[{"awards": "2023355 Schmandt, Brandon", "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": "A seismic catalog for the southernmost continent", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601805", "doi": "10.15784/601805", "keywords": "Antarctica; Cryosphere; Earthquakes; Icequakes; Volcanic Events", "people": "Pena Castro, Andres", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "A seismic catalog for the southernmost continent", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601805"}], "date_created": "Tue, 20 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Part 1: Nontechnical\u003cbr/\u003e \u003cbr/\u003eUnlike other locations on the globe Antarctica is not known for having large earthquakes and the remote nature and harsh conditions make it difficult to install and maintain seismometers for earthquake detection. Some researchers believe the lack of large earthquakes is due to the continent being surrounded by inactive tectonic margins. However, in the last two decades, scientists have discovered that more earthquakes occur in the interior of the continent than previously observed. This suggests that there are many earthquakes missing from historic earthquake catalogs. This study aims to find the missing earthquakes using novel earthquake detection and location techniques from seismic data collected from temporary and permanent seismic stations in Antarctica over the last 25 years. Locating these earthquakes will help understand if and where earthquakes are located in Antarctica and will help in planning future seismic deployments. As part of the project broader impacts, a field expedition with the Girls on Rock program will be conducted to teach high school age girls, and especially those from underrepresented backgrounds, data visualization techniques using scientific data. \u003cbr/\u003e \u003cbr/\u003ePart 2: Technical\u003cbr/\u003e \u003cbr/\u003eThe spatial distribution of seismicity and the number of moderate magnitude earthquakes in Antarctica is not well-defined. The current catalog of earthquakes may be biased by uneven and sparse seismograph distribution on the continent. We will mine existing broadband seismic data from both permanent and temporary deployments to lower the earthquake detection threshold across Interior Antarctica, with a focus on tectonic earthquakes. The hypothesis is that Interior Antarctica has abundant moderate magnitude earthquakes, previously undetected. These earthquakes are likely collocated with major tectonic features such as the Transantarctic Mountains, the suspected Vostok collision zone, the West Antarctic Rift System, the crustal compositional boundary between East and West Antarctica, and the Cretaceous East Antarctic Rift. Previous seismic deployments have recorded earthquakes in the Antarctic interior, suggesting there are many earthquakes missing from the current catalog. We propose to use novel earthquake location techniques designed for automated detection and location using 25 years of continuous data archived at IRIS from PASSCAL experiments and permanent stations. The approach will use STA/LTA detectors on the first arrival P-wave to 90 degrees distance, Reverse Time Imaging to locate events, and beamforming at dense arrays strategically located on cratons for enhanced detection and location. The combination of detection and location techniques used in this work has not been used on teleseismic body waves, although similar methods have worked well for surface wave studies. If successful the project would provide an excellent training dataset for future scrutiny of newly discovered Antarctic seismicity with machine learning approaches and/or new targeted data collection. We plan to collaborate with Girls on Rock, a local and international organization committed to building a culturally diverse community in science, art, and wilderness exploration, in a summer field expedition and integrating computer coding into post-field scientific projects.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThis 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": "Antarctica; Seismic Events; Icequakes; TECTONICS; Earthquakes", "locations": "Antarctica", "north": -60.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Polar Special Initiatives; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Schmandt, Brandon", "platforms": null, "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -90.0, "title": "EAGER: Lowering the detection threshold of Antarctic seismicity to reveal undiscovered intraplate deformation", "uid": "p0010450", "west": -180.0}, {"awards": "1841467 MacAyeal, Douglas; 1841607 Banwell, Alison", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-68.28 -71.1,-68.202 -71.1,-68.124 -71.1,-68.046 -71.1,-67.968 -71.1,-67.89 -71.1,-67.812 -71.1,-67.734 -71.1,-67.656 -71.1,-67.578 -71.1,-67.5 -71.1,-67.5 -71.14999999999999,-67.5 -71.19999999999999,-67.5 -71.25,-67.5 -71.3,-67.5 -71.35,-67.5 -71.39999999999999,-67.5 -71.44999999999999,-67.5 -71.5,-67.5 -71.55,-67.5 -71.6,-67.578 -71.6,-67.656 -71.6,-67.734 -71.6,-67.812 -71.6,-67.89 -71.6,-67.968 -71.6,-68.046 -71.6,-68.124 -71.6,-68.202 -71.6,-68.28 -71.6,-68.28 -71.55,-68.28 -71.5,-68.28 -71.44999999999999,-68.28 -71.39999999999999,-68.28 -71.35,-68.28 -71.3,-68.28 -71.25,-68.28 -71.19999999999999,-68.28 -71.14999999999999,-68.28 -71.1))", "dataset_titles": "Dataset for: Banwell et al. 2024, \u0027Observed meltwater-induced flexure and fracture at a doline on George VI Ice Shelf, Antarctica\u0027, Journal of Glaciology.", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601771", "doi": "10.15784/601771", "keywords": "Antarctica; Antarctic Peninsula; AWS; Cryosphere; GNSS; GPS Data; Ice-Shelf Flexure; Ice Shelf Fracture; Ice-Shelf Melt; Timelaps Images", "people": "Banwell, Alison; MacAyeal, Douglas; Dell, Rebecca; Stevens, Laura; Willis, Ian", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Dataset for: Banwell et al. 2024, \u0027Observed meltwater-induced flexure and fracture at a doline on George VI Ice Shelf, Antarctica\u0027, Journal of Glaciology.", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601771"}], "date_created": "Thu, 15 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "The evolution of surface and shallow subsurface meltwater across Antarctic ice shelves has important implications for their (in)stability, as demonstrated by the 2002 rapid collapse of the Larsen B Ice Shelf. It is vital to understand the causes of ice-shelf (in)stability because ice shelves buttress against the discharge of inland ice and therefore influence ice-sheet contributions to sea-level rise. Ice-shelf break-up may be triggered by stress variations associated with surface meltwater movement, ponding, and drainage. These variations may cause an ice shelf to flex and fracture. This four-year project will provide key geophysical observations to improve understanding of ice-shelf meltwater and its effects on (in)stability. The work will be conducted on the George VI Ice Shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula, where hundreds of surface lakes form each summer. \u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eOver a 27-month period, global positioning systems, seismometers, water pressure transducers, automatic weather stations, and in-ice thermistor strings will be deployed to record ice shelf flexure, fracture seismicity, water depths, and surface and subsurface melting, respectively, in and around several surface lakes on the George VI Ice Shelf, within roughly 20 km of the British Antarctic Survey\u0027s Fossil Bluff Station. Field data will be used to validate and extend the team\u0027s approach to modelling ice-shelf flexure and stress, and possible \"Larsen-B style\" ice-shelf instability and break-up.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThis 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": -67.5, "geometry": "POINT(-67.89 -71.35)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "ICE SHEETS; Antarctica; ICE MOTION; Ice-Shelf Flexure; GPS Data", "locations": "Antarctica", "north": -71.1, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology; Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Banwell, Alison; Macayeal, Douglas", "platforms": null, "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -71.6, "title": "NSFGEO-NERC: Ice-shelf Instability Caused by Active Surface Meltwater Production, Movement, Ponding and Hydrofracture", "uid": "p0010449", "west": -68.28}, {"awards": "2333940 Zhong, Shijie", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-180 -60,-144 -60,-108 -60,-72 -60,-36 -60,0 -60,36 -60,72 -60,108 -60,144 -60,180 -60,180 -63,180 -66,180 -69,180 -72,180 -75,180 -78,180 -81,180 -84,180 -87,180 -90,144 -90,108 -90,72 -90,36 -90,0 -90,-36 -90,-72 -90,-108 -90,-144 -90,-180 -90,-180 -87,-180 -84,-180 -81,-180 -78,-180 -75,-180 -72,-180 -69,-180 -66,-180 -63,-180 -60))", "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Mon, 08 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Satellite observations of Earth?s surface gravity and elevation changes indicate rapid melting of ice sheets in recent decades in northern Antarctica Peninsula and Amundsen Sea Embayment of West Antarctica. This rapid melting may lead to significant global sea level rise which is a major societal concern. Measurements from the Global Positioning System (GPS) show rapid land uplift in these regions as the ice sheets melt. When an ice sheet melts, the melt water flows to oceans, causing global sea level to rise. However, the sea level change at a given geographic location is also influenced by two other factors associated with the ice melting process: 1) the vertical motion of the land and 2) gravitational attraction. The vertical motion of the land is caused by the change of pressure force on the surface of the solid Earth. For example, the removal of ice mass reduces the pressure force on the land, leading to uplift of the land below the ice sheet, while the addition of water in oceans increases the pressure force on the seafloor, causing it to subside. The sea level always follows the equipotential surface of the gravity which changes as the mass on the Earth?s surface (e.g., the ice and water) or/and in its interiors (e.g., at the crust-mantle boundary) is redistributed. Additionally, the vertical motion of the land below an ice sheet has important effects on the evolution and stability of the ice sheet and may determine whether the ice sheet will rapidly collapse or gradually stabilize. The main goal of this project is to build an accurate and efficient computer model to study the displacement and deformation of the Antarctic crust and mantle in response to recent ice melting. The project will significantly improve existing and publicly available computer code, CitcomSVE. The horizontal and vertical components of the Earth?s surface displacement depends on mantle viscosity and elastic properties of the Earth. Although seismic imaging studies demonstrate that the Antarctica mantle is heterogeneous, most studies on the ice-melting induced deformation in Antarctica have assumed that mantle viscosity and elastic properties only vary with the depth due to computational limitations. In this project, the new computational method in CitcomSVE avoids such assumptions and makes it possible to include realistic 3-D mantle viscosity and elastic properties in computing the Antarctica crustal and mantle displacement. This project will interpret the GPS measurements of the surface displacements in northern Antarctica Peninsula and Amundsen Sea Embayment of West Antarctica and use the observations to place constraints on mantle viscosity and deformation mechanisms. The project will also seek to predict the future land displacement Antarctica, which will lead to a better understand of Antarctica ice sheets. Finally, the project has direct implications for the study of global sea level change and the dynamics of the Greenland ice sheet. Technical Description Glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) is important for understanding not only fundamental science questions including mantle viscosity, mantle convection and lithospheric deformation but also societally important questions of global sea-level change, polar ice melting, climate change, and groundwater hydrology. Studies of rock deformation in laboratory experiments, post-seismic deformation, and mantle dynamics indicate that mantle viscosity is temperature- and stress-dependent. Although the effects of stress-dependent (i.e., non-Newtonian) viscosity and transient creep rheology on GIA process have been studied, observational evidence remains elusive. There has been significant ice mass loss in recent decades in northern Antarctica Peninsula (NAP) and Amundsen Sea Embayment (ASE) of West Antarctica. The ice mass loss has caused rapid bedrock uplift as measured by GPS techniques which require surprisingly small upper mantle viscosity of ~1018 Pas. The rapid uplifts may have important feedback effects on ongoing ice melting because of their influence on grounding line migration, and the inferred small viscosity may have implications for mantle rheology and deformation on decadal time scales. The main objective of the project is to test hypotheses that the GPS observations in NAP and ASE regions are controlled by 3-D non-Newtonian or/and transient creep viscosity by developing new GIA modeling capability based on finite element package CitcomSVE. The project will carry out the following three tasks: Task 1 is to build GIA models for the NAP and ASE regions to examine the effects of 3-D temperature-dependent mantle viscosity on the surface displacements and to test hypothesis that the 3-D mantle viscosity improves the fit to the GPS observations. Task 2 is to test the hypothesis that non-Newtonian or/and transient creep rheology controls GIA process on decadal time scales by computing GIA models and comparing model predictions with GPS observations for the NAP and ASE regions. Task 3 is to implement transient creep (i.e., Burgers model) rheology into finite element package CitcomSVE for modeling the GIA process on global and regional scales and to make the package publicly available to the scientific community. The project will develop the first numerical GIA model with Burgers transient rheology and use the models to examine the effects of 3-D temperature-dependent viscosity, non-Newtonian viscosity and transient rheology on GIA-induced surface displacements in Antarctica. The project will model the unique GPS observations of unusually large displacement rates in the NAP and ASE regions to place constraints on mantle rheology and to distinguish between 3-D temperature-dependent, non-Newtonian and transient mantle viscosity. The project will expand the capability of the publicly available software package CitcomSVE for modeling viscoelastic deformation and tidal deformation on global and regional scales. The project will advance our understanding in lithospheric deformation and mantle rheology on decadal time scales, which helps predict grounding line migration and understand ice sheet stability in West Antarctica. The project will strengthen the open science practice by improving the publicly available code CitcomSVE at github.", "east": 180.0, "geometry": "POINT(0 -89.999)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "WAIS; CRUSTAL MOTION; COMPUTERS; GLACIER MASS BALANCE/ICE SHEET MASS BALANCE", "locations": "WAIS", "north": -60.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Zhong, Shijie", "platforms": "OTHER \u003e MODELS \u003e COMPUTERS", "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": -90.0, "title": "Investigating Effects of Transient and Non-Newtonian Mantle Viscosity on Glacial Isostatic Adjustment Process and their Implications for GPS Observations in Antarctica", "uid": "p0010441", "west": -180.0}, {"awards": "2317263 Cross, Andrew", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Mon, 14 Aug 2023 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "The seaward motion of ice sheets and glaciers is primarily controlled by basal sliding below, and internal viscous flow within, ice masses. The latter of these\u2014viscous flow\u2014is dependent on various factors, including temperature, stress, grain size, and the alignment of ice crystals during flow to produce a crystal orientation fabric (COF). Historically, ice flow has been modeled using a constitutive equation, termed \u201cGlen\u2019s law\u201d, that describes ice flow rate as a function of temperature and stress. Glen\u2019s law was constrained under relatively high-stress conditions, and is often attributed to the motion of crystal defects within ice grains. More recently, however, grain boundary sliding (GBS) has been invoked as the rate-controlling process under low-stress, \u201csuperplastic\u201d conditions. The grain boundary sliding hypothesis is contentious because GBS is not thought to produce a COF, whereas geophysical measurements and polar ice cores demonstrate strong COFs in polar ice masses. However, very few COF measurements have been conducted on ice samples subjected to superplastic flow conditions in the laboratory. In this project, the PI primarily seeks to measure the evolution of ice COF across the transition from superplastic to Glen-type creep. Results will be used to interrogate the role of superplastic GBS creep within polar ice masses, and thereby provide constraints on polar ice discharge models.\r\n\r\nPolycrystalline ice samples with grain sizes ranging from 5 \u00b5m to 1000 \u00b5m will be fabricated and deformed in the PI\u2019s laboratory at WHOI, using a 1-atm cryogenic axial-torsion apparatus. Experiments will be conducted at temperatures of \u221230\u00b0C to \u221210\u00b0C, and at a constant uniaxial strain rate of 10-7 s-1. Under these conditions, 5% to 99.99% of strain should be accommodated by superplastic, GBS-limited creep, depending on the sample grain size. The deformed samples will then be imaged using cryogenic electron backscatter diffraction (cryo-EBSD) and high-angular-resolution electron backscatter diffraction (HR-EBSD) to quantify COF, grain size, grain shape, and crystal defect (dislocation) densities, among other microstructural properties. These measurements will be used to decipher the rate-controlling mechanisms operating within different thermomechanical regimes, and resolve a long-standing debate over whether superplastic creep can produce a COF in ice. In addition to the polycrystal experiments, ice bicrystals will be fabricated and deformed to investigate the micromechanical behavior of individual grain boundaries under superplastic conditions. Ultimately, these results will be used to provide a microstructural toolbox for identifying superplastic creep using geophysical (e.g., seismic, radar) and glaciological (e.g., ice core) observations. This project will support one graduate student within the MIT-WHOI Joint Program, one or more undergraduate summer students, and a junior faculty member (the PI). In addition, the PI will host a workshop aimed at bringing together experimentalists, glaciologists, and ice modelers to facilitate cross-disciplinary knowledge sharing and collaborative problem solving.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "United States Of America; Rheology; ROCKS/MINERALS/CRYSTALS; GLACIERS/ICE SHEETS", "locations": "United States Of America", "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Cross, Andrew", "platforms": null, "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Microstructural Evolution during Superplastic Ice Creep", "uid": "p0010430", "west": null}, {"awards": "1643961 Anandakrishnan, Sridhar", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-80 -83,-79.8 -83,-79.6 -83,-79.4 -83,-79.2 -83,-79 -83,-78.8 -83,-78.6 -83,-78.4 -83,-78.2 -83,-78 -83,-78 -83.2,-78 -83.4,-78 -83.6,-78 -83.8,-78 -84,-78 -84.2,-78 -84.4,-78 -84.6,-78 -84.8,-78 -85,-78.2 -85,-78.4 -85,-78.6 -85,-78.8 -85,-79 -85,-79.2 -85,-79.4 -85,-79.6 -85,-79.8 -85,-80 -85,-80 -84.8,-80 -84.6,-80 -84.4,-80 -84.2,-80 -84,-80 -83.8,-80 -83.6,-80 -83.4,-80 -83.2,-80 -83))", "dataset_titles": "Rutford Ice Stream short period data", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "200336", "doi": "https://doi.org/10.7914/SN/5B_2018", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "IRIS", "science_program": null, "title": "Rutford Ice Stream short period data", "url": "http://fdsn.adc1.iris.edu/networks/detail/5B_2018/"}], "date_created": "Wed, 16 Nov 2022 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Anandakrishnan/1643961\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThis award supports a project to study conditions under the Rutford Ice Stream, a large glacier that flows from the interior of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet to the Filchner Ronne Ice Shelf and then on to the ocean. The speed and volume of ice delivered to the ocean by this and similar glaciers is central to the question of sea-level change in the coming decades: if the volume of ice carried by Rutford to the ocean increases, then it will contribute to a rise in sea level. Numerical models of glacier flow that are used to forecast future conditions must include a component that accounts for the sliding of the ice over its bed. The sliding process is poorly modeled because of lack of detailed information about the bottom of glaciers, leading to increased uncertainty in the ice-flow models. Data from this project will provide such information. \u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eDuring this project, in collaboration with researchers at the British Antarctic Survey, a detailed survey of the properties of the bed of Rutford Ice Stream will be carried out. These surveys include using seismic instruments (which are sensitive to naturally occurring earthquakes within glaciers--called icequakes) to monitor the distribution of those icequakes at the bed. The locations, size, and timing of icequakes are controlled by the properties of the bed such as porosity, water pressure, and stress. As part of this project, a hole will be drilled to the bed of the glacier to monitor water pressures and to extract a sample of the basal material. By comparing the pressure variations with icequake production, the properties of the basal material over a large area can be better determined. Those results will aid in the application of numerical models by informing their description of the sliding process. This award requires field work in Antarctica.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThis 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": -78.0, "geometry": "POINT(-79 -84)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "GLACIERS/ICE SHEETS; Seismicity; Ice Dynamic; Rutford Ice Stream", "locations": "Rutford Ice Stream", "north": -83.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Anandakrishnan, Sridhar", "platforms": null, "repo": "IRIS", "repositories": "IRIS", "science_programs": null, "south": -85.0, "title": "Rutford Ice Stream Cooperative Research Program with British Antarctic Survey", "uid": "p0010392", "west": -80.0}, {"awards": "2114502 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": "Tue, 19 Jul 2022 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2).\r\n\r\nAn important part of understanding future climate change is predicting changes in how fast the ice in Antarctica is moving. If ice flows more quickly towards the ocean, it will have a direct impact on sea level rise. One of the things that can influence the ice flow is the type of rock below the ice coverage in Antarctica. Sedimentary basins are large regions where sedimentary rocks accumulated in the past, often under ancient seas. It has been observed that where there are sediments below the ice, the ice can flow faster. This project seeks to understand what is below the ice and how the underlying rock influences the ice flow. Is it hard, crystalline rock? Is it a sedimentary basin? What is the relationship between sediments and ice flow? The answers to these questions will be addressed by using a combination of available data and geophysical methods. Information from well-known rock-types will be used to train the computer to recognize these features by using an application of artificial intelligence known as machine learning, which will help the characterization and identification of unknown sedimentary basins beneath the ice. The results of this project will be disseminated to a broad audience by holding workshops for teacher and students to explain our findings under the ice and to introduce the machine learning technique. Open-source codes used during this project will be made available for use in higher-level classrooms as well as in further studies.\r\n\r\nTo date, no comprehensive distribution of onshore and offshore sedimentary basins over Antarctica has been developed. A combination of large-scale datasets will be used to characterize known basins and identify new sedimentary basins to produce the first continent-wide mapping of sedimentary basins and provide improved basal parametrizations conditions that have the potential to support more realistic ice sheet models. Available geophysical compilations of data and the location of well-known sedimentary basins will be used to apply an ensemble machine learning algorithm. The machine learning algorithm will learn complex relationships by voting among a collection of randomized decision trees. The gravity signal related to sedimentary basins known from other (e.g. seismic) techniques will be evaluated and unknown basins from aerogravity data regression analyses will be proposed by calculating a gravity residual that reflects density inhomogeneities. The gravimetric sedimentary basins identified from the regression analyses will be compared with an independent method of identifying sedimentary distribution, the Werner deconvolution method of estimating depth to magnetic sources. The hypothesis, which is sedimentary basins are correlated to fast ice flow behavior, will be tested by comparing the location of the sedimentary basins with locations of high ice flow by using available ice velocity observations. A relationship between sedimentary basins and ice streams will be defined qualitatively and quantitatively, aiming to evaluate if there are ice streams where no sedimentary basins are reported, or sedimentary basins with no ice streams related. The findings of these project can confirm if the presence of abundant sediments is a pre-requisite for ice streaming. Analyzing previously known sedimentary basins and identifying new ones in Antarctica is central to evaluating the influence of subglacial sediments on the ice sheet flow.\r\n\r\nThis 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": "GRAVITY ANOMALIES; ICE SHEETS; Antarctica", "locations": "Antarctica", "north": -60.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Constantino, Renata", "platforms": null, "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": -90.0, "title": "Pan-Antarctic Assessment of Sedimentary Basins and the Onset of Streaming Ice Flow from Machine Learning and Aerogravity Regression Analyses", "uid": "p0010351", "west": -180.0}, {"awards": "2201129 Fischer, Karen", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-180 -60,-144 -60,-108 -60,-72 -60,-36 -60,0 -60,36 -60,72 -60,108 -60,144 -60,180 -60,180 -63,180 -66,180 -69,180 -72,180 -75,180 -78,180 -81,180 -84,180 -87,180 -90,144 -90,108 -90,72 -90,36 -90,0 -90,-36 -90,-72 -90,-108 -90,-144 -90,-180 -90,-180 -87,-180 -84,-180 -81,-180 -78,-180 -75,-180 -72,-180 -69,-180 -66,-180 -63,-180 -60))", "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Tue, 14 Jun 2022 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "The western portion of the Antarctic continent is active in terms of plate tectonic processes that can produce significant variations in the Earth\u0027s mantle temperature as well as partial melting of the mantle. In addition to these internal processes, the ice sheet in western Antarctica is melting due to Earth\u0027s warming climate and adding water to the ocean. These changes in ice mass cause adjustments in rocks within the Earth\u0027s crust, allowing the surface to rebound in some locations and fall in others, altering the geographical pattern of sea-level change. However, the solid Earth response depends strongly on the strength of the rocks at a wide range of timescales which is not well-known and varies with temperature and other rock properties. This project has three primary goals. (1) It will assess how processes such as rifting, mantle upwelling and lithospheric instability have altered the lithosphere and underlying asthenosphere of western Antarctica, contributing to a planet-wide understanding of these processes. (2) It will use new measurements of mantle and crust properties to estimate the rate at which heat from the solid Earth flows into the base of the ice, which is important for modeling the rates at which the ice melts and flows. (3) It will places bounds on mantle viscosity, which is key for modeling the interaction of the solid Earth with changing ice and water masses and their implications for sea-level rise. To accomplish these goals, new resolution of crust and mantle structure will be obtained by analyzing seismic waves from distant earthquakes that have been recorded at numerous seismic stations in Antarctica. These analyses will include new combinations of seismic wave data that provide complementary information about mantle temperature, heat flow and viscosity. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTechnical Description: This research addresses key questions about mantle processes and properties in western Antarctica. What are the relative impacts of rifting, mantle plumes, and lithospheric delamination in the evolution of the lithosphere and asthenosphere? Where is topography isostatically compensated, and where are dynamic processes such as plate flexure or tractions from 3-D mantle flow required? What are the bounds on heat flow and mantle viscosity, which represent important inputs to models of ice sheet evolution and its feedback from the solid Earth? To address these questions, this project will measure mantle and crust properties using seismic tools that have not yet been applied in Antarctica: regional-scale measurement of mantle attenuation from surface waves; Sp body wave phases to image mantle velocity gradients such as the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary; and surface wave amplification and ellipticity. The resulting models of seismic attenuation and velocity will be jointly interpreted to shed new light on temperature, bulk composition, volatile content, and partial melt, using a range of laboratory-derived constitutive laws, while considering data from mantle xenoliths. To test the relative roles of rifting, mantle plumes, and delamination, and to assess isostatic support for Antarctic topography, the predictions of these processes will be compared to the new models of crust and mantle properties. To improve bounds on western Antarctic heat flow, seismic attenuation and velocity will be used in empirical comparisons and in direct modeling of vertical temperature gradients. To better measure mantle viscosity at the timescales of glacial isostatic adjustment, frequency-dependent viscosity will be estimated from the inferred mantle conditions. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis project will contribute to the education and career development of a Brown University Ph.D. student, Brown undergraduates, and undergraduates from outside the university who will be involved through the Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences (DEEPS) Leadership Alliance NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Site which focuses on geoscience summer research experiences for underrepresented students. The project will be the basis for a seminar at Brown that explores the connections between the solid Earth and cryosphere in Antarctica and will contribute to outreach in local public elementary and high schools.", "east": 180.0, "geometry": "POINT(0 -89.999)", "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e MAGNETIC/MOTION SENSORS \u003e SEISMOMETERS \u003e SEISMOGRAPHS", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "USAP-DC; West Antarctica; USA/NSF; SEISMIC SURFACE WAVES; AMD; PLATE TECTONICS; Amd/Us; GLACIERS/ICE SHEETS; FIELD INVESTIGATION", "locations": "West Antarctica", "north": -60.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Fischer, Karen; Dalton, Colleen", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD INVESTIGATION", "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": -90.0, "title": "Probing the Western Antarctic Lithosphere and Asthenosphere with New Approaches to Imaging Seismic Wave Attenuation and Velocity", "uid": "p0010339", "west": -180.0}, {"awards": "2203487 Ben Mansour, Walid", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-180 -60,-144 -60,-108 -60,-72 -60,-36 -60,0 -60,36 -60,72 -60,108 -60,144 -60,180 -60,180 -63,180 -66,180 -69,180 -72,180 -75,180 -78,180 -81,180 -84,180 -87,180 -90,144 -90,108 -90,72 -90,36 -90,0 -90,-36 -90,-72 -90,-108 -90,-144 -90,-180 -90,-180 -87,-180 -84,-180 -81,-180 -78,-180 -75,-180 -72,-180 -69,-180 -66,-180 -63,-180 -60))", "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Mon, 06 Jun 2022 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "The thermochemical structure of the lithosphere beneath Antarctica is fundamental for understanding the geological evolution of the continent and its relationship to surrounding Gondwana continents. In addition, the thermal structure controls the solid earth response to glacial unloading, with important implications for ice sheet models and the future of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. However, it is challenging to get an accurate picture of temperature and composition from only sparse petrological/geochemical analysis, and most previous attempts to solve this problem geophysically have relied on seismic or gravity data alone. Here, we propose to use a probabilistic joint inversion (high resolution regional seismic data, satellite gravity data, topography) and petrological modelling approach to determine the 3D thermochemical structure of the mantle. The inversion will be carried out using a Markov-chain Bayesian Monte Carlo methodology, providing quantitative estimates of uncertainties. Mapping the 3-D thermochemical structure (thermal and composition) will provide a comprehensive view of the horizontal (50-100 km resolution) and vertical (from the surface down to 380 km) variations. This new model will give us the temperature variation from the surface down to 380 km and the degree of depletion of the lithospheric mantle and the sub-lithospheric mantle. This new model will also be compared to recent models of Gondwana terranes 200 Myrs to build a new model of the thermochemical evolution of the cratonic mantle. The new thermal and chemical structures can be used to better understand the geothermal heat flux beneath the ice sheet as well as improve glacial isostatic adjustment and ice sheet models.", "east": 180.0, "geometry": "POINT(0 -89.999)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Antarctica; GRAVITY FIELD; AMD; COMPUTERS; GEOCHEMISTRY; PLATE BOUNDARIES; Amd/Us; SEISMIC SURFACE WAVES; USA/NSF; USAP-DC", "locations": "Antarctica", "north": -60.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Ben-Mansour, Walid; Wiens, Douglas", "platforms": "OTHER \u003e MODELS \u003e COMPUTERS", "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": -90.0, "title": "Thermal and Compositional Structure of Antarctica from Probabilistic Joint Inversion of Seismic, Gravity, and Topography Data and Petrological Modelling", "uid": "p0010334", "west": -180.0}, {"awards": "0342484 Harwood, David", "bounds_geometry": "POINT(167.083333 -77.888889)", "dataset_titles": "Particle-size measurements at 3-m intervals for AND-2A sediment core, McMurdo Sound", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601451", "doi": "10.15784/601451", "keywords": "Andrill; Antarctica; Continental Shelf; Diamict; McMurdo Sound; Miocene; Paleoclimate; Particle Size", "people": "Passchier, Sandra; Candice, Falk", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "ANDRILL", "title": "Particle-size measurements at 3-m intervals for AND-2A sediment core, McMurdo Sound", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601451"}], "date_created": "Fri, 04 Feb 2022 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "ANDRILL is a scientific drilling program to investigate Antarctica\u0027s role in global climate change over the last sixty million years. The approach integrates geophysical surveys, new drilling technology, multidisciplinary core analysis, and ice sheet modeling to address four scientific themes: (1) the history of Antarctica\u0027s climate and ice sheets; (2) the evolution of polar biota and ecosystems; (3) the timing and nature of major tectonic and volcanic episodes; and (4) the role of Antarctica in the Earth\u0027s ocean-climate system. \u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThis award initiates what may become a long-term program with drilling of two previously inaccessible sediment records beneath the McMurdo Ice Shelf and in South McMurdo Sound. These stratigraphic records cover critical time periods in the development of Antarctica\u0027s major ice sheets. The McMurdo Ice Shelf site focuses on the Ross Ice Shelf, whose size is a sensitive indicator of global climate change. It has recently undergone major calving events, and there is evidence of a thousand-kilometer contraction since the last glacial maximum. As a generator of cold bottom water, the shelf may also play a key role in ocean circulation. The core obtained from this site will also offer insight into sub-ice shelf sedimentary, biologic, and oceanographic processes; the history of Ross Island volcanism; and the flexural response of the lithosphere to volcanic loading, which is important for geophysical and tectonic studies of the region.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThe South McMurdo Sound site is located adjacent to the Dry Valleys, and focuses on the major ice sheet overlying East Antarctica. A debate persists regarding the stability of this ice sheet. Evidence from the Dry Valleys supports contradictory conclusions; a stable ice sheet for at least the last fifteen million years or an active ice sheet that cycled through expansions and contractions as recently as a few millions of years ago. Constraining this history is critical to deep-time models of global climate change. The sediment cores will be used to construct an overall glacial and interglacial history for the region; including documentation of sea-ice coverage, sea level, terrestrial vegetation, and melt-water discharge events. The core will also provide a general chronostratigraphic framework for regional seismic studies and help unravel the area\u0027s complex tectonic history.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThe broader impacts of this project include formal and informal education, new research infrastructure, various forms of collaboration, and improving society\u0027s understanding of global climate change. Education is supported at the postdoctoral, graduate, undergraduate, and K-12 levels. Teachers and curriculum specialists are integrated into the research program, and a range of video resources will be produced, including a science documentary for television release. New research infrastructure includes equipment for core analysis and ice sheet modeling, as well as development of a unique drilling system to penetrate ice shelves. Drill development and the overall project are co-supported by international collaboration with scientists and the National Antarctic programs of New Zealand, Germany, and Italy. The program also forges new collaborations between research and primarily undergraduate institutions within the United States. \u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eAs key factors in sea-level rise and oceanic and atmospheric circulation, Antarctica\u0027s ice sheets are important to society\u0027s understanding of global climate change. ANDRILL offers new data on marine and terrestrial temperatures, and changes our understanding of extreme climate events like the formation of polar ice caps. Such data are critical to developing accurate models of the Earth\u0027s climatic future.", "east": 167.083333, "geometry": "POINT(167.083333 -77.888889)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "AMD; USAP-DC; FIELD SURVEYS; ICE SHEETS; USA/NSF; Amd/Us; PALEOCLIMATE RECONSTRUCTIONS; Ross Ice Shelf; SEDIMENTS", "locations": "Ross Ice Shelf", "north": -77.888889, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Harwood, David; Levy, Richard", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD SURVEYS", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": "ANDRILL", "south": -77.888889, "title": "Collaborative Research: ANDRILL - - Investigating Antarcticas Role in Cenozoic Global Environmental Change", "uid": "p0010297", "west": 167.083333}, {"awards": "2022920 Zhan, Zhongwen", "bounds_geometry": "POINT(180 -90)", "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Wed, 30 Jun 2021 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This EAGER award will explore the Distributed Acoustic Sensing emerging technology that transforms a single optical fiber into a massively multichannel seismic array. This technology may provide a scalable and affordable way to deploy dense seismic networks. Experimental Distributed Acoustic Sensing equipment will be tested in the Antarctic exploiting unused (dark) strands in the existing fiber-optic cable that connects the U.S. Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station to the Remote Earth Science and Seismological Observatory (SPRESSO) located about 7.5-km from the main station. Upon processing the seismic signals, the Distributed Acoustic Sensing may provide a new tool to structurally image firn, glacial ice, and glacial bedrock. Learning how Distributed Acoustic Sensing would work on the ice sheet, scientists can then check seismological signals propagating through the Earth\u0027s crust and mantle variously using natural icequakes and earthquakes events in the surrounding area.\r\n\r\nThe investigators propose to convert at least 8 km of pre-existing fiber optic cable at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole station into more than 8000 sensors to explore the potential of Distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) as a breakthrough data engine for polar seismology. The DAS array will operate for about one year, allowing them to (1) evaluate and calibrate the performance of the DAS technology in the extreme cold, very low noise (including during the exceptionally quiet austral winter) polar plateau environment; (2) record and analyze local ambient and transient signals from ice, anthropogenic signals, ocean microseism, atmospheric and other processes, as well as to study local, regional, and teleseismic tectonic events; (3) structurally image the firn, glacial ice, glacial bed, crust, and mantle, variously using active sources, ambient seismic noise, and natural icequake and earthquake events.", "east": 180.0, "geometry": "POINT(180 -90)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "AMD; South Pole Station; GLACIERS/ICE SHEETS; NSF/USA; Amd/Us; SEISMIC SURFACE WAVES; SEISMOLOGICAL STATIONS; USAP-DC", "locations": "South Pole Station", "north": -90.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Instrumentation and Facilities", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Zhan, Zhongwen", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e PERMANENT LAND SITES \u003e SEISMOLOGICAL STATIONS", "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": -90.0, "title": "EAGER: Pilot Fiber Seismic Networks at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station", "uid": "p0010214", "west": 180.0}, {"awards": "1914698 Hansen, Samantha; 1914743 Becker, Thorsten; 1914668 Aschwanden, Andy; 1914767 Winberry, Paul", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((90 -65,99 -65,108 -65,117 -65,126 -65,135 -65,144 -65,153 -65,162 -65,171 -65,180 -65,180 -67.5,180 -70,180 -72.5,180 -75,180 -77.5,180 -80,180 -82.5,180 -85,180 -87.5,180 -90,171 -90,162 -90,153 -90,144 -90,135 -90,126 -90,117 -90,108 -90,99 -90,90 -90,90 -87.5,90 -85,90 -82.5,90 -80,90 -77.5,90 -75,90 -72.5,90 -70,90 -67.5,90 -65))", "dataset_titles": "East Antarctic Seismicity from different Automated Event Detection Algorithms; Full Waveform Ambient Noise Tomography for East Antarctica", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601763", "doi": "10.15784/601763", "keywords": "Ambient Noise; Antarctica; East Antarctica; Geoscientificinformation; Seismic Tomography; Seismology", "people": "Emry, Erica; Hansen, Samantha", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Full Waveform Ambient Noise Tomography for East Antarctica", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601763"}, {"dataset_uid": "601762", "doi": "10.15784/601762", "keywords": "Antarctica; Geoscientificinformation; Machine Learning; Seismic Event Detection; Seismology; Seismometer", "people": "Hansen, Samantha; Ho, Long; Walter, Jacob", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "East Antarctic Seismicity from different Automated Event Detection Algorithms", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601762"}], "date_created": "Fri, 25 Jun 2021 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Part I: Nontechnical \u003cbr/\u003eEarths warming climate has the potential to drive widespread collapse of glaciers and ice sheets across the planet, driving global sea-level rise. Understanding both the rate and magnitude of such changes is essential for predicting future sea-level and how it will impact infrastructure and property. Collapse of the ice sheets of Antarctica has the potential to raise global sea-level by up to 60 meters. However, not all regions of Antarctica are equally suspectable to collapse. One area with potential for collapse is the Wilkes Subglacial Basin in East Antarctica, a region twice the size of California\u0027s Central Valley. Geologic evidence indicates that the ice-sheet in this region has retreated significantly in response to past global warming events. While the geologic record clearly indicates ice-sheets in this area are vulnerable, the rate and magnitude of any future retreat will be influenced significantly by geology of the region. Constraining the geologic controls on the stability of the ice-sheets of the Wilkes Subglacial Basin remains challenging since the ice-sheet hides the geology beneath kilometers of ice. As a step in understanding the potential for future ice loss in the Wilkes Subglacial Basin this project will conduct geophysical analysis of existing data to better constrain the geology of the region. These results will constrain new models designed to understand the tectonics that control the behavior of the ice-sheets in the region. These new models will highlight the geological properties that exert the most significant control on the future of the ice-sheets of the Wilkes Subglacial Basin. Such insights are critical to guide future efforts aimed at collecting in-situ observations needed to more fully constrain Antarctica\u0027s potential for future sea-level. \u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003e Part II: Technical Description \u003cbr/\u003eIn polar environments, inward-sloping marine basins are susceptible to an effect known as the marine ice-sheet instability (MISI): run-away ice stream drainage caused by warm ocean water eroding the ice shelf from below. The magnitude and time-scale of the ice-sheet response strongly depend on the physical conditions along the ice-bed interface, which are, to a first order, controlled by the tectonic evolution of the basin. Topography, sedimentology, geothermal heat flux, and mantle viscosity all play critical roles in ice-sheet stability. However, in most cases, these solid-Earth parameters for regions susceptible to the MISI are largely unknown. One region with potential susceptibility to MISI is the Wilkes Subglacial Basin of East Antarctica. The project will provide an integrated investigation of the Wilkes Subglacial Basin, combining geophysical analyses with both mantle flow and ice-sheet modeling to understand the stability of the ice sheet in this region, and the associated potential sea level rise. The work will be focused on four primary objectives: (1) to develop an improved tectonic model for the region based on existing seismic observations as well as existing geophysical and geological data; (2) to use the new tectonic model and seismic data to estimate the thermal, density, and viscosity structure of the upper mantle and to develop a heat flow map for the WSB; (3) to simulate mantle flow and to assess paleotopography based on our density and viscosity constraints; and (4) to assess ice-sheet behavior by modeling (a) past ice-sheet stability using our paleotopography estimates and (b) future ice-sheet stability using our heat flow and mantle viscosity estimates. Ultimately, the project will generate improved images of the geophysical structure beneath the WSB that will allow us to assess the geodynamic origin for this region and to assess the influence of geologic parameters on past, current, and future ice-sheet behavior. These efforts will then highlight areas and geophysical properties that should be the focus of future geophysical deployments.", "east": 180.0, "geometry": "POINT(135 -77.5)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "TECTONICS; AMD; Wilkes Subglacial Basin; ICE SHEETS; USA/NSF; Amd/Us; SEISMOLOGICAL STATIONS; SEISMIC SURFACE WAVES; East Antarctica; USAP-DC", "locations": "East Antarctica; Wilkes Subglacial Basin", "north": -65.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Becker, Thorsten; Binder, April; Hansen, Samantha; Aschwanden, Andy; Winberry, Paul", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e PERMANENT LAND SITES \u003e SEISMOLOGICAL STATIONS", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -90.0, "title": "Collaborative Research: Resolving earth structure influence on ice-sheet stability in the Wilkes\r\nSubglacial Basin (RESISSt)", "uid": "p0010204", "west": 90.0}, {"awards": "1739027 Tulaczyk, Slawek", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-125 -73,-122.1 -73,-119.2 -73,-116.3 -73,-113.4 -73,-110.5 -73,-107.6 -73,-104.7 -73,-101.8 -73,-98.9 -73,-96 -73,-96 -73.7,-96 -74.4,-96 -75.1,-96 -75.8,-96 -76.5,-96 -77.2,-96 -77.9,-96 -78.6,-96 -79.3,-96 -80,-98.9 -80,-101.8 -80,-104.7 -80,-107.6 -80,-110.5 -80,-113.4 -80,-116.3 -80,-119.2 -80,-122.1 -80,-125 -80,-125 -79.3,-125 -78.6,-125 -77.9,-125 -77.2,-125 -76.5,-125 -75.8,-125 -75.1,-125 -74.4,-125 -73.7,-125 -73))", "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Thu, 24 Jun 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. Collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) could raise the global sea level by about 5 meters (16 feet) and the scientific community considers it the most significant risk for coastal environments and cities. The risk arises from the deep, marine setting of WAIS. Although scientists have been aware of the precarious setting of this ice sheet since the early 1970s, it is only now that the flow of ice in several large drainage basins is undergoing dynamic change consistent with a potentially irreversible disintegration. Understanding WAIS stability and enabling more accurate prediction of sea-level rise through computer simulation are two of the key objectives facing the polar science community today. This project will directly address both objectives by: (1) using state-of-the-art technologies to observe rapidly deforming parts of Thwaites Glacier that may have significant control over the future evolution of WAIS, and (2) using these new observations to improve ice-sheet models used to predict future sea-level rise. This project brings together a multidisciplinary team of UK and US scientists. This international collaboration will result in new understanding of natural processes that may lead to the collapse of the WAIS and will boost infrastructure for research and education by creating a multidisciplinary network of scientists. This team will mentor three postdoctoral researchers, train four Ph.D. students and integrate undergraduate students in this research project.\r\n\r\nThe project will test the overarching hypothesis that shear-margin dynamics may exert powerful control on the future evolution of ice flow in Thwaites Drainage Basin. To test the hypothesis, the team will set up an ice observatory at two sites on the eastern shear margin of Thwaites Glacier. The team argues that weak topographic control makes this shear margin susceptible to outward migration and, possibly, sudden jumps in response to the drawdown of inland ice when the grounding line of Thwaites retreats. The ice observatory is designed to produce new and comprehensive constraints on englacial properties, including ice deformation rates, ice crystal fabric, ice viscosity, ice temperature, ice water content and basal melt rates. The ice observatory will also establish basal conditions, including thickness and porosity of the till layer and the deeper marine sediments, if any. Furthermore, the team will develop new knowledge with an emphasis on physical processes, including direct assessment of the spatial and temporal scales on which these processes operate. Seismic surveys will be carried out in 2D and 3D using wireless geophones. A network of broadband seismometers will identify icequakes produced by crevassing and basal sliding. Autonomous radar systems with phased arrays will produce sequential images of rapidly deforming internal layers in 3D while potentially also revealing the geometry of a basal water system. Datasets will be incorporated into numerical models developed on different spatial scales. One will focus specifically on shear-margin dynamics, the other on how shear-margin dynamics can influence ice flow in the whole drainage basin. Upon completion, the project aims to have confirmed whether the eastern shear margin of Thwaites Glacier can migrate rapidly, as hypothesized, and if so what the impacts will be in terms of sea-level rise in this century and beyond.\r\n", "east": -96.0, "geometry": "POINT(-110.5 -76.5)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "FIELD INVESTIGATION; GLACIER MOTION/ICE SHEET MOTION; Thwaites Glacier; USAP-DC; USA/NSF; Magmatic Volatiles; AMD; GLACIER MASS BALANCE/ICE SHEET MASS BALANCE; ICE SHEETS; Amd/Us", "locations": "Thwaites Glacier", "north": -73.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Integrated System Science; Antarctic Glaciology; Antarctic Instrumentation and Support", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Tulaczyk, Slawek", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD INVESTIGATION", "repositories": null, "science_programs": "Thwaites (ITGC)", "south": -80.0, "title": "NSF-NERC: Thwaites Interdisciplinary Margin Evolution (TIME): The Role of Shear Margin Dynamics in the Future Evolution of the Thwaites Drainage Basin", "uid": "p0010199", "west": -125.0}, {"awards": "1543399 Peng, Zhigang; 1745135 Walter, Jacob; 1543286 Walter, Jacob", "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": "Wed, 19 May 2021 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "The continent of Antarctica has approximately the same surface area as the continental United States, though we know significantly less about its underlying geology and seismic activity. Multinational investments in geophysical infrastructure over the last few decades, especially broadband seismometers operating for several years, are allowing us to observe many interesting natural phenomena, including iceberg calving, ice stream slip, and tectonic earthquakes. To specifically leverage those past investments, we will analyze past and current data to gain a better understanding of Antarctic seismicity. Our recent research revealed that certain large earthquakes occurring elsewhere in the world triggered ice movement near various stations throughout Antarctica. We plan to conduct an exhaustive search of the terabytes of available data, using cutting-edge computational techniques, to uncover additional evidence for ice crevassing, ice stream slip, and earth movement during earthquakes. One specific focus of our research will include investigating whether some of these phenomena may be triggered by external influences, including passing surface waves from distant earthquakes, ocean tides, or seasonal melt. We plan to produce a catalog of the identified activity and share it publicly, so the public and researchers can easily access it. To reach a broader audience, we will present talks to high school classes, including Advanced Placement classes, in the Austin, Texas and Atlanta, Georgia metropolitan areas with emphasis on general aspects of seismic hazard, climate variability, and the geographies of Antarctica. This project will provide research opportunities for undergraduates, training for graduate students, and support for an early-career scientist.\r\n\r\nIn recent years, a new generation of geodetic and seismic instrumentation has been deployed as permanent stations throughout Antarctica (POLENET), in addition to stations deployed for shorter duration (less than 3 years) experiments (e.g. AGAP/TAMSEIS). These efforts are providing critical infrastructure needed to address fundamental questions about both crustal-scale tectonic structures and ice sheets, and their interactions. We plan to conduct a systematic detection of tectonic and icequake activities in Antarctica, focusing primarily on background seismicity, remotely-triggered seismicity, and glacier slip events. Our proposed tasks include: (1) Identification of seismicity throughout the Antarctic continent for both tectonic and ice sources. (2) An exhaustive search for additional triggered events in Antarctica during the last ~15 years of global significant earthquakes. (3) Determination of triggered source mechanisms and whether those triggered events also occur at other times, by analyzing years of data using a matched-filter analysis (where the triggered local event is used to detect similar events). (4) Further analysis of GPS measurements over a ~5.5 year period from Whillans Ice Plain, which suggests that triggering of stick-slip events occurred after the largest earthquakes. An improved knowledge of how the Antarctic ice sheet responds to external perturbations such as dynamic stresses from large distant earthquakes and recent ice unloading could lead to a better understanding of ice failure and related dynamic processes. By leveraging the vast logistical investment to install seismometers in Antarctica over the last decade, our project will build an exhaustive catalog of tectonic earthquakes, icequakes, calving events, and any other detectable near-surface seismic phenomena.", "east": 180.0, "geometry": "POINT(0 -89.999)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Antarctica; GLACIERS/ICE SHEETS; USA/NSF; TECTONICS; Amd/Us; AMD; USAP-DC; SEISMOLOGICAL STATIONS", "locations": "Antarctica", "north": -60.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Walter, Jacob; Peng, Zhigang", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e PERMANENT LAND SITES \u003e SEISMOLOGICAL STATIONS", "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": -90.0, "title": "Collaborative Research: Triggering of Antarctic Icequakes, Slip Events, and other Tectonic Phenomena by Distant Earthquakes", "uid": "p0010182", "west": -180.0}, {"awards": "1246151 Bromirski, Peter; 1246416 Stephen, Ralph", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-180 -77,-179.5 -77,-179 -77,-178.5 -77,-178 -77,-177.5 -77,-177 -77,-176.5 -77,-176 -77,-175.5 -77,-175 -77,-175 -77.4,-175 -77.8,-175 -78.2,-175 -78.6,-175 -79,-175 -79.4,-175 -79.8,-175 -80.2,-175 -80.6,-175 -81,-175.5 -81,-176 -81,-176.5 -81,-177 -81,-177.5 -81,-178 -81,-178.5 -81,-179 -81,-179.5 -81,180 -81,179 -81,178 -81,177 -81,176 -81,175 -81,174 -81,173 -81,172 -81,171 -81,170 -81,170 -80.6,170 -80.2,170 -79.8,170 -79.4,170 -79,170 -78.6,170 -78.2,170 -77.8,170 -77.4,170 -77,171 -77,172 -77,173 -77,174 -77,175 -77,176 -77,177 -77,178 -77,179 -77,-180 -77))", "dataset_titles": "Collaborative Research: Dynamic Response of the Ross Ice Shelf to Wave-Induced Vibrations and Collaborative Research: Mantle Structure and Dynamics of the Ross Sea from a Passive Seismic Deployment on the Ross Ice Shelf. International Federation of Digital Seismograph Networks. ; Dynamic Response of the Ross Ice Shelf to Wave-induced Vibrations 2015/2016, UNAVCO, Inc., GPS/GNSS Observations Dataset", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "200207", "doi": "10.7914/SN/XH_2014", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "IRIS", "science_program": null, "title": "Collaborative Research: Dynamic Response of the Ross Ice Shelf to Wave-Induced Vibrations and Collaborative Research: Mantle Structure and Dynamics of the Ross Sea from a Passive Seismic Deployment on the Ross Ice Shelf. International Federation of Digital Seismograph Networks. ", "url": "http://www.fdsn.org/networks/detail/XH_2014/"}, {"dataset_uid": "200209", "doi": "10.7283/58E3-GA46", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "UNAVCO", "science_program": null, "title": "Dynamic Response of the Ross Ice Shelf to Wave-induced Vibrations 2015/2016, UNAVCO, Inc., GPS/GNSS Observations Dataset", "url": "https://doi.org/10.7283/58E3-GA46"}], "date_created": "Thu, 15 Apr 2021 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award supports a project intended to discover, through field observations and numerical simulations, how ocean wave-induced vibrations on ice shelves in general, and the Ross Ice Shelf (RIS), in particular, can be used (1) to infer spatial and temporal variability of ice shelf mechanical properties, (2) to infer bulk elastic properties from signal propagation characteristics, and (3) to determine whether the RIS response to infragravity (IG) wave forcing observed distant from the front propagates as stress waves from the front or is \"locally\" generated by IG wave energy penetrating the RIS cavity. The intellectual merit of the work is that ocean gravity waves are dynamic elements of the global ocean environment, affected by ocean warming and changes in ocean and atmospheric circulation patterns. Their evolution may thus drive changes in ice-shelf stability by both mechanical interactions, and potentially increased basal melting, which in turn feed back on sea level rise. Gravity wave-induced signal propagation across ice shelves depends on ice shelf and sub-shelf water cavity geometry (e.g. structure, thickness, crevasse density and orientation), as well as ice shelf physical properties. Emphasis will be placed on observation and modeling of the RIS response to IG wave forcing at periods from 75 to 300 s. Because IG waves are not appreciably damped by sea ice, seasonal monitoring will give insights into the year-round RIS response to this oceanographic forcing. The 3-year project will involve a 24-month period of continuous data collection spanning two annual cycles on the RIS. RIS ice-front array coverage overlaps with a synergistic Ross Sea Mantle Structure (RSMS) study, giving an expanded array beneficial for IG wave localization. The ice-shelf deployment will consist of sixteen stations equipped with broadband seismometers and barometers. Three seismic stations near the RIS front will provide reference response/forcing functions, and measure the variability of the response across the front. A linear seismic array orthogonal to the front will consist of three stations in-line with three RSMS stations. Passive seismic array monitoring will be used to determine the spatial and temporal distribution of ocean wave-induced signal sources along the front of the RIS and estimate ice shelf structure, with the high-density array used to monitor and localize fracture (icequake) activity. The broader impacts include providing baseline measurements to enable detection of ice-shelf changes over coming decades which will help scientists and policy-makers respond to the socio-environmental challenges of climate change and sea-level rise. A postdoctoral scholar in interdisciplinary Earth science will be involved throughout the course of the research. Students at Cuyamaca Community College, San Diego County, will develop and manage a web site for the project to be used as a teaching tool for earth science and oceanography classes, with development of an associated web site on waves for middle school students.\n\r\nUnderstanding and being able to anticipate changes in the glaciological regime of the Ross Ice Shelf (RIS) and West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) are key to improving sea level rise projections due to ongoing ice mass loss in West Antarctica. The fate of the WAIS is a first-order climate change and global societal issue for this century and beyond that affects coastal communities and coastal infrastructure globally. \r\n\r\nIce shelf--ocean interactions include impacts from tsunami, ocean swell (10-30s period), and very long period ocean waves that impact ice shelves and produce vibrations that induce a variety of seismic signals detected by seismometers buried in the ice shelf surface layer, called firn. To study the wave-induced vibrations in the RIS, an extensive seismic array was deployed from Nov. 2014 to Nov. 2016. This unique seismometer array deployment on an ice shelf made continuous observations of the response of the RIS to ocean wave impacts from ocean swell and very long period waves. An extensive description of the project motivation and background (including photos and videos of the deployment operations), and list of published studies of analyses of the seismic data collected by this project, are available at the project website https://iceshelfvibes.ucsd.edu. \r\n\r\nTwo types of seismic signals detected by the seismic array are most prevalent: flexural gravity waves (plate waves) and icequakes (signals analogous to those from earthquakes but from fracturing of the ice). \r\nLong period ocean waves flex the ice shelf at the same period as the ocean waves, with wave energy at periods greater than ocean swell more efficient at coupling energy into flexing the ice shelf. Termed flexural gravity waves or plate waves (Chen et al., 2018), their wave-induced vibrations can reach 100\u2019s of km from the ice edge where they are excited, with long period wave energy propagating in the water layer below the shelf coupled with the ice shelf flexure. Flexural gravity waves at very long periods (\u003e 300 s period), such as from tsunami impacts (Bromirski et al., 2017), can readily reach grounding zones and may play a role in long-term grounding zone evolution. \r\nSwell-induced icequake activity was found to be most prevalent at the shelf front during the austral summer (January \u2013 March) when seasonal sea ice is absent and the associated damping of swell by sea ice is minimal (Chen et al., 2019). \r\n\r\nIn addition to the seismic array, a 14 station GPS (global positioning system) array was installed during seismic data retrieval and station servicing operations in October-November 2015. The GPS stations, co-located with seismic stations, extended from the shelf front southward to about 415 km at interior station RS18. Due to logistical constraints associated with battery weight during installation, only one station (at DR10) operated year-round. The GPS data collected give a detailed record of changes in iceflow velocity that are in close agreement with the increasing velocity estimates approaching the shelf front from satellite observations. Importantly, the year-round data at DR10 show an unprecedented seasonal cycle of changes in iceflow velocity, with a speed-up in northward (seaward) ice flow during Jan.-May and then a velocity decrease from June-Sep. (returning to the long-term mean flow velocity). This annual ice flow velocity change cycle has been attributed in part to seasonal changes in ice shelf mass (thinning, reducing buttressing) due to melting at the RIS basal (bottom) surface from intrusion of warmer ocean water (Klein et al., 2020). ", "east": 170.0, "geometry": "POINT(177.5 -79)", "instruments": "EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e POSITIONING/NAVIGATION \u003e GPS \u003e GPS", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "FIELD INVESTIGATION; GLACIER MOTION/ICE SHEET MOTION; USAP-DC; Amd/Us; AMD; USA/NSF; Iris; Ross Ice Shelf", "locations": "Ross Ice Shelf", "north": -77.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology; Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Bromirski, Peter; Gerstoft, Peter; Stephen, Ralph", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD INVESTIGATION", "repo": "IRIS", "repositories": "IRIS; UNAVCO", "science_programs": null, "south": -81.0, "title": "Collaborative Research: Dynamic Response of the Ross Ice Shelf to Wave-induced Vibrations", "uid": "p0010169", "west": -175.0}, {"awards": "1738992 Pettit, Erin C; 1929991 Pettit, Erin C", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-114 -74,-113 -74,-112 -74,-111 -74,-110 -74,-109 -74,-108 -74,-107 -74,-106 -74,-105 -74,-104 -74,-104 -74.2,-104 -74.4,-104 -74.6,-104 -74.8,-104 -75,-104 -75.2,-104 -75.4,-104 -75.6,-104 -75.8,-104 -76,-105 -76,-106 -76,-107 -76,-108 -76,-109 -76,-110 -76,-111 -76,-112 -76,-113 -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": "AMIGOS-IIIa \"Cavity\" Aquadopp current data Jan 2020 - Mar 2021; AMIGOS-IIIa \"Cavity\" Seabird CTD data Jan 2020 - Dec 2021; AMIGOS-III Cavity and Channel Snow Height and Thermistor Snow Temperature Data; AMIGOS-IIIc \"Channel\" Aquadopp current data Jan 2020 - Mar 2021; AMIGOS-IIIc \"Channel\" Seabird CTD data Jan 2020 - Dec 2021; CTD data from the NBP 19/02 cruise as part of the TARSAN project in the Amundsen Sea during austral summer 2018/2019; Dotson-Crosson Ice Shelf data from a tale of two ice shelves paper; SIIOS Temporary Deployment; Sub-ice-shelf seafloor elevation derived from point-source active-seismic data on Thwaites Eastern Ice Shelf and Dotson Ice Shelf, December 2019 and January 2020; Thwaites Glacier grounding lines for 2014 and 2019/20 from height above flotation; Two-year velocity and strain-rate averages from the Thwaites Eastern Ice Shelf, 2001-2020; Visala WXT520 weather station data at the Cavity and Channel AMIGOS-III sites", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601499", "doi": "10.15784/601499", "keywords": "Amundsen Sea; Antarctica; Glaciology; Grounding Line; Ice Shelf; Thwaites Glacier", "people": "Alley, Karen; Pettit, Erin; Muto, Atsu; Truffer, Martin; Scambos, Ted; Wild, Christian", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "Thwaites (ITGC)", "title": "Thwaites Glacier grounding lines for 2014 and 2019/20 from height above flotation", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601499"}, {"dataset_uid": "601827", "doi": "10.15784/601827", "keywords": "Antarctica; Cryosphere; Dotson Ice Shelf; Thwaites Glacier", "people": "Muto, Atsuhiro", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "Thwaites (ITGC)", "title": "Sub-ice-shelf seafloor elevation derived from point-source active-seismic data on Thwaites Eastern Ice Shelf and Dotson Ice Shelf, December 2019 and January 2020", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601827"}, {"dataset_uid": "200204", "doi": "https://doi.org/10.7914/SN/1L_2019", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "International Federation of Digital Seismograph Networks", "science_program": null, "title": "SIIOS Temporary Deployment", "url": "http://www.fdsn.org/networks/detail/1L_2019/"}, {"dataset_uid": "601578", "doi": "10.15784/601578", "keywords": "Antarctica; Dotson Ice Shelf; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology", "people": "Wild, Christian; Segabinazzi-Dotto, Tiago", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "Thwaites (ITGC)", "title": "Dotson-Crosson Ice Shelf data from a tale of two ice shelves paper", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601578"}, {"dataset_uid": "200321", "doi": "10.5285/e338af5d-8622-05de-e053-6c86abc06489", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "British Oceanographic Data Centre", "science_program": null, "title": "CTD data from the NBP 19/02 cruise as part of the TARSAN project in the Amundsen Sea during austral summer 2018/2019", "url": "https://www.bodc.ac.uk/data/published_data_library/catalogue/10.5285/e338af5d-8622-05de-e053-6c86abc06489/"}, {"dataset_uid": "601478", "doi": "10.15784/601478", "keywords": "Antarctica; Glaciology; Ice Shelf; Ice Velocity; Strain Rate; Thwaites Glacier", "people": "Wallin, Bruce; Truffer, Martin; Pettit, Erin; Klinger, Marin; Alley, Karen; Wild, Christian; Scambos, Ted; Muto, Atsu", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "Thwaites (ITGC)", "title": "Two-year velocity and strain-rate averages from the Thwaites Eastern Ice Shelf, 2001-2020", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601478"}, {"dataset_uid": "601552", "doi": "10.15784/601552", "keywords": "Amundsen Sea; Antarctica; Ice Shelf; Pine Island Bay; Snow Accumulation; Snow Temperature; Thwaites Glacier", "people": "Scambos, Ted", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "Thwaites (ITGC)", "title": "AMIGOS-III Cavity and Channel Snow Height and Thermistor Snow Temperature Data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601552"}, {"dataset_uid": "601549", "doi": "10.15784/601549", "keywords": "Amundsen Sea; Antarctica; Ice Shelf; Pine Island Bay; Thwaites Glacier", "people": "Scambos, Ted", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "Thwaites (ITGC)", "title": "Visala WXT520 weather station data at the Cavity and Channel AMIGOS-III sites", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601549"}, {"dataset_uid": "601548", "doi": "10.15784/601548", "keywords": "Amundsen Sea; Antarctica; Ice Shelf; Mooring; Pine Island Bay; Pressure; Temperature; Thwaites Glacier", "people": "Scambos, Ted", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "Thwaites (ITGC)", "title": "AMIGOS-IIIc \"Channel\" Aquadopp current data Jan 2020 - Mar 2021", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601548"}, {"dataset_uid": "601547", "doi": "10.15784/601547", "keywords": "Amundsen Sea; Antarctica; Ice Shelf; Mooring; Pine Island Bay; Pressure; Temperature; Thwaites Glacier", "people": "Scambos, Ted", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "Thwaites (ITGC)", "title": "AMIGOS-IIIa \"Cavity\" Aquadopp current data Jan 2020 - Mar 2021", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601547"}, {"dataset_uid": "601545", "doi": "10.15784/601545", "keywords": "Amundsen Sea; Antarctica; Ice Shelf; Mooring; Pine Island Bay; Pressure; Salinity; Temperature; Thwaites Glacier", "people": "Scambos, Ted", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "Thwaites (ITGC)", "title": "AMIGOS-IIIc \"Channel\" Seabird CTD data Jan 2020 - Dec 2021", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601545"}, {"dataset_uid": "601544", "doi": "10.15784/601544", "keywords": "Amundsen Sea; Antarctica; Ice Shelf; Mooring; Pine Island Bay; Pressure; Salinity; Temperature; Thwaites Glacier", "people": "Scambos, Ted", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "Thwaites (ITGC)", "title": "AMIGOS-IIIa \"Cavity\" Seabird CTD data Jan 2020 - Dec 2021", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601544"}], "date_created": "Mon, 22 Feb 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. Thwaites and neighboring glaciers in the Amundsen Sea Embayment are rapidly losing mass in response to recent climate warming and related changes in ocean circulation. Mass loss from the Amundsen Sea Embayment could lead to the eventual collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, raising the global sea level by up to 2.5 meters (8 feet) in as short as 500 years. The processes driving the loss appear to be warmer ocean circulation and changes in the width and flow speed of the glacier, but a better understanding of these changes is needed to refine predictions of how the glacier will evolve. One highly sensitive process is the transitional flow of glacier ice from land onto the ocean to become a floating ice shelf. This flow of ice from grounded to floating is affected by changes in air temperature and snowfall at the surface; the speed and thickness of ice feeding it from upstream; and the ocean temperature, salinity, bathymetry, and currents that the ice flows into. The project team will gather new measurements of each of these local environmental conditions so that it can better predict how future changes in air, ocean, or the ice will affect the loss of ice to the ocean in this region. \u003cbr/\u003e \u003cbr/\u003eCurrent and anticipated near-future mass loss from Thwaites Glacier and nearby Amundsen Sea Embayment region is mainly attributed to reduction in ice-shelf buttressing due to sub-ice-shelf melting by intrusion of relatively warm Circumpolar Deep Water into sub-ice-shelf cavities. Such predictions for mass loss, however, still lack understanding of the dominant processes at and near grounding zones, especially their spatial and temporal variability, as well as atmospheric and oceanic drivers of these processes. This project aims to constrain and compare these processes for the Thwaites and the Dotson Ice Shelves, which are connected through upstream ice dynamics, but influenced by different submarine troughs. The team\u0027s specific objectives are to: 1) install atmosphere-ice-ocean multi-sensor remote autonomous stations on the ice shelves for two years to provide sub-daily continuous observations of concurrent oceanic, glaciologic, and atmospheric conditions; 2) measure ocean properties on the continental shelf adjacent to ice-shelf fronts (using seal tagging, glider-based and ship-based surveys, and existing moored and conductivity-temperature-depth-cast data), 3) measure ocean properties into sub-ice-shelf cavities (using autonomous underwater vehicles) to detail ocean transports and heat fluxes; and 4) constrain current ice-shelf and sub-ice-shelf cavity geometry, ice flow, and firn properties for the ice-shelves (using radar, active-source seismic, and gravimetric methods) to better understand the impact of ocean and atmosphere on the ice-sheet change. The team will also engage the public and bring awareness to this rapidly changing component of the cryosphere through a \"Live from the Ice\" social media campaign in which the public can follow the action and data collection from the perspective of tagged seals and autonomous stations.