USAP-DC

{"dp_type": "Project", "free_text": "LANDFORMS"}

[{"awards": "1744895 Lamp, Jennifer", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Fri, 30 May 2025 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "The McMurdo Dry Valleys region of Antarctica is one of the coldest, driest, and windiest places on the planet, and is often used as a comparison for the surface of Mars. It is also the largest ice-free region of Antarctica, and thus its deposits and landforms contain unique records of past climate not accessible elsewhere in the Antarctic continent or the world. In order to accurately interpret any geologic feature, however, we must understand how it forms and changes through time. In particular, in the Dry Valleys, we have a poor understanding of the rates and causes of one of Earth\u0027s most fundamental geologic phenomenon - physical rock breakdown. For example, the Dry Valleys lack moisture, which is thought to play a key role in rock breakdown in most other locations on the planet. What serves to fracture rocks in this seemingly inert environment? This project aims to answer that question by \u0027listening\u0027 as rocks crack in the Dry Valleys. We will instrument boulders with sensors that act as miniature seismographs, recording even the smallest microcracking on and within the rocks. At the same time, we will monitor the weather and environment around the rocks to record the conditions that trigger cracking events. While we collect these data, we will gather rock samples from deposits of different ages (from thousands to millions of years old) in the Dry Valleys. Measurements on these samples will allow us to see how quickly rocks breakdown and how their characteristics change over geologic time. The combined datasets will allow future scientists to more accurately understand the paleoclimates and landscapes of Antarctica, and possibly even Mars. This project will also serve to support two female investigators in a field where women are still largely underrepresented. The project will also provide unique exposure and experience to students, ranging from elementary students to the undergraduate and graduate students who will be working directly on various aspects of the project. Technical Abstract Rocks in the McMurdo Dry Valleys experience some of the lowest erosion rates on Earth. However, our current understanding of the relative role that different weathering factors (moisture, freezing temperatures, thermal cycling, salt crystallization or hydration, and wind abrasion) play in these and other environments is limited. Further, in the Dry Valleys, there has been no systematic evaluation of the variance in weathering and associated rock erosion rates, which may change significantly as a function of subaerial exposure duration, lithology, and texture. This research seeks to (1) characterize the primary drivers of rock breakdown, (2) better quantify erosion rates, and (3) determine the lithological and environmental factors that influence weathering and erosion in the Dry Valleys. Rock breakdown (cracking) will be recorded in real-time on in situ boulders using a custom acoustic emission monitoring system. By coupling acoustic emission data with micrometeorological measurements at and near rock surfaces, this study will directly test hypotheses relating to the environmental drivers of rock breakdown under this unique polar desert climate over short (minute to monthly) timescales. Cosmogenic nuclide techniques including a novel combination of 6 isotopes (Be-10, Al-26, He-3, Ne-21, Cl-36, C-14) together with rock property measurements (e.g., strength, elastic moduli, thermal properties) will be used to elucidate the complex relationship between long-term (kyr to Myr) boulder erosion rates, lithology, rock properties, and subaerial exposure duration. By synthesizing these measurements with short-term cracking data from the acoustic emission system, the proposed work will thoroughly examine which lithological and environmental factors and grain-scale processes are driving geomorphic evolution in the Dry Valleys. By constraining boulder erosion rates and determining their sensitivity to rock properties and age, the results will be directly applicable to cosmogenic nuclide exposure age studies in this region. Additionally, the resulting information on weathering processes and their relationship to rock morphology in the Dry Valleys can be used to address hypotheses as to formation of similar rock morphologies on Mars. The Project Investigators will participate in an elementary school outreach program run by Gonzaga University, and the project will support an undergraduate and graduate student. 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": "Erosion; Rock Weathering; GLACIAL LANDFORMS/PROCESSES; Fracture Propagation; Cosmogenic Dating; Dry Valleys", "locations": "Dry Valleys", "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Lamp, Jennifer; Schaefer, Joerg", "platforms": null, "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Collaborative Research: Landscape Evolution in the McMurdo Dry Valleys: Erosion Rates and Real-time Monitoring of Rock Breakdown in a Hyperarid, Subzero Environment", "uid": "p0010511", "west": null}, {"awards": "2422677 Hall, Brenda", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Tue, 29 Oct 2024 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Non-Technical The future response of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) to climate change and its consequent effect on global sea level remains a pressing problem, with implications for societal well-being, the economy, and national security. Projections of future ice-sheet behavior rely in part on understanding gained from ice-sheet response to past climate change, which can be found in geologic records. This project uses geologic features produced at the base of the ice sheet to examine a large change in EAIS behavior and to place ages on when this change occurred. By comparison to climate records from the same time, the project results will allow assessment of ice-sheet response to a climate that likely was warmer than at present. Such information will improve understanding of possible ice-sheet responses to a warming climate, as well as the underlying mechanisms. A better assessment of the likely EAIS response to future warming climate will aid in setting national and international policy and improve public welfare, by promoting more accurate predictions of the amounts and rates of sea-level rise. This project will contribute to the education of young scientists, thereby increasing the STEM workforce, which is in the national interest. A general-audience book will be produced to explain the importance of Antarctica to the public. Technical Accurate, well-dated reconstructions of the behavior of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) afford insight into its response to future climate change. This project uses new insights in subglacial hydrology and erosion to identify and date a major missing piece of Antarctic glacial history, involving massive expansion of the EAIS over the Transantarctic Mountains. This expansion led to formation of an extensive erosional landscape that was characterized by subglacial meltwater and represents a significant shift in ice-sheet behavior. Understanding the age and reasons for such an expansion are important in part, because the subglacial meltwater must have been linked to the Wilkes Subglacial Basin \u2013 an area thought to be susceptible to large-scale ice collapse under warm climates. The project will constrain the extent and age of this surface through 1) detailed geomorphological mapping from imagery, 2) reassessment of existing chronologic data, and 3) new surface exposure dating of existing samples. Results will test the hypothesis that the scoured surface and the ice-sheet behavior that it represents is much younger than its traditionally assigned age of \u226514 Ma and thus relevant to current investigations into ice-sheet behavior under warmer-than-present climates. The work affords mentoring opportunities for students of all ages and will include the production of a book on the landscapes of the Transantarctic Mountains designed to introduce the public to the importance of Antarctica. 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": "GLACIERS/ICE SHEETS; Antarctica; GLACIAL LANDFORMS", "locations": "Antarctica", "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Hall, Brenda; Denton, George", "platforms": null, "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Erosional landscapes of the Transantarctic Mountains produced by East Antarctic subglacial water?", "uid": "p0010488", "west": null}, {"awards": "2420219 Chignell, Stephen", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((160 -76.5,160.45 -76.5,160.9 -76.5,161.35 -76.5,161.8 -76.5,162.25 -76.5,162.7 -76.5,163.15 -76.5,163.6 -76.5,164.05 -76.5,164.5 -76.5,164.5 -76.7,164.5 -76.9,164.5 -77.1,164.5 -77.3,164.5 -77.5,164.5 -77.7,164.5 -77.9,164.5 -78.1,164.5 -78.3,164.5 -78.5,164.05 -78.5,163.6 -78.5,163.15 -78.5,162.7 -78.5,162.25 -78.5,161.8 -78.5,161.35 -78.5,160.9 -78.5,160.45 -78.5,160 -78.5,160 -78.3,160 -78.1,160 -77.9,160 -77.7,160 -77.5,160 -77.3,160 -77.1,160 -76.9,160 -76.7,160 -76.5))", "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Tue, 13 Aug 2024 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Geodiversity is the variety of non-living elements like rocks, landforms, and processes in a given area, and plays an especially critical role in Antarctica. Geodiversity provides the conditions in which life can develop and underpins all ecosystems on Earth. It also provides tangible services to people (like construction materials) as well as intangible benefits (such as scientific knowledge from ice cores and artistic inspiration from glaciers). Despite its importance, Antarctic geodiversity remains under-explored, under-described, and inadequately mapped. This knowledge gap is particularly concerning given the threats posed by increasing human activity and environmental and climate change. This project uses a variety of datasets to map Antarctic geodiversity, assess its benefits to people, and help identify priority locations for conservation. Through an interdisciplinary and mixed-method approach, this research will fill a major gap in the current understanding and representations of the Antarctic. Using the McMurdo Dry Valleys as a case study, the researcher will combine geospatial data on geology, geomorphology, pedology, and hydrology to map geodiversity of the region. This project will identify sites of key geosystem services by analyzing geospatial data on placenames, scientific samples, and a web-based participatory mapping survey. The geodiversity and geosystem services data will then be overlaid and combined to identify hotspots of geo-social diversity. The resulting maps will be compared with the region\u0027s protected area boundaries to assess the fit-for-purpose of current environmental management and identify priority locations for future research and conservation. The fellow will promote Antarctic geodiversity broadly, including at UNESCO International Geodiversity Day. 