Valley, and will permit direct quantification of water track discharge across the valley. The carbon contents of water track soils will be measured and linked to global carbon dynamics. Broader impacts: Non-science majors at Oregon State University will be integrated into the proposed research through a new Global Environmental Change course focusing on the scientific method in Antarctica. Three undergraduate students, members of underrepresented minorities, will be entrained in the research, will contribute to all aspects of field and laboratory science, and will present results at national meetings.", "east": 164.225, "geometry": "POINT(163.5385 -77.82215)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": -77.6111, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Levy, Joseph", "platforms": "Not provided", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -78.0332, "title": "Cryptic Hydrology of the McMurdo Dry Valleys: Water Track Contributions to Water and Geochemical Budgets in Taylor Valley, Antarctica", "uid": "p0000407", "west": 162.852}, {"awards": "1246484 Balco, Gregory", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-62 -63.5,-61.8 -63.5,-61.6 -63.5,-61.4 -63.5,-61.2 -63.5,-61 -63.5,-60.8 -63.5,-60.6 -63.5,-60.4 -63.5,-60.2 -63.5,-60 -63.5,-60 -63.6,-60 -63.7,-60 -63.8,-60 -63.9,-60 -64,-60 -64.1,-60 -64.2,-60 -64.3,-60 -64.4,-60 -64.5,-60.2 -64.5,-60.4 -64.5,-60.6 -64.5,-60.8 -64.5,-61 -64.5,-61.2 -64.5,-61.4 -64.5,-61.6 -64.5,-61.8 -64.5,-62 -64.5,-62 -64.4,-62 -64.3,-62 -64.2,-62 -64.1,-62 -64,-62 -63.9,-62 -63.8,-62 -63.7,-62 -63.6,-62 -63.5))", "dataset_titles": "Data repositories for UC-Berkeley/BGC thermochronometry and thermochronology research", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "001232", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "PI website", "science_program": null, "title": "Data repositories for UC-Berkeley/BGC thermochronometry and thermochronology research", "url": "http://noblegas.berkeley.edu/~noblegas/datarepository.html"}], "date_created": "Mon, 02 Mar 2015 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Intellectual Merit: The PIs propose to use the (U-Th)/He system in apatite to investigate the exhumation history, development of the present topography, and pattern of glacial erosion in the central Antarctic Peninsula. The Antarctic Peninsula has been glaciated since the Eocene and Pleistocene climate cooling is hypothesized to have suppressed, rather than enhanced, glacial erosion. To achieve these goals, the PIs will use a thermochronometric record of when and how the present glacial valley relief formed. A challenge to the proposed research is that, unlike Pleistocene glacial landscapes in temperate areas, the Peninsula is ice-covered and it is not possible to directly sample the bedrock surface. The PIs hope to learn about the timing and process of glacial valley formation through apatite (U-Th)/He and 4He/3He measurements on glacial sediment collected near the grounding lines of major glaciers draining the Peninsula. Learning how the Antarctic Peninsula landscape formed is important to discern how the mechanics of glacial erosion operate on long time scales, and to understand how glaciers mediate the interaction between climate change and orogenic mass balance. This work addresses a fundamental question in Antarctic earth science of how to infer geologic and geomorphic processes active on an ice-covered and inaccessible landscape. Broader impacts: This proposal will bring new researchers into the Antarctic research community. A proposed collaboration with British Antarctic Survey researchers will build an international collaboration. The outcomes of this project have ancillary importance to other fields and addresses fundamental challenges in Antarctic Earth Science.", "east": -60.0, "geometry": "POINT(-61 -64)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "Antarctica; Not provided; ICE SHEETS; Antarctic Peninsula", "locations": "Antarctica; Antarctic Peninsula", "north": -63.5, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Shuster, David; Balco, Gregory", "platforms": "Not provided", "repo": "PI website", "repositories": "PI website", "science_programs": null, "south": -64.5, "title": "Antarctic Peninsula Exhumation and Landscape Development Investigated by Low-temperature Detrital Thermochronometry", "uid": "p0000067", "west": -62.0}, {"awards": "0632136 Nyblade, Andrew; 0632322 Wilson, Terry", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-20 -70,-1 -70,18 -70,37 -70,56 -70,75 -70,94 -70,113 -70,132 -70,151 -70,170 -70,170 -72,170 -74,170 -76,170 -78,170 -80,170 -82,170 -84,170 -86,170 -88,170 -90,151 -90,132 -90,113 -90,94 -90,75 -90,56 -90,37 -90,18 -90,-1 -90,-20 -90,-20 -88,-20 -86,-20 -84,-20 -82,-20 -80,-20 -78,-20 -76,-20 -74,-20 -72,-20 -70))", "dataset_titles": "Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS); University NAVSTAR Consortium (UNAVCO)", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "000132", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "IRIS", "science_program": null, "title": "Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS)", "url": "http://www.iris.edu/mda/YT?timewindow=2007-2018"}, {"dataset_uid": "000131", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "UNAVCO", "science_program": null, "title": "University NAVSTAR Consortium (UNAVCO)", "url": "http://www.unavco.org/data/gps-gnss/data-access-methods/dai2/app/dai2.html#groupingMod=contains;grouping=POLENET%20-%20ANET;scope=Station;sampleRate=normal"}], "date_created": "Thu, 22 Jan 2015 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This project constructs POLENET a network of GPS and seismic stations in West Antarctica to understand how the mass of the West Antarctic ice sheet (WAIS) changes with time. The information is ultimately used to predict sea level rise accompanying global warming and interpret climate change records. The GPS (global positioning system) stations measure vertical and horizontal movements of bedrock, while the seismic stations characterize physical properties of the ice/rock interface, lithosphere, and mantle. Combined with satellite data, this project offers a more complete picture of the ice sheet\u0027s current state, its likely change in the near future, and its overall size during the last glacial maximum. This data will also be used to infer sub-ice sheet geology and the terrestrial heat flux, critical inputs to models of glacier movement. As well, this project improves tomographic models of the earth\u0027s deep interior and core through its location in the Earth\u0027s poorly instrumented southern hemisphere. \u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eBroader impacts of this project are varied. The work is relevant to society for improving our understanding of the impacts of global warming on sea level rise. It also supports education at the postdoctoral, graduate, and undergraduate levels, and outreach to groups underrepresented in the sciences. As an International Polar Year contribution, this project establishes a legacy of infrastructure for polar measurements. It also involves an international collaboration of twenty four countries. For more information see IPY Project #185 at IPY.org. NSF is supporting a complementary Arctic POLENET array being constructed in Greenland under NSF Award #0632320.", "east": 170.0, "geometry": "POINT(75 -80)", "instruments": "EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e POSITIONING/NAVIGATION \u003e GPS \u003e GPS RECEIVERS; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e POSITIONING/NAVIGATION \u003e GPS \u003e GPS", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Antarctica; Bedrock; Ice/Rock Interface; Climate Change; Seismic; West Antarctic Ice Sheet; FIELD SURVEYS; LABORATORY; Not provided; FIELD INVESTIGATION; Mass Balance; COMPUTERS; Sub-Ice Sheet Geology; Sea Level; Terrestrial Heat Flux", "locations": "Antarctica; West Antarctic Ice Sheet", "north": -70.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Glaciology; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Wilson, Terry; Bevis, Michael; Anandakrishnan, Sridhar; Wiens, Douglas; Aster, Richard; Smalley, Robert; Nyblade, Andrew; Winberry, Paul; Hothem, Larry; Dalziel, Ian W.; Huerta, Audrey D.", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD INVESTIGATION; LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD SURVEYS; Not provided; OTHER \u003e MODELS \u003e COMPUTERS; OTHER \u003e PHYSICAL MODELS \u003e LABORATORY", "repo": "IRIS", "repositories": "IRIS; UNAVCO", "science_programs": null, "south": -90.0, "title": "Collaborative Research: IPY: POLENET-Antarctica: Investigating Links Between Geodynamics and Ice Sheets", "uid": "p0000315", "west": -20.0}, {"awards": "0944600 Siddoway, Christine; 0944615 Brown, Michael", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-146.5 -76,-145.95 -76,-145.4 -76,-144.85 -76,-144.3 -76,-143.75 -76,-143.2 -76,-142.65 -76,-142.1 -76,-141.55 -76,-141 -76,-141 -76.15,-141 -76.3,-141 -76.45,-141 -76.6,-141 -76.75,-141 -76.9,-141 -77.05,-141 -77.2,-141 -77.35,-141 -77.5,-141.55 -77.5,-142.1 -77.5,-142.65 -77.5,-143.2 -77.5,-143.75 -77.5,-144.3 -77.5,-144.85 -77.5,-145.4 -77.5,-145.95 -77.5,-146.5 -77.5,-146.5 -77.35,-146.5 -77.2,-146.5 -77.05,-146.5 -76.9,-146.5 -76.75,-146.5 -76.6,-146.5 -76.45,-146.5 -76.3,-146.5 -76.15,-146.5 -76))", "dataset_titles": "Rock Samples collected from bedrock exposures, Ford Ranges, MBL", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "200415", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "Polar Rock Repository", "science_program": null, "title": "Rock Samples collected from bedrock exposures, Ford Ranges, MBL", "url": "http://bprc.osu.edu/rr/"}], "date_created": "Thu, 09 Oct 2014 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Intellectual Merit: \u003cbr/\u003eThe northern Ford ranges in Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica, record events and processes that transformed a voluminous succession of Lower Paleozoic turbidites intruded by calc-alkaline plutonic rocks into differentiated continental crust along the margin of Gondwana. In this study the Fosdick migmatite?granite complex will be used to investigate crustal evolution through an integrated program of fieldwork, structural geology, petrology, mineral equilibria modeling, geochronology and geochemistry. The PIs propose detailed traverses at four sites within the complex to investigate Paleozoic and Mesozoic orogenic cycles. They will use petrological associations, structural geometry, and microstructures of host gneisses and leucogranites to distinguish the migration and coalescence patterns for remnant melt flow networks, and carry out detailed sampling for geochronology, geochemistry and isotope research. Mafic plutonic phases will be sampled to acquire information about mantle contributions at the source. Mineral equilibria modeling of source rocks and granite products, combined with in situ mineral dating, will be employed to resolve the P?T?t trajectories arising from thickening/thinning of crust during orogenic cycles and to investigate melting and melt loss history. \u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eBroader impacts: \u003cbr/\u003eThis work involves research and educational initiatives for an early career female scientist, as well as Ph.D. and undergraduate students. Educational programs for high school audiences and undergraduate courses on interdisciplinary Antarctic science will be developed.", "east": -141.0, "geometry": "POINT(-143.75 -76.75)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Tectonic; TECTONICS; Transcurrent Faults; MAJOR ELEMENTS; Migmatite; Structural Geology; Gneiss Dome; Geochronology; AGE DETERMINATIONS; Detachment Faults; Marie Byrd Land", "locations": "Marie Byrd Land", "north": -76.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Siddoway, Christine; Brown, Mike", "platforms": null, "repo": "Polar Rock Repository", "repositories": "Polar Rock Repository", "science_programs": null, "south": -77.5, "title": "Collaborative research: Polyphase Orogenesis and Crustal Differentiation in West Antarctica", "uid": "p0000259", "west": -146.5}, {"awards": "0944475 Kaplan, Michael", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-149.7 -84.1,-118.61 -84.1,-87.52 -84.1,-56.43 -84.1,-25.34 -84.1,5.75 -84.1,36.84 -84.1,67.93 -84.1,99.02 -84.1,130.11 -84.1,161.2 -84.1,161.2 -84.43,161.2 -84.76,161.2 -85.09,161.2 -85.42,161.2 -85.75,161.2 -86.08,161.2 -86.41,161.2 -86.74,161.2 -87.07,161.2 -87.4,130.11 -87.4,99.02 -87.4,67.93 -87.4,36.84 -87.4,5.75 -87.4,-25.34 -87.4,-56.43 -87.4,-87.52 -87.4,-118.61 -87.4,-149.7 -87.4,-149.7 -87.07,-149.7 -86.74,-149.7 -86.41,-149.7 -86.08,-149.7 -85.75,-149.7 -85.42,-149.7 -85.09,-149.7 -84.76,-149.7 -84.43,-149.7 -84.1))", "dataset_titles": "Pleistocene East Antarctic Ice Sheet History as Recorded in Sediment Provenance and Chronology of High-elevation TAM Moraines", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "600115", "doi": "10.15784/600115", "keywords": "Antarctica; Cosmogenic Dating; Sample/collection Description; Sample/Collection Description; Solid Earth; Transantarctic Mountains", "people": "Kaplan, Michael", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Pleistocene East Antarctic Ice Sheet History as Recorded in Sediment Provenance and Chronology of High-elevation TAM Moraines", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/600115"}], "date_created": "Thu, 17 Jul 2014 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "The proposed work will investigate changes in the compositional variation of glacial tills over time across two concentric sequences of Pleistocene moraines located adjacent to the heads of East Antarctic outlet glaciers in the Transantarctic Mountains (TAM). The chronologic framework for this work will be generated from cosmogenic exposure ages of boulders on prominent morainal ridges. The PIs hypothesize that variations in till composition may indicate a change in ice flow direction or a change in the composition of the original source area, while ages of the moraines provide a long-term terrestrial perspective on ice sheet dynamics. Both results are vital for modeling experiments that aim to reconstruct the East Antarctic Ice Sheet and assess its role in the global climate system and its potential impact on global sea level rise. The variation of till compositions through time also allows for a more accurate interpretation of sediment cores from the Ross Sea and the Southern Ocean. Additionally, till exposures at the head of some East Antarctic outlet glaciers have been shown to contain subglacial material derived from East Antarctic bedrock, providing a window through the ice to view East Antarctica?s inaccessible bedrock. Till samples will be collected from two well-preserved sequences of moraine crests at Mt. Howe (head of Scott Glacier) and Mt. Achernar (between Beardmore and Nimrod Glaciers). Each size fraction in glacial till provides potentially valuable information, and the PIs will measure the petrography of the clast and sand fractions, quantitative X-ray diffraction on the crushed \u003c2mm fraction, elemental abundance of the silt/clay fraction, and U/Pb of detrital zircons in the sand fraction. Data collection will rely on established methods previously used in this region and the PIs will also explore new methods to assess their efficacy. On the same moraines crests sampled for provenance studies, the PIs will sample for cosmogenic surface exposure analyses to provide a chronologic framework at the sites for provenance changes through time. \u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eBroader Impact \u003cbr/\u003eThe proposed research involves graduate and undergraduate training in a diverse array of laboratory methods. Students and PIs will be make presentations to community and campus groups, as well as conduct interviews with local news outlets. The proposed work also establishes a new, potentially long-term, collaboration between scientists at IUPUI and LDEO and brings a new PI (Kaplan) into the field of Antarctic Earth Sciences.", "east": 161.2, "geometry": "POINT(5.75 -85.75)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "FIELD INVESTIGATION", "locations": null, "north": -84.1, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Kaplan, Michael", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD INVESTIGATION", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -87.4, "title": "Collaborative Research: Pleistocene East Antarctic Ice Sheet History as Recorded in Sediment Provenance and Chronology of High-elevation TAM Moraines", "uid": "p0000459", "west": -149.7}, {"awards": "1043572 Licht, Kathy; 1043619 Hemming, Sidney", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-177.982 -63.997,-149.64107 -63.997,-121.30014 -63.997,-92.95921 -63.997,-64.61828 -63.997,-36.27735 -63.997,-7.93642 -63.997,20.40451 -63.997,48.74544 -63.997,77.08637 -63.997,105.4273 -63.997,105.4273 -66.3324,105.4273 -68.6678,105.4273 -71.0032,105.4273 -73.3386,105.4273 -75.674,105.4273 -78.0094,105.4273 -80.3448,105.4273 -82.6802,105.4273 -85.0156,105.4273 -87.351,77.08637 -87.351,48.74544 -87.351,20.40451 -87.351,-7.93642 -87.351,-36.27735 -87.351,-64.61828 -87.351,-92.95921 -87.351,-121.30014 -87.351,-149.64107 -87.351,-177.982 -87.351,-177.982 -85.0156,-177.982 -82.6802,-177.982 -80.3448,-177.982 -78.0094,-177.982 -75.674,-177.982 -73.3386,-177.982 -71.0032,-177.982 -68.6678,-177.982 -66.3324,-177.982 -63.997))", "dataset_titles": "East Antarctic outlet glacier contributions to the Ross Sea from chronology of detrital grains", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "600124", "doi": "10.15784/600124", "keywords": "Antarctica; East Antarctica; Geochemistry; Ross Sea; Sample/collection Description; Sample/Collection Description; Solid Earth; Southern Ocean; West Antarctica", "people": "Hemming, Sidney R.", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "East Antarctic outlet glacier contributions to the Ross Sea from chronology of detrital grains", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/600124"}], "date_created": "Tue, 18 Feb 2014 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Intellectual Merit: The PIs proposed a provenance study of glacial deposits in the Ross Embayment that will provide a broad scale geochronologic survey of detrital minerals in till to help characterize bedrock beneath the East Antarctic ice sheet and constrain Antarctica?s glacial history. This project capitalizes on previous investments in field sampling. Analytical tools applied to single mineral grains extracted from existing collections of glacial till will generate ?fingerprints? of East Antarctic outlet glaciers and West Antarctic till to refine paleo-ice flow models for the Ross Embayment during the last glacial maximum, older records from ANDRILL cores, and to assess IRD sources in the Southern Ocean. New provenance tracers will include a suite of geochronological methods that together provide greater insights into the orogenic and erosional history the region. This project will include U/Pb of detrital zircons, (U-Th)/He on a subset of the U/Pb dated zircons, as well as Ar-Ar of detrital hornblende, mica and feldspars. Broader impacts: This research will train one M.S. student at IUPUI, a Ph.D. student at Columbia, and several undergraduates at both institutions. Graduate students involved in the project will be involved in mentoring undergraduate researchers. Incorporation of research discoveries will be brought into the classroom by providing concrete examples and exercises at the appropriate level. Licht and Columbia graduate student E. Pierce are developing outreach projects with local secondary school teachers to investigate the provenance of glacial materials in their local areas. The research will have broad applicability to many fields.", "east": 105.4273, "geometry": "POINT(-36.27735 -75.674)", "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e SPECTROMETERS/RADIOMETERS \u003e LA-ICP-MS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PHOTON/OPTICAL DETECTORS \u003e PETROGRAPHIC MICROSCOPES; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e SPECTROMETERS/RADIOMETERS \u003e ICP-MS", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Not provided; FIELD SURVEYS", "locations": null, "north": -63.997, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": "PHANEROZOIC \u003e CENOZOIC \u003e QUATERNARY", "persons": "Licht, Kathy; Hemming, Sidney R.", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD SURVEYS; Not provided", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -87.351, "title": "Collaborative Research: East Antarctic outlet glacier contributions to the Ross Sea from chronology of detrital grains", "uid": "p0000333", "west": -177.982}, {"awards": "1240707 Fahnestock, Mark; 0632292 Bell, Robin", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((65 -77.5,67.4 -77.5,69.8 -77.5,72.2 -77.5,74.6 -77.5,77 -77.5,79.4 -77.5,81.8 -77.5,84.2 -77.5,86.6 -77.5,89 -77.5,89 -78.25,89 -79,89 -79.75,89 -80.5,89 -81.25,89 -82,89 -82.75,89 -83.5,89 -84.25,89 -85,86.6 -85,84.2 -85,81.8 -85,79.4 -85,77 -85,74.6 -85,72.2 -85,69.8 -85,67.4 -85,65 -85,65 -84.25,65 -83.5,65 -82.75,65 -82,65 -81.25,65 -80.5,65 -79.75,65 -79,65 -78.25,65 -77.5))", "dataset_titles": "Data Access Tool; Processed Ice Penetrating Radar Altimeter data (SEGY format) from the Gamburtsev Mountains in Antarctica acquired during GAMBIT; Processed Ice Penetrating Radar Data (jpeg images) from the Gamburtsev Mountains in Antarctica acquired during GAMBIT ; Processed Ice Penetrating Radar Data (Matlab format) from the Gamburtsev Mountains in Antarctica acquired during GAMBIT ; Processed Ice Penetrating Radar Data (Netcdf format) from the Gamburtsev Mountains in Antarctica acquired during GAMBIT ", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601285", "doi": null, "keywords": "Airborne Radar; Airplane; Antarctica; East Antarctica; Gamburtsev Mountains; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Ice Sheet; Radar Echo Sounder", "people": "Studinger, Michael S.; Bell, Robin", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Processed Ice Penetrating Radar Data (Netcdf format) from the Gamburtsev Mountains in Antarctica acquired during GAMBIT ", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601285"}, {"dataset_uid": "601283", "doi": "10.1594/IEDA/318208", "keywords": "Aerogeophysics; AGAP; Airborne Radar; Airplane; Antarctica; East Antarctica; Gamburtsev Mountains; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Ice Sheet; Radar; Radar Echo Sounder", "people": "Bell, Robin", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Processed Ice Penetrating Radar Altimeter data (SEGY format) from the Gamburtsev Mountains in Antarctica acquired during GAMBIT", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601283"}, {"dataset_uid": "001489", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "MGDS", "science_program": null, "title": "Data Access Tool", "url": "http://www.marine-geo.org/tools/search/entry.php?id=AGAP_GAMBIT"}, {"dataset_uid": "601286", "doi": "10.15784/601286", "keywords": "AGAP; Airborne Radar; Airplane; Antarctica; East Antarctica; Gamburtsev Mountains; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Ice Sheet; Radar; Radar Echo Sounder", "people": "Studinger, Michael S.; Bell, Robin", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Processed Ice Penetrating Radar Data (jpeg images) from the Gamburtsev Mountains in Antarctica acquired during GAMBIT ", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601286"}, {"dataset_uid": "601284", "doi": null, "keywords": "Airborne Radar; Airplane; Antarctica; East Antarctica; Gamburtsev Mountains; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Ice Sheet; Radar; Radar Echo Sounder", "people": "Studinger, Michael S.; Bell, Robin", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Processed Ice Penetrating Radar Data (Matlab format) from the Gamburtsev Mountains in Antarctica acquired during GAMBIT ", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601284"}], "date_created": "Sun, 29 Sep 2013 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award supports an aerogeophysical study of the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains (GSM), a Texas-sized mountain range buried beneath the ice sheets of East Antarctica. The project would perform a combined gravity, magnetics, and radar study to achieve a range of goals including: advancing our understanding of the origin and evolution of the polar ice sheets and subglacial lakes; defining the crustal architecture of East Antarctica, a key question in the earth\u0027s history; and locating the oldest ice in East Antarctica, which may ultimately help find ancient climate records. Virtually unexplored, the GSM represents the largest unstudied area of crustal uplift on earth. As well, the region is the starting point for growth of the Antarctic ice sheets. Because of these outstanding questions, the GSM has been identified by the international Antarctic science community as a research focus for the International Polar Year (2007-2009). In addition to this study, NSF is also supporting a seismological survey of the GSM under award number 0537371. Major international partners in the project include Germany, China, Australia, and the United Kingdom. For more information see IPY Project #67 at IPY.org. In terms of broader impacts, this project also supports postdoctoral and graduate student research, and various forms of outreach including a focus on groups underrepresented in the earth sciences.", "east": 89.0, "geometry": "POINT(77 -81.25)", "instruments": "EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e ALTIMETERS \u003e LIDAR/LASER ALTIMETERS \u003e AIRBORNE LASER SCANNER; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e MAGNETIC/MOTION SENSORS \u003e GRAVIMETERS \u003e GRAVIMETERS; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e RADAR SOUNDERS \u003e RADAR ECHO SOUNDERS", "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "GRAVITY; East Antarctica; GLACIERS/ICE SHEETS; ICE SHEETS; DHC-6; MAGNETIC FIELD; Not provided; Gamburtsev Mountains", "locations": "East Antarctica; Gamburtsev Mountains", "north": -77.5, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Bell, Robin; Studinger, Michael S.; Fahnestock, Mark", "platforms": "AIR-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e PROPELLER \u003e DHC-6; Not provided", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "MGDS; USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -85.0, "title": "Collaborative Research: IPY: GAMBIT: Gamburtsev Aerogeophysical Mapping of Bedrock and Ice Targets", "uid": "p0000114", "west": 65.0}, {"awards": "0838810 Hulbe, Christina", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Mon, 01 Jul 2013 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Hulbe/0838810 \u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThis award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThis award supports a modeling study of the processes in West Antarctic grounding zones, the transition from ice resting on bedrock to ice floating on the ocean surface with an eye toward understanding the interrelated causes of rapid change in grounding line configuration and outlet flow. A combination of satellite remote sensing and numerical modeling will be used to investigate both past and ongoing patterns of change. New high-resolution surface elevation maps made from a novel combination of satellite laser altimetry and remotely observed surface shape provide a unique view of grounding zones. These data will be used to diagnose events associated with the shutdown of Kamb Ice Stream, to investigate a recent discharge event on Institute Ice Stream and to investigate ongoing change at the outlet of Whillans Ice Stream, along with other modern processes around the West Antarctic. An existing numerical model of coupled ice sheet, ice stream, and ice shelf flow will be used and improved as part of the research project. The broader impacts of the project relate to the importance of understanding the role of polar ice sheets in global sea level rise. The work will contribute to the next round of deliberations for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Improved views, interpretations, and insights into the physical processes that govern variability in ice sheet outlet streams will help correct the shortcomings of the last IPCC report that didn?t include the role of ice sheets in sea level rise. The PIs have a strong record of public outreach, involvement in the professional community, and student training.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "LABORATORY; Kamb Ice Stream; Grounding Line; FIELD INVESTIGATION; SATELLITES; Transition Zone; Ice Shelf Flow; Outlet Flow; Ice Sheet; Modeling; COMPUTERS; Antarctica", "locations": "Antarctica; Kamb Ice Stream", "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Hulbe, Christina; Fahnestock, Mark", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD INVESTIGATION; OTHER \u003e MODELS \u003e COMPUTERS; OTHER \u003e PHYSICAL MODELS \u003e LABORATORY; SPACE-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e EARTH OBSERVATION SATELLITES \u003e SATELLITES", "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Collaborative Research: Mass Transit: Controls on Grounding and Ungrounding at Marine Ice Sheet Outlets", "uid": "p0000371", "west": null}, {"awards": "0838729 Hemming, Sidney; 0838722 Reiners, Peter", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-67.2 -58,-43.98 -58,-20.76 -58,2.46 -58,25.68 -58,48.9 -58,72.12 -58,95.34 -58,118.56 -58,141.78 -58,165 -58,165 -59.2,165 -60.4,165 -61.6,165 -62.8,165 -64,165 -65.2,165 -66.4,165 -67.6,165 -68.8,165 -70,141.78 -70,118.56 -70,95.34 -70,72.12 -70,48.9 -70,25.68 -70,2.46 -70,-20.76 -70,-43.98 -70,-67.2 -70,-67.2 -68.8,-67.2 -67.6,-67.2 -66.4,-67.2 -65.2,-67.2 -64,-67.2 -62.8,-67.2 -61.6,-67.2 -60.4,-67.2 -59.2,-67.2 -58))", "dataset_titles": "Erosion History and Sediment Provenance of East Antarctica from Multi-method Detrital Geo- and Thermochronology", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "600094", "doi": "10.15784/600094", "keywords": "Antarctica; Fission Track Thermochronology; Gamburtsev Mountains; Geochronology; Marine Sediments; Solid Earth; Southern Ocean", "people": "Hemming, Sidney R.", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Erosion History and Sediment Provenance of East Antarctica from Multi-method Detrital Geo- and Thermochronology", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/600094"}, {"dataset_uid": "600093", "doi": "10.15784/600093", "keywords": "Antarctica; Fission Track Thermochronology; Gamburtsev Mountains; Geochronology; Marine Sediments; NBP0101; ODP1166; ODP739; Prydz Bay; Solid Earth; Southern Ocean", "people": "Reiners, Peter; Thomson, Stuart; Gehrels, George", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Erosion History and Sediment Provenance of East Antarctica from Multi-method Detrital Geo- and Thermochronology", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/600093"}], "date_created": "Sun, 05 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). Much of the inventory of East Antarctic bedrock geochronology, as well as a record of its erosional history, is preserved in Cenozoic sediments around its margin. This project is to use these sediments to understand their sub-ice provenance and the erosional history of the shield by measuring ages of multiple geo- and thermochronometers on single detrital crystals and on multiple crystals in detrital clasts (U/Pb, fission-track, and (U-Th)/He dating of zircon and apatite, and 40Ar/39Ar dating of hornblende, mica, and feldspar). The combination of multi-chronometer ages in single grains and clasts provides a powerful fingerprint of bedrock sources, allowing us to trace provenance in Eocene fluvial sandstones through Quaternary diamicts around the margin. Multiple thermochronometric (cooling) ages in the same grains and clasts also allows us to interpret the timing and rates of erosion from these bedrock sources. Delineating a distribution of bedrock age units, their sediment transport connections, and their erosional histories over the Cenozoic, will in turn allow us to test tectonic models bearing on: (1) the origin of the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains, (2) fluvial and topographic evolution, and (3) the history of glacial growth and erosion.", "east": 165.0, "geometry": "POINT(48.9 -64)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "LABORATORY", "locations": null, "north": -58.