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThis award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": -104.0, "geometry": "POINT(-109 -75)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Thwaites Glacier; FIELD SURVEYS; GLACIERS/ICE SHEETS", "locations": "Thwaites Glacier", "north": -74.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences; Antarctic Integrated System Science; Antarctic Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences; Antarctic Glaciology; Antarctic Integrated System Science; Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Truffer, Martin; Scambos, Ted; Muto, Atsu; Heywood, Karen; Boehme, Lars; Hall, Robert; Wahlin, Anna; Lenaerts, Jan; Pettit, Erin", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD SURVEYS", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "British Oceanographic Data Centre; International Federation of Digital Seismograph Networks; USAP-DC", "science_programs": "Thwaites (ITGC)", "south": -76.0, "title": "NSF-NERC: Thwaites-Amundsen Regional Survey and Network (TARSAN) Integrating Atmosphere-Ice-Ocean Processes affecting the Sub-Ice-Shelf Environment", "uid": "p0010162", "west": -114.0}, {"awards": "1643301 Gerbi, Christopher; 1643353 Christianson, Knut", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": "ImpDAR: an impulse radar processor; SeidarT; South Pole Lake ApRES Radar; South Pole Lake GNSS; South Pole Lake: ground-based ice-penetrating radar", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "200202", "doi": "http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3833057", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "GitHub", "science_program": null, "title": "ImpDAR: an impulse radar processor", "url": "https://www.github.com/dlilien/ImpDAR"}, {"dataset_uid": "601503", "doi": "10.15784/601503", "keywords": "Antarctica; Apres; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; South Pole; Subglacial Lakes; Vertical Velocity", "people": "Hills, Benjamin", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "South Pole Lake ApRES Radar", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601503"}, {"dataset_uid": "601502", "doi": "10.15784/601502", "keywords": "Antarctica; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; GNSS; GPS; GPS Data; South Pole; Subglacial Lakes", "people": "Hills, Benjamin", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "South Pole Lake GNSS", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601502"}, {"dataset_uid": "200244", "doi": " https://zenodo.org/badge/latestdoi/382590632", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "GitHub", "science_program": null, "title": "SeidarT", "url": "https://github.com/UMainedynamics/SeidarT"}, {"dataset_uid": "200203", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "Uni. Washington ResearchWorks Archive", "science_program": null, "title": "South Pole Lake: ground-based ice-penetrating radar", "url": "http://hdl.handle.net/1773/45293"}], "date_created": "Wed, 17 Feb 2021 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award supports a project to develop software that will allow researchers considering seismic or radar field surveys to test, ahead of time, whether the data they plan to collect will have sufficient resolution to measure the natural variations in the mechanical properties of ice, which determine the response of flowing ice to changing climatic conditions. The mechanical properties of ice depend largely on the temperature and the orientation of the crystals that make up the ice. The most accurate method for measuring ice crystal orientation and temperature is through drilling and direct analysis of an ice core. However, this method is very costly, time-consuming, and limited in spatial coverage. Geophysical techniques, such as seismic and radar, can cover much more area, but we have little knowledge about the practical limitations of these techniques as they relate to calculating mechanical properties. This project addresses that knowledge gap through construction of a computational toolbox that will allow accurate assessment of the ability of geophysical surveys to image crystal orientation and ice temperature. Researchers can then use these tools to adjust the field survey plans to maximize the return on investment. By working to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of future geophysical work related to glacial flow, this proposal will improve scientists? ability to quantify sea-level variations within the larger context of climate change. The project includes building new user-friendly, publicly accessible software and instructional modules. The work will provide training for graduate and undergraduate students, who will play a role in research and develop instructional materials. \r\n\r\nIce viscosity, the resistance of ice to flow, exerts significant control over ice velocity. Therefore, mapping ice viscosity is important for understanding the current and future behavior of glaciers and ice sheets. To do so, scientists must determine the temperature and crystal orientation fabric throughout the ice. Seismic and radar techniques can survey large areas quickly, and thus are promising, yet not fully tested, methods to efficiently measure the thermal and mechanical structure of flowing ice. As part of this project, scientists will develop and use a computational framework to quantify the degree to which seismic and radar techniques can resolve the crystal orientation fabric and temperature of streaming ice, and then test how sensitive ice flow is to the attendant uncertainty. To meet these goals, a numerical toolbox will be built which will allow the glacier/ice stream geometry and physical properties (temperature, crystal orientation fabric, density and acidity) to be varied. The toolbox will be capable of both creating synthetic radar and seismic profiles through forward modeling and inverting synthetic profiles to allow evaluation of how well geophysical techniques can image the original thermal and mechanical structure. These simulated radar and seismic data will allow scientists to better quantify the influence of the variability in mechanical properties of the ice on flow velocities and patterns. The results of this work will guide planning for future field campaigns, making them more effective and efficient. This project does not require fieldwork in the Antarctic.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "United States Of America; GLACIERS/ICE SHEETS; USAP-DC; GLACIER MOTION/ICE SHEET MOTION; GLACIER THICKNESS/ICE SHEET THICKNESS; ICE SHEETS; South Pole; USA/NSF; AMD; GLACIER TOPOGRAPHY/ICE SHEET TOPOGRAPHY; FIELD SURVEYS; Amd/Us", "locations": "South Pole; United States Of America", "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology; Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Christianson, Knut; Gerbi, Christopher; Campbell, Seth; Vel, Senthil", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD SURVEYS", "repo": "GitHub", "repositories": "GitHub; Uni. Washington ResearchWorks Archive; USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Collaborative Research: Computational Methods Supporting Joint Seismic and Radar Inversion for Ice Fabric and Temperature in Streaming Flow", "uid": "p0010160", "west": null}, {"awards": "1643795 Mikesell, Thomas", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-134.5 -75,-130.85 -75,-127.2 -75,-123.55 -75,-119.9 -75,-116.25 -75,-112.6 -75,-108.95 -75,-105.3 -75,-101.65 -75,-98 -75,-98 -75.85,-98 -76.7,-98 -77.55,-98 -78.4,-98 -79.25,-98 -80.1,-98 -80.95,-98 -81.8,-98 -82.65,-98 -83.5,-101.65 -83.5,-105.3 -83.5,-108.95 -83.5,-112.6 -83.5,-116.25 -83.5,-119.9 -83.5,-123.55 -83.5,-127.2 -83.5,-130.85 -83.5,-134.5 -83.5,-134.5 -82.65,-134.5 -81.8,-134.5 -80.95,-134.5 -80.1,-134.5 -79.25,-134.5 -78.4,-134.5 -77.55,-134.5 -76.7,-134.5 -75.85,-134.5 -75))", "dataset_titles": "2D shear-wave velocity model across the West Antarctic Rift System from POLENET-ANET seismic data", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601423", "doi": "10.15784/601423", "keywords": "Antarctica; Crust; Moho; Seismic Tomography; Seismology; Seismometer; Shear Wave Velocity; Surface Wave Dispersion; West Antarctica", "people": "Mikesell, Dylan", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "POLENET", "title": "2D shear-wave velocity model across the West Antarctic Rift System from POLENET-ANET seismic data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601423"}], "date_created": "Fri, 15 Jan 2021 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "In this project, the researchers processed and analyzed previously acquired seismic data from the POLENET-ANET array (2010-2011) to estimate variations in seismic shear-wave speed beneath the array. This investigation used a passive seismology method call ambient noise tomography, whereby repetitive seismic noise correlation functions were computed from records of Earth\u0027s ambient seismic noise field. The main results indicate a shallower Moho beneath Marie Byrd Land compared to previous studies in the region.", "east": -98.0, "geometry": "POINT(-116.25 -79.25)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "FIELD INVESTIGATION; SEISMIC SURFACE WAVES; West Antarctica", "locations": "West Antarctica", "north": -75.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Mordret, Aurelien; Mikesell, Dylan", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD INVESTIGATION", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": "POLENET", "south": -83.5, "title": "Collaborative Research: Monitoring Antarctic Ice Sheet Changes with Ambient Seismic Noise Methods", "uid": "p0010155", "west": -134.5}, {"awards": "1643873 Hansen, Samantha; 1643798 Emry, Erica", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-180 -60,-144 -60,-108 -60,-72 -60,-36 -60,0 -60,36 -60,72 -60,108 -60,144 -60,180 -60,180 -63,180 -66,180 -69,180 -72,180 -75,180 -78,180 -81,180 -84,180 -87,180 -90,144 -90,108 -90,72 -90,36 -90,0 -90,-36 -90,-72 -90,-108 -90,-144 -90,-180 -90,-180 -87,-180 -84,-180 -81,-180 -78,-180 -75,-180 -72,-180 -69,-180 -66,-180 -63,-180 -60))", "dataset_titles": "GEOSCOPE Network; IU: Global Seismograph Network; Shear Wave Velocity of the Antarctic Upper Mantle from Full Waveform Inversion and Long Period Ambient Seismic Noise; XP (2000-2004): A Broadband Seismic Investigation of Deep Continental Structure Across the East-West Antarctic Boundary ; YT (2007-2023): IPY POLENET-Antarctica: Investigating links between geodynamics and ice sheets; ZJ (2012-2015): Transantarctic Mountains Northern Network ; ZM (2007-2013): A Broadband Seismic Experiment to Image the Lithosphere beneath the Gamburtsev Mountains, East Antarctica", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "200171", "doi": "10.7914/SN/YT_2007", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "IRIS", "science_program": null, "title": "YT (2007-2023): IPY POLENET-Antarctica: Investigating links between geodynamics and ice sheets", "url": "http://www.fdsn.org/networks/detail/YT_2007/"}, {"dataset_uid": "200168", "doi": "10.18715/GEOSCOPE.G", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "IRIS", "science_program": null, "title": "GEOSCOPE Network", "url": "http://geoscope.ipgp.fr/networks/detail/G/"}, {"dataset_uid": "200172", "doi": "10.7914/SN/ZM_2007", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "IRIS", "science_program": null, "title": " ZM (2007-2013): A Broadband Seismic Experiment to Image the Lithosphere beneath the Gamburtsev Mountains, East Antarctica", "url": "http://www.fdsn.org/networks/detail/ZM_2007/"}, {"dataset_uid": "601744", "doi": "10.15784/601744", "keywords": "Ambient Seismic Noise; Antarctica; Full-Waveform Inversion; Seismic Tomography; Shear Wave Velocity; Solid Earth", "people": "Emry, Erica", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Shear Wave Velocity of the Antarctic Upper Mantle from Full Waveform Inversion and Long Period Ambient Seismic Noise", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601744"}, {"dataset_uid": "200173", "doi": "10.7914/SN/ZJ_2012", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "IRIS", "science_program": null, "title": "ZJ (2012-2015): Transantarctic Mountains Northern Network ", "url": "http://www.fdsn.org/networks/detail/ZJ_2012/"}, {"dataset_uid": "200169", "doi": "10.7914/SN/IU", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "IRIS", "science_program": null, "title": "IU: Global Seismograph Network", "url": "http://www.fdsn.org/networks/detail/IU/"}, {"dataset_uid": "200170", "doi": "10.7914/SN/XP_2000", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "IRIS", "science_program": null, "title": "XP (2000-2004): A Broadband Seismic Investigation of Deep Continental Structure Across the East-West Antarctic Boundary ", "url": "http://www.fdsn.org/networks/detail/XP_2000/"}], "date_created": "Thu, 15 Oct 2020 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Our project is focused on better resolving the three-dimensional Antarctic mantle structure to further understanding of continental tectonics. To accomplish this, we are utilizing a full-waveform tomographic inversion technique that incorporates long-period ambient noise data and which has been shown to more accurately resolve structure than traditional tomographic approaches. The new models have been developed using the Alabama supercomputer facilities in conjunction with software developed at The University of Rhode Island. Our new tomographic results highlight the lithospheric structure beneath the Wilkes and Aurora Subglacial Basins in East Antarctica, where previous rifting episodes and mid-lithospheric discontinuities are being explored. In West Antarctica, the work is elucidating the easternmost extent of the West Antarctic Rift System as well as rifted structure and possible compositional variations within the Weddell Sea. We are also highlighting regions of Antarctica where tomographic resolution is still lacking and where future deployments are needed to improve resolution.", "east": 180.0, "geometry": "POINT(0 -89.999)", "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e MAGNETIC/MOTION SENSORS \u003e SEISMOMETERS \u003e SEISMOGRAPHS", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "SEISMIC SURFACE WAVES; USA/NSF; USAP-DC; SEISMOLOGICAL STATIONS; Amd/Us; AMD; POLNET; TECTONICS; Antarctica", "locations": "Antarctica", "north": -60.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Emry, Erica; Hansen, Samantha", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e PERMANENT LAND SITES \u003e SEISMOLOGICAL STATIONS", "repo": "IRIS", "repositories": "IRIS; USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -90.0, "title": "Collaborative Research: Imaging Seismic Heterogeneity within the Antarctic Mantle with Full Waveform Ambient Noise Tomography", "uid": "p0010139", "west": -180.0}, {"awards": "1643551 Hansen, Samantha", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": "Investigating Ultra-low Velocity Zones (ULVZs) using an Antarctic Dataset", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601265", "doi": "10.15784/601265", "keywords": "Antarctica; Core-Mantle Boundary; ScP; Southern Hemisphere; Ultra-Low Velocity Zones", "people": "Hansen, Samantha; Carson, Sarah; Garnero, Edward; Yu, Shule; Rost, Sebastian", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Investigating Ultra-low Velocity Zones (ULVZs) using an Antarctic Dataset", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601265"}], "date_created": "Fri, 09 Oct 2020 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Non-Technical Project Description\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThis research will study Ultralow Velocity Zones (ULVZs), located in Earth\u0027s interior on top of the boundary between the Earth\u0027s solid mantle and its fluid outer core. The ULVZs are so named because seismic waves passing through the Earth slow down dramatically when they encounter these zones. While ULVZs are thought to be related to melting processes, there is growing controversy regarding their origin and the role they play in the thermal and chemical evolution of our planet. The ULVZs may include the largest magma chambers in Earth\u0027s interior. Currently, researchers have only searched 40% of Earth\u0027s core-mantle boundary for the ULVZs and this project would use existing seismic data to map an unexplored area under Antarctica and interpret the nature of the ULVZs. This project will support two graduate students and create opportunities for undergraduate involvement. Project results will be published in scientific journals, presented at science fairs, and communicated through the researchers\u0027 websites. The research team will also take part in the NSF-sponsored PolarTREC (Teachers and Researchers Exploring and Collaborating) program to communicate the science to students and the broader community. \u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eTechnical Project Description\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThe National Research Council has highlighted high-resolution imaging of core-mantle boundary (CMB) structure as a high-priority, emerging research opportunity in the Earth Sciences since anomalies along the CMB likely play a critical role in the thermal and chemical evolution of our planet. Of particular interest are ultralow velocity zones (ULVZs), thin laterally-varying boundary layers associated with dramatic seismic velocity decreases and increases in density that are seen just above the CMB. Many questions exist regarding the origin of ULVZs, but incomplete seismic sampling of the lowermost mantle has limited our ability to map global ULVZ structure in detail. Using recently collected data from the Transantarctic Mountains Northern Network (TAMNNET) in Antarctica, this project will use core-reflected seismic phases (ScP, PcP, and ScS) to investigate ULVZ presence/absence along previously unexplored sections of the CMB. The data sampling includes the southern boundary of the Pacific Large Low Shear Velocity Province (LLSVP), a dominant feature in global shear wave tomography models, and will allow the researchers to examine a possible connection between ULVZs and LLSVPs. The main objectives of the project are to: 1) use TAMNNET data to document ULVZ presence/absence in previously unexplored regions of the lowermost mantle with array-based approaches; 2) model the data with 1- and 2.5-D wave propagation tools to obtain ULVZ properties and to assess trade-offs among the models; 3) use high quality events to augment the densely-spaced TAMNNET data with that from the more geographically-distributed, open-access Antarctic stations to increase CMB coverage with single-station analyses; and 4) explore the implications of ULVZ solution models for origin, present-day dynamics, and evolution, including their connection to other deep mantle structures, like LLSVPs.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThe project aims to provide new constraints on ULVZs, including their potential connection to LLSVPs, and thus relates to other seismic and geodynamic investigations focused on processes within the Earth?s interior. This project will promote a new research collaboration between The University of Alabama (UA) and Arizona State University (ASU), each of which brings specific strengths to the initiative.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": "NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "USAP-DC; Antarctica; SEISMIC PROFILE; NOT APPLICABLE", "locations": "Antarctica", "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Hansen, Samantha", "platforms": "OTHER \u003e NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Collaborative Research: Antarctic Seismic Investigations of ULVZ Structure", "uid": "p0010136", "west": null}, {"awards": "1542885 Dunham, Eric", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": "Earthquake Sequence Dynamics at the Interface Between an Elastic Layer and Underlying Half-Space in Antiplane Shear", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601320", "doi": "10.15784/601320", "keywords": "Antarctica; Computer Model; Glaciology; Model Data; Shear Stress; Solid Earth; Whillans Ice Stream", "people": "Abrahams, Lauren", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Earthquake Sequence Dynamics at the Interface Between an Elastic Layer and Underlying Half-Space in Antiplane Shear", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601320"}], "date_created": "Fri, 09 Oct 2020 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This project investigates a rapidly moving section of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet known as the Whillans Ice Stream. Ice streams and outlet glaciers are the major pathways for ice discharge from ice sheets into the ocean. Consequently, understanding ice stream dynamics, specifically the processes controlling the frictional resistance of ice sliding on sediments at its base, is essential for predictive modeling of how Earth\u0027s ice sheets will respond to a changing climate. Rather than flowing smoothly, Whillans Ice Stream advances in stick-slip cycles: brief periods of rapid sliding, equivalent to magnitude 7 earthquakes, alternating with much longer periods of repose. The PIs will perform simulations of these stick-slip cycles using computer codes originally developed for modeling tectonic earthquakes. By matching observed ice motions, the PIs will constrain the range of frictional processes acting at the base of the ice stream. An additional focus of the project is on brittle fracture processes in ice, expressed through seismic waves radiated by faulting and/or crevassing episodes that accompany the large-scale sliding events. An understanding of ice fracture provides a basis for assessing the susceptibility of ice shelves to rifting and catastrophic disintegration. Project results will be incorporated into outreach activities (from elementary school to community college events) as well as a polar science class for the California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science (COSMOS) program for high school students.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eSimulations of the stick-slip cycle will employ 3D dynamic rupture models that simultaneously solve for the seismic wavefield and rupture process, consistent with elastodynamic material response and friction laws on the ice stream bed. Stresses and frictional properties will be varied to achieve consistency with surface GPS and broadband seismic data as well as borehole seismograms from the WISSARD project. The results will be interpreted using laboratory till friction experiments, which link velocity-weakening/strengthening behavior to temperature and water content, and to related experiments quantifying basal drag from ice flow over rough beds. The source mechanism of seismicity accompanying the slip events (shear faulting versus crevassing) will be determined using 3D waveform modeling in conjunction with mechanical models of the seismic source processes. This proposal does not require fieldwork in the Antarctic.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e MAGNETIC/MOTION SENSORS \u003e SEISMOMETERS \u003e SEISMOGRAPHS", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "SEISMIC PROFILE; AMD; Antarctica; GROUND-BASED OBSERVATIONS; USA/NSF; USAP-DC; Amd/Us", "locations": "Antarctica", "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Dunham, Eric", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e PERMANENT LAND SITES \u003e GROUND-BASED OBSERVATIONS", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Collaborative Research: Characterizing Brittle Failure and Fracture Propagation in Fast Ice Sliding with Dynamic Rupture Models based on Whillans Ice Stream Seismic/Geodetic Data", "uid": "p0010138", "west": null}, {"awards": "1744883 Wiens, Douglas", "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": "ANT-20: A 3D seismic model of the upper mantle and transition zone structure beneath Antarctica and the surrounding southern oceans; CWANT-PSP: A 3-D shear velocity model from a joint inversion of receiver functions and surface wave dispersion derived from ambient noise and teleseismic earthquakes.", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "200178", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "IRIS", "science_program": null, "title": "CWANT-PSP: A 3-D shear velocity model from a joint inversion of receiver functions and surface wave dispersion derived from ambient noise and teleseismic earthquakes.", "url": "http://ds.iris.edu/ds/products/emc-cwant-psp/"}, {"dataset_uid": "200179", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "IRIS", "science_program": null, "title": "ANT-20: A 3D seismic model of the upper mantle and transition zone structure beneath Antarctica and the surrounding southern oceans", "url": "http://ds.iris.edu/ds/products/emc-ant-20/"}], "date_created": "Tue, 02 Jun 2020 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "The geological structure and history of Antarctica remains poorly understood because much of the continental crust is covered by ice. Here, the PIs will analyze over 15 years of seismic data recorded by numerous projects in Antarctica to develop seismic structural models of the continent. The seismic velocity models will reveal features including crustal thinning due to rifting in West Antarctica, the structures associated with mountain building, and the boundaries between different tectonic blocks. The models will be compared to continents that are better understood geologically to constrain the tectonic evolution of Antarctica. In addition, the work will provide better insight into how the solid earth interacts with and influences the development of the ice sheet. Surface heat flow will be mapped and used to identify regions in Antarctica with potential melting at the base of the ice sheet. This melt can lead to reduced friction and lower resistance to ice sheet movement. The models will help to determine whether the earth response to ice mass changes occurs over decades, hundreds, or thousands of years. Estimates of mantle viscosity calculated from the seismic data will be used to better understand the pattern and timescales of the response of the solid earth to changes in ice mass in various parts of Antarctica.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThe study will advance our knowledge of the structure of Antarctica by constructing two new seismic models and a thermal model using different but complementary methodologies. Because of the limitations of different seismic analysis methods, efforts will be divided between a model seeking the highest possible resolution within the upper 200 km depth in the well instrumented region (Bayesian Monte-Carlo joint inversion), and another model determining the structure of the entire continent and surrounding oceans extending through the mantle transition zone (adjoint full waveform inversion). The Monte-Carlo inversion will jointly invert Rayleigh wave group and phase velocities from earthquakes and ambient noise correlation along with P-wave receiver functions and Rayleigh H/V ratios. The inversion will be done in a Bayesian framework that provides uncertainty estimates for the structural model. Azimuthal anisotropy will be determined from Rayleigh wave velocities, providing constraints on mantle fabric and flow patterns. The seismic data will also be inverted for temperature structure, providing estimates of lithospheric thickness and surface heat flow. The larger-scale model will cover the entire continent as well as the surrounding oceans, and will be constructed using an adjoint inversion of phase differences between three component seismograms and synthetic seismograms calculated in a 3D earth model using the spectral element method. This model will fit the entire waveforms, including body waves and both fundamental and higher mode surface waves. Higher resolution results will be obtained by using double-difference methods and by incorporating Green\u0027s functions from ambient noise cross-correlation, and solving for both radial and azimuthal anisotropy.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThis 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": "NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "USA/NSF; Carbon Cycle; SEISMIC PROFILE; Seismology; Southern Ocean; Amd/Us; Antarctica; West Antarctica; MODELS; SEISMIC SURFACE WAVES; AMD; TECTONICS; USAP-DC", "locations": "Antarctica; West Antarctica; Southern Ocean", "north": -60.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Wiens, Douglas; Shen, Weisen", "platforms": "OTHER \u003e MODELS \u003e MODELS", "repo": "IRIS", "repositories": "IRIS", "science_programs": null, "south": -90.0, "title": "Comprehensive Seismic and Thermal Models for Antarctica and the Southern Oceans: A Synthesis of 15-years of Seismic Exploration", "uid": "p0010103", "west": -180.0}, {"awards": "9319854 Bell, Robin; 9319877 Finn, Carol; 9319369 Blankenship, Donald", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-155 -77.5,-150 -77.5,-145 -77.5,-140 -77.5,-135 -77.5,-130 -77.5,-125 -77.5,-120 -77.5,-115 -77.5,-110 -77.5,-105 -77.5,-105 -78.2,-105 -78.9,-105 -79.6,-105 -80.3,-105 -81,-105 -81.7,-105 -82.4,-105 -83.1,-105 -83.8,-105 -84.5,-110 -84.5,-115 -84.5,-120 -84.5,-125 -84.5,-130 -84.5,-135 -84.5,-140 -84.5,-145 -84.5,-150 -84.5,-155 -84.5,-155 -83.8,-155 -83.1,-155 -82.4,-155 -81.7,-155 -81,-155 -80.3,-155 -79.6,-155 -78.9,-155 -78.2,-155 -77.5))", "dataset_titles": "SOAR-BSB Airborne gravity data for the CASERTZ/WAIS project; SOAR-IRE airborne gravity data for the CASERTZ/WAIS project; SOAR-TKD airborne gravity data for the CASERTZ/WAIS project; SOAR-WAZ Airborne gravity data for the CASERTZ/WAIS project", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601290", "doi": "10.15784/601290", "keywords": "Aerogeophysics; Airborne Gravity; Airplane; Antarctica; Free Air Gravity; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Gravimeter; Gravity; Gravity Data; Marie Byrd Land; Potential Field; Solid Earth; WAIS", "people": "Bell, Robin; Arko, Robert A.", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "SOAR-IRE airborne gravity data for the CASERTZ/WAIS project", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601290"}, {"dataset_uid": "601291", "doi": "10.15784/601291", "keywords": "Aerogeophysics; Airborne Gravity; Airplane; Antarctica; Free Air Gravity; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Gravimeter; Gravity; Gravity Data; Marie Byrd Land; Potential Field; Solid Earth; WAIS", "people": "Arko, Robert A.; Bell, Robin", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "SOAR-WAZ Airborne gravity data for the CASERTZ/WAIS project", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601291"}, {"dataset_uid": "601289", "doi": "10.15784/601289", "keywords": "Aerogeophysics; Airborne Gravity; Airplane; Antarctica; Free Air Gravity; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Gravimeter; Gravity; Gravity Data; Marie Byrd Land; Potential Field; Solid Earth; WAIS", "people": "Bell, Robin; Arko, Robert A.", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "SOAR-TKD airborne gravity data for the CASERTZ/WAIS project", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601289"}, {"dataset_uid": "601288", "doi": "10.15784/601288", "keywords": "Aerogeophysics; Airborne Gravity; Airplane; Antarctica; Free Air Gravity; Geology/Geophysics - Other; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Gravimeter; Gravity; Gravity Data; Marie Byrd Land; Solid Earth; WAIS", "people": "Bell, Robin; Arko, Robert A.", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "SOAR-BSB Airborne gravity data for the CASERTZ/WAIS project", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601288"}], "date_created": "Fri, 24 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award supports a project to conduct an integrated geophysical survey over a large portion of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) toward an understanding of the dynamic behavior of the ice sheet and the nature of the lithosphere beneath the ice sheet. West Antarctica is characterized by two kinds of the Earth s most dynamic systems, a continental rift (the West Antarctic Rift System) and a marine based ice sheet (the WAIS). Active continental rift systems, caused by divergent plate motions, result in thinned continental crust. Associated with the thin crust are fault-bounded sedimentary basins, active volcanism, and elevated heat flow. Marine ice sheets are characterized by rapidly moving streams of ice, penetrating and draining a slowly moving ice reservoir. Evidence left by past marine ice sheets indicates that they may have a strongly non- linear response to long-term climate change which results in massive and rapid discharges of ice. Understanding the evolution of the ice stream system and its interaction with the interior ice is the key to understanding this non-linear response. Subglacial geology and ice dynamics are generally studied in isolation, but evidence is mounting that the behavior of the West Antarctic ice streams may be closely linked to the nature of the underlying West Antarctic rift system. The fast moving ice streams appear to glide on a lubricating layer of water-saturated till. This till requires easily eroded sediment and a source of water, both of which may be controlled by the geology of the rift system; the sediments from the fault-bounded basins and the water from the elevated heat flux associated with active lithospheric extension. This project represents an interdisciplinary aerogeophysical study to characterize the lithosphere of the West Antarctic rift system beneath critical regions of the WAIS. The objective is to determine the effects of the rift architect ure, as manifested by the distribution of sedimentary basins and volcanic constructs, on the ice stream system. The research tool is a unique geophysical aircraft with laser altimetry, ice penetrating radar, aerogravity, and aeromagnetic systems integrated with a high precision kinematic GPS navigation system. It is capable of imaging both the surface and bed of the ice sheet while simultaneously measuring the gravity and magnetic signature of the subglacial lithosphere. Work to be done under this award will build on work already completed in the southern sector of central West Antarctica and it will focus on the region of the Byrd Subglacial Basin and Ice Stream D. The ice sheet in these regions is completely covered by satellite imagery and so this project will be integrated with remote sensing studies of the ice stream. The changing dynamics of Ice Stream D, as with other West Antarctic ice streams, seem to be correlated with changes in the morphological provinces of the underlying rift system. The experimental targets proceed from the divide of the interior ice, downstream through the onset of streaming to the trunk of Ice Stream D. This study will be coordinated with surface glaciological investigations of Ice Stream D and will be used to guide cooperative over-snow seismic investigations of the central West Antarctic rift system. The data will also be used to select a site for future deep ice coring along the crest of the WAIS. These data represent baseline data for long term global change monitoring work and represent crucial boundary conditions for ice sheet modeling efforts.", "east": -105.0, "geometry": "POINT(-130 -81)", "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e MAGNETIC/MOTION SENSORS \u003e GRAVIMETERS \u003e GRAVIMETERS", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "USAP-DC; MAGNETIC FIELD; GRAVITY FIELD; Antarctica; GLACIERS/ICE SHEETS; Marie Byrd Land; Airborne Gravity", "locations": "Marie Byrd Land; Antarctica", "north": -77.5, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology; Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Bell, Robin; Blankenship, Donald D.; Finn, C. A.", "platforms": null, "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -84.5, "title": "Collaborative Research: Lithospheric Controls on the Behavior of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet: Corridor Aerogeophysics of Eastern Ross Transect Zone", "uid": "p0010094", "west": -155.0}, {"awards": "1246357 Bart, Philip", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": "NBP1502 Cruise Geophysics and underway data; NBP1502 YoYo camera benthic images from Ross Sea", "datasets": [{"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": "601182", "doi": "10.15784/601182", "keywords": "Antarctica; Benthic; Benthic Images; Benthos; Bentic Fauna; Camera Tow; Marine Geoscience; Marine Sediments; NBP1502; Photo; Photo/video; Photo/Video; Ross Sea; R/v Nathaniel B. Palmer; Southern Ocean; Yoyo Camera", "people": "Bart, Philip", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "NBP1502 YoYo camera benthic images from Ross Sea", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601182"}], "date_created": "Mon, 03 Jun 2019 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Intellectual Merit:\n\nEvidence from the eastern Ross Sea continental shelf indicates that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet advanced and retreated during the last glacial cycle, but it is unclear whether the ice sheet advanced to the shelf edge or just to the middle shelf. These two end-member scenarios offer different interpretations as to why, how, and when the West Antarctic Ice Sheet oscillated. The PI proposes to acquire seismic, multibeam, and core data from Whales Deep, to evaluate the timing and duration of two advances of grounded ice to the outer and middle shelf of the Whales Deep Basin, a West Antarctic Ice Sheet paleo ice stream trough in eastern Ross Sea. Grounding events are represented by seismically resolvable Grounding Zone Wedges. The PI will collect radiocarbon dates on in situ benthic foraminifera from the grounding zone diamict as well as ramped pyrolysis radiocarbon dates on acid insoluble organics from open-marine mud overlying the grounding zone diamict. Using these data the PI will calculate the duration of the two grounding events. Furthermore, the PI will test a numerical model prediction that West Antarctic Ice Sheet retreat must have involved melting at the marine terminus of the ice sheet. Pore-water from the grounding zone diamict will be extracted from piston cores to determine salinity and \u03b418O values that should indicate if significant melting occurred at the grounding line.\n\nBroader impacts:\n\nThe data collected will provide constraints on the timing and pattern of Last Glacial Maximum advance and retreat that can be incorporated into interpretations of ice-surface elevation changes. The proposed activities will provide valuable field and research training to undergraduate/graduate students and a Louisiana high-school science teacher. The research will be interactively shared with middle- and high-school science students and with visitors to the LSU Museum of Natural Science Weekend-Science Program. ", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e AIRGUN ARRAYS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e SEISMIC REFLECTION PROFILERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e LONG STREAMERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e ACOUSTIC SOUNDERS \u003e MSBS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e CORERS \u003e CORING DEVICES; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PHOTON/OPTICAL DETECTORS \u003e CAMERAS \u003e CAMERA; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e CHEMICAL METERS/ANALYZERS \u003e FLUOROMETERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e MAGNETIC/MOTION SENSORS \u003e GRAVIMETERS \u003e GRAVIMETERS; 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 ACOUSTIC SOUNDERS \u003e MBES; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e THERMOSALINOGRAPHS", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "STRATIGRAPHIC SEQUENCE; R/V NBP; Ross Sea; Antarctica; MICROFOSSILS; RADIOCARBON; PALEOCLIMATE RECONSTRUCTIONS; SEDIMENTS; Southern Ocean; OCEANS; GEOSCIENTIFIC INFORMATION", "locations": "Antarctica; Ross Sea; Southern Ocean", "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Bart, Philip; Steinberg, Deborah", "platforms": "WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V NBP", "repo": "R2R", "repositories": "R2R; USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Timing and Duration of the LGM and Post-LGM Grounding Events in Whales Deep Paleo Ice Stream, Eastern Ross Sea Middle Continental Shelf", "uid": "p0000877", "west": null}, {"awards": "1443552 Paul Winberry, J.; 1443356 Conway, Howard", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-175 -82.7,-173.9 -82.7,-172.8 -82.7,-171.7 -82.7,-170.6 -82.7,-169.5 -82.7,-168.4 -82.7,-167.3 -82.7,-166.2 -82.7,-165.1 -82.7,-164 -82.7,-164 -82.77,-164 -82.84,-164 -82.91,-164 -82.98,-164 -83.05,-164 -83.12,-164 -83.19,-164 -83.26,-164 -83.33,-164 -83.4,-165.1 -83.4,-166.2 -83.4,-167.3 -83.4,-168.4 -83.4,-169.5 -83.4,-170.6 -83.4,-171.7 -83.4,-172.8 -83.4,-173.9 -83.4,-175 -83.4,-175 -83.33,-175 -83.26,-175 -83.19,-175 -83.12,-175 -83.05,-175 -82.98,-175 -82.91,-175 -82.84,-175 -82.77,-175 -82.7))", "dataset_titles": "2015_Antarctica_Ground; Geophysical data from Crary Ice Rise, Ross Sea Embayment", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "200177", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "CReSIS/ku.edu", "science_program": null, "title": "2015_Antarctica_Ground", "url": "https://data.cresis.ku.edu/data/accum/2015_Antarctica_Ground/"}, {"dataset_uid": "601181", "doi": "10.15784/601181", "keywords": "Antarctica; Bed Elevation; Crary Ice Rise; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; GPR; Ice Penetrating Radar; Ice Sheet Elevation; Ice Shelf; Ice Thickness; Internal Stratigraphy; Radar; Ross Ice Shelf; Snow/ice; Snow/Ice; Surface Elevation", "people": "Koutnik, Michelle; Paden, John; Conway, Howard; Winberry, Paul", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Geophysical data from Crary Ice Rise, Ross Sea Embayment", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601181"}], "date_created": "Mon, 06 May 2019 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Recent observations and model results suggest that collapse of the Amundsen Sea sector of West Antarctica may already be underway. However, the timeline of collapse and the effects of ongoing climatic and oceanographic changes are key unanswered questions. Complete disintegration of the ice sheet would raise global sea level by more than 3 m, which would have significant societal impacts. Improved understanding of the controls on ice-sheet evolution is needed to make better predictions of ice-sheet behavior. Results from numerical models show that buttressing from surrounding ice shelves and/or from small-scale grounded ice rises should act to slow the retreat and discharge of ice from the interior ice sheet. However, there are very few field observations with which to develop and validate models. Field observations conducted in the early 1980s on Crary Ice Rise in the Ross Sea Embayment are a notable exception. This project will revisit Crary Ice Rise with new tools to make a suite of measurements designed to address questions about how the ice rise affects ice discharge from the Ross Sea sector of West Antarctica. The team will include a graduate and undergraduate student, and will participate in a range of outreach activities.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eNew tools including radar, seismic, and GPS instruments will be used to conduct targeted geophysical measurements both on Crary Ice Rise and across its grounding line. The project will use these new measurements, together with available ancillary data to inform a numerical model of grounding line dynamics. The model and measurements will be used to address the (1) How has the ice rise evolved over timescales ranging from: the past few decades; the past millennia after freeze-on; and through the deglaciation? (2) What history of ice dynamics is preserved in the radar-detected internal stratigraphy? (3) What dynamical effect does the presence/absence of the ice rise have on discharge of the Ross Ice Streams today? (4) How is it contributing to the slow-down of the proximal Whillans and Mercer ice streams? (5) What dynamical response will the ice rise have under future environmental change?", "east": -164.0, "geometry": "POINT(-169.5 -83.05)", "instruments": "EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e RADAR SOUNDERS \u003e RADAR ECHO SOUNDERS", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Amd/Us; FIELD SURVEYS; Antarctica; USA/NSF; AMD; USAP-DC; Radar; GLACIERS/ICE SHEETS", "locations": "Antarctica", "north": -82.7, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology; Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Conway, Howard; Koutnik, Michelle; Winberry, Paul", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD SURVEYS", "repo": "CReSIS/ku.edu", "repositories": "CReSIS/ku.edu; USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -83.4, "title": "Collaborative Research: Grounding Line Dynamics: Crary Ice Rise Revisited", "uid": "p0010026", "west": -175.0}, {"awards": "1249631 Wilson, Terry; 1246666 Huerta, Audrey; 1246776 Nyblade, Andrew; 1246712 Wiens, Douglas; 1419268 Aster, Richard; 1247518 Smalley, Robert; 1249513 Dalziel, Ian", "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": "Network/Campaign: Antarctica POLENET - ANET; POLENET - Network YT", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "200012", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "IRIS", "science_program": null, "title": "POLENET - Network YT", "url": "http://ds.iris.edu/mda/YT/?timewindow=2007-2018"}, {"dataset_uid": "200011", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "UNAVCO", "science_program": null, "title": "Network/Campaign: Antarctica POLENET - ANET", "url": "https://www.unavco.org/data/gps-gnss/data-access-methods/dai2/app/dai2.html#grouping=Antarctica%20POLENET%20-%20ANET;scope=Station;sampleRate=normal;groupingMod=contains"}], "date_created": "Sun, 17 Feb 2019 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Intellectual Merit: The PIs continued and expanded GPS and seismic measurements for ANET-POLENET to advance understanding of geodynamic processes and their influence on the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. ANET-POLENET science themes include: 1) determining ice mass change since the last glacial maximum, including modern ice mass balance; 2) solid earth influence on ice sheet dynamics; and 3) tectonic evolution of West Antarctica and feedbacks with ice sheet evolution. Nine new remote continuous GPS stations augmented ANET-POLENET instrumentation deployed during Phase 1. Siting was designed to better constrain uplift centers predicted by GIA models and indicated by Phase 1 results. A mini-array of temporary seismic sites was deployed to improve resolution of earth structure below West Antarctica. ANET-POLENET Phase 2 achievements included 1) seismic images of crust and mantle structure that resolve the highly heterogeneous thermal and viscosity structure of the Antarctic lithosphere and underlying mantle; 2) improved estimates of intraplate vertical and horizontal bedrock crustal motions; and 3) elucidation of controls on glacial isostatic adjustment-induced crustal motions due to laterally varying earth structure. \r\n\r\nBroader impacts: Monitoring and understanding mass change and dynamic behavior of the Antarctic ice sheet using in situ GPS and seismological studies has improved understanding of how Antarctic ice sheets respond to a warming world and how this response impacts sea-level and other global changes. Seismic and geodetic data collected by the ANET-POLENET network are openly available to the scientific community. ANET-POLENET has been integral in the development and realization of technological and logistical innovations for year-round operation of instrumentation at remote polar sites, helping to advance scientifically and geographically broad studies of the polar regions. The ANET-POLENET carried out a training initiative to mentor young polar scientists in complex, multidisciplinary and internationally collaborative research, including 2 week-long training schools on \"Glacial Isostatic Adjustment\" and \"Glacial Seismology\". ANET-POLENET continued broad public outreach about polar science through the polenet.org website, university lectures, and K-12 school visits. This research involved multiple international partners.", "east": 180.0, "geometry": "POINT(0 -89.999)", "instruments": "NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Geodesy; USAP-DC; SEISMIC SURFACE WAVES; CRUSTAL MOTION; TECTONICS; Broadband Seismic; NOT APPLICABLE; Antarctica", "locations": "Antarctica", "north": -60.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Wilson, Terry; Dalziel, Ian W.; Bevis, Michael; Aster, Richard; Huerta, Audrey D.; Winberry, Paul; Anandakrishnan, Sridhar; Nyblade, Andrew; Wiens, Douglas; Smalley, Robert", "platforms": "OTHER \u003e NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE", "repo": "IRIS", "repositories": "IRIS; UNAVCO", "science_programs": "POLENET", "south": -90.0, "title": "Collaborative Research: POLENET-Antarctica: Investigating Links Between Geodynamics and Ice Sheets - Phase 2", "uid": "p0010013", "west": -180.0}, {"awards": "1144192 Tulaczyk, Slawek; 1144177 Pettit, Erin; 1144176 Lyons, W. Berry; 1727387 Mikucki, Jill", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((161.8 -77.7,161.88 -77.7,161.96 -77.7,162.04000000000002 -77.7,162.12 -77.7,162.2 -77.7,162.28 -77.7,162.36 -77.7,162.44 -77.7,162.51999999999998 -77.7,162.6 -77.7,162.6 -77.70700000000001,162.6 -77.714,162.6 -77.721,162.6 -77.728,162.6 -77.735,162.6 -77.742,162.6 -77.749,162.6 -77.756,162.6 -77.76299999999999,162.6 -77.77,162.51999999999998 -77.77,162.44 -77.77,162.36 -77.77,162.28 -77.77,162.2 -77.77,162.12 -77.77,162.04000000000002 -77.77,161.96 -77.77,161.88 -77.77,161.8 -77.77,161.8 -77.76299999999999,161.8 -77.756,161.8 -77.749,161.8 -77.742,161.8 -77.735,161.8 -77.728,161.8 -77.721,161.8 -77.714,161.8 -77.70700000000001,161.8 -77.7))", "dataset_titles": "Ablation Stake Data from of Taylor Glacier near Blood Falls; Antarctica Support 2014/2015 - C-528 Blood Falls GPS/GNSS Observations Dataset; Blood Falls, McMurdo Dry Va. International Federation of Digital Seismograph Networks. Dataset/Seismic Network; FLIR thermal imaging data near Blood Falls, Taylor Glacier; Ground Penetrating Radar Data near Blood Falls, Taylor Glacier; Ice Temperature in Shallow Boreholes Near Blood Falls at the Terminus of Taylor Glacier, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica; NCBI short read archive -Metagenomic survey of Antarctic Groundwater; Terrestrial Radar Interferometry near Blood Falls, Taylor Glacier; The Geochemistry of englacial brine from Taylor Glacier, Antarctica; Time Lapse imagery of the Blood Falls feature, Antarctica ; Vaisala Integrated Met Station near Blood Falls, Taylor Glacier", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601179", "doi": "10.15784/601179", "keywords": "Antarctica; Chemistry:ice; Chemistry:Ice; Geochemistry; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Subglacial Brine", "people": "Lyons, W. Berry; Gardner, Christopher B.", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "The Geochemistry of englacial brine from Taylor Glacier, Antarctica", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601179"}, {"dataset_uid": "601139", "doi": "10.15784/601139", "keywords": "Antarctica; Borehole; Borehole Logging; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Ice Temperature; Snow/ice; Snow/Ice; Temperature; Temperature Profiles", "people": "Tulaczyk, Slawek", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Ice Temperature in Shallow Boreholes Near Blood Falls at the Terminus of Taylor Glacier, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601139"}, {"dataset_uid": "200028", "doi": "10.7283/FCEN-8050", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "UNAVCO", "science_program": null, "title": "Antarctica Support 2014/2015 - C-528 Blood Falls GPS/GNSS Observations Dataset", "url": "https://www.unavco.org/data/doi/10.7283/fcen-8050"}, {"dataset_uid": "200029", "doi": "10.7914/SN/YW_2013", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "IRIS", "science_program": null, "title": "Blood Falls, McMurdo Dry Va. International Federation of Digital Seismograph Networks. Dataset/Seismic Network", "url": "http://www.fdsn.org/networks/detail/YW_2013/"}, {"dataset_uid": "200074", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "NCBI GenBank", "science_program": null, "title": "NCBI short read archive -Metagenomic survey of Antarctic Groundwater", "url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sra/?term=SRR6667787"}, {"dataset_uid": "601166", "doi": "10.15784/601166", "keywords": "Antarctica; Basal Crevassing; Glacier Hydrology; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; GPR; Radar; Snow/ice; Snow/Ice; Taylor Glacier", "people": "Pettit, Erin", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Terrestrial Radar Interferometry near Blood Falls, Taylor Glacier", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601166"}, {"dataset_uid": "601168", "doi": "10.15784/601168", "keywords": "Antarctica; Atmosphere; Basal Crevassing; Glacier Hydrology; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Meteorology; Taylor Glacier; Temperature; Weather Station Data; Wind Speed", "people": "Pettit, Erin", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Vaisala Integrated Met Station near Blood Falls, Taylor Glacier", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601168"}, {"dataset_uid": "601169", "doi": "10.15784/601169", "keywords": "Antarctica; Basal Crevassing; Glacier Hydrology; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Infrared Imagery; Photo/video; Photo/Video; Taylor Glacier; Thermal Camera; Timelaps Images", "people": "Pettit, Erin", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "FLIR thermal imaging data near Blood Falls, Taylor Glacier", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601169"}, {"dataset_uid": "601164", "doi": "10.15784/601164", "keywords": "Antarctica; Basal Crevassing; Glacier Hydrology; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Snow/ice; Snow/Ice", "people": "Pettit, Erin", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Ablation Stake Data from of Taylor Glacier near Blood Falls", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601164"}, {"dataset_uid": "601165", "doi": "10.15784/601165", "keywords": "Antarctica; Basal Crevassing; Glacier Hydrology; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; GPR; Radar; Snow/ice; Snow/Ice; Taylor Glacier", "people": "Pettit, Erin", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Ground Penetrating Radar Data near Blood Falls, Taylor Glacier", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601165"}, {"dataset_uid": "601167", "doi": "10.15784/601167", "keywords": "Antarctica; Basal Crevassing; Glacier Hydrology; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Photo; Photo/video; Photo/Video; Snow/ice; Snow/Ice; Taylor Glacier; Timelaps Images", "people": "Pettit, Erin", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Time Lapse imagery of the Blood Falls feature, Antarctica ", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601167"}], "date_created": "Wed, 28 Nov 2018 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Recent discoveries of widespread liquid water and microbial ecosystems below the Antarctic ice sheets have generated considerable interest in studying Antarctic subglacial environments. Understanding subglacial hydrology, the persistence of life in extended isolation and the evolution and stability of subglacial habitats requires an integrated, interdisciplinary approach. The collaborative project, Minimally Invasive Direct Glacial Exploration (MIDGE) of the Biogeochemistry, Hydrology and Glaciology of Blood Falls, McMurdo Dry Valleys will integrate geophysical measurements, molecular microbial ecology and geochemical analyses to explore a unique Antarctic subglacial system known as Blood Falls. Blood Falls is a hypersaline, subglacial brine that supports an active microbial community. The subglacial brine is released from a crevasse at the surface of the Taylor Glacier providing an accessible portal into an Antarctic subglacial ecosystem. Recent geochemical and molecular analyses support a marine source for the salts and microorganisms in Blood Falls. The last time marine waters inundated this part of the McMurdo Dry Valleys was during the Late Tertiary, which suggests the brine is ancient. Still, no direct samples have been collected from the subglacial source to Blood Falls and little is known about the origin of this brine or the amount of time it has been sealed below Taylor Glacier. Radar profiles collected near Blood Falls delineate a possible fault in the subglacial substrate that may help explain the localized and episodic nature of brine release. However it remains unclear what triggers the episodic release of brine exclusively at the Blood Falls crevasse or the extent to which the brine is altered as it makes its way to the surface. \u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThe MIDGE project aims to determine the mechanism of brine release at Blood Falls, evaluate changes in the geochemistry and the microbial community within the englacial conduit and assess if Blood Falls waters have a distinct impact on the thermal and stress state of Taylor Glacier, one of the most studied polar glaciers in Antarctica. The geophysical study of the glaciological structure and mechanism of brine release will use GPR, GPS, and a small passive seismic network. Together with international collaborators, the \u0027Ice Mole\u0027 team from FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences, Germany (funded by the German Aerospace Center, DLR), MIDGE will develop and deploy innovative, minimally invasive technologies for clean access and brine sample retrieval from deep within the Blood Falls drainage system. These technologies will allow for the collection of samples of the brine away from the surface (up to tens of meters) for geochemical analyses and microbial structure-function experiments. There is concern over the contamination of pristine subglacial environments from chemical and biological materials inherent in the drilling process; and MIDGE will provide data on the efficacy of thermoelectric probes for clean access and retrieval of representative subglacial samples. Antarctic subglacial environments provide an excellent opportunity for researching survivability and adaptability of microbial life and are potential terrestrial analogues for life habitats on icy planetary bodies. The MIDGE project offers a portable, versatile, clean alternative to hot water and mechanical drilling and will enable the exploration of subglacial hydrology and ecosystem function while making significant progress towards developing technologies for minimally invasive and clean sampling of icy systems.", "east": 162.6, "geometry": "POINT(162.2 -77.735)", "instruments": "NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "NOT APPLICABLE; BACTERIA/ARCHAEA; USAP-DC", "locations": null, "north": -77.7, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Integrated System Science; Antarctic Integrated System Science; Antarctic Integrated System Science; Antarctic Instrumentation and Support; Antarctic Integrated System Science", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Tulaczyk, Slawek; Pettit, Erin; Lyons, W. Berry; Mikucki, Jill", "platforms": "OTHER \u003e NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "IRIS; NCBI GenBank; UNAVCO; USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -77.77, "title": "Collaborative Research: MIDGE: Minimally Invasive Direct Glacial Exploration of Biogeochemistry, Hydrology and Glaciology of Blood Falls, McMurdo Dry Valleys", "uid": "p0000002", "west": 161.8}, {"awards": "1141916 Aster, Richard", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": "Dynamic Response of the Ross Ice Shelf to Ocean Waves and Structure and Dynamics of the Ross Sea", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "002573", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "IRIS", "science_program": null, "title": "Dynamic Response of the Ross Ice Shelf to Ocean Waves and Structure and Dynamics of the Ross Sea", "url": "http://www.iris.washington.edu/mda/XH?timewindow=2014-2017"}], "date_created": "Mon, 22 Oct 2018 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Intellectual Merit: \u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThe PIs propose to establish an ice shelf network of 18 broadband seismographs deployed for two years to obtain high-resolution, mantle-scale images of Earth structure underlying the Ross Sea Embayment. Prior marine geophysical work provides good crustal velocity models for the region seaward of the ice shelf but mantle structure is constrained by only low-resolution images due to the lack of prior seismic deployments. The proposed stations would be established between Ross Island and Marie Byrd Land. These stations would fill a major geological gap within this extensional continental province and would link data sets collected in the Transantarctic Mountain transition/Plateau region (TAMSEIS) and in West Antarctica (POLENET) to improve resolution of mantle features beneath Antarctica. The proposed deployment would allow the PIs to collect seismic data without the expense, logistical complexity, and iceberg hazards associated with ocean bottom seismograph deployments. Tomographic models developed from the proposed data will be used to choose between competing models for the dynamics of the Ross Sea. In particular, the PIs will investigate whether a broad region of hot mantle, including the Eastern Ross Sea, indicates distributed recent tectonic activity, which would call into question models proposing that Eastern Ross extension ceased during the Mesozoic. These data will also allow the PIs to investigate the deeper earth structure to evaluate the possible role of mantle plumes and/or small-scale convection in driving regional volcanism and tectonism across the region.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eBroader impacts: \u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eData from this deployment will be of broad interdisciplinary use. This project will support three graduate and two undergraduate students. At least one student will be an underrepresented minority student. The PIs will interact with the media and include K-12 educators in their fieldwork.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": "NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "NOT APPLICABLE; USAP-DC", "locations": null, "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Instrumentation and Support; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Aster, Richard", "platforms": "OTHER \u003e NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE", "repo": "IRIS", "repositories": "IRIS", "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Collaborative Research: Mantle Structure and Dynamics of the Ross Sea from a Passive Seismic Deployment on the Ross Ice Shelf", "uid": "p0000761", "west": null}, {"awards": "1141866 Conway, Howard; 1141889 Winberry, J. Paul", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": "Beardmore Glacier High-Frequency Impulse Radar Data; Geophysical measurements Beardmore Glacier, Antarctica; Project code ZF for passive seismic and 17-030 for active source", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601121", "doi": "10.15784/601121", "keywords": "Antarctica; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Ice Thickness; Radar", "people": "Conway, Howard", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Geophysical measurements Beardmore Glacier, Antarctica", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601121"}, {"dataset_uid": "000210", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "IRIS", "science_program": null, "title": "Project code ZF for passive seismic and 17-030 for active source", "url": "https://ds.iris.edu/mda/17-030"}, {"dataset_uid": "601713", "doi": "10.15784/601713", "keywords": "Antarctica; Beardmore Glacier; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; GPR; Ice Penetrating Radar; Snow/ice; Snow/Ice", "people": "Christianson, Knut; Hoffman, Andrew; Conway, Howard", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Beardmore Glacier High-Frequency Impulse Radar Data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601713"}], "date_created": "Sun, 09 Sep 2018 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Conway/1141866\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThis award supports a project to conduct a suite of experiments to study spatial and temporal variations of basal conditions beneath Beardmore Glacier, an East Antarctic outlet glacier that discharges into the Ross Sea Embayment. The intellectual merit of the project is that it should help verify whether or not global warming will play a much larger role in the future mass balance of ice sheets than previously considered. Recent observations of rapid changes in discharge of fast-flowing outlet glaciers and ice streams suggest that dynamical responses to warming could affect that ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica. Assessment of possible consequences of these responses is hampered by the lack of information about the basal boundary conditions. The leading hypothesis is that variations in basal conditions exert strong control on the discharge of outlet glaciers. Airborne and surface-based radar measurements of Beardmore Glacier will be made to map the ice thickness and geometry of the sub-glacial trough and active and passive seismic experiments, together with ground-based radar and GPS measurements will be made to map spatial and temporal variations of conditions at the ice-bed interface. The observational data will be used to constrain dynamic models of glacier flow. The models will be used to address the primary controls on the dynamics of Antarctic outlet glaciers, the conditions at the bed, their spatial and temporal variation, and how such variability might affect the sliding and flow of these glaciers. The work will also explore whether or not these outlet glaciers could draw down the interior of East Antarctica, and if so, how fast. The study will take three years including two field seasons to complete and results from the work will be disseminated through public and professional meetings and journal publications. All data and metadata will be made available through the NSIDC web portal. The broader impacts of the work are that it will help elucidate the fundamental physics of outlet glacier dynamics which is needed to improve predictions of the response of ice sheets to changing environmental conditions. The project will also provide support for early career investigators and will provide training and support for one graduate and two undergraduate students. All collaborators are currently involved in scientific outreach and graduate student education and they are committed to fostering diversity.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": "NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "NOT APPLICABLE; USAP-DC; Not provided", "locations": null, "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology; Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Conway, Howard; Winberry, Paul", "platforms": "Not provided; OTHER \u003e NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "IRIS; USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Collaborative Research: East Antarctic Outlet Glacier Dynamics", "uid": "p0000437", "west": null}, {"awards": "1341585 Sorlien, Christopher", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-180 -73.33,-179.1 -73.33,-178.2 -73.33,-177.3 -73.33,-176.4 -73.33,-175.5 -73.33,-174.6 -73.33,-173.7 -73.33,-172.8 -73.33,-171.9 -73.33,-171 -73.33,-171 -73.864,-171 -74.398,-171 -74.932,-171 -75.466,-171 -76,-171 -76.534,-171 -77.068,-171 -77.602,-171 -78.136,-171 -78.67,-171.9 -78.67,-172.8 -78.67,-173.7 -78.67,-174.6 -78.67,-175.5 -78.67,-176.4 -78.67,-177.3 -78.67,-178.2 -78.67,-179.1 -78.67,180 -78.67,178.5 -78.67,177 -78.67,175.5 -78.67,174 -78.67,172.5 -78.67,171 -78.67,169.5 -78.67,168 -78.67,166.5 -78.67,165 -78.67,165 -78.136,165 -77.602,165 -77.068,165 -76.534,165 -76,165 -75.466,165 -74.932,165 -74.398,165 -73.864,165 -73.33,166.5 -73.33,168 -73.33,169.5 -73.33,171 -73.33,172.5 -73.33,174 -73.33,175.5 -73.33,177 -73.33,178.5 -73.33,-180 -73.33))", "dataset_titles": "Ross Sea unconformities digital grids in depth and two-way time", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601098", "doi": "10.15784/601098", "keywords": "Antarctica; Continental Margin; Geology/Geophysics - Other; Marine Geoscience; Miocene; Oligocene; Seismic Reflection", "people": "Wilson, Douglas S.; Sorlien, Christopher", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Ross Sea unconformities digital grids in depth and two-way time", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601098"}], "date_created": "Fri, 25 May 2018 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Intellectual Merit:\u003cbr/\u003eThis project will produce a new compilation of Ross Sea seismic stratigraphy, including new interpretations, that can be used to provide boundary conditions on the tectonic and glacial evolution of West Antarctica and the Ross Sea. The principal goals include compilation of, and interpretation of, all available existing seismic reflection data for the Western Ross Sea, coupled with geophysical modeling to produce paleo-bathymetric reconstructions for the entire 800 km-wide Ross Sea. Specific tasks will include: extending existing work on mapping travel time to reflectors, identifying relations in the seismic data that indicate subsidence through sea level, constructing velocity models for converting travel time to thickness, and using the velocity models to estimate density and porosity of sediments for backstripping analysis. Modeling/backstripping efforts will be used to constrain past bathymetry. Digital interpretations and stratigraphic grids will be provided as supplements to publications. In that way the results of this study can be used in thermal subsidence modeling and restoration of eroded rock to other parts of Ross Embayment and Marie Byrd Land by others. Digital products may be provided in advance of publication to modelers in a way that will not hurt publication chances.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eBroader impacts: \u003cbr/\u003eThe results of this work will be important for paleo-geographic reconstructions of Antarctica and will therefore be of use to a broad range of researchers, particularly those working in the Ross Sea region. The digital products can be used to test models for the past fluctuations of West Antarctic ice sheets, and in planning for future sediment drilling projects. Two undergraduates to be chosen from applicants will be involved in summer internships held at the University of Rhode Island. Outreach will also include a new website and one or more Wikipedia entries related to Ross Sea sub-sea floor characteristics. The project includes an international collaboration with Dr. Chiara Sauli and others at Instituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale (OGS) in Italy.", "east": -171.0, "geometry": "POINT(177 -76)", "instruments": "NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "NOT APPLICABLE; USAP-DC", "locations": null, "north": -73.33, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Sorlien, Christopher; Luyendyk, Bruce P.", "platforms": "OTHER \u003e NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -78.67, "title": "Subsidence, Tilting, Sedimentation, and Oligocene-middle Miocene paleo-depth of Ross Sea", "uid": "p0000271", "west": 165.0}, {"awards": "1143981 Domack, Eugene", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-69.9517 -52.7581,-69.02971 -52.7581,-68.10772 -52.7581,-67.18573 -52.7581,-66.26374 -52.7581,-65.34175 -52.7581,-64.41976 -52.7581,-63.49777 -52.7581,-62.57578 -52.7581,-61.65379 -52.7581,-60.7318 -52.7581,-60.7318 -54.31551,-60.7318 -55.87292,-60.7318 -57.43033,-60.7318 -58.98774,-60.7318 -60.54515,-60.7318 -62.10256,-60.7318 -63.65997,-60.7318 -65.21738,-60.7318 -66.77479,-60.7318 -68.3322,-61.65379 -68.3322,-62.57578 -68.3322,-63.49777 -68.3322,-64.41976 -68.3322,-65.34175 -68.3322,-66.26374 -68.3322,-67.18573 -68.3322,-68.10772 -68.3322,-69.02971 -68.3322,-69.9517 -68.3322,-69.9517 -66.77479,-69.9517 -65.21738,-69.9517 -63.65997,-69.9517 -62.10256,-69.9517 -60.54515,-69.9517 -58.98774,-69.9517 -57.43033,-69.9517 -55.87292,-69.9517 -54.31551,-69.9517 -52.7581))", "dataset_titles": "Expedition Data; Processed Camera Images acquired during the Laurence M. Gould expedition LMG1311", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "000402", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/LMG1702"}, {"dataset_uid": "601311", "doi": "10.15784/601311", "keywords": "Antarctica; Antarctic Peninsula; Benthic Images; Camera; LARISSA; LMG1311; Marine Geoscience; Photo; Photo/video; Photo/Video; R/v Laurence M. Gould", "people": "Domack, Eugene Walter", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "LARISSA", "title": "Processed Camera Images acquired during the Laurence M. Gould expedition LMG1311", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601311"}, {"dataset_uid": "001366", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/LMG1702"}], "date_created": "Fri, 29 Dec 2017 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This project aims to identify which portions of the glacial cover in the Antarctic Peninsula are losing mass to the ocean. This is an important issue to resolve because the Antarctic Peninsula is warming at a faster rate than any other region across the earth. Even though glaciers across the Antarctic Peninsula are small, compared to the continental ice sheet, defining how rapidly they respond to both ocean and atmospheric temperature rise is critical. It is critical because it informs us about the exact mechanisms which regulate ice flow and melting into the ocean. For instance, after the break- up of the Larsen Ice Shelf in 2002 many glaciers began to flow rapidly into the sea. Measuring how much ice was involved is difficult and depends upon accurate estimates of volume and area. One way to increase the accuracy of our estimates is to measure how fast the Earth\u0027s crust is rebounding or bouncing back, after the ice has been removed. This rebound effect can be measured with very precise techniques using instruments locked into ice free bedrock surrounding the area of interest. These instruments are monitored by a set of positioning satellites (the Global Positioning System or GPS) in a continuous fashion. Of course the movement of the Earth\u0027s bedrock relates not only to the immediate response but also the longer term rate that reflects the long vanished ice masses that once covered the entire Antarctic Peninsula?at the time of the last glaciation. These rebound measurements can, therefore, also tell us about the amount of ice which covered the Antarctic Peninsula thousands of years ago. Glacial isostatic rebound is one of the complicating factors in allowing us to understand how much the larger ice sheets are losing today, something that can be estimated by satellite techniques but only within large errors when the isostatic (rebound) correction is unknown.