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": 164.5, "geometry": "POINT(162.25 -77.5)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "McMurdo Dry Valleys; LANDSCAPE; ROCKS/MINERALS/CRYSTALS; LANDFORMS; GIS; GLACIAL LANDFORMS; RIVERS/STREAMS", "locations": "McMurdo Dry Valleys", "north": -76.5, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Chignell, Stephen", "platforms": null, "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": -78.5, "title": "Postdoctoral Fellowship: OPP-PRF: Mapping Antarctic Geodiversity: Assessing People, Place, and Abiotic Nature in the McMurdo Dry Valleys", "uid": "p0010476", "west": 160.0}, {"awards": "2231558 Smith, Nathan; 2231559 Tinto, Kirsteen", "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": "Fri, 01 Sep 2023 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "The unique Antarctic environment offers insight into processes and records not seen anywhere else on Earth, and is critical to understanding our planet\u2019s history and future. The remoteness and logistics of Antarctic science brings together researchers from diverse disciplines who otherwise wouldn\u2019t be presented with opportunities for collaboration, and often rarely attend the same academic conferences. The Interdisciplinary Antarctic Earth Science (IAES) conference is a biennial gathering that supports the collaboration of U.S. bio-, cryo-, geo-, and atmospheric science researchers working in the Antarctic. This proposal will support the next two IAES conferences to be held in 2022 and 2024, as well as a paired deep-field camp planning workshop. The IAES conference is important to the mission of the NSF in supporting interdisciplinary collaboration in the Antarctic Earth sciences, but also fulfills recommendations by the National Academy for improving cross-disciplinary awareness, data sharing, and early career researcher mentoring and development. The size and scope of the IAES conference allow it to serve as a hub for novel, interdisciplinary collaboration, as well as help develop the next generation of Antarctic Earth scientists. The goals of the IAES conference are to develop and deepen scientific collaborations across the Antarctic Earth science community, and create a framework for future deep-field, as well as non-field-based research. Across a 2.5 day hybrid conference, the IAES themes will include 1) connecting surficial processes, geology, and the deep earth; 2) landscape, ice sheet, ocean and atmospheric interactions; 3) exploring the hidden continent; and 4) evolution and ecology of ancient and modern organisms, ecosystems, and environments. The conference will share science through presentations of current research and keynote talks, broaden participation through welcoming new researchers from under-represented communities and disciplines, and deepen collaboration through interdisciplinary networking highlighting potential research connections, novel mentorship activities, and promoting data re-use, and application of remote sensing and modeling. Discussions resulting from the IAES conference will be used to develop white papers on future Antarctic collaborative research and deep-field camps based on community-driven research priorities. Community surveys and feedback will be solicited throughout the project to guide the future development of the IAES conference. 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": "GEOMORPHIC LANDFORMS/PROCESSES; GEOCHEMISTRY; California; ICE CORE RECORDS; ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS; GLACIERS/ICE SHEETS; PALEOCLIMATE RECONSTRUCTIONS", "locations": "California", "north": -60.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Smith, Nathan; Tinto, Kirsty", "platforms": null, "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": -90.0, "title": "Collaborative Research: Conference: Interdisciplinary Antarctic Earth Science Conference \u0026 Deep-Field Planning Workshop", "uid": "p0010432", "west": -180.0}, {"awards": "1643248 Hall, Brenda", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((163.3 -77.8,163.43 -77.8,163.56 -77.8,163.69 -77.8,163.82 -77.8,163.95 -77.8,164.08 -77.8,164.21 -77.8,164.34 -77.8,164.47 -77.8,164.6 -77.8,164.6 -77.85,164.6 -77.9,164.6 -77.95,164.6 -78,164.6 -78.05,164.6 -78.1,164.6 -78.15,164.6 -78.2,164.6 -78.25,164.6 -78.3,164.47 -78.3,164.34 -78.3,164.21 -78.3,164.08 -78.3,163.95 -78.3,163.82 -78.3,163.69 -78.3,163.56 -78.3,163.43 -78.3,163.3 -78.3,163.3 -78.25,163.3 -78.2,163.3 -78.15,163.3 -78.1,163.3 -78.05,163.3 -78,163.3 -77.95,163.3 -77.9,163.3 -77.85,163.3 -77.8))", "dataset_titles": "Marshall Valley Radiocarbon Data; Marshall Valley U-Series Data; Pyramid Trough Radiocarbon Data; Walcott Glacier area radiocarbon data; Walcott Glacier Exposure Data", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601615", "doi": "10.15784/601615", "keywords": "Algae; Antarctica; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Howchin Glacier; Radiocarbon; Radiocarbon Dates; Ross Sea Drift; Royal Society Range; Walcott Glacier", "people": "Hall, Brenda", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Walcott Glacier area radiocarbon data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601615"}, {"dataset_uid": "601616", "doi": "10.15784/601616", "keywords": "Antarctica; Beryllium-10; Exposure Age; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; McMurdo Sound; Royal Society Range; Walcott Glacier", "people": "Hall, Brenda", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Walcott Glacier Exposure Data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601616"}, {"dataset_uid": "601529", "doi": "10.15784/601529", "keywords": "Algae; Antarctica; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Marshall Valley; Radiocarbon; Ross Sea Drift; Royal Society Range", "people": "Hall, Brenda", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Marshall Valley Radiocarbon Data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601529"}, {"dataset_uid": "601614", "doi": "10.15784/601614", "keywords": "Algae; Antarctica; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Pyramid Trough; Radiocarbon; Radiocarbon Dates; Ross Sea Drift; Royal Society Range", "people": "Hall, Brenda", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Pyramid Trough Radiocarbon Data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601614"}, {"dataset_uid": "601528", "doi": "10.15784/601528", "keywords": "234U/230Th Dating; Antarctica; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Last Glacial Maximum; Marshall Drift; Marshall Valley; MIS 6; Royal Society Range", "people": "Hall, Brenda", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Marshall Valley U-Series Data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601528"}], "date_created": "Thu, 03 Mar 2022 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Hall/1643248 This award supports a project to reconstruct the behavior of a portion of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (the Ross Ice Sheet), using glacial geologic mapping and radiocarbon dating of algal deposits contained in glacial moraines, at the end of the last glacial period. The results will be compared with other dating methods that will be used on alpine glaciers that terminated in the mountains of the Royal Society Range in East Antarctica during the last glacial maximum and whose landforms intersect with those of the Ross Ice Sheet. Results from this comparison will contribute to a better understanding of the Antarctic ice sheet during the most recent global warming that ended the last ice age. This period is of interest since it will help inform our understanding of Antarctic ice sheet behavior in a future climate warming. Such data also will help inform models that attempt to simulate not only the behavior of the ice sheet during the end of the last ice age, but also its future response to elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide. The work will contribute to the education and training of both graduate and undergraduate students and results from the work will be incorporated in classes at the University of Maine. Results derived from the research will be disseminated to the public through lectures and visits to K-12 classrooms and data from this project will be downloadable from a University of Maine web site, as well as from public data repositories. The Antarctic Ice Sheet exerts a key control on global sea levels, both past and future, and strongly influences Southern Hemisphere and even global climate and ocean circulation. And yet a complete understanding of the evolution of the ice sheet over the last glacial cycle and of the mechanisms that caused it to advance and retreat is still lacking. Of particular interest is the response of the Antarctic Ice Sheet to the global warming that ended the last ice age, because it yields important clues about likely future ice-sheet behavior under a warming climate. In this project, scientists will reconstruct the thinning history of the Antarctic Ice Sheet in the Ross Sea sector during the last glacial/interglacial transition on the headlands of the southern Royal Society Range. They will use a combination of glacial geomorphological mapping and radiocarbon dating of algal deposits enclosed within recessional moraines. Finally, this record will be compared with a beryllium- and radiocarbon-dated chronology that will be produced of adjacent independent alpine glaciers that terminated on land during the last glacial maximum and whose deposits show cross-cutting relationships with those of the ice sheet. Results from this comparison will bear on the behavior of the Antarctic Ice Sheet during the termination of the last ice age. This work will support six students, including at least three undergraduates, and involves field work in the Antarctic.", "east": 164.6, "geometry": "POINT(163.95 -78.05)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "GLACIER ELEVATION/ICE SHEET ELEVATION; Royal Society Range; USA/NSF; USAP-DC; Amd/Us; AMD; LABORATORY; GLACIAL LANDFORMS", "locations": "Royal Society Range", "north": -77.8, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Hall, Brenda; Denton, George", "platforms": "OTHER \u003e PHYSICAL MODELS \u003e LABORATORY", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -78.3, "title": "Response of the Antarctic Ice Sheet to the last great global warming", "uid": "p0010301", "west": 163.3}, {"awards": "0944150 Hall, Brenda", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((163.6 -77.5,163.7 -77.5,163.8 -77.5,163.9 -77.5,164 -77.5,164.1 -77.5,164.2 -77.5,164.3 -77.5,164.4 -77.5,164.5 -77.5,164.6 -77.5,164.6 -77.57,164.6 -77.64,164.6 -77.71,164.6 -77.78,164.6 -77.85,164.6 -77.92,164.6 -77.99,164.6 -78.06,164.6 -78.13,164.6 -78.2,164.5 -78.2,164.4 -78.2,164.3 -78.2,164.2 -78.2,164.1 -78.2,164 -78.2,163.9 -78.2,163.8 -78.2,163.7 -78.2,163.6 -78.2,163.6 -78.13,163.6 -78.06,163.6 -77.99,163.6 -77.92,163.6 -77.85,163.6 -77.78,163.6 -77.71,163.6 -77.64,163.6 -77.57,163.6 -77.5))", "dataset_titles": "Marshall Valley Radiocarbon Data; Marshall Valley U-Series Data; Royal Society Range Headland Moraine Belt Radiocarbon Data; Salmon Valley Radiocarbon Data", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601529", "doi": "10.15784/601529", "keywords": "Algae; Antarctica; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Marshall Valley; Radiocarbon; Ross Sea Drift; Royal Society Range", "people": "Hall, Brenda", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Marshall Valley Radiocarbon Data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601529"}, {"dataset_uid": "601528", "doi": "10.15784/601528", "keywords": "234U/230Th Dating; Antarctica; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Last Glacial Maximum; Marshall Drift; Marshall Valley; MIS 6; Royal Society Range", "people": "Hall, Brenda", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Marshall Valley U-Series Data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601528"}, {"dataset_uid": "601555", "doi": "10.15784/601555", "keywords": "Antarctica; Last Glacial Maximum; McMurdo Sound; Radiocarbon Dates; Ross Sea Drift; Royal Society Range", "people": "Hall, Brenda", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Royal Society Range Headland Moraine Belt Radiocarbon Data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601555"}, {"dataset_uid": "601556", "doi": "10.15784/601556", "keywords": "Antarctica; Last Glacial Maximum; McMurdo Sound; Radiocarbon Dates; Ross Sea Drift; Royal Society Range", "people": "Hall, Brenda", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Salmon Valley Radiocarbon Data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601556"}], "date_created": "Thu, 03 Mar 2022 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award supports a project to investigate the sensitivity of the Antarctic ice sheet (AIS) to global climate change over the last two Glacial/Interglacial cycles. The intellectual merit of the project is that despite its importance to Earth\u0027s climate system, we currently lack a full understanding of AIS sensitivity to global climate change. This project will reconstruct and precisely date the history of marine-based ice in the Ross Sea sector over the last two glacial/interglacial cycles, which will enable a better understanding of the potential driving mechanisms (i.e., sea-level rise, ice dynamics, ocean temperature variations) for ice fluctuations. This will also