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Reiners, Peter; Gehrels, George; Thompson, Stuart; Hemming, Sidney R.", "platforms": "OTHER \u003e PHYSICAL MODELS \u003e LABORATORY", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -70.0, "title": "Collaborative Research: Erosion History and Sediment Provenance of East Antarctica from Multi-method Detrital Geo- and Thermochronology", "uid": "p0000506", "west": -67.2}, {"awards": "0739780 Taylor, Kendrick", "bounds_geometry": "POINT(-112.117 -79.666)", "dataset_titles": "WAIS DIVIDE - High Temporal Resolution Black Carbon Record of Southern Hemisphere Biomass Burning", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "600142", "doi": "10.15784/600142", "keywords": "Antarctica; Atmosphere; Black Carbon; Chemistry:ice; Chemistry:Ice; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Ice Core Records; WAIS Divide; WAIS Divide Ice Core", "people": "Taylor, Kendrick C.", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "WAIS Divide Ice Core", "title": "WAIS DIVIDE - High Temporal Resolution Black Carbon Record of Southern Hemisphere Biomass Burning", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/600142"}], "date_created": "Thu, 28 Apr 2011 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Edwards/0739780\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThis award supports a project to develop a 2,000-year high-temporal resolution record of biomass burning from the analysis of black carbon in the WAIS Divide bedrock ice core. Pilot data for the WAIS WD05A core demonstrates that we now have the ability to reconstruct this record with minimal impact on the amount of ice available for other projects. The intellectual merit of this project is that black carbon (BC) aerosols result solely from combustion and play a critical but poorly quantified role in global climate forcing and the carbon cycle. When incorporated into snow and ice, BC increases absorption of solar radiation making seasonal snow packs, mountain glaciers, polar ice sheets, and sea ice much more vulnerable to climate warming. BC emissions in the Southern Hemisphere are dominated by biomass burning in the tropical regions of Southern Africa, South America and South Asia. Biomass burning, which results from both climate and human activities, alters the atmospheric composition of greenhouse gases, aerosols and perturbs key biogeochemical cycles. A long-term record of biomass burning is needed to aid in the interpretation of ice core gas composition and will provide important information regarding human impacts on the environment and climate before instrumental records. The broader impacts of the project are that it represents a paradigm shift in our ability to reconstruct the history of fire from ice core records and to understand its impact on atmospheric chemistry and climate over millennial time scales. This type of data is especially needed to drive global circulation model simulations of black carbon aerosols, which have been found to be an important component of global warming and which may be perturbing the hydrologic cycle. The project will also employ undergraduate students and is committed to attracting underrepresented groups to the physical sciences. The project?s outreach component will be conducted as part of the WAIS project outreach program and will reach a wide audience.", "east": -112.117, "geometry": "POINT(-112.117 -79.666)", "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e CHEMICAL METERS/ANALYZERS \u003e GAS CHROMATOGRAPHS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e SPECTROMETERS/RADIOMETERS \u003e MASS SPECTROMETERS", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Ice Core Chemistry; Not provided; Gas Record; Ice Core; Gas Measurement; Ice Core Gas Composition; Antarctica; LABORATORY; Bedrock Ice Core; Ice Core Gas Records; Wais Project; Greenhouse Gas; Atmospheric Chemistry; FIELD INVESTIGATION; Black Carbon; Biomass Burning; WAIS Divide; FIELD SURVEYS; West Antarctica; Methane", "locations": "Antarctica; West Antarctica; WAIS Divide", "north": -79.666, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Brook, Edward J.; McConnell, Joseph; Mitchell, Logan E; Sowers, Todd A.; Taylor, Kendrick C.", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD INVESTIGATION; LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD SURVEYS; Not provided; OTHER \u003e PHYSICAL MODELS \u003e LABORATORY", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": "WAIS Divide Ice Core", "south": -79.666, "title": "WAIS DIVIDE - High Temporal Resolution Black Carbon Record of Southern Hemisphere Biomass Burning", "uid": "p0000022", "west": -112.117}, {"awards": "0003619 Dalziel, Ian", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": "Expedition Data; Expedition data of LMG9810", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "002092", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/LMG9810"}, {"dataset_uid": "002678", "doi": null, "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition data of LMG9810", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/LMG9810"}], "date_created": "Tue, 04 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award, provided by the Antarctic Geology and Geophysics Program of the Office of Polar Programs, supports a collaborative research program to initiate a Global Positioning System (GPS) network to measure crustal motions in the bedrock surrounding and underlying the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS). Evaluation of the role of both tectonic and ice-induced crustal motions of the WAIS bedrock is a critical goal for understanding past, present, and future dynamics of WAIS and its potential role in future global change scenarios, as well as improving our understanding of the role of Antarctica in global plate motions. The extent of active tectonism in West Antarctica is largely speculative, as few data exist that constrain its geographic distribution, directions, or rates of deformation. Active tectonism and the influence of bedrock on the WAIS have been highlighted recently by geophysical data indicating active subglacial volcanism and control of ice streaming by the presence of sedimentary basins. The influence of bedrock crustal motion on the WAIS and its future dynamics is a fundamental issue. Existing GPS projects are located only on the fringe of the ice sheet and do not address the regional picture. It is important that baseline GPS measurements on the bedrock around and within the WAIS be started so that a basis is established for detecting change.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eTo measure crustal motions, this project will build a West Antarctica GPS Network (WAGN) of at least 15 GPS sites across the interior of West Antarctica (approximately the size of the contiguous United States from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific coast) over a two-year period beginning in the Antarctic field season 2001-2002. The planned network is designed using the Multi-modal Occupation Strategy (MOST), in which a small number of independent GPS \"roving\" receivers make differential measurements against a network of continuous GPS stations for comparatively short periods at each site. This experimental strategy, successfully implemented by a number of projects in California, S America, the SW Pacific and Central Asia, minimizes logistical requirements, an essential element of application of GPS geodesy in the scattered and remote outcrops of the WAIS bedrock.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThe WAGN program will be integrated with the GPS network that has been established linking the Antarctic Peninsula with South America through the Scotia arc (Scotia Arc GPS Project (SCARP)). It will also interface with stations currently measuring motion across the Ross Embayment, and with the continent-wide GIANT program of the Working Group on Geodesy and Geographic Information Systems of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR). The GPS network will be based on permanent monuments set in solid rock outcrops that will have near-zero set-up error for roving GPS occupations, and that can be directly converted to a continuous GPS site when future technology makes autonomous operation and satellite data linkage throughout West Antarctica both reliable and economical. The planned network both depends on and complements the existing and planned continuous networks. It is presently not practical, for reasons of cost and logistics, to accomplish the measurements proposed herein with either a network of continuous stations or traditional campaigns.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThe proposed WAGN will complement existing GPS projects by filling a major gap in coverage among several discrete crustal blocks that make up West Antarctica, a critical area of potential bedrock movements. If crustal motions are relatively slow, meaningful results will only begin to emerge within the five-year maximum period of time for an individual funded project. Hence this proposal is only to initiate the network and test precision and velocities at the most critical sites. Once built, however, the network will yield increasingly meaningful results with the passage of time. Indeed, the slower the rates turn out to be, the more important an early start to measuring. It is anticipated that the results of this project will initiate an iterative process that will gradually resolve into an understanding of the contributions from plate rotations and viscoelastic and elastic motions resulting from deglaciation and ice mass changes. Velocities obtained from initial reoccupation of the most critical sites will dictate the timing of a follow-up proposal for reoccupation of the entire network when detectable motions have occurred.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "R/V LMG", "locations": null, "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Dalziel, Ian W.", "platforms": "WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V LMG", "repo": "R2R", "repositories": "R2R", "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Collaborative Research: A GPS Network to Determine Crustal Motions in the Bedrock of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet: Phase I - Installation", "uid": "p0000859", "west": null}, {"awards": "0230285 Wilson, Terry", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((152.833 -75.317,154.4897 -75.317,156.1464 -75.317,157.8031 -75.317,159.4598 -75.317,161.1165 -75.317,162.7732 -75.317,164.4299 -75.317,166.0866 -75.317,167.7433 -75.317,169.4 -75.317,169.4 -75.9186,169.4 -76.5202,169.4 -77.1218,169.4 -77.7234,169.4 -78.325,169.4 -78.9266,169.4 -79.5282,169.4 -80.1298,169.4 -80.7314,169.4 -81.333,167.7433 -81.333,166.0866 -81.333,164.4299 -81.333,162.7732 -81.333,161.1165 -81.333,159.4598 -81.333,157.8031 -81.333,156.1464 -81.333,154.4897 -81.333,152.833 -81.333,152.833 -80.7314,152.833 -80.1298,152.833 -79.5282,152.833 -78.9266,152.833 -78.325,152.833 -77.7234,152.833 -77.1218,152.833 -76.5202,152.833 -75.9186,152.833 -75.317))", "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Sat, 12 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "OPP-0230285/OPP-0230356\u003cbr/\u003ePIs: Wilson, Terry J./Hothem, Larry D.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThis award, provided by the Antarctic Geology and Geophysics Program of the Office of Polar Programs, supports a project to conduct GPS measurements of bedrock crustal motions in an extended Transantarctic Mountains Deformation network (TAMDEF) to document neotectonic displacements due to tectonic deformation within the West Antarctic rift and/or to mass change of the Antarctic ice sheets. Horizontal displacements related to active neotectonic rifting, strike-slip translations, and volcanism will be tightly constrained by monitoring the combined TAMDEF and Italian VLNDEF networks of bedrock GPS stations along the Transantarctic Mountains and on offshore islands in the Ross Sea. Glacio-isostatic adjustments due to deglaciation since the Last Glacial Maximum and to modern mass change of the ice sheets will be modeled from GPS-derived crustal motions together with new information from other programs on the configurations, thicknesses, deglaciation history and modern mass balance of the ice sheets. Tectonic and rheological information from ongoing structural and seismic investigations in the Victoria Land region will also be integrated in the modeling. The integrative and iterative modeling will yield a holistic interpretation of neotectonics and ice sheet history that will help us to discriminate tectonic crustal displacements from viscoelastic/elastic glacio-isostatic motions. These results will provide key information to interpret broad, continental-scale crustal motion patterns detected by sparse, regionally distributed GPS continuous trackers and by spaceborne instruments. This study will contribute to international programs focused on Antarctic neotectonic and global change issues.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eStrategies to meet these science objectives include repeat surveys of key sites in the existing TAMDEF network, extension of the array of TAMDEF sites southward about 250 km along the Transantarctic Mountains, linked measurements with the VLNDEF network, and integration of quasi-continuous trackers within the campaign network. By extending the array of bedrock sites southward, these measurements will cross gradients in predicted vertical motion due to viscoelastic rebound. The southward extension will also allow determination of the southern limit of the active Terror Rift and will provide a better baseline for constraints on any ongoing tectonic displacements across the West Antarctic rift system as a whole that might be possible using GPS data collected by the West Antarctic GPS Network. This project will also investigate unique aspects of GPS geodesy in Antarctica to determine how the error spectrum compares to mid-latitude regions and to identify the optimum measurement and data processing schemes for Antarctic conditions. The geodetic research will improve position accuracies within our network and will also yield general recommendations for deformation monitoring networks in polar regions.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eAn education and outreach program is planned and will be targeted at non-science-major undergraduate students taking Earth System Science at Ohio State University. The objective will be to illuminate the research process for nonscientists. This effort will educate students on the process of science and inform them about Antarctica and how it relates to global science issues.", "east": 169.4, "geometry": "POINT(161.1165 -78.325)", "instruments": "EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e POSITIONING/NAVIGATION \u003e GPS \u003e GPS", "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "GPS", "locations": null, "north": -75.317, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Wilson, Terry", "platforms": "SPACE-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e NAVIGATION SATELLITES \u003e GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM (GPS) \u003e GPS", "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": -81.333, "title": "Collaborative Research: Transantarctic Mountains Deformation Network: GPS Measurements of Neotectonic Motion in the Antarctic Interior", "uid": "p0000574", "west": 152.833}, {"awards": "9911617 Blankenship, Donald; 9319379 Blankenship, Donald", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": "Antarctic Aerogeophysics Data; Antarctic Subglacial Lake Classification Inventory; RBG - Robb Glacier Survey; SOAR-Lake Vostok Survey airborne radar data; SOAR-Lake Vostok Survey bed elevation data; SOAR-Lake Vostok Survey Gravity data; SOAR-Lake Vostok Survey ice thickness data; SOAR-Lake Vostok survey magnetic anomaly data; SOAR-Lake Vostok Survey surface elevation data", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601604", "doi": "10.15784/601604", "keywords": "Airborne Radar; Antarctica; Bed Elevation; Geophysics; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Ice Surface Elevation; Ice Thickness; Robb Glacier; Transantarctic Mountains", "people": "Blankenship, Donald D.; Young, Duncan A.; Buck, W. Roger; Bell, Robin", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "RBG - Robb Glacier Survey", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601604"}, {"dataset_uid": "601300", "doi": "10.1594/IEDA/306568", "keywords": "Airborne Radar; Airplane; Antarctica; East Antarctica; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Lake Vostok; Navigation; Radar; SOAR; Subglacial Lakes", "people": "Studinger, Michael S.; Bell, Robin", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "SOAR-Lake Vostok Survey airborne radar data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601300"}, {"dataset_uid": "601299", "doi": "10.1594/IEDA/306565", "keywords": "Airborne Laser Altimeters; Airborne Laser Altimetry; Airborne Radar; Airplane; Antarctica; Bed Elevation; Bedrock Elevation; Digital Elevation Model; East Antarctica; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Ice Sheet; Lake Vostok; Radar; Radar Echo Sounder; SOAR", "people": "Bell, Robin; Studinger, Michael S.", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "SOAR-Lake Vostok Survey bed elevation data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601299"}, {"dataset_uid": "601298", "doi": "10.1594/IEDA/306566", "keywords": "Airborne Altimetry; Airborne Laser Altimeters; Airborne Radar; Airplane; Antarctica; East Antarctica; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Ice Sheet; Ice Sheet Elevation; Ice Surface; Lake Vostok; Radar Echo Sounder; SOAR; Surface Elevation", "people": "Bell, Robin; Studinger, Michael S.", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "SOAR-Lake Vostok Survey surface elevation data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601298"}, {"dataset_uid": "601297", "doi": "10.1594/IEDA/306567", "keywords": "Airborne Laser Altimeters; Airborne Radar; Airplane; Antarctica; East Antarctica; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Ice; Ice Sheet; Ice Stratigraphy; Ice Thickness; Ice Thickness Distribution; Lake Vostok; Radar; Radar Altimetry; Radar Echo Sounder; SOAR; Subglacial Lake", "people": "Bell, Robin; Studinger, Michael S.", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "SOAR-Lake Vostok Survey ice thickness data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601297"}, {"dataset_uid": "601296", "doi": " 10.1594/IEDA/306564", "keywords": "Airborne Magnetic; Airplane; Antarctica; East Antarctica; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Lake Vostok; Magnetic; Magnetic Anomaly; Magnetometer; Potential Field; SOAR; Solid Earth", "people": "Bell, Robin; Studinger, Michael S.", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "SOAR-Lake Vostok survey magnetic anomaly data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601296"}, {"dataset_uid": "601295", "doi": "10.1594/IEDA/306563", "keywords": "Airborne Gravity; Airplane; Antarctica; East Antarctica; Free Air Gravity; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Gravimeter; Gravity; Lake Vostok; Potential Field; Solid Earth", "people": "Studinger, Michael S.; Bell, Robin", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "SOAR-Lake Vostok Survey Gravity data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601295"}, {"dataset_uid": "609240", "doi": "", "keywords": "Airborne Radar; Antarctica; Geology/Geophysics - Other; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Navigation; Potential Field; SOAR; Solid Earth", "people": "Blankenship, Donald D.; Morse, David L.; Holt, John W.; Dalziel, Ian W.", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Antarctic Aerogeophysics Data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/609240"}, {"dataset_uid": "609336", "doi": "10.7265/N5CN71VX", "keywords": "Antarctica; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Subglacial Lake", "people": "Blankenship, Donald D.; Holt, John W.; Carter, Sasha P.", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Antarctic Subglacial Lake Classification Inventory", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/609336"}], "date_created": "Fri, 06 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "9911617 Blankenship This award, provided jointly by the Antarctic Geology and Geophysics Program, the Antarctic Glaciology Program, and the Polar Research Support Section of the Office of Polar Programs, provides funds for continuation of the Support Office for Aerogeophysical Research (SOAR). From July 1994 to July 2000, SOAR served as a facility to accomplish aerogeophysical research in Antarctica under an agreement between the University of Texas at Austin and the National Science Foundation\u0027s Office of Polar Programs (NSF/OPP). SOAR operated and maintained an aerogeophysical instrument package that consists of an ice-penetrating radar sounder, a laser altimeter, a gravimeter and a magnetometer that are tightly integrated with each other as well as with the aircraft\u0027s avionics and power packages. An array of aircraft and ground-based GPS receivers supported kinematic differential positioning using carrier-phase observations. SOAR activities included: developing aerogeophysical research projects with NSF/OPP investigators; upgrading of the aerogeophysical instrumentation package to accommodate new science projects and advances in technology; fielding this instrument package to accomplish SOAR-developed projects; and management, reduction, and analysis of the acquired aerogeophysical data. In pursuit of 9 NSF-OPP funded aerogeophysical research projects (involving 14 investigators from 9 institutions), SOAR carried out six field campaigns over a six-year period and accomplished approximately 200,000 line kilometers of aerogeophysical surveying over both East and West Antarctica in 377 flights. This award supports SOAR to undertake a one year and 8 month program of aerogeophysical activities that are consistent with continuing U.S. support for geophysical research in Antarctica. - SOAR will conduct an aerogeophysical campaign during the 200/01 austral summer to accomplish surveys for two SOAR-developed projects: \"Understanding the Boundary Conditions of the Lake Vostok Environment: A Site Survey for Future Studies\" (Co-PI\u0027s Bell and Studinger, LDEO); and \"Collaborative Research: Seismic Investigation of the Deep Continental Structure Across the East-West Antarctic Boundary\" (Co-PI\u0027s Weins, Washington U. and Anandakrishnan, U. Alabama). After configuration and testing of the survey aircraft in McMurdo, SOAR will conduct survey flights from an NSF-supported base adjacent to the Russian Station above Lake Vostok and briefly occupy one or two remote bases on the East Antarctic ice sheet. - SOAR will reduce these aerogeophysical data and produce profiles and maps of surface elevation, bed elevation, gravity and magnetic field intensity. These results will be provided to the respective project investigators within nine months of conclusion of field activities. We will also submit a technical manuscript that describes these results to a refereed scientific journal and distribute these results to appropriate national geophysical data centers within approximately 24 months of completion of field activities. - SOAR will standardize all previously reduced SOAR data products and transfer them to the appropriate national geophysical data centers by the end of this grant. - SOAR will convene a workshop to establish a community consensus for future U.S. Antarctic aerogeophysical research. This workshop will be co-convened by Ian Dalziel and Richard Alley and will take place during the spring of 2001. - SOAR will upgrade the existing SOAR in-field quality control procedures to serve as a web-based interface for efficient browsing of many low-level SOAR data streams. - SOAR will repair and/or refurbish equipment that was used during the 2000/01 field campaign. Support for SOAR is essential for accomplishing major geophysical investigations in Antarctica. Following data interpretation by the science teams, these data will provide valuable insights to the structure and evolution of the Antarctic continent.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": "EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e IMAGING RADARS \u003e IMAGING RADAR SYSTEMS; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e RADAR SOUNDERS \u003e RADAR; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e MAGNETIC/MOTION SENSORS \u003e GRAVIMETERS \u003e GRAVIMETERS; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e LIDAR/LASER SOUNDERS \u003e LIDAR; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e MAGNETIC FIELD/ELECTRIC FIELD INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROTON MAGNETOMETER", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Ice Sheet; Ice Sheet Elevation; Surface Winds; Snow Temperature; Atmospheric Pressure; Antarctic; West Antarctic Ice Sheet; Surface Temperature Measurements; FIELD INVESTIGATION; Surface Wind Speed Measurements; Subglacial Topography; Atmospheric Humidity Measurements; Not provided; Aerogeophysics; FIELD SURVEYS; GROUND STATIONS; Antarctica; SOAR; Snow Temperature Measurements; West Antarctica; Antarctic Ice Sheet; East Antarctic Plateau", "locations": "Antarctic; Antarctica; Antarctic Ice Sheet; West Antarctica; West Antarctic Ice Sheet; East Antarctic Plateau", "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Glaciology; Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Carter, Sasha P.; Holt, John W.; Blankenship, Donald D.; Morse, David L.; Dalziel, Ian W.", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD INVESTIGATION; LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD SURVEYS; LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e PERMANENT LAND SITES \u003e GROUND STATIONS; Not provided", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Continuation of Activities for the Support Office for Aerogeophysical Research (SOAR)", "uid": "p0000125", "west": null}, {"awards": "0440304 Jacobel, Robert", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": "U.S. International Trans Antarctic Scientific Expedition web pages", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "000108", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "Project website", "science_program": null, "title": "U.S. International Trans Antarctic Scientific Expedition web pages", "url": "http://www2.umaine.edu/USITASE/index.html"}], "date_created": "Tue, 13 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award supports a project to perform ice radar studies of bedrock topography and internal layers along the second US ITASE traverse corridor extending from Taylor Dome to South Pole on the inland side of the Transantarctic Mountains. The radar will provide information immediately available in the field on ice thickness and internal layer structure to help in the selection of core sites as the traverse proceeds. These data will also be useful in locating additional radar and surface studies to characterize the drainage divides between major outlet glaciers flowing through the mountains and possible changes in them through time. Information from the radar on bed roughness and basal reflectivity, together with images of internal layer deformation will enable us to study changes in the character of ice flow as tributaries merge to trunk flow and velocities increase. Areas where wind scour and sublimation have brought old ice close to the surface will be investigated. Based on our results from the first ITASE traverse, it is also likely that there will be findings of opportunity, phenomena we have not anticipated that are revealed by the radar as the result of a discovery-based traverse. The interdisciplinary science goals of US ITASE are designed to accommodate a variety of interactive research programs and data collected are available to a broad scientific community. US ITASE also supports an extensive program of public outreach and the education and training of future scientists will be central to all activities of this proposal. St. Olaf College is an undergraduate liberal arts institution that emphasizes student participation in scientific research. This award supports two undergraduate students as well as a research associate and a graduate student who will be part of the US ITASE field team.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": "EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e RADAR SOUNDERS \u003e RADAR; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e RADAR SOUNDERS \u003e RADAR ECHO SOUNDERS; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e RADAR SOUNDERS \u003e GPR", "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "US ITASE; Stratigraphy; Radar; Antarctica; FIELD SURVEYS; Us Itase Ii; Bed Topography; Not provided; Internal Layers; FIELD INVESTIGATION; Taylor Dome; Transantarctic Mountains; West Antarctica; Traverse", "locations": "Antarctica; West Antarctica; Transantarctic Mountains; Taylor Dome", "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Jacobel, Robert", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD INVESTIGATION; LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD SURVEYS; Not provided", "repo": "Project website", "repositories": "Project website", "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Radar Studies of Internal Stratigraphy and Bed Topography along the US ITASE-II Traverse", "uid": "p0000116", "west": null}, {"awards": "0338279 Siddoway, Christine", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-157 -75,-155.3 -75,-153.6 -75,-151.9 -75,-150.2 -75,-148.5 -75,-146.8 -75,-145.1 -75,-143.4 -75,-141.7 -75,-140 -75,-140 -75.3,-140 -75.6,-140 -75.9,-140 -76.2,-140 -76.5,-140 -76.8,-140 -77.1,-140 -77.4,-140 -77.7,-140 -78,-141.7 -78,-143.4 -78,-145.1 -78,-146.8 -78,-148.5 -78,-150.2 -78,-151.9 -78,-153.6 -78,-155.3 -78,-157 -78,-157 -77.7,-157 -77.4,-157 -77.1,-157 -76.8,-157 -76.5,-157 -76.2,-157 -75.9,-157 -75.6,-157 -75.3,-157 -75))", "dataset_titles": "Bedrock sample data, Ford Ranges region (Marie Byrd Land)", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601829", "doi": "10.15784/601829", "keywords": "Antarctica; Cryosphere; Gondwana; Marie Byrd Land; Migmatite", "people": "Siddoway, Christine", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Bedrock sample data, Ford Ranges region (Marie Byrd Land)", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601829"}], "date_created": "Wed, 09 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This project will study migmatite domes found in the Fosdick Mountains of the Ford Ranges, western Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica. This area offers unique, three-dimensional exposures that may offer new insight into dome formation, which is a fundamental process of mountain building. These domes are derived from sedimentary and plutonic protoliths that are complexly interfolded at decimeter to kilometer scales. Preliminary findings from geobarometry and U-Pb monazite dating of anatexite suggest that peak metamorphism was underway at 105 Ma at crustal depths of ~25 km, followed by decompression as the Fosdick dome was emplaced to 16-17 km, or possibly as low as 8.5 km, in the crust by 99 Ma. Near-isothermal conditions were maintained during ascent, favorable for producing substantial volumes of melt through biotite-dehydration melting. This dome has been interpreted as a product of extensional exhumation. This is a viable interpretation from the regional standpoint, because the dome was emplaced in mid-Cretaceous time during the rapid onset of divergent tectonics along the proto- Pacific margin of Gondwana. However, the complex internal structures of the Fosdick Mountains have yet to be considered and may be more consistent with alternative intepretations such as upward extrusion within a contractional setting or lateral flow within a transcurrent attachment zone. This proposal is for detailed structural analysis, paired with geothermobarometry and geochronology, to determine the flow behavior and structural style that produced the internal architecture of the Fosdick dome. The results will improve our general understanding of the role of gneiss domes in transferring material and heat during mountain-building, and will characterize the behavior of the middle crust during a time of rapid transition from divergent to convergent tectonics along the active margin of Gondwana. In terms of broader impacts, this work will train undergraduate and graduate students, and involve them as collaborators in the development of curricular materials. It will also foster mentoring relationships between graduate and undergraduate students.", "east": -140.0, "geometry": "POINT(-148.5 -76.5)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "Transcurrent Faults; Geochronology; Tectonic; Detachment Faults; Structural Geology; Not provided; Gneiss Dome; Migmatite", "locations": null, "north": -75.