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThe research proposed consists of maintaining a set of six rebound stations until the year 2016, allowing for a longer time series and thus more accurate estimates of immediate elastic and longer term rebound effects. It also involves the establishment of two additional GPS stations that will focus on constraining the \"bull\u0027s eye\" of rebound suggested by measurements over the past two years. In addition, several more geologic data points will be collected that will help to reconstruct the position of the ice sheet margin during its recession from the full ice sheet of the last glacial maximum. These will be based upon the coring of marine sediment sequences now recognized to have been deposited along the margins of retreating ice sheets and outlets. Precise dating of the ice margin along with the new and improved rebound data will help to constrain past ice sheet configurations and refine geophysical models related to the nature of post glacial rebound. Data management will be under the auspices of the UNAVCO polar geophysical network or POLENET and will be publically available at the time of station installation. This project is a small scale extension of the ongoing LARsen Ice Shelf, Antarctica Project (LARISSA), an IPY (International Polar Year)-funded interdisciplinary study aimed at understanding earth system connections related to the Larsen Ice Shelf and the northern Antarctic Peninsula.", "east": -60.7318, "geometry": "POINT(-65.34175 -60.54515)", "instruments": "EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e PHOTON/OPTICAL DETECTORS \u003e CAMERAS \u003e CAMERAS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e SEISMIC REFLECTION PROFILERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e CTD; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e CHEMICAL METERS/ANALYZERS \u003e FLUOROMETERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e RECORDERS/LOGGERS \u003e AWS; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e POSITIONING/NAVIGATION \u003e GPS \u003e GPS; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e ACOUSTIC SOUNDERS \u003e ECHO SOUNDERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e THERMOSALINOGRAPHS", "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "LMG1702; R/V LMG", "locations": null, "north": -52.7581, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Integrated System Science", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Kohut, Josh; Domack, Eugene Walter", "platforms": "WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V LMG", "repo": "R2R", "repositories": "R2R; USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -68.3322, "title": "Continuation of the LARISSA Continuous GPS Network in View of Observed Dynamic Response to Antarctic Peninsula Ice Mass Balance and Required Geologic Constraints", "uid": "p0000233", "west": -69.9517}, {"awards": "1043784 Schwartz, Susan", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-160 -79,-158 -79,-156 -79,-154 -79,-152 -79,-150 -79,-148 -79,-146 -79,-144 -79,-142 -79,-140 -79,-140 -79.3,-140 -79.6,-140 -79.9,-140 -80.2,-140 -80.5,-140 -80.8,-140 -81.1,-140 -81.4,-140 -81.7,-140 -82,-142 -82,-144 -82,-146 -82,-148 -82,-150 -82,-152 -82,-154 -82,-156 -82,-158 -82,-160 -82,-160 -81.7,-160 -81.4,-160 -81.1,-160 -80.8,-160 -80.5,-160 -80.2,-160 -79.9,-160 -79.6,-160 -79.3,-160 -79))", "dataset_titles": "PASSCAL experiment 201205 (full data link not provided)", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "000194", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "IRIS", "science_program": null, "title": "PASSCAL experiment 201205 (full data link not provided)", "url": "http://ds.iris.edu/ds/nodes/dmc/"}], "date_created": "Tue, 07 Nov 2017 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award provides support for \"Investigating (Un)Stable Sliding of Whillans Ice Stream and Subglacial Water Dynamics Using Borehole Seismology: A proposed Component of the Whillans Ice Stream Subglacial Access and Research Drilling\" from the Antarctic Integrated Systems Science (AISS) program in the Office of Polar Programs at NSF. The project will use the sounds naturally produced by the ice and subglacial water to understand the glacial dynamics of the Whillans Ice Stream located adjacent to the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eIntellectual Merit: The transformative component of the project is that in addition to passive surface seismometers, the team will deploy a series of borehole seismometers. Englacial placement of the seismometers has not been done before, but is predicted to provide much better resolution (detection of smaller scale events as well as detection of a much wider range of frequencies) of the subglacial dynamics. In conjunction with the concurrent WISSARD (Whillans Ice Stream Subglacial Access and Research Drilling) project the team will be able to tie subglacial processes to temporal variations in ice stream dynamics and mass balance of the ice stream. The Whillans Ice Stream experiences large changes in ice velocity in response to tidally triggered stick-slip cycles as well as periodic filling and draining of subglacial Lake Whillans. The overall science goals include: improved understanding of basal sliding processes and role of sticky spots, subglacial lake hydrology, and dynamics of small earthquakes and seismic properties of ice and firn.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eBroader Impact: Taken together, the research proposed here will provide information on basal controls of fast ice motion which has been recognized by the IPCC as necessary to make reliable predictions of future global sea-level rise. The information collected will therefore have broader implications for global society. The collected information will also be relevant to a better understanding of earthquakes. For outreach the project will work with the overall WISSARD outreach coordinator to deliver information to three audiences: the general public, middle school teachers, and middle school students. The project also provides funding for training of graduate students, and includes a female principal investigator.", "east": -140.0, "geometry": "POINT(-150 -80.5)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": -79.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Integrated System Science", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Schwartz, Susan; Tulaczyk, Slawek", "platforms": "Not provided", "repo": "IRIS", "repositories": "IRIS", "science_programs": null, "south": -82.0, "title": "Investigating (Un)Stable Sliding of Whillians Ice Stream and Subglacial Water Dynamics Using Borehole Seismology: A Proposed Component of WISSARD", "uid": "p0000393", "west": -160.0}, {"awards": "1148982 Hansen, Samantha", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((153.327 -73.032547,154.5063012 -73.032547,155.6856024 -73.032547,156.8649036 -73.032547,158.0442048 -73.032547,159.223506 -73.032547,160.4028072 -73.032547,161.5821084 -73.032547,162.7614096 -73.032547,163.9407108 -73.032547,165.120012 -73.032547,165.120012 -73.3530275,165.120012 -73.673508,165.120012 -73.9939885,165.120012 -74.314469,165.120012 -74.6349495,165.120012 -74.95543,165.120012 -75.2759105,165.120012 -75.596391,165.120012 -75.9168715,165.120012 -76.237352,163.9407108 -76.237352,162.7614096 -76.237352,161.5821084 -76.237352,160.4028072 -76.237352,159.223506 -76.237352,158.0442048 -76.237352,156.8649036 -76.237352,155.6856024 -76.237352,154.5063012 -76.237352,153.327 -76.237352,153.327 -75.9168715,153.327 -75.596391,153.327 -75.2759105,153.327 -74.95543,153.327 -74.6349495,153.327 -74.314469,153.327 -73.9939885,153.327 -73.673508,153.327 -73.3530275,153.327 -73.032547))", "dataset_titles": "Crustal Structure beneath the Northern Transantarctic Mountains and Wilkes Subglacial Basin: Implications for Tectonic Origins; Shear Wave Splitting Analysis and Seismic Anisotropy beneath the Northern Transantarctic Mountains; Upper Mantle Seismic Structure beneath the Northern Transantarctic Mountains from Regional P- and S-wave Tomography; Upper Mantle Shear Wave Velocity Structure beneath the Northern Transantarctic Mountains", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601017", "doi": "10.15784/601017", "keywords": "Antarctica; Geology/Geophysics - Other; Model; Seismology; Solid Earth; Tomography; Transantarctic Mountains", "people": "Hansen, Samantha", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Upper Mantle Seismic Structure beneath the Northern Transantarctic Mountains from Regional P- and S-wave Tomography", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601017"}, {"dataset_uid": "601194", "doi": "10.15784/601194", "keywords": "Antarctica; Transantarctic Mountains", "people": "Hansen, Samantha", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Crustal Structure beneath the Northern Transantarctic Mountains and Wilkes Subglacial Basin: Implications for Tectonic Origins", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601194"}, {"dataset_uid": "601018", "doi": "10.15784/601018", "keywords": "Antarctica; Geology/Geophysics - Other; Model; Seismology; Solid Earth; Tomography; Transantarctic Mountains", "people": "Hansen, Samantha", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Upper Mantle Shear Wave Velocity Structure beneath the Northern Transantarctic Mountains", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601018"}, {"dataset_uid": "601019", "doi": "10.15784/601019", "keywords": "Antarctica; Geology/Geophysics - Other; GPS; Sample/collection Description; Sample/Collection Description; Seismology; Shearwave Spitting; Solid Earth; Transantarctic Mountains", "people": "Hansen, Samantha", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Shear Wave Splitting Analysis and Seismic Anisotropy beneath the Northern Transantarctic Mountains", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601019"}], "date_created": "Sun, 04 Jun 2017 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Intellectual Merit: \u003cbr/\u003eTo understand Antarctica\u0027s geodynamic development, origin of the Transantarctic Mountains (TAMs) and the Wilkes Subglacial Basin (WSB) must be determined. Current constraints on the crustal thickness and seismic velocity structure beneath the TAMs and the WSB are limited, leading to uncertainties over competing geologic models that have been suggested to explain their formation. The PI proposes to broaden the investigation of this region with a new seismic deployment, the Transantarctic Mountains Northern Network (TAMNNET), a 15-station array across the northern TAMs and the WSB that will fill a major gap in seismic coverage. Data from TAMNNET will be combined with that from other previous and ongoing seismic initiatives and will be analyzed using proven modeling techniques to generate a detailed image of the seismic structure beneath the TAMs and the WSB. These data will be used to test three fundamental hypotheses: the TAMs are underlain by thickened crust, the WSB is characterized by thin crust and thick sedimentary layers, and slow seismic velocities are prevalent along strike beneath the TAMs. Results from the proposed study will provide new information about the nature and formation of the Antarctic continent and will help to advance our understanding of important global processes, such as mountain building and basin formation. The proposed research also has important implications for other fields of Antarctic science. Constraints on the origin of the TAMs uplift are critical for climate and ice sheet models, and new information acquired about variations in the thermal and lithospheric structure beneath the TAMs and the WSB will be used to estimate critical ice sheet boundary conditions. \u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eBroader impacts: \u003cbr/\u003eThis project incorporates three educational strategies to promote the integration of teaching and research. Graduate students will be trained in Antarctic tectonics and seismic processing through hands-on fieldwork and data analysis techniques. Through NSF\u0027s PolarTREC program, the PI will work with K-12 educators. The PI will develop a three-week summer field program for recent high school graduates and early-career undergraduate students from Minority-Serving Institutions in Alabama. Teaching materials and participant experiences will be shared with individuals outside the program via a course website. Following the summer program, participants who were particularly engaged will be offered internship opportunities to analyze TAMNNET data. In successive years, the students could assist with fieldwork and could be recruited into the graduate program under the PI\u0027s supervision. Ultimately, this program would not only serve to educate undergraduates but would also generate a pipeline of underrepresented students into the geosciences.", "east": 165.120012, "geometry": "POINT(159.223506 -74.6349495)", "instruments": "NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "NOT APPLICABLE; USAP-DC", "locations": null, "north": -73.032547, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Hansen, Samantha", "platforms": "OTHER \u003e NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -76.237352, "title": "CAREER: Deciphering the Tectonic History of the Transantarctic Mountains and the Wilkes Subglacial Basin", "uid": "p0000300", "west": 153.327}, {"awards": "1245283 Passchier, Sandra", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((66 -68,67.3 -68,68.6 -68,69.9 -68,71.2 -68,72.5 -68,73.8 -68,75.1 -68,76.4 -68,77.7 -68,79 -68,79 -68.2,79 -68.4,79 -68.6,79 -68.8,79 -69,79 -69.2,79 -69.4,79 -69.6,79 -69.8,79 -70,77.7 -70,76.4 -70,75.1 -70,73.8 -70,72.5 -70,71.2 -70,69.9 -70,68.6 -70,67.3 -70,66 -70,66 -69.8,66 -69.6,66 -69.4,66 -69.2,66 -69,66 -68.8,66 -68.6,66 -68.4,66 -68.2,66 -68))", "dataset_titles": "Antarctic Geochemistry Data and Mean Annual Temperature Reconstruction through the Eocene-Oligocene Transition; GSA Data Repository Item 2016298 - Passchier, S., Ciarletta, D.J., Miriagos, T.E., Bijl, P.K., and Bohaty, S.M., 2016, An Antarctic stratigraphic record of step-wise ice growth through the Eocene-Oligocene transition: GSA Bulletin, doi:10.1130/B31482.1.; Particle-size distributions of Eocene-Oligocene sediment from ODP Site 739, Prydz Bay; Particle-size distributions of Eocene-Oligocene sediment from ODP Site 742, Prydz Bay; Particle-size distributions of Eocene sediment from ODP Site 1166, Prydz Bay", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601453", "doi": "10.15784/601453", "keywords": "Antarctica; Eocene; Marine Geoscience; ODP739; Oligocene; Particle Size; Prydz Bay; Sediment Core Data", "people": "Ciarletta, Daniel; Passchier, Sandra", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Particle-size distributions of Eocene-Oligocene sediment from ODP Site 739, Prydz Bay", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601453"}, {"dataset_uid": "601454", "doi": "10.15784/601454", "keywords": "Antarctica; Eocene; Marine Geoscience; ODP742; Oligocene; Particle Size; Prydz Bay; Sediment Core Data", "people": "Ciarletta, Daniel; Passchier, Sandra", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Particle-size distributions of Eocene-Oligocene sediment from ODP Site 742, Prydz Bay", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601454"}, {"dataset_uid": "200200", "doi": "10.1130/2016298", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "Publication", "science_program": null, "title": " GSA Data Repository Item 2016298 - Passchier, S., Ciarletta, D.J., Miriagos, T.E., Bijl, P.K., and Bohaty, S.M., 2016, An Antarctic stratigraphic record of step-wise ice growth through the Eocene-Oligocene transition: GSA Bulletin, doi:10.1130/B31482.1.", "url": "https://gsapubs.figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Supplemental_material_An_Antarctic_stratigraphic_record_of_step-wise_ice_growth_through_the_Eocene-Oligocene_transition/12534185"}, {"dataset_uid": "601455", "doi": "10.15784/601455", "keywords": "Antarctica; Eocene; Marine Geoscience; ODP1166; Particle Size; Prydz Bay; Sediment Core Data", "people": "Passchier, Sandra; Ciarletta, Daniel", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Particle-size distributions of Eocene sediment from ODP Site 1166, Prydz Bay", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601455"}, {"dataset_uid": "000192", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "NCEI", "science_program": null, "title": "Antarctic Geochemistry Data and Mean Annual Temperature Reconstruction through the Eocene-Oligocene Transition", "url": "https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo-search/study/21770"}], "date_created": "Tue, 25 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Intellectual Merit: \u003cbr/\u003eThis project will investigate glacial advance and retreat of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet through the Eocene-Oligocene transition, a major episode of ice growth. In Prydz Bay, East Antarctica, a 130-170 m thick Eocene-Oligocene transition interval of glaciomarine sediments was cored in drillholes of the Ocean Drilling Program at Sites 739, 742 and 1166. Correlations between the Prydz Bay drillholes have recently been made through well-log and multichannel seismic interpretations. Recent drilling on the Wilkes Land margin of East Antarctica recovered earliest Oligocene sediments overlying a major regional unconformity in two drillholes. The PI will study the lithostratigraphy and weathering history of cores in the five drillholes, to establish a unique Eocene-Oligocene transition record within Antarctic continental margin sediments of glacial advance and retreat cycles, the onset of physical weathering, and glacio-isostasy and self-gravitation processes with implications for the margin architecture, sediment routing, and off-shore sediment dispersal. Cores from the five drillholes will be re-examined through detailed core description using an updated classification scheme, so that lithofacies can be compared between drillholes. Samples will be collected for detailed laser particle size and bulk major element geochemistry via ICP-AES to determine the degree of chemical alteration of the sediments. Phases of major ice growth will be recognized as marker beds of physically eroded sediment and will be correlated to isotopic records documenting Antarctic ice growth offshore in the Southern Ocean. \u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eBroader impacts: \u003cbr/\u003eThis project will benefit a large minority undergraduate student population through the availability of up to two paid laboratory internships, a classroom exercise, and the availability of research equipment supported by this award. The project also allows support and training of a graduate student.", "east": 79.0, "geometry": "POINT(72.5 -69)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "ICE SHEETS; Not provided; Prydz Bay; SEDIMENTS", "locations": "Prydz Bay", "north": -68.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Passchier, Sandra", "platforms": "Not provided", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "NCEI; Publication; USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -70.0, "title": "The Stratigraphic Expression of the Onset of Glaciation in Eocene-Oligocene Successions on the Antarctic Continental Margin", "uid": "p0000309", "west": 66.0}, {"awards": "0944794 Winberry, J. Paul; 0944671 Wiens, Douglas", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-163 -83.7,-161.9 -83.7,-160.8 -83.7,-159.7 -83.7,-158.6 -83.7,-157.5 -83.7,-156.4 -83.7,-155.3 -83.7,-154.2 -83.7,-153.1 -83.7,-152 -83.7,-152 -83.8,-152 -83.9,-152 -84,-152 -84.1,-152 -84.2,-152 -84.3,-152 -84.4,-152 -84.5,-152 -84.6,-152 -84.7,-153.1 -84.7,-154.2 -84.7,-155.3 -84.7,-156.4 -84.7,-157.5 -84.7,-158.6 -84.7,-159.7 -84.7,-160.8 -84.7,-161.9 -84.7,-163 -84.7,-163 -84.6,-163 -84.5,-163 -84.4,-163 -84.3,-163 -84.2,-163 -84.1,-163 -84,-163 -83.9,-163 -83.8,-163 -83.7))", "dataset_titles": "Geophysical Study of Ice Stream Stick Slip; Whillans Ice Stream Stick-slip", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "000169", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "IRIS", "science_program": null, "title": "Geophysical Study of Ice Stream Stick Slip", "url": "http://ds.iris.edu/mda/2C/?timewindow=2010-2011"}, {"dataset_uid": "609632", "doi": "10.7265/N5PC309V", "keywords": "Antarctica; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; GPS; Whillans Ice Stream", "people": "Wiens, Douglas; Anandakrishnan, Sridhar; Winberry, Paul; Alley, Richard", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Whillans Ice Stream Stick-slip", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/609632"}], "date_created": "Wed, 16 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award supports a three-year study of the ongoing deceleration and stick-slip motion of Whillans Ice Stream (WIS), West Antarctica. Understanding the dynamic behavior of ice streams is essential for predicting the future of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS). Despite being one of the best-studied ice streams in Antarctica, the surprising flow characteristics of WIS continue to demand interdisciplinary research. Recent estimates indicate that the WIS may stagnate within 50 years, resulting in a significant change to the mass balance of the Siple Coast sector of West Antarctica. The reasons for the ongoing stagnation are not well known, and are possibly linked (causally or coincidentally) to the stick-slip behavior. Our recent work on WIS stick-slip motion suggest that all slip events nucleate from a common location on the ice stream, suggesting that a relatively small (approximately 10 km in diameter) region of the exerts fundamental control over the flow of this large ice stream (100s of km long and 100 kilometers wide). We hypothesize that this is a region of increased bed strength and our measurements will address that hypothesis. We will deploy a series of GPS receivers and seismometers on the ice stream to accurately locate the nucleation region so that a comprehensive ground based geophysical survey can be conducted to determine the physical properties of bed at the nucleation point. The ground geophysical program will consist of reflection seismic and ice-penetrating radar studies that will better constrain the properties of both the hypothesized higher-friction nucleation zone and the surrounding regions. Slip events also generate seismic energy that can be recorded 100s of km away from the ice stream, thus, the GPS and seismometer deployment will also aid us in relating seismic waveforms directly with the rapid motion that occurs during slip events. The increased ability to relate rupture processes with seismic emissions will allow us to use archived seismic records to explore changes in the behavior of WIS during the later half of the 20th century. Broader impacts of this study include improved knowledge ice sheet dynamics, which remain a poorly constrained component of the climate system, thus, limiting our ability to predict the Earth\u0027s response to climate change. The scientific work includes the education of two graduate students and continued training of one post-doctoral scholar, thus helping to train the next generation of polar scientists. We will expose the broader public to polar science through interactions with the media and by take advantaging of programs to include K-12 educators in our field work.", "east": -152.0, "geometry": "POINT(-157.5 -84.2)", "instruments": "EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e POSITIONING/NAVIGATION \u003e GPS \u003e GPS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e MAGNETIC/MOTION SENSORS \u003e SEISMOMETERS \u003e SEISMOGRAPHS", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "West Antarctic Ice Sheet; Geodesy; GROUND-BASED OBSERVATIONS; Not provided; Seismic; Geodetic Gps Data", "locations": "West Antarctic Ice Sheet", "north": -83.7, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology; Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Winberry, Paul; Anandakrishnan, Sridhar; Alley, Richard; Wiens, Douglas", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e PERMANENT LAND SITES \u003e GROUND-BASED OBSERVATIONS; Not provided", "repo": "IRIS", "repositories": "IRIS; USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -84.7, "title": "Collaborative Research: Geophysical Study of Ice Stream Stick-slip Dynamics", "uid": "p0000053", "west": -163.0}, {"awards": "1246320 Kruckenberg, Seth", "bounds_geometry": "POINT(-144.75 -76.53)", "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Mon, 19 Sep 2016 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Intellectual Merit: \u003cbr/\u003eThe PI proposes an investigation of mantle xenoliths entrained within a suite of ~1.4 Ma mafic volcanic centers in the Fosdick Mountains, Antarctica. These recently entrained mantle xenoliths offer a unique opportunity to characterize the West Antarctic lithospheric mantle that has been subject to active modification from Cretaceous to Present by plate-boundary processes, such as orthogonal to oblique plate convergence, intracontinental rifting, continental breakup, and Neogene volcanism. These volcanic centers derive from heterogeneous mantle sources and host a compositionally diverse suite of mantle xenoliths that have varied mineral assemblages and microstructures. The proposed research has two complementary goals: to assess structural and compositional heterogeneity within the upper mantle and the variability of intrinsic and extrinsic variables at a variety of lithospheric levels; and to use textural and compositional characterization of the xenolith suite to elucidate possible causes of heterogeneous seismic anisotropy within the Marie Byrd Land mantle lithosphere and inform competing hypotheses explaining the active volcanism, thermal anomaly, and slow seismic velocities beneath West Antarctica. Furthermore, characterization of samples of the mantle beneath West Antarctica provides a type of \u0027ground truth\u0027 in support of contemporary ANET/POLENET seismology research that seeks to determine mantle composition, temperature, and sources of seismic anisotropy.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eBroader impacts: \u003cbr/\u003eThe PI is in his first-year as a tenure track faculty member at Boston College. A postdoctoral researcher will be trained in EBSD techniques, interdisciplinary polar research, and the mentoring of undergraduate investigators. Two Boston College undergraduates will participate in the research and a priority will be placed on selecting underrepresented minorities and first-generation college students. An existing sample suite assembled over more than 20 years of NSF sponsored field work, will be used. The PI will create a digital database for microstructural, textural, and xenolith data for rapid dissemination to the international Antarctic community.", "east": -144.75, "geometry": "POINT(-144.75 -76.53)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": -76.53, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Kruckenberg, Seth", "platforms": "Not provided", "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": -76.53, "title": "Integrated Evaluation of Mantle Xenoliths from the Fosdick Mountains, Antarctica", "uid": "p0000400", "west": -144.75}, {"awards": "0838817 Kyle, Philip", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((167 -77.3,167.05 -77.3,167.1 -77.3,167.15 -77.3,167.2 -77.3,167.25 -77.3,167.3 -77.3,167.35 -77.3,167.4 -77.3,167.45 -77.3,167.5 -77.3,167.5 -77.34,167.5 -77.38,167.5 -77.42,167.5 -77.46,167.5 -77.5,167.5 -77.54,167.5 -77.58,167.5 -77.62,167.5 -77.66,167.5 -77.7,167.45 -77.7,167.4 -77.7,167.35 -77.7,167.3 -77.7,167.25 -77.7,167.2 -77.7,167.15 -77.7,167.1 -77.7,167.05 -77.7,167 -77.7,167 -77.66,167 -77.62,167 -77.58,167 -77.54,167 -77.5,167 -77.46,167 -77.42,167 -77.38,167 -77.34,167 -77.3))", "dataset_titles": "Mount Erebus Volcano Observatory III (MEVO III): Conduit Processes and Surveillance", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "600153", "doi": "10.15784/600153", "keywords": "Antarctica; Cable Observatory; Intracontinental Magmatism; IntraContinental Magmatism; MEVO; Mount Erebus; Photo/video; Photo/Video; Ross Sea; Solid Earth; Volcano", "people": "Kyle, Philip", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "MEVO", "title": "Mount Erebus Volcano Observatory III (MEVO III): Conduit Processes and Surveillance", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/600153"}], "date_created": "Thu, 23 Jun 2016 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). Mount Erebus is Antarctica?s most active volcano that has been in a persistent state of activity for at least the last 35 years. It has a unique geochemistry among the Earth\u0027s active volcanoes and is also unique in hosting a persistent convecting lake(s) of anorthclase phonolite magma in its summit crater. The relative simplicity of the magmatic system, consistency of activity, and accessibility of close-range observation make Erebus attractive as a target for extensive studies. Although the Erebus\u0027 seismicity and eruptive activity and processes are becoming increasingly well understood over years of research, there is a near total lack of understanding its deeper magmatic system. The primary goal of this proposal is to continue supporting the Mt. Erebus Volcano Observatory (MEVO III) improving our current understanding of the Erebus eruptive and non-eruptive magmatic system using an integrated approach from geophysical, geochemical and remote sensing observations. This goal can be grouped into the following fundamental research objectives: (a) to sustain year-round surveillance of on-going volcanic activity primarily using geophysical observatories; (b) to understand processes within the convecting conduit which feeds the persistent lava lakes; and (c) to understand the impact of Erebus eruptive activity upon the Antarctic environment. Continued reliance on students provides a broader impact to this proposed research and firmly grounds this effort in its educational mission.", "east": 167.5, "geometry": "POINT(167.25 -77.5)", "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e TEMPERATURE/HUMIDITY SENSORS \u003e TEMPERATURE SENSORS", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Ice Caves; USAP-DC; Amd/Us; Distributed Temperature Sensing; FIELD SURVEYS; Not provided; AMD; Optical Fiber", "locations": null, "north": -77.3, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Kyle, Philip; Curtis, Aaron; Rotman, Holly", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD SURVEYS; Not provided", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": "MEVO", "south": -77.7, "title": "Mount Erebus Volcano Observatory III (MEVO III): Conduit Processes and Surveillance", "uid": "p0000488", "west": 167.0}, {"awards": "1039982 Anandakrishnan, Sridhar", "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": "Seismological Data at IRIS (full data link not provided)", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "000170", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "IRIS", "science_program": null, "title": "Seismological Data at IRIS (full data link not provided)", "url": "http://ds.iris.edu/"}], "date_created": "Mon, 23 Nov 2015 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Intellectual Merit: \u003cbr/\u003eKnowledge of englacial and subglacial conditions are critical for ice sheet models and predictions of sea-level change. Some of the critical variables that are poorly known but essential for improving flow models and predictions of sea-level change are: basal roughness, subglacial sedimentary and hydrologic conditions, and the temporal and spatial variability of the ice sheet flow field. Seismic reflection and refraction imaging and dense arrays of continuously operating GPS receivers can determine these parameters. The PIs propose to develop a network of wirelessly interconnected geophysical sensors (geoPebble) that will allow glaciologists to carry out these experiments simultaneously. This sensor web will provide a new way of imaging the ice sheet that is not possible with current instruments. With this sensor web, the PIs will extend the range of existing instruments from 2D to 3D, from low resolution to high resolution, but more importantly, all the geophysical measurements will be conducted synchronously. By the end of the proposal period the PIs will produce a network of 150-200 geoPebbles that will be available for NSF-sponsored glaciology research projects. \u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eBroader impacts: \u003cbr/\u003eImproved knowledge of the flow law of ice, the sliding of glaciers and ice streams, and paleoclimate history will contribute to assessments of the potential for abrupt ice-sheet mass change, with consequent sea-level effects and significant societal impacts. This improved modeling ability will be a direct consequence of better knowledge of the physical properties of ice sheets, which this project will facilitate. The development effort will be integrated with the undergraduate education program via the capstone design classes in EE and the senior thesis requirement in Geoscience. The PIs will also form a cohort of first-year and sophomore students who will work in their labs from the beginning of the project to develop specifications through the commissioning of the network.", "east": 180.0, "geometry": "POINT(0 -89.999)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": -60.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Anandakrishnan, Sridhar; Bilen, Sven; Urbina, Julio", "platforms": "Not provided", "repo": "IRIS", "repositories": "IRIS", "science_programs": null, "south": -90.0, "title": "MRI: Development of a Wirelessly-Connected Network of Seismometers and GPS Instruments for Polar and Geophysical Research", "uid": "p0000405", "west": -180.0}, {"awards": "0632322 Wilson, Terry; 0632136 Nyblade, Andrew", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-20 -70,-1 -70,18 -70,37 -70,56 -70,75 -70,94 -70,113 -70,132 -70,151 -70,170 -70,170 -72,170 -74,170 -76,170 -78,170 -80,170 -82,170 -84,170 -86,170 -88,170 -90,151 -90,132 -90,113 -90,94 -90,75 -90,56 -90,37 -90,18 -90,-1 -90,-20 -90,-20 -88,-20 -86,-20 -84,-20 -82,-20 -80,-20 -78,-20 -76,-20 -74,-20 -72,-20 -70))", "dataset_titles": "Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS); University NAVSTAR Consortium (UNAVCO)", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "000132", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "IRIS", "science_program": null, "title": "Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS)", "url": "http://www.iris.edu/mda/YT?timewindow=2007-2018"}, {"dataset_uid": "000131", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "UNAVCO", "science_program": null, "title": "University NAVSTAR Consortium (UNAVCO)", "url": "http://www.unavco.org/data/gps-gnss/data-access-methods/dai2/app/dai2.html#groupingMod=contains;grouping=POLENET%20-%20ANET;scope=Station;sampleRate=normal"}], "date_created": "Thu, 22 Jan 2015 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This project constructs POLENET a network of GPS and seismic stations in West Antarctica to understand how the mass of the West Antarctic ice sheet (WAIS) changes with time. The information is ultimately used to predict sea level rise accompanying global warming and interpret climate change records. The GPS (global positioning system) stations measure vertical and horizontal movements of bedrock, while the seismic stations characterize physical properties of the ice/rock interface, lithosphere, and mantle. Combined with satellite data, this project offers a more complete picture of the ice sheet\u0027s current state, its likely change in the near future, and its overall size during the last glacial maximum. This data will also be used to infer sub-ice sheet geology and the terrestrial heat flux, critical inputs to models of glacier movement. As well, this project improves tomographic models of the earth\u0027s deep interior and core through its location in the Earth\u0027s poorly instrumented southern hemisphere. \u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eBroader impacts of this project are varied. The work is relevant to society for improving our understanding of the impacts of global warming on sea level rise. It also supports education at the postdoctoral, graduate, and undergraduate levels, and outreach to groups underrepresented in the sciences. As an International Polar Year contribution, this project establishes a legacy of infrastructure for polar measurements. It also involves an international collaboration of twenty four countries. For more information see IPY Project #185 at IPY.org. NSF is supporting a complementary Arctic POLENET array being constructed in Greenland under NSF Award #0632320.", "east": 170.0, "geometry": "POINT(75 -80)", "instruments": "EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e POSITIONING/NAVIGATION \u003e GPS \u003e GPS RECEIVERS; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e POSITIONING/NAVIGATION \u003e GPS \u003e GPS", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Antarctica; Bedrock; Ice/Rock Interface; Climate Change; Seismic; West Antarctic Ice Sheet; FIELD SURVEYS; LABORATORY; Not provided; FIELD INVESTIGATION; Mass Balance; COMPUTERS; Sub-Ice Sheet Geology; Sea Level; Terrestrial Heat Flux", "locations": "Antarctica; West Antarctic Ice Sheet", "north": -70.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Glaciology; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Wilson, Terry; Bevis, Michael; Anandakrishnan, Sridhar; Wiens, Douglas; Aster, Richard; Smalley, Robert; Nyblade, Andrew; Winberry, Paul; Hothem, Larry; Dalziel, Ian W.; Huerta, Audrey D.", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD INVESTIGATION; LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD SURVEYS; Not provided; OTHER \u003e MODELS \u003e COMPUTERS; OTHER \u003e PHYSICAL MODELS \u003e LABORATORY", "repo": "IRIS", "repositories": "IRIS; UNAVCO", "science_programs": null, "south": -90.0, "title": "Collaborative Research: IPY: POLENET-Antarctica: Investigating Links Between Geodynamics and Ice Sheets", "uid": "p0000315", "west": -20.0}, {"awards": "0732804 McPhee, Miles; 0732906 Nowicki, Sophie; 0732730 Truffer, Martin; 0732869 Holland, David", "bounds_geometry": "POINT(-100.728 -75.0427)", "dataset_titles": "Automatic Weather Station Pine Island Glacier; Borehole Temperatures at Pine Island Glacier, Antarctica; Ocean-Ice Interaction in the Amundsen Sea Sector of West Antarctica", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "609627", "doi": "10.7265/N5T151MV", "keywords": "Antarctica; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Ice Core Records; Pine Island Glacier; Temperature", "people": "Truffer, Martin; Stanton, Timothy", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Borehole Temperatures at Pine Island Glacier, Antarctica", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/609627"}, {"dataset_uid": "601216", "doi": "10.15784/601216", "keywords": "Antarctica; Atmosphere; Automated Weather Station; Flux; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Meteorology; Pine Island Glacier; Weather Station Data", "people": "Holland, David; Mojica Moncada, Jhon F.", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "Thwaites (ITGC)", "title": "Automatic Weather Station Pine Island Glacier", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601216"}, {"dataset_uid": "600072", "doi": "10.15784/600072", "keywords": "Antarctica; Atmosphere; McMurdo; Meteorology; Oceans; Ross Island; Southern Ocean", "people": "McPhee, Miles G.", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Ocean-Ice Interaction in the Amundsen Sea Sector of West Antarctica", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/600072"}], "date_created": "Tue, 30 Dec 2014 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Collaborative With: McPhee 0732804, Holland 0732869, Truffer 0732730, Stanton 0732926, Anandakrishnan 0732844 \u003cbr/\u003eTitle: Collaborative Research: IPY: Ocean-Ice Interaction in the Amundsen Sea Sector of West Antarctica\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThe Office of Polar Programs, Antarctic Integrated and System Science Program has made this award to support an interdisciplinary study of the effects of the ocean on the stability of glacial ice in the most dynamic region the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, namely the Pine Island Glacier in the Amundsen Sea Embayment. The collaborative project builds on the knowledge gained by the highly successful West Antarctic Ice Sheet program and is being jointly sponsored with NASA. Recent observations indicate a significant ice loss, equivalent to 10% of the ongoing increase in sea-level rise, in this region. These changes are largest along the coast and propagate rapidly inland, indicating the critical impact of the ocean on ice sheet stability in the region. While a broad range of remote sensing and ground-based instrumentation is available to characterize changes of the ice surface and internal structure (deformation, ice motion, melt) and the shape of the underlying sediment and rock bed, instrumentation has yet to be successfully deployed for observing boundary layer processes of the ocean cavity which underlies the floating ice shelf and where rapid melting is apparently occurring. Innovative, mini ocean sensors that can be lowered through boreholes in the ice shelf (about 500 m thick) will be developed and deployed to automatically provide ocean profiling information over at least three years. Their data will be transmitted through a conducting cable frozen in the borehole to the surface where it will be further transmitted via satellite to a laboratory in the US. Geophysical and remote sensing methods (seismic, GPS, altimetry, stereo imaging, radar profiling) will be applied to map the geometry of the ice shelf, the shape of the sub ice-shelf cavity, the ice surface geometry and deformations within the glacial ice. To integrate the seismic, glaciological and oceanographic observations, a new 3-dimensional coupled ice-ocean model is being developed which will be the first of its kind. NASA is supporting satellite based research and the deployment of a robotic-camera system to explore the environment in the ocean cavity underlying the ice shelf and NSF is supporting all other aspects of this study. \u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eBroader impacts: This project is motivated by the potential societal impacts of rapid sea level rise and should result in critically needed improvements in characterizing and predicting the behavior of coupled ocean-ice systems. It is a contribution to the International Polar Year and was endorsed by the International Council for Science as a component of the \"Multidisciplinary Study of the Amundsen Sea Embayment\" proposal #258 of the honeycomb of endorsed IPY activities. The research involves substantial international partnerships with the British Antarctic Survey and the University of Bristol in the UK. The investigators will partner with the previously funded \"Polar Palooza\" education and outreach program in addition to undertaking a diverse set of outreach activities of their own. Eight graduate students and one undergraduate as well as one post doc will be integrated into this research project.", "east": -100.728, "geometry": "POINT(-100.728 -75.0427)", "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e TEMPERATURE/HUMIDITY SENSORS \u003e THERMISTORS \u003e THERMISTORS; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e RADAR SOUNDERS \u003e RADAR; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e SEISMIC REFLECTION PROFILERS", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "West Antarctica; Seismic; LABORATORY; Amundsen Sea; Ocean-Ice Interaction; Remote Sensing; COMPUTERS; FIELD SURVEYS; LANDSAT-8; FIELD INVESTIGATION; Ocean Profiling; AUVS; Sea Level Rise; Stability; Not provided; Deformation; SATELLITES; Ice Movement; GROUND-BASED OBSERVATIONS; Ice Temperature; International Polar Year; Borehole", "locations": "West Antarctica; Amundsen Sea", "north": -75.0427, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Integrated System Science; Antarctic Integrated System Science; Antarctic Integrated System Science; Antarctic Integrated System Science", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Truffer, Martin; Stanton, Timothy; Bindschadler, Robert; Behar, Alberto; Nowicki, Sophie; Anandakrishnan, Sridhar; Holland, David; McPhee, Miles G.", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD INVESTIGATION; LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD SURVEYS; LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e PERMANENT LAND SITES \u003e GROUND-BASED OBSERVATIONS; Not provided; OTHER \u003e MODELS \u003e COMPUTERS; OTHER \u003e PHYSICAL MODELS \u003e LABORATORY; SPACE-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e EARTH OBSERVATION SATELLITES \u003e LANDSAT \u003e LANDSAT-8; SPACE-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e EARTH OBSERVATION SATELLITES \u003e SATELLITES; WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e UNCREWED VEHICLES \u003e SUBSURFACE \u003e AUVS", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -75.0427, "title": "Collaborative Research; IPY: Ocean-Ice Interaction in the Amundsen Sea sector of West Antarctica", "uid": "p0000043", "west": -100.728}, {"awards": "0944199 Waddington, Edwin", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": "WAIS Divide Sonic Log Data", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "609592", "doi": "10.7265/N5T72FD2", "keywords": "Antarctica; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Ice Core Records; Physical Properties; Sonic Log; WAIS Divide; WAIS Divide Ice Core", "people": "Waddington, Edwin D.; Kluskiewicz, Dan; Anandakrishnan, Sridhar; McCarthy, Michael; Matsuoka, Kenichi", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "WAIS Divide Ice Core", "title": "WAIS Divide Sonic Log Data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/609592"}], "date_created": "Wed, 03 Sep 2014 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "0944199/Matsuoka\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThis award supports a project to test the hypothesis that abrupt changes in fabric exist and are associated with both climate transitions and volcanic eruptions. It requires depth-continuous measurements of the fabric. By lowering a new logging tool into the WAIS Divide borehole after the completion of the core drilling, this project will measure acoustic-wave speeds as a function of depth and interpret it in terms of ice fabrics. This interpretation will be guided by ice-core-measured fabrics at sparse depths. This project will apply established analytical techniques for the ice-sheet logging and estimate depth profiles of both compressional- and shear-wave speeds at short intervals (~ 1 m). Previous logging projects measured only compressional-wave speeds averaged over typically 5-7 m intervals. Thus the new logger will enable more precise fabric interpretations. Fabric measurements using thin sections have revealed distinct fabric patterns separated by less than several meters; fabric measurements over a shorter period are crucial. At the WAIS Divide borehole, six two-way logging runs will be made with different observational parameters so that multiple wave-propagation modes will be identified, yielding estimates of both compressional- and shear-wave speeds. Each run takes approximately 24 hours to complete; we propose to occupy the boreholes in total eight days. The logging at WAIS Divide is temporarily planned in December 2011, but the timing is not critical. This project?s scope is limited to the completion of the logging and fabric interpretations. Results will be immediately shared with other WAIS Divide researchers. Direct benefits of this data sharing include guiding further thin-section analysis of the fabric, deriving a precise thinning function that retrieves more accurate accumulation history and depth-age scales. The PIs of this project have conducted radar and seismic surveys in this area and this project will provide a ground truth for these regional remote-sensing assessments of the ice interior. In turn, these remote sensing means can extend the results from the borehole to larger parts of the central West Antarctica. This project supports education for two graduate students for geophysics, glaciology, paleoclimate, and polar logistics. The instrument that will be acquired in this project can be used at other boreholes for ice-fabric characterizations and for englacial hydrology (wetness of temperate ice).", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROBES \u003e PROBES", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "WAIS Divide; GROUND STATIONS; Western Divide Core; Antarctic Ice Sheet", "locations": "Antarctic Ice Sheet; WAIS Divide", "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Matsuoka, Kenichi; Kluskiewicz, Dan; Anandakrishnan, Sridhar; McCarthy, Michael; Waddington, Edwin D.", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e PERMANENT LAND SITES \u003e GROUND STATIONS", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": "WAIS Divide Ice Core", "south": null, "title": "Collaborative research: acoustic logging of the WAIS Divide borehole", "uid": "p0000051", "west": null}, {"awards": "1043700 Harry, Dennis", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-180 -70,-176.5 -70,-173 -70,-169.5 -70,-166 -70,-162.5 -70,-159 -70,-155.5 -70,-152 -70,-148.5 -70,-145 -70,-145 -71,-145 -72,-145 -73,-145 -74,-145 -75,-145 -76,-145 -77,-145 -78,-145 -79,-145 -80,-148.5 -80,-152 -80,-155.5 -80,-159 -80,-162.5 -80,-166 -80,-169.5 -80,-173 -80,-176.5 -80,180 -80,177.5 -80,175 -80,172.5 -80,170 -80,167.5 -80,165 -80,162.5 -80,160 -80,157.5 -80,155 -80,155 -79,155 -78,155 -77,155 -76,155 -75,155 -74,155 -73,155 -72,155 -71,155 -70,157.5 -70,160 -70,162.5 -70,165 -70,167.5 -70,170 -70,172.5 -70,175 -70,177.5 -70,-180 -70))", "dataset_titles": "Geodynamic Models of Subsidence and Lithospheric Flexure at the ANDRILL Drill Sites: Implications for Cenozoic Tectonics and Ice Sheet History; Ross Sea post-middle Miocene seismic interpretation", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "600128", "doi": "10.15784/600128", "keywords": "Andrill; Antarctica; Continental Rift; Geology/Geophysics - Other; Lithosphere; Model; Ross Sea; Solid Earth; Tectonic; Transantarctic Mountains", "people": "Harry, Dennis L.", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "ANDRILL", "title": "Geodynamic Models of Subsidence and Lithospheric Flexure at the ANDRILL Drill Sites: Implications for Cenozoic Tectonics and Ice Sheet History", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/600128"}, {"dataset_uid": "601227", "doi": "10.15784/601227", "keywords": "Andrill; Antarctica; Marine Geoscience; Ross Sea; Seismic Interpretation; Seismic Reflection; Stratigraphy; Subsidence; Victoria Land Basin", "people": "Harry, Dennis L.", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "ANDRILL", "title": "Ross Sea post-middle Miocene seismic interpretation", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601227"}], "date_created": "Sun, 31 Aug 2014 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Intellectual Merit: \u003cbr/\u003eThis research will place the subsidence history of the southern Victoria Land Basin into a quantitative geodynamic context and will assess the influence of flexure associated with late Neogene volcanic loading of the crust by the Erebus Volcanic Group. This will be done by extending geodynamic models of extension in the West Antarctic Rift System to include extensional hiatuses hypothesized to have occurred during the Late Paleogene and Miocene, and by developing a new geodynamic model of volcanic loading and associated lithosphere flexure. Finite element and finite difference modeling methods will be used. In the first phase of the project, a series of extensional geodynamic models will be developed to examine the effect that proposed extensional hiatuses have on the style of extension, with emphasis placed on developing a process based understanding of the change in rift style from diffuse during the Late Cretaceous to more focused during the Cenozoic. The models will test the hypotheses that extensional hiatuses led to the change in rifting style, and will place constraints on the timing and duration of the hiatuses. The second phase of the project will use the thermal and rheological properties of the previous models to constrain the flexural rigidity of the lithosphere in order to model the flexural response to volcanic loading to test the hypotheses that flexural subsidence contributed to cyclic changes between grounded and floating ice at the ANDRILL AND-1A site, complicating interpretations of the climatic record from this core, and that flexure contributes to the stress orientation at the AND-2B site, which is inconsistent with the expected regional extensional stress orientation.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eBroader impacts: \u003cbr/\u003eThe project will train an undergraduate student and an M.S. student. Outreach activities include a planned series of talks at regional high schools, junior colleges, and 4-year colleges that have geology programs.", "east": -145.0, "geometry": "POINT(-175 -75)", "instruments": "NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "USAP-DC; MARINE GEOPHYSICS; Antarctica; NOT APPLICABLE", "locations": "Antarctica", "north": -70.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Harry, Dennis L.", "platforms": "OTHER \u003e NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": "ANDRILL", "south": -80.0, "title": "Geodynamic Models of Subsidence and Lithospheric Flexure at the ANDRILL Drill Sites: Implications for Cenozoic Tectonics and Ice Sheet History", "uid": "p0000467", "west": 155.0}, {"awards": "1139739 Hansen, Samantha", "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": "A New Approach to Investigate the Seismic Velocity Structure beneath Antarctica", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "600132", "doi": "10.15784/600132", "keywords": "Antarctica; Geology/Geophysics - Other; Lithosphere; Seismic Tomography; Solid Earth", "people": "Hansen, Samantha", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "A New Approach to Investigate the Seismic Velocity Structure beneath Antarctica", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/600132"}], "date_created": "Mon, 14 Jul 2014 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Intellectual Merit: \u003cbr/\u003eNumerous candidate models for the geologic processes that have shaped the Antarctic continent have been proposed. To discriminate between them, detailed images of the upper mantle structure are required; however, the only existing continental-scale images of seismic structure beneath Antarctica lack sufficient resolution to delineate important, diagnostic features. Using newly available data from various Antarctic seismic networks, the PI will employ the adaptively parameterized tomography method to develop a high-resolution, continental-scale seismic velocity model for all of Antarctica. The proposed tomography method combines regional seismic travel-time datasets in the context of a global model to create a composite continental-scale model of upper mantle structure. The proposed method allows for imaging of finer structure in areas with better seismic ray coverage while simultaneously limiting the resolution of features in regions with less coverage. This research will help advance understanding of important global processes, such as craton formation, mountain building, continental rifting and associated magmatism. Additionally, the proposed research will have important impacts on other fields of Antarctic science. Constraints provided by tomographic results can be used to develop thermal models of the lithosphere needed to characterize the history and dynamics of ice sheets. Also, further constraints on lithospheric structure are required by climate-ice models, which are focused on understanding the cooling history of the Antarctic continent.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eBroader impacts: \u003cbr/\u003eThe PI is a new faculty member at the University of Alabama after having been funded as a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow in Polar Regions Research. The graduate student supported by this project is new to polar research. Through the UA-Tuscaloosa Magnet School partnership program, the PI will educate K-12 students about the Antarctic environment and associated career opportunities through various online and hands-on activities. University of Alabama dedicates a significant percentage of its enrollment space to underrepresented groups.", "east": 180.0, "geometry": "POINT(0 -89.999)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": -60.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Hansen, Samantha", "platforms": "Not provided", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -90.0, "title": "New Approach to Investigate the Seismic Velocity Structure beneath Antarctica", "uid": "p0000354", "west": -180.0}, {"awards": "0537371 Nyblade, Andrew", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((40 -76,50 -76,60 -76,70 -76,80 -76,90 -76,100 -76,110 -76,120 -76,130 -76,140 -76,140 -76.8,140 -77.6,140 -78.4,140 -79.2,140 -80,140 -80.8,140 -81.6,140 -82.4,140 -83.2,140 -84,130 -84,120 -84,110 -84,100 -84,90 -84,80 -84,70 -84,60 -84,50 -84,40 -84,40 -83.2,40 -82.4,40 -81.6,40 -80.8,40 -80,40 -79.2,40 -78.4,40 -77.6,40 -76.8,40 -76))", "dataset_titles": "Data at IRIS Data Management Center (full data link not provided)", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "000233", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "IRIS", "science_program": null, "title": "Data at IRIS Data Management Center (full data link not provided)", "url": "http://www.iris.edu/dms/"}], "date_created": "Wed, 04 Dec 2013 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Abstract\u003cbr/\u003eThis award supports a seismological study of the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains (GSM), a Texas-sized mountain range buried beneath the ice sheets of East Antarctica. The project will perform a passive seismic experiment deploying twenty-three seismic stations over the GSM to characterize the structure of the crust and upper mantle, and determine the processes driving uplift. The outcomes will also offer constraints on the terrestrial heat flux, a key variable in modeling ice sheet formation and behavior. Virtually unexplored, the GSM represents the largest unstudied area of crustal uplift on earth. As well, the region is the starting point for growth of the Antarctic ice sheets. \u003cbr/\u003eBecause of these outstanding questions, the GSM has been identified by the international Antarctic science community as a research focus for the International Polar Year (2007-2009). In addition to this seismic experiment, NSF is also supporting an aerogeophysical survey of the GSM under award number 0632292. Major international partners in the project include Germany, China, Australia, and the United Kingdom. For more information see IPY Project #67 at IPY.org. In terms of broader impacts, this project also supports postdoctoral and graduate student research, and various forms of outreach.", "east": 140.0, "geometry": "POINT(90 -80)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": -76.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Nyblade, Andrew", "platforms": "Not provided", "repo": "IRIS", "repositories": "IRIS", "science_programs": null, "south": -84.0, "title": "Collaborative Research: A Broadband Seismic Experiment to Image the Lithosphere Beneath the Gamburtsev Mountains and Surrounding Areas, East Antarctica", "uid": "p0000657", "west": 40.0}, {"awards": "1142083 Kyle, Philip", "bounds_geometry": "POINT(167.15334 -77.529724)", "dataset_titles": "Database of Erebus cave field seasons; Icequakes at Erebus volcano, Antarctica; Mount Erebus Observatory GPS data; Mount Erebus Seismic Data; Mount Erebus Thermodynamic model code; Mount Erebus Volcano Observatory: Operations, Science and Outreach (MEVO-OSO); Seismic data used for high-resolution active-source seismic tomography", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "200027", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "UNAVCO", "science_program": null, "title": "Mount Erebus Observatory GPS data", "url": "https://www.unavco.org/data/gps-gnss/data-access-methods/dai1/monument.php?mid=22083\u0026parent_link=Permanent\u0026pview=original"}, {"dataset_uid": "200034", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "IRIS", "science_program": null, "title": "Seismic data used for high-resolution active-source seismic tomography", "url": "http://ds.iris.edu/mda/ZW/?timewindow=2007-2009http://ds.iris.edu/mda/Y4?timewindow=2008-2009http://ds.iris.edu/ds/nodes/dmc/forms/assembled-data/?dataset_report_number=09-015"}, {"dataset_uid": "200033", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "IRIS", "science_program": null, "title": "Icequakes at Erebus volcano, Antarctica", "url": "http://ds.iris.edu/mda/ZW/?timewindow=2007-2009http://ds.iris.edu/mda/Y4?timewindow=2008-2009http://ds.iris.edu/mda/ZO?timewindow=2011-2012"}, {"dataset_uid": "200032", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "IRIS", "science_program": null, "title": "Mount Erebus Seismic Data", "url": "http://ds.iris.edu/mda/ER/"}, {"dataset_uid": "200031", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "GitHub", "science_program": null, "title": "Mount Erebus Thermodynamic model code", "url": "https://github.com/kaylai/Iacovino2015_thermodynamic_model"}, {"dataset_uid": "600381", "doi": "10.15784/600381", "keywords": "Antarctica; Cable Observatory; Geology/Geophysics - Other; Infrared Imagery; Intracontinental Magmatism; IntraContinental Magmatism; MEVO; Mount Erebus; Photo/video; Photo/Video; Ross Island; Solid Earth; Thermal Camera; Volcano", "people": "Kyle, Philip; Oppenheimer, Clive", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "MEVO", "title": "Mount Erebus Volcano Observatory: Operations, Science and Outreach (MEVO-OSO)", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/600381"}, {"dataset_uid": "200030", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "GitHub", "science_program": null, "title": "Database of Erebus cave field seasons", "url": "https://github.com/foobarbecue/troggle"}], "date_created": "Tue, 03 Sep 2013 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Intellectual Merit: \u003cbr/\u003eMt. Erebus is one of only a handful of volcanoes worldwide that have lava lakes with readily observable and nearly continuous Strombolian explosive activity. Erebus is also unique in having a permanent convecting lava lake of anorthoclase phonolite magma. Over the years significant infrastructure has been established at the summit of Mt. Erebus as part of the Mount Erebus Volcano Observatory (MEVO), which serves as a natural laboratory to study a wide range of volcanic processes, especially magma degassing associated with an open convecting magma conduit. The PI proposes to continue operating MEVO for a further five years. The fundamental fundamental research objectives are: to understand diffuse flank degassing by using distributed temperature sensing and gas measurements in ice caves, to understand conduit processes, and to examine the environmental impact of volcanic emissions from Erebus on atmospheric and cryospheric environments. To examine conduit processes the PI will make simultaneous observations with video records, thermal imaging, measurements of gas emission rates and gas compositions, seismic, and infrasound data.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eBroader impacts: \u003cbr/\u003eAn important aspect of Erebus research is the education and training of students. Both graduate and undergraduate students will have the opportunity to work on MEVO data and deploy to the field site. In addition, this proposal will support a middle or high school science teacher for two field seasons. The PI will also continue working with various media organizations and filmmakers.", "east": 167.15334, "geometry": "POINT(167.15334 -77.529724)", "instruments": "EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e SPECTROMETERS/RADIOMETERS \u003e IMAGING SPECTROMETERS/RADIOMETERS \u003e TIRS; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e SPECTROMETERS/RADIOMETERS \u003e SPECTROMETERS \u003e FTIR SPECTROMETER; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e SPECTROMETERS/RADIOMETERS \u003e SPECTROMETERS \u003e DOAS; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e POSITIONING/NAVIGATION \u003e LASER RANGING \u003e MOBLAS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROBES \u003e ELECTRON MICROPROBES; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PHOTON/OPTICAL DETECTORS \u003e PETROGRAPHIC MICROSCOPES; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e MAGNETIC/MOTION SENSORS \u003e SEISMOMETERS \u003e SEISMOMETERS; NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e SPECTROMETERS/RADIOMETERS \u003e IMAGING SPECTROMETERS/RADIOMETERS \u003e HRDI; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e SPECTROMETERS/RADIOMETERS \u003e IMAGING SPECTROMETERS/RADIOMETERS \u003e TIRS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e ACOUSTIC SOUNDERS \u003e INFRASONIC MICROPHONES; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e SPECTROMETERS/RADIOMETERS \u003e AMS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e SPECTROMETERS/RADIOMETERS \u003e XRF; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e SPECTROMETERS/RADIOMETERS \u003e ICP-MS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e SPECTROMETERS/RADIOMETERS \u003e ICP-ES; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e POSITIONING/NAVIGATION \u003e LASER RANGING \u003e MOBLAS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e CHEMICAL METERS/ANALYZERS \u003e IRGA; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PHOTON/OPTICAL DETECTORS \u003e SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPES; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PRESSURE/HEIGHT METERS \u003e PRESSURE CHAMBERS; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e SPECTROMETERS/RADIOMETERS \u003e SPECTROMETERS \u003e FTIR SPECTROMETER; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e PHOTON/OPTICAL DETECTORS \u003e MICROTOMOGRAPHY; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e SPECTROMETERS/RADIOMETERS \u003e SIMS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e CHEMICAL METERS/ANALYZERS \u003e GAS CHROMATOGRAPHS", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Earthquakes; Vesuvius; Cosmogenic Radionuclides; Infrasonic Signals; Icequakes; Magma Shells; Phase Equilibria; Passcal; Correlation; Backscattering; Eruptive History; Degassing; Volatiles; Magma Convection; Thermodynamics; Tremors; Optech; Uv Doas; Energy Partitioning; Erebus; Cronus; Holocene; Lava Lake; Phonolite; Vagrant; Thermal Infrared Camera; Flir; USA/NSF; Mount Erebus; Active Source Seismic; GROUND-BASED OBSERVATIONS; Interferometry; Volatile Solubility; Redox State; Viscosity; Hydrogen Emission; Seismicity; Eruptions; Explosion Energy; FIELD SURVEYS; Radar Spectra; OBSERVATION BASED; Seismic Events; Strombolian Eruptions; Anorthoclase; Ice Caves; Iris; VOLCANO OBSERVATORY; Melt Inclusions; Ftir; Alkaline Volcanism; Tomography; TLS; Volcanic Gases; ANALYTICAL LAB", "locations": "Vesuvius; Cronus; Vagrant; Mount Erebus; Passcal", "north": -77.529724, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": "PHANEROZOIC \u003e CENOZOIC \u003e QUATERNARY \u003e HOLOCENE", "persons": "Kyle, Philip; Oppenheimer, Clive; Chaput, Julien; Jones, Laura; Fischer, Tobias", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD SURVEYS; LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e PERMANENT LAND SITES \u003e GROUND-BASED OBSERVATIONS; LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e PERMANENT LAND SITES \u003e VOLCANO OBSERVATORY; OTHER \u003e MODELS \u003e OBSERVATION BASED; OTHER \u003e PHYSICAL MODELS \u003e ANALYTICAL LAB", "repo": "UNAVCO", "repositories": "GitHub; IRIS; UNAVCO; USAP-DC", "science_programs": "MEVO", "south": -77.529724, "title": "Mount Erebus Volcano Observatory: Operations, Science and Outreach (MEVO-OSO)", "uid": "p0000383", "west": 167.15334}, {"awards": "0838973 Nyblade, Andrew; 0838934 Wiens, Douglas", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((40 -76,50 -76,60 -76,70 -76,80 -76,90 -76,100 -76,110 -76,120 -76,130 -76,140 -76,140 -76.8,140 -77.6,140 -78.4,140 -79.2,140 -80,140 -80.8,140 -81.6,140 -82.4,140 -83.2,140 -84,130 -84,120 -84,110 -84,100 -84,90 -84,80 -84,70 -84,60 -84,50 -84,40 -84,40 -83.2,40 -82.4,40 -81.6,40 -80.8,40 -80,40 -79.2,40 -78.4,40 -77.6,40 -76.8,40 -76))", "dataset_titles": "Seismological Record ID# ZM 2007-12; Seismological Record Network Code# ZM (full data link not provided)", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "000149", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "IRIS", "science_program": null, "title": "Seismological Record ID# ZM 2007-12", "url": "http://www.iris.edu/"}, {"dataset_uid": "000152", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "IRIS", "science_program": null, "title": "Seismological Record Network Code# ZM (full data link not provided)", "url": "http://www.iris.edu/"}], "date_created": "Mon, 21 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). The high elevations of East Antarctica are critical in localizing the initial Cenozoic glaciation and stabilizing it with respect to melting during warm interglacials. However, the geological history for this region and the geophysical mechanism for maintaining the highlands are poorly understood. In 2007-2009, an array of 24 broadband seismographs (named GAMSEIS) was installed across the Gamburtsev Mountains area of the East Antarctic Plateau as part of the Antarctica?s Gamburtsev Province (AGAP) International Polar Year project. The IPY AGAP/GAMSEIS program included plans by other international partners to install seismographs at locations along the flanks of the Gamburtsev Mountains and in other East Antarctic regions. The proposed project will continue operating six of the deployed AGAP/GAMSEIS stations for two more years together with two new broadband seismic stations added to broaden the geographic scope of the array. Most stations will be located at the existing U.S. Autonomous Geophysical Observatories and the USAP fuel cache locations in order to minimize logistical support. This array, combined with seismographs deployed by China and Japan (and possibly Australia, France, and Italy in near future) will provide a sparse but large-scale network of seismometers for the longer-term studies of the crustal and upper mantle structures underneath the East Antarctic Plateau. Continued reliance on students provides a broader impact to this proposed research and firmly grounds this effort in its educational mission.", "east": 140.0, "geometry": "POINT(90 -80)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": -76.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Wiens, Douglas; Nyblade, Andrew", "platforms": "Not provided", "repo": "IRIS", "repositories": "IRIS", "science_programs": null, "south": -84.0, "title": "Collaborative Research: Polenet East: An International Seismological Network for East Antarctica", "uid": "p0000504", "west": 40.0}, {"awards": "0632198 Anandakrishnan, Sridhar", "bounds_geometry": "POINT(110 -74)", "dataset_titles": "Synthesis of Thwaites Glacier Dynamics: Diagnostic and Prognostic Sensitivity Studies of a West Antarctic Outlet System", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "609619", "doi": "10.7265/N58913TN", "keywords": "Amundsen Sea; Antarctica; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Ice Sheet Model; Thwaites Glacier", "people": "Holt, John W.; Parizek, Byron R.; Blankenship, Donald D.; Dupont, Todd K.", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Synthesis of Thwaites Glacier Dynamics: Diagnostic and Prognostic Sensitivity Studies of a West Antarctic Outlet System", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/609619"}], "date_created": "Wed, 29 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award supports a project to study ice sheet history and dynamics on the Thwaites Glacier and Pine Island Glacier in the Amundsen Sea sector of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. The international collaboration that has been established with the British Antarctic Survey will enable a fuller suite of geophysical experiments with more-efficient use of people and logistics than we could achieve individually. This project is one of a number of projects to characterize the Amundsen Sea Embayment, which has been identified in numerous planning documents as perhaps the most important target for ice-dynamical research. Taken together, this \"pulse of activity\" will result in a better understanding of this important part of the global system. Field work will measure the subglacial environment of Thwaites and Pine Island Glaciers using three powerful, but relatively simple tools: reflection seismic imaging, GPS motion monitoring of the tidal forcing, and passive seismic monitoring of the seismicity associated with motion. The results of the field work will feed into ice-sheet modeling efforts that are tuned to the case of an ocean-terminating glacier and will assess the influence of these glaciers on current sea level and project into the future. The broader impacts of the project involve the inclusion of a film- and audio-professional to document the work for informal outreach (public radio and TV; museums). In addition, we will train graduate students in polar geophysical and glaciological research and in numerical modeling techniques. The ultimate goal of this project, of assessing the role of Thwaites Glacier in global sea level change, has broad societal impact in coastal regions and small islands.", "east": -110.0, "geometry": "POINT(-110 -74)", "instruments": "EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e POSITIONING/NAVIGATION \u003e GPS \u003e GPS; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e RADAR SOUNDERS \u003e GPR; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e SEISMIC REFLECTION PROFILERS", "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "Pine Island Glacier; Bed Reflectivity; Tidal Forcing; FIELD INVESTIGATION; Not provided; Position; Thwaites; Thickness; Amundsen Sea; LABORATORY; FIELD SURVEYS; Subglacial; Ice Dynamic; Ice Sheet Modeling", "locations": "Thwaites; Pine Island Glacier; Amundsen Sea", "north": -74.