help to place present ice?]sheet behavior in a long-term context. During the last glacial maximum (LGM), the AIS is known to have filled the Ross Embayment and although much has been done both in the marine and terrestrial settings to constrain its extent, the chronology of the ice sheet, particularly the timing and duration of the maximum and the pattern of initial recession, remains uncertain. In addition, virtually nothing is known of the penultimate glaciation, other than it is presumed to have been generally similar to the LGM. These shortcomings greatly limit our ability to understand AIS evolution and the driving mechanisms behind ice sheet fluctuations. This project will develop a detailed record of ice extent and chronology in the western Ross Embayment for not only the LGM, but also for the penultimate glaciation (Stage 6), from well-dated glacial geologic data in the Royal Society Range. Chronology will come primarily from high-precision Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) Carbon-14 (14C) and multi-collector Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP)-Mass Spectrometry (MS) 234Uranium/230Thorium dating of lake algae and carbonates known to be widespread in the proposed field area. ", "east": 164.6, "geometry": "POINT(164.1 -77.85)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "LABORATORY; Amd/Us; AMD; USA/NSF; GLACIAL LANDFORMS; USAP-DC; Royal Society Range; GLACIER ELEVATION/ICE SHEET ELEVATION", "locations": "Royal Society Range", "north": -77.5, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Hall, Brenda; Denton, George", "platforms": "OTHER \u003e PHYSICAL MODELS \u003e LABORATORY", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -78.2, "title": "Sensitivity of the Antarctic Ice Sheet to Climate Change over the Last Two Glacial/Interglacial Cycles", "uid": "p0010302", "west": 163.6}, {"awards": "1745043 Simkins, Lauren; 1745055 Stearns, Leigh", "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": "Circum-Antarctic grounding-line sinuosity; Elevation transects from Pine Island Bay; Pennell Trough, Ross Sea bathymetry and glacial landforms", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601774", "doi": "10.15784/601774", "keywords": "Antarctica; Bed Roughness; Cryosphere; Geomorphology; Pine Island Bay", "people": "Munevar Garcia, Santiago", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Elevation transects from Pine Island Bay", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601774"}, {"dataset_uid": "601484", "doi": "10.15784/601484", "keywords": "Antarctica; Bed Roughness; Bed Slope; Elevation; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Pinning Points", "people": "Stearns, Leigh; Riverman, Kiya; Simkins, Lauren", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Circum-Antarctic grounding-line sinuosity", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601484"}, {"dataset_uid": "601474", "doi": "10.15784/601474", "keywords": "Antarctica; Bathymetry; Elevation; Geomorphology; Glacial History; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Marine Geoscience; NBP1502; Pennell Trough; Ross Sea; R/v Nathaniel B. Palmer", "people": "Prothro, Lindsay; Anderson, John; Eareckson, Elizabeth; Greenwood, Sarah; Munevar Garcia, Santiago; Simkins, Lauren", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Pennell Trough, Ross Sea bathymetry and glacial landforms", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601474"}], "date_created": "Tue, 28 Sep 2021 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Current ice mass loss in Antarctica is largely driven by changes at glacier grounding lines, where inland ice transitions from being grounded to floating in the ocean. The rate and pattern of glacier retreat in these circumstances is thought to be controlled by the terrain under the ice. This project incorporates evidence of past ice-retreat events and other field data, such as grounding-line positions and dates, subglacial topography, and meltwater features, into numerical models of ice flow to investigate the influence that grounding-line processes and subglacial topography have on glacier retreat rates over the past 15,000 years. Recent observations suggest that Antarctic ice mass loss is largely driven by perturbations at or near the grounding line. However, the lack of information on subglacial and grounding-line environments causes large uncertainties in projections of mass loss and sea-level rise. This project will integrate geologic data from the deglaciated continental shelf into numerical models of varying complexity from one to three-dimensions. Rarely do numerical ice-sheet models of Antarctica have multiple constraints on dynamics over the past ~15,000 years (a period that spans the deglaciation of the Antarctic continental shelf since the Last Glacial Maximum). The geologic constraints include grounding-line positions, deglacial chronologies, and information on grounding line-ice shelf processes. The models will be used to investigate necessary perturbations and controls that meet the geological constraints. The multidisciplinary approach of merging geologic reconstructions of paleo-ice behavior with numerical models of ice response will allow the research team to test understanding of subglacial controls on grounding-line dynamics and assess the stability of modern grounding lines. 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": "MARINE SEDIMENTS; USAP-DC; Amd/Us; GLACIERS; BATHYMETRY; GLACIAL LANDFORMS; Antarctica; AMD; USA/NSF; R/V NBP", "locations": "Antarctica", "north": -60.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology; Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Glaciology; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Simkins, Lauren; Stearns, Leigh; Anderson, John; van der Veen, Cornelis", "platforms": "WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V NBP", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -90.0, "title": "Collaborative Research: Topographic controls on Antarctic Ice Sheet grounding line retreat - integrating models and observations", "uid": "p0010269", "west": -180.0}, {"awards": "1644171 Blackburn, Terrence", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((162 -77.5,162.2 -77.5,162.4 -77.5,162.6 -77.5,162.8 -77.5,163 -77.5,163.2 -77.5,163.4 -77.5,163.6 -77.5,163.8 -77.5,164 -77.5,164 -77.525,164 -77.55,164 -77.575,164 -77.6,164 -77.625,164 -77.65,164 -77.675,164 -77.7,164 -77.725,164 -77.75,163.8 -77.75,163.6 -77.75,163.4 -77.75,163.2 -77.75,163 -77.75,162.8 -77.75,162.6 -77.75,162.4 -77.75,162.2 -77.75,162 -77.75,162 -77.725,162 -77.7,162 -77.675,162 -77.65,162 -77.625,162 -77.6,162 -77.575,162 -77.55,162 -77.525,162 -77.5))", "dataset_titles": "Isotopic ratios for subglacial precipitates from East Antarctica; U-Th isotopes and major elements in sediments from Taylor Valley, Antarctica", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601806", "doi": "10.15784/601806", "keywords": "Antarctica; Cryosphere; Erosion; Isotope Data; Major Elements; Soil; Taylor Glacier; Taylor Valley", "people": "Piccione, Gavin; Edwards, Graham; Blackburn, Terrence; Tulaczyk, Slawek", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "U-Th isotopes and major elements in sediments from Taylor Valley, Antarctica", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601806"}, {"dataset_uid": "200240", "doi": "10.26022/IEDA/111548 ", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "EarthChem", "science_program": null, "title": "Isotopic ratios for subglacial precipitates from East Antarctica", "url": "https://doi.org/10.26022/IEDA/111548"}], "date_created": "Fri, 13 Aug 2021 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "A\u00a0nontechnical\u00a0description of the project The primary scientific goal of the project is to test whether Taylor Valley, Antarctica has been eroded significantly by glaciers in the last ~2 million years (Ma). Taylor Valley is one of the Dry Valleys of the Transantarctic Mountains, which are characterized by low mean annual temperatures, low precipitation, and limited erosion. These conditions have allowed fragile glacial landforms to be preserved for up to 15 Ma. Sediment eroded and deposited by glaciers is found on the valley walls and floors, with progressively younger deposits preserved at lower elevations. Scientists can date glacial deposits to understand the process and timing of past glacial erosion. Previous work in the Dry Valleys region suggested that extremely cold glaciers like Taylor Glacier, a major outlet glacier entering the valleys, were not erosive during the last several million years. This research will test a new hypothesis that glacial erosion and sediment production beneath Taylor Glacier have been active in the last few million years. This hypothesis will be tested using a new isotopic dating method called \"comminution dating\u0027 which determines when fine-grained sediment particles called silt were formed. If the sediment age is young, then the results will suggest that glacial processes have been more dynamic than previously thought. Overall, this study will increase our understanding of the nature and extent of past glaciations in Antarctica. Because the silt produced by erosion sediment is a nutrient for local ecosystems, the results will also shed light on delivery of nutrients to soils, streams, and coastal zones in high polar regions. This project will be led by an early career scientist and includes training of a Ph.D. student. A\u00a0technical description of the project There is a long-standing scientific controversy about the stability of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet with much evidence centered in the Dry Valleys region of South Victoria Land. A prevailing view of geomorphologists is that the landscape has been very stable and that the effects of glaciation have been minimal for the past ~15 Ma. This project will distinguish between two end-member scenarios of glacial erosion and deposition by Taylor Glacier, an outlet glacier of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet that terminates in Taylor Valley in the Dry Valleys region of Antarctica. In the first scenario, all valley relief is generated prior to 15 Ma when non-polar climates enabled warm-based glaciers to incise and widen ancient river channels. In this case, younger glacial deposits record advances of cold-based glaciers of decreasing ice volume and limited glacial erosion, and sediment generation resulted in glacial deposits composed primarily of older recycled sediments. In the second scenario, selective erosion of the valley floor has continued to deepen Taylor Valley but has not affected the adjacent peaks over the last 2 Ma. In this scenario, the \"bathtub rings\" of Quaternary glacial deposits situated at progressively lower elevations through time could be due to the lowering of the valley floor by subglacial erosion and with it, production of new sediment which is now incorporated into these deposits. While either scenario would result in the present-day topography, they differ in the implied evolution of regional glacial ice volume over time and the timing of both valley relief production and generation of fine-grained particles. The two scenarios will be tested by placing time constraints on fine particle production using U-series comminution dating. This new geochronologic tool exploits the loss of 234U due to alpha-recoil. The deficiency in 234U only becomes detectable in fine-grained particles with a sufficiently high surface-area-to-volume ratio which can incur appreciable 234U loss. The timing of comminution and particle size controls the magnitude of 234U loss. While this geochronologic tool is in its infancy, the scientific goal of this proposal can be achieved by resolving between ancient and recently comminuted fine particles, a binary question that the preliminary modeling and measured data show is readily resolved.", "east": 164.0, "geometry": "POINT(163 -77.625)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "ICE SHEETS; Taylor Valley", "locations": "Taylor Valley", "north": -77.5, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Blackburn, Terrence; Tulaczyk, Slawek", "platforms": null, "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "EarthChem; USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -77.75, "title": "U-Series