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Siddoway, Christine; Teyssier, Christian", "platforms": "Not provided", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -78.0, "title": "Gneiss Dome architecture: Investigation of Form and Process in the Fosdick Mountains, W. Antarctica", "uid": "p0000744", "west": -157.0}, {"awards": "0440609 Price, P. Buford", "bounds_geometry": "POINT(-112.06556 -79.469444)", "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Tue, 03 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award supports a project to use three downhole instruments - an optical logger; a\u003cbr/\u003eminiaturized biospectral logger at 420 nm (miniBSL-420); and an Acoustic TeleViewer (ATV) - to log a 350-m borehole at the WAIS Divide drill site. In addition, miniBSL-224 (at 224 nm) and miniBSL-420 will scan ice core sections at NICL to look for abrupt climate changes, volcanic ash, microbial concentrations, and correlations among them. Using the optical logger and ATV to log bubble number densities vs depth in a WAIS Divide borehole, we will detect annual layers, from which we can establish the age vs depth relation to the bottom of the borehole that will be available during the three-year grant period. With the same instruments we will search for long-period modulation of bubble and dust concentrations in order to provide definitive evidence for or against an effect of long-period variability of the sun or solar wind on climate. We will detect and accurately date ash layers in a WAIS Divide borehole. We will match them with ash layers that we previously detected in the Siple Dome borehole, and also match them with sulfate and ash layers found by others at Vostok, Dome Fuji, Dome C, and GISP2. The expected new data will allow us to extend our recent study which showed that the Antarctic record of volcanism correlates with abrupt climate change at a 95% to \u003e99.8% significance level and that the volcanic signatures at bipolar locations match at better than 3 sigma during the interval 2 to 45 kiloyears. The results to be obtained during this grant period will position us to extend an accurate age vs depth relation and volcano-climate correlations to earlier than 150 kiloyears ago in the future WAIS Divide borehole to be drilled to bedrock. Using the miniBSLs to identify biomolecules via their fluorescence, we will log a 350-m borehole at WAIS Divide, and we will scan selected lengths of ice core at NICL. Among the biomolecules the miniBSLs can identify will be chlorophyll, which will provide the first map of aerobic microbes in ice, and F420, which will provide the first map of methanogens in ice. We will collaborate with others in relating results from WAIS Divide and NICL ice cores to broader topics in climatology, volcanology, and microbial ecology. We will continue to give broad training to undergraduate and graduate students, to attract underrepresented minorities to science, engineering, and math, and to educate the press and college teachers. A deeper understanding of the causes of abrupt climate change, including a causal relationship with strong volcanic eruptions, can enable us to understand and mitigate adverse effects on climate.", "east": -112.06556, "geometry": "POINT(-112.06556 -79.469444)", "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e CHEMICAL METERS/ANALYZERS \u003e FLUORESCENCE SPECTROSCOPY; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e RECORDERS/LOGGERS \u003e OPTICAL DUST LOGGERS", "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "Volcanic Ash; Dust Concentration; Antarctica; FIELD INVESTIGATION; Liquid Veins In Ice; Optical Logger; Borehole; Ash Layer; FIELD SURVEYS; Microbial Metabolism; Climate; Biospectral Logger; Not provided; Protein Fluorescence; Gas Artifacts; Aerosol Fluorescence; Volcanism; WAIS Divide; Ice Core", "locations": "WAIS Divide; Antarctica", "north": -79.469444, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Bay, Ryan; Price, Buford", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD INVESTIGATION; LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD SURVEYS; Not provided", "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": -79.469444, "title": "Climatology, Volcanism, and Microbial Life in Ice with Downhole Loggers", "uid": "p0000746", "west": -112.06556}, {"awards": "0338224 Putkonen, Jaakko", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((161 -77,161.3 -77,161.6 -77,161.9 -77,162.2 -77,162.5 -77,162.8 -77,163.1 -77,163.4 -77,163.7 -77,164 -77,164 -77.1,164 -77.2,164 -77.3,164 -77.4,164 -77.5,164 -77.6,164 -77.7,164 -77.8,164 -77.9,164 -78,163.7 -78,163.4 -78,163.1 -78,162.8 -78,162.5 -78,162.2 -78,161.9 -78,161.6 -78,161.3 -78,161 -78,161 -77.9,161 -77.8,161 -77.7,161 -77.6,161 -77.5,161 -77.4,161 -77.3,161 -77.2,161 -77.1,161 -77))", "dataset_titles": "Cosmogenic nucilde data at ICE-D", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "200298", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "ICE-D", "science_program": null, "title": "Cosmogenic nucilde data at ICE-D", "url": "https://version2.ice-d.org/antarctica/nsf/"}], "date_created": "Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This work will study cosmogenic isotope profiles of rock and sediment in the Dry Valleys of Antarctica to understand their origin. The results will provide important constraints on the history of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. The near-perfect preservation of volcanic ash and overlying sediments suggests that hyperarid cold conditions have prevailed in the Dry Valleys for over 10 Myr. The survival of these sediments also suggests that warm-based ice has not entered the valley system and ice sheet expansion has been minimal. Other evidence, however, suggests that the Dry Valleys have experienced considerably more sediment erosion than generally believed: 1) the cosmogenic exposure ages of boulders and bedrock in the Valleys all show generally younger ages than volcanic ash deposits used to determine minimum ages of moraines and drifts, 2) there appears to be a discrepancy between the suggested extreme preservation of unconsolidated slope deposits (\u003e10 Myr) and adjacent bedrock that has eroded 2.6-6 m during the same time interval. The fact that the till and moraine exposure ages generally post date the overlying volcanic ash deposits could reflect expansion of continental ice sheet into the Dry Valleys with cold-based ice, thus both preserving the landscape and shielding the surfaces from cosmic radiation. Another plausible explanation of the young cosmogenic exposure ages is erosion of the sediments and gradual exhumation of formerly buried boulders to the surface. Cosmogenic isotope systematics are especially well suited to address these questions. We will measure multiple cosmogenic isotopes in profiles of rock and sediment to determine the minimum exposure ages, the degree of soil stability or mixing, and the shielding history of surfaces by cold based ice. We expect to obtain unambiguous minimum ages for deposits. In addition, we should be able to identify areas disturbed by periglacial activity, constrain the timing of such activity, and account for the patchy preservation of important stratigraphic markers such as volcanic ash. The broader impacts of this project include graduate and undergraduate education, and improving our understanding of the dynamics of Southern Hemisphere climate on timescales of millions of years, which has major implications for understanding the controls and impacts of global climate change.", "east": 164.0, "geometry": "POINT(162.5 -77.5)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "ICE SHEETS; Dry Valleys; Not provided", "locations": "Dry Valleys", "north": -77.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Putkonen, Jaakko", "platforms": "Not provided", "repo": "ICE-D", "repositories": "ICE-D", "science_programs": null, "south": -78.0, "title": "Stability of Landscapes and Ice Sheets in Dry Valleys, Antarctica: A Systematic Study of Exposure Ages of Soils and Surface Deposits", "uid": "p0000575", "west": 161.0}, {"awards": "0230197 Holt, John", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-180 -60,-144 -60,-108 -60,-72 -60,-36 -60,0 -60,36 -60,72 -60,108 -60,144 -60,180 -60,180 -63,180 -66,180 -69,180 -72,180 -75,180 -78,180 -81,180 -84,180 -87,180 -90,144 -90,108 -90,72 -90,36 -90,0 -90,-36 -90,-72 -90,-108 -90,-144 -90,-180 -90,-180 -87,-180 -84,-180 -81,-180 -78,-180 -75,-180 -72,-180 -69,-180 -66,-180 -63,-180 -60))", "dataset_titles": "AGASEA 4.7 ka Englacial Isochron over the Thwaites Glacier Catchment; Amundsen Sea Sector Data Set; Subglacial Topography: Airborne Geophysical Survey of the Amundsen Sea Embayment, Antarctica", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601673", "doi": "10.15784/601673", "keywords": "Antarchitecture; Antarctica; Ice Penetrating Radar; Isochron; Layers; Radar; Radioglaciology; Thwaites Glacier", "people": "Young, Duncan A.; Blankenship, Donald D.; Muldoon, Gail R.; Jackson, Charles", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "AGASEA 4.7 ka Englacial Isochron over the Thwaites Glacier Catchment", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601673"}, {"dataset_uid": "609292", "doi": "10.7265/N59W0CDC", "keywords": "AGASEA; Airborne Radar; Amundsen Sea; Antarctica; Elevation; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Solid Earth", "people": "Blankenship, Donald D.; Holt, John W.; Young, Duncan A.; Corr, Hugh F. J.; Vaughan, David G.; Morse, David L.", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Subglacial Topography: Airborne Geophysical Survey of the Amundsen Sea Embayment, Antarctica", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/609292"}, {"dataset_uid": "609312", "doi": "10.7265/N5J9649Q", "keywords": "Amundsen Sea; Antarctica; Elevation; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology", "people": "Fastook, James L.", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Amundsen Sea Sector Data Set", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/609312"}], "date_created": "Mon, 01 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award supports a comprehensive aerogeophysical survey of the Amundsen Sea Embayment (ASE) in West Antarctica. The University of Texas will join forces with the British Antarctic Survey to use both US and UK aircraft and instrumentation to achieve this survey. Analyses of the new aerogeophysical\u003cbr/\u003edata will result in the generation of maps of ice sheet surface, volume and bottom-interface characteristics. These maps will support the efforts of a community of US and international researchers to assess the present and predict the future behavior of the ice sheet in the ASE.\u003cbr/\u003eThe West Antarctic ice sheet has been the subject of intensive interdisciplinary study by both the European and U.S. scientific communities since it was recognized to be a potential source for up to 5 meters of sea\u003cbr/\u003elevel rise, possibly on short timescales. In terms of ice discharge, the ASE is the largest drainage system in West Antarctica. Yet it has been comparatively unstudied, primarily due to its remoteness from logistical\u003cbr/\u003ecenters. The ASE is the only major drainage to exhibit significant elevation change over the period of available satellite observations. Present knowledge of the ice thickness and subglacial boundary conditions in the ASE are insufficient to understand its evolution or its sensitivity to climatic change.\u003cbr/\u003eThe results from our surveys are required to achieve the fundamental research objectives outlined by the US scientific community in an ASE Science Plan. The surveys and analyses will be achieved through international collaboration and will involve graduate students, undergraduates and high school apprentices.\u003cbr/\u003eThrough its potential for influencing sea level, the future behavior of the ASE is of primary societal importance. Given the substantial public and scientific interest that recent reports of change in West Antarctica have generated, we expect fundamental research in the Amundsen Sea Embayment, enabled by our surveys, will have widespread impact.", "east": 180.0, "geometry": "POINT(0 -89.999)", "instruments": "EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e POSITIONING/NAVIGATION \u003e GPS \u003e GPS; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e RADAR SOUNDERS \u003e RADAR; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e RADAR SOUNDERS \u003e RADAR ECHO SOUNDERS; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e ALTIMETERS \u003e RADAR ALTIMETERS \u003e RADAR ALTIMETERS", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Thwaites Glacier; Ice Velocity; Ablation; Amundsen Sea; Pine Island Glacier; Elevation; Antarctica (agasea); Ice Sheet Elevation; West Antarctic Ice Sheet; Ice Temperature; Amundsen Basin; Subglacial Topography; Ice Melt; West Antarctica; Velocity Measurements; Snow Accumulation; Antarctica; Bedrock Elevation; Modeling", "locations": "Antarctica; West Antarctica; Amundsen Basin; Pine Island Glacier; Thwaites Glacier; West Antarctic Ice Sheet; Amundsen Sea", "north": -60.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Blankenship, Donald D.; Fastook, James L.; Corr, Hugh F. J.; Holt, John W.; Morse, David L.; Vaughan, David G.; Young, Duncan A.", "platforms": null, "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -90.0, "title": "Airborne Geophysical Survey of the Amundsen Sea Embayment, Antarctica (AGASEA)", "uid": "p0000243", "west": -180.0}, {"awards": "0126149 Liu, Hongxing", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": "Access to Antarctic coastline coverage and reference documents; Access to Antarctic snow zone coverage and reference documents; Access to boundary file and reference documents; Access to ice velocity data and reference documents; Access to snow melt extent image files and reference documents", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "001779", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "PI website", "science_program": null, "title": "Access to ice velocity data and reference documents", "url": "http://geog.tamu.edu/~liu/research/download.htm"}, {"dataset_uid": "001640", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "PI website", "science_program": null, "title": "Access to snow melt extent image files and reference documents", "url": "http://geog.tamu.edu/~liu/research/download.htm"}, {"dataset_uid": "001350", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "PI website", "science_program": null, "title": "Access to boundary file and reference documents", "url": "http://geog.tamu.edu/~liu/research/download.htm"}, {"dataset_uid": "001351", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "PI website", "science_program": null, "title": "Access to Antarctic coastline coverage and reference documents", "url": "http://geog.tamu.edu/~liu/research/download.htm"}, {"dataset_uid": "001352", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "PI website", "science_program": null, "title": "Access to Antarctic snow zone coverage and reference documents", "url": "http://geog.tamu.edu/~liu/research/download.htm"}], "date_created": "Tue, 15 Aug 2006 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award supports a project to characterize the morphology, ice motion velocity and mass balance of Lambert Glacier, Antarctica using state-of-the-art remote sensing and GIS techniques. Lambert Glacier is the largest ice stream in the world. Because of its size, it plays a fundamental role in the study of glacial dynamics and mass budget in response to present and future climate changes. Along with the bedrock topography and ice thickness data derived from airborne radio echo soundings and snow accumulation data compiled from ground-based measurements, the dynamic behavior and mass balance of the Lambert glacial basin in a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) environment will be examined. Specific objectives are to: (1) Extract two-dimensional ice velocity field over the entire Lambert glacial basin using speckle matching and differential interferometric SAR (InSAR) techniques, and produce a full coverage of radar coherence map over the drainage basin. With the ice velocity data, calculate the strain rate field from the initiation areas of the ice stream onto the Amery Ice Shelf; (2) Derive high-resolution digital elevation model (DEM) over the Lambert glacial drainage basin using SAR stereo, differential interferometric SAR, and GLAS laser altimetry techniques. Based on the DEM, extract ice divides and ice flow directions, delineate the snow catchment basin, and calculate the balance deformation velocity and the basal shear stress; (3) Interpolate traverse ice thickness data collected by Australian and Russian airborne radio echo sounding surveys into a regular grid, and derive a regular grid of bedrock topography in combination with the DEM; (4) Integrate newly derived ice velocity and ice thickness data as well as snow accumulation rate data compiled from previous ground-based measurements into a geographic information system (GIS), and calculate the mass flux through the ice stream at the grounding lines and net mass balance throughout the drainage basin. With these new measurements and calculations derived from advanced remote sensing techniques, we will be able to improve our understanding of dynamic behavior and current mass balance status of the Lambert glacial basin, gain an insight on the relationship between ice mass change and the variation in regional and global climate at decadal scale, and provide an evaluation on the issue of whether the Lambert glacier basin is subject to surging in the context of future climate change.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": "EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e SPECTROMETERS/RADIOMETERS \u003e IMAGING SPECTROMETERS/RADIOMETERS \u003e SMMR; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e SPECTROMETERS/RADIOMETERS \u003e IMAGING SPECTROMETERS/RADIOMETERS \u003e SSM/I; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e IMAGING RADARS \u003e IFSAR; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e IMAGING RADARS \u003e SAR", "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "DEM; Not provided; RADARSAT-1", "locations": null, "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Liu, Hongxing; Jezek, Kenneth", "platforms": "Not provided; OTHER \u003e MODELS \u003e DEM; SPACE-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e EARTH OBSERVATION SATELLITES \u003e RADARSAT \u003e RADARSAT-1", "repo": "PI website", "repositories": "PI website", "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "High-Resolution Modeling of Surface Topography, Ice Motion, and Mass Balance in the Lambert Glacial Basin using Radar Remote Sensing and GIS Techniques", "uid": "p0000204", "west": null}, {"awards": "9814574 Jacobel, Robert", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-120 -80,-115.6 -80,-111.2 -80,-106.8 -80,-102.4 -80,-98 -80,-93.6 -80,-89.2 -80,-84.8 -80,-80.4 -80,-76 -80,-76 -81,-76 -82,-76 -83,-76 -84,-76 -85,-76 -86,-76 -87,-76 -88,-76 -89,-76 -90,-80.4 -90,-84.8 -90,-89.2 -90,-93.6 -90,-98 -90,-102.4 -90,-106.8 -90,-111.2 -90,-115.6 -90,-120 -90,-120 -89,-120 -88,-120 -87,-120 -86,-120 -85,-120 -84,-120 -83,-120 -82,-120 -81,-120 -80))", "dataset_titles": "Ice Thickness and Internal Layer Depth Along the 2001 and 2002 US ITASE Traverses", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "609264", "doi": "10.7265/N5R20Z9T", "keywords": "Airborne Radar; Antarctica; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; ITASE; WAIS", "people": "Welch, Brian; Jacobel, Robert", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "ITASE", "title": "Ice Thickness and Internal Layer Depth Along the 2001 and 2002 US ITASE Traverses", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/609264"}], "date_created": "Fri, 08 Apr 2005 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award supports a program of radar studies of internal stratigraphy and bedrock topography along the traverses for the U.S. component of the International Trans-Antarctic Scientific Expedition (US ITASE). The radar will provide information immediately available in the field on ice thickness and internal layer structure to help in the selection of core sites as the traverse proceeds. These data will also be useful in siting deeper millennial scale cores planned at less frequent intervals along the traverse, and in the selection of the location for the deep inland core planned for the future. In addition to continuous coverage along the traverse route, more detailed studies on a grid surrounding each of the core locations will be made to better characterize accumulation and bedrock topography in each area. This proposal is complimentary to the one submitted by the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL), which proposes a high frequency radar to examine the shallower portion of the record down to approximately 60 meters, including the presence of near-surface crevasses. The radar proposed herein is most sensitive at depths below 60 meters and can depict deep bedrock and internal layers to a substantial fraction of the ice thickness.", "east": -76.0, "geometry": "POINT(-98 -85)", "instruments": "EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e RADAR SOUNDERS \u003e RADAR; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e RADAR SOUNDERS \u003e RADAR ECHO SOUNDERS", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "US ITASE; Traverses; West Antarctica; Radar Echo Sounder; GROUND-BASED OBSERVATIONS; Radar Echo Sounding; Antarctica; Depth; Ice Thickness; Radar", "locations": "Antarctica; West Antarctica", "north": -80.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": "PHANEROZOIC \u003e CENOZOIC \u003e QUATERNARY \u003e HOLOCENE", "persons": "Jacobel, Robert; Welch, Brian", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e PERMANENT LAND SITES \u003e GROUND-BASED OBSERVATIONS", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": "ITASE", "south": -90.0, "title": "Radar Studies of Internal Stratigraphy and Bedrock Topography along the US ITASE Traverse", "uid": "p0000595", "west": -120.0}, {"awards": null, "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": "Cosmogenic nuclide data for bedrock samples from the Ford Ranges, Marie Byrd Land, West Antarctica", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "600002", "doi": "", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Cosmogenic nuclide data for bedrock samples from the Ford Ranges, Marie Byrd Land, West Antarctica", "url": "http://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/600002"}], "date_created": "Wed, 06 Apr 2005 00:00:00 GMT", "description": null, "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": null, "locations": null, "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": null, "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Stone, John", "platforms": null, "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": null, "uid": null, "west": null}, {"awards": "0087390 Grunow, Anne", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-170 -79,-164 -79,-158 -79,-152 -79,-146 -79,-140 -79,-134 -79,-128 -79,-122 -79,-116 -79,-110 -79,-110 -79.5,-110 -80,-110 -80.5,-110 -81,-110 -81.5,-110 -82,-110 -82.5,-110 -83,-110 -83.5,-110 -84,-116 -84,-122 -84,-128 -84,-134 -84,-140 -84,-146 -84,-152 -84,-158 -84,-164 -84,-170 -84,-170 -83.5,-170 -83,-170 -82.5,-170 -82,-170 -81.5,-170 -81,-170 -80.5,-170 -80,-170 -79.5,-170 -79))", "dataset_titles": "Polar Rock Repository; Rock Magnetic Clast data are at this website", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "200243", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "PRR", "science_program": null, "title": "Polar Rock Repository", "url": "https://prr.osu.edu/"}, {"dataset_uid": "001970", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "PI website", "science_program": null, "title": "Rock Magnetic Clast data are at this website", "url": "http://bprc.osu.edu/"}], "date_created": "Mon, 23 Aug 2004 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award, provided by the Antarctic Geology and Geophysics Program of the Office of Polar Programs, supports a collaborative research project between the University of California-Santa Cruz, the University of Texas-Austin, and the Ohio State University to investigate sediment samples recovered from the base of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS). West Antarctica is a remote polar region but its dynamic ice sheet, complicated tectonic history, and the sedimentary record of Cenozoic glaciation make it of particular interest to glaciologists and geologists. Glaciologists are concerned with the possibility of significant near-future changes in mass balance of the WAIS that may contribute to the ongoing global sea level rise. Geologists are investigating in West Antarctica the fundamental process of continental extension and are constructing models of a polar marine depositional system using this region as the prime modern example. The subglacial part of West Antarctica has escaped direct geological investigations and all that is known about subglacial geology comes from geophysical remote sensing. Recent acquisitions of new, high-quality geophysical data have led to generation of several enticing models. For instance, subglacial presence of high-magnitude, short-wavelength magnetic anomalies has prompted the proposition that there may be voluminous (\u003e1 million cubic km), Late Cenozoic flood basalts beneath the ice sheet. Another important model suggests that the patterns of fast ice streaming (~100 meters/year) and slow ice motion (~1-10 meters/year) observed within the WAIS are controlled by subglacial distribution of sedimentary basins and resistant bedrock. These new geophysics-based models should be tested with direct observations because they are of such great importance to our understanding of the West Antarctic tectonic history and to our ability to predict the future behavior of the WAIS.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThis research is designed as a pilot study to provide new geologic data, which may help to test the recent models inferred from geophysical observations. The new constraints on subglacial geology and on its interactions with the WAIS will be obtained through petrological and geochemical analyses of basal and subglacial sediments collected previously from seven localities. This investigation will take place in the context of testing the following three hypotheses: (A) the provenance of bedrock clasts in the glacial sediment samples is primarily from West Antarctica, (B) some clasts and muds from the West Antarctic subglacial sediments have been derived by erosion of the (inferred) subglacial Late Cenozoic flood basalts, and (C) the sediments underlying the West Antarctic ice streams were generated by glacial erosion of preglacial sedimentary basins but the sediments recovered from beneath the slow-moving parts of the WAIS were produced through erosion of resistant bedrock.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThe individual hypotheses will be tested by collecting data on: (A) petrology, geochemistry and age of granitoid clasts, (B) petrology, geochemistry and age of basaltic clasts combined with mud geochemistry, and (C) clay mineralogy/paragenesis combined with textural maturity of sand and silt grains. The results of these tests will help evaluate the interesting possibility that subglacial geology may have first-order control on the patterns of fast ice flow within the WAIS. The new data will also help to determine whether the subglacial portion of West Antarctica is a Late Cenozoic flood basalt province. By combining glaciological and geological aspects of West Antarctic research the proposed collaborative project will add to the ongoing U.S. effort to create a multidisciplinary understanding of this polar region.", "east": -110.0, "geometry": "POINT(-140 -81.5)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "Till; Subglacial; Clasts; Magnetic Properties; Rock Magnetics; FIELD INVESTIGATION; West Antarctic Ice Sheet", "locations": "West Antarctic Ice Sheet", "north": -79.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": "PHANEROZOIC \u003e CENOZOIC \u003e QUATERNARY \u003e PLEISTOCENE", "persons": "Grunow, Anne; Vogel, Stefan", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD INVESTIGATION", "repo": "PRR", "repositories": "PI website; PRR", "science_programs": null, "south": -84.0, "title": "Collaborative Research: Relationship Between Subglacial Geology and Glacial Processes in West Antarctica: Petrological and Geochemical Analyses of Subglacial and Basal Sediments", "uid": "p0000740", "west": -170.0}, {"awards": "9615347 Conway, Howard", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": "Roosevelt Island Bedrock and Surface Elevations; Roosevelt Island Ice Core Density and Beta Count Data", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "609140", "doi": "10.7265/N51J97NB", "keywords": "Antarctica; Elevation; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; GPR; Roosevelt Island; Solid Earth", "people": "Conway, Howard", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Roosevelt Island Bedrock and Surface Elevations", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/609140"}, {"dataset_uid": "609139", "doi": "10.7265/N55718ZW", "keywords": "Antarctica; Beta Count; Density; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Ice Core Records; Physical Properties; Roosevelt Island", "people": "Conway, Howard", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Roosevelt Island Ice Core Density and Beta Count Data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/609139"}], "date_created": "Fri, 23 May 2003 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award is for two years of support to perform radar investigations across former shear margins at Roosevelt Island and Ice Stream C in order to measure changes in the configuration and continuity of internal layers and the bed. The broad goal of these investigations is to gain an understanding of ice stream flow and the timing and mechanisms of ice stream shutdown. A high-resolution short-pulse radar system will be used for detailed examination of the uppermost hundred meters of the firn and ice, and a monopulse sounding-radar system will be used to image the rest of the ice column (including internal layers) and the bed. Changes in the shape and continuity of layers will be used to interpret mechanisms and modes of ice stream flow including the possible migration of stagnation fronts and rates of shut-down. Variations in bed reflectivity will be used to deduce basal hydrology conditions across lineations. Accumulation rates deduced from snow pits and shallow cores will be used to estimate near-surface depth-age profiles. Improved understanding of ice stream history opens the possibility of linking changes in the West Antarctic ice sheet with the geologic evidence from Northern Victoria Land and the ocean record of the retreat of the grounding line in the Ross Sea.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": "EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e ALTIMETERS \u003e RADAR ALTIMETERS \u003e RA; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e RADAR SOUNDERS \u003e RADAR; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e RADAR SOUNDERS \u003e RADAR ECHO SOUNDERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e CORERS \u003e CORING DEVICES", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Radioactive Decay; Radar Echo Sounder; Antarctica; Radar Altimetry; Densification; Bedrock Elevation; Ice Sheet Elevation; Satellite Radar Data; GROUND-BASED OBSERVATIONS; Radar; Ice Core; Snow Stratigraphy; Terrain Elevation; Antarctic Ice Sheet; Stable Isotopes; Ice Surface Elevation; Surface Elevation; Glaciology; Snow Densification; Ice Core Data; GROUND STATIONS; Not provided; Altimetry; Antarctic; Ice Core Stratigraphy; Ice Stratigraphy", "locations": "Antarctic; Antarctica; Antarctic Ice Sheet", "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Conway, Howard", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e PERMANENT LAND SITES \u003e GROUND-BASED OBSERVATIONS; LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e PERMANENT LAND SITES \u003e GROUND STATIONS; Not provided", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Radar Investigations of Former Shear Margins: Roosevelt Island and Ice Stream C", "uid": "p0000164", "west": null}, {"awards": "9527262 Gow, Anthony", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": "Physical and Structural Properties of the Siple Dome Ice Cores", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "609128", "doi": "10.7265/N5668B34", "keywords": "Antarctica; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Ice Core Records; Photo/video; Photo/Video; Siple Dome; Siple Dome Ice Core; WAISCORES", "people": "Meese, Deb; Gow, Tony", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "Siple Dome Ice Core", "title": "Physical and Structural Properties of the Siple Dome Ice Cores", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/609128"}], "date_created": "Wed, 14 May 2003 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award is for support for a program to investigate the visual stratigraphy, index physical properties, relaxation characteristics and crystalline structure of ice cores from Siple Dome, West Antarctica. This investigation will include measurements of a time-priority nature that must be initiated at the drill site on freshly-drilled cores. This will be especially true of cores from the brittle ice zone, which is expected to comprise a significant fraction of the ice core. The brittle zone includes ice in which relaxation , resulting from the release of confining pressure is maximized and leads to significant changes in the mechanical condition of the core that must be considered in relation to the processing and analysis of ice samples for entrapped gas and chemical studies. This relaxation will be monitored via precision density measurements made initially at the drill site and repeated at intervals back in the U.S. Other studies will include measurement of the annual layering in the core to as great a depth as visual stratigraphy can be deciphered, crystal size measurements as a function of depth and age, c-axis fabric studies, and analysis of the physical properties of any debris-bearing basal ice and its relationship to the underlying bedrock. Only through careful documentation and analysis of these key properties can we hope to accurately assess the dynamic state of the ice and the age-depth relationships essential to deciphering the paleoclimate record at this location.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e CORERS \u003e CORING DEVICES", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Siple Dome; Antarctica; Stratigraphy; Ice Sheet; GROUND-BASED OBSERVATIONS; Density; Siple; Chemical Composition; Volcanic Deposits; Siple Coast; WAISCORES; Not provided; GROUND STATIONS; Pico; Ice Core; Tephra; Fabric; Glaciology; Snow", "locations": "Antarctica; Siple; Siple Coast; Siple Dome", "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Gow, Tony; Meese, Deb", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e PERMANENT LAND SITES \u003e GROUND-BASED OBSERVATIONS; LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e PERMANENT LAND SITES \u003e GROUND STATIONS; Not provided", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": "Siple Dome Ice Core", "south": null, "title": "Physical and Structural Properties of the Siple Dome Core", "uid": "p0000064", "west": null}]