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Anandakrishnan, Sridhar", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD INVESTIGATION; LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD SURVEYS; Not provided; OTHER \u003e PHYSICAL MODELS \u003e LABORATORY", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -74.0, "title": "IPY: Flow Dynamics of the Amundsen Sea Glaciers: Thwaites and Pine Island.", "uid": "p0000699", "west": -110.0}, {"awards": "0739654 Catania, Ginny; 0739372 Conway, Howard", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": "Coastal and Terminus History of the Eastern Amundsen Sea Embayment, West Antarctica, 1972 - 2011; Ice Flow History of the Thwaites Glacier, West Antarctica", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "609522", "doi": "10.7265/N5CC0XNK", "keywords": "Amundsen Sea; Antarctica; Climate Change; Coastline; GIS Data; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Satellite Data Interpretation", "people": "Markowski, Michael; Macgregor, Joseph A.; Andrews, Alan G.; Catania, Ginny", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Coastal and Terminus History of the Eastern Amundsen Sea Embayment, West Antarctica, 1972 - 2011", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/609522"}, {"dataset_uid": "609463", "doi": "10.7265/N5RR1W6X", "keywords": "Antarctica; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Ice Flow Lines; Thwaites Glacier", "people": "Fudge, T. J.; Conway, Howard; Catania, Ginny", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Ice Flow History of the Thwaites Glacier, West Antarctica", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/609463"}], "date_created": "Wed, 30 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Catania 0739654\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThis award supports a project to study the Amundsen Sea drainage system and improve understanding of the impact of recent glaciological changes as an aid to predicting how this region will change in the future. The intellectual merit of the work is that the Amundsen Sea drainage system has been a recent focus for glaciological research because of rapid changes occurring there as a result of grounding line retreat. The work will focus on the regions of flow transition and will map the internal stratigraphy of the ice sheet across the Thwaites Glacier shear margins and use the age and geometry of radar-detected internal layers to interpret ice flow history. Thwaites Glacier (one of the main pathways for ice drainage in the region) has recently widened and may continue to do so in the near future. Thwaites Glacier may be particularly vulnerable to grounding line retreat because it lacks a well-defined subglacial channel. The subglacial environment exerts strong control on ice flow and flow history will be mapped in the context of bed topography and bed reflectivity. The plan is to use existing ice-penetrating radar data and coordinate with planned upcoming surveys to reduce logistical costs. The work proposed here will take three years to complete but no additional fieldwork in Antarctica is required. More detailed ground-based geophysical (radar and seismic) experiments will be needed at key locations to achieve our overall goal and the work proposed here will aid in identifying those regions. The broader impacts of the project are that it will initiate a new collaboration among radar communities within the US including those that are on the forefront of radar systems engineering and those that are actively involved in radar-derived internal layer and bed analysis. The project will also provide support for a postdoctoral researcher and a graduate student, thus giving them exposure to a variety of methodologies and scientific issues. Finally, there are plans to further develop the \"Wired Antarctica\" website designed by Ginny Catania with the help of a student-teacher. This will allow for the existing lesson plans to be updated to Texas State standards so that they can be used more broadly within state middle and high schools.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": "EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e PHOTON/OPTICAL DETECTORS \u003e CAMERAS \u003e CAMERAS; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e IMAGING RADARS \u003e SAR; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e SPECTROMETERS/RADIOMETERS \u003e IMAGING SPECTROMETERS/RADIOMETERS \u003e TM; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e ALTIMETERS \u003e RADAR ALTIMETERS \u003e ALTIMETERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e MAGNETIC/MOTION SENSORS \u003e GRAVIMETERS \u003e GRAVIMETERS; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e RADAR SOUNDERS \u003e RADAR; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e RADAR SOUNDERS \u003e RADAR ECHO SOUNDERS; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e RADAR SOUNDERS \u003e GPR", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "ERS-1; Coastal; Terminus; LABORATORY; Subglacial; Glacier; Not provided; Thwaites Glacier; Antarctica; LANDSAT; Internal Stratigraphy; West Antarctica; Internal Layers; Amundsen Sea; FIELD INVESTIGATION; FIELD SURVEYS; Glaciers; LANDSAT-5; Radar; Seismic", "locations": "Coastal; Antarctica; Thwaites Glacier; Amundsen Sea; West Antarctica", "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology; Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Conway, Howard; Catania, Ginny; Markowski, Michael; Macgregor, Joseph A.; Andrews, Alan G.; Fudge, T. J.", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD INVESTIGATION; LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD SURVEYS; Not provided; OTHER \u003e PHYSICAL MODELS \u003e LABORATORY; SPACE-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e EARTH OBSERVATION SATELLITES \u003e EUROPEAN REMOTE SENSING SATELLITE (ERS) \u003e ERS-1; SPACE-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e EARTH OBSERVATION SATELLITES \u003e LANDSAT \u003e LANDSAT; SPACE-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e EARTH OBSERVATION SATELLITES \u003e LANDSAT \u003e LANDSAT-5", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Collaborative Research: Ice-flow history of the Thwaites Glacier, West Antarctica", "uid": "p0000143", "west": null}, {"awards": "0739769 Fricker, Helen", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-57.22 74.58,-55.343 74.58,-53.466 74.58,-51.589 74.58,-49.712 74.58,-47.835 74.58,-45.958 74.58,-44.081 74.58,-42.204 74.58,-40.327 74.58,-38.45 74.58,-38.45 73.822,-38.45 73.064,-38.45 72.306,-38.45 71.548,-38.45 70.79,-38.45 70.032,-38.45 69.274,-38.45 68.516,-38.45 67.758,-38.45 67,-40.327 67,-42.204 67,-44.081 67,-45.958 67,-47.835 67,-49.712 67,-51.589 67,-53.466 67,-55.343 67,-57.22 67,-57.22 67.758,-57.22 68.516,-57.22 69.274,-57.22 70.032,-57.22 70.79,-57.22 71.548,-57.22 72.306,-57.22 73.064,-57.22 73.822,-57.22 74.58))", "dataset_titles": "Amery Ice Shelf metadata (IRIS); Columbia Glacier metadata (IRIS); Greenland Ice Sheet Seismic Network metadata (IRIS)", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "000100", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "IRIS", "science_program": null, "title": "Amery Ice Shelf metadata (IRIS)", "url": "http://www.iris.edu/mda/X9?timewindow=2004-2007"}, {"dataset_uid": "000101", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "IRIS", "science_program": null, "title": "Columbia Glacier metadata (IRIS)", "url": "http://www.iris.edu/mda/YM?timewindow=2004-2005"}, {"dataset_uid": "000103", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "IRIS", "science_program": null, "title": "Greenland Ice Sheet Seismic Network metadata (IRIS)", "url": "http://www.iris.edu/mda/_GLISN"}], "date_created": "Thu, 22 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award supports a project to strengthen collaborations between the various research groups working on iceberg calving. Relatively little is known about the calving process, especially the physics that governs the initiation and propagation of fractures within the ice. This knowledge gap exists in part because of the diverse range in spatial and temporal scales associated with calving (ranging from less than one meter to over a hundred kilometers in length scale). It is becoming increasingly clear that to predict the future behavior of the Antarctic Ice Sheet and its contribution to sea level rise, it is necessary to improve our understanding of iceberg calving processes. Further challenges stem from difficulties in monitoring and quantifying short-time and spatial-scale processes associated with ice fracture, including increased fracturing events in ice shelves or outlet glaciers that may be a precursor to disintegration, retreat or increased calving rates. Coupled, these fundamental problems currently prohibit the inclusion of iceberg calving into numerical ice sheet models and hinder our ability to accurately forecast changes in sea level in response to climate change. Seismic data from four markedly different environmental regimes forms the basis of the proposed research, and researchers most familiar with the datasets will perform all analyses. Extracting the similarities and differences across the full breadth of calving processes embodies the core of the proposed work, combining and improving methods previously developed by each group. Techniques derived from solid Earth seismology, including waveform cross-correlation and clustering will be applied to each data set allowing quantitative process comparisons on a significantly higher level than previously possible. This project will derive catalogues of glaciologically produced seismic events; the events will then be located and categorized based on their location, waveform and waveform spectra both within individual environments and between regions. The intellectual merit of this work is that it will lead to a better understanding of iceberg calving and the teleconnections between seismic events and other geophysical processes around the globe. The broader impacts of this work are that it relates directly to socio-environmental impacts of global change and sea level rise. Strong collaborations will form as a result of this research, including bolstered collaborations between the glacier and ice sheet communities, as well as the glaciology and seismology communities. Outreach and public dissemination of findings will be driven by SIO\u0027s Visualization Center, and Birch Aquarium, hosting presentations devoted to the role of the cryosphere in global change. Time-lapse movies of recent changes at Columbia Glacier will be used to engage potential young scientists. A program of presentations outside the university setting to at-risk and gifted youth will be continued. This study will also involve undergraduates in analyses and interpretation and presentation of the seismic data assembled. The work will also support two junior scientists who will be supported by this project.", "east": 72.949097, "geometry": "POINT(72.8836975 -69.008701)", "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e MAGNETIC/MOTION SENSORS \u003e SEISMOMETERS \u003e SEISMOMETERS", "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "PASSCAL; Not provided; Antarctic; SEISMOLOGICAL STATIONS; Iceberg; Seismology; Calving", "locations": "Antarctic", "north": -68.993301, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Fricker, Helen", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e PERMANENT LAND SITES \u003e PASSCAL; LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e PERMANENT LAND SITES \u003e SEISMOLOGICAL STATIONS; Not provided", "repo": "IRIS", "repositories": "IRIS", "science_programs": null, "south": -69.024101, "title": "An Investigation into the Seismic Signatures Generated by Iceberg Calving and Rifting", "uid": "p0000683", "west": 72.818298}, {"awards": "0424589 Gogineni, S. Prasad", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-137 -74,-132.1 -74,-127.2 -74,-122.3 -74,-117.4 -74,-112.5 -74,-107.6 -74,-102.7 -74,-97.8 -74,-92.9 -74,-88 -74,-88 -74.65,-88 -75.3,-88 -75.95,-88 -76.6,-88 -77.25,-88 -77.9,-88 -78.55,-88 -79.2,-88 -79.85,-88 -80.5,-92.9 -80.5,-97.8 -80.5,-102.7 -80.5,-107.6 -80.5,-112.5 -80.5,-117.4 -80.5,-122.3 -80.5,-127.2 -80.5,-132.1 -80.5,-137 -80.5,-137 -79.85,-137 -79.2,-137 -78.55,-137 -77.9,-137 -77.25,-137 -76.6,-137 -75.95,-137 -75.3,-137 -74.65,-137 -74))", "dataset_titles": "Airborne radar profiles of the Whillans, Bindschadler, and Kamb Ice Streams; Archive of data; Ice-penetrating radar internal stratigraphy over Dome C and the wider East Antarctic Plateau; Ku-band Radar Echograms; Radar Depth Sounder Echograms and Ice Thickness; Snow Radar Echograms", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601048", "doi": "10.15784/601048", "keywords": "Airborne Radar; Antarctica; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Ku-Band; Navigation; Radar", "people": "Allen, Chris; Li, Jilu; Gogineni, Prasad; Paden, John; Leuschen, Carl; Rodriguez, Fernando", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Ku-band Radar Echograms", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601048"}, {"dataset_uid": "600384", "doi": "10.15784/600384", "keywords": "Airborne Radar; Antarctica; Basler; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Kamb Ice Stream; Radar; Siple Coast; Whillans Ice Stream", "people": "Paden, John; Hale, Richard", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Airborne radar profiles of the Whillans, Bindschadler, and Kamb Ice Streams", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/600384"}, {"dataset_uid": "601411", "doi": "10.15784/601411", "keywords": "Antarctica; East Antarctic Plateau; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; ICECAP; Ice Penetrating Radar; Internal Reflecting Horizons", "people": "Quartini, Enrica; Cavitte, Marie G. P; Young, Duncan A.; Mulvaney, Robert; Ritz, Catherine; Greenbaum, Jamin; Ng, Gregory; Kempf, Scott D.; Muldoon, Gail R.; Paden, John; Frezzotti, Massimo; Roberts, Jason; Tozer, Carly; Schroeder, Dustin; Blankenship, Donald D.", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "Dome C Ice Core", "title": "Ice-penetrating radar internal stratigraphy over Dome C and the wider East Antarctic Plateau", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601411"}, {"dataset_uid": "002497", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "Project website", "science_program": null, "title": "Archive of data", "url": "https://www.cresis.ku.edu/data/accumulation"}, {"dataset_uid": "601047", "doi": "10.15784/601047", "keywords": "Airborne Radar; Antarctica; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; MCoRDS; Navigation; Radar", "people": "Paden, John; Allen, Chris; Li, Jilu; Leuschen, Carl; Rodriguez, Fernando; Gogineni, Prasad", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Radar Depth Sounder Echograms and Ice Thickness", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601047"}, {"dataset_uid": "601049", "doi": "10.15784/601049", "keywords": "Airborne Radar; Antarctica; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Navigation; Radar; Snow", "people": "Allen, Chris; Gogineni, Prasad; Leuschen, Carl; Paden, John; Rodriguez, Fernando; Li, Jilu", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Snow Radar Echograms", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601049"}], "date_created": "Wed, 01 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award is for the continuation of the Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS), an NSF Science and Technology Center (STC) established in June 2005 to study present and probable future contributions of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets to sea-level rise. The Center?s vision is to understand and predict the role of polar ice sheets in sea level change. In particular, the Center?s mission is to develop technologies, to conduct field investigations, to compile data to understand why many outlet glaciers and ice streams are changing rapidly, and to develop models that explain and predict ice sheet response to climate change. The Center?s mission is also to educate and train a diverse population of graduate and undergraduate students in Center-related disciplines and to encourage K-12 students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM-fields). The long-term goals are to perform a four-dimensional characterization (space and time) of rapidly changing ice-sheet regions, develop diagnostic and predictive ice-sheet models, and contribute to future assessments of sea level change in a warming climate. In the first five years, significant progress was made in developing, testing and optimizing innovative sensors and platforms and completing a major aircraft campaign, which included sounding the channel under Jakobshavn Isbr\u00e6. In the second five years, research will focus on the interpretation of integrated data from a suite of sensors to understand the physical processes causing changes and the subsequent development and validation of models. Information about CReSIS can be found at http://www.cresis.ku.edu.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThe intellectual merits of the STC are the multidisciplinary research it enables its faculty, staff and students to pursue, as well as the broad education and training opportunities it provides to students at all levels. During the first phase, the Center provided scientists and engineers with a collaborative research environment and the opportunity to interact, enabling the development of high-sensitivity radars integrated with several airborne platforms and innovative seismic instruments. Also, the Center successfully collected data on ice thickness and bed conditions, key variables in the study of ice dynamics and the development of models, for three major fast-flowing glaciers in Greenland. During the second phase, the Center will collect additional data over targeted sites in areas undergoing rapid changes; process, analyze and interpret collected data; and develop advanced process-oriented and ice sheet models to predict future behavior. The Center will continue to provide a rich environment for multidisciplinary education and mentoring for undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows, as well as for conducting K-12 education and public outreach. The broader impacts of the Center stem from addressing a global environmental problem with critical societal implications, providing a forum for citizens and policymakers to become informed about climate change issues, training the next generation of scientists and engineers to serve the nation, encouraging underrepresented students to pursue careers in STEM-related fields, and transferring new technologies to industry. Students involved in the Center find an intellectually stimulating atmosphere where collaboration between disciplines is the norm and exposure to a wide variety of methodologies and scientific issues enriches their educational experience. The next generation of researchers should reflect the diversity of our society; the Center will therefore continue its work with ECSU to conduct outreach and educational programs that attract minority students to careers in science and technology. The Center has also established a new partnership with ADMI that supports faculty and student exchanges at the national level and provides expanded opportunities for students and faculty to be involved in Center-related research and education activities. These, and other collaborations, will provide broader opportunities to encourage underrepresented students to pursue STEM careers. \u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eAs lead institution, The University of Kansas (KU) provides overall direction and management, as well as expertise in radar and remote sensing, Uninhabited Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), and modeling and interpretation of data. Five partner institutions and a DOE laboratory play critical roles in the STC. The Pennsylvania State University (PSU) continues to participate in technology development for seismic measurements, field activities, and modeling. The Center of Excellence in Remote Sensing, Education and Research (CERSER) at Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) contributes its expertise to analyzing satellite data and generating high-level data products. ECSU also brings to the Center their extensive experience in mentoring and educating traditionally under-represented students. ADMI, the Association of Computer and Information Science/Engineering Departments at Minority Institutions, expands the program?s reach to underrepresented groups at the national level. Indiana University (IU) provides world-class expertise in CI and high-performance computing to address challenges in data management, processing, distribution and archival, as well as high-performance modeling requirements. The University of Washington (UW) provides expertise in satellite observations of ice sheets and process-oriented interpretation and model development. Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) contributes in the area of ice sheet modeling. All partner institutions are actively involved in the analysis and interpretation of observational and numerical data sets.", "east": -88.0, "geometry": "POINT(-112.5 -77.25)", "instruments": "EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e RADAR SOUNDERS \u003e RADAR ECHO SOUNDERS", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Remote Sensing; Not provided; Pine Island; Ice Sheet; DHC-6; Antarctic; Thwaites Region; Antarctica; Mass Balance; Accumulation; Velocity; Insar", "locations": "Antarctica; Antarctic; Pine Island; Thwaites Region", "north": -74.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology; Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Braaten, David; Joughin, Ian; Steig, Eric J.; Das, Sarah; Paden, John; Gogineni, Prasad", "platforms": "AIR-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e PROPELLER \u003e DHC-6; Not provided", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "Project website; USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -80.5, "title": "Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS)", "uid": "p0000102", "west": -137.0}, {"awards": "9909734 Anderson, John", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-73.80311 -52.35021,-71.817373 -52.35021,-69.831636 -52.35021,-67.845899 -52.35021,-65.860162 -52.35021,-63.874425 -52.35021,-61.888688 -52.35021,-59.902951 -52.35021,-57.917214 -52.35021,-55.931477 -52.35021,-53.94574 -52.35021,-53.94574 -53.954842,-53.94574 -55.559474,-53.94574 -57.164106,-53.94574 -58.768738,-53.94574 -60.37337,-53.94574 -61.978002,-53.94574 -63.582634,-53.94574 -65.187266,-53.94574 -66.791898,-53.94574 -68.39653,-55.931477 -68.39653,-57.917214 -68.39653,-59.902951 -68.39653,-61.888688 -68.39653,-63.874425 -68.39653,-65.860162 -68.39653,-67.845899 -68.39653,-69.831636 -68.39653,-71.817373 -68.39653,-73.80311 -68.39653,-73.80311 -66.791898,-73.80311 -65.187266,-73.80311 -63.582634,-73.80311 -61.978002,-73.80311 -60.37337,-73.80311 -58.768738,-73.80311 -57.164106,-73.80311 -55.559474,-73.80311 -53.954842,-73.80311 -52.35021))", "dataset_titles": "Expedition Data", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "001803", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP0201"}], "date_created": "Thu, 03 Mar 2011 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "9909734\u003cbr/\u003eAnderson\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThis award, provided by the Antarctic Geology and Geophysics Program of the Office of Polar Programs, supports research on the glaciomarine geology of the continental shelves of West Antarctica and the Antarctic Peninsula. It is hypothesized that the different glacial systems of the Antarctic Peninsula region have been more responsive to climate change and sea-level rise than either the West Antarctic or East Antarctic ice sheets. This is due mainly to the smaller size of these ice masses and the higher latitude location of the peninsula. Indeed, ice shelves of the Antarctic Peninsula are currently retreating at rates of up to a kilometer per year. But are these changes due to recent atmospheric warming in the region or are they simply the final phase of retreat since the last glacial maximum?\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThis project hypothesizes that the deglacial history of the Antarctic Peninsula region has been quite complex, with different glacial systems retreating at different rates and at different times. This complex recessional history reflects the different sizes as well as different climatic and physiographic settings of glacial systems in the region. An understanding of the Late Pleistocene to Holocene glacial history of the Antarctic Peninsula glacial systems is needed to address how these systems responded to sea-level and climate change during that time interval. This investigation acquire new marine geological and geophysical data from the continental shelf to determine if and when different glacial systems were grounded on the shelf, to establish the extent of grounded ice, and to examine the history of glacial retreat. The project will build on an extensive seismic data set and hundreds of sediment cores collected along the Peninsula during earlier (1980\u0027s) cruises. Key to this investigation is the acquisition of swath bathymetry, side-scan sonar and very high-resolution sub-bottom (chirp) profiles from key drainage outlets. These new data will provide the necessary geomorphologic and stratigraphic framework for reconstructing the Antarctic Peninsula glacial record. Anticipated results will help constrain models for future glacier and ice sheet activity.", "east": -53.94574, "geometry": "POINT(-63.874425 -60.37337)", "instruments": "EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e POSITIONING/NAVIGATION \u003e GPS \u003e GPS", "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "R/V NBP", "locations": null, "north": -52.35021, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Anderson, John; Anderson, Jason", "platforms": "WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V NBP", "repo": "R2R", "repositories": "R2R", "science_programs": null, "south": -68.39653, "title": "LGM Late Pleistocene to Holocene Glacial History of West Antarctica", "uid": "p0000600", "west": -73.80311}, {"awards": "9909367 Leventer, Amy", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((26.27227 -42.81742,38.414467 -42.81742,50.556664 -42.81742,62.698861 -42.81742,74.841058 -42.81742,86.983255 -42.81742,99.125452 -42.81742,111.267649 -42.81742,123.409846 -42.81742,135.552043 -42.81742,147.69424 -42.81742,147.69424 -45.454494,147.69424 -48.091568,147.69424 -50.728642,147.69424 -53.365716,147.69424 -56.00279,147.69424 -58.639864,147.69424 -61.276938,147.69424 -63.914012,147.69424 -66.551086,147.69424 -69.18816,135.552043 -69.18816,123.409846 -69.18816,111.267649 -69.18816,99.125452 -69.18816,86.983255 -69.18816,74.841058 -69.18816,62.698861 -69.18816,50.556664 -69.18816,38.414467 -69.18816,26.27227 -69.18816,26.27227 -66.551086,26.27227 -63.914012,26.27227 -61.276938,26.27227 -58.639864,26.27227 -56.00279,26.27227 -53.365716,26.27227 -50.728642,26.27227 -48.091568,26.27227 -45.454494,26.27227 -42.81742))", "dataset_titles": "Diatom assemblages from Edward VIII Gulf, Kemp Coast, East Antarctica; NB0101 Expedition Data; Quantitative Diatom Assemblage Data from Iceberg Alley, Mac. Robertson Shelf, East Antarctica acquired during expedition NBP0101", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "001879", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "NB0101 Expedition Data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP0101"}, {"dataset_uid": "601307", "doi": null, "keywords": "Antarctica; Biota; Diatom; East Antarctica; Mac. Robertson Shelf; Marine Geoscience; Microscope; NBP0101; Paleoclimate; Piston Corer; R/v Nathaniel B. Palmer; Sediment Core; Species Abundance", "people": "Leventer, Amy", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Quantitative Diatom Assemblage Data from Iceberg Alley, Mac. Robertson Shelf, East Antarctica acquired during expedition NBP0101", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601307"}, {"dataset_uid": "601177", "doi": "10.15784/601177", "keywords": "Antarctica; Biota; Diatom; East Antarctica; Microscopy; NBP0101; Oceans; Paleoceanography; Paleoclimate; R/v Nathaniel B. Palmer; Sediment Corer", "people": "Leventer, Amy", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Diatom assemblages from Edward VIII Gulf, Kemp Coast, East Antarctica", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601177"}], "date_created": "Thu, 03 Mar 2011 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award, provided by the Antarctic Geology and Geophysics Program of the Office of Polar Programs, supports a multi-institutional, international (US - Australia) marine geologic and geophysical investigation of Prydz Bay and the MacRobertson Shelf, to be completed during an approximately 60-day cruise aboard the RVIB N.B. Palmer. The primary objective is to develop a record of climate and oceanographic change during the Quaternary, using sediment cores collected via kasten and jumbo piston coring. Core sites will be selected based on seismic profiling (Seabeam 2112 and Bathy2000). Recognition of the central role of the Antarctic Ice Sheet to global oceanic and atmospheric systems is based primarily on data collected along the West Antarctic margin, while similar extensive and high resolution data sets from the much more extensive East Antarctic margin are sparse. Goals of this project include (1) development of a century- to millennial-scale record of Holocene paleoenvironments, and (2) testing of hypotheses concerning the sedimentary record of previous glacial and interglacial events on the shelf, and evaluation of the timing and extent of maximum glaciation along this 500 km stretch of the East Antarctic margin. \u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eHigh-resolution seismic mapping and coring of sediments deposited in inner shelf depressions will be used to reconstruct Holocene paleoenvironments. In similar depositional settings in the Antarctic Peninsula and Ross Sea, sedimentary records demonstrate millennial- and century- scale variability in primary production and sea-ice extent during the Holocene, which have been linked to chronological periodicities in radiocarbon distribution, suggesting the possible role of solar variability in driving some changes in Holocene climate. Similar high-resolution Holocene records from the East Antarctic margin will be used to develop a circum-Antarctic suite of data regarding the response of southern glacial and oceanographic systems to late Quaternary climate change. In addition, these data will help us to evaluate the response of the East Antarctic margin to global warming. \u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eInitial surveys of the Prydz Channel - Amery Depression region reveal sequences deposited during previous Pleistocene interglacials. The upper Holocene and lower (undated) siliceous units can be traced over 15,000 km2 of the Prydz Channel, but more sub-bottom seismic reflection profiling in conjunction with dense coring over this region is needed to define the spatial distribution and extent of the units. Chronological work will determine the timing and duration of previous periods of glacial marine sedimentation on the East Antarctic margin during the late Pleistocene. \u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eAnalyses will focus on detailed sedimentologic, geochemical, micropaleontological, and paleomagnetic techniques. This multi-parameter approach is the most effective way to extract a valuable paleoenvironmental signal in these glacial marine sediments. These results are expected to lead to a significant advance in understanding of the behavior of the Antarctic ice-sheet and ocean system in the recent geologic past.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThe combination of investigators, all with many years of experience working in high latitude marine settings, will provide an effective team to complete the project. University and College faculty (Principal Investigators on this project) will supervise a combination of undergraduate and post-graduate students involved in all stages of the project so that educational objectives will be met in tandem with the research goals of the project.", "east": 147.69424, "geometry": "POINT(86.983255 -56.00279)", "instruments": "EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e POSITIONING/NAVIGATION \u003e GPS \u003e GPS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e CORERS \u003e SEDIMENT CORERS", "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "R/V NBP; USAP-DC", "locations": null, "north": -42.81742, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Leventer, Amy", "platforms": "WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V NBP", "repo": "R2R", "repositories": "R2R; USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -69.18816, "title": "Quaternary Glacial History and Paleoenvironments of the East Antarctic Margin", "uid": "p0000609", "west": 26.27227}, {"awards": "0619708 Simpson, David", "bounds_geometry": "POINT(180 90)", "dataset_titles": "IRIS data management center: seismic data and metadata for the engineering testing of these designs can be found under the XD network code (Polar Equipment Development) at stations PMC01, PMC02, PSP01, PSP02, and PSP03.", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "001460", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "IRIS", "science_program": null, "title": "IRIS data management center: seismic data and metadata for the engineering testing of these designs can be found under the XD network code (Polar Equipment Development) at stations PMC01, PMC02, PSP01, PSP02, and PSP03.", "url": "http://ds.iris.edu/ds/nodes/dmc/"}], "date_created": "Mon, 20 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This project develops power and communications systems to support the operation of seismometers and GPS receivers in Antarctica throughout the polar night. In terms of intellectual merit, this system would allow a new class of geophysical questions to be approached, in areas as varied as ice sheet movement, plate tectonics, and deep earth structure. In terms of broader impacts, this project represents research infrastructure of potential use to many scientific disciplines. In addition, the results will improve society\u0027s understanding of the Antarctic ice sheet and its behavior in response to global warming.", "east": -180.0, "geometry": "POINT(-180 -90)", "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e MAGNETIC/MOTION SENSORS \u003e SEISMOMETERS \u003e SEISMOGRAPHS", "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "IRIS-GSN; PASSCAL; SEISMOLOGICAL STATIONS; Not provided; GSN", "locations": null, "north": -90.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Anderson, Kent; Parker, Tim", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e PERMANENT LAND SITES \u003e GSN; LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e PERMANENT LAND SITES \u003e IRIS-GSN; LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e PERMANENT LAND SITES \u003e PASSCAL; LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e PERMANENT LAND SITES \u003e SEISMOLOGICAL STATIONS; Not provided", "repo": "IRIS", "repositories": "IRIS", "science_programs": null, "south": -90.0, "title": "Collaborative Research: Development of a Power and Communication System for Remote Autonomous GPS and Seismic Stations in Antarctica", "uid": "p0000691", "west": -180.0}, {"awards": "0538097 Anandakrishnan, Sridhar", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((140 -89.8,144 -89.8,148 -89.8,152 -89.8,156 -89.8,160 -89.8,164 -89.8,168 -89.8,172 -89.8,176 -89.8,180 -89.8,180 -89.82,180 -89.84,180 -89.86,180 -89.88,180 -89.9,180 -89.92,180 -89.94,180 -89.96,180 -89.98,180 -90,176 -90,172 -90,168 -90,164 -90,160 -90,156 -90,152 -90,148 -90,144 -90,140 -90,140 -89.98,140 -89.96,140 -89.94,140 -89.92,140 -89.9,140 -89.88,140 -89.86,140 -89.84,140 -89.82,140 -89.8))", "dataset_titles": "IRIS Data Management Center (DMC) holds the full resolution seismic data. Keyword: POLELAKE. Dataset ID: 10-019; seismic data. Keyword: POLELAKE. Dataset ID: 10-019", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "001466", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "IRIS", "science_program": null, "title": "IRIS Data Management Center (DMC) holds the full resolution seismic data. Keyword: POLELAKE. Dataset ID: 10-019", "url": "http://www.iris.edu/dms/dmc"}, {"dataset_uid": "000102", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "IRIS", "science_program": null, "title": "seismic data. Keyword: POLELAKE. Dataset ID: 10-019", "url": "http://ds.iris.edu/ds/nodes/dmc/"}], "date_created": "Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "0538097\u003cbr/\u003eAnandakrishnan\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThis award supports a project to intensively study a subglacial Antarctic lake near the geographic South Pole using seismic and radar methods. These ground-based experiments are better suited to determine the presence of water and its thickness than are airborne methods. We hypothesize that there are two end-member explanations for this feature: either the lake is thawed, but freezing on (and likely to have been freezing on through much of the current interglacial period), or it is a frozen, relict lake for which the high basal radar reflectivity is due to intergranular water in a permafrost-like layer beneath the ice. The seismic experiment we propose is ideally suited to examine these alternatives. Intermediate cases of, e.g., a thawed saturated sedimentary base or a smooth crystalline basement layer would also be resolved by this experiment. Seismic reflections are sensitive to changes in acoustic impedance which is strongly variable with fluid content, porosity, and lithology. Water has low density relative to most rocks and low seismic velocity (and nil shear wave velocity) relative to both ice and rock. Thus, discriminating between subglacial water and subglacial rock is a task ideally suited to the seismic reflection technique. This project has significant impacts outside the directly affected fields of Antarctic glaciology and geology. The lake (either thawed or sediments with thin liquid layers around the matrix particles) will have the potential for harboring novel life forms. The experiment has the potential for expanding our information about the newest frontier in life on Earth. The collaboration between PIs in the seismic community and the marine acoustics community will foster cross-disciplinary pollination of ideas, techniques, and tools. In addition to traditional seismic techniques, new methods of data analysis that have been developed by acousticians will be applied to this problem as an independent measure of lake properties. We will train students who will have a wider view of seismology than would be possible in a traditional ocean acoustics or traditional geoscience seismology program of study.", "east": 180.0, "geometry": "POINT(160 -89.9)", "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e SEISMIC REFLECTION PROFILERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e MAGNETIC/MOTION SENSORS \u003e SEISMOMETERS \u003e SEISMOGRAPHS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e MAGNETIC/MOTION SENSORS \u003e SEISMOMETERS \u003e SEISMOMETERS", "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "Antarctica; South Pole; Porosity; Not provided; Seismic; Lithology; FIELD INVESTIGATION; Subglacial; Subglacial Lake; FIELD SURVEYS; LABORATORY; Fluid Content; Acoustic Impedance", "locations": "Antarctica; South Pole", "north": -89.8, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Anandakrishnan, Sridhar; Holland, Charles", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD INVESTIGATION; LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD SURVEYS; Not provided; OTHER \u003e PHYSICAL MODELS \u003e LABORATORY", "repo": "IRIS", "repositories": "IRIS", "science_programs": null, "south": -90.0, "title": "Characterization of Lake Amundsen-Scott, S. Pole: A Ground Geophysical Program", "uid": "p0000693", "west": 140.0}, {"awards": "9814622 Wiens, Douglas", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-70.90604 -52.35474,-69.307306 -52.35474,-67.708572 -52.35474,-66.109838 -52.35474,-64.511104 -52.35474,-62.91237 -52.35474,-61.313636 -52.35474,-59.714902 -52.35474,-58.116168 -52.35474,-56.517434 -52.35474,-54.9187 -52.35474,-54.9187 -53.658393,-54.9187 -54.962046,-54.9187 -56.265699,-54.9187 -57.569352,-54.9187 -58.873005,-54.9187 -60.176658,-54.9187 -61.480311,-54.9187 -62.783964,-54.9187 -64.087617,-54.9187 -65.39127,-56.517434 -65.39127,-58.116168 -65.39127,-59.714902 -65.39127,-61.313636 -65.39127,-62.91237 -65.39127,-64.511104 -65.39127,-66.109838 -65.39127,-67.708572 -65.39127,-69.307306 -65.39127,-70.90604 -65.39127,-70.90604 -64.087617,-70.90604 -62.783964,-70.90604 -61.480311,-70.90604 -60.176658,-70.90604 -58.873005,-70.90604 -57.569352,-70.90604 -56.265699,-70.90604 -54.962046,-70.90604 -53.658393,-70.90604 -52.35474))", "dataset_titles": "Expedition Data; Expedition data of LMG0003A", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "002688", "doi": null, "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition data of LMG0003A", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/LMG0003A"}, {"dataset_uid": "001854", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP0106"}, {"dataset_uid": "002059", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP9905"}], "date_created": "Tue, 04 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award, provided jointly by the Antarctic Geology and Geophysics Program of the Office of Polar Programs, supports research to transform three temporary seismometers in the Antarctic Peninsula into semi-permanent stations and to continue basic research using these data. During 1997 and 1998, a network of 11 broadband seismographs in the Antarctic Peninsula region and southernmost Chilean Patagonia were installed and maintained. Data return from this project has been excellent and interesting initial results have been produced. The continued operation of these instruments over a longer time period would be highly beneficial because the number of larger magnitude regional earthquakes is small and so a longer time is needed to acquire data. However, instruments from this project are borrowed from the IRIS-PASSCAL instrument pool and must be returned to PASSCAL in April, 1999. This award provides funds to convert three stations at permanent Chilean bases in the Antarctic to permanent stations, and to continue the seismological investigation of the region for a period of four years. As part of this project, a fourth station, in Chilean Patagonia, will continue to be operated using Washington University equipment. The funding of this project will enable continued collaboration between Washington University and the Universidad de Chile in the operation of these stations, and the data will be forwarded to the IRIS data center as well as to other international seismological collaborators. Mutual data exchanges with other national groups with Antarctic seismology research programs will provide access to broadband data from a variety of other proprietary broadband stations in the region. The data will be used to study the seismicity and upper mantle velocity structure of several complicated tectonic regions in the area, including the South Shetland subduction zone, the Bransfield backarc rift, and diffuse plate boundaries in Patagonia, Drake Passage, and along the South Scotia Ridge. In particular, the operation of these stations over a longer time period will allow a better understanding of the seismicity of the South Shetland Trench, an unusual subduction zone showing very slow subduction of young lithosphere. These seismometers will also be used to record airgun shots during a geophysical cruise in the Bransfield Strait that is being planned by the University of Texas for April, 2000. These data will provide important constraints on the crustal structure beneath the stations, and the improved structural models will enable implementation of more precise earthquake location procedures in support of a seismological understanding of the region.", "east": -54.9187, "geometry": "POINT(-62.91237 -58.873005)", "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e MAGNETIC/MOTION SENSORS \u003e GRAVIMETERS \u003e GRAVIMETERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e ACOUSTIC SOUNDERS \u003e MSBS", "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "R/V LMG; R/V NBP", "locations": null, "north": -52.35474, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Wiens, Douglas; Visbeck, Martin", "platforms": "WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V LMG; WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V NBP", "repo": "R2R", "repositories": "R2R", "science_programs": null, "south": -65.39127, "title": "Acquisition and Operation of Broadband Seismograph Equipment at Chilean Bases in the Antarctic Peninsula Region", "uid": "p0000604", "west": -70.90604}, {"awards": "9018742 Bell, Robin", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-138.35619 -52.35083,-130.546489 -52.35083,-122.736788 -52.35083,-114.927087 -52.35083,-107.117386 -52.35083,-99.307685 -52.35083,-91.497984 -52.35083,-83.688283 -52.35083,-75.878582 -52.35083,-68.068881 -52.35083,-60.25918 -52.35083,-60.25918 -54.178043,-60.25918 -56.005256,-60.25918 -57.832469,-60.25918 -59.659682,-60.25918 -61.486895,-60.25918 -63.314108,-60.25918 -65.141321,-60.25918 -66.968534,-60.25918 -68.795747,-60.25918 -70.62296,-68.068881 -70.62296,-75.878582 -70.62296,-83.688283 -70.62296,-91.497984 -70.62296,-99.307685 -70.62296,-107.117386 -70.62296,-114.927087 -70.62296,-122.736788 -70.62296,-130.546489 -70.62296,-138.35619 -70.62296,-138.35619 -68.795747,-138.35619 -66.968534,-138.35619 -65.141321,-138.35619 -63.314108,-138.35619 -61.486895,-138.35619 -59.659682,-138.35619 -57.832469,-138.35619 -56.005256,-138.35619 -54.178043,-138.35619 -52.35083))", "dataset_titles": "Expedition Data", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "002296", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP9208"}], "date_created": "Tue, 04 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award supports an investigation of the early seafloor spreading history of the Marie Byrd Land Margin, Antarctica. This effort will carefully map the magnetic lineations, the gravity anomalies, the topography and, where possible, the seismically determined depth to basement. The study will integrate the tectonic lineations determined from the gravity, bathymetry and seismic information with the magnetic anomalies to construct a new seafloor spreading history of the Marie Byrd Land Margin. The analysis of these new data sets and the resultant seafloor spreading history will be used to address the following questions: (1) Did the early opening of the Pacific-Antarctic Ridge involve an additional plate, the Bellingshausen Plate, or did the ridge undergo very asymmetric, non-orthogonal spreading? (2) With a better refined opening history for the Pacific Antarctic Ridge, what are the implications for relative motions between the tectonic blocks which compromise West Antarctica and for the structure and evolution of the Marie Byrd Land Margin? (3) Can the global plate circuit solution be enhanced by refining the early Tertiary history of Pacific-Antarctic seafloor spreading?", "east": -60.25918, "geometry": "POINT(-99.307685 -61.486895)", "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e MAGNETIC/MOTION SENSORS \u003e GRAVIMETERS \u003e GRAVIMETERS", "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "R/V NBP", "locations": null, "north": -52.35083, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Bell, Robin; Raymond, Carol", "platforms": "WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V NBP", "repo": "R2R", "repositories": "R2R", "science_programs": null, "south": -70.62296, "title": "The Marie Byrd Land Margin: Early Seafloor Spreading History", "uid": "p0000653", "west": -138.35619}, {"awards": "0126279 Lawver, Lawrence; 0125624 Wilson, Terry", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((163.69456 -75.04911,164.525266 -75.04911,165.355972 -75.04911,166.186678 -75.04911,167.017384 -75.04911,167.84809 -75.04911,168.678796 -75.04911,169.509502 -75.04911,170.340208 -75.04911,171.170914 -75.04911,172.00162 -75.04911,172.00162 -75.3293,172.00162 -75.60949,172.00162 -75.88968,172.00162 -76.16987,172.00162 -76.45006,172.00162 -76.73025,172.00162 -77.01044,172.00162 -77.29063,172.00162 -77.57082,172.00162 -77.85101,171.170914 -77.85101,170.340208 -77.85101,169.509502 -77.85101,168.678796 -77.85101,167.84809 -77.85101,167.017384 -77.85101,166.186678 -77.85101,165.355972 -77.85101,164.525266 -77.85101,163.69456 -77.85101,163.69456 -77.57082,163.69456 -77.29063,163.69456 -77.01044,163.69456 -76.73025,163.69456 -76.45006,163.69456 -76.16987,163.69456 -75.88968,163.69456 -75.60949,163.69456 -75.3293,163.69456 -75.04911))", "dataset_titles": "Expedition Data; NBP0401 data", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "001664", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP0401"}, {"dataset_uid": "000106", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "NBP0401 data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP0401"}], "date_created": "Tue, 04 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award, provided by the Antarctic Geology and Geophysics Program of the Office of Polar Programs, provides funds for a study to investigate the tectonic development of the southwestern Ross Sea region. Displacements between East and West Antarctica have long been proposed based on global plate circuits, apparent hot spot motions, interpretations of seafloor magnetic anomalies, paleomagnetism, and on geologic grounds. Such motions require plate boundaries crossing Antarctica, yet these boundaries have never been explicitly defined. This project will attempt to delineate the late Cenozoic - active boundary between East and West Antarctica along the Terror Rift in the western Ross Sea, where young structures have been identified, continuity between active extension and intracontinental structures can be established, and where accessibility via ship will allow new key data sets to be acquired. We will use multi-source marine and airborne geophysical data to map the fault patterns and volcanic structure along the eastern margin of the Terror Rift. The orientations of volcanic fissures and seamount alignments on the seafloor will be mapped using multibeam bathymetry. The volcanic alignments will show the regional extension or shear directions across the Terror Rift and the orientations of associated crustal stresses. Swath bathymetry and single channel seismic data will be used to document neotectonic fault patterns and the eastern limit of recent faulting. Delineation of neotectonic fault patterns will demonstrate whether the eastern margin of the Terror Rift forms a continuous boundary and whether the rift itself can be linked with postulated strike-slip faults in the northwestern Ross Sea. Seafloor findings from this project will be combined with fault kinematic and stress field determinations from the surrounding volcanic islands and the Transantarctic Mountains. The integrated results will test the propositions that the eastern boundary of the Terror Rift forms the limit of the major, late Cenozoic -active structures through the Ross Sea and that Terror Rift kinematics involve dextral transtension linked to the right-lateral strike-slip faulting to the north. These results will help constrain the kinematic and dynamic links between the West Antarctic rift system and Southern Ocean structures and any related motions between East and West Antarctica. In the first year, a collaborative structural analysis of existing multichannel and single channel seismic profiles and aeromagnetic data over the Terror Rift will be conducted. The location of volcanic vents or fissures and any fault scarps on the sea floor will be identified and a preliminary interpretation of the age and kinematics of deformation in the Terror Rift will be produced. Late in the second year, a one-month cruise on RVIB N.B. Palmer will carry out multibeam bathymetric and sidescan sonar mapping of selected portions of the seafloor of Terror Rift. Gravity, magnetics, seismic reflection and Bathy2000 3.5 kHz sub-bottom profile data will also be collected across the rift. In the third year, we will use these multisource data to map the orientations and forms of volcanic bodies and the extent and geometry of neotectonic faulting associated with the Terror Rift. The project will: 1) complete a map of neotectonic faults and volcanic structures in the Terror Rift; 2) interpret the structural pattern to derive the motions and stresses associated with development of the rift; 3) compare Terror Rift structures with faults and lineaments mapped in the Transantarctic Mountains to improve age constraints on the structures; and 4) integrate the late Cenozoic structural interpretations from the western Ross Sea with Southern Ocean plate boundary kinematics.", "east": 172.00162, "geometry": "POINT(167.84809 -76.45006)", "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e CTD; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e MAGNETIC/MOTION SENSORS \u003e GRAVIMETERS \u003e GRAVIMETERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PHOTON/OPTICAL DETECTORS \u003e TURBIDITY METERS; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e POSITIONING/NAVIGATION \u003e GPS \u003e GPS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e ACOUSTIC SOUNDERS \u003e ADCP; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e ACOUSTIC SOUNDERS \u003e MSBS", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "R/V NBP", "locations": null, "north": -75.04911, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Wilson, Terry", "platforms": "WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V NBP", "repo": "R2R", "repositories": "R2R", "science_programs": null, "south": -77.85101, "title": "Collaborative Research: Neotectonic Structure of Terror Rift, Western Ross Sea", "uid": "p0000111", "west": 163.69456}, {"awards": "9814692 Kellogg, Thomas", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-179.99342 -58.74225,-143.994734 -58.74225,-107.996048 -58.74225,-71.997362 -58.74225,-35.998676 -58.74225,0.000010000000003 -58.74225,35.998696 -58.74225,71.997382 -58.74225,107.996068 -58.74225,143.994754 -58.74225,179.99344 -58.74225,179.99344 -60.716231,179.99344 -62.690212,179.99344 -64.664193,179.99344 -66.638174,179.99344 -68.612155,179.99344 -70.586136,179.99344 -72.560117,179.99344 -74.534098,179.99344 -76.508079,179.99344 -78.48206,143.994754 -78.48206,107.996068 -78.48206,71.997382 -78.48206,35.998696 -78.48206,0.000010000000003 -78.48206,-35.998676 -78.48206,-71.997362 -78.48206,-107.996048 -78.48206,-143.994734 -78.48206,-179.99342 -78.48206,-179.99342 -76.508079,-179.99342 -74.534098,-179.99342 -72.560117,-179.99342 -70.586136,-179.99342 -68.612155,-179.99342 -66.638174,-179.99342 -64.664193,-179.99342 -62.690212,-179.99342 -60.716231,-179.99342 -58.74225))", "dataset_titles": "Expedition Data", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "001992", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP0001"}], "date_created": "Tue, 04 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award, provided by the Antarctic Geology and Geophysics Program of the Office of Polar Programs, supports a marine geological investigation of the Amundsen Sea region toward a better understanding of the deglaciation history of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS). The WAIS may be inherently unstable because it is the last marine-based ice sheet in the world. Unlike other embayments in West Antarctica, major ice streams draining into the Amundsen Sea from the interior of the WAIS lack buttressing ice shelves. Mass balance data for the distal portions of these ice streams (Pine Island and Thwaites glaciers) appear to be in balance or may be becoming negative. Because both ice streams have beds that slope downward toward the center of the ice sheet, grounding-line recession resulting from either continued thinning or sea-level rise could trigger irreversible grounding-line retreat, leading to ice-sheet disintegration and consequent global sea-level rise. The limited marine geological and geophysical data available from the Amundsen Sea suggest that grounded ice or an ice shelf occupied the inner Amundsen Sea embayment until perhaps as recently as 1000 to 2000 years ago, and this ice may have retreated rapidly in historic time.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThis project, a study of the marine geology and geophysics of the Amundsen Sea continental shelf from 100 degrees W to 130 degrees W, is designed to address the Amundsen Sea part of WAIS Science Plan Priority Goal H2: \"What is the deglaciation history in the eastern Ross, the Bellingshausen and Amundsen Seas?\" This project will examine bathymetric data of the Amundsen Sea continental shelf to determine the positions of former ice-steam channels, and to aid in choosing sites for sediment coring. Single-channel seismic reflection studies will be conducted in order to determine sediment-thickness patterns, to aid in choice of coring sites, and to locate and identify morphologic features indicative of former grounded ice (e.g., moraines, scours, flutes, striations, till wedges and deltas, etc.). Coring will be concentrated along former ice flow-lines. Core samples will be analyzed in the laboratory for sedimentology, to determine whether of not basal tills are present (indicating former grounded ice and its former extent), and for calcareous and siliceous microfossils. The chronology of grounding-line and ice-shelf retreat from a presumed Last Glacial Maximum position near the shelf break will be established using accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) carbon-14 dates of acid-insoluble particulate organic carbon.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThis project will share ship time in the Amundsen Sea with a physical oceanographic project. Marine geologic data and samples collected will be integrated with findings of other investigators toward developing a comprehensive interpretation of the history of the WAIS.", "east": 179.99344, "geometry": "POINT(0.000010000000003 -68.612155)", "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e ACOUSTIC SOUNDERS \u003e MSBS", "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "R/V NBP", "locations": null, "north": -58.74225, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Kellogg, Thomas; Jacobs, Stanley", "platforms": "WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V NBP", "repo": "R2R", "repositories": "R2R", "science_programs": null, "south": -78.48206, "title": "Glacial History of the Amundsen Sea Shelf", "uid": "p0000620", "west": -179.99342}, {"awards": "9317588 Lawver, Lawrence", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": "Expedition Data; Expedition data of NBP9507", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "002227", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP9507"}, {"dataset_uid": "002590", "doi": null, "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition data of NBP9507", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP9507"}], "date_created": "Tue, 04 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award supports a marine geophysical investigation of the Bransfield Strait and the Shackleton Fracture Zone and environs in the Scotia Sea in an effort to understand the neotectonic evolution of the region. Multibeam swath mapping and sidescan sonar mapping will be used along with multichannel seismic imaging. The main goal of this proposal is to collect multibeam and sidescan sonar data to map the structural character and tectonic fabric of the evolving plate boundary in Southwest Scotia Sea, Shackleton Fracture Zone, and Bransfield Strait. Follow up multichannel seismic surveys will be done in the Southwest Scotia Sea. The secondary goal is to use sidescan sonar reflectivity images to generate detailed structural maps of the seafloor of these regions and to integrate the new data with existing seismic reflection, Geosat gravity, Hydrosweep and Seabeam bathymetric data. Once the base maps are produced they can be used by other researchers to help interpret multichannel and single channel seismic reflection records. The neotectonic evolution of the Antarctic Peninsula and Scotia Sea is extremely complex. Understanding the recent evolution of the Drake-Scotia-Antarctic-South America plate intersections will provide important information as to how major plate boundaries reorganize after demise of a long-lived spreading center and the consequential reduction in the number of plates. The plate reorganization probably resulted in the uplift of the Shackleton Ridge which may have effected the sedimentary patterns in both the Scotia Sea and possibly the Weddell Sea. If the break of the Shackleton transform fault can be traced with multibeam and sidescan sonar as it intersects the southern end of South America then the orientation and geometry of the faults, fractures and deformation as the transform fault intersects the South American continent will help to interpret the structures in that complex region. Bransfield Strait is presently undergoing extensi on based on high heat flow, active volcanoes and inferences from seismic reflection work. Seismic refraction indicates thick crust similar to the East African Rift or passive volcanic margins of continents. In contrast, analysis of isotopes and rare earth elements of the recent volcanics shows seemingly no continental contamination. The active extension in Bransfield Strait must be related to the plate reorganization but it is unclear exactly what tectonic processes are occurring. Besides elucidating the tectonic fabric of Bransfield Strait, the multibeam and sidescan sonar survey will identify potential dredge targets and DSRV Alvin dive sites.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e MAGNETIC/MOTION SENSORS \u003e GRAVIMETERS \u003e GRAVIMETERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e ACOUSTIC SOUNDERS \u003e MSBS", "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "R/V NBP", "locations": null, "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Klinkhammer, Gary", "platforms": "WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V NBP", "repo": "R2R", "repositories": "R2R", "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Neotectonic Evolution of Antarctic Peninsula/Scotia Sea Region: Multi-Beam, Sidescan Sonar, Seismic, Magnetics and Gravity Studies", "uid": "p0000809", "west": null}, {"awards": "0094078 Bart, Philip", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-179.99992 -72.00044,-143.999984 -72.00044,-108.000048 -72.00044,-72.000112 -72.00044,-36.000176 -72.00044,-0.000239999999991 -72.00044,35.999696 -72.00044,71.999632 -72.00044,107.999568 -72.00044,143.999504 -72.00044,179.99944 -72.00044,179.99944 -72.574101,179.99944 -73.147762,179.99944 -73.721423,179.99944 -74.295084,179.99944 -74.868745,179.99944 -75.442406,179.99944 -76.016067,179.99944 -76.589728,179.99944 -77.163389,179.99944 -77.73705,143.999504 -77.73705,107.999568 -77.73705,71.999632 -77.73705,35.999696 -77.73705,-0.000240000000019 -77.73705,-36.000176 -77.73705,-72.000112 -77.73705,-108.000048 -77.73705,-143.999984 -77.73705,-179.99992 -77.73705,-179.99992 -77.163389,-179.99992 -76.589728,-179.99992 -76.016067,-179.99992 -75.442406,-179.99992 -74.868745,-179.99992 -74.295084,-179.99992 -73.721423,-179.99992 -73.147762,-179.99992 -72.574101,-179.99992 -72.00044))", "dataset_titles": "Expedition Data", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "001648", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP0301A"}], "date_created": "Tue, 04 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "PROPOSAL NO.: 0094078\u003cbr/\u003ePRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Bart, Philip\u003cbr/\u003eINSTITUTION NAME: Louisiana State University \u0026 Agricultural and Mechanical College\u003cbr/\u003eTITLE: CAREER: Relative frequency and phase of extreme expansions of the Antarctic Ice Sheets during the late Neogene\u003cbr/\u003eNSF RECEIVED DATE: 07/27/2000\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003ePROJECT SUMMARY\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eExpansions and contractions of the Antarctic Ice Sheets (AISs) have undoubtedly had a profound influence on Earth\u0027s climate and global sea-level. However, rather than being a single entity, the Antarctic cryosphere consists of three primary elements: 1) the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS); 2) the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS); and 3) the Antarctic Peninsula Ice Cap (APIC). The distinguishing characteristics include significant differences in: 1) ice volume; 2) substratum elevation; 3) ice-surface elevation; and 4) location with respect to latitude. Various lines of evidence indicate that the AISs have undergone significant fluctuations in the past and that fluctuations will continue to occur in the future. The exact nature of the fluctuations has been the subject of many lively debates. According to one line of reasoning, the land-based EAIS has been relatively stable, experiencing only minor fluctuations since forming in the middle Miocene, whereas the marine-based WAIS has been dynamic, waxing and waning frequently since the late Miocene. According to an alternate hypothesis, the ice sheets advanced and retreated synchronously. These two views are incompatible. \u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThe first objective of this proposal is to compare the long-term past behavior of the WAIS to that of the EAIS and APIC. The fluctuations of the AISs involve many aspects (the frequency of changes, the overall magnitude of ice-volume change, etc.), and the activities proposed here specifically concern the frequency and phase of extreme advances of the ice sheet to the continental shelf. The project will build upon previous seismic-stratigraphic investigations of the continental shelves. These studies have clarified many issues concerning the minimum frequency of extreme expansions for the individual ice sheets, but some important questions remain. During the course of the project, the following questions will be evaluated.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eQuestion 1) Were extreme advances of the EAIS and WAIS across the shelf of a similar frequency and coeval? This evaluation is possible because the western Ross Sea continental shelf (Northern Basin) receives drainage from the EAIS, and the eastern Ross Sea (Eastern Basin) receives drainage from the WAIS. Quantitative analyses of the extreme advances from these two areas have been conducted by Alonso et al. (1992) and Bart et al. (2000), respectively. However, the existing single-channel seismic grids are incomplete and can not be used to determine the stratigraphic correlations from Northern Basin to Eastern Basin. It is proposed that high-resolution seismic data (~2000 kms) be acquired to address this issue.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eQuestion 2) Were extreme advances of the APIC across the shelf as frequent as inferred by Bart and Anderson (1995)? Bart and Anderson (1995) inferred that the APIC advanced across the continental shelf at least 30 times since the middle Miocene. This is significant because it suggests that the advances of the small APIC were an order of magnitude more frequent than the advances of the EAIS and WAIS. Others contest the Bart and Anderson (1995) glacial-unconformity interpretation of seismic reflections, and argue that the advances of the APIC were far fewer (i.e., Larter et al., 1997). The recent drilling on the Antarctic Peninsula outer continental shelf has sampled some but not all of the glacial units, but the sediment recovery was poor, and thus, the glacial history interpretation is still ambiguous. The existing high-resolution seismic grids from the Antarctic Peninsula contain only one regional strike line on the outer continental shelf. This is inadequate to address the controversy of the glacial-unconformity interpretation and the regional correlation of the recent ODP results. It is proposed that high-resolution seismic data (~1000 kms) be acquired in a forthcoming (January 2002) cruise to the Antarctic Peninsula to address these issues.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThe second objective of this project is 1) to expand the PI\u0027s effort to integrate his ongoing and the proposed experiments into a graduate-level course at LSU, and 2) to develop a pilot outreach program with a Baton Rouge public high school. The Louisiana Department of Education has adopted scientific standards that apply to all sciences. These standards reflect what 9th through 12th grade-level students should be able to do and know. The PI will target one of these standards, the Science As Inquiry Standard 1 Benchmark. The PI will endeavor to share with the students the excitement of conducting scientific research as a way to encourage the students to pursue earth science as a field of study at the university level.", "east": 179.99944, "geometry": "POINT(0 -89.999)", "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e CTD; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e MAGNETIC/MOTION SENSORS \u003e GRAVIMETERS \u003e GRAVIMETERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PHOTON/OPTICAL DETECTORS \u003e TURBIDITY METERS; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e POSITIONING/NAVIGATION \u003e GPS \u003e GPS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e ACOUSTIC SOUNDERS \u003e ADCP; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e ACOUSTIC SOUNDERS \u003e MSBS", "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "R/V NBP", "locations": null, "north": -72.00044, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Bart, Philip", "platforms": "WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V NBP", "repo": "R2R", "repositories": "R2R", "science_programs": null, "south": -77.73705, "title": "PECASE: Relative frequency and phase of extreme expansions of the Antarctic Ice Sheets during the late Neogene", "uid": "p0000593", "west": -179.99992}, {"awards": "0088143 Luyendyk, Bruce; 0087392 Bartek, Louis", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-179.99786 -75.91667,-143.99852 -75.91667,-107.99918 -75.91667,-71.99984 -75.91667,-36.0005 -75.91667,-0.00115999999997 -75.91667,35.99818 -75.91667,71.99752 -75.91667,107.99686 -75.91667,143.9962 -75.91667,179.99554 -75.91667,179.99554 -76.183531,179.99554 -76.450392,179.99554 -76.717253,179.99554 -76.984114,179.99554 -77.250975,179.99554 -77.517836,179.99554 -77.784697,179.99554 -78.051558,179.99554 -78.318419,179.99554 -78.58528,143.9962 -78.58528,107.99686 -78.58528,71.99752 -78.58528,35.99818 -78.58528,-0.00116000000003 -78.58528,-36.0005 -78.58528,-71.99984 -78.58528,-107.99918 -78.58528,-143.99852 -78.58528,-179.99786 -78.58528,-179.99786 -78.318419,-179.99786 -78.051558,-179.99786 -77.784697,-179.99786 -77.517836,-179.99786 -77.250975,-179.99786 -76.984114,-179.99786 -76.717253,-179.99786 -76.450392,-179.99786 -76.183531,-179.99786 -75.91667))", "dataset_titles": "Expedition Data; NBP0301 data; NBP0306 data", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "000105", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "NBP0306 data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP0306"}, {"dataset_uid": "001724", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP0301"}, {"dataset_uid": "000104", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "NBP0301 data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP0301"}, {"dataset_uid": "001668", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP0306"}], "date_created": "Tue, 04 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Luyendyk et.al.: OPP 0088143\u003cbr/\u003eBartek: OPP 0087392\u003cbr/\u003eDiebold: OPP 0087983\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThis award, provided by the Antarctic Geology and Geophysics Program of the Office of Polar Programs, supports a collaborative research program in marine geology and geophysics in the southern central and eastern Ross Sea. The project will conduct sites surveys for drilling from the Ross Ice Shelf into the seafloor beneath it. Many of the outstanding problems concerning the evolution of the East and West Antarctic Ice Sheets, Antarctic climate, global sea level, and the tectonic history of the West Antarctic Rift System can be addressed by drilling into the seafloor of the Ross Sea. Climate data for Cretaceous and Early Cenozoic time are lacking for this sector of Antarctica. Climate questions include: Was there any ice in Late Cretaceous time? What was the Antarctic climate during the Paleocene-Eocene global warming? When was the Cenozoic onset of Antarctic glaciation, when did glaciers reach the coast and when did they advance out onto the margin? Was the Ross Sea shelf non-marine in Late Cretaceous time; when did it become marine? Tectonic questions include: What was the timing of the Cretaceous extension in the Ross Sea rift; where was it located? What is the basement composition and structure? Where are the time and space limits of the effects of Adare Trough spreading? Another drilling objective is to sample and date the sedimentary section bounding the mapped RSU6 unconformity in the Eastern Basin and Central Trough to resolve questions about its age and regional extent. Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) Leg 28 completed sampling at four drill sites in the early 1970\u0027s but had low recovery and did not sample the Early Cenozoic. Other drilling has been restricted to the McMurdo Sound area of the western Ross Sea and results can be correlated into the Victoria Land Basin but not eastward across basement highs. Further, Early Cenozoic and Cretaceous rocks have not been sampled. A new opportunity is developing to drill from the Ross Ice Shelf. This is a successor program to the Cape Roberts Drilling Project. One overriding difficulty is the need for site surveys at drilling locations under the ice shelf. This project will overcome this impediment by conducting marine geophysical drill site surveys at the front of the Ross Ice Shelf in the Central Trough and Eastern Basin. The surveys will be conducted a kilometer or two north of the ice shelf front where recent calving events have resulted in a southerly position of the ice shelf edge. In several years the northward advance of the ice shelf will override the surveyed locations and drilling could be accomplished. Systems to be used include swath bathymetry, gravity, magnetics, chirp sonar, high resolution seismic profiling, and 48 fold seismics. Cores will be collected to obtain samples for geotechnical properties, to study sub-ice shelf modern sedimentary processes, and at locations where deeper section is exposed.