Comminution Age Constraints on Taylor Valley Erosion", "uid": "p0010243", "west": 162.0}, {"awards": "1445205 Putkonen, Jaakko", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((157.6 -83.2,157.62 -83.2,157.64 -83.2,157.66 -83.2,157.68 -83.2,157.7 -83.2,157.72 -83.2,157.74 -83.2,157.76 -83.2,157.78 -83.2,157.8 -83.2,157.8 -83.21,157.8 -83.22,157.8 -83.23,157.8 -83.24,157.8 -83.25,157.8 -83.26,157.8 -83.27,157.8 -83.28,157.8 -83.29,157.8 -83.3,157.78 -83.3,157.76 -83.3,157.74 -83.3,157.72 -83.3,157.7 -83.3,157.68 -83.3,157.66 -83.3,157.64 -83.3,157.62 -83.3,157.6 -83.3,157.6 -83.29,157.6 -83.28,157.6 -83.27,157.6 -83.26,157.6 -83.25,157.6 -83.24,157.6 -83.23,157.6 -83.22,157.6 -83.21,157.6 -83.2))", "dataset_titles": "Cosmogenic-Nuclide data at ICE-D; Old Ice, Ong Valley, Transantarctic Mountains", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "200295", "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": "601665", "doi": "10.15784/601665", "keywords": "Antarctica; Buried Ice; Cosmogenic Isotopes; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Ice Core Records; Old Ice; Ong Valley", "people": "Putkonen, Jaakko; Bergelin, Marie", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Old Ice, Ong Valley, Transantarctic Mountains", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601665"}], "date_created": "Fri, 16 Jul 2021 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Putkonen/1445205 This award supports the study of a large body of ice that is buried beneath approximately a meter of debris in the Ong Valley of the Transantarctic Mountains of East Antarctica. Preliminary analyses of this material suggest that it could be over a million years old. Most glacial ice contains tiny air bubbles that have trapped the atmospheric gases and other atmospherically transported materials existing at the time that the ice was deposited such as plant pollen, microbes and mineral dust. Samples will be collected from this buried ice mass, down to a depth of 10 meters, and cosmogenic nuclide concentrations both in the overlying debris and in the till contained in the ice will be measured. This site could contain some of the oldest ice on Earth and studies of the material contained within it may help researchers to better understand the processes involved in its survival for such long periods of time. This work will also help inform scientists about the processes involved in the development of landforms here on earth as well as those on Mars where similar dirt covered glaciers are found today. Samples of the buried ice will be collected in Ong Valley and analyzed to determine the cosmogenic nuclide concentrations in both the overlying debris and in the mineral matter suspended in the ice. The combined analysis of the target cosmogenic nuclides (Beryllium-10, Aluminum-26, and Neon-21) will allow the age of the ice to be uniquely determined and will enable determination of the rate that the ice is sublimating. The intellectual merit of this research is to unequivocally determine the age of the ice and the sublimation rate of the ice in Ong Valley, Antarctica and to better understand if this an uniquely Antarctic process or whether it could exist elsewhere on earth or on other planets. The work may also lead to the recognition of the oldest buried ice ever found on Earth and would provide a source from which direct information about the atmospheric chemistry, ancient life forms, and geology of that time could be measured. The broader impacts of this work are that it will be relevant to researchers in a number of different fields including glaciology, paleoclimatology, planetary geology, and biology. Several students will also participate in the project, conducting Antarctic field work, making measurements in the lab, attending meetings, participating in outreach activities, and producing videos. A graduate student will also write a thesis on this research. The results will be published in scientific journals and presented at conferences. The project requires field work in Antarctica.", "east": 157.8, "geometry": "POINT(157.7 -83.25)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "USAP-DC; USA/NSF; FIELD SURVEYS; Transantarctic Mountains; GLACIERS/ICE SHEETS; AMD; Amd/Us", "locations": "Transantarctic Mountains", "north": -83.2, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "putkonen, jaakko; Balco, Gregory; Morgan, Daniel", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD SURVEYS", "repo": "ICE-D", "repositories": "ICE-D; USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -83.3, "title": "Collaborative Research: Long Term Sublimation/Preservation of Two Separate, Buried Glacier Ice Masses, Ong Valley, Southern Transantarctic Mountains", "uid": "p0010231", "west": 157.6}, {"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": "Thomson, Stuart; He, John; Reiners, Peter; Hemming, Sidney R.; Licht, Kathy", "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": "1738989 Venturelli, Ryan; 2317097 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; Beryllium-10 exposure ages for Pope Glacier from a scoria cone 1.5 km west of Mount Murphy in the Amundsen Sea Embayment; Cosmogenic 10Be data and calculated surface exposure ages for 41 cobbles and boulders collected from nunataks adjacent to Larter and Lucchitta glaciers in the Hudson Mountains, West Antarctica; Cosmogenic Be-10 and Al-26 data and calculated surface exposure ages for cobbles collected from a moraine adjacent to Mount Murphy, West Antarctica; Cosmogenic Be-10 data and calculated surface exposure ages from nunataks adjacent to Pine Island Glacier in the Hudson Mountains, West Antarctica; Cosmogenic in situ 14C data and calculated surface exposure ages for 9 erratic cobbles collected from Mount Murphy, West Antarctica; Cosmogenic-Nuclide data at ICE-D; Firn and Ice Density at Winkie Nunatak; Geochronological data from the Hudson Mountains, Antarctica; Geomorphological measurements and lithological classifications of 90 erratic cobbles from the Hudson Mountains, West Antarctica; Ground-penetrating radar surveys at three nunataks in the Hudson Mountains in the Amundsen Sea sector of West Antarctica, December 2019; 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; Laboratory spectral reflectance measurements at VNIR-SWIR wavelengths of 17 rock samples from Mount Murphy, West Antarctica; NBP1902 Expedition data; Orientations of bedrock striations in the Hudson Mountains, West Antarctica; Pine Island Bay Relative Sea-Level Data", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "200295", "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": "601554", "doi": "10.15784/601554", "keywords": "Antarctica; Pine Island Bay; Radiocarbon; Raised Beaches", "people": "Hall, Brenda; Braddock, Scott", "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": "200490", "doi": "10.5285/9555694e-c9f5-4bf8-a556-2ad9d29e55c6", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "NERC EDS UK Polar Data Center", "science_program": null, "title": "Ground-penetrating radar surveys at three nunataks in the Hudson Mountains in the Amundsen Sea sector of West Antarctica, December 2019", "url": "https://data.bas.ac.uk/full-record.php?id=GB/NERC/BAS/PDC/01842"}, {"dataset_uid": "200491", "doi": "10.5285/9ddd50c8-cd08-4afe-b245-f6891f1d9a3f", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "NERC EDS UK Polar Data Center", "science_program": null, "title": "Cosmogenic Be-10 data and calculated surface exposure ages from nunataks adjacent to Pine Island Glacier in the Hudson Mountains, West Antarctica", "url": "https://data.bas.ac.uk/full-record.php?id=GB/NERC/BAS/PDC/01759"}, {"dataset_uid": "200489", "doi": "10.5285/1efc0048-5f0f-4ae7-a3a6-7728fe2ccf48", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "NERC EDS UK Polar Data Center", "science_program": null, "title": "Cosmogenic Be-10 and Al-26 data and calculated surface exposure ages for cobbles collected from a moraine adjacent to Mount Murphy, West Antarctica", "url": "https://data.bas.ac.uk/full-record.php?id=GB/NERC/BAS/PDC/01840"}, {"dataset_uid": "200488", "doi": "10.5285/79c8eb39-5c19-440e-804f-816cd0b8e4bd", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "NERC EDS UK Polar Data Center", "science_program": null, "title": "Geomorphological measurements and lithological classifications of 90 erratic cobbles from the Hudson Mountains, West Antarctica", "url": "https://data.bas.ac.uk/full-record.php?id=GB/NERC/BAS/PDC/01867"}, {"dataset_uid": "200487", "doi": "10.5285/7e80c81b-acc2-4a9b-9b5e-d37d49705524", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "NERC EDS UK Polar Data Center", "science_program": null, "title": "Orientations of bedrock striations in the Hudson Mountains, West Antarctica", "url": "https://data.bas.ac.uk/full-record.php?id=GB/NERC/BAS/PDC/01868"}, {"dataset_uid": "200486", "doi": "10.5285/dbb30962-bbf3-434a-9f27-6de2f61a86e2", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "NERC EDS UK Polar Data Center", "science_program": null, "title": "Cosmogenic in situ 14C data and calculated surface exposure ages for 9 erratic cobbles collected from Mount Murphy, West Antarctica", "url": "https://data.bas.ac.uk/full-record.php?id=GB/NERC/BAS/PDC/01925"}, {"dataset_uid": "200492", "doi": "10.5285/8f275626-5f22-48df-95e5-cdc8f204a897", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "NERC EDS UK Polar Data Center", "science_program": null, "title": "Beryllium-10 exposure ages for Pope Glacier from a scoria cone 1.5 km west of Mount Murphy in the Amundsen Sea Embayment", "url": "https://data.bas.ac.uk/full-record.php?id=GB/NERC/BAS/PDC/01661"}, {"dataset_uid": "601860", "doi": "10.15784/601860", "keywords": "Antarctica; Cryosphere; Grounding Zone; Ice Penetrating Radar; Thwaites Glacier", "people": "Campbell, Seth; Goehring, Brent; Balco, Gregory", "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": "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"}, {"dataset_uid": "601834", "doi": "10.15784/601834", "keywords": "Antarctica; Cryosphere; Mount Murphy", "people": "Balco, Gregory; 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": "601705", "doi": "10.15784/601705", "keywords": "Antarctica; Cosmogenic Radionuclides; Mount Murphy; Subglacial Bedrock", "people": "Balco, Gregory; Venturelli, Ryan; Goehring, Brent", "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": "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": "200485", "doi": "10.5285/fcd80bf1-bd69-4054-826c-a4727af8096a", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "NERC EDS UK Polar Data Center", "science_program": null, "title": "Laboratory spectral reflectance measurements at VNIR-SWIR wavelengths of 17 rock samples from Mount Murphy, West Antarctica", "url": "https://data.bas.ac.uk/full-record.php?id=GB/NERC/BAS/PDC/01918"}, {"dataset_uid": "200484", "doi": "10.5285/8f999423-ff40-4181-bdf3-964a7e145772", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "NERC EDS UK Polar Data Center", "science_program": null, "title": "Geochronological data from the Hudson Mountains, Antarctica", "url": "https://data.bas.ac.uk/full-record.php?id=GB/NERC/BAS/PDC/02044"}, {"dataset_uid": "200483", "doi": "10.5285/de4a62bc-9c01-4aa3-9fd8-c64d706cfc13", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "NERC EDS UK Polar Data Center", "science_program": null, "title": "Cosmogenic 10Be data and calculated surface exposure ages for 41 cobbles and boulders collected from nunataks adjacent to Larter and Lucchitta glaciers in the Hudson Mountains, West Antarctica", "url": "https://data.bas.ac.uk/full-record.php?id=GB/NERC/BAS/PDC/02025"}], "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 Earth Sciences; Antarctic Glaciology; Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Venturelli, Ryan A; Goehring, Brent; Hall, Brenda; Campbell, Seth; Balco, Gregory", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD INVESTIGATION; OTHER \u003e PHYSICAL MODELS \u003e LABORATORY", "repo": "ICE-D", "repositories": "ICE-D; NERC EDS UK Polar Data Center; 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": "2048351 Lindow, Julia", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Fri, 26 Feb 2021 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Part I: Nontechnical Antarcticas ice sheets constitute the largest ice mass on