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Technical Abstract This research evaluates whether the small Coats Land crustal block of East Antarctica is a tectonic tracer linking Kalahari and southern Laurentia within the Neoproterozoic supercontinent of Rodinia across an orogenic suture. A Pan-African (~600 Ma) suture separates the small Coats Land block from the main Mawson Craton indicating that this crustal block had an independent pre-Pan-African history. Existing data from the miniscule outcrops of bedrock in Coats Land provide critical clues to that paleogeography, suggesting that Laurentia collided with Kalahari across the Grenville-Namaqua/Natal-Maud orogen. The Coats Land block has only three small groups of bedrock exposures, two form nunataks and the third occurs in a cliff face. The two nunataks comprise granophyre and rhyolite contemporaneous with the ca. 1.1 Ga Keweenawan, mid-continent rift, volcanics of Laurentia and its proposed southwestern extension in El Paso, TX. Moreover, the Pb isotopes of the Coats Land and Keweenawan rocks are identical, and paleomagnetic data are broadly supportive of the Coats Land block having been located adjacent to the present southern margin of the Laurentian craton. Metamorphic rocks from the cliff face exposure lithologically resemble basement rocks of the El Paso, TX. The proposed research will further existing geochemical and geochronologic studies of specimens previously collected from Coats Land and new and existing samples of rocks collected near El Paso, Texas for detailed comparison. Analyses include zircon U-Pb dating and Hf and O isotope analysis, and whole rock geochemistry and Pb, Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr isotope analysis. This research will make maximum use of existing material from this extremely remote part of Antarctica to test this hypothesis. Researchers will collaborate with 2 well-established education-outreach programs in the Jackson School of Geosciences at The University of Texas at Austin. Undergraduate research assistants will be recruited from the Jackson Scholars Program (JSP). Researchers will provide a field- and lab-based seminar on reconstructing Rodinia for the JSP and will conduct research with high school students during GeoFORCE 12th grade summer academy. Non-technical Abstract This research evaluates whether the small Coats Land crustal block of East Antarctica is a piece of ancestral North America (Laurentia) that was transferred to southern Africa (Kalahari) during ~ 1 Ga collision, and subsequent breakup, of the two continents during the formation of the ancient supercontinent of Rodinia. Coats Land is separated from the adjacent Mawson Craton of Antarctica by ~600 Ma continental sutures indicating that Coats Land had an independent history prior to 600 Ma. Existing data from the miniscule outcrops of bedrock in Coats Land provide critical clues to that paleogeography, suggesting that Laurentia collided with Kalahari. The Coats Land block has only three small groups of bedrock exposures, two form nunataks and the third occurs in a cliff face. The two nunataks comprise granophyre and rhyolite contemporaneous with the ca. 1.1 Ga Keweenawan, mid-continent rift, volcanics of Laurentia and its proposed southwestern extension in El Paso, TX. Moreover, the Pb isotopes of the Coats Land and Keweenawan rocks are identical, and paleomagnetic data are broadly supportive of the Coats Land block having been located adjacent to the present southern margin of the Laurentian craton. Metamorphic rocks from the cliff face exposure lithologically resemble basement rocks of the El Paso, TX. The proposed research will further existing geochemical and geochronologic studies of specimens previously collected from Coats Land and new and existing samples of rocks collected near El Paso, Texas for detailed comparison. Analyses include zircon U-Pb dating and Hf and O isotope analysis, and whole rock geochemistry and Pb, Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr isotope analysis. This research will make maximum use of existing material from this extremely remote part of Antarctica to test this hypothesis. Researchers will collaborate with 2 well-established education-outreach programs in the Jackson School of Geosciences at The University of Texas at Austin. Undergraduate research assistants will be recruited from the Jackson Scholars Program (JSP). Researchers will provide a field- and lab-based seminar on reconstructing Rodinia for the JSP and will conduct research with high school students during GeoFORCE 12th grade summer academy. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
Glaciers move in response to gravity pulling them downhill and much of the resistance to this motion is supplied by the bedrock that they sit on. For fast moving glaciers this motion is largely the result of basal ice sliding over and around bedrock bumps, and the specific processes at the ice-bed interface that facilitate this sliding play a dominant role in setting the glacier speed. Sliding atop the ice-bed interface is known to create cavities (pockets of water) downstream of bedrock bumps. These cavities facilitate water flow, control areas of ice-bed contact, regulate basal drag, dictate subglacial erosion, and affect ice mechanics in general. Thus, the length and shape of cavities (geometry) as they separate from the bed is of fundamental importance in glaciology. This project will determine the fundamental processes that set the shapes of those cavities. This work will benefit the scientific community by producing improved estimates to basal sliding and subglacial hydrology which are two of the main uncertainties in glacier-flow modeling. It will also lead to a better understanding of subglacial erosion which effectively controls the basal bump geometries. This in turn will lead to improved understanding of the fundamentals of glacier and ice-sheet dynamics. Therefore, the outcome of the project could ultimately improve future projections of sea-level rise, benefitting society at large. In addition, this project will train a postdoctoral researcher and undergraduate students from tribal institutions. This project will: 1) Use a novel experimental device to generate a cavity geometry data set for a range of independent controls; and 2) Use the results from part one to constrain numerical models that will allow for the exploration of a greater range of parameter space than is possible in the physical experiments alone. Using a novel cryogenic ring-shear device, this project will systematically assess three likely controls on cavity geometry: effective stress, sliding speed, and bump geometry, while simultaneously tracking strain indicators within the ice and the geometry of the cavity through the transparent walls of the device. These experiments will be conducted with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, state-of-the-art ring-shear device and represent the first instance where all three parameters’ effects on the resultant cavity geometry can be measured simultaneously. The lab experiment findings of cavity geometry and strain rates within the ice will be used to help constrain the process-based numerical modeling of cavity formation. The numerical simulations of ice flow around obstacles will provide information about the stress and strain distribution within the ice, and from this data we can explore the ability of existing theories to predict cavity geometry for fast-flowing ice. The physics within the numerical model will be updated as needed to incorporate processes such as a stress dependent ice rheology or changes in the ice-bed contact physics that are currently unaccounted for. Outcomes will be 1) a detailed understanding of the physics that govern cavity geometry and 2) a simple parameterization of the lab and modeling results that can be easily incorporated into glaciological models for improved estimates of subglacial sliding, hydrology, and erosion. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
Part I, Non-technical Abstract Concerns that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) might be susceptible to releasing its ice as giant icebergs into the Southern Ocean due to a warming climate, raising global sea level, were first expressed more than 40 years ago. To best-assess this threat, scientists need to know whether such events occurred in the geologically recent past, during warm intervals of past glacial-interglacial cycles. Ocean drilling near the most vulnerable sector of the WAIS, in 2019, yielded seafloor geologic records demonstrating times when icebergs dropped large volumes of sands and pebbles, called ice-rafted detritus (IRD) in deep water of the Amundsen Sea. Occurring together with IRD that was eroded from bedrock beneath the ice sheets, there are abundant microfossils of diatoms (algal plankton), which indicate high biological productivity in the open ocean. The new sediment cores provide a complete, uninterrupted record of a time of dramatic fluctuations of ice sheet extent that occurred over the last 3 million years. Therefore, they provide the means to obtain clear answers to the question whether ice sheet collapse occurred in the past and offering clues to its potential future. This project will investigate sediment intervals where IRD coincides with evidence of high diatom production, to test whether these two criteria indicate rapid ice sheet collapse. Geochemical analysis of IRD pebbles will help trace the source of the icebergs to likely on-land sites. By analyzing conditions of high diatom and IRD accumulation in deep ocean sediment, where local coastal influences can be avoided, we will assess oceanographic and climatic conditions associated with past ice sheet collapse events. Diatoms provide powerful evidence of temperature and ocean productivity changes in the past, that, when linked to time, can translate into rates of ice sheet drawdown. These results will provide critical data for designing, constraining and testing the next suite computer models that can determine the likelihood and timing of future ice sheet collapse in a warming world. The project will include training of undergraduate and graduate students from diverse backgrounds, and the public will be introduced to Antarctic science and engaged through several different outreach efforts. Part 2, Technical Abstract New drillcores from the Amundsen Sea, Antarctica (IODP Expedition 379) contain a continuous record of oceanographic changes and iceberg rafted debris (IRD) spanning the last 5 million years. This study aims to identify the signature of retreat/collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) in these continental margin, deep-sea sediments by quantitatively analyzing, in detail, diatom and IRD records across glacial-interglacial lithostratigraphic transitions to establish the timing and frequency of Late Pliocene and Pleistocene WAIS collapse events. The investigators will secure age constraints and diagnostic observations of marine paleoenvironmental conditions for selected interglacial intervals of cores from sites U1532 and U1533, using high resolution micropaleontology of diatom assemblages coupled with microstratigraphic analysis of IRD depositional events, while petrography, geochronology and thermochronology of iceberg rafted clasts will provide evidence of iceberg sources and pathways. Depositional paleotemperatures will be assessed via a new paleotemperature proxy based on quantitative assessment of morphologic changes in the dominant Southern Ocean diatom Fragilariopsis kerguelensis. Their results will contribute to parameterization of new ice sheet models that seek to reconstruct and forecast West Antarctic Ice Sheet behavior. This project will directly contribute to undergraduate education at an undergraduate-only college and at a public university that serves a demographic typified by first generation university students and underrepresented groups. Spanning geology, geochemistry, sedimentology, paleontology and paleoceanography, the proposed work will allow undergraduate students to develop diverse skills through hands-on research within a collaborative team that is dedicated to societally relevant research. The two graduate students will conduct original research and work alongside/mentor undergraduates, making for a well-rounded research experience that prepares them for success in future academic or employment sectors. The discoveries that come from this deep-sea record from West Antarctica will be communicated by students and investigators at national and international conferences and an array of public science outreach events. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
Satellite observations of Earth’s surface gravity and elevation changes indicate rapid melting of ice sheets in recent decades in northern Antarctica Peninsula and Amundsen Sea Embayment of West Antarctica. This rapid melting may lead to significant global sea level rise which is a major societal concern. Measurements from the Global Positioning System (GPS) show rapid land uplift in these regions as the ice sheets melt. When an ice sheet melts, the melt water flows to oceans, causing global sea level to rise. However, the sea level change at a given geographic location is also influenced by two other factors associated with the ice melting process: 1) the vertical motion of the land and 2) gravitational attraction. The vertical motion of the land is caused by the change of pressure force on the surface of the solid Earth. For example, the removal of ice mass reduces the pressure force on the land, leading to uplift of the land below the ice sheet, while the addition of water in oceans increases the pressure force on the seafloor, causing it to subside. The sea level always follows the equipotential surface of the gravity which changes as the mass on the Earth’s surface (e.g., the ice and water) or/and in its interiors (e.g., at the crust-mantle boundary) is redistributed. Additionally, the vertical motion of the land below an ice sheet has important effects on the evolution and stability of the ice sheet and may determine whether the ice sheet will rapidly collapse or gradually stabilize. The main goal of this project is to build an accurate and efficient computer model to study the displacement and deformation of the Antarctic crust and mantle in response to recent ice melting. The project will significantly improve existing and publicly available computer code, CitcomSVE. The horizontal and vertical components of the Earth’s surface displacement depends on mantle viscosity and elastic properties of the Earth. Although seismic imaging studies demonstrate that the Antarctica mantle is heterogeneous, most studies on the ice-melting induced deformation in Antarctica have assumed that mantle viscosity and elastic properties only vary with the depth due to computational limitations. In this project, the new computational method in CitcomSVE avoids such assumptions and makes it possible to include realistic 3-D mantle viscosity and elastic properties in computing the Antarctica crustal and mantle displacement. This project will interpret the GPS measurements of the surface displacements in northern Antarctica Peninsula and Amundsen Sea Embayment of West Antarctica and use the observations to place constraints on mantle viscosity and deformation mechanisms. The project will also seek to predict the future land displacement Antarctica, which will lead to a better understand of Antarctica ice sheets. Finally, the project has direct implications for the study of global sea level change and the dynamics of the Greenland ice sheet. Technical Description Glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) is important for understanding not only fundamental science questions including mantle viscosity, mantle convection and lithospheric deformation but also societally important questions of global sea-level change, polar ice melting, climate change, and groundwater hydrology. Studies of rock deformation in laboratory experiments, post-seismic deformation, and mantle dynamics indicate that mantle viscosity is temperature- and stress-dependent. Although the effects of stress-dependent (i.e., non-Newtonian) viscosity and transient creep rheology on GIA process have been studied, observational evidence remains elusive. There has been significant ice mass loss in recent decades in northern Antarctica Peninsula (NAP) and Amundsen Sea Embayment (ASE) of West Antarctica. The ice mass loss has caused rapid bedrock uplift as measured by GPS techniques which require surprisingly small upper mantle viscosity of ~1018 Pas. The rapid uplifts may have important feedback effects on ongoing ice melting because of their influence on grounding line migration, and the inferred small viscosity may have implications for mantle rheology and deformation on decadal time scales. The main objective of the project is to test hypotheses that the GPS observations in NAP and ASE regions are controlled by 3-D non-Newtonian or/and transient creep viscosity by developing new GIA modeling capability based on finite element package CitcomSVE. The project will carry out the following three tasks: Task 1 is to build GIA models for the NAP and ASE regions to examine the effects of 3-D temperature-dependent mantle viscosity on the surface displacements and to test hypothesis that the 3-D mantle viscosity improves the fit to the GPS observations. Task 2 is to test the hypothesis that non-Newtonian or/and transient creep rheology controls GIA process on decadal time scales by computing GIA models and comparing model predictions with GPS observations for the NAP and ASE regions. Task 3 is to implement transient creep (i.e., Burgers model) rheology into finite element package CitcomSVE for modeling the GIA process on global and regional scales and to make the package publicly available to the scientific community. The project will develop the first numerical GIA model with Burgers transient rheology and use the models to examine the effects of 3-D temperature-dependent viscosity, non-Newtonian viscosity and transient rheology on GIA-induced surface displacements in Antarctica. The project will model the unique GPS observations of unusually large displacement rates in the NAP and ASE regions to place constraints on mantle rheology and to distinguish between 3-D temperature-dependent, non-Newtonian and transient mantle viscosity. The project will expand the capability of the publicly available software package CitcomSVE for modeling viscoelastic deformation and tidal deformation on global and regional scales. The project will advance our understanding in lithospheric deformation and mantle rheology on decadal time scales, which helps predict grounding line migration and understand ice sheet stability in West Antarctica. The project will strengthen the open science practice by improving the publicly available code CitcomSVE at github. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
Ice flow is resisted by frictional forces that keep a glacier from immediately sliding into the ocean. Friction comes in two varieties: internal friction within the ice column which resists ice deformation and basal friction which resists ice sliding over its bedrock substrate. Partitioning between internal and basal friction is difficult since both have similar expressions at the most common target for data collection—the ice-sheet surface. However, understanding this partitioning is important because the physical processes that control internal and basal friction act and evolve at different timescales. This project combines spaceborne remote sensing observations from the ice-sheet surface with ice-penetrating radar data that images the internal structure of the ice sheet in order to partition the contribution of each source of friction. Results will advance the fundamental understanding of ice flow and will strengthen projections of future sea-level rise. Broader Impacts of the project include facilitating data reuse for the ice-sheet research community; the strategy for distributing the software toolkit includes student mentorship and hackathon teaching. The researcher will expand the impact of existing ice-penetrating datasets by 1) developing new open-source algorithms for extraction of englacial stratigraphy; 2) creating stratigraphy data products that can be assimilated into future studies of ice motion; and 3) using statistical analyses to integrate radar datasets into larger-scale interpretations with remote sensing datasets of ice-surface velocity, altimetry, climate variables, and model-derived basal friction. The computational tools developed as part of this effort will be integrated and released as a reusable software toolkit for ice-penetrating radar data analysis. The toolkit will be validated and tested by deployment to cloud-hosted JupyterHub instances, which will serve as a singular interface to access radar and remote sensing data, load them into a unified framework, step through a predefined processing flow, and carry out statistical analyses. In some areas, the imaged englacial stratigraphy will deviate from the ice-dynamic setting expected based on surface measurements alone. There, the internal dynamics (or ice-dynamic history) are inconsistent with the surface dynamics, likely because internal friction is poorly constrained and misattributed to basal friction instead. This work will develop the data and statistical tools for constraining internal friction from ice-penetrating radar, making those data products and tools available for future work. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
This project contributes to the joint initiative launched by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.K. Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) to substantially improve decadal and longer-term projections of ice loss and sea-level rise originating from Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica. Thwaites Glacier has been accelerating and widening over the past three decades. How fast Thwaites will disintegrate or how quickly it will find a new stable state have become some of the most important questions of the future of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and its contribution to sea-level rise over the next decades to centuries and beyond. This project will rely on three independent numerical models of ice flow, coupled to an ocean circulation model to (1) improve our understanding of the interactions between the ice and the underlying bedrock, (2) analyze how sensitive the glacier is to external changes, (3) assess the processes that may lead to a collapse of Thwaites, and, most importantly, (4) forecast future ice loss of Thwaites. By providing predictions based on a suite of coupled ice-ocean models, this project will also assess the uncertainty in model projections. The project will use three independent ice-sheet models: Ice Sheet System Model, Ua, and STREAMICE, coupled to the ocean circulation model of the MIT General Circulation Model. The team will first focus on the representation of key physical processes of calving, ice damage, and basal slipperiness that have either not been included, or are poorly represented, in previous ice-flow modelling work. The team will then quantify the relative role of different proposed external drivers of change (e.g., ocean-induced ice-shelf thinning, loss of ice-shelf pinning points) and explore the stability regime of Thwaites Glacier with the aim of identifying internal thresholds separating stable and unstable grounding-line retreat. Using inverse methodology, the project will produce new physically consistent high-resolution (300-m) data sets on ice-thicknesses from available radar measurements. Furthermore, the team will generate new remote sensing data sets on ice velocities and rates of elevation change. These will be used to constrain and validate the numerical models, and will also be valuable stand-alone data sets. This process will allow the numerical models to be constrained more tightly by data than has previously been possible. The resultant more robust model predictions of near-future impact of Thwaites Glacier on global sea levels can inform policy-relevant decision-making. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
Siddoway, Christine; Thomson, Stuart; Teyssier, Christian
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in progress
No project link provided
in progress
Sediment records off the coast of Marie Byrd Land (MBL), Antarctica suggest frequent and dramatic changes in the size of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) over short (tens of thousands of years) and long (millions of years) time frames in the past. WAIS currently overrides much of MBL and covers the rugged and scoured bedrock landscape. The ice sheet carved narrow linear troughs that reach depths of two to three thousand meters below sea level as outlet glaciers flowed from the interior of the continent to the oceans. As a result, large volumes of fragmented continental bedrock were carried out to the seabed. The glaciers cut downward into a region of crystalline rocks (i.e. granite) whose temperature change as a function of rock depth happens to be significant. This strong geothermal gradient in the bedrock is favorable for determining when the bedrock experienced rapid exhumation or "uncovering". Analyzing the chemistry of minerals (zircon and apatite) within the eroded rocks will provide information about the rate and timing of the glacier removal of bedrock from the Antarctic continent. The research addresses the following questions: When did the land become high enough for a large ice sheet to form? What was the regional pre-glacial topography? Under what climate conditions, and at what point in the growth of an ice sheet, did glaciers begin to cut sharply into bedrock to form the narrow troughs that flow seaward? The research will lead to greater understanding of past Antarctic ice sheet fluctuations and identify precise timing of glacial incision. These results will refine ice sheet history and aid the international societal response to contemporary ice sheet change and its global consequences. The project will contribute to the training of two graduate and two undergraduate students in STEM. The objective is to clarify the onset of WAIS glacier incision and assess the evolution of Cenozoic paleo-topography. Low-temperature (T) thermochronology and Pecube 3-D thermo-kinematic modeling will be applied to date and characterize episodes of glacial erosional incision. Single-grain double- and triple-dating of zircon and apatite will reveal the detailed crustal thermal evolution of the region enabling the research team to determine the comparative topographic influences on glaciation versus bedrock uplift induced by Eocene to present tectonism/magmatism. High-T mineral thermochronometers across Marie Byrd Land (MBL) record rapid extension-related cooling at ~100 Ma from temperatures of >800 degrees C to ≤ 300 degrees C. This signature forms a reference horizon, or paleogeotherm, through which the Cenozoic landscape history using low-T thermochronometers can be explored. MBL's elevated geothermal gradient, sustained during the Cenozoic, created favorable conditions for sensitive apatite and zircon low-T thermochronometers to record bedrock cooling related to glacial incision. Students will be trained to use state-of-the-art analytical facilities in Arizona and Minnesota, expanding the geo- and thermochronologic history of MBL from bedrock samples and offshore sedimentary deposits. The temperature and time data they acquire will provide constraints on paleotopography, isostasy, and the thermal evolution of MBL that will be modeled in 3D using Pecube model simulations. Within hot crust, less incision is required to expose bedrock containing the distinct thermochronometric profile; a prediction that will be tested with inverse Pecube 3-D models of the thermal field through which bedrock and detrital samples cooled. Using results from Pecube, the ICI-Hot team will examine time-varying topography formed in response to changes in erosion rates, topographic relief, geothermal gradient and/or flexural isostatic rigidity. These effects are manifestations of dynamic processes in the WAIS, including ice sheet loading, ice volume fluctuations, relative motion upon crustal faults, and magmatism-related elevation increase across the MBL dome. The project makes use of pre-existing sample collections housed at the US Polar Rock Repository, IODP's Gulf Coast Core Repository, and the Antarctic Marine Geology Research Facility. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
Aschwanden/1644277 This award supports a project to study the phenomenon of the rain shadow (technically called orographic precipitation) in the Antarctic Peninsula and its interaction with a mountain range covered in ice and snow. Orographic precipitation gives rise to the largest climatic and ecological gradients on Earth. Air ascending on the windward side of the mountain range expands and cools, condensing the water vapor it carries and producing heavy rain- or snow-fall. As the air descends on the leeward flank, the air warms and dries out, leaving little-to-no precipitation. This pattern of snowfall, caused by the interaction of winds and the landscape, is hypothesized to control the shape of the ice cap itself. The investigators hypothesize that feedbacks between precipitation and topography control ice flux and temperature, impacting basal conditions (frozen versus wet) and motion, which over long time scales can affect basal topography via erosion. The authors propose to investigate the feedbacks between orographically driven precipitation, ice dynamics, thermodynamics, and basal erosion and uplift over the northern Antarctic Peninsula by coupling an orographic precipitation model to the Parallel Ice Sheet Model (PISM). Using idealized and more realistic geometries, they will begin with a 2-D flow band model, which will be expanded into three dimensions to determine the strength of the feedbacks as a function of bedrock geometry and the intensity of the orographic precipitation gradient. The Antarctic Peninsula is targeted as the ideal case study, in the context of its rapid modern and future change as well as its deflation since the Last Glacial Maximum. The broader impacts of the work include the strengthening of predictive models by capturing feedbacks related to orographic precipitation not included in current models. This is likely to provide a more realistic assessment of the impacts of orographic precipitation in a regime of changing climate. The project will support an early career scientist and a female mid-career scientist and will support one PhD student, and provide summer research experience for one undergraduate student as an REU supplement. The project does not require field work in the Antarctic.