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThis survey will include long profiles and detailed grids over potential drill sites. Survey lines will be tied to existing geophysical profiles and DSDP 270. A recent event that makes this plan timely is the calving of giant iceberg B-15 (in March, 2000) and others from the ice front in the eastern Ross Sea. This new calving event and one in 1987 have exposed 16,000 square kilometers of seafloor that had been covered by ice shelf for decades and is not explored. Newly exposed territory can now be mapped by modern geophysical methods. This project will map geological structure and stratigraphy below unconformity RSU6 farther south and east, study the place of Roosevelt Island in the Ross Sea rifting history, and determine subsidence history during Late Cenozoic time (post RSU6) in the far south and east. Finally the project will observe present day sedimentary processes beneath the ice shelf in the newly exposed areas.", "east": 179.99554, "geometry": "POINT(0 -89.999)", "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e CTD; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e MAGNETIC/MOTION SENSORS \u003e GRAVIMETERS \u003e GRAVIMETERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PHOTON/OPTICAL DETECTORS \u003e TURBIDITY METERS; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e POSITIONING/NAVIGATION \u003e GPS \u003e GPS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e ACOUSTIC SOUNDERS \u003e ADCP; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e ACOUSTIC SOUNDERS \u003e MSBS", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "R/V NBP", "locations": null, "north": -75.91667, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Bartek, Louis; Luyendyk, Bruce P.", "platforms": "WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V NBP", "repo": "R2R", "repositories": "R2R", "science_programs": null, "south": -78.58528, "title": "Collaborative Research: Antarctic Cretaceous-Cenozoic Climate, Glaciation, and Tectonics: Site surveys for drilling from the edge of the Ross Ice Shelf", "uid": "p0000425", "west": -179.99786}, {"awards": "9527876 Anderson, John", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-179.9996 -70.29238,-143.99968 -70.29238,-107.99976 -70.29238,-71.99984 -70.29238,-35.99992 -70.29238,0 -70.29238,35.99992 -70.29238,71.99984 -70.29238,107.99976 -70.29238,143.99968 -70.29238,179.9996 -70.29238,179.9996 -71.048723,179.9996 -71.805066,179.9996 -72.561409,179.9996 -73.317752,179.9996 -74.074095,179.9996 -74.830438,179.9996 -75.586781,179.9996 -76.343124,179.9996 -77.099467,179.9996 -77.85581,143.99968 -77.85581,107.99976 -77.85581,71.99984 -77.85581,35.99992 -77.85581,0 -77.85581,-35.99992 -77.85581,-71.99984 -77.85581,-107.99976 -77.85581,-143.99968 -77.85581,-179.9996 -77.85581,-179.9996 -77.099467,-179.9996 -76.343124,-179.9996 -75.586781,-179.9996 -74.830438,-179.9996 -74.074095,-179.9996 -73.317752,-179.9996 -72.561409,-179.9996 -71.805066,-179.9996 -71.048723,-179.9996 -70.29238))", "dataset_titles": "Expedition Data", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "002067", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP9902"}, {"dataset_uid": "002125", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP9801"}], "date_created": "Tue, 04 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Anderson OPP 9527876 Abstract This award supports continuation of a long term investigation of the continental shelf sediments that is aimed at examining the configuration of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet during the last glacial maximum, the events and mechanisms involved in its retreat, and the timing of retreat. The project involves: 1) characterizing variations in the ice sheet grounding zone in a latitudinal transect extending from Ross Sea to Bransfield Basin, 2) reconstructing conditions at the ice/bed interface prior to and after ice sheet retreat, and 3) radiometrically dating ice sheet retreat along this transect. Detailed sea floor imagery (multibeam and deep-tow side-scan sonar), high resolution seismic reflection profiles, and sediment cores will be used to map and characterize prior grounding zones. Of particular concern are features that indicate the amount and organization (channelization) of basal meltwater and the extent of bed deformation that occurred in different ice streams. The timing of ice sheet retreat provides information about the link between Northern and Southern hemisphere ice expansion, and the role of eustasy in ice sheet decoupling. This research should lead to better predictive models to determine which ice streams are most unstable and likely, therefore, to serve as Oweak linksO in the long term behavior of West Antarctic Ice Sheet.", "east": 179.9996, "geometry": "POINT(0 -89.999)", "instruments": "EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e POSITIONING/NAVIGATION \u003e GPS \u003e GPS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e ACOUSTIC SOUNDERS \u003e ADCP; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e ACOUSTIC SOUNDERS \u003e MSBS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e MAGNETIC/MOTION SENSORS \u003e GRAVIMETERS \u003e GRAVIMETERS", "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "R/V NBP", "locations": null, "north": -70.29238, "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": "R2R", "repositories": "R2R", "science_programs": null, "south": -77.85581, "title": "Mechanism and Timing of West Antarctic Ice Sheet Retreat at the End of the Last Glacial Maximum", "uid": "p0000624", "west": -179.9996}, {"awards": "0125922 Anderson, John", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-69.84264 -52.35215,-68.086508 -52.35215,-66.330376 -52.35215,-64.574244 -52.35215,-62.818112 -52.35215,-61.06198 -52.35215,-59.305848 -52.35215,-57.549716 -52.35215,-55.793584 -52.35215,-54.037452 -52.35215,-52.28132 -52.35215,-52.28132 -53.546701,-52.28132 -54.741252,-52.28132 -55.935803,-52.28132 -57.130354,-52.28132 -58.324905,-52.28132 -59.519456,-52.28132 -60.714007,-52.28132 -61.908558,-52.28132 -63.103109,-52.28132 -64.29766,-54.037452 -64.29766,-55.793584 -64.29766,-57.549716 -64.29766,-59.305848 -64.29766,-61.06198 -64.29766,-62.818112 -64.29766,-64.574244 -64.29766,-66.330376 -64.29766,-68.086508 -64.29766,-69.84264 -64.29766,-69.84264 -63.103109,-69.84264 -61.908558,-69.84264 -60.714007,-69.84264 -59.519456,-69.84264 -58.324905,-69.84264 -57.130354,-69.84264 -55.935803,-69.84264 -54.741252,-69.84264 -53.546701,-69.84264 -52.35215))", "dataset_titles": "Expedition Data", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "001602", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP0502"}, {"dataset_uid": "001571", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP0602A"}], "date_created": "Tue, 04 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award, provided by the Antarctic Geology and Geophysics Program of the Office of Polar Programs, provides funds for a demonstration project to prove the viability of shallow ship-based geological drilling while simultaneously collecting useful cores for assessing the early history of the Antarctic ice sheets. For over three decades, U.S. scientists and their international colleagues exploring the shallow shelves and seas along the margins of Antarctic have been consistently frustrated by their inability to penetrate through the over-compacted glacial diamictons encountered at shallow sub bottom depths (within the upper 10 m) over these terrains. This is particularly frustrating because advanced high resolution seismic reflection techniques clearly show in many areas the presence of older successions of Neogene and even Paleogene sequences lying just beneath this thin veneer of diamictons. Until the means are developed to recover these sequences, a detailed history of the Antarctic ice sheets, which is an essential prerequisite to understanding Cenozoic paleoclimate and future climate change on a global scale, will remain an elusive and unobtainable goal. After four years of study and evaluation with the aid of a professional engineer (and over the course of two workshops), the SHALDRIL Committee, an interested group of U.S. scientists, has identified at least two diamond-coring systems deemed suitable for use on existing ice-breaking U.S. Antarctic Research Program vessels. The goal of this project is to employ diamond-coring technology on the RV/IB Nathaniel B. Palmer in order to test out and demonstrate the feasibility of both ship-based diamond coring and down-hole logging. For this \"demonstration cruise\" coring will be attempted along a high-resolution seismic reflection profile on the continental shelf adjacent to Seymour Island, Antarctic Peninsula, an area of high scientific interest in its own right. Here the well-defined geologic section is estimated to range from Eocene to Quaternary in age, effectively spanning the \"Greenhouse-Icehouse\" transition in the evolution of Antarctic/global climate. A complete record of this transition has yet to be obtained anywhere along the Antarctic margin. Following core recovery, this project will result in correlation of the paleoclimate records from the new cores with detailed fluctuations of the ice margin recorded at higher latitudes in the eastern Ross Sea by the recently concluded, fast-ice-based Cape Roberts Project. If successful, this mobile and flexible drilling system will then be available to the broader scientific community for further research in paleoenvironmental conditions and other areas of science that are currently hindered by the present gap that exists in the US Antarctic Program\u0027s technical capability to explore the Antarctic shelves between the shore-line/fast-ice margin and the continental slope. SHALDRIL will be able to operate effectively in the \"no man\u0027s land\" that presently exists between the near shore (where the fast-ice-based Cape Roberts Project was successful) and the upper slope (where the Ocean Drilling Program\u0027s vessel JOIDES Resolution becomes most efficient). This technological breakthrough will not only allow major outstanding scientific problems of the last three decades to be addressed, but will also favorably impact many current U.S. and SCAR (ICSU Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research) Antarctic or drilling-related initiatives, such as WAIS, ANTIME, ANDRILL, ANTEC, IMAGES, PAGES, GLOCHANT (including PICE), MARGINS, ODP, and STRATAFORM.", "east": -52.28132, "geometry": "POINT(-61.06198 -58.324905)", "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e CTD; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e MAGNETIC/MOTION SENSORS \u003e GRAVIMETERS \u003e GRAVIMETERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e CORERS \u003e ROCK CORERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e CORERS \u003e SEDIMENT CORERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PHOTON/OPTICAL DETECTORS \u003e TURBIDITY METERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e ACOUSTIC SOUNDERS \u003e ADCP; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e ACOUSTIC SOUNDERS \u003e MSBS", "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "R/V NBP", "locations": null, "north": -52.35215, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Anderson, John; Wellner, Julia", "platforms": "WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V NBP", "repo": "R2R", "repositories": "R2R", "science_programs": null, "south": -64.29766, "title": "Collaborative Research: SHALDRIL - A Demonstration Drilling Cruise to the James Ross Basin", "uid": "p0000571", "west": -69.84264}, {"awards": "0125526 Wise, Sherwood", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": "Expedition Data; Expedition data of NBP0602A", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "001571", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP0602A"}, {"dataset_uid": "002616", "doi": null, "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition data of NBP0602A", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP0602A"}], "date_created": "Tue, 04 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award, provided by the Antarctic Geology and Geophysics Program of the Office of Polar Programs, provides funds for a demonstration project to prove the viability of shallow ship-based geological drilling while simultaneously collecting useful cores for assessing the early history of the Antarctic ice sheets. For over three decades, U.S. scientists and their international colleagues exploring the shallow shelves and seas along the margins of Antarctic have been consistently frustrated by their inability to penetrate through the over-compacted glacial diamictons encountered at shallow sub bottom depths (within the upper 10 m) over these terrains. This is particularly frustrating because advanced high resolution seismic reflection techniques clearly show in many areas the presence of older successions of Neogene and even Paleogene sequences lying just beneath this thin veneer of diamictons. Until the means are developed to recover these sequences, a detailed history of the Antarctic ice sheets, which is an essential prerequisite to understanding Cenozoic paleoclimate and future climate change on a global scale, will remain an elusive and unobtainable goal. After four years of study and evaluation with the aid of a professional engineer (and over the course of two workshops), the SHALDRIL Committee, an interested group of U.S. scientists, has identified at least two diamond-coring systems deemed suitable for use on existing ice-breaking U.S. Antarctic Research Program vessels. The goal of this project is to employ diamond-coring technology on the RV/IB Nathaniel B. Palmer in order to test out and demonstrate the feasibility of both ship-based diamond coring and down-hole logging. For this \"demonstration cruise\" coring will be attempted along a high-resolution seismic reflection profile on the continental shelf adjacent to Seymour Island, Antarctic Peninsula, an area of high scientific interest in its own right. Here the well-defined geologic section is estimated to range from Eocene to Quaternary in age, effectively spanning the \"Greenhouse-Icehouse\" transition in the evolution of Antarctic/global climate. A complete record of this transition has yet to be obtained anywhere along the Antarctic margin. Following core recovery, this project will result in correlation of the paleoclimate records from the new cores with detailed fluctuations of the ice margin recorded at higher latitudes in the eastern Ross Sea by the recently concluded, fast-ice-based Cape Roberts Project. If successful, this mobile and flexible drilling system will then be available to the broader scientific community for further research in paleoenvironmental conditions and other areas of science that are currently hindered by the present gap that exists in the US Antarctic Program\u0027s technical capability to explore the Antarctic shelves between the shore-line/fast-ice margin and the continental slope. SHALDRIL will be able to operate effectively in the \"no man\u0027s land\" that presently exists between the near shore (where the fast-ice-based Cape Roberts Project was successful) and the upper slope (where the Ocean Drilling Program\u0027s vessel JOIDES Resolution becomes most efficient). This technological breakthrough will not only allow major outstanding scientific problems of the last three decades to be addressed, but will also favorably impact many current U.S. and SCAR (ICSU Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research) Antarctic or drilling-related initiatives, such as WAIS, ANTIME, ANDRILL, ANTEC, IMAGES, PAGES, GLOCHANT (including PICE), MARGINS, ODP, and STRATAFORM.This award, provided by the Antarctic Geology and Geophysics Program of the Office of Polar Programs, provides funds for a demonstration project to prove the viability of shallow ship-based geological drilling while simultaneously collecting useful cores for assessing the early history of the Antarctic ice sheets. For over three decades, U.S. scientists and their international colleagues exploring the shallow shelves and seas along the margins of Antarctic have been consistently frustrated by their inability to penetrate through the over-compacted glacial diamictons encountered at shallow sub bottom depths (within the upper 10 m) over these terrains. This is particularly frustrating because advanced high resolution seismic reflection techniques clearly show in many areas the presence of older successions of Neogene and even Paleogene sequences lying just beneath this thin veneer of diamictons. Until the means are developed to recover these sequences, a detailed history of the Antarctic ice sheets, which is an essential prerequisite to understanding Cenozoic paleoclimate and future climate change on a global scale, will remain an elusive and unobtainable goal. After four years of study and evaluation with the aid of a professional engineer (and over the course of two workshops), the SHALDRIL Committee, an interested group of U.S. scientists, has identified at least two diamond-coring systems deemed suitable for use on existing ice-breaking U.S. Antarctic Research Program vessels. The goal of this project is to employ diamond-coring technology on the RV/IB Nathaniel B. Palmer in order to test out and demonstrate the feasibility of both ship-based diamond coring and down-hole logging. For this \"demonstration cruise\" coring will be attempted along a high-resolution seismic reflection profile on the continental shelf adjacent to Seymour Island, Antarctic Peninsula, an area of high scientific interest in its own right. Here the well-defined geologic section is estimated to range from Eocene to Quaternary in age, effectively spanning the \"Greenhouse-Icehouse\" transition in the evolution of Antarctic/global climate. A complete record of this transition has yet to be obtained anywhere along the Antarctic margin. Following core recovery, this project will result in correlation of the paleoclimate records from the new cores with detailed fluctuations of the ice margin recorded at higher latitudes in the eastern Ross Sea by the recently concluded, fast-ice-based Cape Roberts Project. If successful, this mobile and flexible drilling system will then be available to the broader scientific community for further research in paleoenvironmental conditions and other areas of science that are currently hindered by the present gap that exists in the US Antarctic Program\u0027s technical capability to explore the Antarctic shelves between the shore-line/fast-ice margin and the continental slope. SHALDRIL will be able to operate effectively in the \"no man\u0027s land\" that presently exists between the near shore (where the fast-ice-based Cape Roberts Project was successful) and the upper slope (where the Ocean Drilling Program\u0027s vessel JOIDES Resolution becomes most efficient). This technological breakthrough will not only allow major outstanding scientific problems of the last three decades to be addressed, but will also favorably impact many current U.S. and SCAR (ICSU Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research) Antarctic or drilling-related initiatives, such as WAIS, ANTIME, ANDRILL, ANTEC, IMAGES, PAGES, GLOCHANT (including PICE), MARGINS, ODP, and STRATAFORM.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e CTD; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e MAGNETIC/MOTION SENSORS \u003e GRAVIMETERS \u003e GRAVIMETERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e CORERS \u003e ROCK CORERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e CORERS \u003e SEDIMENT CORERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PHOTON/OPTICAL DETECTORS \u003e TURBIDITY METERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e ACOUSTIC SOUNDERS \u003e ADCP; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e ACOUSTIC SOUNDERS \u003e MSBS", "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "R/V NBP", "locations": null, "north": null, "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": "R2R", "repositories": "R2R", "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Collaborative Proposal: SHALDRIL - A Demonstration Drilling Cruise to the James Ross Basin", "uid": "p0000828", "west": null}, {"awards": "9220848 Bartek, Louis", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-179.9996 -52.35472,-143.99968 -52.35472,-107.99976 -52.35472,-71.99984 -52.35472,-35.99992 -52.35472,0 -52.35472,35.99992 -52.35472,71.99984 -52.35472,107.99976 -52.35472,143.99968 -52.35472,179.9996 -52.35472,179.9996 -54.916322,179.9996 -57.477924,179.9996 -60.039526,179.9996 -62.601128,179.9996 -65.16273,179.9996 -67.724332,179.9996 -70.285934,179.9996 -72.847536,179.9996 -75.409138,179.9996 -77.97074,143.99968 -77.97074,107.99976 -77.97074,71.99984 -77.97074,35.99992 -77.97074,0 -77.97074,-35.99992 -77.97074,-71.99984 -77.97074,-107.99976 -77.97074,-143.99968 -77.97074,-179.9996 -77.97074,-179.9996 -75.409138,-179.9996 -72.847536,-179.9996 -70.285934,-179.9996 -67.724332,-179.9996 -65.16273,-179.9996 -62.601128,-179.9996 -60.039526,-179.9996 -57.477924,-179.9996 -54.916322,-179.9996 -52.35472))", "dataset_titles": "Expedition Data", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "002245", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP9407"}, {"dataset_uid": "002265", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP9307"}], "date_created": "Tue, 04 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award supports an integrated seismic, sedimentologic, and paleontologic investigation of glacio-marine stratigraphy of the Ross Sea continental shelf. The purpose of this work is to acquire seismic images and sediment cores of the glacial sediments toward a better understanding of the Cenozoic history of glaciation in the Ross Sea region. This investigation will utilize high resolution seismic profiling data to locate regions where the Pleistocene glacial till is thin or perhaps absent. Piston coring at these locations, if the till is penetrated, will provide sedimentary records of Cenozoic depositional environments and could provide important clues to fluctuations of the Antarctic Ice Sheets. The seismic profiling will provide a direct record of the grounding history of the Ross Ice Shelf during the Pleistocene and it will also allow first order correlations of Cenozoic sedimentary units that are represented by sediments recovered in the piston cores. This work will provide important proxy records of the history of both the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and the East Antarctic Ice Sheet and this, in turn, will provide important constraints to climate models.", "east": 179.9996, "geometry": "POINT(0 -89.999)", "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e MAGNETIC/MOTION SENSORS \u003e GRAVIMETERS \u003e GRAVIMETERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e ACOUSTIC SOUNDERS \u003e MSBS", "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "R/V NBP", "locations": null, "north": -52.35472, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Bartek, Louis", "platforms": "WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V NBP", "repo": "R2R", "repositories": "R2R", "science_programs": null, "south": -77.97074, "title": "Integrated Biostratigraphy and High Resolution Seismic Stratigraphy of the Ross Sea: Implications for Cenozoic Eustatic and Climatic Change", "uid": "p0000643", "west": -179.9996}, {"awards": "9316710 Bartek, Louis", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-179.9993 -75.77948,-143.99945 -75.77948,-107.9996 -75.77948,-71.99975 -75.77948,-35.9999 -75.77948,-0.000049999999987 -75.77948,35.9998 -75.77948,71.99965 -75.77948,107.9995 -75.77948,143.99935 -75.77948,179.9992 -75.77948,179.9992 -76.012273,179.9992 -76.245066,179.9992 -76.477859,179.9992 -76.710652,179.9992 -76.943445,179.9992 -77.176238,179.9992 -77.409031,179.9992 -77.641824,179.9992 -77.874617,179.9992 -78.10741,143.99935 -78.10741,107.9995 -78.10741,71.99965 -78.10741,35.9998 -78.10741,-0.000050000000016 -78.10741,-35.9999 -78.10741,-71.99975 -78.10741,-107.9996 -78.10741,-143.99945 -78.10741,-179.9993 -78.10741,-179.9993 -77.874617,-179.9993 -77.641824,-179.9993 -77.409031,-179.9993 -77.176238,-179.9993 -76.943445,-179.9993 -76.710652,-179.9993 -76.477859,-179.9993 -76.245066,-179.9993 -76.012273,-179.9993 -75.77948))", "dataset_titles": "Expedition Data", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "002168", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP9601"}], "date_created": "Tue, 04 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award supports a collaborative marine geological and geophysical project between the University of California, Santa Barbara, and the University of Alabama to study the glacial and tectonic history of the eastern Ross Sea and the Marie Byrd Land margin of West Antarctica. The goals of the project are (1) to conduct seismic imaging and piston coring to begin unraveling the history of the West Antarctic ice Sheet as recorded in the recent sediments of the continental shelf of the region, and (2) to acquire seismic images of the acoustic basement beneath the Cenozoic glacial deposits toward an understanding of the relationship between rift structure of the continental crust and Cenozoic glacial deposits of the region. This research will result in bathymetric, structural, sediment isopach, gravity and magnetic maps of the eastern Ross Sea and the Marie Byrd Land margin. This information will be integrated into an interpretation of the major glacial and structural features of the region. This project will result in a better understanding of the glacio-marine stratigraphy and glacial history of the eastern Ross Sea and Marie Byrd Land margin and, consequently, it will represent a significant contribution to the goals of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet initiative.", "east": 179.9992, "geometry": "POINT(0 -89.999)", "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e MAGNETIC/MOTION SENSORS \u003e GRAVIMETERS \u003e GRAVIMETERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e ACOUSTIC SOUNDERS \u003e MSBS", "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "R/V NBP", "locations": null, "north": -75.77948, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Bartek, Louis; Luyendyk, Bruce P.", "platforms": "WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V NBP", "repo": "R2R", "repositories": "R2R", "science_programs": null, "south": -78.10741, "title": "Collaborative Research: Glacial Marine Stratigraphy in the Eastern Ross Sea and Western Marie Byrd Land, and Shallow Structure of the West Antarctic Rift", "uid": "p0000639", "west": -179.9993}, {"awards": "0338371 Hallet, Bernard; 0338137 Anderson, John", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-74.59492 -45.98986,-74.072309 -45.98986,-73.549698 -45.98986,-73.027087 -45.98986,-72.504476 -45.98986,-71.981865 -45.98986,-71.459254 -45.98986,-70.936643 -45.98986,-70.414032 -45.98986,-69.891421 -45.98986,-69.36881 -45.98986,-69.36881 -46.835236,-69.36881 -47.680612,-69.36881 -48.525988,-69.36881 -49.371364,-69.36881 -50.21674,-69.36881 -51.062116,-69.36881 -51.907492,-69.36881 -52.752868,-69.36881 -53.598244,-69.36881 -54.44362,-69.891421 -54.44362,-70.414032 -54.44362,-70.936643 -54.44362,-71.459254 -54.44362,-71.981865 -54.44362,-72.504476 -54.44362,-73.027087 -54.44362,-73.549698 -54.44362,-74.072309 -54.44362,-74.59492 -54.44362,-74.59492 -53.598244,-74.59492 -52.752868,-74.59492 -51.907492,-74.59492 -51.062116,-74.59492 -50.21674,-74.59492 -49.371364,-74.59492 -48.525988,-74.59492 -47.680612,-74.59492 -46.835236,-74.59492 -45.98986))", "dataset_titles": "Expedition data of NBP0505; Expedition data of NBP0703; NBP0505 CTD data; NBP0505 sediment core locations", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "002642", "doi": null, "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition data of NBP0703", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP0703"}, {"dataset_uid": "601362", "doi": "10.15784/601362", "keywords": "Chile; Fjord; Marine Geoscience; NBP0505; R/v Nathaniel B. Palmer; Sample/collection Description; Sample/Collection Description; Sediment Core; Sediment Corer; Station List", "people": "Anderson, John; Wellner, Julia", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "NBP0505 sediment core locations", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601362"}, {"dataset_uid": "601363", "doi": "10.15784/601363", "keywords": "Chile; CTD; CTD Data; Depth; Fjord; NBP0505; Oceans; Physical Oceanography; R/v Nathaniel B. Palmer; Salinity; Temperature", "people": "Anderson, John; Wellner, Julia", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "NBP0505 CTD data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601363"}, {"dataset_uid": "002609", "doi": null, "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition data of NBP0505", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP0505"}], "date_created": "Tue, 04 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This project examines the role of glacier dynamics in glacial sediment yields. The results will shed light on how glacial erosion influences both orogenic processes and produces sediments that accumulate in basins, rich archives of climate variability. Our hypothesis is that erosion rates are a function of sliding speed, and should diminish sharply as the glacier\u0027s basal temperatures drop below the melting point. To test this hypothesis, we will determine sediment accumulation rates from seismic studies of fjord sediments for six tidewater glaciers that range from fast-moving temperate glaciers in Patagonia to slow-moving polar glaciers on the Antarctic Peninsula. Two key themes are addressed for each glacier system: 1) sediment yields and erosion rates by determining accumulation rates within the fjords using seismic profiles and core data, and 2) dynamic properties and basin characteristics of each glacier in order to seek an empirical relationship between glacial erosion rates and ice dynamics. The work is based in Patagonia and the Antarctic Peninsula, ideal natural laboratories for these purposes because the large latitudinal range provides a large range of precipitation and thermal regimes over relatively homogeneous lithologies and tectonic settings. Prior studies of these regions noted significant decreases in glaciomarine sediment accumulations in the fjords to the south. As well, the fjords constitute accessible and nearly perfect natural sediment traps.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThe broader impacts of this study include inter-disciplinary collaboration with Chilean glaciologists and marine geologists, support for one postdoctoral and three doctoral students, inclusion of undergraduates in research, and outreach to under-represented groups in Earth sciences and K-12 educators. The results of the project will also contribute to a better understanding of the linkages between climate and evolution of all high mountain ranges.", "east": -69.36881, "geometry": "POINT(-71.981865 -50.21674)", "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e CTD; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e MAGNETIC/MOTION SENSORS \u003e GRAVIMETERS \u003e GRAVIMETERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PRESSURE/HEIGHT METERS \u003e PRESSURE SENSORS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e SAMPLERS \u003e BOTTLES/FLASKS/JARS \u003e WATER BOTTLES; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e POSITIONING/NAVIGATION \u003e GPS \u003e GPS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e ACOUSTIC SOUNDERS \u003e ADCP; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e ACOUSTIC SOUNDERS \u003e MSBS", "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "R/V NBP; Penguin Glacier", "locations": null, "north": -45.98986, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Anderson, John; Hallet, Bernard; Wellner, Julia", "platforms": "WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V NBP", "repo": "R2R", "repositories": "R2R; USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -54.44362, "title": "Collaborative Research: Controls on Sediment Yields from Tidewater Glaciers from Patagonia to Antarctica", "uid": "p0000821", "west": -74.59492}, {"awards": "0125562 Zachos, James", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": "Expedition Data; Expedition data of NBP0602A", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "001571", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP0602A"}, {"dataset_uid": "002617", "doi": null, "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition data of NBP0602A", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP0602A"}], "date_created": "Tue, 04 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award, provided by the Antarctic Geology and Geophysics Program of the Office of Polar Programs, provides funds for a demonstration project to prove the viability of shallow ship-based geological drilling while simultaneously collecting useful cores for assessing the early history of the Antarctic ice sheets. For over three decades, U.S. scientists and their international colleagues exploring the shallow shelves and seas along the margins of Antarctic have been consistently frustrated by their inability to penetrate through the over-compacted glacial diamictons encountered at shallow sub bottom depths (within the upper 10 m) over these terrains. This is particularly frustrating because advanced high resolution seismic reflection techniques clearly show in many areas the presence of older successions of Neogene and even Paleogene sequences lying just beneath this thin veneer of diamictons. Until the means are developed to recover these sequences, a detailed history of the Antarctic ice sheets, which is an essential prerequisite to understanding Cenozoic paleoclimate and future climate change on a global scale, will remain an elusive and unobtainable goal. After four years of study and evaluation with the aid of a professional engineer (and over the course of two workshops), the SHALDRIL Committee, an interested group of U.S. scientists, has identified at least two diamond-coring systems deemed suitable for use on existing ice-breaking U.S. Antarctic Research Program vessels. The goal of this project is to employ diamond-coring technology on the RV/IB Nathaniel B. Palmer in order to test out and demonstrate the feasibility of both ship-based diamond coring and down-hole logging. For this \"demonstration cruise\" coring will be attempted along a high-resolution seismic reflection profile on the continental shelf adjacent to Seymour Island, Antarctic Peninsula, an area of high scientific interest in its own right. Here the well-defined geologic section is estimated to range from Eocene to Quaternary in age, effectively spanning the \"Greenhouse-Icehouse\" transition in the evolution of Antarctic/global climate. A complete record of this transition has yet to be obtained anywhere along the Antarctic margin. Following core recovery, this project will result in correlation of the paleoclimate records from the new cores with detailed fluctuations of the ice margin recorded at higher latitudes in the eastern Ross Sea by the recently concluded, fast-ice-based Cape Roberts Project. If successful, this mobile and flexible drilling system will then be available to the broader scientific community for further research in paleoenvironmental conditions and other areas of science that are currently hindered by the present gap that exists in the US Antarctic Program\u0027s technical capability to explore the Antarctic shelves between the shore-line/fast-ice margin and the continental slope. SHALDRIL will be able to operate effectively in the \"no man\u0027s land\" that presently exists between the near shore (where the fast-ice-based Cape Roberts Project was successful) and the upper slope (where the Ocean Drilling Program\u0027s vessel JOIDES Resolution becomes most efficient). This technological breakthrough will not only allow major outstanding scientific problems of the last three decades to be addressed, but will also favorably impact many current U.S. and SCAR (ICSU Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research) Antarctic or drilling-related initiatives, such as WAIS, ANTIME, ANDRILL, ANTEC, IMAGES, PAGES, GLOCHANT (including PICE), MARGINS, ODP, and STRATAFORM.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e CTD; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e MAGNETIC/MOTION SENSORS \u003e GRAVIMETERS \u003e GRAVIMETERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e CORERS \u003e ROCK CORERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e CORERS \u003e SEDIMENT CORERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PHOTON/OPTICAL DETECTORS \u003e TURBIDITY METERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e ACOUSTIC SOUNDERS \u003e ADCP; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e ACOUSTIC SOUNDERS \u003e MSBS", "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "R/V NBP", "locations": null, "north": null, "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": "R2R", "repositories": "R2R", "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Collaborative Proposal: SHALDRIL - A Demonstration Drilling Cruise to the James Ross Basin", "uid": "p0000829", "west": null}, {"awards": "0125480 Manley, Patricia", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": "Expedition Data; Expedition data of NBP0602A", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "001571", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP0602A"}, {"dataset_uid": "002618", "doi": null, "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition data of NBP0602A", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP0602A"}], "date_created": "Tue, 04 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award, provided by the Antarctic Geology and Geophysics Program of the Office of Polar Programs, provides funds for a demonstration project to prove the viability of shallow ship-based geological drilling while simultaneously collecting useful cores for assessing the early history of the Antarctic ice sheets. For over three decades, U.S. scientists and their international colleagues exploring the shallow shelves and seas along the margins of Antarctic have been consistently frustrated by their inability to penetrate through the over-compacted glacial diamictons encountered at shallow sub bottom depths (within the upper 10 m) over these terrains. This is particularly frustrating because advanced high resolution seismic reflection techniques clearly show in many areas the presence of older successions of Neogene and even Paleogene sequences lying just beneath this thin veneer of diamictons. Until the means are developed to recover these sequences, a detailed history of the Antarctic ice sheets, which is an essential prerequisite to understanding Cenozoic paleoclimate and future climate change on a global scale, will remain an elusive and unobtainable goal. After four years of study and evaluation with the aid of a professional engineer (and over the course of two workshops), the SHALDRIL Committee, an interested group of U.S. scientists, has identified at least two diamond-coring systems deemed suitable for use on existing ice-breaking U.S. Antarctic Research Program vessels. The goal of this project is to employ diamond-coring technology on the RV/IB Nathaniel B. Palmer in order to test out and demonstrate the feasibility of both ship-based diamond coring and down-hole logging. For this \"demonstration cruise\" coring will be attempted along a high-resolution seismic reflection profile on the continental shelf adjacent to Seymour Island, Antarctic Peninsula, an area of high scientific interest in its own right. Here the well-defined geologic section is estimated to range from Eocene to Quaternary in age, effectively spanning the \"Greenhouse-Icehouse\" transition in the evolution of Antarctic/global climate. A complete record of this transition has yet to be obtained anywhere along the Antarctic margin. Following core recovery, this project will result in correlation of the paleoclimate records from the new cores with detailed fluctuations of the ice margin recorded at higher latitudes in the eastern Ross Sea by the recently concluded, fast-ice-based Cape Roberts Project. If successful, this mobile and flexible drilling system will then be available to the broader scientific community for further research in paleoenvironmental conditions and other areas of science that are currently hindered by the present gap that exists in the US Antarctic Program\u0027s technical capability to explore the Antarctic shelves between the shore-line/fast-ice margin and the continental slope. SHALDRIL will be able to operate effectively in the \"no man\u0027s land\" that presently exists between the near shore (where the fast-ice-based Cape Roberts Project was successful) and the upper slope (where the Ocean Drilling Program\u0027s vessel JOIDES Resolution becomes most efficient). This technological breakthrough will not only allow major outstanding scientific problems of the last three decades to be addressed, but will also favorably impact many current U.S. and SCAR (ICSU Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research) Antarctic or drilling-related initiatives, such as WAIS, ANTIME, ANDRILL, ANTEC, IMAGES, PAGES, GLOCHANT (including PICE), MARGINS, ODP, and STRATAFORM.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e CTD; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e MAGNETIC/MOTION SENSORS \u003e GRAVIMETERS \u003e GRAVIMETERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e CORERS \u003e ROCK CORERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e CORERS \u003e SEDIMENT CORERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PHOTON/OPTICAL DETECTORS \u003e TURBIDITY METERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e ACOUSTIC SOUNDERS \u003e ADCP; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e ACOUSTIC SOUNDERS \u003e MSBS", "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "R/V NBP", "locations": null, "north": null, "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": "R2R", "repositories": "R2R", "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Collaborative Research: SHALDRIL - A Demonstration Drilling Cruise to the James Ross Basin", "uid": "p0000830", "west": null}, {"awards": "9814041 Austin, Jr., James", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-70.90616 -52.35281,-69.390587 -52.35281,-67.875014 -52.35281,-66.359441 -52.35281,-64.843868 -52.35281,-63.328295 -52.35281,-61.812722 -52.35281,-60.297149 -52.35281,-58.781576 -52.35281,-57.266003 -52.35281,-55.75043 -52.35281,-55.75043 -53.463301,-55.75043 -54.573792,-55.75043 -55.684283,-55.75043 -56.794774,-55.75043 -57.905265,-55.75043 -59.015756,-55.75043 -60.126247,-55.75043 -61.236738,-55.75043 -62.347229,-55.75043 -63.45772,-57.266003 -63.45772,-58.781576 -63.45772,-60.297149 -63.45772,-61.812722 -63.45772,-63.328295 -63.45772,-64.843868 -63.45772,-66.359441 -63.45772,-67.875014 -63.45772,-69.390587 -63.45772,-70.90616 -63.45772,-70.90616 -62.347229,-70.90616 -61.236738,-70.90616 -60.126247,-70.90616 -59.015756,-70.90616 -57.905265,-70.90616 -56.794774,-70.90616 -55.684283,-70.90616 -54.573792,-70.90616 -53.463301,-70.90616 -52.35281))", "dataset_titles": "Expedition Data", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "001987", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP0002"}, {"dataset_uid": "001810", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP0007A"}], "date_created": "Tue, 04 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award, provided by the Antarctic Geology and Geophysics Program of the Office of Polar Programs, supports research to study the deep crustal structure of the Bransfield Strait region. Bransfield Strait, in the northern Antarctic Peninsula, is one of a small number of modern basins that may be critical for understanding ancient mountain-building processes. The Strait is an actively-extending marginal basin in the far southeast Pacific, between the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands, an inactive volcanic arc. Widespread crustal extension, accompanied by volcanism along the Strait\u0027s axis, may be associated with slow underthrusting of oceanic crust at the South Shetland Trench; similar \"back-arc\" extension occurred along the entire Pacific margin (now western South America/West Antarctica) of the supercontinent known as Gondwanaland during the Jurassic-Early Cretaceous. Mid-Cretaceous deformation of these basins some 100 million years ago initiated uplift of the Andes. By understanding the deep structure and evolution of Bransfield rift, it should be possible to evaluate the crustal precursor to the Andes, and thereby understand more fully the early evolution of this globally important mountain chain.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eYears of international earth sciences research in Bransfield Strait has produced consensus on important aspects of its geologic environment: (1) It is probably a young (probably ~4 million years old) rift in preexisting Antarctic Peninsula crust; continued stretching of this crust results in complex fault patterns and associated volcanism. The volcanism, high heat flow, and mapped crustal trends are all consistent with the basin\u0027s continuing evolution as a rift; (2) The volcanism, which is recent and continuing, occurs along a \"neovolcanic\" zone centralized along the basin\u0027s axis. Multichannel seismic data collected aboard R/V Maurice Ewing in 1991 illustrate the following basin-wide characteristics of Bransfield Strait - a) widespread extension and faulting, b) the rise of crustal diapirs or domes associated with flower-shaped normal-fault structures, and c) a complicated system of fault-bounded segments across strike. The geophysical evidence also suggests NE-to-SW propagation of the rift, with initial crustal inflation/doming followed by deflation/subsidence, volcanism, and extension along normal faults.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eAlthough Bransfield Strait exhibits geophysical and geologic evidence for extension and volcanism, continental crust fragmentation does not appear to have gone to completion in this \"back-arc\" basin and ocean crust is not yet being generated. Instead, Bransfield rift lies near the critical transition from intracontinental rifting to seafloor-spreading. The basin\u0027s asymmetry, and seismic evidence for shallow intracrustal detachment faulting, suggest that it may be near one end-member of the spectrum of models proposed for continental break-up. Therefore, this basin is a \"natural lab\" for studying diverse processes involved in forming continental margins.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eUnderstanding Bransfield rift\u0027s deep crustal structure is the key to resolving its stage of evolution, and should also provide a starting point for models of Andean mountain-building. This work will define the deep structure by collecting and analyzing high-quality, high-density ocean bottom seismometer (OBS) profiles both along and across the Strait\u0027s strike. Scientific objectives are as follows: (1) to develop a detailed seismic velocity model for this rift; (2) to calibrate velocity structure and crustal thickness changes associated with presumed NE-to-SW rift propagation, as deduced from the multichannel seismic interpretations; (3) to document the degree to which deep velocity structure corresponds to along- and across-strike crustal segmentation; and (4) to assess structural relationships between the South Shetland Islands \"arc\" and Bransfield rift.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThe proposed OBS data, integrated with interpretations of both Ewing profiles and those from other high-quality geophysical coverage in Bransfield Strait, will complement ongoing deep seismic analysis of Antarctic Peninsula crust to the southwest and additional OBS monitoring for deep earthquakes, in order to understand the complex plate tectonic evolution of this region.", "east": -55.75043, "geometry": "POINT(-63.328295 -57.905265)", "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e MAGNETIC/MOTION SENSORS \u003e GRAVIMETERS \u003e GRAVIMETERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e ACOUSTIC SOUNDERS \u003e MSBS", "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "R/V NBP", "locations": null, "north": -52.35281, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Austin, James; Austin, James Jr.", "platforms": "WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V NBP", "repo": "R2R", "repositories": "R2R", "science_programs": null, "south": -63.45772, "title": "The Young Marginal Basin as a Key to Understanding the Rift-Drift Transition and Andean Orogenesis: OBS Refraction Profiling for Crustal Structure in Bransfield Strait", "uid": "p0000615", "west": -70.90616}, {"awards": "0338346 Cande, Steven; 0338317 Stock, Joann", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-179.9987 71.33822,-143.998893 71.33822,-107.999086 71.33822,-71.999279 71.33822,-35.999472 71.33822,0.000334999999978 71.33822,36.000142 71.33822,71.999949 71.33822,107.999756 71.33822,143.999563 71.33822,179.99937 71.33822,179.99937 59.8431,179.99937 48.34798,179.99937 36.85286,179.99937 25.35774,179.99937 13.86262,179.99937 2.3675,179.99937 -9.12762,179.99937 -20.62274,179.99937 -32.11786,179.99937 -43.61298,143.999563 -43.61298,107.999756 -43.61298,71.999949 -43.61298,36.000142 -43.61298,0.000335000000007 -43.61298,-35.999472 -43.61298,-71.999279 -43.61298,-107.999086 -43.61298,-143.998893 -43.61298,-179.9987 -43.61298,-179.9987 -32.11786,-179.9987 -20.62274,-179.9987 -9.12762,-179.9987 2.3675,-179.9987 13.86262,-179.9987 25.35774,-179.9987 36.85286,-179.9987 48.34798,-179.9987 59.8431,-179.9987 71.33822))", "dataset_titles": "Expedition Data; Expedition data of NBP0501", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "001652", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP0406"}, {"dataset_uid": "001557", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP0607C"}, {"dataset_uid": "001577", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP0602"}, {"dataset_uid": "001690", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP0304B"}, {"dataset_uid": "001692", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP0304D"}, {"dataset_uid": "002627", "doi": null, "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition data of NBP0501", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP0501"}, {"dataset_uid": "001660", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP0403"}, {"dataset_uid": "001691", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP0304C"}, {"dataset_uid": "001561", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP0607A"}, {"dataset_uid": "001609", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP0501B"}, {"dataset_uid": "001587", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP0507"}, {"dataset_uid": "001512", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP0804"}], "date_created": "Tue, 04 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This project will utilize the R/VIB Nathaniel B. Palmer\u0027s transit cruises to collect marine geophysical data on targets-of-opportunity in the southern oceans. Because the Palmer generally traverses regions only sparsely surveyed with geophysical instruments, this project represents a cost-effective way to collect important new data. The work\u0027s focus is expanding our knowledge of plate motion histories for the Antarctic and surrounding plates. The ultimate goals are improving global plate reconstructions and gaining new insight into general plate kinematics and dynamics and lithospheric rheology. Only slight deviations from the straight routes are required, and we expect to operate on one cruise per year over the three years of the project. The first cruise from New Zealand to Chile will survey a flow line of Pacific-Antarctic plate motion along the Menard fracture zone, which crosses the East Pacific Rise at ~50 S latitude. Swath bathymetry, gravity, magnetics, and a small amount of seismic reflection profiling will be collected to determine the exact trace of the fracture zone and its relationship to the associated gravity anomaly seen in shipboard and satellite radar altimetry data. These observations are critical for precise plate reconstructions, and will provide GPS-navigated locations of a major fracture zone near the northern end of the Pacific-Antarctic boundary. These data will be used in combination with similar data from the Pitman fracture zone at the southwestern end of the plate boundary and magnetic anomalies from previous cruises near the Menard fracture zone to improve high-precision plate reconstructions and evaluate the limits of internal deformation of the Pacific and Antarctic plates. The science plan for cruises in following years will be designed once transit schedules are set. In terms of broader impacts, we plan to teach an on-board marine geophysics class to graduate and undergraduate students on two cruises. The class consists of daily classroom lectures about the instruments and data; several hours per day of watch standing and data processing; and work by each student on an independent research project. We expect to accommodate 15 students per class, including participants from primarily undergraduate institutions with high minority enrollments.", "east": 179.99937, "geometry": "POINT(0 -89.999)", "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e CTD; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e MAGNETIC/MOTION SENSORS \u003e GRAVIMETERS \u003e GRAVIMETERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PHOTON/OPTICAL DETECTORS \u003e TURBIDITY METERS; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e POSITIONING/NAVIGATION \u003e GPS \u003e GPS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e ACOUSTIC SOUNDERS \u003e ADCP; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e ACOUSTIC SOUNDERS \u003e MSBS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e SAMPLERS \u003e BOTTLES/FLASKS/JARS \u003e WATER BOTTLES", "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "R/V NBP", "locations": null, "north": 71.33822, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Croon, Marcel; Stock, Joann; Miller, Alisa; Cande, Steven; Gordon, Arnold", "platforms": "WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V NBP", "repo": "R2R", "repositories": "R2R", "science_programs": null, "south": -43.61298, "title": "Collaborative Research: Collection of Marine Geophysical Data on Transits of the Nathaniel B. Palmer", "uid": "p0000121", "west": -179.9987}, {"awards": "0440959 Cande, Steven", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": "Expedition data of NBP0701", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "002644", "doi": null, "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition data of NBP0701", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP0701"}], "date_created": "Tue, 04 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This work will perform a marine geophysical survey of sea floor spreading off Cape Adare, Antarctica. Magnetic, gravity, swath bathymetry and multi-channel seismic data will be acquired from the southern end of the Adare Basin to the northern parts of the Northern Basin and Central Trough in the Ross Embayment. Previous surveys documented 170 km of regional extension between forty-three and twenty-six million years ago, which resulted in some seafloor spreading in the Adare Basin. However, the relationship of Adare Basin spreading to the overall extension and the southward continental basins of the Ross Embayment has not been established. This relationship is critical to understanding the tectonic evolution of East and West Antarctica and linking Pacific plate motions to the rest of the world. The study will also offer unique insight into rifting processes by studying the transition of rifting between oceanic and continental lithosphere. In terms of broader impacts, this project will support two graduate students and field research experience for undergraduates. The project also involves cooperation between scientists from the US, Australia, New Zealand and Japan.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e CTD; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e MAGNETIC/MOTION SENSORS \u003e GRAVIMETERS \u003e GRAVIMETERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e CORERS \u003e ROCK CORERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PHOTON/OPTICAL DETECTORS \u003e TURBIDITY METERS; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e POSITIONING/NAVIGATION \u003e GPS \u003e GPS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e ACOUSTIC SOUNDERS \u003e ADCP; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e ACOUSTIC SOUNDERS \u003e MSBS", "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "R/V NBP", "locations": null, "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Cande, Steven", "platforms": "WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V NBP", "repo": "R2R", "repositories": "R2R", "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Collaborative Research: The Connection Between Mid-Cenozoic Seafloor Spreading and the Western Ross Sea Embayment", "uid": "p0000835", "west": null}, {"awards": "9726180 Dorman, LeRoy", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": "Expedition data of NBP9905", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "002581", "doi": null, "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition data of NBP9905", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP9905"}], "date_created": "Tue, 04 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award, provided by the Office of Polar Programs of the National Science Foundation, supports research to investigate the seismicity and tectonics of the South Shetland Arc and the Bransfield Strait. This region presents an intriguing and unique tectonic setting, with slowing of subduction, cessation of island arc volcanism, as well as the apparent onset of backarc rifting occurring within the last four million years. This project will carry out a 5-month deployment of 14 ocean bottom seismographs (OBSs) to complement and extend a deployment of 6 broadband land seismic stations that were successfully installed during early 1997. The OBSs include 2 instruments with broadband sensors, and all have flowmeters for measuring and sampling hydrothermal fluids. The OBSs will be used to examine many of the characteristics of the Shetland- Bransfield tectonic system, including: --- The existence and depth of penetration of a Shetland Slab: The existence of a downgoing Shetland slab will be determined from earthquake locations and from seismic tomography. The maximum depth of earthquake activity and the depth of the slab velocity anomaly will constrain the current configuration of the slab, and may help clarify the relationship between the subducting slab and the cessation of arc volcanism. -- Shallow Shetland trench seismicity?: No teleseismic shallow thrust faulting seismicity has been observed along the South Shetland Trench from available seismic information. Using the OBS data, the level of small earthquake activity along the shallow thrust zone will be determined and compared to other regions undergoing slow subduction of young oceanic lithosphere, such as Cascadia, which also generally shows very low levels of thrust zone seismicity. -- Mode of deformation along the Bransfield Rift: The Bransfield backarc has an active rift in the center, but there is considerable evidence for off-rift faulting. There is a long-standing controversy about whet her back-arc extension occurs along discrete rift zones, or is more diffuse geographically. This project will accurately locate small earthquakes to better determine whether Bransfield extension is discrete or diffuse. -- Identification of volcanism and hydrothermal activity: Seismic records will be used to identify the locations of active seafloor volcanism along the Bransfield rift. Flowmeters attached to the OBSs will record and sample the fluid flux out of the sediments. -- Upper mantle structure of the Bransfield - evidence for partial melting?: Other backarc basins show very slow upper mantle seismic velocities and high seismic attenuation, characteristics due to the presence of partially molten material. This project will use seismic tomography to resolve the upper mantle structure of the Bransfield backarc, allowing comparison with other backarc regions and placing constraints on the existence of partially molten material and the importance of partial melting as a mantle process in this region. Collaborative awards: OPP 9725679 and OPP 9726180", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e MAGNETIC/MOTION SENSORS \u003e GRAVIMETERS \u003e GRAVIMETERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e ACOUSTIC SOUNDERS \u003e MSBS", "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "R/V NBP", "locations": null, "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Wiens, Douglas", "platforms": "WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V NBP", "repo": "R2R", "repositories": "R2R", "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Study of the Structure and Tectonics of the South Shetland Trench and Bransfield Backarc Using Ocean Bottom Seismographs", "uid": "p0000801", "west": null}, {"awards": "9615053 Domack, Eugene", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": "Expedition data of LMG9802", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "002718", "doi": null, "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition data of LMG9802", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/LMG9802"}], "date_created": "Tue, 04 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Domack: OPP 9615053 Manley: OPP 9615670 Banerjee: OPP 9615695 Dunbar: OPP 9615668 Ishman: OPP 9615669 Leventer: OPP 9714371 Abstract This award supports a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional effort to elucidate the detailed climate history of the Antarctic Peninsula during the Holocene epoch (the last 10,000 years). The Holocene is an important, but often overlooked, portion of the Antarctic paleoclimatic record because natural variability in Holocene climate on time scales of decades to millennia can be evaluated as a model for our present \"interglacial\" world. This project builds on over ten years of prior investigation into the depositional processes, productivity patterns and climate regime of the Antarctic Peninsula. This previous work identified key locations that contain ultra-high resolution records of past climatic variation. These data indicate that solar cycles operating on multi-century and millennial time scales are important regulators of meltwater production and paleoproductivity. These marine records can be correlated with ice core records in Greenland and Antarctica. This project will focus on sediment dispersal patterns across the Palmer Deep region. The objective is to understand the present links between the modern climatic and oceanographic systems and sediment distribution. In particular, additional information is needed regarding the influence of sea ice on the distribution of both biogenic and terrigenous sediment distribution. Sediment samples will be collected with a variety of grab sampling and coring devices. Analytical work will include carbon-14 dating of surface sediments using accellerator mass spectrometry and standard sedimentologic, micropaleontologic and magnetic granulometric analyses. This multiparameter approach is the most effective way to extract the paleoclimatic signals contained in the marine sediment cores. Two additional objectives are the deployment of sediment traps in front of the Muller Ice Shelf in Lallemand Fjord and seismic reflection work in conjunction with site augmentation funded through the Joint Oceanographic Institute. The goal of sediment trap work is to address whether sand transport and deposition adjacent to the ice shelf calving line results from meltwater or aeolian processes. In addition, the relationship between sea ice conditions and primary productivity will be investigated. The collection of a short series of seismic lines across the Palmer Deep basins will fully resolve the question of depth to acoustic basement. The combination of investigators on this project, all with many years of experience working in high latitude settings, provides an effective team to complete the project in a timely fashion. A combination of undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate students will be involved in all stages of the project so that educational objectives will be met in-tandem with research goals of the project.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "R/V LMG", "locations": null, "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Domack, Eugene Walter", "platforms": "WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V LMG", "repo": "R2R", "repositories": "R2R", "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Holocene Paleoenvironmental Change Along the Antarctic Peninsula: A Test of the Solar/Bi-Polar Signal", "uid": "p0000869", "west": null}, {"awards": "0632399 Jefferies, Stuart", "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": "Tomographic Imaging of the Velocity and Magnetic Fields in the Sun\u0027s Atmosphere", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "600152", "doi": "10.15784/600152", "keywords": "Antarctica; Cosmos; Satellite Remote Sensing; Sun", "people": "Jefferies, Stuart M.", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Tomographic Imaging of the Velocity and Magnetic Fields in the Sun\u0027s Atmosphere", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/600152"}], "date_created": "Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "The proposal is to develop an instrument that can simultaneously measure the sound speed and magnetic fields at three heights in the solar atmosphere. The instrument will use magneto-optical filters tuned to the solar absorption lines at 422 nm (Ca I), 589 nm (Na D2), and 770 nm (K) to make measurements of Doppler velocities and longitudinal magnetic field. These lines form in the mid- and low-chromosphere and photosphere, respectively. In addition, the instrument will also use a Fabry-Perot etalon as a narrowband filter to measure the intensity variations of the 1083 nm (He I) line that is formed high in the chromosphere and which shows the location of the \"foot points\" of coronal holes. Together, the four lines will allow studying wave motions throughout the solar atmosphere. The instrument will record images of the Sun every 10 seconds with a spatial resolution of 1 arc-second. Thus, the project will be fostering the development of existing magneto-optical filter technology to a new level. Upon construction, the telescope will be tested at South Pole for a long period of uninterrupted observations. Both the local and global helioseismic analysis procedures will be utilized to identify and to characterize different types of waves present in the solar atmosphere. These observations will allow determining the structure and dynamics of the Sun\u0027s atmosphere through seismic measurements and, thus, improve the atmosphere models, assess the role of waves in heating the chromosphere/corona and driving the solar wind, and better understand how the Sun\u0027s atmosphere couples to the interior. The broader impact of the proposed project is two fold. First, there is a potential benefit to the science and to the society because it is believed that the solar atmosphere is a \"home\" to many phenomena that can have a direct effect on the solar activity, including flares, coronal mass ejections, and the solar wind. Understanding the structure and dynamics of the solar atmosphere will therefore lead to a better understanding of the Sun-Earth connection. The collected data will be made available to other researchers at DVDs. The broader audience of general public will be reached through presentations at high schools, libraries, and community events, and news articles in the general press. Most of the research materials will also be placed in the Web.", "east": 180.0, "geometry": "POINT(0 -89.999)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": -60.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Astrophysics and Geospace Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Jefferies, Stuart M.", "platforms": "Not provided", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -90.0, "title": "Tomographic Imaging of the Velocity and Magnetic Fields in the Sun\u0027s Atmosphere", "uid": "p0000526", "west": -180.0}, {"awards": "0230285 Wilson, Terry", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((152.833 -75.317,154.4897 -75.317,156.1464 -75.317,157.8031 -75.317,159.4598 -75.317,161.1165 -75.317,162.7732 -75.317,164.4299 -75.317,166.0866 -75.317,167.7433 -75.317,169.4 -75.317,169.4 -75.9186,169.4 -76.5202,169.4 -77.1218,169.4 -77.7234,169.4 -78.325,169.4 -78.9266,169.4 -79.5282,169.4 -80.1298,169.4 -80.7314,169.4 -81.333,167.7433 -81.333,166.0866 -81.333,164.4299 -81.333,162.7732 -81.333,161.1165 -81.333,159.4598 -81.333,157.8031 -81.333,156.1464 -81.333,154.4897 -81.333,152.833 -81.333,152.833 -80.7314,152.833 -80.1298,152.833 -79.5282,152.833 -78.9266,152.833 -78.325,152.833 -77.7234,152.833 -77.1218,152.833 -76.5202,152.833 -75.9186,152.833 -75.317))", "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Sat, 12 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "OPP-0230285/OPP-0230356\u003cbr/\u003ePIs: Wilson, Terry J./Hothem, Larry D.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThis award, provided by the Antarctic Geology and Geophysics Program of the Office of Polar Programs, supports a project to conduct GPS measurements of bedrock crustal motions in an extended Transantarctic Mountains Deformation network (TAMDEF) to document neotectonic displacements due to tectonic deformation within the West Antarctic rift and/or to mass change of the Antarctic ice sheets. Horizontal displacements related to active neotectonic rifting, strike-slip translations, and volcanism will be tightly constrained by monitoring the combined TAMDEF and Italian VLNDEF networks of bedrock GPS stations along the Transantarctic Mountains and on offshore islands in the Ross Sea. Glacio-isostatic adjustments due to deglaciation since the Last Glacial Maximum and to modern mass change of the ice sheets will be modeled from GPS-derived crustal motions together with new information from other programs on the configurations, thicknesses, deglaciation history and modern mass balance of the ice sheets. Tectonic and rheological information from ongoing structural and seismic investigations in the Victoria Land region will also be integrated in the modeling. The integrative and iterative modeling will yield a holistic interpretation of neotectonics and ice sheet history that will help us to discriminate tectonic crustal displacements from viscoelastic/elastic glacio-isostatic motions. These results will provide key information to interpret broad, continental-scale crustal motion patterns detected by sparse, regionally distributed GPS continuous trackers and by spaceborne instruments. This study will contribute to international programs focused on Antarctic neotectonic and global change issues.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eStrategies to meet these science objectives include repeat surveys of key sites in the existing TAMDEF network, extension of the array of TAMDEF sites southward about 250 km along the Transantarctic Mountains, linked measurements with the VLNDEF network, and integration of quasi-continuous trackers within the campaign network. By extending the array of bedrock sites southward, these measurements will cross gradients in predicted vertical motion due to viscoelastic rebound. The southward extension will also allow determination of the southern limit of the active Terror Rift and will provide a better baseline for constraints on any ongoing tectonic displacements across the West Antarctic rift system as a whole that might be possible using GPS data collected by the West Antarctic GPS Network. This project will also investigate unique aspects of GPS geodesy in Antarctica to determine how the error spectrum compares to mid-latitude regions and to identify the optimum measurement and data processing schemes for Antarctic conditions. The geodetic research will improve position accuracies within our network and will also yield general recommendations for deformation monitoring networks in polar regions.