Earth, with approximately 53 meters of sea level equivalent stored in the East Antarctic Ice Sheet alone. The history of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet is therefore important to understanding and predicting changes in sea level and Earths climate. There is conflicting evidence regarding long-term stability of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, over the last twenty million years. To better understand past ice sheet changes, together with the history of the Transantarctic Mountains, accurate time scales are needed. One of the few dating methods applicable to the Antarctic glacial deposits, that record past ice sheet changes, is the measurement of rare isotopes produced by cosmic rays in surface rock samples, referred to as cosmogenic nuclides. Whenever a rock surface is exposed/free of cover, cosmic rays produce rare isotopes such as helium-3, beryllium-10, and neon-21within the minerals. This project will involve measurement of all three isotopes in some of the oldest glacial deposits found at high elevation in the Transantarctic Mountains. Because the amount of each isotope is directly linked to the exposure time, this can be used to calculate the age of a surface. This method requires knowledge of the rates that cosmic radiation produces each isotope, which depends upon mineral composition, and is presently a limitation of the method. The goal of this project is to advance and enhance existing measurement methods and expand the range of possibilities in surface dating with new measurements of all three isotopes in pyroxene, a mineral that is commonly found throughout the Transantarctic Mountains. This technological progress will allow a better application of the surface exposure dating method, which in turn will help to reconstruct Antarctic ice sheet history and provide valuable knowledge of former ice-extent. Understanding Antarcticas ice-sheet history is crucial to predict its influence on past and future sea level changes. \r\n Part II: Technical Description Measurements of in-situ produced cosmogenic nuclides in Antarctic surficial rock samples provide unique time scales for glacial and landscape evolution processes. However, due to analytical challenges, pyroxene-bearing and widely distributed lithologies like the Ferrar dolerite of the Transantarctic Mountains, are underutilized. This proposal aims to changes this and to improve the cosmogenic nuclide methodologies for stable isotopes (21Ne and 3He) and radioactive nuclides (10Be) in pyroxenes. Proposed methodological improvements will be directly applicable to erosion rates and deposition ages of important glacial deposits, such as the controversial Sirius Group tills, and also to younger glacial features. Bennett Platform is the focus of this study because it is one of the southern-most Sirius Group outcrops along the Transantarctic Mountains, where cosmogenic ages are sparse. \r\n Preliminary measurements demonstrate large discrepancies between 3He and 21Ne age determinations in Sirius Group pyroxenes. One possible explanation is composition dependence of the 21Ne production rates. Coupled measurements of 3He, 21Ne, and 10Be in well-characterized pyroxene mineral separates from Ferrar dolerite will be used to better constrain the production rates, major element and trace element dependencies, the assumptions of the method, and ultimately advance the application of cosmogenic nuclides to mafic Antarctic lithologies. \r\n The main goals of this study are to improve measurement protocols for 10Be in pyroxene, and the determination of the composition dependence of 21Ne production rates by measuring mineral compositions (by electron microprobe), and nuclide concentrations in mineral pairs from young lava flows. Further aims are the validation of the nucleogenic contributions and the effects of helium diffusive loss through measurements of 3He/21Ne production ratios, combined with measurements of shielded samples of the Ferrar dolerite. Combined measurements of 3He, 21Ne and 10Be in pyroxenes have rarely been published for individual samples in Antarctica. The new and unique measurements of this study will advance the applicability of in-situ produced cosmogenic nuclides to both young and ancient Antarctic surfaces. The study will be performed using existing samples: no field work is requested. \r\n 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": "FIELD INVESTIGATION; LABORATORY; LANDSCAPE; Transantarctic Mountains; GLACIAL LANDFORMS", "locations": "Transantarctic Mountains", "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Lindow, Julia; Kurz, Mark D.", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD INVESTIGATION; OTHER \u003e PHYSICAL MODELS \u003e LABORATORY", "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "New Cosmogenic 21Ne and 10Be Measurements in the Transantarctic Mountains", "uid": "p0010163", "west": null}, {"awards": "1644197 Simms, Alexander", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-65 -61,-64 -61,-63 -61,-62 -61,-61 -61,-60 -61,-59 -61,-58 -61,-57 -61,-56 -61,-55 -61,-55 -61.4,-55 -61.8,-55 -62.2,-55 -62.6,-55 -63,-55 -63.4,-55 -63.8,-55 -64.2,-55 -64.6,-55 -65,-56 -65,-57 -65,-58 -65,-59 -65,-60 -65,-61 -65,-62 -65,-63 -65,-64 -65,-65 -65,-65 -64.6,-65 -64.2,-65 -63.8,-65 -63.4,-65 -63,-65 -62.6,-65 -62.2,-65 -61.8,-65 -61.4,-65 -61))", "dataset_titles": "Electron Microprobe Analysis of feldspar separates from rock and sediment OSL samples from Joinville and Livingston Island Beaches; Granulometry of Joinville and Livingston Island beaches; Ground-Penetrating Radar data from Livingston Island in the Antarctic Peninsula; Ground Penetrating Radar Profiles from Beaches on Joinville Island, Antarctic Peninsula; Joinville and Livingston Islands - rock and sediment OSL ages; OSL data - Joinville and Livingston Islands - Raw data; Radiocarbon Ages from Beaches on Joinville Island, Antarctic Peninsula", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601400", "doi": "10.15784/601400", "keywords": "Antarctica; Grain Size; Granulometry; Joinville Island; Livingston Island; LMG0412; Raised Beaches", "people": "Theilen, Brittany; Simms, Alexander", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Granulometry of Joinville and Livingston Island beaches", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601400"}, {"dataset_uid": "601634", "doi": "10.15784/601634", "keywords": "Antarctica; Joinville Island; Raised Beaches; Sea Level", "people": "Simms, Alexander", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Radiocarbon Ages from Beaches on Joinville Island, Antarctic Peninsula", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601634"}, {"dataset_uid": "601633", "doi": "10.15784/601633", "keywords": "Antarctica; Joinville Island", "people": "Simms, Alexander", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Ground-Penetrating Radar data from Livingston Island in the Antarctic Peninsula", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601633"}, {"dataset_uid": "601632", "doi": "10.15784/601632", "keywords": "Antarctica; Joinville Island", "people": "Simms, Alexander", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Ground Penetrating Radar Profiles from Beaches on Joinville Island, Antarctic Peninsula", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601632"}, {"dataset_uid": "601534", "doi": "10.15784/601534", "keywords": "Antarctica; Geochronology; Joinville Island; Livingston Island; OSL dating; Raised Beaches", "people": "DeWitt, Regina", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Joinville and Livingston Islands - rock and sediment OSL ages", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601534"}, {"dataset_uid": "601531", "doi": "10.15784/601531", "keywords": "Antarctica; Geochronology; Joinville Island; Livingston Island; OSL dating; Raised Beaches", "people": "DeWitt, Regina", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Electron Microprobe Analysis of feldspar separates from rock and sediment OSL samples from Joinville and Livingston Island Beaches", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601531"}, {"dataset_uid": "601532", "doi": "10.15784/601532", "keywords": "Antarctica; Geochronology; Joinville Island; Livingston Island; OSL dating; Raised Beaches", "people": "DeWitt, Regina", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "OSL data - Joinville and Livingston Islands - Raw data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601532"}], "date_created": "Thu, 08 Oct 2020 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Nontechnical Description Glacier ice loss from Antarctica has the potential to lead to a significant rise in global sea level. One line of evidence for accelerated glacier ice loss has been an increase in the rate at which the land has been rising across the Antarctic Peninsula as measured by GPS receivers. However, GPS observations of uplift are limited to the last two decades. One goal of this study is to determine how these newly observed rates of uplift compare to average rates of uplift across the Antarctic Peninsula over a longer time interval. Researchers will reconstruct past sea levels using the age and elevation of ancient beaches now stranded above sea level on the low-lying coastal hills of the Antarctica Peninsula to determine the rate of uplift over the last 5,000 years. The researchers will also analyze the structure of the beaches using ground-penetrating radar and the characteristics of beach sediments to understand how sea-level rise and past climate changes are recorded in beach deposits. The benefits of these new records will be threefold: (1) they will help determine the natural variability of the Antarctic Ice Sheet and relative sea level (2) they will provide new insight about uplift and the structure of the Earth\u0027s interior; and 3) they will help researchers refine the methods used to determine the age of geologic deposits. The study results will be shared in outreach events at K-12 schools and with visitors of the Santa Barbara Natural History Museum. Three graduate students will be supported through this project. Technical description Paleo sea-level data is critical for reconstructing the size and extent of past ice sheets, documenting increased uplift following glacial retreat, and correcting gravity-based measurements of ice-mass loss for the impacts of post-glacial rebound. However, there are only 14 sites with relative sea-level data for Antarctica compared to over 500 sites used in a recent study of the North American Ice-Sheet complex. The purpose of this project is to use optically stimulated luminescence to date a series of newly discovered raised beaches along the eastern Antarctic Peninsula and an already known, but only preliminarily dated, series of raised beaches in the South Shetland Islands. Data to be collected at the raised beaches include the age and elevation, ground-penetrating radar profiles, and the roundness of cobbles and the lithology of ice-rafted debris. The study will test three hypotheses: (1) uplift rates have increased in modern times relative to the late Holocene across the Antarctic Peninsula, (2) the sea-level history at the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula is distinctly different than that of the South Shetland Islands, and (3) cobble roundness and the source of ice-rafted debris on raised beaches varied systematically through time reflecting the climate history of the northern Antarctic Peninsula.", "east": -55.0, "geometry": "POINT(-60 -63)", "instruments": "EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e POSITIONING/NAVIGATION \u003e GPS \u003e GPS", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Antarctic Peninsula; COASTAL LANDFORMS/PROCESSES; USAP-DC; SEA LEVEL RECONSTRUCTION; South Shetland Islands; AMD; FIELD INVESTIGATION; Amd/Us; USA/NSF", "locations": "South Shetland Islands; Antarctic Peninsula", "north": -61.