This project will conduct basic research into geological dating techniques that are useful for determining the age of glacial deposits in polar regions, Antarctica in particular. These techniques are necessary for determining how large the polar ice sheets were in the geologic past, including during past periods of warm climate that likely resemble present and near-future conditions. Thus, they represent an important technical capability needed for estimating the response of polar ice sheets to climate warming. Because changes in the size of polar ice sheets are the largest potential contribution to future global sea-level change, this capability is also relevant to understanding likely sea-level impacts of future climate change. The research in this project comprises several observational and experimental approaches to improving the speed, efficiency, cost, and accuracy of these techniques, as well as a scientific outreach program aimed at making the resulting capabilities more broadly available to other researchers. The project supports a postdoctoral scholar and contributes to human resources development in polar and climate science. The project focuses on several areas of cosmogenic-nuclide geochemistry, which is a geochemical dating method that relies on the production and decay of cosmic-ray-produced radionuclides in surface rocks. Measurements of these nuclides can be used to quantify the duration of surface exposure and ice cover at locations in Antarctica that are covered and uncovered by changes in the size of the Antarctic ice sheets, thus providing a means of reconstructing past ice-sheet change. The first proposed set of experiments are aimed at implementing a 'virtual mineral separation' approach to cosmogenic noble gas analysis that may allow measurement of nuclide concentrations in certain minerals without physically separating the minerals from the host rock. If feasible, this would realize significant speed and cost improvements for this type of analysis. A second set of experiments will focus on means of identifying and quantifying non-cosmogenic background inventories of some relevant nuclides, which is intended to improve the measurement sensitivity and precision for cosmic-ray-produced inventories of these nuclides. A third focus area aims to improve capabilities to measure multiple cosmic-ray-produced nuclides in the same sample, which has the potential to improve the accuracy of dating methods based on these nuclides and to expand the situations in which these methods can be applied. If successful, these experiments are likely to improve a number of applications of cosmogenic-nuclide geochemistry relevant to Antarctic research, including subglacial bedrock exposure dating, dating of multimillion-year-old glacial deposits, and surface-process studies useful in understanding landform evolution and ecosystem dynamics. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
The purpose of this project is to use geological data that record past changes in the Antarctic ice sheets to test computer models for ice sheet change. The geologic data mainly consist of dated glacial deposits that are preserved above the level of the present ice sheet, and range in age from thousands to millions of years old. These provide information about the size, thickness, and rate of change of the ice sheets during past times when the ice sheets were larger than present. In addition, some of these data are from below the present ice surface and therefore also provide some information about past warm periods when ice sheets were most likely smaller than present. The primary purpose of the computer model is to predict future ice sheet changes, but because significant changes in the size of ice sheets are slow and likely occur over hundreds of years or longer, the only way to determine whether these models are accurate is to test their ability to reproduce past ice sheet changes. The primary purpose of this project is to carry out such a test. The research team will compile relevant geologic data, in some cases generate new data by dating additional deposits, and develop methods and software to compare data to model simulations. In addition, this project will (i) contribute to building and sustaining U.S. science capacity through postdoctoral training in geochronology, ice sheet modeling, and data science, and (ii) improve public access to geologic data and model simulations relevant to ice sheet change through online database and website development. Technical aspects of this project are primarily focused on the field of cosmogenic-nuclide exposure-dating, which is a method that relies on the production of rare stable and radio-nuclides by cosmic-ray interactions with rocks and minerals exposed at the Earth's surface. Because the advance and retreat of ice sheets results in alternating cosmic-ray exposure and shielding of underlying bedrock and surficial deposits, this technique is commonly used to date and reconstruct past ice sheet changes. First, this project will contribute to compiling and systematizing a large amount of cosmogenic-nuclide exposure age data collected in Antarctica during the past three decades. Second, it will generate additional geochemical data needed to improve the extent and usefulness of measurements of stable cosmogenic nuclides, cosmogenic neon-21 in particular, that are useful for constraining ice-sheet behavior on million-year timescales. Third, it will develop a computational framework for comparison of the geologic data set with existing numerical model simulations of Antarctic ice sheet change during the past several million years, with particular emphasis on model simulations of past warm periods, for example the middle Pliocene ca. 3-3.3 million years ago, during which the Antarctic ice sheets are hypothesized to have been substantially smaller than present. Fourth, guided by the results of this comparison, it will generate new model simulations aimed at improving agreement between model simulations and geologic data, as well as diagnosing which processes or parameterizations in the models are or are not well constrained by the data. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
Correlating ecosystem responses to past climate forcing is highly dependent on the use of reliable techniques for establishing the age of events (dating techniques). In Antarctic dry regions (land areas without glaciers), carbon-14 dating has been used to assess the ages of organic deposits left behind by ancient lakes. However, the reliability of the ages is debatable because of possible contamination with "old carbon" from the surrounding landscape. The proposed research will attempt to establish two alternate dating techniques, in situ carbon-14 cosmogenic radionuclide exposure dating and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), as reliable alternate dating methods for lake history in Antarctic dry areas that are not contaminated by the old carbon. The end goal will be to increase scientific understanding of lake level fluctuation in the lakes of Taylor Valley, Antarctica so that inference about past climate, glacier, and ecosystem response can be inferred. The results of this study will provide a coarse-scale absolute chronology for lake level history in Taylor Valley, demonstrate that exposure dating and OSL are effective means to understand the physical dynamics of ancient water bodies, and increase the current understanding of polar lacustrine and ice sheet responses to past and present climatic changes. These chronologies will allow polar lake level fluctuations to be correlated with past changes in global and regional climate, providing information critical for understanding and modeling the physical responses of these environments to modern change. This research supports a PhD student; the student will highlight this work with grade school classes in the United States. This research aims to establish in situ carbon-14 exposure dating and OSL as reliable alternate (to carbon-14 of organic lake deposits) geochronometers that can be used to settle the long-disputed lacustrine history and chronology of Taylor Valley, Antarctica and elsewhere. Improved lake level history will have significant impacts for the McMurdo Dry Valleys Long Term Ecological Research (MCM LTER) site as the legacy of fluctuating lake levels of the past affects the distribution of organic matter and nutrients, and impacts biological connectivity valley-wide. This work will provide insight into the carbon reservoir of large glacial lakes in the late Holocene and have implications for previously reported radiocarbon chronologies. OSL samples will be analyzed in the Desert Research Institute Luminescence Laboratory in Reno, NV. For the in situ carbon-14 work, rock samples extracted from boulders and bedrock surfaces will be prepared at Tulane University. The prepared in situ carbon-14 samples will be analyzed at the National Ocean Sciences Accelerator Mass Spectrometry laboratory in Woods Hole, MA. The two datasets will be combined to produce a reliable, coarse scale chronology for late Quaternary lake level fluctuations in Taylor Valley. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
This study will collect a novel dataset to determine how the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) responded to a warmer climate during the last interglacial period (~125,000 years ago) by reconstructing the glacial history at the Mt. Waesche volcano. Reconstructing WAIS geometry when the ice sheet was smaller than present is difficult and data are lacking because the evidence lies beneath the present ice sheet. This study will drill through the ice sheet and recover bedrock that can be analyzed for its surface exposure history to help determine when the surface became overridden by the ice sheet. This study will provide constraints on the past maximum and minimum spatial extent of WAIS during the last glacial-interglacial cycle. Understanding the geometry of a reduced WAIS during intervals when the planet was warmer than present may provide a possible analogue for future environmental conditions given predicted temperature trends. A reduction of WAIS results in rising sea levels which threatens coastal communities across the globe. The data will help improve numerical ice sheet models to better predict WAIS response to current and future climate trends. The project supports a teacher educational workshop and the training of graduate and undergraduate students. The goal of this project is to obtain rock samples from beneath the WAIS through shallow (<80 m) drilling at Mt. Waesche, a volcano in Marie Byrd Land, near an ice dome of WAIS (2000 m elevation). The lithologies of lava flows exposed on the flank of the volcano are well-suited for cosmogenic 3He and 36Cl as well as 40Ar/39Ar measurements which will establish eruption and exposure age. Existing 40Ar/39Ar data indicate basaltic lava flows on the volcano flank as young as 350 ka. Thus, measured cosmogenic nuclides measured in rock cores from beneath the ice surface will be indicative of relatively recent exposure during periods of reduced ice elevation, most likely, during the last interglacial. The first field season is focused on identifying appropriate locations for drilling and a ground penetrating radar (GPR) survey of the subglacial topography <100m under the blue ice area. Mapping and dating the adjacent exposed lava flows will allow tracing of lava flows of known age and composition below the ice margin that will be targeted for drilling the following year. The second field season activities include drilling 8 boreholes (two transects) through blue ice with the Winkie drill near the ice margin to 80 m depth to obtain rock cores from the sub-ice lava flows. 3He exposure ages will constrain the duration and minimum extent of past surface lowering of the WAIS in Marie Byrd Land. Deeper GPR imaging (up to 700 m) will hope to reveal additional evidence of lava/ice interactions that would independently place constraints on lower ice levels during past eruptions. Results from this study will be compared with the modeled ice elevation histories at Mt. Waesche to validate ice sheet modeling efforts. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
This project will develop a new ice-penetrating radar system that can simultaneously map glacier geometry and glacier flow along repeat profiles. Forecasting an ice-sheet’s contribution to sea level requires an estimate for the initial ice-sheet geometry and the parameters that govern ice flow and slip across bedrock. Existing ice-sheet models cannot independently determine this information from conventional observations of ice-surface velocities and glacier geometry. This introduces substantial uncertainty into simulations of past and future ice-sheet behavior. Thus, this new radar capability is conceived to provide the needed data to support higher-fidelity simulations of past and future ice-sheet behavior and more accurate projections of future sea level. The new radar system will integrate two existing radars (the multi-channel coherent radio-echo depth sounder and the accumulation radar) developed by the Center for the Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets, as well as adding new capabilities. An eight-element very high frequency (VHF; 140-215 MHz) array will have sufficient cross-track aperture to swath map internal layers and the ice-sheet base in three dimensions. A single ultra high frequency (UHF; 600-900 MHz) antenna will have the range and phase resolution to map internal layer displacement with 0.25-mm precision. The VHF array will create 3D mappings of layer geometry that enable measurements of vertical velocities by accounting for spatial offsets between repeat profiles and changing surface conditions. The vertical displacement measurement will then be made by determining the difference in radar phase response recorded by the UHF antenna for radar profiles collected at the same locations at different times. The UHF antenna will be dual-polarized and thus capable of isolating both components of complex internal reflections. This should enable inferences of ice crystal orientation fabric and widespread mapping of ice viscosity. Initial field testing of the radar will occur on the McMurdo Ice Shelf and then progress to Thwaites Glacier, Antarctica. The dual-band radar system technology and processing algorithms will be developed with versatile extensible hardware and user-friendly software so that this system will serve as a prototype for a future community radar system. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
This EAGER award will explore the Distributed Acoustic Sensing emerging technology that transforms a single optical fiber into a massively multichannel seismic array. This technology may provide a scalable and affordable way to deploy dense seismic networks. Experimental Distributed Acoustic Sensing equipment will be tested in the Antarctic exploiting unused (dark) strands in the existing fiber-optic cable that connects the U.S. Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station to the Remote Earth Science and Seismological Observatory (SPRESSO) located about 7.5-km from the main station. Upon processing the seismic signals, the Distributed Acoustic Sensing may provide a new tool to structurally image firn, glacial ice, and glacial bedrock. Learning how Distributed Acoustic Sensing would work on the ice sheet, scientists can then check seismological signals propagating through the Earth's crust and mantle variously using natural icequakes and earthquakes events in the surrounding area. The investigators propose to convert at least 8 km of pre-existing fiber optic cable at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole station into more than 8000 sensors to explore the potential of Distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) as a breakthrough data engine for polar seismology. The DAS array will operate for about one year, allowing them to (1) evaluate and calibrate the performance of the DAS technology in the extreme cold, very low noise (including during the exceptionally quiet austral winter) polar plateau environment; (2) record and analyze local ambient and transient signals from ice, anthropogenic signals, ocean microseism, atmospheric and other processes, as well as to study local, regional, and teleseismic tectonic events; (3) structurally image the firn, glacial ice, glacial bed, crust, and mantle, variously using active sources, ambient seismic noise, and natural icequake and earthquake events. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
Glacial retreat in West Antarctica is correlated with ocean warming; however, less is known about the ocean's effect on East Antarctica's glaciers including Totten Glacier located on the Sabrina Coast. The retreat of Totten Glacier has global significance as the glacier drains a sector of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet that contains enough ice to raise global sea levels by as much as 3.5 meters. This study looks to determine the influence of ocean temperatures on East Antarctic glaciers, including Totten Glacier, over the last ~18,000 years by studying seafloor sediment around Antarctica. These sediments, or muds, include the remains of microscopic marine organisms as well as tiny particles originating from eroded Antarctic bedrock. These muds provide a record of past environmental changes including ocean temperatures and the advance and retreat of glaciers. Scientists use a variety of physical and chemical analyses to determine how long ago this mud was deposited, the temperature of the ocean at that location through time, and the relative location of glacial ice. In this project, researchers will refine and test new methods for measuring ocean temperature from the sediments to better understand the influence of ocean temperatures on East Antarctic glacier response. Results will be integrated into ice sheet and climate models to improve the accuracy of ice sheet modeling efforts and subsequent sea level predictions. Results from this project will be disseminated at scientific conferences, in the scientific literature, and more broadly to the general public via the St. Petersburg Science Festival and at the Oceanography Camp for Girls. The influence of ocean temperatures on East Antarctic glaciers is largely unknown. This research focuses on ice-proximal Antarctic margin paleoceanographic proxy calibration and validation, which will improve understanding of past ocean-ice sheet interactions on a variety of timescales. In this project, researchers from the University of South Florida will (1) further develop and refine two ocean temperature proxies, foraminifer Mg/Ca and TEX86, for use in ice-proximal Antarctic continental margin sediments and (2) investigate deglacial to present (~18-0 ka) ocean-ice interactions at the outlet of the climatically sensitive Aurora Subglacial Basin. The proposed research utilizes sediment trap, sediment core, and physical oceanographic data previously collected from the Sabrina Coast continental shelf during NSF-funded cruise NBP14-02. Studies of existing sediment cores will integrate multiple paleotemperature, meltwater/salinity, nutrient, bottom water oxygen, and sea ice proxies with geophysical and lithologic data to understand past regional ocean-ice interactions. While the recent international Antarctic research focus has been on understanding the drivers of West Antarctic Ice Sheet retreat, models suggest it would be imprudent to ignore the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, which is proving more sensitive to climate perturbations than previously realized. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
Antarctica is almost entirely covered by ice, in places over two miles thick. This ice hides a landscape that is less well known than the surface of Mars and represents one of Earth's last unexplored frontiers. Ice-penetrating radar images provide a remote glimpse of this landscape including ice-buried mountains larger than the European Alps and huge fjords twice as deep as the Grand Canyon. The goal of this project is to collect sediment samples derived from these landscapes to determine when and under what conditions these features formed. Specifically, the project seeks to understand the landscape in the context of the history and dynamics of the overlying ice sheet and past mountain-building episodes. This project accomplishes this goal by analyzing sand collected during previous sea-floor drilling expeditions off the coast of Antarctica. This sand was supplied from the continent interior by ancient rivers when it was ice-free over 34 million year ago, and later by glaciers. The project will also study bedrock samples from rare ice-free parts of the Transantarctic Mountains. The primary activity is to apply multiple advanced dating techniques to single mineral grains contained within this sand and rock. Different methods and minerals yield different dates that provide insight into how Antarctica?s landscape has eroded over the many tens of millions of years during which sand was deposited offshore. The dating techniques that are being developed and enhanced for this study have broad application in many branches of geoscience research and industry. The project makes cost-effective use of pre-existing sample collections housed at NSF facilities including the US Polar Rock Repository, the Gulf Coast Core Repository, and the Antarctic Marine Geology Research Facility. The project will contribute to the STEM training of two graduate and two undergraduate students, and includes collaboration among four US universities as well as international collaboration between the US and France. The project also supports outreach in the form of a two-week open workshop giving ten students the opportunity to visit the University of Arizona to conduct STEM-based analytical work and training on Antarctic-based projects. Results from both the project and workshop will be disseminated through presentations at professional meetings, peer-reviewed publications, and through public outreach and media. The main objective of this project is to reconstruct a chronology of East Antarctic subglacial landscape evolution to understand the tectonic and climatic forcing behind landscape modification, and how it has influenced past ice sheet inception and dynamics. Our approach focuses on acquiring a record of the cooling and erosion history contained in East Antarctic-derived detrital mineral grains and clasts in offshore sediments deposited both before and after the onset of Antarctic glaciation. Samples will be taken from existing drill core and marine sediment core material from offshore Wilkes Land (100°E-160°E) and the Ross Sea. Multiple geo- and thermo-chronometers will be employed to reconstruct source region cooling history including U-Pb, fission-track, and (U-Th)/He dating of zircon and apatite, and 40Ar/39Ar dating of hornblende, mica, and feldspar. This offshore record will be augmented and tested by applying the same methods to onshore bedrock samples in the Transantarctic Mountains obtained from the US Polar Rock Repository and through fieldwork. The onshore work will additionally address the debated incision history of the large glacial troughs that cut the range, now occupied by glaciers draining the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. This includes collection of samples from several age-elevation transects, apatite 4He/3He thermochronometry, and Pecube thermo-kinematic modeling. Acquiring an extensive geo- and thermo-chronologic database will also provide valuable new information on the poorly known ice-hidden geology and tectonics of subglacial East Antarctica that has implications for improving supercontinent reconstructions and understanding continental break-up.
This project contributes to the joint initiative launched by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.K. Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) to substantially improve decadal and longer-term projections of ice loss and sea-level rise originating from Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica. The Thwaites Glacier system dominates the contribution to sea-level rise from Antarctica. Predicting how this system will evolve in coming decades, and thereby its likely contribution to sea level, requires detailed understanding of how it has responded to changes in climate and oceanographic conditions in the past. This project will provide a record of regional sea-level change by establishing chronologies for raised marine beaches as well as the timing and duration of periods of retreat of Thwaites Glacier during the past 10,000 years by sampling and dating bedrock presently covered by Thwaites Glacier via subglacial drilling. Together with climatic and oceanographic conditions from other records, these will provide boundary conditions for past-to-present model simulations as well as those used to predict future glacier changes under a range of climate scenarios. Specifically, the project will test the hypothesis--implied by existing geological evidence from the region--that present rapid retreat of the Thwaites Glacier system is reversible. The team aims to utilize two approaches: 1. To reconstruct relative sea level during the Holocene, it will map and date raised marine and shoreline deposits throughout Pine Island Bay. Chronological constraints on sea-level change will be provided by radiocarbon dating of organic material in landforms and sediments that are genetically related to past sea level, such as shell fragments, bones of marine fauna, and penguin guano. 2. To obtain geological evidence for past episodes of grounding-line retreat, the team will apply cosmogenic-nuclide exposure-dating of subglacial bedrock. Using drill systems recently developed for subglacial bedrock recovery, the team will obtain subglacial bedrock from sites where ice thickness is dynamically linked to grounding-line position in the Thwaites system (specifically in the Hudson Mountains, and near Mount Murphy). Observation of significant cosmogenic-nuclide concentrations--the team will primarily measure Beryllium-10 and in situ Carbon-14--in these samples would provide direct, unambiguous evidence for past episodes of thinning linked to grounding-line retreat as well as constraints on their timing and duration. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
Predictions of future changes of the Antarctic ice sheet are essential for understanding changes in the global sea level expected for the coming centuries. These predictions rely on models of ice-sheet flow that in turn rely on knowledge of the physical conditions of the Antarctic continent beneath the ice. Exploration of Antarctica by land, sea, and air has advanced our understanding of the geological material under the Antarctic ice sheet, but this information has not yet been fully integrated into ice-sheet models. This project will take advantage of existing data from decades of US and international investment in geophysical surveys to create a new understanding of the geology underlying the Amundsen Sea and the adjacent areas of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet—a portion of Antarctica that is considered particularly vulnerable to collapse. A series of new datasets called “Bed Classes” will be developed that will translate the geological properties of the Antarctic continent in ways that can be incorporated into ice-sheet models. This project will develop a new regional geologic/tectonic framework for the Amundsen Sea Embayment and its ice catchments using extensive marine and airborne geophysical data together with ground-based onshore geophysical and geological constraints to delineate sedimentary basins, bedrock ridges, faults, and volcanic structures. Using this new geologic interpretation of the region, several key issues regarding the geologic influence on ice-sheet stability will be addressed: whether the regional heat flow is dominated by localization along the faults or lithology; the role of geology on the sources, sinks, and flow-paths of subglacial water; the distribution of sediments that determine bed-character variability; and the extent of geologic control on the current Thwaites Glacier grounding line. The impact of improved geological knowledge on ice-sheet models will be tested with the development of a set of “Bed Class” grids to capture these new insights for use in the models. Bed Classes will be tested within the Parallel Ice Sheet Model framework with initial experiments to identify the sensitivity of model simulations to geological parameterizations. Through a series of workshops with ice-sheet modelers, the Bed Classes will be refined and made accessible to the broader modelling community. This work aims to ensure that the Bed-Class concept can be applied more broadly to ice-sheet models working in different geographic areas and on different timescales. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). The proposed project will investigate the coldest and driest parts of the Transantarctic Mountains (Ong Valley at Nimrod Glacier and Moraine Canyon at Amundsen Glacier) where the lack of running water and biological activity in the modern environment is thought to have preserved the landscape, essentially unchanged, for millions of years. Contrary to this common belief, it is hypothesized that the landscape does evolve, perhaps as fast as many surfaces in the Dry Valleys area where both loose soil and bedrock surfaces have been degrading at a rate of about 1-2 m/Myrs for the past several million years. The research team will rely on analysis of the both stable and radioactive cosmogenic isotopes that accumulate in near surface soil and bedrock. Collectively these measurements allow comparison of the long term landscape evolution to current processes and environmental drivers such as wind speed. The results of this work will improve understanding of the evolution of the Earth's surface and directly aid in evaluating imagery of Martian geomorphology. Continued reliance on students provides a broader impact to this proposed research and firmly grounds this effort in its educational mission.