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eAn education and outreach program is planned and will be targeted at non-science-major undergraduate students taking Earth System Science at Ohio State University. The objective will be to illuminate the research process for nonscientists. This effort will educate students on the process of science and inform them about Antarctica and how it relates to global science issues.", "east": 169.4, "geometry": "POINT(161.1165 -78.325)", "instruments": "EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e POSITIONING/NAVIGATION \u003e GPS \u003e GPS", "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "GPS", "locations": null, "north": -75.317, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Wilson, Terry", "platforms": "SPACE-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e NAVIGATION SATELLITES \u003e GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM (GPS) \u003e GPS", "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": -81.333, "title": "Collaborative Research: Transantarctic Mountains Deformation Network: GPS Measurements of Neotectonic Motion in the Antarctic Interior", "uid": "p0000574", "west": 152.833}, {"awards": "0538195 Marone, Chris", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-147.75896 -61.77943,-147.758362 -61.77943,-147.757764 -61.77943,-147.757166 -61.77943,-147.756568 -61.77943,-147.75597 -61.77943,-147.755372 -61.77943,-147.754774 -61.77943,-147.754176 -61.77943,-147.753578 -61.77943,-147.75298 -61.77943,-147.75298 -61.779665,-147.75298 -61.7799,-147.75298 -61.780135,-147.75298 -61.78037,-147.75298 -61.780605,-147.75298 -61.78084,-147.75298 -61.781075,-147.75298 -61.78131,-147.75298 -61.781545,-147.75298 -61.78178,-147.753578 -61.78178,-147.754176 -61.78178,-147.754774 -61.78178,-147.755372 -61.78178,-147.75597 -61.78178,-147.756568 -61.78178,-147.757166 -61.78178,-147.757764 -61.78178,-147.758362 -61.78178,-147.75896 -61.78178,-147.75896 -61.781545,-147.75896 -61.78131,-147.75896 -61.781075,-147.75896 -61.78084,-147.75896 -61.780605,-147.75896 -61.78037,-147.75896 -61.780135,-147.75896 -61.7799,-147.75896 -61.779665,-147.75896 -61.77943))", "dataset_titles": "Laboratory Study of Stick-Slip Behavior and Deformation Mechanics of Subglacial Till", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "600054", "doi": "10.15784/600054", "keywords": "Antarctica; Glacial Till; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Lab Experiment; Marine Sediments; Physical Properties; Solid Earth", "people": "Marone, Chris; Anandakrishnan, Sridhar", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Laboratory Study of Stick-Slip Behavior and Deformation Mechanics of Subglacial Till", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/600054"}, {"dataset_uid": "609460", "doi": "10.7265/N5WH2MX7", "keywords": "Geology/Geophysics - Other; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Shear Stress; Solid Earth; Strain", "people": "Anandakrishnan, Sridhar; Marone, Chris", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Laboratory Study of Stick-Slip Behavior and Deformation Mechanics of Subglacial Till", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/609460"}], "date_created": "Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "0538195\u003cbr/\u003eMarone\u003cbr/\u003eThis award supports a project to conduct laboratory experiments and numerical modeling to determine the constitutive properties of subglacial till under dynamic stressing and to test the hypothesis that granular properties of till are sufficient, when coupled elastically to a large ice stream, to reproduce the field observations of triggered slip and subglacial seismicity. Testing will be carried out in a servo-controlled biaxial shear device under controlled temperature and stress conditions, which will allow both sliding and microstructural processes to be studied in detail. The main focus of the work will be on laboratory measurements. In addition, we will construct continuum models to evaluate whether our results can predict complex ice sheet motions and observed characteristics of subglacial seismicity. In terms of broader impacts, the proposed work will encourage interactions between the rock-mechanics and glaciology communities and will bring together members of different scientific backgrounds and vocabularies, but similar problems and data. The project will train undergraduate and graduate students at Penn State University and the scientists involved plan to give presentations to grade school classes, scout groups, and at community open houses. Results will be presented at professional meetings and will be published in a timely manner. The work will result in a better understanding of glacial motion and the physics of earthquake slip, which is essential for understanding ice sheet dynamics and earthquake hazard.", "east": -147.75298, "geometry": "POINT(-147.75597 -61.780605)", "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PRESSURE/HEIGHT METERS \u003e PRESSURE TRANSDUCERS", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Subglacial Observations; Laboratory Investigation; LABORATORY; Subglacial", "locations": null, "north": -61.77943, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Marone, Chris; Anandakrishnan, Sridhar", "platforms": "OTHER \u003e PHYSICAL MODELS \u003e LABORATORY", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -61.78178, "title": "Laboratory Study of Stick-Slip Behavior and Deformation Mechanics of Subglacial Till", "uid": "p0000554", "west": -147.75896}, {"awards": "9319379 Blankenship, Donald; 9911617 Blankenship, Donald", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": "Antarctic Aerogeophysics Data; Antarctic Subglacial Lake Classification Inventory; RBG - Robb Glacier Survey; SOAR-Lake Vostok Survey airborne radar data; SOAR-Lake Vostok Survey bed elevation data; SOAR-Lake Vostok Survey Gravity data; SOAR-Lake Vostok Survey ice thickness data; SOAR-Lake Vostok survey magnetic anomaly data; SOAR-Lake Vostok Survey surface elevation data", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601604", "doi": "10.15784/601604", "keywords": "Airborne Radar; Antarctica; Bed Elevation; Geophysics; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Ice Surface Elevation; Ice Thickness; Robb Glacier; Transantarctic Mountains", "people": "Buck, W. Roger; Blankenship, Donald D.; Young, Duncan A.; Bell, Robin", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "RBG - Robb Glacier Survey", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601604"}, {"dataset_uid": "601296", "doi": " 10.1594/IEDA/306564", "keywords": "Airborne Magnetic; Airplane; Antarctica; East Antarctica; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Lake Vostok; Magnetic; Magnetic Anomaly; Magnetometer; Potential Field; SOAR; Solid Earth", "people": "Studinger, Michael S.; Bell, Robin", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "SOAR-Lake Vostok survey magnetic anomaly data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601296"}, {"dataset_uid": "601295", "doi": "10.1594/IEDA/306563", "keywords": "Airborne Gravity; Airplane; Antarctica; East Antarctica; Free Air Gravity; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Gravimeter; Gravity; Lake Vostok; Potential Field; Solid Earth", "people": "Studinger, Michael S.; Bell, Robin", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "SOAR-Lake Vostok Survey Gravity data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601295"}, {"dataset_uid": "601299", "doi": "10.1594/IEDA/306565", "keywords": "Airborne Laser Altimeters; Airborne Laser Altimetry; Airborne Radar; Airplane; Antarctica; Bed Elevation; Bedrock Elevation; Digital Elevation Model; East Antarctica; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Ice Sheet; Lake Vostok; Radar; Radar Echo Sounder; SOAR", "people": "Studinger, Michael S.; Bell, Robin", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "SOAR-Lake Vostok Survey bed elevation data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601299"}, {"dataset_uid": "609240", "doi": "", "keywords": "Airborne Radar; Antarctica; Geology/Geophysics - Other; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Navigation; Potential Field; SOAR; Solid Earth", "people": "Blankenship, Donald D.; Dalziel, Ian W.; Holt, John W.; Morse, David L.", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Antarctic Aerogeophysics Data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/609240"}, {"dataset_uid": "601300", "doi": "10.1594/IEDA/306568", "keywords": "Airborne Radar; Airplane; Antarctica; East Antarctica; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Lake Vostok; Navigation; Radar; SOAR; Subglacial Lakes", "people": "Studinger, Michael S.; Bell, Robin", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "SOAR-Lake Vostok Survey airborne radar data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601300"}, {"dataset_uid": "601298", "doi": "10.1594/IEDA/306566", "keywords": "Airborne Altimetry; Airborne Laser Altimeters; Airborne Radar; Airplane; Antarctica; East Antarctica; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Ice Sheet; Ice Sheet Elevation; Ice Surface; Lake Vostok; Radar Echo Sounder; SOAR; Surface Elevation", "people": "Studinger, Michael S.; Bell, Robin", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "SOAR-Lake Vostok Survey surface elevation data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601298"}, {"dataset_uid": "601297", "doi": "10.1594/IEDA/306567", "keywords": "Airborne Laser Altimeters; Airborne Radar; Airplane; Antarctica; East Antarctica; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Ice; Ice Sheet; Ice Stratigraphy; Ice Thickness; Ice Thickness Distribution; Lake Vostok; Radar; Radar Altimetry; Radar Echo Sounder; SOAR; Subglacial Lake", "people": "Bell, Robin; Studinger, Michael S.", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "SOAR-Lake Vostok Survey ice thickness data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601297"}, {"dataset_uid": "609336", "doi": "10.7265/N5CN71VX", "keywords": "Antarctica; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Subglacial Lake", "people": "Carter, Sasha P.; Holt, John W.; Blankenship, Donald D.", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Antarctic Subglacial Lake Classification Inventory", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/609336"}], "date_created": "Fri, 06 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "9911617\u003cbr/\u003eBlankenship\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThis award, provided jointly by the Antarctic Geology and Geophysics Program, the Antarctic Glaciology Program, and the Polar Research Support Section of the Office of Polar Programs, provides funds for continuation of the Support Office for Aerogeophysical Research (SOAR). From July 1994 to July 2000, SOAR served as a facility to accomplish aerogeophysical research in Antarctica under an agreement between the University of Texas at Austin and the National Science Foundation\u0027s Office of Polar Programs (NSF/OPP). SOAR operated and maintained an aerogeophysical instrument package that consists of an ice-penetrating radar sounder, a laser altimeter, a gravimeter and a magnetometer that are tightly integrated with each other as well as with the aircraft\u0027s avionics and power packages. An array of aircraft and ground-based GPS receivers supported kinematic differential positioning using carrier-phase observations. SOAR activities included: developing aerogeophysical research projects with NSF/OPP investigators; upgrading of the aerogeophysical instrumentation package to accommodate new science projects and advances in technology; fielding this instrument package to accomplish SOAR-developed projects; and management, reduction, and analysis of the acquired aerogeophysical data. In pursuit of 9 NSF-OPP funded aerogeophysical research projects (involving 14 investigators from 9 institutions), SOAR carried out six field campaigns over a six-year period and accomplished approximately 200,000 line kilometers of aerogeophysical surveying over both East and West Antarctica in 377 flights.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThis award supports SOAR to undertake a one year and 8 month program of aerogeophysical activities that are consistent with continuing U.S. support for geophysical research in Antarctica. \u003cbr/\u003e- SOAR will conduct an aerogeophysical campaign during the 200/01 austral summer to accomplish surveys for two SOAR-developed projects: \"Understanding the Boundary Conditions of the Lake Vostok Environment: A Site Survey for Future Studies\" (Co-PI\u0027s Bell and Studinger, LDEO); and \"Collaborative Research: Seismic Investigation of the Deep Continental Structure Across the East-West Antarctic Boundary\" (Co-PI\u0027s Weins, Washington U. and Anandakrishnan, U. Alabama). After configuration and testing of the survey aircraft in McMurdo, SOAR will conduct survey flights from an NSF-supported base adjacent to the Russian Station above Lake Vostok and briefly occupy one or two remote bases on the East Antarctic ice sheet.\u003cbr/\u003e- SOAR will reduce these aerogeophysical data and produce profiles and maps of surface elevation, bed elevation, gravity and magnetic field intensity. These results will be provided to the respective project investigators within nine months of conclusion of field activities. We will also submit a technical manuscript that describes these results to a refereed scientific journal and distribute these results to appropriate national geophysical data centers within approximately 24 months of completion of field activities.\u003cbr/\u003e- SOAR will standardize all previously reduced SOAR data products and transfer them to the appropriate national geophysical data centers by the end of this grant.\u003cbr/\u003e- SOAR will convene a workshop to establish a community consensus for future U.S. Antarctic aerogeophysical research. This workshop will be co-convened by Ian Dalziel and Richard Alley and will take place during the spring of 2001.\u003cbr/\u003e- SOAR will upgrade the existing SOAR in-field quality control procedures to serve as a web-based interface for efficient browsing of many low-level SOAR data streams.\u003cbr/\u003e- SOAR will repair and/or refurbish equipment that was used during the 2000/01 field campaign.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eSupport for SOAR is essential for accomplishing major geophysical investigations in Antarctica. Following data interpretation by the science teams, these data will provide valuable insights to the structure and evolution of the Antarctic continent.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": "EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e IMAGING RADARS \u003e IMAGING RADAR SYSTEMS; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e RADAR SOUNDERS \u003e RADAR; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e MAGNETIC/MOTION SENSORS \u003e GRAVIMETERS \u003e GRAVIMETERS; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e LIDAR/LASER SOUNDERS \u003e LIDAR; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e MAGNETIC FIELD/ELECTRIC FIELD INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROTON MAGNETOMETER", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Ice Sheet; Ice Sheet Elevation; Surface Winds; Snow Temperature; Atmospheric Pressure; Antarctic; West Antarctic Ice Sheet; Surface Temperature Measurements; FIELD INVESTIGATION; Surface Wind Speed Measurements; Subglacial Topography; Atmospheric Humidity Measurements; Not provided; Aerogeophysics; FIELD SURVEYS; GROUND STATIONS; Antarctica; SOAR; Snow Temperature Measurements; West Antarctica; Antarctic Ice Sheet; East Antarctic Plateau", "locations": "Antarctic; Antarctica; Antarctic Ice Sheet; West Antarctica; West Antarctic Ice Sheet; East Antarctic Plateau", "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology; Antarctic Glaciology; Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Carter, Sasha P.; Holt, John W.; Blankenship, Donald D.; Morse, David L.; Dalziel, Ian W.", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD INVESTIGATION; LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD SURVEYS; LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e PERMANENT LAND SITES \u003e GROUND STATIONS; Not provided", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Continuation of Activities for the Support Office for Aerogeophysical Research (SOAR)", "uid": "p0000125", "west": null}, {"awards": "0229546 MacAyeal, Douglas", "bounds_geometry": "POINT(-178 -78)", "dataset_titles": "collection of nascent rift images and description of station deployment; Continuous GPS (static) Data from the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica; Giant Icebergs of the Ross Sea, in situ Drift and Weather Measurements, Antarctica; Iceberg Firn Temperatures, Antarctica; Iceberg Harmonic Tremor, Seismometer Data, Antarctica; Iceberg Satellite imagery from stations and ice shelves (full data link not provided); Iceberg Tiltmeter Measurements, Antarctica; Ice Shelf Rift Time-Lapse Photography, Antarctica; Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology; Nascent Iceberg Webcam Images available during the deployment period; Ross Ice Shelf Firn Temperature, Antarctica; The files contain a short header (number of data samples, sample rate, start time, stop time, channel title)The time series data then follow the header above.; This site mirrors the NSIDC website archive.", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "001684", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "AMRDC", "science_program": null, "title": "This site mirrors the NSIDC website archive.", "url": "http://uwamrc.ssec.wisc.edu/"}, {"dataset_uid": "002568", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "Project website", "science_program": null, "title": "Iceberg Satellite imagery from stations and ice shelves (full data link not provided)", "url": "http://amrc.ssec.wisc.edu/"}, {"dataset_uid": "609347", "doi": "10.7265/N57W694M", "keywords": "Antarctica; Geodesy; Geology/Geophysics - Other; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; GPS; Ross Ice Shelf; Southern Ocean", "people": "King, Matthew; MacAyeal, Douglas; Brunt, Kelly", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Continuous GPS (static) Data from the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/609347"}, {"dataset_uid": "002504", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "Project website", "science_program": null, "title": "Nascent Iceberg Webcam Images available during the deployment period", "url": "https://amrc.ssec.wisc.edu/data/iceberg.html"}, {"dataset_uid": "001639", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "Project website", "science_program": null, "title": "collection of nascent rift images and description of station deployment", "url": "http://thistle.org/nascent/index.shtml"}, {"dataset_uid": "609354", "doi": "10.7265/N5BP00Q3", "keywords": "Antarctica; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Ross Ice Shelf; Snow/ice; Snow/Ice; Temperature", "people": "Sergienko, Olga; MacAyeal, Douglas; Muto, Atsu; Scambos, Ted", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Ross Ice Shelf Firn Temperature, Antarctica", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/609354"}, {"dataset_uid": "609353", "doi": "10.7265/N5GF0RFF", "keywords": "Glaciology; Iceberg; Oceans; Ross Ice Shelf; Sea Ice; Southern Ocean; Tiltmeter", "people": "MacAyeal, Douglas; Bliss, Andrew; Kim, Young-Jin", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Iceberg Tiltmeter Measurements, Antarctica", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/609353"}, {"dataset_uid": "609352", "doi": "10.7265/N5M61H55", "keywords": "Glaciology; Iceberg; Oceans; Ross Ice Shelf; Sea Ice; Snow/ice; Snow/Ice; Southern Ocean; Temperature", "people": "Sergienko, Olga; MacAyeal, Douglas; Thom, Jonathan", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Iceberg Firn Temperatures, Antarctica", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/609352"}, {"dataset_uid": "609349", "doi": "10.7265/N5445JD6", "keywords": "Geology/Geophysics - Other; Glaciology; Iceberg; Oceans; Ross Sea; Sea Ice; Seismometer; Southern Ocean", "people": "Okal, Emile; Bassis, Jeremy; Aster, Richard; MacAyeal, Douglas", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Iceberg Harmonic Tremor, Seismometer Data, Antarctica", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/609349"}, {"dataset_uid": "001598", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "NSIDC", "science_program": null, "title": "The files contain a short header (number of data samples, sample rate, start time, stop time, channel title)The time series data then follow the header above.", "url": "http://nsidc.org"}, {"dataset_uid": "609351", "doi": "10.7265/N5QV3JGV", "keywords": "Antarctica; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Photo/video; Photo/Video; Ross Ice Shelf", "people": "Brunt, Kelly; MacAyeal, Douglas", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Ice Shelf Rift Time-Lapse Photography, Antarctica", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/609351"}, {"dataset_uid": "609350", "doi": "10.7265/N5VM496K", "keywords": "AWS; Glaciology; GPS; Iceberg; Meteorology; Oceans; Ross Sea; Sea Ice; Southern Ocean; Weatherstation", "people": "Aster, Richard; MacAyeal, Douglas; Okal, Emile; Bassis, Jeremy", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Giant Icebergs of the Ross Sea, in situ Drift and Weather Measurements, Antarctica", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/609350"}, {"dataset_uid": "001685", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "IRIS", "science_program": null, "title": "Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology", "url": "http://www.iris.edu/data/sources.htm"}], "date_created": "Fri, 19 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award supports the study of the drift and break-up of Earth\u0027s largest icebergs, which were recently released into the Ross Sea of Antarctica as a result of calving from the Ross Ice Shelf. The scientific goals of the study are to determine the physics of iceberg motion within the dynamic context of ocean currents, winds, and sea ice, which determine the forces that drive iceberg motion, and the relationship between the iceberg and geographically and topographically determined pinning points on which the iceberg can ground. In addition, the processes by which icebergs influence the local environments (e.g., sea ice conditions near Antarctica, access to penguin rookeries, air-sea heat exchange and upwelling at iceberg margins, nutrient fluxes) will be studied. The processes by which icebergs generate globally far-reaching ocean acoustic signals that are detected within the global seismic (earthquake) sensing networks will also be studied. A featured element of the scientific research activity will be a field effort to deploy automatic weather stations, seismometer arrays and GPS-tracking stations on several of the largest icebergs presently adrift, or about to be adrift, in the Ross Sea. Data generated and relayed via satellite to home institutions in the Midwest will motivate theoretical analysis and computer simulation; and will be archived on an \"iceberg\" website (http://amrc.ssec.wisc.edu/amrc/iceberg.html) for access by scientists and the general public. At the most broad level, the study is justified by the fact that icebergs released by the Antarctic ice sheet represent the largest movements of fresh water within the natural environment (e.g., several of the icebergs to be studied, B15, C19 and others calved since 2000 CE, represent over 6000 cubic kilometers of fresh water-an amount roughly equivalent to 100 years of the flow of the Nile River). A better understanding of the impact of iceberg drift through the environment, and particularly the impact on ocean stratification and mixing, is essential to the understanding of the abrupt global climate changes witnessed by proxy during the ice age and of concern under conditions of future greenhouse warming. On a more specific level, the study will generate a knowledge base useful for the better management of Antarctic logistical resources (e.g., the shipping lanes to McMurdo Station) that can occasionally be influenced by adverse effects icebergs have on sea ice conditions.", "east": -178.0, "geometry": "POINT(-178 -78)", "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e RECORDERS/LOGGERS \u003e AWS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e TEMPERATURE/HUMIDITY SENSORS \u003e THERMISTORS \u003e THERMISTORS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e TEMPERATURE/HUMIDITY SENSORS \u003e HUMIDITY SENSORS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e TEMPERATURE/HUMIDITY SENSORS \u003e TEMPERATURE SENSORS; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e POSITIONING/NAVIGATION \u003e GPS \u003e GPS RECEIVERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e MAGNETIC/MOTION SENSORS \u003e SEISMOMETERS \u003e SEISMOMETERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e RECORDERS/LOGGERS \u003e MMS; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e PHOTON/OPTICAL DETECTORS \u003e CAMERAS \u003e CAMERAS; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e PHOTON/OPTICAL DETECTORS \u003e CAMERAS \u003e CAMERAS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e MAGNETIC/MOTION SENSORS \u003e SEISMOMETERS \u003e SEISMOMETERS; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e POSITIONING/NAVIGATION \u003e GPS \u003e GPS; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e POSITIONING/NAVIGATION \u003e GPS \u003e GPS RECEIVERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e RECORDERS/LOGGERS \u003e TEMPERATURE LOGGERS; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e TEMPERATURE PROFILERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e TEMPERATURE/HUMIDITY SENSORS \u003e TEMPERATURE SENSORS", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "SEISMOLOGICAL STATIONS; Pressure; AWS; Velocity Measurements; Firn Temperature Measurements; Ice Velocity; Seismology; Ice Sheet Elevation; Harmonic Tremor; Ice Shelf Temperature; Wind Speed; Iceberg; Ice Surface Elevation; Non-Volcanic Tremor; Not provided; Antarctic; Iceberg Tremor; Solar Radiation; Antarctic Ice Sheet; Ross Ice Shelf; Elevation; GPS; Temperature Profiles; Ice Shelf Rift Camera; GROUND STATIONS; Latitude; GROUND-BASED OBSERVATIONS; Ice Shelf Weather; FIELD INVESTIGATION; ARWS; Surface Elevation; Ice Shelf Flow; Antarctica; FIELD SURVEYS; Camera; Seismometer; Iceberg Weather (aws); Ice Movement; Photo; Wind Direction; Iceberg Snow Accumulation; Tremor And Slow Slip Events; AWS Climate Data; Location; Iceberg Drift; Iceberg Collisions; Iceberg Tilt; Atmospheric Pressure; Iceberg Seismicity; Firn Temperature", "locations": "Antarctic; Antarctica; Antarctic Ice Sheet; Ross Ice Shelf", "north": -78.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Okal, Emile; Aster, Richard; Bassis, Jeremy; Kim, Young-Jin; Bliss, Andrew; Sergienko, Olga; Thom, Jonathan; Scambos, Ted; Muto, Atsu; Brunt, Kelly; King, Matthew; Parker, Tim; Okal, Marianne; Cathles, Mac; MacAyeal, Douglas", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD INVESTIGATION; LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD SURVEYS; LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e PERMANENT LAND SITES \u003e ARWS; LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e PERMANENT LAND SITES \u003e GROUND-BASED OBSERVATIONS; LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e PERMANENT LAND SITES \u003e GROUND STATIONS; LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e PERMANENT LAND SITES \u003e SEISMOLOGICAL STATIONS; Not provided; SPACE-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e NAVIGATION SATELLITES \u003e GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM (GPS) \u003e GPS", "repo": "AMRDC", "repositories": "AMRDC; IRIS; NSIDC; Project website; USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -78.0, "title": "Collaborative Research of Earth\u0027s Largest Icebergs", "uid": "p0000117", "west": -178.0}, {"awards": "0233823 Fountain, Andrew; 0230338 Hallet, Bernard", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((162.132 -77.73,162.1495 -77.73,162.167 -77.73,162.1845 -77.73,162.202 -77.73,162.2195 -77.73,162.237 -77.73,162.2545 -77.73,162.272 -77.73,162.2895 -77.73,162.307 -77.73,162.307 -77.7303,162.307 -77.7306,162.307 -77.7309,162.307 -77.7312,162.307 -77.7315,162.307 -77.7318,162.307 -77.7321,162.307 -77.7324,162.307 -77.7327,162.307 -77.733,162.2895 -77.733,162.272 -77.733,162.2545 -77.733,162.237 -77.733,162.2195 -77.733,162.202 -77.733,162.1845 -77.733,162.167 -77.733,162.1495 -77.733,162.132 -77.733,162.132 -77.7327,162.132 -77.7324,162.132 -77.7321,162.132 -77.7318,162.132 -77.7315,162.132 -77.7312,162.132 -77.7309,162.132 -77.7306,162.132 -77.7303,162.132 -77.73))", "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Wed, 02 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award supports a comprehensive study of land-based polar ice cliffs. Through field measurements, modeling, and remote sensing, the physics underlying the formation of ice cliffs at the margin of Taylor Glacier in the McMurdo Dry Valleys will be investigated. At three sites, measurements of ice deformation and temperature fields near the cliff face will be combined with existing energy balance data to quantify ice-cliff evolution over one full seasonal cycle. In addition, a small seismic network will monitor local \"ice quakes\" associated with calving events. Numerical modeling, validated by the field data, will enable determination of the sensitivity of ice cliff evolution to environmental variables. There are both local and global motivations for studying the ice cliffs of Taylor Glacier. On a global scale, this work will provide insight into the fundamental processes of calving and glacier terminus A better grasp of ice cliff processes will also improve boundary conditions required for predicting glaciers\u0027 response to climate change. Locally, the Taylor Glacier is an important component of the McMurdo Dry Valleys landscape and the results of this study will aid in defining ecologically-important sources of glacial meltwater and will lead to a better understanding of moraine formation at polar ice cliffs. This study will help launch the career of a female scientist, will support one graduate student, and provide experiential learning experiences for two undergraduates. The post-doctoral researcher will also use this research in the curriculum of a wilderness science experiential education program for high school girls.", "east": 162.307, "geometry": "POINT(162.2195 -77.7315)", "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e TEMPERATURE/HUMIDITY SENSORS \u003e THERMOCOUPLES \u003e THERMOCOUPLES; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e POSITIONING/NAVIGATION \u003e GPS \u003e GPS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e MAGNETIC/MOTION SENSORS \u003e SEISMOMETERS \u003e SEISMOMETERS; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e RADAR SOUNDERS \u003e GPR; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e RECORDERS/LOGGERS \u003e AWS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PRESSURE/HEIGHT METERS \u003e SURVEYING TOOLS", "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "SEISMOLOGICAL STATIONS; Ice Quakes; Ice Cliffs; Not provided; Taylor Glacier; FIELD SURVEYS; Remote Sensing; GROUND-BASED OBSERVATIONS; Modeling; Ice Deformation; Glacial Meltwater; FIELD INVESTIGATION; McMurdo Dry Valleys", "locations": "McMurdo Dry Valleys; Taylor Glacier", "north": -77.73, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology; Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Pettit, Erin; Hallet, Bernard; Fountain, Andrew", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD INVESTIGATION; LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD SURVEYS; LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e PERMANENT LAND SITES \u003e GROUND-BASED OBSERVATIONS; LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e PERMANENT LAND SITES \u003e SEISMOLOGICAL STATIONS; Not provided", "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": -77.733, "title": "Collaborative Research: Mechanics of Dry-Land Calving of Ice Cliffs", "uid": "p0000721", "west": 162.132}, {"awards": "0229629 Anandakrishnan, Sridhar", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-165 -82,-161.5 -82,-158 -82,-154.5 -82,-151 -82,-147.5 -82,-144 -82,-140.5 -82,-137 -82,-133.5 -82,-130 -82,-130 -82.2,-130 -82.4,-130 -82.6,-130 -82.8,-130 -83,-130 -83.2,-130 -83.4,-130 -83.6,-130 -83.8,-130 -84,-133.5 -84,-137 -84,-140.5 -84,-144 -84,-147.5 -84,-151 -84,-154.5 -84,-158 -84,-161.5 -84,-165 -84,-165 -83.8,-165 -83.6,-165 -83.4,-165 -83.2,-165 -83,-165 -82.8,-165 -82.6,-165 -82.4,-165 -82.2,-165 -82))", "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Thu, 14 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award supports a project to investigate the new-found, startling sensitivity of two major West Antarctic ice streams to tidal oscillations to learn the extent and character of the effect and its ramifications for future ice-stream behavior. Ice streams D, C and Whillans (B) all show strong but distinct tidal signals. The ice plain of Whillans is usually stopped outright, forward motion being limited to two brief periods each day, at high tide and on the falling tide. Motion events propagate across the ice plain at seismic wave velocities. Near the mouth of D, tides cause a diurnal variation of about 50% in ice-stream speed that propagates upglacier more slowly than on Whillans, and seismic data show that C experiences even slower upglacier propagation of tidal signals. Tidal influences are observed more than 100 km upglacier on C, more than 40 km upglacier on D, and may be responsible for fluctuations in basal water pressure reported 400 km upstream on Whillans, nearly the full length of the ice stream. During the first year, the spatial extent of this behavior will be measured on Whillans Ice Stream and ice stream D by five coordinated seismic and GPS instrument packages at 100-km spacing on each ice stream. These packages will be deployed by Twin Otter at sites selected by review of satellite imagery and will operate autonomously through a combination of solar and battery power for two lunar cycles to study the sensitivity of the ice stream motion to spring and neap tides. Additionally, existing data sets will be examined further for clues to the mechanisms involved, and preliminary models will be developed to reconcile the seemingly contrasting behaviors observed on the ice streams. The second and third field seasons will examine in greater detail the tidal behavior of Whillans (year 2) and D (year 3). Work will especially focus on detailed study of at least one source area for events on Whillans, assuming that source areas inferred from preliminary data remain active. Vertical motions have not yet been detected, but differential GPS will increase our detection sensitivity. Seismic instrumentation will greatly increase temporal resolution and the ability to measure the propagation speed and any spatial heterogeneity. Modeling will be refined as more is learned from the field experiments. The project should yield numerous broader impacts. The improved knowledge of ice-stream behavior from this study will contribute to assessment of the potential for rapid ice-sheet change affecting global sea level with societal consequences. Results will be disseminated through scientific publication and talks at professional meetings, as well as contacts with the press, university classes taught by the PIs, visits to schools and community groups, and other activities. Two graduate students will be educated through the project.", "east": -130.0, "geometry": "POINT(-147.5 -83)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "Ice Stream; Tidal Motion; Vertical Motions; Seismic; West Antarctic; Ice Stream Motion; Global Sea Level; Modeling; Not provided", "locations": "West Antarctic", "north": -82.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Anandakrishnan, Sridhar; Alley, Richard; Voigt, Donald E.", "platforms": "Not provided", "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": -84.0, "title": "Collaborative Research: Tidal Modulation of Ice Stream Flow", "uid": "p0000075", "west": -165.0}, {"awards": "0337838 Fricker, Helen", "bounds_geometry": "POINT(71 -69.75)", "dataset_titles": "Access to data", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "001537", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "IRIS", "science_program": null, "title": "Access to data", "url": "http://www.iris.edu/data/data.htm"}], "date_created": "Fri, 27 Apr 2007 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award supports a comprehensive study of rift growth on the Amery Ice Shelf (AIS), East Antarctica, using a combination of in situ and remote sensing data with numerical modeling. On the AIS there is an opportunity to examine an active rift system, which is a combination of two longitudinal-to-flow rifts, which originated at the ice shelf front in the suture zones between merging flowbands, and two transverse-to-flow rifts, which formed at the tip of the western longitudinal rift around 1996. Work in progress indicates that these two transverse rifts do not propagate independently of each other, but somehow grow more or less synchronously. The longest of these rifts-the eastern one-grows at an average rate of about 8m per day. When it meets the eastern longitudinal rift, an event that is expected to occur during the funding period (mid-2006), an iceberg (~30 x 30 km) will calve. Based on observations collected over the past half century, there is reason to believe that such a calving event may be a part of a repetitive sequence. In the proposed project, the expansion and propagation of both transverse rifts will be studied using a network of GPS and seismometers deployed around the tip of each transverse rift. Once the iceberg has calved, the effects its calving has on the dynamics of the ice shelf and the activation of previously inactive rifts will also be studied. Insofar as the rate of calving activity is a proxy for local and regional climate conditions, a broader impact of the proposed work is directly related to the socio-environmental topics of climate and sea-level change. The subject of iceberg calving has a history of sparking a great deal of interest from the media and the public alike, especially since the recent large calving events from the Ross and Ronne ice shelves and the remarkably sudden break-up of the Larsen Ice Shelf. The work will involve at least one graduate student, and will involve a partnership with a local charter high school. Field work, instrument deployments, and data collection and analysis will be conducted in close collaboration with the Australian Antarctic Division and the University of Tasmania, which has been a crucial component of research conducted to date. This project will also make use of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography Visualization Center as a means to display results to faculty and researchers of the University of California, San Diego, undergraduate and graduate students, to school children and their teachers, and ultimately to the visiting public.", "east": 71.0, "geometry": "POINT(71 -69.75)", "instruments": "EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e POSITIONING/NAVIGATION \u003e GPS \u003e GPS RECEIVERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e MAGNETIC/MOTION SENSORS \u003e SEISMOMETERS \u003e SEISMOMETERS", "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "Not provided; Geodesy; Seismic", "locations": null, "north": -69.75, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Fricker, Helen; Minster, Jean-Bernard", "platforms": "Not provided", "repo": "IRIS", "repositories": "IRIS", "science_programs": null, "south": -69.75, "title": "Monitoring an Active Rift System at the Front of Amery Ice Shelf, East Antarctica", "uid": "p0000668", "west": 71.0}, {"awards": "0538475 Bart, Philip", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-180 -75,-178 -75,-176 -75,-174 -75,-172 -75,-170 -75,-168 -75,-166 -75,-164 -75,-162 -75,-160 -75,-160 -75.3,-160 -75.6,-160 -75.9,-160 -76.2,-160 -76.5,-160 -76.8,-160 -77.1,-160 -77.4,-160 -77.7,-160 -78,-162 -78,-164 -78,-166 -78,-168 -78,-170 -78,-172 -78,-174 -78,-176 -78,-178 -78,-180 -78,-180 -77.7,-180 -77.4,-180 -77.1,-180 -76.8,-180 -76.5,-180 -76.2,-180 -75.9,-180 -75.6,-180 -75.3,-180 -75))", "dataset_titles": "NBP0802 and NBP0803 Sediment samples (full data link not provided); NBP0802 data; NBP0803 data", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "000138", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "AMGRF", "science_program": null, "title": "NBP0802 and NBP0803 Sediment samples (full data link not provided)", "url": "http://www.arf.fsu.edu/"}, {"dataset_uid": "000123", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "NBP0803 data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP0803"}, {"dataset_uid": "000122", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "NBP0802 data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP0802"}], "date_created": "Thu, 29 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This project determines the recent history of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) through a multidisciplinary study of the seabed in the Ross Sea of Antarctica. WAIS is perhaps the world\u0027s most critical ice sheet to sea level rise dut to near-future global warming. its history has been a key focus for the past decade, but there are significant questions as to whether WAIS was stable during the last glacial maximum--about 20,000 years ago--or undergoing advance and retreat. This project studies grounding zone translantions in Eastern Basin to constrain WAIS movements using a multidisciplinary approach that integrates multibeam bathymetry, seismic stratigraphy, sedimentology, diatom biostratigraphy, radiocarbon dating, 10Be concentration analyses, and numerical modeling.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThe broader impacts include improving society\u0027s understanding of sea level rise linked to global warming; postdoctoral, graduate, and undergraduate education; and expanding the participation of groups underrepresented in Earth sciences through links with LSU\u0027s Geoscience Alliance to Encourage Minority Participation.", "east": -160.0, "geometry": "POINT(-170 -76.5)", "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e CTD; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e MAGNETIC/MOTION SENSORS \u003e GRAVIMETERS \u003e GRAVIMETERS; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e POSITIONING/NAVIGATION \u003e GPS \u003e GPS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e ACOUSTIC SOUNDERS \u003e MSBS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e SEISMIC REFLECTION PROFILERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e WATERGUNS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e ACOUSTIC SOUNDERS \u003e MBES", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Ross Sea; R/V NBP; Ice Sheet; Last Glacial Maximum; Seismic Stratigraphy", "locations": "Ross Sea", "north": -75.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": "PHANEROZOIC \u003e CENOZOIC \u003e QUATERNARY", "persons": "Bart, Philip; Tomkin, Jonathan", "platforms": "WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V NBP", "repo": "AMGRF", "repositories": "AMGRF; R2R", "science_programs": null, "south": -78.0, "title": "WAIS grounding-zone migrations in Eastern Basin, Ross Sea and the LGM dilemma: New strategies to resolve the style and timing of outer continental shelf grounding events", "uid": "p0000539", "west": -180.0}, {"awards": "9814816 Blankenship, Donald", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-129 -80.5,-128.4 -80.5,-127.8 -80.5,-127.2 -80.5,-126.6 -80.5,-126 -80.5,-125.4 -80.5,-124.8 -80.5,-124.2 -80.5,-123.6 -80.5,-123 -80.5,-123 -80.55,-123 -80.6,-123 -80.65,-123 -80.7,-123 -80.75,-123 -80.8,-123 -80.85,-123 -80.9,-123 -80.95,-123 -81,-123.6 -81,-124.2 -81,-124.8 -81,-125.4 -81,-126 -81,-126.6 -81,-127.2 -81,-127.8 -81,-128.4 -81,-129 -81,-129 -80.95,-129 -80.9,-129 -80.85,-129 -80.8,-129 -80.75,-129 -80.7,-129 -80.65,-129 -80.6,-129 -80.55,-129 -80.5))", "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Tue, 13 Feb 2007 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "9814816\u003cbr/\u003eBlankenship\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThis award supports a four year project to develop of better understanding the ice streams of the Ross Sea Embayment (A--F) which drain the interior West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) by rapidly moving vast quantities of ice to the calving front of the Ross Ice Shelf. The project will examine the role of these ice streams as buffers between the interior ice and the floating ice shelves. The reasons for their fast flow, the factors controlling their current grounding-line-, margin-, and head-positions are crucial to any attempt at modeling the WAIS system and predicting the future of the ice sheet. For the Antarctic ice streams of the Siple Coast, the transition from no-sliding (or all internal deformation) to motion dominated by sliding is defined as the \"onset-region\". To fully understand (and adequately model) the WAIS, this onset region must be better understood. The lateral margins of the ice streams are also a transition that need better explanation. Hypotheses on controls of the location of the onset region range from the \"purely-glaciologic\" to the \"purely-geologic. Thus, to model the ice sheet accurately, the basal boundary conditions (roughness, wetness, till properties) and a good subglacial geologic map, showing the distribution, thickness, and properties of the sedimentary basins, are required. These parameters can be estimated from seismic, radar, and other geophysical methods. The transition region of ice stream D will be studied in detail with this coupled geophysical experiment. In addition, selected other locations on ice streams C \u0026 D will be made, to compare and contrast conditions with the main site on ice stream D. Site-selection for the main camp will be based on existing radar, GPS, and satellite data as well as input from the modeling community.", "east": -123.0, "geometry": "POINT(-126 -80.75)", "instruments": "EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e RADAR SOUNDERS \u003e GPR", "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": -80.5, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Blankenship, Donald D.", "platforms": "Not provided", "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": -81.0, "title": "Collaborative Research: Characterizing the Onset of Ice Stream Flow: A Ground Geophysical Field Program", "uid": "p0000603", "west": -129.0}, {"awards": "9222121 Dalziel, Ian", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": "Concentration and Isotopic Composition of O2 and N2 in Trapped Gases of the Vostok Ice Core", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "609107", "doi": "10.7265/N5862DCW", "keywords": "Antarctica; Chemistry:fluid; Chemistry:Fluid; Geochemistry; Glaciology; Ice Core Records; Lake Vostok; Paleoclimate; UPLC-Q-TOF; Vostok Ice Core", "people": "Bender, Michael", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Concentration and Isotopic Composition of O2 and N2 in Trapped Gases of the Vostok Ice Core", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/609107"}], "date_created": "Tue, 01 Jan 2002 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award supports an in situ and short traverse seismic reflection/refraction and magnetotelluric experiment in West Antarctica. This collaborative experiment involves four awards at four institutions. The four-fold purpose is 1) to investigate part of the Byrd Subglacial Basin, 2) to test techniques for this work that could be done in a long traverse, 3) to determine the viability of the magnetotelluric method on a thick (electrically resistive) ice sheet, and 4) to evaluate the relative merits of refraction with wide reflection versus reflection with narrow refraction seismic studies in imaging the lithosphere. The geophysical techniques that will be employed are capable of imaging the ice sheet, the continental lithosphere, and the upper mantle, as well as determining physical properties of parts of the lithosphere and mantle. Investigations of outcrop geology over the last thirty years in West Antarctica and the Transantarctic Mountains have lead to recent interpretations that the crust is made up of many different lithospheric blocks. Seismic reflection work is the only way to image the crust in detail and the refraction work is the only way to determine physical properties of the layers and blocks defined by the reflection work. The magnetotelluric work is scientifically risky because it may not yield useful information when used over the electrically resistive ice sheet; however, if it works it has the potential to image molten rock in the crust and upper mantle. In a continental rift region such as West Antarctica, the presence of melt in the lithosphere is likely and, if documented, has very important ramifications to ice sheet dynamics. Research work supported by this award is expected to provide constraints to models of a range of crustal processes from models of ice sheet dynamics to tectonic and kinematic models of lithospheric thinning and rifting.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e SPECTROMETERS/RADIOMETERS \u003e MASS SPECTROMETERS", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Isotope; Vostok; USAP-DC; Antarctica; Trapped Gases; Ice Core; Glaciology; Nitrogen; GROUND STATIONS", "locations": "Antarctica; Vostok", "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Bender, Michael; Dalziel, Ian W.", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e PERMANENT LAND SITES \u003e GROUND STATIONS", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Collaborative Research: Seismic Traverse of the Byrd Subglacial Basin-Field Test", "uid": "p0000150", "west": null}]
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Part 1: Nontechnical<br/> <br/>Unlike other locations on the globe Antarctica is not known for having large earthquakes and the remote nature and harsh conditions make it difficult to install and maintain seismometers for earthquake detection. Some researchers believe the lack of large earthquakes is due to the continent being surrounded by inactive tectonic margins. However, in the last two decades, scientists have discovered that more earthquakes occur in the interior of the continent than previously observed. This suggests that there are many earthquakes missing from historic earthquake catalogs. This study aims to find the missing earthquakes using novel earthquake detection and location techniques from seismic data collected from temporary and permanent seismic stations in Antarctica over the last 25 years. Locating these earthquakes will help understand if and where earthquakes are located in Antarctica and will help in planning future seismic deployments. As part of the project broader impacts, a field expedition with the Girls on Rock program will be conducted to teach high school age girls, and especially those from underrepresented backgrounds, data visualization techniques using scientific data. <br/> <br/>Part 2: Technical<br/> <br/>The spatial distribution of seismicity and the number of moderate magnitude earthquakes in Antarctica is not well-defined. The current catalog of earthquakes may be biased by uneven and sparse seismograph distribution on the continent. We will mine existing broadband seismic data from both permanent and temporary deployments to lower the earthquake detection threshold across Interior Antarctica, with a focus on tectonic earthquakes. The hypothesis is that Interior Antarctica has abundant moderate magnitude earthquakes, previously undetected. These earthquakes are likely collocated with major tectonic features such as the Transantarctic Mountains, the suspected Vostok collision zone, the West Antarctic Rift System, the crustal compositional boundary between East and West Antarctica, and the Cretaceous East Antarctic Rift. Previous seismic deployments have recorded earthquakes in the Antarctic interior, suggesting there are many earthquakes missing from the current catalog. We propose to use novel earthquake location techniques designed for automated detection and location using 25 years of continuous data archived at IRIS from PASSCAL experiments and permanent stations. The approach will use STA/LTA detectors on the first arrival P-wave to 90 degrees distance, Reverse Time Imaging to locate events, and beamforming at dense arrays strategically located on cratons for enhanced detection and location. The combination of detection and location techniques used in this work has not been used on teleseismic body waves, although similar methods have worked well for surface wave studies. If successful the project would provide an excellent training dataset for future scrutiny of newly discovered Antarctic seismicity with machine learning approaches and/or new targeted data collection. We plan to collaborate with Girls on Rock, a local and international organization committed to building a culturally diverse community in science, art, and wilderness exploration, in a summer field expedition and integrating computer coding into post-field scientific projects.<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
The evolution of surface and shallow subsurface meltwater across Antarctic ice shelves has important implications for their (in)stability, as demonstrated by the 2002 rapid collapse of the Larsen B Ice Shelf. It is vital to understand the causes of ice-shelf (in)stability because ice shelves buttress against the discharge of inland ice and therefore influence ice-sheet contributions to sea-level rise. Ice-shelf break-up may be triggered by stress variations associated with surface meltwater movement, ponding, and drainage. These variations may cause an ice shelf to flex and fracture. This four-year project will provide key geophysical observations to improve understanding of ice-shelf meltwater and its effects on (in)stability. The work will be conducted on the George VI Ice Shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula, where hundreds of surface lakes form each summer. <br/><br/>Over a 27-month period, global positioning systems, seismometers, water pressure transducers, automatic weather stations, and in-ice thermistor strings will be deployed to record ice shelf flexure, fracture seismicity, water depths, and surface and subsurface melting, respectively, in and around several surface lakes on the George VI Ice Shelf, within roughly 20 km of the British Antarctic Survey's Fossil Bluff Station. Field data will be used to validate and extend the team's approach to modelling ice-shelf flexure and stress, and possible "Larsen-B style" ice-shelf instability and break-up.<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
Satellite observations of Earth?s surface gravity and elevation changes indicate rapid melting of ice sheets in recent decades in northern Antarctica Peninsula and Amundsen Sea Embayment of West Antarctica. This rapid melting may lead to significant global sea level rise which is a major societal concern. Measurements from the Global Positioning System (GPS) show rapid land uplift in these regions as the ice sheets melt. When an ice sheet melts, the melt water flows to oceans, causing global sea level to rise. However, the sea level change at a given geographic location is also influenced by two other factors associated with the ice melting process: 1) the vertical motion of the land and 2) gravitational attraction. The vertical motion of the land is caused by the change of pressure force on the surface of the solid Earth. For example, the removal of ice mass reduces the pressure force on the land, leading to uplift of the land below the ice sheet, while the addition of water in oceans increases the pressure force on the seafloor, causing it to subside. The sea level always follows the equipotential surface of the gravity which changes as the mass on the Earth?s surface (e.g., the ice and water) or/and in its interiors (e.g., at the crust-mantle boundary) is redistributed. Additionally, the vertical motion of the land below an ice sheet has important effects on the evolution and stability of the ice sheet and may determine whether the ice sheet will rapidly collapse or gradually stabilize. The main goal of this project is to build an accurate and efficient computer model to study the displacement and deformation of the Antarctic crust and mantle in response to recent ice melting. The project will significantly improve existing and publicly available computer code, CitcomSVE. The horizontal and vertical components of the Earth?s surface displacement depends on mantle viscosity and elastic properties of the Earth. Although seismic imaging studies demonstrate that the Antarctica mantle is heterogeneous, most studies on the ice-melting induced deformation in Antarctica have assumed that mantle viscosity and elastic properties only vary with the depth due to computational limitations. In this project, the new computational method in CitcomSVE avoids such assumptions and makes it possible to include realistic 3-D mantle viscosity and elastic properties in computing the Antarctica crustal and mantle displacement. This project will interpret the GPS measurements of the surface displacements in northern Antarctica Peninsula and Amundsen Sea Embayment of West Antarctica and use the observations to place constraints on mantle viscosity and deformation mechanisms. The project will also seek to predict the future land displacement Antarctica, which will lead to a better understand of Antarctica ice sheets. Finally, the project has direct implications for the study of global sea level change and the dynamics of the Greenland ice sheet. Technical Description Glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) is important for understanding not only fundamental science questions including mantle viscosity, mantle convection and lithospheric deformation but also societally important questions of global sea-level change, polar ice melting, climate change, and groundwater hydrology. Studies of rock deformation in laboratory experiments, post-seismic deformation, and mantle dynamics indicate that mantle viscosity is temperature- and stress-dependent. Although the effects of stress-dependent (i.e., non-Newtonian) viscosity and transient creep rheology on GIA process have been studied, observational evidence remains elusive. There has been significant ice mass loss in recent decades in northern Antarctica Peninsula (NAP) and Amundsen Sea Embayment (ASE) of West Antarctica. The ice mass loss has caused rapid bedrock uplift as measured by GPS techniques which require surprisingly small upper mantle viscosity of ~1018 Pas. The rapid uplifts may have important feedback effects on ongoing ice melting because of their influence on grounding line migration, and the inferred small viscosity may have implications for mantle rheology and deformation on decadal time scales. The main objective of the project is to test hypotheses that the GPS observations in NAP and ASE regions are controlled by 3-D non-Newtonian or/and transient creep viscosity by developing new GIA modeling capability based on finite element package CitcomSVE. The project will carry out the following three tasks: Task 1 is to build GIA models for the NAP and ASE regions to examine the effects of 3-D temperature-dependent mantle viscosity on the surface displacements and to test hypothesis that the 3-D mantle viscosity improves the fit to the GPS observations. Task 2 is to test the hypothesis that non-Newtonian or/and transient creep rheology controls GIA process on decadal time scales by computing GIA models and comparing model predictions with GPS observations for the NAP and ASE regions. Task 3 is to implement transient creep (i.e., Burgers model) rheology into finite element package CitcomSVE for modeling the GIA process on global and regional scales and to make the package publicly available to the scientific community. The project will develop the first numerical GIA model with Burgers transient rheology and use the models to examine the effects of 3-D temperature-dependent viscosity, non-Newtonian viscosity and transient rheology on GIA-induced surface displacements in Antarctica. The project will model the unique GPS observations of unusually large displacement rates in the NAP and ASE regions to place constraints on mantle rheology and to distinguish between 3-D temperature-dependent, non-Newtonian and transient mantle viscosity. The project will expand the capability of the publicly available software package CitcomSVE for modeling viscoelastic deformation and tidal deformation on global and regional scales. The project will advance our understanding in lithospheric deformation and mantle rheology on decadal time scales, which helps predict grounding line migration and understand ice sheet stability in West Antarctica. The project will strengthen the open science practice by improving the publicly available code CitcomSVE at github.
The seaward motion of ice sheets and glaciers is primarily controlled by basal sliding below, and internal viscous flow within, ice masses. The latter of these—viscous flow—is dependent on various factors, including temperature, stress, grain size, and the alignment of ice crystals during flow to produce a crystal orientation fabric (COF). Historically, ice flow has been modeled using a constitutive equation, termed “Glen’s law”, that describes ice flow rate as a function of temperature and stress. Glen’s law was constrained under relatively high-stress conditions, and is often attributed to the motion of crystal defects within ice grains. More recently, however, grain boundary sliding (GBS) has been invoked as the rate-controlling process under low-stress, “superplastic” conditions. The grain boundary sliding hypothesis is contentious because GBS is not thought to produce a COF, whereas geophysical measurements and polar ice cores demonstrate strong COFs in polar ice masses. However, very few COF measurements have been conducted on ice samples subjected to superplastic flow conditions in the laboratory. In this project, the PI primarily seeks to measure the evolution of ice COF across the transition from superplastic to Glen-type creep. Results will be used to interrogate the role of superplastic GBS creep within polar ice masses, and thereby provide constraints on polar ice discharge models.
Polycrystalline ice samples with grain sizes ranging from 5 µm to 1000 µm will be fabricated and deformed in the PI’s laboratory at WHOI, using a 1-atm cryogenic axial-torsion apparatus. Experiments will be conducted at temperatures of −30°C to −10°C, and at a constant uniaxial strain rate of 10-7 s-1. Under these conditions, 5% to 99.99% of strain should be accommodated by superplastic, GBS-limited creep, depending on the sample grain size. The deformed samples will then be imaged using cryogenic electron backscatter diffraction (cryo-EBSD) and high-angular-resolution electron backscatter diffraction (HR-EBSD) to quantify COF, grain size, grain shape, and crystal defect (dislocation) densities, among other microstructural properties. These measurements will be used to decipher the rate-controlling mechanisms operating within different thermomechanical regimes, and resolve a long-standing debate over whether superplastic creep can produce a COF in ice. In addition to the polycrystal experiments, ice bicrystals will be fabricated and deformed to investigate the micromechanical behavior of individual grain boundaries under superplastic conditions. Ultimately, these results will be used to provide a microstructural toolbox for identifying superplastic creep using geophysical (e.g., seismic, radar) and glaciological (e.g., ice core) observations. This project will support one graduate student within the MIT-WHOI Joint Program, one or more undergraduate summer students, and a junior faculty member (the PI). In addition, the PI will host a workshop aimed at bringing together experimentalists, glaciologists, and ice modelers to facilitate cross-disciplinary knowledge sharing and collaborative problem solving.
Anandakrishnan/1643961<br/><br/>This award supports a project to study conditions under the Rutford Ice Stream, a large glacier that flows from the interior of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet to the Filchner Ronne Ice Shelf and then on to the ocean. The speed and volume of ice delivered to the ocean by this and similar glaciers is central to the question of sea-level change in the coming decades: if the volume of ice carried by Rutford to the ocean increases, then it will contribute to a rise in sea level. Numerical models of glacier flow that are used to forecast future conditions must include a component that accounts for the sliding of the ice over its bed. The sliding process is poorly modeled because of lack of detailed information about the bottom of glaciers, leading to increased uncertainty in the ice-flow models. Data from this project will provide such information. <br/><br/>During this project, in collaboration with researchers at the British Antarctic Survey, a detailed survey of the properties of the bed of Rutford Ice Stream will be carried out. These surveys include using seismic instruments (which are sensitive to naturally occurring earthquakes within glaciers--called icequakes) to monitor the distribution of those icequakes at the bed. The locations, size, and timing of icequakes are controlled by the properties of the bed such as porosity, water pressure, and stress. As part of this project, a hole will be drilled to the bed of the glacier to monitor water pressures and to extract a sample of the basal material. By comparing the pressure variations with icequake production, the properties of the basal material over a large area can be better determined. Those results will aid in the application of numerical models by informing their description of the sliding process. This award requires field work in Antarctica.<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2).
An important part of understanding future climate change is predicting changes in how fast the ice in Antarctica is moving. If ice flows more quickly towards the ocean, it will have a direct impact on sea level rise. One of the things that can influence the ice flow is the type of rock below the ice coverage in Antarctica. Sedimentary basins are large regions where sedimentary rocks accumulated in the past, often under ancient seas. It has been observed that where there are sediments below the ice, the ice can flow faster. This project seeks to understand what is below the ice and how the underlying rock influences the ice flow. Is it hard, crystalline rock? Is it a sedimentary basin? What is the relationship between sediments and ice flow? The answers to these questions will be addressed by using a combination of available data and geophysical methods. Information from well-known rock-types will be used to train the computer to recognize these features by using an application of artificial intelligence known as machine learning, which will help the characterization and identification of unknown sedimentary basins beneath the ice. The results of this project will be disseminated to a broad audience by holding workshops for teacher and students to explain our findings under the ice and to introduce the machine learning technique. Open-source codes used during this project will be made available for use in higher-level classrooms as well as in further studies.
To date, no comprehensive distribution of onshore and offshore sedimentary basins over Antarctica has been developed. A combination of large-scale datasets will be used to characterize known basins and identify new sedimentary basins to produce the first continent-wide mapping of sedimentary basins and provide improved basal parametrizations conditions that have the potential to support more realistic ice sheet models. Available geophysical compilations of data and the location of well-known sedimentary basins will be used to apply an ensemble machine learning algorithm. The machine learning algorithm will learn complex relationships by voting among a collection of randomized decision trees. The gravity signal related to sedimentary basins known from other (e.g. seismic) techniques will be evaluated and unknown basins from aerogravity data regression analyses will be proposed by calculating a gravity residual that reflects density inhomogeneities. The gravimetric sedimentary basins identified from the regression analyses will be compared with an independent method of identifying sedimentary distribution, the Werner deconvolution method of estimating depth to magnetic sources. The hypothesis, which is sedimentary basins are correlated to fast ice flow behavior, will be tested by comparing the location of the sedimentary basins with locations of high ice flow by using available ice velocity observations. A relationship between sedimentary basins and ice streams will be defined qualitatively and quantitatively, aiming to evaluate if there are ice streams where no sedimentary basins are reported, or sedimentary basins with no ice streams related. The findings of these project can confirm if the presence of abundant sediments is a pre-requisite for ice streaming. Analyzing previously known sedimentary basins and identifying new ones in Antarctica is central to evaluating the influence of subglacial sediments on the ice sheet flow.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
The western portion of the Antarctic continent is active in terms of plate tectonic processes that can produce significant variations in the Earth's mantle temperature as well as partial melting of the mantle. In addition to these internal processes, the ice sheet in western Antarctica is melting due to Earth's warming climate and adding water to the ocean. These changes in ice mass cause adjustments in rocks within the Earth's crust, allowing the surface to rebound in some locations and fall in others, altering the geographical pattern of sea-level change. However, the solid Earth response depends strongly on the strength of the rocks at a wide range of timescales which is not well-known and varies with temperature and other rock properties. This project has three primary goals. (1) It will assess how processes such as rifting, mantle upwelling and lithospheric instability have altered the lithosphere and underlying asthenosphere of western Antarctica, contributing to a planet-wide understanding of these processes. (2) It will use new measurements of mantle and crust properties to estimate the rate at which heat from the solid Earth flows into the base of the ice, which is important for modeling the rates at which the ice melts and flows. (3) It will places bounds on mantle viscosity, which is key for modeling the interaction of the solid Earth with changing ice and water masses and their implications for sea-level rise. To accomplish these goals, new resolution of crust and mantle structure will be obtained by analyzing seismic waves from distant earthquakes that have been recorded at numerous seismic stations in Antarctica. These analyses will include new combinations of seismic wave data that provide complementary information about mantle temperature, heat flow and viscosity. <br><br>Technical Description: This research addresses key questions about mantle processes and properties in western Antarctica. What are the relative impacts of rifting, mantle plumes, and lithospheric delamination in the evolution of the lithosphere and asthenosphere? Where is topography isostatically compensated, and where are dynamic processes such as plate flexure or tractions from 3-D mantle flow required? What are the bounds on heat flow and mantle viscosity, which represent important inputs to models of ice sheet evolution and its feedback from the solid Earth? To address these questions, this project will measure mantle and crust properties using seismic tools that have not yet been applied in Antarctica: regional-scale measurement of mantle attenuation from surface waves; Sp body wave phases to image mantle velocity gradients such as the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary; and surface wave amplification and ellipticity. The resulting models of seismic attenuation and velocity will be jointly interpreted to shed new light on temperature, bulk composition, volatile content, and partial melt, using a range of laboratory-derived constitutive laws, while considering data from mantle xenoliths. To test the relative roles of rifting, mantle plumes, and delamination, and to assess isostatic support for Antarctic topography, the predictions of these processes will be compared to the new models of crust and mantle properties. To improve bounds on western Antarctic heat flow, seismic attenuation and velocity will be used in empirical comparisons and in direct modeling of vertical temperature gradients. To better measure mantle viscosity at the timescales of glacial isostatic adjustment, frequency-dependent viscosity will be estimated from the inferred mantle conditions. <br><br>This project will contribute to the education and career development of a Brown University Ph.D. student, Brown undergraduates, and undergraduates from outside the university who will be involved through the Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences (DEEPS) Leadership Alliance NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Site which focuses on geoscience summer research experiences for underrepresented students. The project will be the basis for a seminar at Brown that explores the connections between the solid Earth and cryosphere in Antarctica and will contribute to outreach in local public elementary and high schools.
The thermochemical structure of the lithosphere beneath Antarctica is fundamental for understanding the geological evolution of the continent and its relationship to surrounding Gondwana continents. In addition, the thermal structure controls the solid earth response to glacial unloading, with important implications for ice sheet models and the future of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. However, it is challenging to get an accurate picture of temperature and composition from only sparse petrological/geochemical analysis, and most previous attempts to solve this problem geophysically have relied on seismic or gravity data alone. Here, we propose to use a probabilistic joint inversion (high resolution regional seismic data, satellite gravity data, topography) and petrological modelling approach to determine the 3D thermochemical structure of the mantle. The inversion will be carried out using a Markov-chain Bayesian Monte Carlo methodology, providing quantitative estimates of uncertainties. Mapping the 3-D thermochemical structure (thermal and composition) will provide a comprehensive view of the horizontal (50-100 km resolution) and vertical (from the surface down to 380 km) variations. This new model will give us the temperature variation from the surface down to 380 km and the degree of depletion of the lithospheric mantle and the sub-lithospheric mantle. This new model will also be compared to recent models of Gondwana terranes 200 Myrs to build a new model of the thermochemical evolution of the cratonic mantle. The new thermal and chemical structures can be used to better understand the geothermal heat flux beneath the ice sheet as well as improve glacial isostatic adjustment and ice sheet models.
ANDRILL is a scientific drilling program to investigate Antarctica's role in global climate change over the last sixty million years. The approach integrates geophysical surveys, new drilling technology, multidisciplinary core analysis, and ice sheet modeling to address four scientific themes: (1) the history of Antarctica's climate and ice sheets; (2) the evolution of polar biota and ecosystems; (3) the timing and nature of major tectonic and volcanic episodes; and (4) the role of Antarctica in the Earth's ocean-climate system. <br/><br/>This award initiates what may become a long-term program with drilling of two previously inaccessible sediment records beneath the McMurdo Ice Shelf and in South McMurdo Sound. These stratigraphic records cover critical time periods in the development of Antarctica's major ice sheets. The McMurdo Ice Shelf site focuses on the Ross Ice Shelf, whose size is a sensitive indicator of global climate change. It has recently undergone major calving events, and there is evidence of a thousand-kilometer contraction since the last glacial maximum. As a generator of cold bottom water, the shelf may also play a key role in ocean circulation. The core obtained from this site will also offer insight into sub-ice shelf sedimentary, biologic, and oceanographic processes; the history of Ross Island volcanism; and the flexural response of the lithosphere to volcanic loading, which is important for geophysical and tectonic studies of the region.<br/><br/>The South McMurdo Sound site is located adjacent to the Dry Valleys, and focuses on the major ice sheet overlying East Antarctica. A debate persists regarding the stability of this ice sheet. Evidence from the Dry Valleys supports contradictory conclusions; a stable ice sheet for at least the last fifteen million years or an active ice sheet that cycled through expansions and contractions as recently as a few millions of years ago. Constraining this history is critical to deep-time models of global climate change. The sediment cores will be used to construct an overall glacial and interglacial history for the region; including documentation of sea-ice coverage, sea level, terrestrial vegetation, and melt-water discharge events. The core will also provide a general chronostratigraphic framework for regional seismic studies and help unravel the area's complex tectonic history.<br/><br/>The broader impacts of this project include formal and informal education, new research infrastructure, various forms of collaboration, and improving society's understanding of global climate change. Education is supported at the postdoctoral, graduate, undergraduate, and K-12 levels. Teachers and curriculum specialists are integrated into the research program, and a range of video resources will be produced, including a science documentary for television release. New research infrastructure includes equipment for core analysis and ice sheet modeling, as well as development of a unique drilling system to penetrate ice shelves. Drill development and the overall project are co-supported by international collaboration with scientists and the National Antarctic programs of New Zealand, Germany, and Italy. The program also forges new collaborations between research and primarily undergraduate institutions within the United States. <br/><br/>As key factors in sea-level rise and oceanic and atmospheric circulation, Antarctica's ice sheets are important to society's understanding of global climate change. ANDRILL offers new data on marine and terrestrial temperatures, and changes our understanding of extreme climate events like the formation of polar ice caps. Such data are critical to developing accurate models of the Earth's climatic future.