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Simms, Alexander; DeWitt, Regina", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD INVESTIGATION", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -65.0, "title": "Collaborative Research: New Constraints on Post-Glacial Rebound and Holocene Environmental History along the Northern Antarctic Peninsula from Raised Beaches", "uid": "p0010132", "west": -65.0}, {"awards": "1620976 Johnson, Sarah", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((160 -77,160.3 -77,160.6 -77,160.9 -77,161.2 -77,161.5 -77,161.8 -77,162.1 -77,162.4 -77,162.7 -77,163 -77,163 -77.1,163 -77.2,163 -77.3,163 -77.4,163 -77.5,163 -77.6,163 -77.7,163 -77.8,163 -77.9,163 -78,162.7 -78,162.4 -78,162.1 -78,161.8 -78,161.5 -78,161.2 -78,160.9 -78,160.6 -78,160.3 -78,160 -78,160 -77.9,160 -77.8,160 -77.7,160 -77.6,160 -77.5,160 -77.4,160 -77.3,160 -77.2,160 -77.1,160 -77))", "dataset_titles": "GenBank Sequence Read Archive with accession numbers SRR8217969 - SRR8217976 and project accession PRJNA506221", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "200164", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "NCBI GenBank", "science_program": null, "title": "GenBank Sequence Read Archive with accession numbers SRR8217969 - SRR8217976 and project accession PRJNA506221", "url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/bioproject/PRJNA506221/"}], "date_created": "Tue, 01 Sep 2020 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Despite recent advances, we still know little about how life and its traces persist in extremely harsh conditions. What survival strategies do cells employ when pushed to their limit? Using a new technique, this project will investigate whether Antarctic paleolakes harbor \"microbial seed banks,\" or caches of viable microbes adapted to past paleoenvironments that could help transform our understanding of how cells survive over ancient timescales. Findings from this investigation could also illuminate novel DNA repair pathways with possible biomedical and biotechnology applications and help to refine life detection strategies for Mars. The project will bring Antarctic research to Georgetown University\u0027s campus for the first time, providing training opportunities in cutting edge analytical techniques for multiple students and a postdoctoral fellow. The field site will be the McMurdo Dry Valleys, which provide an unrivaled opportunity to investigate fundamental questions about the persistence of microbial life. Multiple lines of evidence, from interbedded and overlying ashfall deposits to parameterized models, suggest that the large-scale landforms there have remained essentially fixed as far back as the middle of the Miocene Epoch (i.e., ~8 million years ago). This geologic stability, coupled with geographic isolation and a steady polar climate, mean that biological activity has probably undergone few qualitative changes over the last one to two million years. The team will sample paleolake facies using sterile techniques from multiple Dry Valleys sites and extract DNA from entombed organic material. Genetic material will then be sequenced using Pacific Biosciences\u0027 Single Molecule, Real-Time DNA sequencing technology, which sequences native DNA as opposed to amplified DNA, thereby eliminating PCR primer bias, and enables read lengths that have never before been possible. The data will be analyzed with a range of bioinformatic techniques, with results that stand to impact our understanding of cell biology, Antarctic paleobiology, microbiology and biogeography, biotechnology, and planetary science.", "east": 163.0, "geometry": "POINT(161.5 -77.5)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONS; COMMUNITY DYNAMICS; BACTERIA/ARCHAEA; CYANOBACTERIA (BLUE-GREEN ALGAE); LABORATORY; Dry Valleys", "locations": "Dry Valleys", "north": -77.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Johnson, Sarah", "platforms": "OTHER \u003e PHYSICAL MODELS \u003e LABORATORY", "repo": "NCBI GenBank", "repositories": "NCBI GenBank", "science_programs": null, "south": -78.0, "title": "EAGER: Single-Molecule DNA Sequencing of Antarctic Paleolakes", "uid": "p0010125", "west": 160.0}, {"awards": "1738942 Wellner, Julia", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-120 -71,-118 -71,-116 -71,-114 -71,-112 -71,-110 -71,-108 -71,-106 -71,-104 -71,-102 -71,-100 -71,-100 -71.5,-100 -72,-100 -72.5,-100 -73,-100 -73.5,-100 -74,-100 -74.5,-100 -75,-100 -75.5,-100 -76,-102 -76,-104 -76,-106 -76,-108 -76,-110 -76,-112 -76,-114 -76,-116 -76,-118 -76,-120 -76,-120 -75.5,-120 -75,-120 -74.5,-120 -74,-120 -73.5,-120 -73,-120 -72.5,-120 -72,-120 -71.5,-120 -71))", "dataset_titles": "A multibeam-bathymetric compilation for the southern Amundsen Sea shelf, 1999-2019; Clay mineralogy of sediment cores from cruise NBP19-02; Expedition Data of NBP2002; Expedition Data of NBP2202; Gridded AUV multibeam bathymetry data from The Bump at Thwaites Glacier; MATLAB script for grain images and grain-shape metrics of glacial sediments from Antarctica; Modern benthic foraminifera census and grain-size of surface sediments offshore Thwaites Glacier, Antarctica; NBP1902 Expedition data; Physical and geochemical data from sediment cores collected offshore Thwaites Glacier; Processed multibeam bathymetry and expedition data from NBP1902; Processed multibeam bathymetry data from NBP2002; Sediment cores and samples from Expedition NBP1902; Sediment cores and samples from Expedition NBP2002; Sediment cores and samples from Expedition NBP2202; Suppl. data for Geological Insights from the Newly Discovered Granite of Sif Island ; suppl. data for Volcanogenic fluxes of iron from the seafloor in the Amundsen Sea, West Antarctica", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "200311", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data of NBP2202", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP2202"}, {"dataset_uid": "200508", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "MGDS", "science_program": null, "title": "Processed multibeam bathymetry and expedition data from NBP1902", "url": "https://www.marine-geo.org/tools/search/entry.php?id=NBP1902"}, {"dataset_uid": "200507", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "OSU-MGR", "science_program": null, "title": "Sediment cores and samples from Expedition NBP2202", "url": "https://osu-mgr.org/collections"}, {"dataset_uid": "200506", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "OSU-MGR", "science_program": null, "title": "Sediment cores and samples from Expedition NBP2002", "url": "https://osu-mgr.org/collections"}, {"dataset_uid": "200161", "doi": "10.5285/F2DFEDA9-BF44-4EF5-89A3-EE5E434A385C", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "UK PDC", "science_program": null, "title": "A multibeam-bathymetric compilation for the southern Amundsen Sea shelf, 1999-2019", "url": "https://doi.org/10.5285/F2DFEDA9-BF44-4EF5-89A3-EE5E434A385C"}, {"dataset_uid": "200505", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "OSU-MGR", "science_program": null, "title": "Sediment cores and samples from Expedition NBP1902", "url": "https://osu-mgr.org/collections"}, {"dataset_uid": "200504", "doi": "10.1016/j.marchem.2023.104250", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "Journal", "science_program": null, "title": "suppl. data for Volcanogenic fluxes of iron from the seafloor in the Amundsen Sea, West Antarctica", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marchem.2023.104250"}, {"dataset_uid": "200503", "doi": "10.1017/S0954102023000287", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "Journal", "science_program": null, "title": "Suppl. data for Geological Insights from the Newly Discovered Granite of Sif Island ", "url": "https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antarctic-science/article/geological-insights-from-the-newly-discovered-granite-of-sif-island-between-thwaites-and-pine-island-glaciers/CAE5C390EFD5965CC7402F2B2F18651B#supplementary-materials"}, {"dataset_uid": "200502", "doi": "10.6084/m9.figshare.20359920.v1", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "Figshare", "science_program": null, "title": "Gridded AUV multibeam bathymetry data from The Bump at Thwaites Glacier", "url": "https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.20359920.v1"}, {"dataset_uid": "200501", "doi": "10.1594/PANGAEA.961704", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "PANGAEA", "science_program": null, "title": "MATLAB script for grain images and grain-shape metrics of glacial sediments from Antarctica", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.961704"}, {"dataset_uid": "200500", "doi": "10.1594/PANGAEA.965758", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "PANGAEA", "science_program": null, "title": "Modern benthic foraminifera census and grain-size of surface sediments offshore Thwaites Glacier, Antarctica", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.965758"}, {"dataset_uid": "200499", "doi": "10.1594/PANGAEA.964765", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "PANGAEA", "science_program": null, "title": "Clay mineralogy of sediment cores from cruise NBP19-02", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.964765"}, {"dataset_uid": "200509", "doi": "10.60521/331929", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "MGDS", "science_program": null, "title": "Processed multibeam bathymetry data from NBP2002", "url": "https://www.marine-geo.org/tools/search/entry.php?id=NBP2002"}, {"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": "601514", "doi": "10.15784/601514", "keywords": "Antarctica; Chemistry:sediment; Chemistry:Sediment; Glaciomarine Sediment; Grain Size; Magnetic Susceptibility; Marine Geoscience; Marine Sediments; NBP1902; NBP2002; Physical Properties; R/v Nathaniel B. Palmer; Sediment Core Data; Thwaites Glacier; Trace Elements; XRF", "people": "Lepp, Allison", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "Thwaites (ITGC)", "title": "Physical and geochemical data from sediment cores collected offshore Thwaites Glacier", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601514"}, {"dataset_uid": "200248", "doi": null, "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data of NBP2002", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP2002"}], "date_created": "Fri, 01 Nov 2019 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. Satellite observations extending over the last 25 years show that Thwaites Glacier is rapidly thinning and accelerating. Over this same period, the Thwaites grounding line, the point at which the glacier transitions from sitting on the seabed to floating, has retreated. Oceanographic studies demonstrate that the main driver of these changes is incursion of warm water from the deep ocean that flows beneath the floating ice shelf and causes basal melting. The period of satellite observation is not long enough to determine how a large glacier, such as Thwaites, responds to long-term and near-term changes in the ocean or the atmosphere. As a result, records of glacier change from the pre-satellite era are required to build a holistic understanding of glacier behavior. Ocean-floor sediments deposited at the retreating grounding line and further offshore contain these longer-term records of changes in the glacier and the adjacent ocean. An additional large unknown is the topography of the seafloor and how it influences interactions of landward-flowing warm water with Thwaites Glacier and affects its stability. Consequently, this project focuses on the seafloor offshore from Thwaites Glacier and the records of past glacial and ocean change contained in the sediments deposited by the glacier and surrounding ocean. Uncertainty in model projections of the future of Thwaites Glacier will be significantly reduced by cross-disciplinary investigations seaward of the current grounding line, including extracting the record of decadal to millennial variations in warm water incursion, determining the pre-satellite era history of grounding-line migration, and constraining the bathymetric pathways that control flow of warm water to the grounding line. Sedimentary records and glacial landforms preserved on the seafloor will allow reconstruction of changes in drivers and the glacial response to them over a range of timescales, thus providing reference data that can be used to initiate and evaluate the reliability of models. Such data will further provide insights on the influence of poorly understood processes on marine ice sheet dynamics. This project will include an integrated suite of marine and sub-ice shelf research activities aimed at establishing boundary conditions seaward of the Thwaites Glacier grounding line, obtaining records of the external drivers of change, improving knowledge of processes leading to collapse of Thwaites Glacier, and determining the history of past change in grounding line migration and conditions at the glacier base. These objectives will be achieved through high-resolution geophysical surveys of the seafloor and analysis of sediments collected in cores from the inner shelf seaward of the Thwaites Glacier grounding line using ship-based equipment, and from beneath the ice shelf using a corer deployed through the ice shelf via hot water drill holes. 