Nontechnical description of proposed research: This project will apply cutting-edge seismic imaging methods to existing seismic data to study the three-dimensional structure of the Earth beneath the ice-covered Antarctic continent. The study will improve understanding of Earth structure and hotspots and geologically recent and ancient rift systems. The results will be useful for models of ice movement and bedrock elevation changes due to variation in ice sheet thickness. The results will also help guide future seismic data collection. The researchers will transfer existing software from the high-performance computers at The University of Rhode Island to the Alabama supercomputer facilities. The project will also broaden public understanding of scientific research in Antarctica by engaging with the students and teachers in Socorro County, New Mexico to discuss career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), the Earth Sciences, and the importance of computers in scientific research. Project personnel from Alabama will visit Socorro and share research with students at New Mexico Tech and at the Socorro High School. The project will also train undergraduate and graduate students in the expanding field of computational seismology, by applying these approaches to study Antarctic geology. Technical description of proposed research: The project seeks to better resolve the three-dimensional Antarctic mantle structure and viscosity and to identify locations of ancient rifts within the stable East Antarctic lithosphere. To accomplish this, the researchers will utilize full-waveform tomographic inversion techniques that combine long-period ambient noise data with earthquake constraints to more accurately resolve structure than traditional tomographic approaches. The proposed research will be completed using the Alabama supercomputer facilities and the programs and methodology developed at The University of Rhode Island. The new tomographic results will be useful in assessing lithospheric structure beneath Dronning Maud Land as well as the Wilkes and Aurora Subglacial Basins in East Antarctica, where previous rifting episodes and mid-lithospheric discontinuities will be explored. In West Antarctica, the work will elucidate the easternmost extent of the West Antarctic Rift System as well as rifted structure and possible compositional variations within the Weddell Sea. The accuracy of existing Antarctic seismic models will be quantified through model validation approaches. The researchers will highlight regions of Antarctica where tomographic resolution is still lacking and where future deployments would improve resolution.
Abstract for the general public: The margins of the Antarctic ice sheet have advanced and retreated repeatedly over the past few million years. Melting ice from the last retreat, from 19,000 to 9,000 years ago, raised sea levels by 8 meters or more, but the extents of previous retreats are less well known. The main goal of this project is to understand how Antarctic ice retreats: fast or slow, stepped or steady, and which parts of the ice sheet are most prone to retreat. Antarctica loses ice by two main processes: melting of the underside of floating ice shelves and calving of icebergs. Icebergs themselves are ephemeral, but they carry mineral grains and rock fragments that have been scoured from Antarctic bedrock. As the icebergs drift and melt, this 'iceberg-rafted debris' falls to the sea-bed and is steadily buried in marine sediments to form a record of iceberg activity and ice sheet retreat. The investigators will read this record of iceberg-rafted debris to find when and where Antarctic ice destabilized in the past. This information can help to predict how Antarctic ice will behave in a warming climate. The study area is the Weddell Sea embayment, in the Atlantic sector of Antarctica. Principal sources of icebergs are the nearby Antarctic Peninsula and Weddell Sea embayment, where ice streams drain about a quarter of Antarctic ice. The provenance of the iceberg-rafted debris (IRD), and the icebergs that carried it, will be found by matching the geochemical fingerprint (such as characteristic argon isotope ages) of individual mineral grains in the IRD to that of the corresponding source area. In more detail, the project will: 1. Define the geochemical fingerprints of the source areas of the glacially-eroded material using samples from each major ice stream entering the Weddell Sea. Existing data indicates that the hinterland of the Weddell embayment is made up of geochemically distinguishable source areas, making it possible to apply geochemical provenance techniques to determine the origin of Antarctica icebergs. Few samples of onshore tills are available from this area, so this project includes fieldwork to collect till samples to characterize detritus supplied by the Recovery and Foundation ice streams. 2. Document the stratigraphic changes in provenance of iceberg-rafted debris (IRD) and glacially-eroded material in two deep water sediment cores in the NW Weddell Sea. Icebergs calved from ice streams in the embayment are carried by the Weddell Gyre and deposit IRD as they pass over the core sites. The provenance information identifies which groups of ice streams were actively eroding and exporting detritus to the ocean (via iceberg rafting and bottom currents), and the stratigraphy of the cores shows the relative sequence of ice stream activity through time. A further dimension is added by determining the time lag between fine sediment erosion and deposition, using a new method of uranium-series isotope measurements in fine grained material. Technical abstract: The behavior of the Antarctic ice sheets and ice streams is a critical topic for climate change and future sea level rise. The goal of this proposal is to constrain ice sheet response to changing climate in the Weddell Sea during the three most recent glacial terminations, as analogues for potential future warming. The project will also examine possible contributions to Meltwater Pulse 1A, and test the relative stability of the ice streams draining East and West Antarctica. Much of the West Antarctic ice may have melted during the Eemian (130 to 114 Ka), so it may be an analogue for predicting future ice drawdown over the coming centuries. Geochemical provenance fingerprinting of glacially eroded detritus provides a novel way to reconstruct the location and relative timing of glacial retreat during these terminations in the Weddell Sea embayment. The two major objectives of the project are to: 1. Define the provenance source areas by characterizing Ar, U-Pb, and Nd isotopic signatures, and heavy mineral and Fe-Ti oxide compositions of detrital minerals from each major ice stream entering the Weddell Sea, using onshore tills and existing sediment cores from the Ronne and Filchner Ice Shelves. Pilot data demonstrate that detritus originating from the east and west sides of the Weddell Sea embayment can be clearly distinguished, and published data indicates that the hinterland of the embayment is made up of geochemically distinguishable source areas. Few samples of onshore tills are available from this area, so this project includes fieldwork to collect till to characterize detritus supplied by the Recovery and Foundation ice streams. 2. Document the stratigraphic changes in provenance of iceberg-rafted debris (IRD) and glacially-eroded material in two deep water sediment cores in the NW Weddell Sea. Icebergs calved from ice streams in the embayment are carried by the Weddell Gyre and deposit IRD as they pass over the core sites. The provenance information will identify which ice streams were actively eroding and exporting detritus to the ocean (via iceberg rafting and bottom currents). The stratigraphy of the cores will show the relative sequence of ice stream activity through time. A further time dimension is added by determining the time lag between fine sediment erosion and deposition, using U-series comminution ages.
Tremblay, Marissa; Granger, Darryl; Balco, Gregory; Lamp, Jennifer
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. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Part I: Nontechnical Description Scientists study the Earth's past climate in order to understand how the climate will respond to ongoing global change in the future. One of the best analogs for future climate might the period that occurred approximately 3 million years ago, during an interval known as the mid-Pliocene Warm Period. During this period, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was similar to today's and sea level was 15 or more meters higher, due primarily to warming and consequent ice sheet melting in polar regions. However, the temperatures in polar regions during the mid-Pliocene Warm Period are not well determined, in part because we do not have records like ice cores that extend this far back in time. This project will provide constraints on surface temperatures in Antarctica during the mid-Pliocene Warm Period using a new type of climate substitute, known as cosmogenic noble gas paleothermometry. This project focuses on an area of Antarctica called the McMurdo Dry Valleys. In this area, climate models suggest that temperatures were more than 10 C warmer during the mid-Pliocene than they are today, but indirect geologic observations suggest that temperatures may have been similar to today. The McMurdo Dry Valleys are also a place where rocks have been exposed to Earth surface conditions for several million years, and where this new climate substitute can be readily applied. The team will reconstruct temperatures in the McMurdo Dry Valleys during the mid-Pliocene Warm Period in order to resolve the discrepancy between models and indirect geologic observations and provide much-needed constraints on the sensitivity of Antarctic ice sheets to warming temperatures. The temperature reconstructions generated in this project will have scientific impact in multiple disciplines, including climate science, glaciology, geomorphology, and planetary science. In addition, the project will (1) broaden the participation of underrepresented groups by supporting two early-career female principal investigators, (2) build STEM talent through the education and training of a graduate student, (3) enhance infrastructure for research via publication of a publicly-accessible, open-source code library, and (4) be broadly disseminated via social media, blog posts, publications, and conference presentations. Part II: Technical Description The mid-Pliocene Warm Period (3-3.3 million years ago) is the most recent interval of the geologic past when atmospheric CO2 concentrations exceeded 400 ppm and is widely considered an analog for how Earth’s climate system will respond to current global change. Climate models predict polar amplification - the occurrence of larger changes in temperatures at high latitudes than the global average due to a radiative forcing - both during the mid-Pliocene Warm Period and due to current climate warming. However, the predicted magnitude of polar amplification is highly uncertain in both cases. The magnitude of polar amplification has important implications for the sensitivity of ice sheets to warming and the contribution of ice sheet melting to sea level change. Proxy-based constraints on polar surface air temperatures during the mid-Pliocene Warm Period are sparse to non-existent. In Antarctica, there is only indirect evidence for the magnitude of warming during this time. This project will provide constraints on surface temperatures in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica during the mid-Pliocene Warm Period using a newly developed technique called cosmogenic noble gas (CNG) paleothermometry. CNG paleothermometry utilizes the diffusive behavior of cosmogenic 3He in quartz to quantify the temperatures rocks experience while exposed to cosmic-ray particles within a few meters of the Earth’s surface. The very low erosion rates and subzero temperatures characterizing the McMurdo Dry Valleys make this region uniquely suited for the application of CNG paleothermometry for addressing the question: what temperatures characterized the McMurdo Dry Valleys during the mid-Pliocene Warm Period? To address this question, the team will collect bedrock samples at several locations in the McMurdo Dry Valleys where erosion rates are known to be low enough that cosmic ray exposure extends into the mid-Pliocene or earlier. They will pair cosmogenic 3He measurements, which will record the thermal histories of our samples, with measurements of cosmogenic 10Be, 26Al, and 21Ne, which record samples exposure and erosion histories. We will also make in situ measurements of rock and air temperatures at sample sites in order to quantify the effect of radiative heating and develop a statistical relationship between rock and air temperatures, as well as conduct diffusion experiments to quantify the kinetics of 3He diffusion specific to each sample. This suite of observations will be used to model permissible thermal histories and place constraints on temperatures during the mid-Pliocene Warm Period interval of cosmic-ray exposure. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
Non-technical description: East Antarctica holds a vast, ancient ice sheet. The bedrock hidden beneath this ice sheet may provide clues to how today's continents formed, while the ice itself contains records of Earth's atmosphere from distant eras. New drilling technologies are now available to allow for direct sampling of these materials from more than two kilometers below the ice surface. However, getting this material will require knowing where to look. The Southern Plateau Ice-sheet Characterization and Evolution of the Central Antarctic Plate (SPICECAP) project will use internationally collected airborne survey data to search East Antarctica near the South Pole for key locations that will provide insight into Antarctica's geology and for locating the oldest intact ice on Earth. Ultimately, scientists are interested in obtaining samples of the oldest ice to address fundamental questions about the causes of changes in the timing of ice-age conditions from 40,000 to 100,000 year cycles. SPICECAP data analysis will provide site survey data for future drilling and will increase the overall understanding of Antarctica's hidden ice and geologic records. The project involves international collaboration and leveraging of internationally collected data. The SPICECAP project will train new interdisciplinary scientists at the undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral levels. Technical description: This study focuses on processing and interpretation of internationally collected aerogeophysical data from the Southern Plateau of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. The data include ice penetrating radar data, laser altimetry, gravity and magnetics. The project will provide information on geological trends under the ice, the topography and character of the ice/rock interface, and the stratigraphy of the ice. The project will also provide baseline site characterization for future drilling. Future drilling sites and deep ice cores for old ice require that the base of the ice sheet be frozen to the bed (i.e. no free water at the interface between rock and ice) and the assessment will map the extent of frozen vs. thawed areas. Specifically, three main outcomes are anticipated for this project. First, the study will provide an assessment of the viability of Titan Dome, a subglacial highland region located near South Pole, as a potential old ice drilling prospect. The assessment will include determining the hydraulic context of the bed by processing and interpreting the radar data, ice sheet mass balance through time by mapping englacial reflectors in the ice and connecting them to ice stratigraphy in the recent South Pole, and ice sheet geometry using laser altimetry. Second, the study will provide an assessment of the geological context of the Titan Dome region with respect to understanding regional geologic boundaries and the potential for bedrock sampling. For these two goals, we will use data opportunistically collected by China, and the recent PolarGAP dataset. Third, the study will provide an assessment of the risk posture for RAID site targeting in the Titan Dome region, and the Dome C region. This will use a high-resolution dataset the team collected previously at Dome C, an area similar to the coarser resolution data collected at Titan Dome, and will enable an understanding of what is missed by the wide lines spacing at Titan Dome. Specifically, we will model subglacial hydrology with and without the high resolution data, and statistically examine the detection of subglacial mountains (which could preserve old ice) and subglacial lakes (which could destroy old ice), as a function of line spacing.
Modeling fluctuations in the extent of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) over time is a principal goal of the glaciological community. These models will provide a critical basis for predictions of future sea level change, and therefore this work great societal relevance. The mid-Pliocene time interval is of particular interest, as it is the most recent period in which global temperatures were warmer and atmospheric CO2 concentrations may have been higher than current levels. However, observational constraints on fluctuations in the WAIS older than the last glacial maximum are rare. The investigators propose to collect geochemical data from the Ohio Range and Scott Glacier to quantify past variability in the height of the WAIS. Limited available cosmogenic nuclide data are broadly consistent with a model indicating that Pliocene WAIS elevations and volumes were smaller than at present, and that WAIS collapse was common. The PIs will use geologic observations and cosmogenic nuclide concentrations from bedrock samples at multiple locations and at multiple elevations, including sub-ice samples, to constrain WAIS ice volume changes in a "dipstick" like fashion. Data obtained from the proposed research will provide targets for data-ice sheet model comparisons to accurately characterize Plio-Pleistocene and future WAIS behavior. As part of this project, the investigators will work with the Natural History Museum and the Earth & Planetary Science department at Harvard to develop an exhibit that will become part of the Museum's recently opened Earth and Planetary Science Gallery. The project involves mentoring of a female graduate student as well as an undergraduate student.
The PIs will design and build a new rapid access ice drill (RAID) for use in Antarctica. This drill will have the ability to rapidly drill through ice up to 3300 m thick and then collect samples of the ice, ice-sheet bed interface, and bedrock substrate below. This drilling technology will provide a new way to obtain in situ measurements and samples for interdisciplinary studies in geology, glaciology, paleoclimatology, microbiology, and astrophysics. The RAID drilling platform will give the scientific community access to records of geologic and climatic change on a variety of timescales, from the billion-year rock record to thousand-year ice and climate histories. Successful development of the RAID system will provide a research tool that is currently unavailable. Development of this platform will enable scientists to address critical questions about the deep interface between the Antarctic ice sheets and the substrate below. Development of RAID will provide a way to address many of the unknowns associated with general stability of the Antarctic ice sheets in the face of changing climate and sea level rise. The scientific rationale for RAID was reviewed in a previous proposal (Goodge 1242027). The PIs were granted ?Phase I? funding to develop a more detailed conceptual design for the RAID drill that would provide a better understanding of construction costs as well as operation and maintenance costs for RAID once it is constructed. Phase I support also allowed the PIs to work with the research community to develop more detailed science requirements for the drill. This proposal requests continued funding (Phase II) to construct, assemble and test the RAID drilling platform, through to staging it in Antarctic for future scientific operations.
9978236 Bell Abstract This award, provided by the Office of Polar Programs under the Life in Extreme Environments (LExEn) Program, supports a geophysical study of Lake Vostok, a large lake beneath the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. Subglacial ecosystems, in particular subglacial lake ecosystems are extreme oligotrophic environments. These environments, and the ecosystems which may exist within them, should provide key insights into a range of fundamental questions about the development of Earth and other bodies in the Solar System including: 1) the processes associated with rapid evolutionary radiation after the extensive Neoproterozoic glaciations; 2) the overall carbon cycle through glacial and interglacial periods; and 3) the possible adaptations organisms may require to thrive in environments such as on Europa, the ice covered moon of Jupiter. Over 70 subglacial lakes have been identified beneath the 3-4 kilometer thick ice of Antarctica. One lake, Lake Vostok, is sufficiently large to be clearly identified from space with satellite altimetry. Lake Vostok is similar to Lake Ontario in area but with a much larger volume including measured water depths of 600 meters. The overlying ice sheet is acting as a conveyer belt continually delivering new water, nutrients, gas hydrates, sediments and microbes as the ice sheet flows across the lake. The goal of this program is to determine the fundamental boundary conditions for this subglacial lake as an essential first step toward understanding the physical processes within the lake. An aerogeophysical survey over the lake and into the surrounding regions will be acquired to meet this goal. This data set includes gravity, magnetic, laser altimetry and ice penetrating radar data and will be used to compile a basic set of ice surface elevation, subglacial topography, gravity and magnetic anomaly maps. Potential field methods widely used in the oil industry will be modified to estimate the subglacial topography from gravity data where the ice penetrating radar will be unable to recover the depth of the lake. A similar method can be modified to estimate the thickness of the sediments beneath the lake from magnetic data. These methods will be tested and applied to subglacial lakes near South Pole prior to the Lake Vostok field campaign and will provide valuable comparisons to the planned survey. Once the methods have been adjusted for the Lake Vostok application, maps of the water cavity and sediment thickness beneath the lake will be produced. These maps will become tools to explore the geologic origin of the lake. The two endmember models are, first, that the lake is an active tectonic rift such as Lake Baikal and, second, the lake is the result of glacial scouring. The distinct characteristics of an extensional rift can be easily identified with our aerogeophysical survey. The geological interpretation of the airborne geophysical survey will provide the first geological constraints of the interior of the East Antarctic continent based on modern data. In addition, the underlying geology will influence the ecosystem within the lake. One of the critical issues for the ecosystem within the lake will be the flux of nutrients. A preliminary estimation of the regions of freezing and melting based on the distance between distinctive internal layers observed on the radar data will be made. These basic boundary conditions will provide guidance for a potential international effort aimed at in situ exploration of the lake and improve the understanding of East Antarctic geologic structures.
OPP 9615281 Luyendyk OPP 9615282 Siddoway Abstract This award supports a collaborative project that combines air and ground geological-geophysical investigations to understand the tectonic and geological development of the boundary between the Ross Sea Rift and the Marie Byrd Land (MBL) volcanic province. The project will determine the Cenozoic tectonic history of the region and whether Neogene structures that localized outlet glacier flow developed within the context of Cenozoic rifting on the eastern Ross Embayment margin, or within the volcanic province in MBL. The geological structure at the boundary between the Ross Embayment and western MBL may be a result of: 1) Cenozoic extension on the eastern shoulder of the Ross Sea rift; 2) uplift and crustal extension related to Neogene mantle plume activity in western MBL; or a combination of the two. Faulting and volcanism, mountain uplift, and glacier downcutting appear to now be active in western MBL, where generally East-to-West-flowing outlet glaciers incise Paleozoic and Mesozoic bedrock, and deglaciated summits indicate a previous North-South glacial flow direction. This study requires data collection using SOAR (Support Office for Aerogeophysical Research, a facility supported by Office of Polar Programs which utilizes high precision differential GPS to support a laser altimeter, ice-penetrating radar, a towed proton magnetometer, and a Bell BGM-3 gravimeter). This survey requires data for 37,000 square kilometers using 5.3 kilometer line spacing with 15.6 kilometer tie lines, and 86,000 square kilometers using a grid of 10.6 by 10.6 kilometer spacing. Data will be acquired over several key features in the region including, among other, the eastern edge of the Ross Sea rift, over ice stream OEO, the transition from the Edward VII Peninsula plateau to the Ford Ranges, the continuation to the east of a gravity high known from previous reconnaissance mapping over the Fosdick Metamorphic Complex, an d the extent of the high-amplitude magnetic anomalies (volcanic centers?) detected southeast of the northern Ford Ranges by other investigators. SOAR products will include glaciology data useful for studying driving stresses, glacial flow and mass balance in the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS). The ground program is centered on the southern Ford Ranges. Geologic field mapping will focus on small scale brittle structures for regional kinematic interpretation, on glaciated surfaces and deposits, and on datable volcanic rocks for geochronologic control. The relative significance of fault and joint sets, the timing relationships between them, and the probable context of their formation will also be determined. Exposure ages will be determined for erosion surfaces and moraines. Interpretation of potential field data will be aided by on ground sampling for magnetic properties and density as well as ground based gravity measurements. Oriented samples will be taken for paleomagnetic studies. Combined airborne and ground investigations will obtain basic data for describing the geology and structure at the eastern boundary of the Ross Embayment both in outcrop and ice covered areas, and may be used to distinguish between Ross Sea rift- related structural activity from uplift and faulting on the perimeter of the MBL dome and volcanic province. Outcrop geology and structure will be extrapolated with the aerogeophysical data to infer the geology that resides beneath the WAIS. The new knowledge of Neogene tectonics in western MBL will contribute to a comprehensive model for the Cenozoic Ross rift and to understanding of the extent of plume activity in MBL. Both are important for determining the influence of Neogene tectonics on the ice streams and WAIS.
9725374 Bell The goal of this project is to develop a Web-based Antarctic gravity database to globally facilitate scientific use of gravity data in Antarctic studies. This compilation will provide an important new tool to the Antarctic Earth science community from the geologist placing field observations in a regional context to the seismologist studying continental scale mantle structure. The gravity database will complement the parallel projects underway to develop new continental bedrock (BEDMAP) and magnetic (ADMAP) maps of Antarctica. An international effort will parallel these ongoing projects in contacting the Antarctic geophysical community, identifying existing data sets, agreeing upon protocols for the use of data contributed to the database and finally assembling a new continental scale gravity map. The project has three principal stages. The first stage will be to investigate the accuracy and resolution of currently available high resolution satellite derived gravity data and quantify spatial variations in both accuracy and resolution. The second stage of this project will be to develop an interactive method of accessing existing satellite, shipboard, land based, and airborne gravity data via a Web based interface. The Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory RIDGE Multi-beam bathymetry database will be used as a template for this project. The existing online RIDGE database allows users to access the raw data, the gridded data and raster images of the seafloor topography. A similar structure will be produced for the existing Antarctic gravity data. The third stage of this project will be to develop an international program to compile existing gravity data south of 60 S. This project will be discussed with leaders of both the ADMAP and BEDMAP efforts and the appropriate working groups of SCAR. A preliminary map of existing gravity data will be presented at the Antarctic Earth Science meeting in Wellington in 1999. A gravity working group meeting will be held in conjunction with the Wellington meeting to reach a consensus on the protocols for placing data into the database. By the completion of the project, existing gravity data will be identified and international protocols for placing this data in the on-line database will have been defined. The process of archiving the gravity data into the database will be an ongoing project as additional data become available.
Stone/1341728 This award supports a project to determine if the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) has thinned and collapsed in the past and if so, when did this occur. This topic is of interest to geologists who have long been studying the history and behavior of ice sheets (including the WAIS) in order to determine what climatic conditions allow an ice sheet to survive and what conditions have caused them to collapse in the past. The bulk of this research has focused on the last ice age, when climate conditions were far colder than the present; this project will focus on the response of ice sheets to warmer climates in the past. A new and potentially transformative approach that uses the analysis of atoms transformed by cosmic-rays in bedrock beneath the WAIS will allow a definitive test for ice free conditions in the past. This is because the cosmic rays capable of producing the necessary reactions can penetrate only a few meters through glacier ice. Therefore, if they are detected in samples from hundreds of meters below the current ice sheet surface this would provide definitive proof of mostly ice-free conditions in the past. The concentrations of different cosmic ray products in cores from different depths will help answer the question of how frequently bedrock has been exposed, how much the ice sheet has thinned, and which time periods in the past produced climatic conditions capable of making the ice sheet unstable. Short bedrock cores beneath the ice sheet near the Pirrit Hills in West Antarctica will be collected using a new agile sub-ice geological drill (capable of drilling up to 200 meters beneath the ice surface) that is being developed by the Ice Drilling Program Office (IDPO) to support this and other projects. Favorable drilling sites have already been identified based on prior reconnaissance mapping, sample analysis and radar surveys of the ice-sheet bed. The cores collected in this study will be analyzed for cosmic-ray-produced isotopes of different elements with a range of half-lives from 5700 yr (C-14) to 1.4 Myr (Be-10), as well as stable Ne-21. The presence or absence of these isotopes will provide a definitive test of whether bedrock surfaces were ice-free in the past and due to their different half-lives, ratios of the isotopes will place constraints on the age, frequency and duration of past exposure episodes. Results from bedrock surfaces at different depths will indicate the degree of past ice-sheet thinning. The aim is to tie evidence of deglaciation in the past to specific periods of warmer climate and thus to gauge the ice sheet's response to known climate conditions. This project addresses the broad question of ice-sheet sensitivity to climate warming, which previously has been largely determined indirectly from sea-level records. In contrast, this project will provide direct measurements that provide evidence of ice-sheet thinning in West Antarctica. Results from this work will help to identify the climatic factors and thresholds capable of endangering the WAIS in future. The project will make a significant contribution to the ongoing study of climate change, ice-sheet melting and associated sea-level rise. This project has field work in Antarctica.