This EAGER award will explore the Distributed Acoustic Sensing emerging technology that transforms a single optical fiber into a massively multichannel seismic array. This technology may provide a scalable and affordable way to deploy dense seismic networks. Experimental Distributed Acoustic Sensing equipment will be tested in the Antarctic exploiting unused (dark) strands in the existing fiber-optic cable that connects the U.S. Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station to the Remote Earth Science and Seismological Observatory (SPRESSO) located about 7.5-km from the main station. Upon processing the seismic signals, the Distributed Acoustic Sensing may provide a new tool to structurally image firn, glacial ice, and glacial bedrock. Learning how Distributed Acoustic Sensing would work on the ice sheet, scientists can then check seismological signals propagating through the Earth's crust and mantle variously using natural icequakes and earthquakes events in the surrounding area.
The investigators propose to convert at least 8 km of pre-existing fiber optic cable at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole station into more than 8000 sensors to explore the potential of Distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) as a breakthrough data engine for polar seismology. The DAS array will operate for about one year, allowing them to (1) evaluate and calibrate the performance of the DAS technology in the extreme cold, very low noise (including during the exceptionally quiet austral winter) polar plateau environment; (2) record and analyze local ambient and transient signals from ice, anthropogenic signals, ocean microseism, atmospheric and other processes, as well as to study local, regional, and teleseismic tectonic events; (3) structurally image the firn, glacial ice, glacial bed, crust, and mantle, variously using active sources, ambient seismic noise, and natural icequake and earthquake events.
Part I: Nontechnical <br/>Earths warming climate has the potential to drive widespread collapse of glaciers and ice sheets across the planet, driving global sea-level rise. Understanding both the rate and magnitude of such changes is essential for predicting future sea-level and how it will impact infrastructure and property. Collapse of the ice sheets of Antarctica has the potential to raise global sea-level by up to 60 meters. However, not all regions of Antarctica are equally suspectable to collapse. One area with potential for collapse is the Wilkes Subglacial Basin in East Antarctica, a region twice the size of California's Central Valley. Geologic evidence indicates that the ice-sheet in this region has retreated significantly in response to past global warming events. While the geologic record clearly indicates ice-sheets in this area are vulnerable, the rate and magnitude of any future retreat will be influenced significantly by geology of the region. Constraining the geologic controls on the stability of the ice-sheets of the Wilkes Subglacial Basin remains challenging since the ice-sheet hides the geology beneath kilometers of ice. As a step in understanding the potential for future ice loss in the Wilkes Subglacial Basin this project will conduct geophysical analysis of existing data to better constrain the geology of the region. These results will constrain new models designed to understand the tectonics that control the behavior of the ice-sheets in the region. These new models will highlight the geological properties that exert the most significant control on the future of the ice-sheets of the Wilkes Subglacial Basin. Such insights are critical to guide future efforts aimed at collecting in-situ observations needed to more fully constrain Antarctica's potential for future sea-level. <br/><br/> Part II: Technical Description <br/>In polar environments, inward-sloping marine basins are susceptible to an effect known as the marine ice-sheet instability (MISI): run-away ice stream drainage caused by warm ocean water eroding the ice shelf from below. The magnitude and time-scale of the ice-sheet response strongly depend on the physical conditions along the ice-bed interface, which are, to a first order, controlled by the tectonic evolution of the basin. Topography, sedimentology, geothermal heat flux, and mantle viscosity all play critical roles in ice-sheet stability. However, in most cases, these solid-Earth parameters for regions susceptible to the MISI are largely unknown. One region with potential susceptibility to MISI is the Wilkes Subglacial Basin of East Antarctica. The project will provide an integrated investigation of the Wilkes Subglacial Basin, combining geophysical analyses with both mantle flow and ice-sheet modeling to understand the stability of the ice sheet in this region, and the associated potential sea level rise. The work will be focused on four primary objectives: (1) to develop an improved tectonic model for the region based on existing seismic observations as well as existing geophysical and geological data; (2) to use the new tectonic model and seismic data to estimate the thermal, density, and viscosity structure of the upper mantle and to develop a heat flow map for the WSB; (3) to simulate mantle flow and to assess paleotopography based on our density and viscosity constraints; and (4) to assess ice-sheet behavior by modeling (a) past ice-sheet stability using our paleotopography estimates and (b) future ice-sheet stability using our heat flow and mantle viscosity estimates. Ultimately, the project will generate improved images of the geophysical structure beneath the WSB that will allow us to assess the geodynamic origin for this region and to assess the influence of geologic parameters on past, current, and future ice-sheet behavior. These efforts will then highlight areas and geophysical properties that should be the focus of future geophysical deployments.
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. Collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) could raise the global sea level by about 5 meters (16 feet) and the scientific community considers it the most significant risk for coastal environments and cities. The risk arises from the deep, marine setting of WAIS. Although scientists have been aware of the precarious setting of this ice sheet since the early 1970s, it is only now that the flow of ice in several large drainage basins is undergoing dynamic change consistent with a potentially irreversible disintegration. Understanding WAIS stability and enabling more accurate prediction of sea-level rise through computer simulation are two of the key objectives facing the polar science community today. This project will directly address both objectives by: (1) using state-of-the-art technologies to observe rapidly deforming parts of Thwaites Glacier that may have significant control over the future evolution of WAIS, and (2) using these new observations to improve ice-sheet models used to predict future sea-level rise. This project brings together a multidisciplinary team of UK and US scientists. This international collaboration will result in new understanding of natural processes that may lead to the collapse of the WAIS and will boost infrastructure for research and education by creating a multidisciplinary network of scientists. This team will mentor three postdoctoral researchers, train four Ph.D. students and integrate undergraduate students in this research project.
The project will test the overarching hypothesis that shear-margin dynamics may exert powerful control on the future evolution of ice flow in Thwaites Drainage Basin. To test the hypothesis, the team will set up an ice observatory at two sites on the eastern shear margin of Thwaites Glacier. The team argues that weak topographic control makes this shear margin susceptible to outward migration and, possibly, sudden jumps in response to the drawdown of inland ice when the grounding line of Thwaites retreats. The ice observatory is designed to produce new and comprehensive constraints on englacial properties, including ice deformation rates, ice crystal fabric, ice viscosity, ice temperature, ice water content and basal melt rates. The ice observatory will also establish basal conditions, including thickness and porosity of the till layer and the deeper marine sediments, if any. Furthermore, the team will develop new knowledge with an emphasis on physical processes, including direct assessment of the spatial and temporal scales on which these processes operate. Seismic surveys will be carried out in 2D and 3D using wireless geophones. A network of broadband seismometers will identify icequakes produced by crevassing and basal sliding. Autonomous radar systems with phased arrays will produce sequential images of rapidly deforming internal layers in 3D while potentially also revealing the geometry of a basal water system. Datasets will be incorporated into numerical models developed on different spatial scales. One will focus specifically on shear-margin dynamics, the other on how shear-margin dynamics can influence ice flow in the whole drainage basin. Upon completion, the project aims to have confirmed whether the eastern shear margin of Thwaites Glacier can migrate rapidly, as hypothesized, and if so what the impacts will be in terms of sea-level rise in this century and beyond.
The continent of Antarctica has approximately the same surface area as the continental United States, though we know significantly less about its underlying geology and seismic activity. Multinational investments in geophysical infrastructure over the last few decades, especially broadband seismometers operating for several years, are allowing us to observe many interesting natural phenomena, including iceberg calving, ice stream slip, and tectonic earthquakes. To specifically leverage those past investments, we will analyze past and current data to gain a better understanding of Antarctic seismicity. Our recent research revealed that certain large earthquakes occurring elsewhere in the world triggered ice movement near various stations throughout Antarctica. We plan to conduct an exhaustive search of the terabytes of available data, using cutting-edge computational techniques, to uncover additional evidence for ice crevassing, ice stream slip, and earth movement during earthquakes. One specific focus of our research will include investigating whether some of these phenomena may be triggered by external influences, including passing surface waves from distant earthquakes, ocean tides, or seasonal melt. We plan to produce a catalog of the identified activity and share it publicly, so the public and researchers can easily access it. To reach a broader audience, we will present talks to high school classes, including Advanced Placement classes, in the Austin, Texas and Atlanta, Georgia metropolitan areas with emphasis on general aspects of seismic hazard, climate variability, and the geographies of Antarctica. This project will provide research opportunities for undergraduates, training for graduate students, and support for an early-career scientist.
In recent years, a new generation of geodetic and seismic instrumentation has been deployed as permanent stations throughout Antarctica (POLENET), in addition to stations deployed for shorter duration (less than 3 years) experiments (e.g. AGAP/TAMSEIS). These efforts are providing critical infrastructure needed to address fundamental questions about both crustal-scale tectonic structures and ice sheets, and their interactions. We plan to conduct a systematic detection of tectonic and icequake activities in Antarctica, focusing primarily on background seismicity, remotely-triggered seismicity, and glacier slip events. Our proposed tasks include: (1) Identification of seismicity throughout the Antarctic continent for both tectonic and ice sources. (2) An exhaustive search for additional triggered events in Antarctica during the last ~15 years of global significant earthquakes. (3) Determination of triggered source mechanisms and whether those triggered events also occur at other times, by analyzing years of data using a matched-filter analysis (where the triggered local event is used to detect similar events). (4) Further analysis of GPS measurements over a ~5.5 year period from Whillans Ice Plain, which suggests that triggering of stick-slip events occurred after the largest earthquakes. An improved knowledge of how the Antarctic ice sheet responds to external perturbations such as dynamic stresses from large distant earthquakes and recent ice unloading could lead to a better understanding of ice failure and related dynamic processes. By leveraging the vast logistical investment to install seismometers in Antarctica over the last decade, our project will build an exhaustive catalog of tectonic earthquakes, icequakes, calving events, and any other detectable near-surface seismic phenomena.
This award supports a project intended to discover, through field observations and numerical simulations, how ocean wave-induced vibrations on ice shelves in general, and the Ross Ice Shelf (RIS), in particular, can be used (1) to infer spatial and temporal variability of ice shelf mechanical properties, (2) to infer bulk elastic properties from signal propagation characteristics, and (3) to determine whether the RIS response to infragravity (IG) wave forcing observed distant from the front propagates as stress waves from the front or is "locally" generated by IG wave energy penetrating the RIS cavity. The intellectual merit of the work is that ocean gravity waves are dynamic elements of the global ocean environment, affected by ocean warming and changes in ocean and atmospheric circulation patterns. Their evolution may thus drive changes in ice-shelf stability by both mechanical interactions, and potentially increased basal melting, which in turn feed back on sea level rise. Gravity wave-induced signal propagation across ice shelves depends on ice shelf and sub-shelf water cavity geometry (e.g. structure, thickness, crevasse density and orientation), as well as ice shelf physical properties. Emphasis will be placed on observation and modeling of the RIS response to IG wave forcing at periods from 75 to 300 s. Because IG waves are not appreciably damped by sea ice, seasonal monitoring will give insights into the year-round RIS response to this oceanographic forcing. The 3-year project will involve a 24-month period of continuous data collection spanning two annual cycles on the RIS. RIS ice-front array coverage overlaps with a synergistic Ross Sea Mantle Structure (RSMS) study, giving an expanded array beneficial for IG wave localization. The ice-shelf deployment will consist of sixteen stations equipped with broadband seismometers and barometers. Three seismic stations near the RIS front will provide reference response/forcing functions, and measure the variability of the response across the front. A linear seismic array orthogonal to the front will consist of three stations in-line with three RSMS stations. Passive seismic array monitoring will be used to determine the spatial and temporal distribution of ocean wave-induced signal sources along the front of the RIS and estimate ice shelf structure, with the high-density array used to monitor and localize fracture (icequake) activity. The broader impacts include providing baseline measurements to enable detection of ice-shelf changes over coming decades which will help scientists and policy-makers respond to the socio-environmental challenges of climate change and sea-level rise. A postdoctoral scholar in interdisciplinary Earth science will be involved throughout the course of the research. Students at Cuyamaca Community College, San Diego County, will develop and manage a web site for the project to be used as a teaching tool for earth science and oceanography classes, with development of an associated web site on waves for middle school students.
Understanding and being able to anticipate changes in the glaciological regime of the Ross Ice Shelf (RIS) and West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) are key to improving sea level rise projections due to ongoing ice mass loss in West Antarctica. The fate of the WAIS is a first-order climate change and global societal issue for this century and beyond that affects coastal communities and coastal infrastructure globally.
Ice shelf--ocean interactions include impacts from tsunami, ocean swell (10-30s period), and very long period ocean waves that impact ice shelves and produce vibrations that induce a variety of seismic signals detected by seismometers buried in the ice shelf surface layer, called firn. To study the wave-induced vibrations in the RIS, an extensive seismic array was deployed from Nov. 2014 to Nov. 2016. This unique seismometer array deployment on an ice shelf made continuous observations of the response of the RIS to ocean wave impacts from ocean swell and very long period waves. An extensive description of the project motivation and background (including photos and videos of the deployment operations), and list of published studies of analyses of the seismic data collected by this project, are available at the project website https://iceshelfvibes.ucsd.edu.
Two types of seismic signals detected by the seismic array are most prevalent: flexural gravity waves (plate waves) and icequakes (signals analogous to those from earthquakes but from fracturing of the ice).
Long period ocean waves flex the ice shelf at the same period as the ocean waves, with wave energy at periods greater than ocean swell more efficient at coupling energy into flexing the ice shelf. Termed flexural gravity waves or plate waves (Chen et al., 2018), their wave-induced vibrations can reach 100’s of km from the ice edge where they are excited, with long period wave energy propagating in the water layer below the shelf coupled with the ice shelf flexure. Flexural gravity waves at very long periods (> 300 s period), such as from tsunami impacts (Bromirski et al., 2017), can readily reach grounding zones and may play a role in long-term grounding zone evolution.
Swell-induced icequake activity was found to be most prevalent at the shelf front during the austral summer (January – March) when seasonal sea ice is absent and the associated damping of swell by sea ice is minimal (Chen et al., 2019).
In addition to the seismic array, a 14 station GPS (global positioning system) array was installed during seismic data retrieval and station servicing operations in October-November 2015. The GPS stations, co-located with seismic stations, extended from the shelf front southward to about 415 km at interior station RS18. Due to logistical constraints associated with battery weight during installation, only one station (at DR10) operated year-round. The GPS data collected give a detailed record of changes in iceflow velocity that are in close agreement with the increasing velocity estimates approaching the shelf front from satellite observations. Importantly, the year-round data at DR10 show an unprecedented seasonal cycle of changes in iceflow velocity, with a speed-up in northward (seaward) ice flow during Jan.-May and then a velocity decrease from June-Sep. (returning to the long-term mean flow velocity). This annual ice flow velocity change cycle has been attributed in part to seasonal changes in ice shelf mass (thinning, reducing buttressing) due to melting at the RIS basal (bottom) surface from intrusion of warmer ocean water (Klein et al., 2020).
This project contributes to the joint initiative launched by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.K. Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) to substantially improve decadal and longer-term projections of ice loss and sea-level rise originating from Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica. Thwaites and neighboring glaciers in the Amundsen Sea Embayment are rapidly losing mass in response to recent climate warming and related changes in ocean circulation. Mass loss from the Amundsen Sea Embayment could lead to the eventual collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, raising the global sea level by up to 2.5 meters (8 feet) in as short as 500 years. The processes driving the loss appear to be warmer ocean circulation and changes in the width and flow speed of the glacier, but a better understanding of these changes is needed to refine predictions of how the glacier will evolve. One highly sensitive process is the transitional flow of glacier ice from land onto the ocean to become a floating ice shelf. This flow of ice from grounded to floating is affected by changes in air temperature and snowfall at the surface; the speed and thickness of ice feeding it from upstream; and the ocean temperature, salinity, bathymetry, and currents that the ice flows into. The project team will gather new measurements of each of these local environmental conditions so that it can better predict how future changes in air, ocean, or the ice will affect the loss of ice to the ocean in this region. <br/> <br/>Current and anticipated near-future mass loss from Thwaites Glacier and nearby Amundsen Sea Embayment region is mainly attributed to reduction in ice-shelf buttressing due to sub-ice-shelf melting by intrusion of relatively warm Circumpolar Deep Water into sub-ice-shelf cavities. Such predictions for mass loss, however, still lack understanding of the dominant processes at and near grounding zones, especially their spatial and temporal variability, as well as atmospheric and oceanic drivers of these processes. This project aims to constrain and compare these processes for the Thwaites and the Dotson Ice Shelves, which are connected through upstream ice dynamics, but influenced by different submarine troughs. The team's specific objectives are to: 1) install atmosphere-ice-ocean multi-sensor remote autonomous stations on the ice shelves for two years to provide sub-daily continuous observations of concurrent oceanic, glaciologic, and atmospheric conditions; 2) measure ocean properties on the continental shelf adjacent to ice-shelf fronts (using seal tagging, glider-based and ship-based surveys, and existing moored and conductivity-temperature-depth-cast data), 3) measure ocean properties into sub-ice-shelf cavities (using autonomous underwater vehicles) to detail ocean transports and heat fluxes; and 4) constrain current ice-shelf and sub-ice-shelf cavity geometry, ice flow, and firn properties for the ice-shelves (using radar, active-source seismic, and gravimetric methods) to better understand the impact of ocean and atmosphere on the ice-sheet change. The team will also engage the public and bring awareness to this rapidly changing component of the cryosphere through a "Live from the Ice" social media campaign in which the public can follow the action and data collection from the perspective of tagged seals and autonomous stations.<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
This award supports a project to develop software that will allow researchers considering seismic or radar field surveys to test, ahead of time, whether the data they plan to collect will have sufficient resolution to measure the natural variations in the mechanical properties of ice, which determine the response of flowing ice to changing climatic conditions. The mechanical properties of ice depend largely on the temperature and the orientation of the crystals that make up the ice. The most accurate method for measuring ice crystal orientation and temperature is through drilling and direct analysis of an ice core. However, this method is very costly, time-consuming, and limited in spatial coverage. Geophysical techniques, such as seismic and radar, can cover much more area, but we have little knowledge about the practical limitations of these techniques as they relate to calculating mechanical properties. This project addresses that knowledge gap through construction of a computational toolbox that will allow accurate assessment of the ability of geophysical surveys to image crystal orientation and ice temperature. Researchers can then use these tools to adjust the field survey plans to maximize the return on investment. By working to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of future geophysical work related to glacial flow, this proposal will improve scientists? ability to quantify sea-level variations within the larger context of climate change. The project includes building new user-friendly, publicly accessible software and instructional modules. The work will provide training for graduate and undergraduate students, who will play a role in research and develop instructional materials.
Ice viscosity, the resistance of ice to flow, exerts significant control over ice velocity. Therefore, mapping ice viscosity is important for understanding the current and future behavior of glaciers and ice sheets. To do so, scientists must determine the temperature and crystal orientation fabric throughout the ice. Seismic and radar techniques can survey large areas quickly, and thus are promising, yet not fully tested, methods to efficiently measure the thermal and mechanical structure of flowing ice. As part of this project, scientists will develop and use a computational framework to quantify the degree to which seismic and radar techniques can resolve the crystal orientation fabric and temperature of streaming ice, and then test how sensitive ice flow is to the attendant uncertainty. To meet these goals, a numerical toolbox will be built which will allow the glacier/ice stream geometry and physical properties (temperature, crystal orientation fabric, density and acidity) to be varied. The toolbox will be capable of both creating synthetic radar and seismic profiles through forward modeling and inverting synthetic profiles to allow evaluation of how well geophysical techniques can image the original thermal and mechanical structure. These simulated radar and seismic data will allow scientists to better quantify the influence of the variability in mechanical properties of the ice on flow velocities and patterns. The results of this work will guide planning for future field campaigns, making them more effective and efficient. This project does not require fieldwork in the Antarctic.
In this project, the researchers processed and analyzed previously acquired seismic data from the POLENET-ANET array (2010-2011) to estimate variations in seismic shear-wave speed beneath the array. This investigation used a passive seismology method call ambient noise tomography, whereby repetitive seismic noise correlation functions were computed from records of Earth's ambient seismic noise field. The main results indicate a shallower Moho beneath Marie Byrd Land compared to previous studies in the region.
Our project is focused on better resolving the three-dimensional Antarctic mantle structure to further understanding of continental tectonics. To accomplish this, we are utilizing a full-waveform tomographic inversion technique that incorporates long-period ambient noise data and which has been shown to more accurately resolve structure than traditional tomographic approaches. The new models have been developed using the Alabama supercomputer facilities in conjunction with software developed at The University of Rhode Island. Our new tomographic results highlight the lithospheric structure beneath the Wilkes and Aurora Subglacial Basins in East Antarctica, where previous rifting episodes and mid-lithospheric discontinuities are being explored. In West Antarctica, the work is elucidating the easternmost extent of the West Antarctic Rift System as well as rifted structure and possible compositional variations within the Weddell Sea. We are also highlighting regions of Antarctica where tomographic resolution is still lacking and where future deployments are needed to improve resolution.
Non-Technical Project Description<br/><br/>This research will study Ultralow Velocity Zones (ULVZs), located in Earth's interior on top of the boundary between the Earth's solid mantle and its fluid outer core. The ULVZs are so named because seismic waves passing through the Earth slow down dramatically when they encounter these zones. While ULVZs are thought to be related to melting processes, there is growing controversy regarding their origin and the role they play in the thermal and chemical evolution of our planet. The ULVZs may include the largest magma chambers in Earth's interior. Currently, researchers have only searched 40% of Earth's core-mantle boundary for the ULVZs and this project would use existing seismic data to map an unexplored area under Antarctica and interpret the nature of the ULVZs. This project will support two graduate students and create opportunities for undergraduate involvement. Project results will be published in scientific journals, presented at science fairs, and communicated through the researchers' websites. The research team will also take part in the NSF-sponsored PolarTREC (Teachers and Researchers Exploring and Collaborating) program to communicate the science to students and the broader community. <br/><br/><br/>Technical Project Description<br/><br/>The National Research Council has highlighted high-resolution imaging of core-mantle boundary (CMB) structure as a high-priority, emerging research opportunity in the Earth Sciences since anomalies along the CMB likely play a critical role in the thermal and chemical evolution of our planet. Of particular interest are ultralow velocity zones (ULVZs), thin laterally-varying boundary layers associated with dramatic seismic velocity decreases and increases in density that are seen just above the CMB. Many questions exist regarding the origin of ULVZs, but incomplete seismic sampling of the lowermost mantle has limited our ability to map global ULVZ structure in detail. Using recently collected data from the Transantarctic Mountains Northern Network (TAMNNET) in Antarctica, this project will use core-reflected seismic phases (ScP, PcP, and ScS) to investigate ULVZ presence/absence along previously unexplored sections of the CMB. The data sampling includes the southern boundary of the Pacific Large Low Shear Velocity Province (LLSVP), a dominant feature in global shear wave tomography models, and will allow the researchers to examine a possible connection between ULVZs and LLSVPs. The main objectives of the project are to: 1) use TAMNNET data to document ULVZ presence/absence in previously unexplored regions of the lowermost mantle with array-based approaches; 2) model the data with 1- and 2.5-D wave propagation tools to obtain ULVZ properties and to assess trade-offs among the models; 3) use high quality events to augment the densely-spaced TAMNNET data with that from the more geographically-distributed, open-access Antarctic stations to increase CMB coverage with single-station analyses; and 4) explore the implications of ULVZ solution models for origin, present-day dynamics, and evolution, including their connection to other deep mantle structures, like LLSVPs.<br/><br/>The project aims to provide new constraints on ULVZs, including their potential connection to LLSVPs, and thus relates to other seismic and geodynamic investigations focused on processes within the Earth?s interior. This project will promote a new research collaboration between The University of Alabama (UA) and Arizona State University (ASU), each of which brings specific strengths to the initiative.
This project investigates a rapidly moving section of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet known as the Whillans Ice Stream. Ice streams and outlet glaciers are the major pathways for ice discharge from ice sheets into the ocean. Consequently, understanding ice stream dynamics, specifically the processes controlling the frictional resistance of ice sliding on sediments at its base, is essential for predictive modeling of how Earth's ice sheets will respond to a changing climate. Rather than flowing smoothly, Whillans Ice Stream advances in stick-slip cycles: brief periods of rapid sliding, equivalent to magnitude 7 earthquakes, alternating with much longer periods of repose. The PIs will perform simulations of these stick-slip cycles using computer codes originally developed for modeling tectonic earthquakes. By matching observed ice motions, the PIs will constrain the range of frictional processes acting at the base of the ice stream. An additional focus of the project is on brittle fracture processes in ice, expressed through seismic waves radiated by faulting and/or crevassing episodes that accompany the large-scale sliding events. An understanding of ice fracture provides a basis for assessing the susceptibility of ice shelves to rifting and catastrophic disintegration. Project results will be incorporated into outreach activities (from elementary school to community college events) as well as a polar science class for the California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science (COSMOS) program for high school students.<br/><br/>Simulations of the stick-slip cycle will employ 3D dynamic rupture models that simultaneously solve for the seismic wavefield and rupture process, consistent with elastodynamic material response and friction laws on the ice stream bed. Stresses and frictional properties will be varied to achieve consistency with surface GPS and broadband seismic data as well as borehole seismograms from the WISSARD project. The results will be interpreted using laboratory till friction experiments, which link velocity-weakening/strengthening behavior to temperature and water content, and to related experiments quantifying basal drag from ice flow over rough beds. The source mechanism of seismicity accompanying the slip events (shear faulting versus crevassing) will be determined using 3D waveform modeling in conjunction with mechanical models of the seismic source processes. This proposal does not require fieldwork in the Antarctic.
The geological structure and history of Antarctica remains poorly understood because much of the continental crust is covered by ice. Here, the PIs will analyze over 15 years of seismic data recorded by numerous projects in Antarctica to develop seismic structural models of the continent. The seismic velocity models will reveal features including crustal thinning due to rifting in West Antarctica, the structures associated with mountain building, and the boundaries between different tectonic blocks. The models will be compared to continents that are better understood geologically to constrain the tectonic evolution of Antarctica. In addition, the work will provide better insight into how the solid earth interacts with and influences the development of the ice sheet. Surface heat flow will be mapped and used to identify regions in Antarctica with potential melting at the base of the ice sheet. This melt can lead to reduced friction and lower resistance to ice sheet movement. The models will help to determine whether the earth response to ice mass changes occurs over decades, hundreds, or thousands of years. Estimates of mantle viscosity calculated from the seismic data will be used to better understand the pattern and timescales of the response of the solid earth to changes in ice mass in various parts of Antarctica.<br/><br/>The study will advance our knowledge of the structure of Antarctica by constructing two new seismic models and a thermal model using different but complementary methodologies. Because of the limitations of different seismic analysis methods, efforts will be divided between a model seeking the highest possible resolution within the upper 200 km depth in the well instrumented region (Bayesian Monte-Carlo joint inversion), and another model determining the structure of the entire continent and surrounding oceans extending through the mantle transition zone (adjoint full waveform inversion). The Monte-Carlo inversion will jointly invert Rayleigh wave group and phase velocities from earthquakes and ambient noise correlation along with P-wave receiver functions and Rayleigh H/V ratios. The inversion will be done in a Bayesian framework that provides uncertainty estimates for the structural model. Azimuthal anisotropy will be determined from Rayleigh wave velocities, providing constraints on mantle fabric and flow patterns. The seismic data will also be inverted for temperature structure, providing estimates of lithospheric thickness and surface heat flow. The larger-scale model will cover the entire continent as well as the surrounding oceans, and will be constructed using an adjoint inversion of phase differences between three component seismograms and synthetic seismograms calculated in a 3D earth model using the spectral element method. This model will fit the entire waveforms, including body waves and both fundamental and higher mode surface waves. Higher resolution results will be obtained by using double-difference methods and by incorporating Green's functions from ambient noise cross-correlation, and solving for both radial and azimuthal anisotropy.<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
This award supports a project to conduct an integrated geophysical survey over a large portion of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) toward an understanding of the dynamic behavior of the ice sheet and the nature of the lithosphere beneath the ice sheet. West Antarctica is characterized by two kinds of the Earth s most dynamic systems, a continental rift (the West Antarctic Rift System) and a marine based ice sheet (the WAIS). Active continental rift systems, caused by divergent plate motions, result in thinned continental crust. Associated with the thin crust are fault-bounded sedimentary basins, active volcanism, and elevated heat flow. Marine ice sheets are characterized by rapidly moving streams of ice, penetrating and draining a slowly moving ice reservoir. Evidence left by past marine ice sheets indicates that they may have a strongly non- linear response to long-term climate change which results in massive and rapid discharges of ice. Understanding the evolution of the ice stream system and its interaction with the interior ice is the key to understanding this non-linear response. Subglacial geology and ice dynamics are generally studied in isolation, but evidence is mounting that the behavior of the West Antarctic ice streams may be closely linked to the nature of the underlying West Antarctic rift system. The fast moving ice streams appear to glide on a lubricating layer of water-saturated till. This till requires easily eroded sediment and a source of water, both of which may be controlled by the geology of the rift system; the sediments from the fault-bounded basins and the water from the elevated heat flux associated with active lithospheric extension. This project represents an interdisciplinary aerogeophysical study to characterize the lithosphere of the West Antarctic rift system beneath critical regions of the WAIS. The objective is to determine the effects of the rift architect ure, as manifested by the distribution of sedimentary basins and volcanic constructs, on the ice stream system. The research tool is a unique geophysical aircraft with laser altimetry, ice penetrating radar, aerogravity, and aeromagnetic systems integrated with a high precision kinematic GPS navigation system. It is capable of imaging both the surface and bed of the ice sheet while simultaneously measuring the gravity and magnetic signature of the subglacial lithosphere. Work to be done under this award will build on work already completed in the southern sector of central West Antarctica and it will focus on the region of the Byrd Subglacial Basin and Ice Stream D. The ice sheet in these regions is completely covered by satellite imagery and so this project will be integrated with remote sensing studies of the ice stream. The changing dynamics of Ice Stream D, as with other West Antarctic ice streams, seem to be correlated with changes in the morphological provinces of the underlying rift system. The experimental targets proceed from the divide of the interior ice, downstream through the onset of streaming to the trunk of Ice Stream D. This study will be coordinated with surface glaciological investigations of Ice Stream D and will be used to guide cooperative over-snow seismic investigations of the central West Antarctic rift system. The data will also be used to select a site for future deep ice coring along the crest of the WAIS. These data represent baseline data for long term global change monitoring work and represent crucial boundary conditions for ice sheet modeling efforts.
Intellectual Merit:
Evidence from the eastern Ross Sea continental shelf indicates that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet advanced and retreated during the last glacial cycle, but it is unclear whether the ice sheet advanced to the shelf edge or just to the middle shelf. These two end-member scenarios offer different interpretations as to why, how, and when the West Antarctic Ice Sheet oscillated. The PI proposes to acquire seismic, multibeam, and core data from Whales Deep, to evaluate the timing and duration of two advances of grounded ice to the outer and middle shelf of the Whales Deep Basin, a West Antarctic Ice Sheet paleo ice stream trough in eastern Ross Sea. Grounding events are represented by seismically resolvable Grounding Zone Wedges. The PI will collect radiocarbon dates on in situ benthic foraminifera from the grounding zone diamict as well as ramped pyrolysis radiocarbon dates on acid insoluble organics from open-marine mud overlying the grounding zone diamict. Using these data the PI will calculate the duration of the two grounding events. Furthermore, the PI will test a numerical model prediction that West Antarctic Ice Sheet retreat must have involved melting at the marine terminus of the ice sheet. Pore-water from the grounding zone diamict will be extracted from piston cores to determine salinity and δ18O values that should indicate if significant melting occurred at the grounding line.
Broader impacts:
The data collected will provide constraints on the timing and pattern of Last Glacial Maximum advance and retreat that can be incorporated into interpretations of ice-surface elevation changes. The proposed activities will provide valuable field and research training to undergraduate/graduate students and a Louisiana high-school science teacher. The research will be interactively shared with middle- and high-school science students and with visitors to the LSU Museum of Natural Science Weekend-Science Program.
Recent observations and model results suggest that collapse of the Amundsen Sea sector of West Antarctica may already be underway. However, the timeline of collapse and the effects of ongoing climatic and oceanographic changes are key unanswered questions. Complete disintegration of the ice sheet would raise global sea level by more than 3 m, which would have significant societal impacts. Improved understanding of the controls on ice-sheet evolution is needed to make better predictions of ice-sheet behavior. Results from numerical models show that buttressing from surrounding ice shelves and/or from small-scale grounded ice rises should act to slow the retreat and discharge of ice from the interior ice sheet. However, there are very few field observations with which to develop and validate models. Field observations conducted in the early 1980s on Crary Ice Rise in the Ross Sea Embayment are a notable exception. This project will revisit Crary Ice Rise with new tools to make a suite of measurements designed to address questions about how the ice rise affects ice discharge from the Ross Sea sector of West Antarctica. The team will include a graduate and undergraduate student, and will participate in a range of outreach activities.<br/><br/>New tools including radar, seismic, and GPS instruments will be used to conduct targeted geophysical measurements both on Crary Ice Rise and across its grounding line. The project will use these new measurements, together with available ancillary data to inform a numerical model of grounding line dynamics. The model and measurements will be used to address the (1) How has the ice rise evolved over timescales ranging from: the past few decades; the past millennia after freeze-on; and through the deglaciation? (2) What history of ice dynamics is preserved in the radar-detected internal stratigraphy? (3) What dynamical effect does the presence/absence of the ice rise have on discharge of the Ross Ice Streams today? (4) How is it contributing to the slow-down of the proximal Whillans and Mercer ice streams? (5) What dynamical response will the ice rise have under future environmental change?
Intellectual Merit: The PIs continued and expanded GPS and seismic measurements for ANET-POLENET to advance understanding of geodynamic processes and their influence on the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. ANET-POLENET science themes include: 1) determining ice mass change since the last glacial maximum, including modern ice mass balance; 2) solid earth influence on ice sheet dynamics; and 3) tectonic evolution of West Antarctica and feedbacks with ice sheet evolution. Nine new remote continuous GPS stations augmented ANET-POLENET instrumentation deployed during Phase 1. Siting was designed to better constrain uplift centers predicted by GIA models and indicated by Phase 1 results. A mini-array of temporary seismic sites was deployed to improve resolution of earth structure below West Antarctica. ANET-POLENET Phase 2 achievements included 1) seismic images of crust and mantle structure that resolve the highly heterogeneous thermal and viscosity structure of the Antarctic lithosphere and underlying mantle; 2) improved estimates of intraplate vertical and horizontal bedrock crustal motions; and 3) elucidation of controls on glacial isostatic adjustment-induced crustal motions due to laterally varying earth structure.
Broader impacts: Monitoring and understanding mass change and dynamic behavior of the Antarctic ice sheet using in situ GPS and seismological studies has improved understanding of how Antarctic ice sheets respond to a warming world and how this response impacts sea-level and other global changes. Seismic and geodetic data collected by the ANET-POLENET network are openly available to the scientific community. ANET-POLENET has been integral in the development and realization of technological and logistical innovations for year-round operation of instrumentation at remote polar sites, helping to advance scientifically and geographically broad studies of the polar regions. The ANET-POLENET carried out a training initiative to mentor young polar scientists in complex, multidisciplinary and internationally collaborative research, including 2 week-long training schools on "Glacial Isostatic Adjustment" and "Glacial Seismology". ANET-POLENET continued broad public outreach about polar science through the polenet.org website, university lectures, and K-12 school visits. This research involved multiple international partners.
Recent discoveries of widespread liquid water and microbial ecosystems below the Antarctic ice sheets have generated considerable interest in studying Antarctic subglacial environments. Understanding subglacial hydrology, the persistence of life in extended isolation and the evolution and stability of subglacial habitats requires an integrated, interdisciplinary approach. The collaborative project, Minimally Invasive Direct Glacial Exploration (MIDGE) of the Biogeochemistry, Hydrology and Glaciology of Blood Falls, McMurdo Dry Valleys will integrate geophysical measurements, molecular microbial ecology and geochemical analyses to explore a unique Antarctic subglacial system known as Blood Falls. Blood Falls is a hypersaline, subglacial brine that supports an active microbial community. The subglacial brine is released from a crevasse at the surface of the Taylor Glacier providing an accessible portal into an Antarctic subglacial ecosystem. Recent geochemical and molecular analyses support a marine source for the salts and microorganisms in Blood Falls. The last time marine waters inundated this part of the McMurdo Dry Valleys was during the Late Tertiary, which suggests the brine is ancient. Still, no direct samples have been collected from the subglacial source to Blood Falls and little is known about the origin of this brine or the amount of time it has been sealed below Taylor Glacier. Radar profiles collected near Blood Falls delineate a possible fault in the subglacial substrate that may help explain the localized and episodic nature of brine release. However it remains unclear what triggers the episodic release of brine exclusively at the Blood Falls crevasse or the extent to which the brine is altered as it makes its way to the surface. <br/><br/>The MIDGE project aims to determine the mechanism of brine release at Blood Falls, evaluate changes in the geochemistry and the microbial community within the englacial conduit and assess if Blood Falls waters have a distinct impact on the thermal and stress state of Taylor Glacier, one of the most studied polar glaciers in Antarctica. The geophysical study of the glaciological structure and mechanism of brine release will use GPR, GPS, and a small passive seismic network. Together with international collaborators, the 'Ice Mole' team from FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences, Germany (funded by the German Aerospace Center, DLR), MIDGE will develop and deploy innovative, minimally invasive technologies for clean access and brine sample retrieval from deep within the Blood Falls drainage system. These technologies will allow for the collection of samples of the brine away from the surface (up to tens of meters) for geochemical analyses and microbial structure-function experiments. There is concern over the contamination of pristine subglacial environments from chemical and biological materials inherent in the drilling process; and MIDGE will provide data on the efficacy of thermoelectric probes for clean access and retrieval of representative subglacial samples. Antarctic subglacial environments provide an excellent opportunity for researching survivability and adaptability of microbial life and are potential terrestrial analogues for life habitats on icy planetary bodies. The MIDGE project offers a portable, versatile, clean alternative to hot water and mechanical drilling and will enable the exploration of subglacial hydrology and ecosystem function while making significant progress towards developing technologies for minimally invasive and clean sampling of icy systems.
Intellectual Merit: <br/><br/>The PIs propose to establish an ice shelf network of 18 broadband seismographs deployed for two years to obtain high-resolution, mantle-scale images of Earth structure underlying the Ross Sea Embayment. Prior marine geophysical work provides good crustal velocity models for the region seaward of the ice shelf but mantle structure is constrained by only low-resolution images due to the lack of prior seismic deployments. The proposed stations would be established between Ross Island and Marie Byrd Land. These stations would fill a major geological gap within this extensional continental province and would link data sets collected in the Transantarctic Mountain transition/Plateau region (TAMSEIS) and in West Antarctica (POLENET) to improve resolution of mantle features beneath Antarctica. The proposed deployment would allow the PIs to collect seismic data without the expense, logistical complexity, and iceberg hazards associated with ocean bottom seismograph deployments. Tomographic models developed from the proposed data will be used to choose between competing models for the dynamics of the Ross Sea. In particular, the PIs will investigate whether a broad region of hot mantle, including the Eastern Ross Sea, indicates distributed recent tectonic activity, which would call into question models proposing that Eastern Ross extension ceased during the Mesozoic. These data will also allow the PIs to investigate the deeper earth structure to evaluate the possible role of mantle plumes and/or small-scale convection in driving regional volcanism and tectonism across the region.<br/><br/>Broader impacts: <br/><br/>Data from this deployment will be of broad interdisciplinary use. This project will support three graduate and two undergraduate students. At least one student will be an underrepresented minority student. The PIs will interact with the media and include K-12 educators in their fieldwork.
Conway/1141866<br/><br/>This award supports a project to conduct a suite of experiments to study spatial and temporal variations of basal conditions beneath Beardmore Glacier, an East Antarctic outlet glacier that discharges into the Ross Sea Embayment. The intellectual merit of the project is that it should help verify whether or not global warming will play a much larger role in the future mass balance of ice sheets than previously considered. Recent observations of rapid changes in discharge of fast-flowing outlet glaciers and ice streams suggest that dynamical responses to warming could affect that ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica. Assessment of possible consequences of these responses is hampered by the lack of information about the basal boundary conditions. The leading hypothesis is that variations in basal conditions exert strong control on the discharge of outlet glaciers. Airborne and surface-based radar measurements of Beardmore Glacier will be made to map the ice thickness and geometry of the sub-glacial trough and active and passive seismic experiments, together with ground-based radar and GPS measurements will be made to map spatial and temporal variations of conditions at the ice-bed interface. The observational data will be used to constrain dynamic models of glacier flow. The models will be used to address the primary controls on the dynamics of Antarctic outlet glaciers, the conditions at the bed, their spatial and temporal variation, and how such variability might affect the sliding and flow of these glaciers. The work will also explore whether or not these outlet glaciers could draw down the interior of East Antarctica, and if so, how fast. The study will take three years including two field seasons to complete and results from the work will be disseminated through public and professional meetings and journal publications. All data and metadata will be made available through the NSIDC web portal. The broader impacts of the work are that it will help elucidate the fundamental physics of outlet glacier dynamics which is needed to improve predictions of the response of ice sheets to changing environmental conditions. The project will also provide support for early career investigators and will provide training and support for one graduate and two undergraduate students. All collaborators are currently involved in scientific outreach and graduate student education and they are committed to fostering diversity.
Intellectual Merit:<br/>This project will produce a new compilation of Ross Sea seismic stratigraphy, including new interpretations, that can be used to provide boundary conditions on the tectonic and glacial evolution of West Antarctica and the Ross Sea. The principal goals include compilation of, and interpretation of, all available existing seismic reflection data for the Western Ross Sea, coupled with geophysical modeling to produce paleo-bathymetric reconstructions for the entire 800 km-wide Ross Sea. Specific tasks will include: extending existing work on mapping travel time to reflectors, identifying relations in the seismic data that indicate subsidence through sea level, constructing velocity models for converting travel time to thickness, and using the velocity models to estimate density and porosity of sediments for backstripping analysis. Modeling/backstripping efforts will be used to constrain past bathymetry. Digital interpretations and stratigraphic grids will be provided as supplements to publications. In that way the results of this study can be used in thermal subsidence modeling and restoration of eroded rock to other parts of Ross Embayment and Marie Byrd Land by others. Digital products may be provided in advance of publication to modelers in a way that will not hurt publication chances.<br/><br/>Broader impacts: <br/>The results of this work will be important for paleo-geographic reconstructions of Antarctica and will therefore be of use to a broad range of researchers, particularly those working in the Ross Sea region. The digital products can be used to test models for the past fluctuations of West Antarctic ice sheets, and in planning for future sediment drilling projects. Two undergraduates to be chosen from applicants will be involved in summer internships held at the University of Rhode Island. Outreach will also include a new website and one or more Wikipedia entries related to Ross Sea sub-sea floor characteristics. The project includes an international collaboration with Dr. Chiara Sauli and others at Instituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale (OGS) in Italy.
This project aims to identify which portions of the glacial cover in the Antarctic Peninsula are losing mass to the ocean. This is an important issue to resolve because the Antarctic Peninsula is warming at a faster rate than any other region across the earth. Even though glaciers across the Antarctic Peninsula are small, compared to the continental ice sheet, defining how rapidly they respond to both ocean and atmospheric temperature rise is critical. It is critical because it informs us about the exact mechanisms which regulate ice flow and melting into the ocean. For instance, after the break- up of the Larsen Ice Shelf in 2002 many glaciers began to flow rapidly into the sea. Measuring how much ice was involved is difficult and depends upon accurate estimates of volume and area. One way to increase the accuracy of our estimates is to measure how fast the Earth's crust is rebounding or bouncing back, after the ice has been removed. This rebound effect can be measured with very precise techniques using instruments locked into ice free bedrock surrounding the area of interest. These instruments are monitored by a set of positioning satellites (the Global Positioning System or GPS) in a continuous fashion. Of course the movement of the Earth's bedrock relates not only to the immediate response but also the longer term rate that reflects the long vanished ice masses that once covered the entire Antarctic Peninsula?at the time of the last glaciation. These rebound measurements can, therefore, also tell us about the amount of ice which covered the Antarctic Peninsula thousands of years ago. Glacial isostatic rebound is one of the complicating factors in allowing us to understand how much the larger ice sheets are losing today, something that can be estimated by satellite techniques but only within large errors when the isostatic (rebound) correction is unknown.<br/><br/>The research proposed consists of maintaining a set of six rebound stations until the year 2016, allowing for a longer time series and thus more accurate estimates of immediate elastic and longer term rebound effects. It also involves the establishment of two additional GPS stations that will focus on constraining the "bull's eye" of rebound suggested by measurements over the past two years. In addition, several more geologic data points will be collected that will help to reconstruct the position of the ice sheet margin during its recession from the full ice sheet of the last glacial maximum. These will be based upon the coring of marine sediment sequences now recognized to have been deposited along the margins of retreating ice sheets and outlets. Precise dating of the ice margin along with the new and improved rebound data will help to constrain past ice sheet configurations and refine geophysical models related to the nature of post glacial rebound. Data management will be under the auspices of the UNAVCO polar geophysical network or POLENET and will be publically available at the time of station installation. This project is a small scale extension of the ongoing LARsen Ice Shelf, Antarctica Project (LARISSA), an IPY (International Polar Year)-funded interdisciplinary study aimed at understanding earth system connections related to the Larsen Ice Shelf and the northern Antarctic Peninsula.
This award provides support for "Investigating (Un)Stable Sliding of Whillans Ice Stream and Subglacial Water Dynamics Using Borehole Seismology: A proposed Component of the Whillans Ice Stream Subglacial Access and Research Drilling" from the Antarctic Integrated Systems Science (AISS) program in the Office of Polar Programs at NSF. The project will use the sounds naturally produced by the ice and subglacial water to understand the glacial dynamics of the Whillans Ice Stream located adjacent to the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica.<br/><br/>Intellectual Merit: The transformative component of the project is that in addition to passive surface seismometers, the team will deploy a series of borehole seismometers. Englacial placement of the seismometers has not been done before, but is predicted to provide much better resolution (detection of smaller scale events as well as detection of a much wider range of frequencies) of the subglacial dynamics. In conjunction with the concurrent WISSARD (Whillans Ice Stream Subglacial Access and Research Drilling) project the team will be able to tie subglacial processes to temporal variations in ice stream dynamics and mass balance of the ice stream. The Whillans Ice Stream experiences large changes in ice velocity in response to tidally triggered stick-slip cycles as well as periodic filling and draining of subglacial Lake Whillans. The overall science goals include: improved understanding of basal sliding processes and role of sticky spots, subglacial lake hydrology, and dynamics of small earthquakes and seismic properties of ice and firn.<br/><br/>Broader Impact: Taken together, the research proposed here will provide information on basal controls of fast ice motion which has been recognized by the IPCC as necessary to make reliable predictions of future global sea-level rise. The information collected will therefore have broader implications for global society. The collected information will also be relevant to a better understanding of earthquakes. For outreach the project will work with the overall WISSARD outreach coordinator to deliver information to three audiences: the general public, middle school teachers, and middle school students. The project also provides funding for training of graduate students, and includes a female principal investigator.
Intellectual Merit: <br/>To understand Antarctica's geodynamic development, origin of the Transantarctic Mountains (TAMs) and the Wilkes Subglacial Basin (WSB) must be determined. Current constraints on the crustal thickness and seismic velocity structure beneath the TAMs and the WSB are limited, leading to uncertainties over competing geologic models that have been suggested to explain their formation. The PI proposes to broaden the investigation of this region with a new seismic deployment, the Transantarctic Mountains Northern Network (TAMNNET), a 15-station array across the northern TAMs and the WSB that will fill a major gap in seismic coverage. Data from TAMNNET will be combined with that from other previous and ongoing seismic initiatives and will be analyzed using proven modeling techniques to generate a detailed image of the seismic structure beneath the TAMs and the WSB. These data will be used to test three fundamental hypotheses: the TAMs are underlain by thickened crust, the WSB is characterized by thin crust and thick sedimentary layers, and slow seismic velocities are prevalent along strike beneath the TAMs. Results from the proposed study will provide new information about the nature and formation of the Antarctic continent and will help to advance our understanding of important global processes, such as mountain building and basin formation. The proposed research also has important implications for other fields of Antarctic science. Constraints on the origin of the TAMs uplift are critical for climate and ice sheet models, and new information acquired about variations in the thermal and lithospheric structure beneath the TAMs and the WSB will be used to estimate critical ice sheet boundary conditions. <br/><br/>Broader impacts: <br/>This project incorporates three educational strategies to promote the integration of teaching and research. Graduate students will be trained in Antarctic tectonics and seismic processing through hands-on fieldwork and data analysis techniques. Through NSF's PolarTREC program, the PI will work with K-12 educators. The PI will develop a three-week summer field program for recent high school graduates and early-career undergraduate students from Minority-Serving Institutions in Alabama. Teaching materials and participant experiences will be shared with individuals outside the program via a course website. Following the summer program, participants who were particularly engaged will be offered internship opportunities to analyze TAMNNET data. In successive years, the students could assist with fieldwork and could be recruited into the graduate program under the PI's supervision. Ultimately, this program would not only serve to educate undergraduates but would also generate a pipeline of underrepresented students into the geosciences.
Intellectual Merit: <br/>This project will investigate glacial advance and retreat of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet through the Eocene-Oligocene transition, a major episode of ice growth. In Prydz Bay, East Antarctica, a 130-170 m thick Eocene-Oligocene transition interval of glaciomarine sediments was cored in drillholes of the Ocean Drilling Program at Sites 739, 742 and 1166. Correlations between the Prydz Bay drillholes have recently been made through well-log and multichannel seismic interpretations. Recent drilling on the Wilkes Land margin of East Antarctica recovered earliest Oligocene sediments overlying a major regional unconformity in two drillholes. The PI will study the lithostratigraphy and weathering history of cores in the five drillholes, to establish a unique Eocene-Oligocene transition record within Antarctic continental margin sediments of glacial advance and retreat cycles, the onset of physical weathering, and glacio-isostasy and self-gravitation processes with implications for the margin architecture, sediment routing, and off-shore sediment dispersal. Cores from the five drillholes will be re-examined through detailed core description using an updated classification scheme, so that lithofacies can be compared between drillholes. Samples will be collected for detailed laser particle size and bulk major element geochemistry via ICP-AES to determine the degree of chemical alteration of the sediments. Phases of major ice growth will be recognized as marker beds of physically eroded sediment and will be correlated to isotopic records documenting Antarctic ice growth offshore in the Southern Ocean. <br/><br/>Broader impacts: <br/>This project will benefit a large minority undergraduate student population through the availability of up to two paid laboratory internships, a classroom exercise, and the availability of research equipment supported by this award. The project also allows support and training of a graduate student.
This award supports a three-year study of the ongoing deceleration and stick-slip motion of Whillans Ice Stream (WIS), West Antarctica. Understanding the dynamic behavior of ice streams is essential for predicting the future of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS). Despite being one of the best-studied ice streams in Antarctica, the surprising flow characteristics of WIS continue to demand interdisciplinary research. Recent estimates indicate that the WIS may stagnate within 50 years, resulting in a significant change to the mass balance of the Siple Coast sector of West Antarctica. The reasons for the ongoing stagnation are not well known, and are possibly linked (causally or coincidentally) to the stick-slip behavior. Our recent work on WIS stick-slip motion suggest that all slip events nucleate from a common location on the ice stream, suggesting that a relatively small (approximately 10 km in diameter) region of the exerts fundamental control over the flow of this large ice stream (100s of km long and 100 kilometers wide). We hypothesize that this is a region of increased bed strength and our measurements will address that hypothesis. We will deploy a series of GPS receivers and seismometers on the ice stream to accurately locate the nucleation region so that a comprehensive ground based geophysical survey can be conducted to determine the physical properties of bed at the nucleation point. The ground geophysical program will consist of reflection seismic and ice-penetrating radar studies that will better constrain the properties of both the hypothesized higher-friction nucleation zone and the surrounding regions. Slip events also generate seismic energy that can be recorded 100s of km away from the ice stream, thus, the GPS and seismometer deployment will also aid us in relating seismic waveforms directly with the rapid motion that occurs during slip events. The increased ability to relate rupture processes with seismic emissions will allow us to use archived seismic records to explore changes in the behavior of WIS during the later half of the 20th century. Broader impacts of this study include improved knowledge ice sheet dynamics, which remain a poorly constrained component of the climate system, thus, limiting our ability to predict the Earth's response to climate change. The scientific work includes the education of two graduate students and continued training of one post-doctoral scholar, thus helping to train the next generation of polar scientists. We will expose the broader public to polar science through interactions with the media and by take advantaging of programs to include K-12 educators in our field work.
Intellectual Merit: <br/>The PI proposes an investigation of mantle xenoliths entrained within a suite of ~1.4 Ma mafic volcanic centers in the Fosdick Mountains, Antarctica. These recently entrained mantle xenoliths offer a unique opportunity to characterize the West Antarctic lithospheric mantle that has been subject to active modification from Cretaceous to Present by plate-boundary processes, such as orthogonal to oblique plate convergence, intracontinental rifting, continental breakup, and Neogene volcanism. These volcanic centers derive from heterogeneous mantle sources and host a compositionally diverse suite of mantle xenoliths that have varied mineral assemblages and microstructures. The proposed research has two complementary goals: to assess structural and compositional heterogeneity within the upper mantle and the variability of intrinsic and extrinsic variables at a variety of lithospheric levels; and to use textural and compositional characterization of the xenolith suite to elucidate possible causes of heterogeneous seismic anisotropy within the Marie Byrd Land mantle lithosphere and inform competing hypotheses explaining the active volcanism, thermal anomaly, and slow seismic velocities beneath West Antarctica. Furthermore, characterization of samples of the mantle beneath West Antarctica provides a type of 'ground truth' in support of contemporary ANET/POLENET seismology research that seeks to determine mantle composition, temperature, and sources of seismic anisotropy.<br/><br/>Broader impacts: <br/>The PI is in his first-year as a tenure track faculty member at Boston College. A postdoctoral researcher will be trained in EBSD techniques, interdisciplinary polar research, and the mentoring of undergraduate investigators. Two Boston College undergraduates will participate in the research and a priority will be placed on selecting underrepresented minorities and first-generation college students. An existing sample suite assembled over more than 20 years of NSF sponsored field work, will be used. The PI will create a digital database for microstructural, textural, and xenolith data for rapid dissemination to the international Antarctic community.
This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). Mount Erebus is Antarctica?s most active volcano that has been in a persistent state of activity for at least the last 35 years. It has a unique geochemistry among the Earth's active volcanoes and is also unique in hosting a persistent convecting lake(s) of anorthclase phonolite magma in its summit crater. The relative simplicity of the magmatic system, consistency of activity, and accessibility of close-range observation make Erebus attractive as a target for extensive studies. Although the Erebus' seismicity and eruptive activity and processes are becoming increasingly well understood over years of research, there is a near total lack of understanding its deeper magmatic system. The primary goal of this proposal is to continue supporting the Mt. Erebus Volcano Observatory (MEVO III) improving our current understanding of the Erebus eruptive and non-eruptive magmatic system using an integrated approach from geophysical, geochemical and remote sensing observations. This goal can be grouped into the following fundamental research objectives: (a) to sustain year-round surveillance of on-going volcanic activity primarily using geophysical observatories; (b) to understand processes within the convecting conduit which feeds the persistent lava lakes; and (c) to understand the impact of Erebus eruptive activity upon the Antarctic environment. Continued reliance on students provides a broader impact to this proposed research and firmly grounds this effort in its educational mission.
Intellectual Merit: <br/>Knowledge of englacial and subglacial conditions are critical for ice sheet models and predictions of sea-level change. Some of the critical variables that are poorly known but essential for improving flow models and predictions of sea-level change are: basal roughness, subglacial sedimentary and hydrologic conditions, and the temporal and spatial variability of the ice sheet flow field. Seismic reflection and refraction imaging and dense arrays of continuously operating GPS receivers can determine these parameters. The PIs propose to develop a network of wirelessly interconnected geophysical sensors (geoPebble) that will allow glaciologists to carry out these experiments simultaneously. This sensor web will provide a new way of imaging the ice sheet that is not possible with current instruments. With this sensor web, the PIs will extend the range of existing instruments from 2D to 3D, from low resolution to high resolution, but more importantly, all the geophysical measurements will be conducted synchronously. By the end of the proposal period the PIs will produce a network of 150-200 geoPebbles that will be available for NSF-sponsored glaciology research projects. <br/><br/>Broader impacts: <br/>Improved knowledge of the flow law of ice, the sliding of glaciers and ice streams, and paleoclimate history will contribute to assessments of the potential for abrupt ice-sheet mass change, with consequent sea-level effects and significant societal impacts. This improved modeling ability will be a direct consequence of better knowledge of the physical properties of ice sheets, which this project will facilitate. The development effort will be integrated with the undergraduate education program via the capstone design classes in EE and the senior thesis requirement in Geoscience. The PIs will also form a cohort of first-year and sophomore students who will work in their labs from the beginning of the project to develop specifications through the commissioning of the network.
This project constructs POLENET a network of GPS and seismic stations in West Antarctica to understand how the mass of the West Antarctic ice sheet (WAIS) changes with time. The information is ultimately used to predict sea level rise accompanying global warming and interpret climate change records. The GPS (global positioning system) stations measure vertical and horizontal movements of bedrock, while the seismic stations characterize physical properties of the ice/rock interface, lithosphere, and mantle. Combined with satellite data, this project offers a more complete picture of the ice sheet's current state, its likely change in the near future, and its overall size during the last glacial maximum. This data will also be used to infer sub-ice sheet geology and the terrestrial heat flux, critical inputs to models of glacier movement. As well, this project improves tomographic models of the earth's deep interior and core through its location in the Earth's poorly instrumented southern hemisphere. <br/><br/><br/><br/>Broader impacts of this project are varied. The work is relevant to society for improving our understanding of the impacts of global warming on sea level rise. It also supports education at the postdoctoral, graduate, and undergraduate levels, and outreach to groups underrepresented in the sciences. As an International Polar Year contribution, this project establishes a legacy of infrastructure for polar measurements. It also involves an international collaboration of twenty four countries. For more information see IPY Project #185 at IPY.org. NSF is supporting a complementary Arctic POLENET array being constructed in Greenland under NSF Award #0632320.
Collaborative With: McPhee 0732804, Holland 0732869, Truffer 0732730, Stanton 0732926, Anandakrishnan 0732844 <br/>Title: Collaborative Research: IPY: Ocean-Ice Interaction in the Amundsen Sea Sector of West Antarctica<br/><br/>The Office of Polar Programs, Antarctic Integrated and System Science Program has made this award to support an interdisciplinary study of the effects of the ocean on the stability of glacial ice in the most dynamic region the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, namely the Pine Island Glacier in the Amundsen Sea Embayment. The collaborative project builds on the knowledge gained by the highly successful West Antarctic Ice Sheet program and is being jointly sponsored with NASA. Recent observations indicate a significant ice loss, equivalent to 10% of the ongoing increase in sea-level rise, in this region. These changes are largest along the coast and propagate rapidly inland, indicating the critical impact of the ocean on ice sheet stability in the region. While a broad range of remote sensing and ground-based instrumentation is available to characterize changes of the ice surface and internal structure (deformation, ice motion, melt) and the shape of the underlying sediment and rock bed, instrumentation has yet to be successfully deployed for observing boundary layer processes of the ocean cavity which underlies the floating ice shelf and where rapid melting is apparently occurring. Innovative, mini ocean sensors that can be lowered through boreholes in the ice shelf (about 500 m thick) will be developed and deployed to automatically provide ocean profiling information over at least three years. Their data will be transmitted through a conducting cable frozen in the borehole to the surface where it will be further transmitted via satellite to a laboratory in the US. Geophysical and remote sensing methods (seismic, GPS, altimetry, stereo imaging, radar profiling) will be applied to map the geometry of the ice shelf, the shape of the sub ice-shelf cavity, the ice surface geometry and deformations within the glacial ice. To integrate the seismic, glaciological and oceanographic observations, a new 3-dimensional coupled ice-ocean model is being developed which will be the first of its kind. NASA is supporting satellite based research and the deployment of a robotic-camera system to explore the environment in the ocean cavity underlying the ice shelf and NSF is supporting all other aspects of this study. <br/><br/>Broader impacts: This project is motivated by the potential societal impacts of rapid sea level rise and should result in critically needed improvements in characterizing and predicting the behavior of coupled ocean-ice systems. It is a contribution to the International Polar Year and was endorsed by the International Council for Science as a component of the "Multidisciplinary Study of the Amundsen Sea Embayment" proposal #258 of the honeycomb of endorsed IPY activities. The research involves substantial international partnerships with the British Antarctic Survey and the University of Bristol in the UK. The investigators will partner with the previously funded "Polar Palooza" education and outreach program in addition to undertaking a diverse set of outreach activities of their own. Eight graduate students and one undergraduate as well as one post doc will be integrated into this research project.