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(-110 -73.5)", "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e CORERS \u003e SEDIMENT CORERS; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e ACOUSTIC SOUNDERS \u003e ECHO SOUNDERS", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "BATHYMETRY; Antarctica; MARINE SEDIMENTS; AMD; MARINE GEOPHYSICS; Amd/Us; USAP-DC; Thwaites Glacier; LABORATORY; Southern Ocean; ICE SHEETS; USA/NSF; GLACIERS/ICE SHEETS; R/V NBP", "locations": "Antarctica; Southern Ocean; Thwaites Glacier", "north": -71.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Wellner, Julia; Larter, Robert; Minzoni, Rebecca; Hogan, Kelly; Anderson, John; Graham, Alastair; Hillenbrand, Claus-Dieter; Nitsche, Frank O.; Simkins, Lauren; Smith, James A.", "platforms": "OTHER \u003e PHYSICAL MODELS \u003e LABORATORY; WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V NBP", "repo": "R2R", "repositories": "Figshare; Journal; MGDS; OSU-MGR; PANGAEA; R2R; UK PDC; USAP-DC", "science_programs": "Thwaites (ITGC)", "south": -76.0, "title": "NSF-NERC: THwaites Offshore Research (THOR)", "uid": "p0010062", "west": -120.0}, {"awards": "1246353 Anderson, John", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-180 -74,-144.9 -74,-109.8 -74,-74.7 -74,-39.6 -74,-4.5 -74,30.6 -74,65.7 -74,100.8 -74,135.9 -74,171 -74,171 -74.3,171 -74.6,171 -74.9,171 -75.2,171 -75.5,171 -75.8,171 -76.1,171 -76.4,171 -76.7,171 -77,135.9 -77,100.8 -77,65.7 -77,30.6 -77,-4.5 -77,-39.6 -77,-74.7 -77,-109.8 -77,-144.9 -77,180 -77,180 -77,180 -77,180 -77,180 -77,180 -77,180 -77,180 -77,180 -77,180 -77,180 -77,180 -76.7,180 -76.4,180 -76.1,180 -75.8,180 -75.5,180 -75.2,180 -74.9,180 -74.6,180 -74.3,180 -74,180 -74,180 -74,180 -74,180 -74,180 -74,180 -74,180 -74,180 -74,180 -74,-180 -74))", "dataset_titles": "Circum-Antarctic grounding-line sinuosity; NBP1502A Cruise Core Data; NBP1502 Cruise Geophysics and underway data; Pennell Trough, Ross Sea bathymetry and glacial landforms", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601474", "doi": "10.15784/601474", "keywords": "Antarctica; Bathymetry; Elevation; Geomorphology; Glacial History; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Marine Geoscience; NBP1502; Pennell Trough; Ross Sea; R/v Nathaniel B. Palmer", "people": "Prothro, Lindsay; Anderson, John; Eareckson, Elizabeth; Greenwood, Sarah; Munevar Garcia, Santiago; Simkins, Lauren", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Pennell Trough, Ross Sea bathymetry and glacial landforms", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601474"}, {"dataset_uid": "601484", "doi": "10.15784/601484", "keywords": "Antarctica; Bed Roughness; Bed Slope; Elevation; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Pinning Points", "people": "Stearns, Leigh; Riverman, Kiya; Simkins, Lauren", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Circum-Antarctic grounding-line sinuosity", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601484"}, {"dataset_uid": "000245", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "NBP1502 Cruise Geophysics and underway data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP1502"}, {"dataset_uid": "601083", "doi": "10.15784/601083", "keywords": "Antarctica; Chemistry:sediment; Chemistry:Sediment; Geochronology; Marine Geoscience; Marine Sediments; NBP1502; R/v Nathaniel B. Palmer; Sediment Core", "people": "Simkins, Lauren; Anderson, John; Prothro, Lindsay", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "NBP1502A Cruise Core Data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601083"}], "date_created": "Tue, 06 Feb 2018 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Intellectual Merit: The PI hypothesizes that bedforms found in the Central and Joides troughs can be interpreted as having been formed by rapid retreat, and possible collapse of an ice stream that occupied this area. To test this hypothesis, the PI proposes to conduct a detailed marine geological and geophysical survey of Central and Joides Troughs in the western Ross Sea. This project will bridge gaps between the small and isolated areas previously surveyed and will acquire a detailed sedimentological record of the retreating grounding line. The PI will reconstruct the retreat history of the Central and Joides troughs to century-scale resolution using radiocarbon dating methods and by looking at geomorphic features that are formed at regular time intervals. Existing multibeam, deep tow side-scan sonar, and core data will provide a framework for this research. The western Ross Sea is an ideal study area to investigate a single ice stream and the dynamics controlling its stability, including interactions between both East and West Antarctic Ice Sheets. Broader impacts: This proposal includes a post-doc, a graduate and two undergraduate students. The post-doc is involved with teaching an in-service K-12 teacher development and training course at Rice University for high-need teachers with a focus on curriculum enhancement. The project fosters collaboration for the PI and students with researchers at Louisiana State University and international colleagues at the Institute for Paleobiology at the Polish Academy of Sciences. The results from this project could lead to a better understanding of ice sheet and ice stream stability. This project will yield implications for society\u0027s understanding of climate change, as this work improves understanding of the behavior of ice sheets and their links to global climate.", "east": 179.99, "geometry": "POINT(175.495 -75.5)", "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e CORERS \u003e CORING DEVICES; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e CORERS \u003e SEDIMENT CORERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e CHEMICAL METERS/ANALYZERS \u003e CARBON ANALYZERS", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "AMD; Amd/Us; USAP-DC; USA/NSF; R/V NBP; NBP1502", "locations": null, "north": -74.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Anderson, John", "platforms": "WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V NBP", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "R2R; USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -77.0, "title": "Evidence for Paleo Ice Stream Collapse in the Western Ross Sea since the Last Glacial Maximum.", "uid": "p0000395", "west": 171.0}, {"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": "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"}, {"dataset_uid": "000402", "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": "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": "1246342 Fountain, Andrew; 1246203 Gooseff, Michael; 1245749 Levy, Joseph", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((160.105465 -77.2119,160.7907435 -77.2119,161.476022 -77.2119,162.1613005 -77.2119,162.846579 -77.2119,163.5318575 -77.2119,164.217136 -77.2119,164.9024145 -77.2119,165.587693 -77.2119,166.2729715 -77.2119,166.95825 -77.2119,166.95825 -77.3189628,166.95825 -77.4260256,166.95825 -77.5330884,166.95825 -77.6401512,166.95825 -77.747214,166.95825 -77.8542768,166.95825 -77.9613396,166.95825 -78.0684024,166.95825 -78.1754652,166.95825 -78.282528,166.2729715 -78.282528,165.587693 -78.282528,164.9024145 -78.282528,164.217136 -78.282528,163.5318575 -78.282528,162.846579 -78.282528,162.1613005 -78.282528,161.476022 -78.282528,160.7907435 -78.282528,160.105465 -78.282528,160.105465 -78.1754652,160.105465 -78.0684024,160.105465 -77.9613396,160.105465 -77.8542768,160.105465 -77.747214,160.105465 -77.6401512,160.105465 -77.5330884,160.105465 -77.4260256,160.105465 -77.3189628,160.105465 -77.2119))", "dataset_titles": "2014-2015 lidar survey of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica; Active Layer Temperatures from Crescent Stream banks, Taylor Valley Antarctica", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601075", "doi": "10.15784/601075", "keywords": "Antarctica; Dry Valleys; Glaciology; Paleoclimate; Permafrost; Soil Temperature; Taylor Valley", "people": "Gooseff, Michael N.", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Active Layer Temperatures from Crescent Stream banks, Taylor Valley Antarctica", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601075"}, {"dataset_uid": "000209", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "OpenTopo", "science_program": null, "title": "2014-2015 lidar survey of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica", "url": "http://opentopo.sdsc.edu/datasetMetadata?otCollectionID=OT.112016.3294.1"}], "date_created": "Wed, 20 Dec 2017 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Collaborative Research: THE MCMURDO DRY VALLEYS: A Landscape on the Threshold of Change is supported by the Antarctic Integrated System Science (AISS) program in the Antarctic Sciences Section of the Division of Polar Programs within the Geosciences Directorate of the National Sciences Foundation (NSF). The funds will support the collection of state-of-the-art high resolution LIDAR (combining the terms light and radar) imagery of the Dry Valleys of Antarctica in the 2014/2015 Antarctic field season, with LIDAR data collection and processing being provided by the NSF-supported NCALM (National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping) facility. LIDAR images collected in 2014/2015 will be compared to images from 2001 in order to detect decadal change. Additional fieldwork will look at the distribution of buried massive ice, and the impacts that major changes like slumping are having on the biota. All field data will be used to improve models on energy balance, and hydrology. Intellectual Merit: There have been dramatic changes over the past decade in the McMurdo Dry Valleys: glaciers are deflating by tens of meters, rivers are incising by more than three meters, and thermokarst slumps are appearing near several streams and lakes. These observations have all been made by researchers in the field, but none of the changes have been mapped on a valley-wide scale. This award will provide a new baseline map for the entire Dry Valley system, with high-resolution imagery provided for the valley floors, and lower resolution imagery available for the higher elevation areas that are undergoing less change. The project will test the idea that sediment-covered ice is associated with the most dramatic changes, due to differential impacts of the increased solar radiation on sediment-covered compared to clean ice, and despite the current trend of slightly cooling air temperatures within the Dry Valleys. Information collected on the topography, coupled with the GPR determined buried ice distributions, will also be incorporated into improved energy and hydrological models. In addition to providing the new high-resolution digital elevation model (DEM), the project will ultimately result in identification of areas that are susceptible to sediment-enhanced melt-driven change, providing a powerful prediction tool for the impacts of climate change. Broader Impacts: The new DEM will be immediately useful to a wide range of disciplines, and will provide a comprehensive new baseline against which future changes will be compared. The project will provide a tool for the whole community to use, and the investigators will work with the community to make them aware of the new assets via public presentations, and perhaps via a workshop. The map will have international interest, and will also serve as a tool for environmental managers to draw on as they consider conservation plans. Several undergraduate and graduate students will participate in the project, and one of the co-PIs is a new investigator. The imagery collected is expected to be of interest to the general public in addition to scientific researchers, and