Bubbles of ancient air trapped in ice cores permit the direct reconstruction of atmospheric composition and allow us to link greenhouse gases and global climate over the last 800,000 years. Previous field expeditions to the Allan Hills blue ice area, Antarctica, have recovered ice cores that date to one million years, the oldest ice cores yet recovered from Antarctica. These records have revealed that interglacial CO2 concentrations decreased by 800,000 years ago and that, in the warmer world 1 million years ago, CO2 and Antarctic temperature were linked as during the last 800,000 years. This project will return to the Allan Hills blue ice area to recover additional ice cores that date to 1 million years or older. The climate records developed from the drilled ice cores will provide new insights into the chemical composition of the atmosphere and Antarctic climate during times of comparable or even greater warmth than the present day. Our results will help answer questions about issues associated with anthropogenic change. These include the relationship between temperature change and the mass balance of Antarctic ice; precipitation and aridity variations associated with radiatively forced climate change; and the climate significance of sea ice extent. The project will entrain two graduate students and a postdoctoral scholar, and will conduct outreach including workshops to engage teachers in carbon science and ice cores. Between about 2.8-0.9 million years ago, Earth's climate was characterized by 40,000-year cycles, driven or paced by changes in the tilt of Earth's spin axis. Much is known about the "40,000-year" world from studies of deep-sea sediments, but our understanding of climate change during this period is incomplete because we lack records of Antarctic climate and direct records of atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations. We propose to address these issues by building on our recent studies of ancient ice from the Main Ice Field, Allan Hills, Antarctica. During previous field seasons we recovered ice extending, discontinuously, from 0.1-1.0 million years old. Ice was dated by measuring the 40Ar/38Ar (Argon) ratio of the trapped gases. Our discovery of million year-old ice demonstrates that there is gas-record-quality ice from the 40,000-year world in the Allan Hills Main Ice Field. We have identified two different sites, each overlying bedrock at ~ 200 m depth, that are attractive targets for coring ice dating to 1 million years and older. This project aims to core the ice at these two sites, re-occupy a previous site with million year-old ice and drill it down to the bedrock, and generate 10-20 short (~10-meter) cores in areas where our previous work and terrestrial meteorite ages suggest ancient surface ice. We plan to date the ice using the 40Ar/38Ar ages of trapped Argon. We also plan to characterize the continuity of our cores by measuring the deuterium and oxygen isotope ratios in the ice, methane, ratios of Oxygen and Argon to Nitrogen in trapped gas, the Nitrogen-15 isotope (d15N) of Nitrogen, and the Oxygen-18 isotope (d18O) of Oxygen. As the ice may be stratigraphically disturbed, these measurements will provide diagnostic properties for assessing the continuity of the ice-core records. Successful retrieval of ice older than one million years will provide the opportunity for follow-up work to measure the CO2 concentration and other properties within the ice to inform on the temperature history of the Allan Hills region, dust sources and source-area aridity, moisture sources, densification conditions, global average ocean temperature, and greenhouse gas concentrations. We will analyze the data in the context of leading hypotheses of the 40,000-year world and the Mid-Pleistocene Transition to the 100,000-year world. We expect to advance understanding of climate dynamics during these periods.
The extreme mountain topographies of alpine landscapes at mid latitudes (e.g., European Alps, Patagonia, Alaska) are thought to have formed by the erosive action of glaciers, yet our understanding of exactly when and how those topographies developed is limited. If glacial ice was responsible for forming them, then those landscapes must have developed primarily over the last 2-3 million years when ice was present at those latitudes; this timing has only recently been confirmed by observations. In contrast, the Antarctic Peninsula, which contains similarly spectacular topographic relief, is known to have hosted alpine glaciers as early as 37 million years ago, and is currently covered by ice. Thus, if caused by glacial erosion, the high relief of the peninsula should have formed much earlier than what has been observed at mid latitude sites, yet we know nearly nothing about the timing of its development. The primary benefit of this research will be to study the timing of topography development along the Antarctic Peninsula by applying state of the art chemical analyses to sediments collected offshore. This research is important because studying a high latitude site will enable comparison with sites at mid latitudes and test current hypotheses on the development of glacial landscapes in general. This project aims to apply low-temperature thermochronometry based on the (U-Th)/He system in apatite to investigate the exhumation history, the development of the present topography, and the pattern of glacial erosion in the central Antarctic Peninsula. A number of recent studies have used this approach to study the dramatic, high-relief landscapes formed by Pleistocene alpine glacial erosion in temperate latitudes: New Zealand, the Alps, British Columbia, Alaska, and Patagonia. These studies have not only revealed when these landscapes formed, but have also provided new insights into the physical mechanisms of glacial erosion. The Antarctic Peninsula is broadly akin to temperate alpine landscapes in that the dominant landforms are massive glacial troughs. However, what we know about Antarctic glacial history suggests that the timing and history of glacial erosion was most likely very different from the temperate alpine setting: The Antarctic Peninsula has been glaciated since the Eocene, and Pleistocene climate cooling is hypothesized to have suppressed, rather than enhanced, glacial erosion. Our goal is to evaluate these hypotheses by developing a direct thermochronometric record of when and how the present glacial valley relief formed. We propose to learn about the timing and process of glacial valley formation through apatite (U-Th)/He and 4He/3He measurements on glacial sediment collected near the grounding lines of major glaciers draining the Peninsula. In effect, since we cannot sample bedrock directly that is currently covered by ice, we will rely on these glaciers to do it for us.
This project aims to identify which portions of the glacial cover in the Antarctic Peninsula are losing mass to the ocean. This is an important issue to resolve because the Antarctic Peninsula is warming at a faster rate than any other region across the earth. Even though glaciers across the Antarctic Peninsula are small, compared to the continental ice sheet, defining how rapidly they respond to both ocean and atmospheric temperature rise is critical. It is critical because it informs us about the exact mechanisms which regulate ice flow and melting into the ocean. For instance, after the break- up of the Larsen Ice Shelf in 2002 many glaciers began to flow rapidly into the sea. Measuring how much ice was involved is difficult and depends upon accurate estimates of volume and area. One way to increase the accuracy of our estimates is to measure how fast the Earth's crust is rebounding or bouncing back, after the ice has been removed. This rebound effect can be measured with very precise techniques using instruments locked into ice free bedrock surrounding the area of interest. These instruments are monitored by a set of positioning satellites (the Global Positioning System or GPS) in a continuous fashion. Of course the movement of the Earth's bedrock relates not only to the immediate response but also the longer term rate that reflects the long vanished ice masses that once covered the entire Antarctic Peninsula?at the time of the last glaciation. These rebound measurements can, therefore, also tell us about the amount of ice which covered the Antarctic Peninsula thousands of years ago. Glacial isostatic rebound is one of the complicating factors in allowing us to understand how much the larger ice sheets are losing today, something that can be estimated by satellite techniques but only within large errors when the isostatic (rebound) correction is unknown. The research proposed consists of maintaining a set of six rebound stations until the year 2016, allowing for a longer time series and thus more accurate estimates of immediate elastic and longer term rebound effects. It also involves the establishment of two additional GPS stations that will focus on constraining the "bull's eye" of rebound suggested by measurements over the past two years. In addition, several more geologic data points will be collected that will help to reconstruct the position of the ice sheet margin during its recession from the full ice sheet of the last glacial maximum. These will be based upon the coring of marine sediment sequences now recognized to have been deposited along the margins of retreating ice sheets and outlets. Precise dating of the ice margin along with the new and improved rebound data will help to constrain past ice sheet configurations and refine geophysical models related to the nature of post glacial rebound. Data management will be under the auspices of the UNAVCO polar geophysical network or POLENET and will be publically available at the time of station installation. This project is a small scale extension of the ongoing LARsen Ice Shelf, Antarctica Project (LARISSA), an IPY (International Polar Year)-funded interdisciplinary study aimed at understanding earth system connections related to the Larsen Ice Shelf and the northern Antarctic Peninsula.
Intellectual Merit: The MCM-SkyTEM project mapped resistivity in the McMurdo Dry Valleys and at Cape Barne on the Ross Island during the 2011-12 austral season using an airborne transient electromagnetic method. The SkyTEM system is mounted to a helicopter enabling a broad geophysical survey of subsurface resistivity structure over terrain that is inaccessible to traditional ground-based methods. Resistivity measurements obtained distinguish between highly resistive geologic materials such as glacier ice, bedrock and permafrost, and conductive materials such as unfrozen sediments or permafrost with liquid brine to depths of about 300 m. The PIs request funding to derive data products relevant to physical and chemical conditions in potential subsurface microbial habitats of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, similar cold regions on Earth and other planetary bodies. They will use these data products to characterize the hydrologic history of McMurdo Dry Valleys as well as the subsurface hydrologic connectivity in the region to investigate the implications for nutrient and microbial transport. The PIs will make these data products accessible to the research community. Broader impacts: Polar microbial habitats are of high societal and scientific interest because they represent important testing grounds for the limits of life on Earth and other planetary bodies. Project deliverables will include teaching aids for undergraduate and graduate students. Two Ph.D. students will obtain advanced research training as part of this project. The PIs and students on this project will also engage in informal public outreach opportunities by presenting at local K-12 schools and reaching out to local media outlets on stories relating to SkyTEM research.
Marine paleoclimate archives show that approximately one million years ago Earth's climate transitioned from 40,000-year glacial /interglacial cycles to 100,000-year cycles. This award will support a study designed to map the distribution of one million year-old ice in the Allan Hills Blue Ice Area, Antarctica using state-of-the-art ground penetrating radar. The Allen Hills was demonstrated to contain a continuous record of the past 400,000 years and is also the collection location of the oldest ice samples (990,000 years) yet recovered. The maps resulting from this study will be used to select an ice-core drilling site at which a million-plus year-old continuous record of climate could be recovered. Ice cores contain the only kind of record to directly capture atmospheric gases and aerosols, but no ice-core-based climate record yet extends continuously beyond the past 800,000 years. A million-plus year-old record will allow better understanding of the major mechanisms and driving forces of natural climate variability in a world with 100,000-year glacial/interglacial cycles. The project will support two early career scientists in collaboration with senior scientists, as well as a graduate student, and will conduct outreach to schools and the public. The Allan Hills Blue Ice Area preserves a continuous climate record covering the last 400,000 years along an established glaciological flow line. Two kilometers to the east of this flow line, the oldest ice on Earth (~1 million years old) is found only 120 m below the surface. Meteorites collected in the area are reported to be as old as 1.8 million years, suggesting still older ice may be present. Combined, these data strongly suggest that the Allen Hills area could contain a continuous, well-resolved environmental record, spanning at least the last million years. As such, this area has been selected as an upcoming target for the new Intermediate Depth Ice Core Drill by the US Ice Core Working Group. This drill will recover a higher-quality core than previous dry drilling attempts. This project will conduct a comprehensive ground penetrating radar survey aimed at tracing the signature of the million-year-old ice layer throughout the region. The resulting map will be used to select a drill site from which an ice core containing the million-plus year-old continuous climate record will be collected. The proposed activities are a necessary precursor to the collection of the oldest known ice on Earth. Ice cores provide a robust reconstruction of past climate and extending this record beyond the 800,000 years currently available will open new opportunities to study the climate system. The data collected will also be used to investigate the bedrock and ice flow parameters favorable to the preservation of old ice, which may allow targeted investigation of other blue ice areas in Antarctica.
1142162/Stone This award supports a project to conduct a reconnaissance geological and radar-sounding study of promising sites in West Antarctica as a prelude to a future project to conduct subglacial cosmogenic nuclide measurements. Field work will take place in the Whitmore Mountains, close to the WAIS divide, and on the Nash and Pirrit Hills, downflow from the divide in the Weddell Sea drainage. At each site geological indicators of higher (and lower) ice levels in the past will be mapped and evidence of subglacial erosion or its absence will be documented. Elevation transects of both glacial erratics and adjacent bedrock samples will be collected to establish the timing of recent deglaciation at the sites and provide a complement to similar measurements on material from depth transects obtained by future subglacial drilling. At each site, bedrock ridges will be traced into the subsurface with closely-spaced ice-penetrating radar surveys, using a combination of instruments and frequencies to obtain meter-scale surface detail, using synthetic aperture techniques. Collectively the results will define prospective sites for subglacial sampling, and maximize the potential information to be obtained from such samples in future studies. The intellectual merit of this project is that measurements of cosmogenic nuclides in subglacial bedrock hold promise for resolving the questions of whether the West Antarctic ice sheet collapsed completely in the past, whether it is prone to repeated large deglaciations, and if so, what is their magnitude and frequency. Such studies will require careful choice of targets, to locate sites where bedrock geology is favorable, cosmogenic nuclide records are likely to have been protected from subglacial erosion, and the local ice-surface response is indicative of large-scale ice sheet behavior. The broader impacts of this work include helping to determine whether subglacial surfaces in West Antarctica were ever exposed to cosmic rays, which will provide unambiguous evidence for or against a smaller ice sheet in the past. This is an important step towards establishing whether the WAIS is vulnerable to collapse in future, and will ultimately help to address uncertainty in forecasting sea level change. The results will also provide ground truth for models of ice-sheet dynamics and long-term ice sheet evolution, and will help researchers use these models to identify paleoclimate conditions responsible for WAIS deglaciation. The education and training of students (both undergraduate and graduate students) will play an important role in the project, which will involve Antarctic fieldwork, technically challenging labwork, data collection and interpretation, and communication of the outcome to scientists and the general public.
Intellectual Merit: The PIs propose to use airborne geophysics to provide detailed geophysical mapping over the Marie Byrd Land dome of West Antarctica. They will use a Basler equipped with advanced ice penetrating radar, a magnetometer, an airborne gravimeter and laser altimeter. They will test models of Marie Byrd Land lithospheric evolution in three ways: 1) constrain bedrock topography and crustal structure of central Marie Byrd Land for the first time; 2) map subglacial geomorphology of Marie Byrd Land to constrain landscape evolution; and 3) map the distribution of subglacial volcanic centers and identify active sources. Marie Byrd Land is one of the few parts of West Antarctica whose bedrock lies above sea level; as such, it has a key role to play in the formation and decay of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS), and thus on eustatic sea level change during the Neogene. Several lines of evidence suggest that the topography of Marie Byrd Land has changed over the course of the Cenozoic, with significant implications for the origin and evolution of the ice sheet. Broader impacts: This work will have important implications for both the cryospheric and geodynamic communities. These data will also leverage results from the POLENET project. The PIs will train both graduate and undergraduate students in the interpretation of large geophysical datasets providing them with the opportunity to co-author peer-reviewed papers and present their work to the broader science community. This research will also support a young female researcher. The PIs will conduct informal education using their Polar Studies website and contribute formally to K-12 curriculum development. The research will incorporate microblogging and data access to allow the project?s first-order hypothesis to be confirmed or denied in public.
Intellectual Merit: The PIs propose to quantify the hillslope water, solute, and carbon budgets for Taylor Valley in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, using water tracks to investigate near-surface geological processes and challenge the paradigm that shallow groundwater is minimal or non-exixtant. Water tracks are linear zones of high soil moisture that route shallow groundwater downslope in permafrost dominated soils. Four hypotheses will be tested: 1) water tracks are important pathways for water and solute transport; 2) water tracks transport more dissolved silica than streams in Taylor Valley indicating they are the primary site of chemical weathering for cold desert soils and bedrock; 3) water tracks that drain highland terrains are dominated by humidity-separated brines while water tracks that drain lowland terrains are dominated by marine aerosols; 4) water tracks are the sites of the highest terrestrial soil carbon concentrations and the strongest CO2 fluxes in Taylor Valley and their carbon content increases with soil age, while carbon flux decreases with age. To test these hypotheses the PIs will carry out a suite of field measurements supported by modeling and remote sensing. They will install shallow permafrost wells in water tracks that span the range of geological, climatological, and topographic conditions in Taylor Valley. Multifrequency electromagnetic induction sounding of the upper ~1 m of the permafrost will create the first comprehensive map of soil moisture in Taylor Valley, and will permit direct quantification of water track discharge across the valley. The carbon contents of water track soils will be measured and linked to global carbon dynamics. Broader impacts: Non-science majors at Oregon State University will be integrated into the proposed research through a new Global Environmental Change course focusing on the scientific method in Antarctica. Three undergraduate students, members of underrepresented minorities, will be entrained in the research, will contribute to all aspects of field and laboratory science, and will present results at national meetings.
Intellectual Merit: The PIs propose to use the (U-Th)/He system in apatite to investigate the exhumation history, development of the present topography, and pattern of glacial erosion in the central Antarctic Peninsula. The Antarctic Peninsula has been glaciated since the Eocene and Pleistocene climate cooling is hypothesized to have suppressed, rather than enhanced, glacial erosion. To achieve these goals, the PIs will use a thermochronometric record of when and how the present glacial valley relief formed. A challenge to the proposed research is that, unlike Pleistocene glacial landscapes in temperate areas, the Peninsula is ice-covered and it is not possible to directly sample the bedrock surface. The PIs hope to learn about the timing and process of glacial valley formation through apatite (U-Th)/He and 4He/3He measurements on glacial sediment collected near the grounding lines of major glaciers draining the Peninsula. Learning how the Antarctic Peninsula landscape formed is important to discern how the mechanics of glacial erosion operate on long time scales, and to understand how glaciers mediate the interaction between climate change and orogenic mass balance. This work addresses a fundamental question in Antarctic earth science of how to infer geologic and geomorphic processes active on an ice-covered and inaccessible landscape. Broader impacts: This proposal will bring new researchers into the Antarctic research community. A proposed collaboration with British Antarctic Survey researchers will build an international collaboration. The outcomes of this project have ancillary importance to other fields and addresses fundamental challenges in Antarctic Earth Science.
This project constructs POLENET a network of GPS and seismic stations in West Antarctica to understand how the mass of the West Antarctic ice sheet (WAIS) changes with time. The information is ultimately used to predict sea level rise accompanying global warming and interpret climate change records. The GPS (global positioning system) stations measure vertical and horizontal movements of bedrock, while the seismic stations characterize physical properties of the ice/rock interface, lithosphere, and mantle. Combined with satellite data, this project offers a more complete picture of the ice sheet's current state, its likely change in the near future, and its overall size during the last glacial maximum. This data will also be used to infer sub-ice sheet geology and the terrestrial heat flux, critical inputs to models of glacier movement. As well, this project improves tomographic models of the earth's deep interior and core through its location in the Earth's poorly instrumented southern hemisphere. <br/><br/><br/><br/>Broader impacts of this project are varied. The work is relevant to society for improving our understanding of the impacts of global warming on sea level rise. It also supports education at the postdoctoral, graduate, and undergraduate levels, and outreach to groups underrepresented in the sciences. As an International Polar Year contribution, this project establishes a legacy of infrastructure for polar measurements. It also involves an international collaboration of twenty four countries. For more information see IPY Project #185 at IPY.org. NSF is supporting a complementary Arctic POLENET array being constructed in Greenland under NSF Award #0632320.
Intellectual Merit: <br/>The northern Ford ranges in Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica, record events and processes that transformed a voluminous succession of Lower Paleozoic turbidites intruded by calc-alkaline plutonic rocks into differentiated continental crust along the margin of Gondwana. In this study the Fosdick migmatite?granite complex will be used to investigate crustal evolution through an integrated program of fieldwork, structural geology, petrology, mineral equilibria modeling, geochronology and geochemistry. The PIs propose detailed traverses at four sites within the complex to investigate Paleozoic and Mesozoic orogenic cycles. They will use petrological associations, structural geometry, and microstructures of host gneisses and leucogranites to distinguish the migration and coalescence patterns for remnant melt flow networks, and carry out detailed sampling for geochronology, geochemistry and isotope research. Mafic plutonic phases will be sampled to acquire information about mantle contributions at the source. Mineral equilibria modeling of source rocks and granite products, combined with in situ mineral dating, will be employed to resolve the P?T?t trajectories arising from thickening/thinning of crust during orogenic cycles and to investigate melting and melt loss history. <br/><br/>Broader impacts: <br/>This work involves research and educational initiatives for an early career female scientist, as well as Ph.D. and undergraduate students. Educational programs for high school audiences and undergraduate courses on interdisciplinary Antarctic science will be developed.
The proposed work will investigate changes in the compositional variation of glacial tills over time across two concentric sequences of Pleistocene moraines located adjacent to the heads of East Antarctic outlet glaciers in the Transantarctic Mountains (TAM). The chronologic framework for this work will be generated from cosmogenic exposure ages of boulders on prominent morainal ridges. The PIs hypothesize that variations in till composition may indicate a change in ice flow direction or a change in the composition of the original source area, while ages of the moraines provide a long-term terrestrial perspective on ice sheet dynamics. Both results are vital for modeling experiments that aim to reconstruct the East Antarctic Ice Sheet and assess its role in the global climate system and its potential impact on global sea level rise. The variation of till compositions through time also allows for a more accurate interpretation of sediment cores from the Ross Sea and the Southern Ocean. Additionally, till exposures at the head of some East Antarctic outlet glaciers have been shown to contain subglacial material derived from East Antarctic bedrock, providing a window through the ice to view East Antarctica?s inaccessible bedrock. Till samples will be collected from two well-preserved sequences of moraine crests at Mt. Howe (head of Scott Glacier) and Mt. Achernar (between Beardmore and Nimrod Glaciers). Each size fraction in glacial till provides potentially valuable information, and the PIs will measure the petrography of the clast and sand fractions, quantitative X-ray diffraction on the crushed <2mm fraction, elemental abundance of the silt/clay fraction, and U/Pb of detrital zircons in the sand fraction. Data collection will rely on established methods previously used in this region and the PIs will also explore new methods to assess their efficacy. On the same moraines crests sampled for provenance studies, the PIs will sample for cosmogenic surface exposure analyses to provide a chronologic framework at the sites for provenance changes through time. <br/><br/>Broader Impact <br/>The proposed research involves graduate and undergraduate training in a diverse array of laboratory methods. Students and PIs will be make presentations to community and campus groups, as well as conduct interviews with local news outlets. The proposed work also establishes a new, potentially long-term, collaboration between scientists at IUPUI and LDEO and brings a new PI (Kaplan) into the field of Antarctic Earth Sciences.
Intellectual Merit: The PIs proposed a provenance study of glacial deposits in the Ross Embayment that will provide a broad scale geochronologic survey of detrital minerals in till to help characterize bedrock beneath the East Antarctic ice sheet and constrain Antarctica?s glacial history. This project capitalizes on previous investments in field sampling. Analytical tools applied to single mineral grains extracted from existing collections of glacial till will generate ?fingerprints? of East Antarctic outlet glaciers and West Antarctic till to refine paleo-ice flow models for the Ross Embayment during the last glacial maximum, older records from ANDRILL cores, and to assess IRD sources in the Southern Ocean. New provenance tracers will include a suite of geochronological methods that together provide greater insights into the orogenic and erosional history the region. This project will include U/Pb of detrital zircons, (U-Th)/He on a subset of the U/Pb dated zircons, as well as Ar-Ar of detrital hornblende, mica and feldspars. Broader impacts: This research will train one M.S. student at IUPUI, a Ph.D. student at Columbia, and several undergraduates at both institutions. Graduate students involved in the project will be involved in mentoring undergraduate researchers. Incorporation of research discoveries will be brought into the classroom by providing concrete examples and exercises at the appropriate level. Licht and Columbia graduate student E. Pierce are developing outreach projects with local secondary school teachers to investigate the provenance of glacial materials in their local areas. The research will have broad applicability to many fields.
This award supports an aerogeophysical study of the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains (GSM), a Texas-sized mountain range buried beneath the ice sheets of East Antarctica. The project would perform a combined gravity, magnetics, and radar study to achieve a range of goals including: advancing our understanding of the origin and evolution of the polar ice sheets and subglacial lakes; defining the crustal architecture of East Antarctica, a key question in the earth's history; and locating the oldest ice in East Antarctica, which may ultimately help find ancient climate records. Virtually unexplored, the GSM represents the largest unstudied area of crustal uplift on earth. As well, the region is the starting point for growth of the Antarctic ice sheets. Because of these outstanding questions, the GSM has been identified by the international Antarctic science community as a research focus for the International Polar Year (2007-2009). In addition to this study, NSF is also supporting a seismological survey of the GSM under award number 0537371. Major international partners in the project include Germany, China, Australia, and the United Kingdom. For more information see IPY Project #67 at IPY.org. In terms of broader impacts, this project also supports postdoctoral and graduate student research, and various forms of outreach including a focus on groups underrepresented in the earth sciences.
Hulbe/0838810 <br/><br/>This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).<br/><br/>This award supports a modeling study of the processes in West Antarctic grounding zones, the transition from ice resting on bedrock to ice floating on the ocean surface with an eye toward understanding the interrelated causes of rapid change in grounding line configuration and outlet flow. A combination of satellite remote sensing and numerical modeling will be used to investigate both past and ongoing patterns of change. New high-resolution surface elevation maps made from a novel combination of satellite laser altimetry and remotely observed surface shape provide a unique view of grounding zones. These data will be used to diagnose events associated with the shutdown of Kamb Ice Stream, to investigate a recent discharge event on Institute Ice Stream and to investigate ongoing change at the outlet of Whillans Ice Stream, along with other modern processes around the West Antarctic. An existing numerical model of coupled ice sheet, ice stream, and ice shelf flow will be used and improved as part of the research project. The broader impacts of the project relate to the importance of understanding the role of polar ice sheets in global sea level rise. The work will contribute to the next round of deliberations for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Improved views, interpretations, and insights into the physical processes that govern variability in ice sheet outlet streams will help correct the shortcomings of the last IPCC report that didn?t include the role of ice sheets in sea level rise. The PIs have a strong record of public outreach, involvement in the professional community, and student training.
This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). Much of the inventory of East Antarctic bedrock geochronology, as well as a record of its erosional history, is preserved in Cenozoic sediments around its margin. This project is to use these sediments to understand their sub-ice provenance and the erosional history of the shield by measuring ages of multiple geo- and thermochronometers on single detrital crystals and on multiple crystals in detrital clasts (U/Pb, fission-track, and (U-Th)/He dating of zircon and apatite, and 40Ar/39Ar dating of hornblende, mica, and feldspar). The combination of multi-chronometer ages in single grains and clasts provides a powerful fingerprint of bedrock sources, allowing us to trace provenance in Eocene fluvial sandstones through Quaternary diamicts around the margin. Multiple thermochronometric (cooling) ages in the same grains and clasts also allows us to interpret the timing and rates of erosion from these bedrock sources. Delineating a distribution of bedrock age units, their sediment transport connections, and their erosional histories over the Cenozoic, will in turn allow us to test tectonic models bearing on: (1) the origin of the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains, (2) fluvial and topographic evolution, and (3) the history of glacial growth and erosion.