venues for outreach such as museum exhibits and the internet will be explored. The proposed work is synergistic with 1) the co-located McMurdo LTER program, and 2) the NCALM facility that is also funded by the Geosciences Directorate.", "east": 166.95825, "geometry": "POINT(163.5318575 -77.747214)", "instruments": "EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e ALTIMETERS \u003e LIDAR/LASER ALTIMETERS \u003e AIRBORNE LASER SCANNER", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "USAP-DC; Antarctica; Not provided; LANDFORMS; NOT APPLICABLE", "locations": "Antarctica", "north": -77.2119, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Integrated System Science; Antarctic Integrated System Science; Antarctic Integrated System Science", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Levy, Joseph; Gooseff, Michael N.; Fountain, Andrew", "platforms": "Not provided; OTHER \u003e NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "OpenTopo; USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -78.282528, "title": "Collaborative Research: THE MCMURDO DRY VALLEYS: A landscape on the Threshold of Change", "uid": "p0000076", "west": 160.105465}, {"awards": "1144224 Marchant, David", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((160 -71.5,161 -71.5,162 -71.5,163 -71.5,164 -71.5,165 -71.5,166 -71.5,167 -71.5,168 -71.5,169 -71.5,170 -71.5,170 -72.15,170 -72.8,170 -73.45,170 -74.1,170 -74.75,170 -75.4,170 -76.05,170 -76.7,170 -77.35,170 -78,169 -78,168 -78,167 -78,166 -78,165 -78,164 -78,163 -78,162 -78,161 -78,160 -78,160 -77.35,160 -76.7,160 -76.05,160 -75.4,160 -74.75,160 -74.1,160 -73.45,160 -72.8,160 -72.15,160 -71.5))", "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Fri, 23 Oct 2015 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Intellectual Merit: The PIs propose a two-year project to map the distribution of climate-sensitive landforms throughout Northern Victoria Land between the Convoy Range and Cape Adare. This work will produce geospatial products to aid their geomorphic work on ice sheet stability and landscape evolution. Specifically, the PI will investigate the potential for extensive surface melting and ice-sheet retreat with modest warming in areas north of the Convoy Range in Northern Victoria Land. The hypothesis is that if key landform elements of the Dry Valleys assemblage are lacking in NVL it suggests a major variation in current climate conditions, and perhaps changes in climate evolution. The proposed work will also benefit the broader research community, as it will demonstrate the potential for using geospatial imagery in geomorphic research and produce geospatial products that can be used by other researchers. Broader impacts: This work will help the research community better leverage the investment being made in the Polar Geospatial Center (PGC) and will help further demonstrate the significance of satellite imagery for doing ?virtual? field work in the Polar regions. More effective use of satellite imagery by field scientists in Antarctica will help reduce the logistical footprint on the Continent. The proposed research will support one graduate student at Boston University who will be trained in image analysis, map production, Antarctic geomorphology, and geospatial technologies. The proposed work will help to forge stronger links between PGC and Boston University?s Digital Image Analyses Lab (DIAL).", "east": 170.0, "geometry": "POINT(165 -74.75)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "Bu/es Data Repository; Not provided", "locations": null, "north": -71.5, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Marchant, David", "platforms": "Not provided", "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": -78.0, "title": "Geomorphic investigations of Northern Victoria Land, Antarctica", "uid": "p0000231", "west": 160.0}, {"awards": "1354231 Kowalewski, Douglas", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-180 -70,-174 -70,-168 -70,-162 -70,-156 -70,-150 -70,-144 -70,-138 -70,-132 -70,-126 -70,-120 -70,-120 -71.5,-120 -73,-120 -74.5,-120 -76,-120 -77.5,-120 -79,-120 -80.5,-120 -82,-120 -83.5,-120 -85,-126 -85,-132 -85,-138 -85,-144 -85,-150 -85,-156 -85,-162 -85,-168 -85,-174 -85,180 -85,178 -85,176 -85,174 -85,172 -85,170 -85,168 -85,166 -85,164 -85,162 -85,160 -85,160 -83.5,160 -82,160 -80.5,160 -79,160 -77.5,160 -76,160 -74.5,160 -73,160 -71.5,160 -70,162 -70,164 -70,166 -70,168 -70,170 -70,172 -70,174 -70,176 -70,178 -70,-180 -70))", "dataset_titles": "Validating contrasting terrestrial climate-sensitive Pliocene deposits through high resolution modeling of paleo-environments in the Transantarctic Mountains", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "600140", "doi": "10.15784/600140", "keywords": "Antarctica; Atmosphere; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Model Data; Paleoclimate; Transantarctic Mountains", "people": "Kowalewski, Douglas", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Validating contrasting terrestrial climate-sensitive Pliocene deposits through high resolution modeling of paleo-environments in the Transantarctic Mountains", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/600140"}], "date_created": "Thu, 28 Aug 2014 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Intellectual Merit: Neogene sediment records recovered by ANDRILL suggest multiple events of open water conditions and elevated sea surface temperatures at times when terrestrial data from the McMurdo Dry Valleys indicate hyper arid, cold, desert conditions. Interpretation of the ANDRILL data suggests the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is highly sensitive to changes in Pliocene sea surface temperatures and this conclusion has been supported by recent Global Circulation Model results for the early to mid Pliocene. The PIs propose to model paleo-ice configurations and warm orbits associated with a WAIS collapse to assess potential climate change in East Antarctica. During such episodes of polar warmth they propose to answer: What is the limit of ablation along the East Antarctic Ice Sheet?; Are relict landforms in the Dry Valleys susceptible to modification from increase in maximum summertime temperatures?; and Is there sufficient increase in minimum wintertime temperatures to sustain a tundra environment in the Dry Valleys? Integration of depositional records and model outputs have the potential to test the performance of numerical models currently under development as part of ANDRILL; reconcile inconsistencies between marine and terrestrial paleoclimate records in high Southern Latitudes; and improve understanding of Antarctic climate and ice volume sensitivity to forcing for both the East Antarctic and West Antarctic Ice Sheets. Broader impacts: Results from this study have the potential to be used widely by the research community. Outreach to local elementary schools from other funded efforts will continue and be extended to homeschooled students. A Post Doc will be supported as part of this award.", "east": -120.0, "geometry": "POINT(-160 -77.5)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": -70.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Kowalewski, Douglas", "platforms": "Not provided", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -85.0, "title": "Validating contrasting terrestrial climate-sensitive Pliocene deposits through high resolution modeling of paleo-environments in the Transantarctic Mountains", "uid": "p0000463", "west": 160.0}, {"awards": "0636218 Gillies, John", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((161.85075 -77.37241,161.990843 -77.37241,162.130936 -77.37241,162.271029 -77.37241,162.411122 -77.37241,162.551215 -77.37241,162.691308 -77.37241,162.831401 -77.37241,162.971494 -77.37241,163.111587 -77.37241,163.25168 -77.37241,163.25168 -77.395964,163.25168 -77.419518,163.25168 -77.443072,163.25168 -77.466626,163.25168 -77.49018000000001,163.25168 -77.513734,163.25168 -77.537288,163.25168 -77.56084200000001,163.25168 -77.584396,163.25168 -77.60795,163.111587 -77.60795,162.971494 -77.60795,162.831401 -77.60795,162.691308 -77.60795,162.551215 -77.60795,162.411122 -77.60795,162.271029 -77.60795,162.130936 -77.60795,161.990843 -77.60795,161.85075 -77.60795,161.85075 -77.584396,161.85075 -77.56084200000001,161.85075 -77.537288,161.85075 -77.513734,161.85075 -77.49018000000001,161.85075 -77.466626,161.85075 -77.443072,161.85075 -77.419518,161.85075 -77.395964,161.85075 -77.37241))", "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Tue, 05 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This project characterizes wind-driven sediment transport in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of \u003cbr/\u003eAntarctica during both winter and summer periods. Wind is the primary sculptor of\u003cbr/\u003eterrain in this region and winter measurements, which have never been undertaken, are\u003cbr/\u003eessential for determining the frequency and magnitude of transport events. The projects\u003cbr/\u003egoal is to determine if the existing landforms represent relics from past climate regimes\u003cbr/\u003eor contemporary processes. The project involves two major activities: (1) dynamic and\u003cbr/\u003etime-integrated measurements of sand transport to characterize the seasonal behavior,\u003cbr/\u003efrequency, and magnitude at four sites and (2) detailed surveying of an unusual\u003cbr/\u003ewind-formed surface feature, the gravel megaripples found in the Wright Valley. In\u003cbr/\u003eaddition to interpreting Dry Valleys geomorphology, these data will provide a more\u003cbr/\u003equantitative assessment of wind-aided distribution of nutrients, plants, and animals to\u003cbr/\u003eterrestrial and aquatic ecosystems throughout the Dry Valleys. This research will also\u003cbr/\u003eprovide quantitative information on the effects of extreme cold and low humidity on\u003cbr/\u003etransport thresholds and rates, which can be applied to cold desert environments of the\u003cbr/\u003eArctic, Antarctic, and Mars.", "east": 163.25168, "geometry": "POINT(162.551215 -77.49018)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": -77.37241, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Gillies, John", "platforms": "Not provided", "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": -77.60795, "title": "Dynamics of Aeolian Processes in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica", "uid": "p0000739", "west": 161.85075}, {"awards": "0538033 Panter, Kurt", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Wed, 14 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This project studies glaciovolcanic deposits at Minna Bluff in the western Ross Embayment of Antarctica. Its goal is to determine the history of the Ross Ice Shelf, which is fed by the major ice sheets from both East and West Antarctica. Apart from determining how these ice sheets waxed and waned during a period of dynamic climate change, glaciovolcanic sequences may constrain ice sheet parameters that are critical to numerical models such as thickness, hydrology, and basal thermal regime. This three-year study would map, analyze, and determine the age of key units using 40Ar/39Ar dating. Pilot studies would also be conducted for 36Cl dating of glacial deposits and stable isotope evaluations of alteration. The project offers a complementary record of Ross Ice Shelf behavior to that sampled by ANDRILL. It also improves the general record of McMurdo area volcanostratigraphy, which is important to interpreting landforms, glacial deposits, and ancient ice found in the Dry Valleys.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThe broader impacts of this project include improving society\u0027s understanding of global climate change, sea level rise, and graduate and undergraduate student education. Outreach efforts include educational programs for public schools and community groups, exhibits for a local science museum, and a project website.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Panter, Kurt", "platforms": "Not provided", "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Collaborative Proposal: Late Cenozoic Volcanism and Glaciation at Minna Bluff, Antarctica: Implications for Antarctic Cryosphere History", "uid": "p0000252", "west": null}]

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