Edwards/0739780<br/><br/>This award supports a project to develop a 2,000-year high-temporal resolution record of biomass burning from the analysis of black carbon in the WAIS Divide bedrock ice core. Pilot data for the WAIS WD05A core demonstrates that we now have the ability to reconstruct this record with minimal impact on the amount of ice available for other projects. The intellectual merit of this project is that black carbon (BC) aerosols result solely from combustion and play a critical but poorly quantified role in global climate forcing and the carbon cycle. When incorporated into snow and ice, BC increases absorption of solar radiation making seasonal snow packs, mountain glaciers, polar ice sheets, and sea ice much more vulnerable to climate warming. BC emissions in the Southern Hemisphere are dominated by biomass burning in the tropical regions of Southern Africa, South America and South Asia. Biomass burning, which results from both climate and human activities, alters the atmospheric composition of greenhouse gases, aerosols and perturbs key biogeochemical cycles. A long-term record of biomass burning is needed to aid in the interpretation of ice core gas composition and will provide important information regarding human impacts on the environment and climate before instrumental records. The broader impacts of the project are that it represents a paradigm shift in our ability to reconstruct the history of fire from ice core records and to understand its impact on atmospheric chemistry and climate over millennial time scales. This type of data is especially needed to drive global circulation model simulations of black carbon aerosols, which have been found to be an important component of global warming and which may be perturbing the hydrologic cycle. The project will also employ undergraduate students and is committed to attracting underrepresented groups to the physical sciences. The project?s outreach component will be conducted as part of the WAIS project outreach program and will reach a wide audience.
This award, provided by the Antarctic Geology and Geophysics Program of the Office of Polar Programs, supports a collaborative research program to initiate a Global Positioning System (GPS) network to measure crustal motions in the bedrock surrounding and underlying the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS). Evaluation of the role of both tectonic and ice-induced crustal motions of the WAIS bedrock is a critical goal for understanding past, present, and future dynamics of WAIS and its potential role in future global change scenarios, as well as improving our understanding of the role of Antarctica in global plate motions. The extent of active tectonism in West Antarctica is largely speculative, as few data exist that constrain its geographic distribution, directions, or rates of deformation. Active tectonism and the influence of bedrock on the WAIS have been highlighted recently by geophysical data indicating active subglacial volcanism and control of ice streaming by the presence of sedimentary basins. The influence of bedrock crustal motion on the WAIS and its future dynamics is a fundamental issue. Existing GPS projects are located only on the fringe of the ice sheet and do not address the regional picture. It is important that baseline GPS measurements on the bedrock around and within the WAIS be started so that a basis is established for detecting change.<br/><br/>To measure crustal motions, this project will build a West Antarctica GPS Network (WAGN) of at least 15 GPS sites across the interior of West Antarctica (approximately the size of the contiguous United States from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific coast) over a two-year period beginning in the Antarctic field season 2001-2002. The planned network is designed using the Multi-modal Occupation Strategy (MOST), in which a small number of independent GPS "roving" receivers make differential measurements against a network of continuous GPS stations for comparatively short periods at each site. This experimental strategy, successfully implemented by a number of projects in California, S America, the SW Pacific and Central Asia, minimizes logistical requirements, an essential element of application of GPS geodesy in the scattered and remote outcrops of the WAIS bedrock.<br/><br/>The WAGN program will be integrated with the GPS network that has been established linking the Antarctic Peninsula with South America through the Scotia arc (Scotia Arc GPS Project (SCARP)). It will also interface with stations currently measuring motion across the Ross Embayment, and with the continent-wide GIANT program of the Working Group on Geodesy and Geographic Information Systems of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR). The GPS network will be based on permanent monuments set in solid rock outcrops that will have near-zero set-up error for roving GPS occupations, and that can be directly converted to a continuous GPS site when future technology makes autonomous operation and satellite data linkage throughout West Antarctica both reliable and economical. The planned network both depends on and complements the existing and planned continuous networks. It is presently not practical, for reasons of cost and logistics, to accomplish the measurements proposed herein with either a network of continuous stations or traditional campaigns.<br/><br/>The proposed WAGN will complement existing GPS projects by filling a major gap in coverage among several discrete crustal blocks that make up West Antarctica, a critical area of potential bedrock movements. If crustal motions are relatively slow, meaningful results will only begin to emerge within the five-year maximum period of time for an individual funded project. Hence this proposal is only to initiate the network and test precision and velocities at the most critical sites. Once built, however, the network will yield increasingly meaningful results with the passage of time. Indeed, the slower the rates turn out to be, the more important an early start to measuring. It is anticipated that the results of this project will initiate an iterative process that will gradually resolve into an understanding of the contributions from plate rotations and viscoelastic and elastic motions resulting from deglaciation and ice mass changes. Velocities obtained from initial reoccupation of the most critical sites will dictate the timing of a follow-up proposal for reoccupation of the entire network when detectable motions have occurred.
OPP-0230285/OPP-0230356<br/>PIs: Wilson, Terry J./Hothem, Larry D.<br/><br/>This award, provided by the Antarctic Geology and Geophysics Program of the Office of Polar Programs, supports a project to conduct GPS measurements of bedrock crustal motions in an extended Transantarctic Mountains Deformation network (TAMDEF) to document neotectonic displacements due to tectonic deformation within the West Antarctic rift and/or to mass change of the Antarctic ice sheets. Horizontal displacements related to active neotectonic rifting, strike-slip translations, and volcanism will be tightly constrained by monitoring the combined TAMDEF and Italian VLNDEF networks of bedrock GPS stations along the Transantarctic Mountains and on offshore islands in the Ross Sea. Glacio-isostatic adjustments due to deglaciation since the Last Glacial Maximum and to modern mass change of the ice sheets will be modeled from GPS-derived crustal motions together with new information from other programs on the configurations, thicknesses, deglaciation history and modern mass balance of the ice sheets. Tectonic and rheological information from ongoing structural and seismic investigations in the Victoria Land region will also be integrated in the modeling. The integrative and iterative modeling will yield a holistic interpretation of neotectonics and ice sheet history that will help us to discriminate tectonic crustal displacements from viscoelastic/elastic glacio-isostatic motions. These results will provide key information to interpret broad, continental-scale crustal motion patterns detected by sparse, regionally distributed GPS continuous trackers and by spaceborne instruments. This study will contribute to international programs focused on Antarctic neotectonic and global change issues.<br/><br/>Strategies to meet these science objectives include repeat surveys of key sites in the existing TAMDEF network, extension of the array of TAMDEF sites southward about 250 km along the Transantarctic Mountains, linked measurements with the VLNDEF network, and integration of quasi-continuous trackers within the campaign network. By extending the array of bedrock sites southward, these measurements will cross gradients in predicted vertical motion due to viscoelastic rebound. The southward extension will also allow determination of the southern limit of the active Terror Rift and will provide a better baseline for constraints on any ongoing tectonic displacements across the West Antarctic rift system as a whole that might be possible using GPS data collected by the West Antarctic GPS Network. This project will also investigate unique aspects of GPS geodesy in Antarctica to determine how the error spectrum compares to mid-latitude regions and to identify the optimum measurement and data processing schemes for Antarctic conditions. The geodetic research will improve position accuracies within our network and will also yield general recommendations for deformation monitoring networks in polar regions.<br/><br/>An education and outreach program is planned and will be targeted at non-science-major undergraduate students taking Earth System Science at Ohio State University. The objective will be to illuminate the research process for nonscientists. This effort will educate students on the process of science and inform them about Antarctica and how it relates to global science issues.
9911617 Blankenship This award, provided jointly by the Antarctic Geology and Geophysics Program, the Antarctic Glaciology Program, and the Polar Research Support Section of the Office of Polar Programs, provides funds for continuation of the Support Office for Aerogeophysical Research (SOAR). From July 1994 to July 2000, SOAR served as a facility to accomplish aerogeophysical research in Antarctica under an agreement between the University of Texas at Austin and the National Science Foundation's Office of Polar Programs (NSF/OPP). SOAR operated and maintained an aerogeophysical instrument package that consists of an ice-penetrating radar sounder, a laser altimeter, a gravimeter and a magnetometer that are tightly integrated with each other as well as with the aircraft's avionics and power packages. An array of aircraft and ground-based GPS receivers supported kinematic differential positioning using carrier-phase observations. SOAR activities included: developing aerogeophysical research projects with NSF/OPP investigators; upgrading of the aerogeophysical instrumentation package to accommodate new science projects and advances in technology; fielding this instrument package to accomplish SOAR-developed projects; and management, reduction, and analysis of the acquired aerogeophysical data. In pursuit of 9 NSF-OPP funded aerogeophysical research projects (involving 14 investigators from 9 institutions), SOAR carried out six field campaigns over a six-year period and accomplished approximately 200,000 line kilometers of aerogeophysical surveying over both East and West Antarctica in 377 flights. This award supports SOAR to undertake a one year and 8 month program of aerogeophysical activities that are consistent with continuing U.S. support for geophysical research in Antarctica. - SOAR will conduct an aerogeophysical campaign during the 200/01 austral summer to accomplish surveys for two SOAR-developed projects: "Understanding the Boundary Conditions of the Lake Vostok Environment: A Site Survey for Future Studies" (Co-PI's Bell and Studinger, LDEO); and "Collaborative Research: Seismic Investigation of the Deep Continental Structure Across the East-West Antarctic Boundary" (Co-PI's Weins, Washington U. and Anandakrishnan, U. Alabama). After configuration and testing of the survey aircraft in McMurdo, SOAR will conduct survey flights from an NSF-supported base adjacent to the Russian Station above Lake Vostok and briefly occupy one or two remote bases on the East Antarctic ice sheet. - SOAR will reduce these aerogeophysical data and produce profiles and maps of surface elevation, bed elevation, gravity and magnetic field intensity. These results will be provided to the respective project investigators within nine months of conclusion of field activities. We will also submit a technical manuscript that describes these results to a refereed scientific journal and distribute these results to appropriate national geophysical data centers within approximately 24 months of completion of field activities. - SOAR will standardize all previously reduced SOAR data products and transfer them to the appropriate national geophysical data centers by the end of this grant. - SOAR will convene a workshop to establish a community consensus for future U.S. Antarctic aerogeophysical research. This workshop will be co-convened by Ian Dalziel and Richard Alley and will take place during the spring of 2001. - SOAR will upgrade the existing SOAR in-field quality control procedures to serve as a web-based interface for efficient browsing of many low-level SOAR data streams. - SOAR will repair and/or refurbish equipment that was used during the 2000/01 field campaign. Support for SOAR is essential for accomplishing major geophysical investigations in Antarctica. Following data interpretation by the science teams, these data will provide valuable insights to the structure and evolution of the Antarctic continent.
This award supports a project to perform ice radar studies of bedrock topography and internal layers along the second US ITASE traverse corridor extending from Taylor Dome to South Pole on the inland side of the Transantarctic Mountains. The radar will provide information immediately available in the field on ice thickness and internal layer structure to help in the selection of core sites as the traverse proceeds. These data will also be useful in locating additional radar and surface studies to characterize the drainage divides between major outlet glaciers flowing through the mountains and possible changes in them through time. Information from the radar on bed roughness and basal reflectivity, together with images of internal layer deformation will enable us to study changes in the character of ice flow as tributaries merge to trunk flow and velocities increase. Areas where wind scour and sublimation have brought old ice close to the surface will be investigated. Based on our results from the first ITASE traverse, it is also likely that there will be findings of opportunity, phenomena we have not anticipated that are revealed by the radar as the result of a discovery-based traverse. The interdisciplinary science goals of US ITASE are designed to accommodate a variety of interactive research programs and data collected are available to a broad scientific community. US ITASE also supports an extensive program of public outreach and the education and training of future scientists will be central to all activities of this proposal. St. Olaf College is an undergraduate liberal arts institution that emphasizes student participation in scientific research. This award supports two undergraduate students as well as a research associate and a graduate student who will be part of the US ITASE field team.
This project will study migmatite domes found in the Fosdick Mountains of the Ford Ranges, western Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica. This area offers unique, three-dimensional exposures that may offer new insight into dome formation, which is a fundamental process of mountain building. These domes are derived from sedimentary and plutonic protoliths that are complexly interfolded at decimeter to kilometer scales. Preliminary findings from geobarometry and U-Pb monazite dating of anatexite suggest that peak metamorphism was underway at 105 Ma at crustal depths of ~25 km, followed by decompression as the Fosdick dome was emplaced to 16-17 km, or possibly as low as 8.5 km, in the crust by 99 Ma. Near-isothermal conditions were maintained during ascent, favorable for producing substantial volumes of melt through biotite-dehydration melting. This dome has been interpreted as a product of extensional exhumation. This is a viable interpretation from the regional standpoint, because the dome was emplaced in mid-Cretaceous time during the rapid onset of divergent tectonics along the proto- Pacific margin of Gondwana. However, the complex internal structures of the Fosdick Mountains have yet to be considered and may be more consistent with alternative intepretations such as upward extrusion within a contractional setting or lateral flow within a transcurrent attachment zone. This proposal is for detailed structural analysis, paired with geothermobarometry and geochronology, to determine the flow behavior and structural style that produced the internal architecture of the Fosdick dome. The results will improve our general understanding of the role of gneiss domes in transferring material and heat during mountain-building, and will characterize the behavior of the middle crust during a time of rapid transition from divergent to convergent tectonics along the active margin of Gondwana. In terms of broader impacts, this work will train undergraduate and graduate students, and involve them as collaborators in the development of curricular materials. It will also foster mentoring relationships between graduate and undergraduate students.
This award supports a project to use three downhole instruments - an optical logger; a<br/>miniaturized biospectral logger at 420 nm (miniBSL-420); and an Acoustic TeleViewer (ATV) - to log a 350-m borehole at the WAIS Divide drill site. In addition, miniBSL-224 (at 224 nm) and miniBSL-420 will scan ice core sections at NICL to look for abrupt climate changes, volcanic ash, microbial concentrations, and correlations among them. Using the optical logger and ATV to log bubble number densities vs depth in a WAIS Divide borehole, we will detect annual layers, from which we can establish the age vs depth relation to the bottom of the borehole that will be available during the three-year grant period. With the same instruments we will search for long-period modulation of bubble and dust concentrations in order to provide definitive evidence for or against an effect of long-period variability of the sun or solar wind on climate. We will detect and accurately date ash layers in a WAIS Divide borehole. We will match them with ash layers that we previously detected in the Siple Dome borehole, and also match them with sulfate and ash layers found by others at Vostok, Dome Fuji, Dome C, and GISP2. The expected new data will allow us to extend our recent study which showed that the Antarctic record of volcanism correlates with abrupt climate change at a 95% to >99.8% significance level and that the volcanic signatures at bipolar locations match at better than 3 sigma during the interval 2 to 45 kiloyears. The results to be obtained during this grant period will position us to extend an accurate age vs depth relation and volcano-climate correlations to earlier than 150 kiloyears ago in the future WAIS Divide borehole to be drilled to bedrock. Using the miniBSLs to identify biomolecules via their fluorescence, we will log a 350-m borehole at WAIS Divide, and we will scan selected lengths of ice core at NICL. Among the biomolecules the miniBSLs can identify will be chlorophyll, which will provide the first map of aerobic microbes in ice, and F420, which will provide the first map of methanogens in ice. We will collaborate with others in relating results from WAIS Divide and NICL ice cores to broader topics in climatology, volcanology, and microbial ecology. We will continue to give broad training to undergraduate and graduate students, to attract underrepresented minorities to science, engineering, and math, and to educate the press and college teachers. A deeper understanding of the causes of abrupt climate change, including a causal relationship with strong volcanic eruptions, can enable us to understand and mitigate adverse effects on climate.
This work will study cosmogenic isotope profiles of rock and sediment in the Dry Valleys of Antarctica to understand their origin. The results will provide important constraints on the history of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. The near-perfect preservation of volcanic ash and overlying sediments suggests that hyperarid cold conditions have prevailed in the Dry Valleys for over 10 Myr. The survival of these sediments also suggests that warm-based ice has not entered the valley system and ice sheet expansion has been minimal. Other evidence, however, suggests that the Dry Valleys have experienced considerably more sediment erosion than generally believed: 1) the cosmogenic exposure ages of boulders and bedrock in the Valleys all show generally younger ages than volcanic ash deposits used to determine minimum ages of moraines and drifts, 2) there appears to be a discrepancy between the suggested extreme preservation of unconsolidated slope deposits (>10 Myr) and adjacent bedrock that has eroded 2.6-6 m during the same time interval. The fact that the till and moraine exposure ages generally post date the overlying volcanic ash deposits could reflect expansion of continental ice sheet into the Dry Valleys with cold-based ice, thus both preserving the landscape and shielding the surfaces from cosmic radiation. Another plausible explanation of the young cosmogenic exposure ages is erosion of the sediments and gradual exhumation of formerly buried boulders to the surface. Cosmogenic isotope systematics are especially well suited to address these questions. We will measure multiple cosmogenic isotopes in profiles of rock and sediment to determine the minimum exposure ages, the degree of soil stability or mixing, and the shielding history of surfaces by cold based ice. We expect to obtain unambiguous minimum ages for deposits. In addition, we should be able to identify areas disturbed by periglacial activity, constrain the timing of such activity, and account for the patchy preservation of important stratigraphic markers such as volcanic ash. The broader impacts of this project include graduate and undergraduate education, and improving our understanding of the dynamics of Southern Hemisphere climate on timescales of millions of years, which has major implications for understanding the controls and impacts of global climate change.
This award supports a comprehensive aerogeophysical survey of the Amundsen Sea Embayment (ASE) in West Antarctica. The University of Texas will join forces with the British Antarctic Survey to use both US and UK aircraft and instrumentation to achieve this survey. Analyses of the new aerogeophysical<br/>data will result in the generation of maps of ice sheet surface, volume and bottom-interface characteristics. These maps will support the efforts of a community of US and international researchers to assess the present and predict the future behavior of the ice sheet in the ASE.<br/>The West Antarctic ice sheet has been the subject of intensive interdisciplinary study by both the European and U.S. scientific communities since it was recognized to be a potential source for up to 5 meters of sea<br/>level rise, possibly on short timescales. In terms of ice discharge, the ASE is the largest drainage system in West Antarctica. Yet it has been comparatively unstudied, primarily due to its remoteness from logistical<br/>centers. The ASE is the only major drainage to exhibit significant elevation change over the period of available satellite observations. Present knowledge of the ice thickness and subglacial boundary conditions in the ASE are insufficient to understand its evolution or its sensitivity to climatic change.<br/>The results from our surveys are required to achieve the fundamental research objectives outlined by the US scientific community in an ASE Science Plan. The surveys and analyses will be achieved through international collaboration and will involve graduate students, undergraduates and high school apprentices.<br/>Through its potential for influencing sea level, the future behavior of the ASE is of primary societal importance. Given the substantial public and scientific interest that recent reports of change in West Antarctica have generated, we expect fundamental research in the Amundsen Sea Embayment, enabled by our surveys, will have widespread impact.
This award supports a project to characterize the morphology, ice motion velocity and mass balance of Lambert Glacier, Antarctica using state-of-the-art remote sensing and GIS techniques. Lambert Glacier is the largest ice stream in the world. Because of its size, it plays a fundamental role in the study of glacial dynamics and mass budget in response to present and future climate changes. Along with the bedrock topography and ice thickness data derived from airborne radio echo soundings and snow accumulation data compiled from ground-based measurements, the dynamic behavior and mass balance of the Lambert glacial basin in a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) environment will be examined. Specific objectives are to: (1) Extract two-dimensional ice velocity field over the entire Lambert glacial basin using speckle matching and differential interferometric SAR (InSAR) techniques, and produce a full coverage of radar coherence map over the drainage basin. With the ice velocity data, calculate the strain rate field from the initiation areas of the ice stream onto the Amery Ice Shelf; (2) Derive high-resolution digital elevation model (DEM) over the Lambert glacial drainage basin using SAR stereo, differential interferometric SAR, and GLAS laser altimetry techniques. Based on the DEM, extract ice divides and ice flow directions, delineate the snow catchment basin, and calculate the balance deformation velocity and the basal shear stress; (3) Interpolate traverse ice thickness data collected by Australian and Russian airborne radio echo sounding surveys into a regular grid, and derive a regular grid of bedrock topography in combination with the DEM; (4) Integrate newly derived ice velocity and ice thickness data as well as snow accumulation rate data compiled from previous ground-based measurements into a geographic information system (GIS), and calculate the mass flux through the ice stream at the grounding lines and net mass balance throughout the drainage basin. With these new measurements and calculations derived from advanced remote sensing techniques, we will be able to improve our understanding of dynamic behavior and current mass balance status of the Lambert glacial basin, gain an insight on the relationship between ice mass change and the variation in regional and global climate at decadal scale, and provide an evaluation on the issue of whether the Lambert glacier basin is subject to surging in the context of future climate change.
This award supports a program of radar studies of internal stratigraphy and bedrock topography along the traverses for the U.S. component of the International Trans-Antarctic Scientific Expedition (US ITASE). The radar will provide information immediately available in the field on ice thickness and internal layer structure to help in the selection of core sites as the traverse proceeds. These data will also be useful in siting deeper millennial scale cores planned at less frequent intervals along the traverse, and in the selection of the location for the deep inland core planned for the future. In addition to continuous coverage along the traverse route, more detailed studies on a grid surrounding each of the core locations will be made to better characterize accumulation and bedrock topography in each area. This proposal is complimentary to the one submitted by the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL), which proposes a high frequency radar to examine the shallower portion of the record down to approximately 60 meters, including the presence of near-surface crevasses. The radar proposed herein is most sensitive at depths below 60 meters and can depict deep bedrock and internal layers to a substantial fraction of the ice thickness.
This award, provided by the Antarctic Geology and Geophysics Program of the Office of Polar Programs, supports a collaborative research project between the University of California-Santa Cruz, the University of Texas-Austin, and the Ohio State University to investigate sediment samples recovered from the base of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS). West Antarctica is a remote polar region but its dynamic ice sheet, complicated tectonic history, and the sedimentary record of Cenozoic glaciation make it of particular interest to glaciologists and geologists. Glaciologists are concerned with the possibility of significant near-future changes in mass balance of the WAIS that may contribute to the ongoing global sea level rise. Geologists are investigating in West Antarctica the fundamental process of continental extension and are constructing models of a polar marine depositional system using this region as the prime modern example. The subglacial part of West Antarctica has escaped direct geological investigations and all that is known about subglacial geology comes from geophysical remote sensing. Recent acquisitions of new, high-quality geophysical data have led to generation of several enticing models. For instance, subglacial presence of high-magnitude, short-wavelength magnetic anomalies has prompted the proposition that there may be voluminous (>1 million cubic km), Late Cenozoic flood basalts beneath the ice sheet. Another important model suggests that the patterns of fast ice streaming (~100 meters/year) and slow ice motion (~1-10 meters/year) observed within the WAIS are controlled by subglacial distribution of sedimentary basins and resistant bedrock. These new geophysics-based models should be tested with direct observations because they are of such great importance to our understanding of the West Antarctic tectonic history and to our ability to predict the future behavior of the WAIS.<br/><br/>This research is designed as a pilot study to provide new geologic data, which may help to test the recent models inferred from geophysical observations. The new constraints on subglacial geology and on its interactions with the WAIS will be obtained through petrological and geochemical analyses of basal and subglacial sediments collected previously from seven localities. This investigation will take place in the context of testing the following three hypotheses: (A) the provenance of bedrock clasts in the glacial sediment samples is primarily from West Antarctica, (B) some clasts and muds from the West Antarctic subglacial sediments have been derived by erosion of the (inferred) subglacial Late Cenozoic flood basalts, and (C) the sediments underlying the West Antarctic ice streams were generated by glacial erosion of preglacial sedimentary basins but the sediments recovered from beneath the slow-moving parts of the WAIS were produced through erosion of resistant bedrock.<br/><br/>The individual hypotheses will be tested by collecting data on: (A) petrology, geochemistry and age of granitoid clasts, (B) petrology, geochemistry and age of basaltic clasts combined with mud geochemistry, and (C) clay mineralogy/paragenesis combined with textural maturity of sand and silt grains. The results of these tests will help evaluate the interesting possibility that subglacial geology may have first-order control on the patterns of fast ice flow within the WAIS. The new data will also help to determine whether the subglacial portion of West Antarctica is a Late Cenozoic flood basalt province. By combining glaciological and geological aspects of West Antarctic research the proposed collaborative project will add to the ongoing U.S. effort to create a multidisciplinary understanding of this polar region.
This award is for two years of support to perform radar investigations across former shear margins at Roosevelt Island and Ice Stream C in order to measure changes in the configuration and continuity of internal layers and the bed. The broad goal of these investigations is to gain an understanding of ice stream flow and the timing and mechanisms of ice stream shutdown. A high-resolution short-pulse radar system will be used for detailed examination of the uppermost hundred meters of the firn and ice, and a monopulse sounding-radar system will be used to image the rest of the ice column (including internal layers) and the bed. Changes in the shape and continuity of layers will be used to interpret mechanisms and modes of ice stream flow including the possible migration of stagnation fronts and rates of shut-down. Variations in bed reflectivity will be used to deduce basal hydrology conditions across lineations. Accumulation rates deduced from snow pits and shallow cores will be used to estimate near-surface depth-age profiles. Improved understanding of ice stream history opens the possibility of linking changes in the West Antarctic ice sheet with the geologic evidence from Northern Victoria Land and the ocean record of the retreat of the grounding line in the Ross Sea.
This award is for support for a program to investigate the visual stratigraphy, index physical properties, relaxation characteristics and crystalline structure of ice cores from Siple Dome, West Antarctica. This investigation will include measurements of a time-priority nature that must be initiated at the drill site on freshly-drilled cores. This will be especially true of cores from the brittle ice zone, which is expected to comprise a significant fraction of the ice core. The brittle zone includes ice in which relaxation , resulting from the release of confining pressure is maximized and leads to significant changes in the mechanical condition of the core that must be considered in relation to the processing and analysis of ice samples for entrapped gas and chemical studies. This relaxation will be monitored via precision density measurements made initially at the drill site and repeated at intervals back in the U.S. Other studies will include measurement of the annual layering in the core to as great a depth as visual stratigraphy can be deciphered, crystal size measurements as a function of depth and age, c-axis fabric studies, and analysis of the physical properties of any debris-bearing basal ice and its relationship to the underlying bedrock. Only through careful documentation and analysis of these key properties can we hope to accurately assess the dynamic state of the ice and the age-depth relationships essential to deciphering the paleoclimate record at this location.