0944199/Matsuoka<br/><br/>This award supports a project to test the hypothesis that abrupt changes in fabric exist and are associated with both climate transitions and volcanic eruptions. It requires depth-continuous measurements of the fabric. By lowering a new logging tool into the WAIS Divide borehole after the completion of the core drilling, this project will measure acoustic-wave speeds as a function of depth and interpret it in terms of ice fabrics. This interpretation will be guided by ice-core-measured fabrics at sparse depths. This project will apply established analytical techniques for the ice-sheet logging and estimate depth profiles of both compressional- and shear-wave speeds at short intervals (~ 1 m). Previous logging projects measured only compressional-wave speeds averaged over typically 5-7 m intervals. Thus the new logger will enable more precise fabric interpretations. Fabric measurements using thin sections have revealed distinct fabric patterns separated by less than several meters; fabric measurements over a shorter period are crucial. At the WAIS Divide borehole, six two-way logging runs will be made with different observational parameters so that multiple wave-propagation modes will be identified, yielding estimates of both compressional- and shear-wave speeds. Each run takes approximately 24 hours to complete; we propose to occupy the boreholes in total eight days. The logging at WAIS Divide is temporarily planned in December 2011, but the timing is not critical. This project?s scope is limited to the completion of the logging and fabric interpretations. Results will be immediately shared with other WAIS Divide researchers. Direct benefits of this data sharing include guiding further thin-section analysis of the fabric, deriving a precise thinning function that retrieves more accurate accumulation history and depth-age scales. The PIs of this project have conducted radar and seismic surveys in this area and this project will provide a ground truth for these regional remote-sensing assessments of the ice interior. In turn, these remote sensing means can extend the results from the borehole to larger parts of the central West Antarctica. This project supports education for two graduate students for geophysics, glaciology, paleoclimate, and polar logistics. The instrument that will be acquired in this project can be used at other boreholes for ice-fabric characterizations and for englacial hydrology (wetness of temperate ice).
Intellectual Merit: <br/>This research will place the subsidence history of the southern Victoria Land Basin into a quantitative geodynamic context and will assess the influence of flexure associated with late Neogene volcanic loading of the crust by the Erebus Volcanic Group. This will be done by extending geodynamic models of extension in the West Antarctic Rift System to include extensional hiatuses hypothesized to have occurred during the Late Paleogene and Miocene, and by developing a new geodynamic model of volcanic loading and associated lithosphere flexure. Finite element and finite difference modeling methods will be used. In the first phase of the project, a series of extensional geodynamic models will be developed to examine the effect that proposed extensional hiatuses have on the style of extension, with emphasis placed on developing a process based understanding of the change in rift style from diffuse during the Late Cretaceous to more focused during the Cenozoic. The models will test the hypotheses that extensional hiatuses led to the change in rifting style, and will place constraints on the timing and duration of the hiatuses. The second phase of the project will use the thermal and rheological properties of the previous models to constrain the flexural rigidity of the lithosphere in order to model the flexural response to volcanic loading to test the hypotheses that flexural subsidence contributed to cyclic changes between grounded and floating ice at the ANDRILL AND-1A site, complicating interpretations of the climatic record from this core, and that flexure contributes to the stress orientation at the AND-2B site, which is inconsistent with the expected regional extensional stress orientation.<br/><br/>Broader impacts: <br/>The project will train an undergraduate student and an M.S. student. Outreach activities include a planned series of talks at regional high schools, junior colleges, and 4-year colleges that have geology programs.
Intellectual Merit: <br/>Numerous candidate models for the geologic processes that have shaped the Antarctic continent have been proposed. To discriminate between them, detailed images of the upper mantle structure are required; however, the only existing continental-scale images of seismic structure beneath Antarctica lack sufficient resolution to delineate important, diagnostic features. Using newly available data from various Antarctic seismic networks, the PI will employ the adaptively parameterized tomography method to develop a high-resolution, continental-scale seismic velocity model for all of Antarctica. The proposed tomography method combines regional seismic travel-time datasets in the context of a global model to create a composite continental-scale model of upper mantle structure. The proposed method allows for imaging of finer structure in areas with better seismic ray coverage while simultaneously limiting the resolution of features in regions with less coverage. This research will help advance understanding of important global processes, such as craton formation, mountain building, continental rifting and associated magmatism. Additionally, the proposed research will have important impacts on other fields of Antarctic science. Constraints provided by tomographic results can be used to develop thermal models of the lithosphere needed to characterize the history and dynamics of ice sheets. Also, further constraints on lithospheric structure are required by climate-ice models, which are focused on understanding the cooling history of the Antarctic continent.<br/><br/>Broader impacts: <br/>The PI is a new faculty member at the University of Alabama after having been funded as a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow in Polar Regions Research. The graduate student supported by this project is new to polar research. Through the UA-Tuscaloosa Magnet School partnership program, the PI will educate K-12 students about the Antarctic environment and associated career opportunities through various online and hands-on activities. University of Alabama dedicates a significant percentage of its enrollment space to underrepresented groups.
Abstract<br/>This award supports a seismological study of the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains (GSM), a Texas-sized mountain range buried beneath the ice sheets of East Antarctica. The project will perform a passive seismic experiment deploying twenty-three seismic stations over the GSM to characterize the structure of the crust and upper mantle, and determine the processes driving uplift. The outcomes will also offer constraints on the terrestrial heat flux, a key variable in modeling ice sheet formation and behavior. Virtually unexplored, the GSM represents the largest unstudied area of crustal uplift on earth. As well, the region is the starting point for growth of the Antarctic ice sheets. <br/>Because of these outstanding questions, the GSM has been identified by the international Antarctic science community as a research focus for the International Polar Year (2007-2009). In addition to this seismic experiment, NSF is also supporting an aerogeophysical survey of the GSM under award number 0632292. Major international partners in the project include Germany, China, Australia, and the United Kingdom. For more information see IPY Project #67 at IPY.org. In terms of broader impacts, this project also supports postdoctoral and graduate student research, and various forms of outreach.
Intellectual Merit: <br/>Mt. Erebus is one of only a handful of volcanoes worldwide that have lava lakes with readily observable and nearly continuous Strombolian explosive activity. Erebus is also unique in having a permanent convecting lava lake of anorthoclase phonolite magma. Over the years significant infrastructure has been established at the summit of Mt. Erebus as part of the Mount Erebus Volcano Observatory (MEVO), which serves as a natural laboratory to study a wide range of volcanic processes, especially magma degassing associated with an open convecting magma conduit. The PI proposes to continue operating MEVO for a further five years. The fundamental fundamental research objectives are: to understand diffuse flank degassing by using distributed temperature sensing and gas measurements in ice caves, to understand conduit processes, and to examine the environmental impact of volcanic emissions from Erebus on atmospheric and cryospheric environments. To examine conduit processes the PI will make simultaneous observations with video records, thermal imaging, measurements of gas emission rates and gas compositions, seismic, and infrasound data.<br/><br/>Broader impacts: <br/>An important aspect of Erebus research is the education and training of students. Both graduate and undergraduate students will have the opportunity to work on MEVO data and deploy to the field site. In addition, this proposal will support a middle or high school science teacher for two field seasons. The PI will also continue working with various media organizations and filmmakers.
This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). The high elevations of East Antarctica are critical in localizing the initial Cenozoic glaciation and stabilizing it with respect to melting during warm interglacials. However, the geological history for this region and the geophysical mechanism for maintaining the highlands are poorly understood. In 2007-2009, an array of 24 broadband seismographs (named GAMSEIS) was installed across the Gamburtsev Mountains area of the East Antarctic Plateau as part of the Antarctica?s Gamburtsev Province (AGAP) International Polar Year project. The IPY AGAP/GAMSEIS program included plans by other international partners to install seismographs at locations along the flanks of the Gamburtsev Mountains and in other East Antarctic regions. The proposed project will continue operating six of the deployed AGAP/GAMSEIS stations for two more years together with two new broadband seismic stations added to broaden the geographic scope of the array. Most stations will be located at the existing U.S. Autonomous Geophysical Observatories and the USAP fuel cache locations in order to minimize logistical support. This array, combined with seismographs deployed by China and Japan (and possibly Australia, France, and Italy in near future) will provide a sparse but large-scale network of seismometers for the longer-term studies of the crustal and upper mantle structures underneath the East Antarctic Plateau. Continued reliance on students provides a broader impact to this proposed research and firmly grounds this effort in its educational mission.
This award supports a project to study ice sheet history and dynamics on the Thwaites Glacier and Pine Island Glacier in the Amundsen Sea sector of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. The international collaboration that has been established with the British Antarctic Survey will enable a fuller suite of geophysical experiments with more-efficient use of people and logistics than we could achieve individually. This project is one of a number of projects to characterize the Amundsen Sea Embayment, which has been identified in numerous planning documents as perhaps the most important target for ice-dynamical research. Taken together, this "pulse of activity" will result in a better understanding of this important part of the global system. Field work will measure the subglacial environment of Thwaites and Pine Island Glaciers using three powerful, but relatively simple tools: reflection seismic imaging, GPS motion monitoring of the tidal forcing, and passive seismic monitoring of the seismicity associated with motion. The results of the field work will feed into ice-sheet modeling efforts that are tuned to the case of an ocean-terminating glacier and will assess the influence of these glaciers on current sea level and project into the future. The broader impacts of the project involve the inclusion of a film- and audio-professional to document the work for informal outreach (public radio and TV; museums). In addition, we will train graduate students in polar geophysical and glaciological research and in numerical modeling techniques. The ultimate goal of this project, of assessing the role of Thwaites Glacier in global sea level change, has broad societal impact in coastal regions and small islands.
Catania 0739654<br/><br/>This award supports a project to study the Amundsen Sea drainage system and improve understanding of the impact of recent glaciological changes as an aid to predicting how this region will change in the future. The intellectual merit of the work is that the Amundsen Sea drainage system has been a recent focus for glaciological research because of rapid changes occurring there as a result of grounding line retreat. The work will focus on the regions of flow transition and will map the internal stratigraphy of the ice sheet across the Thwaites Glacier shear margins and use the age and geometry of radar-detected internal layers to interpret ice flow history. Thwaites Glacier (one of the main pathways for ice drainage in the region) has recently widened and may continue to do so in the near future. Thwaites Glacier may be particularly vulnerable to grounding line retreat because it lacks a well-defined subglacial channel. The subglacial environment exerts strong control on ice flow and flow history will be mapped in the context of bed topography and bed reflectivity. The plan is to use existing ice-penetrating radar data and coordinate with planned upcoming surveys to reduce logistical costs. The work proposed here will take three years to complete but no additional fieldwork in Antarctica is required. More detailed ground-based geophysical (radar and seismic) experiments will be needed at key locations to achieve our overall goal and the work proposed here will aid in identifying those regions. The broader impacts of the project are that it will initiate a new collaboration among radar communities within the US including those that are on the forefront of radar systems engineering and those that are actively involved in radar-derived internal layer and bed analysis. The project will also provide support for a postdoctoral researcher and a graduate student, thus giving them exposure to a variety of methodologies and scientific issues. Finally, there are plans to further develop the "Wired Antarctica" website designed by Ginny Catania with the help of a student-teacher. This will allow for the existing lesson plans to be updated to Texas State standards so that they can be used more broadly within state middle and high schools.
This award supports a project to strengthen collaborations between the various research groups working on iceberg calving. Relatively little is known about the calving process, especially the physics that governs the initiation and propagation of fractures within the ice. This knowledge gap exists in part because of the diverse range in spatial and temporal scales associated with calving (ranging from less than one meter to over a hundred kilometers in length scale). It is becoming increasingly clear that to predict the future behavior of the Antarctic Ice Sheet and its contribution to sea level rise, it is necessary to improve our understanding of iceberg calving processes. Further challenges stem from difficulties in monitoring and quantifying short-time and spatial-scale processes associated with ice fracture, including increased fracturing events in ice shelves or outlet glaciers that may be a precursor to disintegration, retreat or increased calving rates. Coupled, these fundamental problems currently prohibit the inclusion of iceberg calving into numerical ice sheet models and hinder our ability to accurately forecast changes in sea level in response to climate change. Seismic data from four markedly different environmental regimes forms the basis of the proposed research, and researchers most familiar with the datasets will perform all analyses. Extracting the similarities and differences across the full breadth of calving processes embodies the core of the proposed work, combining and improving methods previously developed by each group. Techniques derived from solid Earth seismology, including waveform cross-correlation and clustering will be applied to each data set allowing quantitative process comparisons on a significantly higher level than previously possible. This project will derive catalogues of glaciologically produced seismic events; the events will then be located and categorized based on their location, waveform and waveform spectra both within individual environments and between regions. The intellectual merit of this work is that it will lead to a better understanding of iceberg calving and the teleconnections between seismic events and other geophysical processes around the globe. The broader impacts of this work are that it relates directly to socio-environmental impacts of global change and sea level rise. Strong collaborations will form as a result of this research, including bolstered collaborations between the glacier and ice sheet communities, as well as the glaciology and seismology communities. Outreach and public dissemination of findings will be driven by SIO's Visualization Center, and Birch Aquarium, hosting presentations devoted to the role of the cryosphere in global change. Time-lapse movies of recent changes at Columbia Glacier will be used to engage potential young scientists. A program of presentations outside the university setting to at-risk and gifted youth will be continued. This study will also involve undergraduates in analyses and interpretation and presentation of the seismic data assembled. The work will also support two junior scientists who will be supported by this project.
This award is for the continuation of the Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS), an NSF Science and Technology Center (STC) established in June 2005 to study present and probable future contributions of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets to sea-level rise. The Center?s vision is to understand and predict the role of polar ice sheets in sea level change. In particular, the Center?s mission is to develop technologies, to conduct field investigations, to compile data to understand why many outlet glaciers and ice streams are changing rapidly, and to develop models that explain and predict ice sheet response to climate change. The Center?s mission is also to educate and train a diverse population of graduate and undergraduate students in Center-related disciplines and to encourage K-12 students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM-fields). The long-term goals are to perform a four-dimensional characterization (space and time) of rapidly changing ice-sheet regions, develop diagnostic and predictive ice-sheet models, and contribute to future assessments of sea level change in a warming climate. In the first five years, significant progress was made in developing, testing and optimizing innovative sensors and platforms and completing a major aircraft campaign, which included sounding the channel under Jakobshavn Isbræ. In the second five years, research will focus on the interpretation of integrated data from a suite of sensors to understand the physical processes causing changes and the subsequent development and validation of models. Information about CReSIS can be found at http://www.cresis.ku.edu.<br/><br/>The intellectual merits of the STC are the multidisciplinary research it enables its faculty, staff and students to pursue, as well as the broad education and training opportunities it provides to students at all levels. During the first phase, the Center provided scientists and engineers with a collaborative research environment and the opportunity to interact, enabling the development of high-sensitivity radars integrated with several airborne platforms and innovative seismic instruments. Also, the Center successfully collected data on ice thickness and bed conditions, key variables in the study of ice dynamics and the development of models, for three major fast-flowing glaciers in Greenland. During the second phase, the Center will collect additional data over targeted sites in areas undergoing rapid changes; process, analyze and interpret collected data; and develop advanced process-oriented and ice sheet models to predict future behavior. The Center will continue to provide a rich environment for multidisciplinary education and mentoring for undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows, as well as for conducting K-12 education and public outreach. The broader impacts of the Center stem from addressing a global environmental problem with critical societal implications, providing a forum for citizens and policymakers to become informed about climate change issues, training the next generation of scientists and engineers to serve the nation, encouraging underrepresented students to pursue careers in STEM-related fields, and transferring new technologies to industry. Students involved in the Center find an intellectually stimulating atmosphere where collaboration between disciplines is the norm and exposure to a wide variety of methodologies and scientific issues enriches their educational experience. The next generation of researchers should reflect the diversity of our society; the Center will therefore continue its work with ECSU to conduct outreach and educational programs that attract minority students to careers in science and technology. The Center has also established a new partnership with ADMI that supports faculty and student exchanges at the national level and provides expanded opportunities for students and faculty to be involved in Center-related research and education activities. These, and other collaborations, will provide broader opportunities to encourage underrepresented students to pursue STEM careers. <br/><br/>As lead institution, The University of Kansas (KU) provides overall direction and management, as well as expertise in radar and remote sensing, Uninhabited Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), and modeling and interpretation of data. Five partner institutions and a DOE laboratory play critical roles in the STC. The Pennsylvania State University (PSU) continues to participate in technology development for seismic measurements, field activities, and modeling. The Center of Excellence in Remote Sensing, Education and Research (CERSER) at Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) contributes its expertise to analyzing satellite data and generating high-level data products. ECSU also brings to the Center their extensive experience in mentoring and educating traditionally under-represented students. ADMI, the Association of Computer and Information Science/Engineering Departments at Minority Institutions, expands the program?s reach to underrepresented groups at the national level. Indiana University (IU) provides world-class expertise in CI and high-performance computing to address challenges in data management, processing, distribution and archival, as well as high-performance modeling requirements. The University of Washington (UW) provides expertise in satellite observations of ice sheets and process-oriented interpretation and model development. Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) contributes in the area of ice sheet modeling. All partner institutions are actively involved in the analysis and interpretation of observational and numerical data sets.
9909734<br/>Anderson<br/><br/>This award, provided by the Antarctic Geology and Geophysics Program of the Office of Polar Programs, supports research on the glaciomarine geology of the continental shelves of West Antarctica and the Antarctic Peninsula. It is hypothesized that the different glacial systems of the Antarctic Peninsula region have been more responsive to climate change and sea-level rise than either the West Antarctic or East Antarctic ice sheets. This is due mainly to the smaller size of these ice masses and the higher latitude location of the peninsula. Indeed, ice shelves of the Antarctic Peninsula are currently retreating at rates of up to a kilometer per year. But are these changes due to recent atmospheric warming in the region or are they simply the final phase of retreat since the last glacial maximum?<br/><br/>This project hypothesizes that the deglacial history of the Antarctic Peninsula region has been quite complex, with different glacial systems retreating at different rates and at different times. This complex recessional history reflects the different sizes as well as different climatic and physiographic settings of glacial systems in the region. An understanding of the Late Pleistocene to Holocene glacial history of the Antarctic Peninsula glacial systems is needed to address how these systems responded to sea-level and climate change during that time interval. This investigation acquire new marine geological and geophysical data from the continental shelf to determine if and when different glacial systems were grounded on the shelf, to establish the extent of grounded ice, and to examine the history of glacial retreat. The project will build on an extensive seismic data set and hundreds of sediment cores collected along the Peninsula during earlier (1980's) cruises. Key to this investigation is the acquisition of swath bathymetry, side-scan sonar and very high-resolution sub-bottom (chirp) profiles from key drainage outlets. These new data will provide the necessary geomorphologic and stratigraphic framework for reconstructing the Antarctic Peninsula glacial record. Anticipated results will help constrain models for future glacier and ice sheet activity.
This award, provided by the Antarctic Geology and Geophysics Program of the Office of Polar Programs, supports a multi-institutional, international (US - Australia) marine geologic and geophysical investigation of Prydz Bay and the MacRobertson Shelf, to be completed during an approximately 60-day cruise aboard the RVIB N.B. Palmer. The primary objective is to develop a record of climate and oceanographic change during the Quaternary, using sediment cores collected via kasten and jumbo piston coring. Core sites will be selected based on seismic profiling (Seabeam 2112 and Bathy2000). Recognition of the central role of the Antarctic Ice Sheet to global oceanic and atmospheric systems is based primarily on data collected along the West Antarctic margin, while similar extensive and high resolution data sets from the much more extensive East Antarctic margin are sparse. Goals of this project include (1) development of a century- to millennial-scale record of Holocene paleoenvironments, and (2) testing of hypotheses concerning the sedimentary record of previous glacial and interglacial events on the shelf, and evaluation of the timing and extent of maximum glaciation along this 500 km stretch of the East Antarctic margin. <br/><br/>High-resolution seismic mapping and coring of sediments deposited in inner shelf depressions will be used to reconstruct Holocene paleoenvironments. In similar depositional settings in the Antarctic Peninsula and Ross Sea, sedimentary records demonstrate millennial- and century- scale variability in primary production and sea-ice extent during the Holocene, which have been linked to chronological periodicities in radiocarbon distribution, suggesting the possible role of solar variability in driving some changes in Holocene climate. Similar high-resolution Holocene records from the East Antarctic margin will be used to develop a circum-Antarctic suite of data regarding the response of southern glacial and oceanographic systems to late Quaternary climate change. In addition, these data will help us to evaluate the response of the East Antarctic margin to global warming. <br/><br/>Initial surveys of the Prydz Channel - Amery Depression region reveal sequences deposited during previous Pleistocene interglacials. The upper Holocene and lower (undated) siliceous units can be traced over 15,000 km2 of the Prydz Channel, but more sub-bottom seismic reflection profiling in conjunction with dense coring over this region is needed to define the spatial distribution and extent of the units. Chronological work will determine the timing and duration of previous periods of glacial marine sedimentation on the East Antarctic margin during the late Pleistocene. <br/><br/>Analyses will focus on detailed sedimentologic, geochemical, micropaleontological, and paleomagnetic techniques. This multi-parameter approach is the most effective way to extract a valuable paleoenvironmental signal in these glacial marine sediments. These results are expected to lead to a significant advance in understanding of the behavior of the Antarctic ice-sheet and ocean system in the recent geologic past.<br/><br/>The combination of investigators, all with many years of experience working in high latitude marine settings, will provide an effective team to complete the project. University and College faculty (Principal Investigators on this project) will supervise a combination of undergraduate and post-graduate students involved in all stages of the project so that educational objectives will be met in tandem with the research goals of the project.
This project develops power and communications systems to support the operation of seismometers and GPS receivers in Antarctica throughout the polar night. In terms of intellectual merit, this system would allow a new class of geophysical questions to be approached, in areas as varied as ice sheet movement, plate tectonics, and deep earth structure. In terms of broader impacts, this project represents research infrastructure of potential use to many scientific disciplines. In addition, the results will improve society's understanding of the Antarctic ice sheet and its behavior in response to global warming.
0538097<br/>Anandakrishnan<br/><br/>This award supports a project to intensively study a subglacial Antarctic lake near the geographic South Pole using seismic and radar methods. These ground-based experiments are better suited to determine the presence of water and its thickness than are airborne methods. We hypothesize that there are two end-member explanations for this feature: either the lake is thawed, but freezing on (and likely to have been freezing on through much of the current interglacial period), or it is a frozen, relict lake for which the high basal radar reflectivity is due to intergranular water in a permafrost-like layer beneath the ice. The seismic experiment we propose is ideally suited to examine these alternatives. Intermediate cases of, e.g., a thawed saturated sedimentary base or a smooth crystalline basement layer would also be resolved by this experiment. Seismic reflections are sensitive to changes in acoustic impedance which is strongly variable with fluid content, porosity, and lithology. Water has low density relative to most rocks and low seismic velocity (and nil shear wave velocity) relative to both ice and rock. Thus, discriminating between subglacial water and subglacial rock is a task ideally suited to the seismic reflection technique. This project has significant impacts outside the directly affected fields of Antarctic glaciology and geology. The lake (either thawed or sediments with thin liquid layers around the matrix particles) will have the potential for harboring novel life forms. The experiment has the potential for expanding our information about the newest frontier in life on Earth. The collaboration between PIs in the seismic community and the marine acoustics community will foster cross-disciplinary pollination of ideas, techniques, and tools. In addition to traditional seismic techniques, new methods of data analysis that have been developed by acousticians will be applied to this problem as an independent measure of lake properties. We will train students who will have a wider view of seismology than would be possible in a traditional ocean acoustics or traditional geoscience seismology program of study.
This award, provided jointly by the Antarctic Geology and Geophysics Program of the Office of Polar Programs, supports research to transform three temporary seismometers in the Antarctic Peninsula into semi-permanent stations and to continue basic research using these data. During 1997 and 1998, a network of 11 broadband seismographs in the Antarctic Peninsula region and southernmost Chilean Patagonia were installed and maintained. Data return from this project has been excellent and interesting initial results have been produced. The continued operation of these instruments over a longer time period would be highly beneficial because the number of larger magnitude regional earthquakes is small and so a longer time is needed to acquire data. However, instruments from this project are borrowed from the IRIS-PASSCAL instrument pool and must be returned to PASSCAL in April, 1999. This award provides funds to convert three stations at permanent Chilean bases in the Antarctic to permanent stations, and to continue the seismological investigation of the region for a period of four years. As part of this project, a fourth station, in Chilean Patagonia, will continue to be operated using Washington University equipment. The funding of this project will enable continued collaboration between Washington University and the Universidad de Chile in the operation of these stations, and the data will be forwarded to the IRIS data center as well as to other international seismological collaborators. Mutual data exchanges with other national groups with Antarctic seismology research programs will provide access to broadband data from a variety of other proprietary broadband stations in the region. The data will be used to study the seismicity and upper mantle velocity structure of several complicated tectonic regions in the area, including the South Shetland subduction zone, the Bransfield backarc rift, and diffuse plate boundaries in Patagonia, Drake Passage, and along the South Scotia Ridge. In particular, the operation of these stations over a longer time period will allow a better understanding of the seismicity of the South Shetland Trench, an unusual subduction zone showing very slow subduction of young lithosphere. These seismometers will also be used to record airgun shots during a geophysical cruise in the Bransfield Strait that is being planned by the University of Texas for April, 2000. These data will provide important constraints on the crustal structure beneath the stations, and the improved structural models will enable implementation of more precise earthquake location procedures in support of a seismological understanding of the region.
This award supports an investigation of the early seafloor spreading history of the Marie Byrd Land Margin, Antarctica. This effort will carefully map the magnetic lineations, the gravity anomalies, the topography and, where possible, the seismically determined depth to basement. The study will integrate the tectonic lineations determined from the gravity, bathymetry and seismic information with the magnetic anomalies to construct a new seafloor spreading history of the Marie Byrd Land Margin. The analysis of these new data sets and the resultant seafloor spreading history will be used to address the following questions: (1) Did the early opening of the Pacific-Antarctic Ridge involve an additional plate, the Bellingshausen Plate, or did the ridge undergo very asymmetric, non-orthogonal spreading? (2) With a better refined opening history for the Pacific Antarctic Ridge, what are the implications for relative motions between the tectonic blocks which compromise West Antarctica and for the structure and evolution of the Marie Byrd Land Margin? (3) Can the global plate circuit solution be enhanced by refining the early Tertiary history of Pacific-Antarctic seafloor spreading?
This award, provided by the Antarctic Geology and Geophysics Program of the Office of Polar Programs, provides funds for a study to investigate the tectonic development of the southwestern Ross Sea region. Displacements between East and West Antarctica have long been proposed based on global plate circuits, apparent hot spot motions, interpretations of seafloor magnetic anomalies, paleomagnetism, and on geologic grounds. Such motions require plate boundaries crossing Antarctica, yet these boundaries have never been explicitly defined. This project will attempt to delineate the late Cenozoic - active boundary between East and West Antarctica along the Terror Rift in the western Ross Sea, where young structures have been identified, continuity between active extension and intracontinental structures can be established, and where accessibility via ship will allow new key data sets to be acquired. We will use multi-source marine and airborne geophysical data to map the fault patterns and volcanic structure along the eastern margin of the Terror Rift. The orientations of volcanic fissures and seamount alignments on the seafloor will be mapped using multibeam bathymetry. The volcanic alignments will show the regional extension or shear directions across the Terror Rift and the orientations of associated crustal stresses. Swath bathymetry and single channel seismic data will be used to document neotectonic fault patterns and the eastern limit of recent faulting. Delineation of neotectonic fault patterns will demonstrate whether the eastern margin of the Terror Rift forms a continuous boundary and whether the rift itself can be linked with postulated strike-slip faults in the northwestern Ross Sea. Seafloor findings from this project will be combined with fault kinematic and stress field determinations from the surrounding volcanic islands and the Transantarctic Mountains. The integrated results will test the propositions that the eastern boundary of the Terror Rift forms the limit of the major, late Cenozoic -active structures through the Ross Sea and that Terror Rift kinematics involve dextral transtension linked to the right-lateral strike-slip faulting to the north. These results will help constrain the kinematic and dynamic links between the West Antarctic rift system and Southern Ocean structures and any related motions between East and West Antarctica. In the first year, a collaborative structural analysis of existing multichannel and single channel seismic profiles and aeromagnetic data over the Terror Rift will be conducted. The location of volcanic vents or fissures and any fault scarps on the sea floor will be identified and a preliminary interpretation of the age and kinematics of deformation in the Terror Rift will be produced. Late in the second year, a one-month cruise on RVIB N.B. Palmer will carry out multibeam bathymetric and sidescan sonar mapping of selected portions of the seafloor of Terror Rift. Gravity, magnetics, seismic reflection and Bathy2000 3.5 kHz sub-bottom profile data will also be collected across the rift. In the third year, we will use these multisource data to map the orientations and forms of volcanic bodies and the extent and geometry of neotectonic faulting associated with the Terror Rift. The project will: 1) complete a map of neotectonic faults and volcanic structures in the Terror Rift; 2) interpret the structural pattern to derive the motions and stresses associated with development of the rift; 3) compare Terror Rift structures with faults and lineaments mapped in the Transantarctic Mountains to improve age constraints on the structures; and 4) integrate the late Cenozoic structural interpretations from the western Ross Sea with Southern Ocean plate boundary kinematics.
This award, provided by the Antarctic Geology and Geophysics Program of the Office of Polar Programs, supports a marine geological investigation of the Amundsen Sea region toward a better understanding of the deglaciation history of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS). The WAIS may be inherently unstable because it is the last marine-based ice sheet in the world. Unlike other embayments in West Antarctica, major ice streams draining into the Amundsen Sea from the interior of the WAIS lack buttressing ice shelves. Mass balance data for the distal portions of these ice streams (Pine Island and Thwaites glaciers) appear to be in balance or may be becoming negative. Because both ice streams have beds that slope downward toward the center of the ice sheet, grounding-line recession resulting from either continued thinning or sea-level rise could trigger irreversible grounding-line retreat, leading to ice-sheet disintegration and consequent global sea-level rise. The limited marine geological and geophysical data available from the Amundsen Sea suggest that grounded ice or an ice shelf occupied the inner Amundsen Sea embayment until perhaps as recently as 1000 to 2000 years ago, and this ice may have retreated rapidly in historic time.<br/><br/>This project, a study of the marine geology and geophysics of the Amundsen Sea continental shelf from 100 degrees W to 130 degrees W, is designed to address the Amundsen Sea part of WAIS Science Plan Priority Goal H2: "What is the deglaciation history in the eastern Ross, the Bellingshausen and Amundsen Seas?" This project will examine bathymetric data of the Amundsen Sea continental shelf to determine the positions of former ice-steam channels, and to aid in choosing sites for sediment coring. Single-channel seismic reflection studies will be conducted in order to determine sediment-thickness patterns, to aid in choice of coring sites, and to locate and identify morphologic features indicative of former grounded ice (e.g., moraines, scours, flutes, striations, till wedges and deltas, etc.). Coring will be concentrated along former ice flow-lines. Core samples will be analyzed in the laboratory for sedimentology, to determine whether of not basal tills are present (indicating former grounded ice and its former extent), and for calcareous and siliceous microfossils. The chronology of grounding-line and ice-shelf retreat from a presumed Last Glacial Maximum position near the shelf break will be established using accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) carbon-14 dates of acid-insoluble particulate organic carbon.<br/><br/>This project will share ship time in the Amundsen Sea with a physical oceanographic project. Marine geologic data and samples collected will be integrated with findings of other investigators toward developing a comprehensive interpretation of the history of the WAIS.
This award supports a marine geophysical investigation of the Bransfield Strait and the Shackleton Fracture Zone and environs in the Scotia Sea in an effort to understand the neotectonic evolution of the region. Multibeam swath mapping and sidescan sonar mapping will be used along with multichannel seismic imaging. The main goal of this proposal is to collect multibeam and sidescan sonar data to map the structural character and tectonic fabric of the evolving plate boundary in Southwest Scotia Sea, Shackleton Fracture Zone, and Bransfield Strait. Follow up multichannel seismic surveys will be done in the Southwest Scotia Sea. The secondary goal is to use sidescan sonar reflectivity images to generate detailed structural maps of the seafloor of these regions and to integrate the new data with existing seismic reflection, Geosat gravity, Hydrosweep and Seabeam bathymetric data. Once the base maps are produced they can be used by other researchers to help interpret multichannel and single channel seismic reflection records. The neotectonic evolution of the Antarctic Peninsula and Scotia Sea is extremely complex. Understanding the recent evolution of the Drake-Scotia-Antarctic-South America plate intersections will provide important information as to how major plate boundaries reorganize after demise of a long-lived spreading center and the consequential reduction in the number of plates. The plate reorganization probably resulted in the uplift of the Shackleton Ridge which may have effected the sedimentary patterns in both the Scotia Sea and possibly the Weddell Sea. If the break of the Shackleton transform fault can be traced with multibeam and sidescan sonar as it intersects the southern end of South America then the orientation and geometry of the faults, fractures and deformation as the transform fault intersects the South American continent will help to interpret the structures in that complex region. Bransfield Strait is presently undergoing extensi on based on high heat flow, active volcanoes and inferences from seismic reflection work. Seismic refraction indicates thick crust similar to the East African Rift or passive volcanic margins of continents. In contrast, analysis of isotopes and rare earth elements of the recent volcanics shows seemingly no continental contamination. The active extension in Bransfield Strait must be related to the plate reorganization but it is unclear exactly what tectonic processes are occurring. Besides elucidating the tectonic fabric of Bransfield Strait, the multibeam and sidescan sonar survey will identify potential dredge targets and DSRV Alvin dive sites.
PROPOSAL NO.: 0094078<br/>PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Bart, Philip<br/>INSTITUTION NAME: Louisiana State University & Agricultural and Mechanical College<br/>TITLE: CAREER: Relative frequency and phase of extreme expansions of the Antarctic Ice Sheets during the late Neogene<br/>NSF RECEIVED DATE: 07/27/2000<br/><br/>PROJECT SUMMARY<br/><br/>Expansions and contractions of the Antarctic Ice Sheets (AISs) have undoubtedly had a profound influence on Earth's climate and global sea-level. However, rather than being a single entity, the Antarctic cryosphere consists of three primary elements: 1) the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS); 2) the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS); and 3) the Antarctic Peninsula Ice Cap (APIC). The distinguishing characteristics include significant differences in: 1) ice volume; 2) substratum elevation; 3) ice-surface elevation; and 4) location with respect to latitude. Various lines of evidence indicate that the AISs have undergone significant fluctuations in the past and that fluctuations will continue to occur in the future. The exact nature of the fluctuations has been the subject of many lively debates. According to one line of reasoning, the land-based EAIS has been relatively stable, experiencing only minor fluctuations since forming in the middle Miocene, whereas the marine-based WAIS has been dynamic, waxing and waning frequently since the late Miocene. According to an alternate hypothesis, the ice sheets advanced and retreated synchronously. These two views are incompatible. <br/><br/>The first objective of this proposal is to compare the long-term past behavior of the WAIS to that of the EAIS and APIC. The fluctuations of the AISs involve many aspects (the frequency of changes, the overall magnitude of ice-volume change, etc.), and the activities proposed here specifically concern the frequency and phase of extreme advances of the ice sheet to the continental shelf. The project will build upon previous seismic-stratigraphic investigations of the continental shelves. These studies have clarified many issues concerning the minimum frequency of extreme expansions for the individual ice sheets, but some important questions remain. During the course of the project, the following questions will be evaluated.<br/><br/>Question 1) Were extreme advances of the EAIS and WAIS across the shelf of a similar frequency and coeval? This evaluation is possible because the western Ross Sea continental shelf (Northern Basin) receives drainage from the EAIS, and the eastern Ross Sea (Eastern Basin) receives drainage from the WAIS. Quantitative analyses of the extreme advances from these two areas have been conducted by Alonso et al. (1992) and Bart et al. (2000), respectively. However, the existing single-channel seismic grids are incomplete and can not be used to determine the stratigraphic correlations from Northern Basin to Eastern Basin. It is proposed that high-resolution seismic data (~2000 kms) be acquired to address this issue.<br/><br/>Question 2) Were extreme advances of the APIC across the shelf as frequent as inferred by Bart and Anderson (1995)? Bart and Anderson (1995) inferred that the APIC advanced across the continental shelf at least 30 times since the middle Miocene. This is significant because it suggests that the advances of the small APIC were an order of magnitude more frequent than the advances of the EAIS and WAIS. Others contest the Bart and Anderson (1995) glacial-unconformity interpretation of seismic reflections, and argue that the advances of the APIC were far fewer (i.e., Larter et al., 1997). The recent drilling on the Antarctic Peninsula outer continental shelf has sampled some but not all of the glacial units, but the sediment recovery was poor, and thus, the glacial history interpretation is still ambiguous. The existing high-resolution seismic grids from the Antarctic Peninsula contain only one regional strike line on the outer continental shelf. This is inadequate to address the controversy of the glacial-unconformity interpretation and the regional correlation of the recent ODP results. It is proposed that high-resolution seismic data (~1000 kms) be acquired in a forthcoming (January 2002) cruise to the Antarctic Peninsula to address these issues.<br/><br/>The second objective of this project is 1) to expand the PI's effort to integrate his ongoing and the proposed experiments into a graduate-level course at LSU, and 2) to develop a pilot outreach program with a Baton Rouge public high school. The Louisiana Department of Education has adopted scientific standards that apply to all sciences. These standards reflect what 9th through 12th grade-level students should be able to do and know. The PI will target one of these standards, the Science As Inquiry Standard 1 Benchmark. The PI will endeavor to share with the students the excitement of conducting scientific research as a way to encourage the students to pursue earth science as a field of study at the university level.
Luyendyk et.al.: OPP 0088143<br/>Bartek: OPP 0087392<br/>Diebold: OPP 0087983<br/><br/>This award, provided by the Antarctic Geology and Geophysics Program of the Office of Polar Programs, supports a collaborative research program in marine geology and geophysics in the southern central and eastern Ross Sea. The project will conduct sites surveys for drilling from the Ross Ice Shelf into the seafloor beneath it. Many of the outstanding problems concerning the evolution of the East and West Antarctic Ice Sheets, Antarctic climate, global sea level, and the tectonic history of the West Antarctic Rift System can be addressed by drilling into the seafloor of the Ross Sea. Climate data for Cretaceous and Early Cenozoic time are lacking for this sector of Antarctica. Climate questions include: Was there any ice in Late Cretaceous time? What was the Antarctic climate during the Paleocene-Eocene global warming? When was the Cenozoic onset of Antarctic glaciation, when did glaciers reach the coast and when did they advance out onto the margin? Was the Ross Sea shelf non-marine in Late Cretaceous time; when did it become marine? Tectonic questions include: What was the timing of the Cretaceous extension in the Ross Sea rift; where was it located? What is the basement composition and structure? Where are the time and space limits of the effects of Adare Trough spreading? Another drilling objective is to sample and date the sedimentary section bounding the mapped RSU6 unconformity in the Eastern Basin and Central Trough to resolve questions about its age and regional extent. Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) Leg 28 completed sampling at four drill sites in the early 1970's but had low recovery and did not sample the Early Cenozoic. Other drilling has been restricted to the McMurdo Sound area of the western Ross Sea and results can be correlated into the Victoria Land Basin but not eastward across basement highs. Further, Early Cenozoic and Cretaceous rocks have not been sampled. A new opportunity is developing to drill from the Ross Ice Shelf. This is a successor program to the Cape Roberts Drilling Project. One overriding difficulty is the need for site surveys at drilling locations under the ice shelf. This project will overcome this impediment by conducting marine geophysical drill site surveys at the front of the Ross Ice Shelf in the Central Trough and Eastern Basin. The surveys will be conducted a kilometer or two north of the ice shelf front where recent calving events have resulted in a southerly position of the ice shelf edge. In several years the northward advance of the ice shelf will override the surveyed locations and drilling could be accomplished. Systems to be used include swath bathymetry, gravity, magnetics, chirp sonar, high resolution seismic profiling, and 48 fold seismics. Cores will be collected to obtain samples for geotechnical properties, to study sub-ice shelf modern sedimentary processes, and at locations where deeper section is exposed.<br/><br/>This survey will include long profiles and detailed grids over potential drill sites. Survey lines will be tied to existing geophysical profiles and DSDP 270. A recent event that makes this plan timely is the calving of giant iceberg B-15 (in March, 2000) and others from the ice front in the eastern Ross Sea. This new calving event and one in 1987 have exposed 16,000 square kilometers of seafloor that had been covered by ice shelf for decades and is not explored. Newly exposed territory can now be mapped by modern geophysical methods. This project will map geological structure and stratigraphy below unconformity RSU6 farther south and east, study the place of Roosevelt Island in the Ross Sea rifting history, and determine subsidence history during Late Cenozoic time (post RSU6) in the far south and east. Finally the project will observe present day sedimentary processes beneath the ice shelf in the newly exposed areas.
Anderson OPP 9527876 Abstract This award supports continuation of a long term investigation of the continental shelf sediments that is aimed at examining the configuration of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet during the last glacial maximum, the events and mechanisms involved in its retreat, and the timing of retreat. The project involves: 1) characterizing variations in the ice sheet grounding zone in a latitudinal transect extending from Ross Sea to Bransfield Basin, 2) reconstructing conditions at the ice/bed interface prior to and after ice sheet retreat, and 3) radiometrically dating ice sheet retreat along this transect. Detailed sea floor imagery (multibeam and deep-tow side-scan sonar), high resolution seismic reflection profiles, and sediment cores will be used to map and characterize prior grounding zones. Of particular concern are features that indicate the amount and organization (channelization) of basal meltwater and the extent of bed deformation that occurred in different ice streams. The timing of ice sheet retreat provides information about the link between Northern and Southern hemisphere ice expansion, and the role of eustasy in ice sheet decoupling. This research should lead to better predictive models to determine which ice streams are most unstable and likely, therefore, to serve as Oweak linksO in the long term behavior of West Antarctic Ice Sheet.
This award, provided by the Antarctic Geology and Geophysics Program of the Office of Polar Programs, provides funds for a demonstration project to prove the viability of shallow ship-based geological drilling while simultaneously collecting useful cores for assessing the early history of the Antarctic ice sheets. For over three decades, U.S. scientists and their international colleagues exploring the shallow shelves and seas along the margins of Antarctic have been consistently frustrated by their inability to penetrate through the over-compacted glacial diamictons encountered at shallow sub bottom depths (within the upper 10 m) over these terrains. This is particularly frustrating because advanced high resolution seismic reflection techniques clearly show in many areas the presence of older successions of Neogene and even Paleogene sequences lying just beneath this thin veneer of diamictons. Until the means are developed to recover these sequences, a detailed history of the Antarctic ice sheets, which is an essential prerequisite to understanding Cenozoic paleoclimate and future climate change on a global scale, will remain an elusive and unobtainable goal. After four years of study and evaluation with the aid of a professional engineer (and over the course of two workshops), the SHALDRIL Committee, an interested group of U.S. scientists, has identified at least two diamond-coring systems deemed suitable for use on existing ice-breaking U.S. Antarctic Research Program vessels. The goal of this project is to employ diamond-coring technology on the RV/IB Nathaniel B. Palmer in order to test out and demonstrate the feasibility of both ship-based diamond coring and down-hole logging. For this "demonstration cruise" coring will be attempted along a high-resolution seismic reflection profile on the continental shelf adjacent to Seymour Island, Antarctic Peninsula, an area of high scientific interest in its own right. Here the well-defined geologic section is estimated to range from Eocene to Quaternary in age, effectively spanning the "Greenhouse-Icehouse" transition in the evolution of Antarctic/global climate. A complete record of this transition has yet to be obtained anywhere along the Antarctic margin. Following core recovery, this project will result in correlation of the paleoclimate records from the new cores with detailed fluctuations of the ice margin recorded at higher latitudes in the eastern Ross Sea by the recently concluded, fast-ice-based Cape Roberts Project. If successful, this mobile and flexible drilling system will then be available to the broader scientific community for further research in paleoenvironmental conditions and other areas of science that are currently hindered by the present gap that exists in the US Antarctic Program's technical capability to explore the Antarctic shelves between the shore-line/fast-ice margin and the continental slope. SHALDRIL will be able to operate effectively in the "no man's land" that presently exists between the near shore (where the fast-ice-based Cape Roberts Project was successful) and the upper slope (where the Ocean Drilling Program's vessel JOIDES Resolution becomes most efficient). This technological breakthrough will not only allow major outstanding scientific problems of the last three decades to be addressed, but will also favorably impact many current U.S. and SCAR (ICSU Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research) Antarctic or drilling-related initiatives, such as WAIS, ANTIME, ANDRILL, ANTEC, IMAGES, PAGES, GLOCHANT (including PICE), MARGINS, ODP, and STRATAFORM.
This award, provided by the Antarctic Geology and Geophysics Program of the Office of Polar Programs, provides funds for a demonstration project to prove the viability of shallow ship-based geological drilling while simultaneously collecting useful cores for assessing the early history of the Antarctic ice sheets. For over three decades, U.S. scientists and their international colleagues exploring the shallow shelves and seas along the margins of Antarctic have been consistently frustrated by their inability to penetrate through the over-compacted glacial diamictons encountered at shallow sub bottom depths (within the upper 10 m) over these terrains. This is particularly frustrating because advanced high resolution seismic reflection techniques clearly show in many areas the presence of older successions of Neogene and even Paleogene sequences lying just beneath this thin veneer of diamictons. Until the means are developed to recover these sequences, a detailed history of the Antarctic ice sheets, which is an essential prerequisite to understanding Cenozoic paleoclimate and future climate change on a global scale, will remain an elusive and unobtainable goal. After four years of study and evaluation with the aid of a professional engineer (and over the course of two workshops), the SHALDRIL Committee, an interested group of U.S. scientists, has identified at least two diamond-coring systems deemed suitable for use on existing ice-breaking U.S. Antarctic Research Program vessels. The goal of this project is to employ diamond-coring technology on the RV/IB Nathaniel B. Palmer in order to test out and demonstrate the feasibility of both ship-based diamond coring and down-hole logging. For this "demonstration cruise" coring will be attempted along a high-resolution seismic reflection profile on the continental shelf adjacent to Seymour Island, Antarctic Peninsula, an area of high scientific interest in its own right. Here the well-defined geologic section is estimated to range from Eocene to Quaternary in age, effectively spanning the "Greenhouse-Icehouse" transition in the evolution of Antarctic/global climate. A complete record of this transition has yet to be obtained anywhere along the Antarctic margin. Following core recovery, this project will result in correlation of the paleoclimate records from the new cores with detailed fluctuations of the ice margin recorded at higher latitudes in the eastern Ross Sea by the recently concluded, fast-ice-based Cape Roberts Project. If successful, this mobile and flexible drilling system will then be available to the broader scientific community for further research in paleoenvironmental conditions and other areas of science that are currently hindered by the present gap that exists in the US Antarctic Program's technical capability to explore the Antarctic shelves between the shore-line/fast-ice margin and the continental slope. SHALDRIL will be able to operate effectively in the "no man's land" that presently exists between the near shore (where the fast-ice-based Cape Roberts Project was successful) and the upper slope (where the Ocean Drilling Program's vessel JOIDES Resolution becomes most efficient). This technological breakthrough will not only allow major outstanding scientific problems of the last three decades to be addressed, but will also favorably impact many current U.S. and SCAR (ICSU Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research) Antarctic or drilling-related initiatives, such as WAIS, ANTIME, ANDRILL, ANTEC, IMAGES, PAGES, GLOCHANT (including PICE), MARGINS, ODP, and STRATAFORM.This award, provided by the Antarctic Geology and Geophysics Program of the Office of Polar Programs, provides funds for a demonstration project to prove the viability of shallow ship-based geological drilling while simultaneously collecting useful cores for assessing the early history of the Antarctic ice sheets. For over three decades, U.S. scientists and their international colleagues exploring the shallow shelves and seas along the margins of Antarctic have been consistently frustrated by their inability to penetrate through the over-compacted glacial diamictons encountered at shallow sub bottom depths (within the upper 10 m) over these terrains. This is particularly frustrating because advanced high resolution seismic reflection techniques clearly show in many areas the presence of older successions of Neogene and even Paleogene sequences lying just beneath this thin veneer of diamictons. Until the means are developed to recover these sequences, a detailed history of the Antarctic ice sheets, which is an essential prerequisite to understanding Cenozoic paleoclimate and future climate change on a global scale, will remain an elusive and unobtainable goal. After four years of study and evaluation with the aid of a professional engineer (and over the course of two workshops), the SHALDRIL Committee, an interested group of U.S. scientists, has identified at least two diamond-coring systems deemed suitable for use on existing ice-breaking U.S. Antarctic Research Program vessels. The goal of this project is to employ diamond-coring technology on the RV/IB Nathaniel B. Palmer in order to test out and demonstrate the feasibility of both ship-based diamond coring and down-hole logging. For this "demonstration cruise" coring will be attempted along a high-resolution seismic reflection profile on the continental shelf adjacent to Seymour Island, Antarctic Peninsula, an area of high scientific interest in its own right. Here the well-defined geologic section is estimated to range from Eocene to Quaternary in age, effectively spanning the "Greenhouse-Icehouse" transition in the evolution of Antarctic/global climate. A complete record of this transition has yet to be obtained anywhere along the Antarctic margin. Following core recovery, this project will result in correlation of the paleoclimate records from the new cores with detailed fluctuations of the ice margin recorded at higher latitudes in the eastern Ross Sea by the recently concluded, fast-ice-based Cape Roberts Project. If successful, this mobile and flexible drilling system will then be available to the broader scientific community for further research in paleoenvironmental conditions and other areas of science that are currently hindered by the present gap that exists in the US Antarctic Program's technical capability to explore the Antarctic shelves between the shore-line/fast-ice margin and the continental slope. SHALDRIL will be able to operate effectively in the "no man's land" that presently exists between the near shore (where the fast-ice-based Cape Roberts Project was successful) and the upper slope (where the Ocean Drilling Program's vessel JOIDES Resolution becomes most efficient). This technological breakthrough will not only allow major outstanding scientific problems of the last three decades to be addressed, but will also favorably impact many current U.S. and SCAR (ICSU Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research) Antarctic or drilling-related initiatives, such as WAIS, ANTIME, ANDRILL, ANTEC, IMAGES, PAGES, GLOCHANT (including PICE), MARGINS, ODP, and STRATAFORM.
This award supports an integrated seismic, sedimentologic, and paleontologic investigation of glacio-marine stratigraphy of the Ross Sea continental shelf. The purpose of this work is to acquire seismic images and sediment cores of the glacial sediments toward a better understanding of the Cenozoic history of glaciation in the Ross Sea region. This investigation will utilize high resolution seismic profiling data to locate regions where the Pleistocene glacial till is thin or perhaps absent. Piston coring at these locations, if the till is penetrated, will provide sedimentary records of Cenozoic depositional environments and could provide important clues to fluctuations of the Antarctic Ice Sheets. The seismic profiling will provide a direct record of the grounding history of the Ross Ice Shelf during the Pleistocene and it will also allow first order correlations of Cenozoic sedimentary units that are represented by sediments recovered in the piston cores. This work will provide important proxy records of the history of both the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and the East Antarctic Ice Sheet and this, in turn, will provide important constraints to climate models.
This award supports a collaborative marine geological and geophysical project between the University of California, Santa Barbara, and the University of Alabama to study the glacial and tectonic history of the eastern Ross Sea and the Marie Byrd Land margin of West Antarctica. The goals of the project are (1) to conduct seismic imaging and piston coring to begin unraveling the history of the West Antarctic ice Sheet as recorded in the recent sediments of the continental shelf of the region, and (2) to acquire seismic images of the acoustic basement beneath the Cenozoic glacial deposits toward an understanding of the relationship between rift structure of the continental crust and Cenozoic glacial deposits of the region. This research will result in bathymetric, structural, sediment isopach, gravity and magnetic maps of the eastern Ross Sea and the Marie Byrd Land margin. This information will be integrated into an interpretation of the major glacial and structural features of the region. This project will result in a better understanding of the glacio-marine stratigraphy and glacial history of the eastern Ross Sea and Marie Byrd Land margin and, consequently, it will represent a significant contribution to the goals of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet initiative.
This project examines the role of glacier dynamics in glacial sediment yields. The results will shed light on how glacial erosion influences both orogenic processes and produces sediments that accumulate in basins, rich archives of climate variability. Our hypothesis is that erosion rates are a function of sliding speed, and should diminish sharply as the glacier's basal temperatures drop below the melting point. To test this hypothesis, we will determine sediment accumulation rates from seismic studies of fjord sediments for six tidewater glaciers that range from fast-moving temperate glaciers in Patagonia to slow-moving polar glaciers on the Antarctic Peninsula. Two key themes are addressed for each glacier system: 1) sediment yields and erosion rates by determining accumulation rates within the fjords using seismic profiles and core data, and 2) dynamic properties and basin characteristics of each glacier in order to seek an empirical relationship between glacial erosion rates and ice dynamics. The work is based in Patagonia and the Antarctic Peninsula, ideal natural laboratories for these purposes because the large latitudinal range provides a large range of precipitation and thermal regimes over relatively homogeneous lithologies and tectonic settings. Prior studies of these regions noted significant decreases in glaciomarine sediment accumulations in the fjords to the south. As well, the fjords constitute accessible and nearly perfect natural sediment traps.<br/><br/>The broader impacts of this study include inter-disciplinary collaboration with Chilean glaciologists and marine geologists, support for one postdoctoral and three doctoral students, inclusion of undergraduates in research, and outreach to under-represented groups in Earth sciences and K-12 educators. The results of the project will also contribute to a better understanding of the linkages between climate and evolution of all high mountain ranges.
This award, provided by the Antarctic Geology and Geophysics Program of the Office of Polar Programs, provides funds for a demonstration project to prove the viability of shallow ship-based geological drilling while simultaneously collecting useful cores for assessing the early history of the Antarctic ice sheets. For over three decades, U.S. scientists and their international colleagues exploring the shallow shelves and seas along the margins of Antarctic have been consistently frustrated by their inability to penetrate through the over-compacted glacial diamictons encountered at shallow sub bottom depths (within the upper 10 m) over these terrains. This is particularly frustrating because advanced high resolution seismic reflection techniques clearly show in many areas the presence of older successions of Neogene and even Paleogene sequences lying just beneath this thin veneer of diamictons. Until the means are developed to recover these sequences, a detailed history of the Antarctic ice sheets, which is an essential prerequisite to understanding Cenozoic paleoclimate and future climate change on a global scale, will remain an elusive and unobtainable goal. After four years of study and evaluation with the aid of a professional engineer (and over the course of two workshops), the SHALDRIL Committee, an interested group of U.S. scientists, has identified at least two diamond-coring systems deemed suitable for use on existing ice-breaking U.S. Antarctic Research Program vessels. The goal of this project is to employ diamond-coring technology on the RV/IB Nathaniel B. Palmer in order to test out and demonstrate the feasibility of both ship-based diamond coring and down-hole logging. For this "demonstration cruise" coring will be attempted along a high-resolution seismic reflection profile on the continental shelf adjacent to Seymour Island, Antarctic Peninsula, an area of high scientific interest in its own right. Here the well-defined geologic section is estimated to range from Eocene to Quaternary in age, effectively spanning the "Greenhouse-Icehouse" transition in the evolution of Antarctic/global climate. A complete record of this transition has yet to be obtained anywhere along the Antarctic margin. Following core recovery, this project will result in correlation of the paleoclimate records from the new cores with detailed fluctuations of the ice margin recorded at higher latitudes in the eastern Ross Sea by the recently concluded, fast-ice-based Cape Roberts Project. If successful, this mobile and flexible drilling system will then be available to the broader scientific community for further research in paleoenvironmental conditions and other areas of science that are currently hindered by the present gap that exists in the US Antarctic Program's technical capability to explore the Antarctic shelves between the shore-line/fast-ice margin and the continental slope. SHALDRIL will be able to operate effectively in the "no man's land" that presently exists between the near shore (where the fast-ice-based Cape Roberts Project was successful) and the upper slope (where the Ocean Drilling Program's vessel JOIDES Resolution becomes most efficient). This technological breakthrough will not only allow major outstanding scientific problems of the last three decades to be addressed, but will also favorably impact many current U.S. and SCAR (ICSU Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research) Antarctic or drilling-related initiatives, such as WAIS, ANTIME, ANDRILL, ANTEC, IMAGES, PAGES, GLOCHANT (including PICE), MARGINS, ODP, and STRATAFORM.
This award, provided by the Antarctic Geology and Geophysics Program of the Office of Polar Programs, provides funds for a demonstration project to prove the viability of shallow ship-based geological drilling while simultaneously collecting useful cores for assessing the early history of the Antarctic ice sheets. For over three decades, U.S. scientists and their international colleagues exploring the shallow shelves and seas along the margins of Antarctic have been consistently frustrated by their inability to penetrate through the over-compacted glacial diamictons encountered at shallow sub bottom depths (within the upper 10 m) over these terrains. This is particularly frustrating because advanced high resolution seismic reflection techniques clearly show in many areas the presence of older successions of Neogene and even Paleogene sequences lying just beneath this thin veneer of diamictons. Until the means are developed to recover these sequences, a detailed history of the Antarctic ice sheets, which is an essential prerequisite to understanding Cenozoic paleoclimate and future climate change on a global scale, will remain an elusive and unobtainable goal. After four years of study and evaluation with the aid of a professional engineer (and over the course of two workshops), the SHALDRIL Committee, an interested group of U.S. scientists, has identified at least two diamond-coring systems deemed suitable for use on existing ice-breaking U.S. Antarctic Research Program vessels. The goal of this project is to employ diamond-coring technology on the RV/IB Nathaniel B. Palmer in order to test out and demonstrate the feasibility of both ship-based diamond coring and down-hole logging. For this "demonstration cruise" coring will be attempted along a high-resolution seismic reflection profile on the continental shelf adjacent to Seymour Island, Antarctic Peninsula, an area of high scientific interest in its own right. Here the well-defined geologic section is estimated to range from Eocene to Quaternary in age, effectively spanning the "Greenhouse-Icehouse" transition in the evolution of Antarctic/global climate. A complete record of this transition has yet to be obtained anywhere along the Antarctic margin. Following core recovery, this project will result in correlation of the paleoclimate records from the new cores with detailed fluctuations of the ice margin recorded at higher latitudes in the eastern Ross Sea by the recently concluded, fast-ice-based Cape Roberts Project. If successful, this mobile and flexible drilling system will then be available to the broader scientific community for further research in paleoenvironmental conditions and other areas of science that are currently hindered by the present gap that exists in the US Antarctic Program's technical capability to explore the Antarctic shelves between the shore-line/fast-ice margin and the continental slope. SHALDRIL will be able to operate effectively in the "no man's land" that presently exists between the near shore (where the fast-ice-based Cape Roberts Project was successful) and the upper slope (where the Ocean Drilling Program's vessel JOIDES Resolution becomes most efficient). This technological breakthrough will not only allow major outstanding scientific problems of the last three decades to be addressed, but will also favorably impact many current U.S. and SCAR (ICSU Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research) Antarctic or drilling-related initiatives, such as WAIS, ANTIME, ANDRILL, ANTEC, IMAGES, PAGES, GLOCHANT (including PICE), MARGINS, ODP, and STRATAFORM.
This award, provided by the Antarctic Geology and Geophysics Program of the Office of Polar Programs, supports research to study the deep crustal structure of the Bransfield Strait region. Bransfield Strait, in the northern Antarctic Peninsula, is one of a small number of modern basins that may be critical for understanding ancient mountain-building processes. The Strait is an actively-extending marginal basin in the far southeast Pacific, between the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands, an inactive volcanic arc. Widespread crustal extension, accompanied by volcanism along the Strait's axis, may be associated with slow underthrusting of oceanic crust at the South Shetland Trench; similar "back-arc" extension occurred along the entire Pacific margin (now western South America/West Antarctica) of the supercontinent known as Gondwanaland during the Jurassic-Early Cretaceous. Mid-Cretaceous deformation of these basins some 100 million years ago initiated uplift of the Andes. By understanding the deep structure and evolution of Bransfield rift, it should be possible to evaluate the crustal precursor to the Andes, and thereby understand more fully the early evolution of this globally important mountain chain.<br/><br/>Years of international earth sciences research in Bransfield Strait has produced consensus on important aspects of its geologic environment: (1) It is probably a young (probably ~4 million years old) rift in preexisting Antarctic Peninsula crust; continued stretching of this crust results in complex fault patterns and associated volcanism. The volcanism, high heat flow, and mapped crustal trends are all consistent with the basin's continuing evolution as a rift; (2) The volcanism, which is recent and continuing, occurs along a "neovolcanic" zone centralized along the basin's axis. Multichannel seismic data collected aboard R/V Maurice Ewing in 1991 illustrate the following basin-wide characteristics of Bransfield Strait - a) widespread extension and faulting, b) the rise of crustal diapirs or domes associated with flower-shaped normal-fault structures, and c) a complicated system of fault-bounded segments across strike. The geophysical evidence also suggests NE-to-SW propagation of the rift, with initial crustal inflation/doming followed by deflation/subsidence, volcanism, and extension along normal faults.<br/><br/>Although Bransfield Strait exhibits geophysical and geologic evidence for extension and volcanism, continental crust fragmentation does not appear to have gone to completion in this "back-arc" basin and ocean crust is not yet being generated. Instead, Bransfield rift lies near the critical transition from intracontinental rifting to seafloor-spreading. The basin's asymmetry, and seismic evidence for shallow intracrustal detachment faulting, suggest that it may be near one end-member of the spectrum of models proposed for continental break-up. Therefore, this basin is a "natural lab" for studying diverse processes involved in forming continental margins.<br/><br/>Understanding Bransfield rift's deep crustal structure is the key to resolving its stage of evolution, and should also provide a starting point for models of Andean mountain-building. This work will define the deep structure by collecting and analyzing high-quality, high-density ocean bottom seismometer (OBS) profiles both along and across the Strait's strike. Scientific objectives are as follows: (1) to develop a detailed seismic velocity model for this rift; (2) to calibrate velocity structure and crustal thickness changes associated with presumed NE-to-SW rift propagation, as deduced from the multichannel seismic interpretations; (3) to document the degree to which deep velocity structure corresponds to along- and across-strike crustal segmentation; and (4) to assess structural relationships between the South Shetland Islands "arc" and Bransfield rift.<br/><br/>The proposed OBS data, integrated with interpretations of both Ewing profiles and those from other high-quality geophysical coverage in Bransfield Strait, will complement ongoing deep seismic analysis of Antarctic Peninsula crust to the southwest and additional OBS monitoring for deep earthquakes, in order to understand the complex plate tectonic evolution of this region.
This project will utilize the R/VIB Nathaniel B. Palmer's transit cruises to collect marine geophysical data on targets-of-opportunity in the southern oceans. Because the Palmer generally traverses regions only sparsely surveyed with geophysical instruments, this project represents a cost-effective way to collect important new data. The work's focus is expanding our knowledge of plate motion histories for the Antarctic and surrounding plates. The ultimate goals are improving global plate reconstructions and gaining new insight into general plate kinematics and dynamics and lithospheric rheology. Only slight deviations from the straight routes are required, and we expect to operate on one cruise per year over the three years of the project. The first cruise from New Zealand to Chile will survey a flow line of Pacific-Antarctic plate motion along the Menard fracture zone, which crosses the East Pacific Rise at ~50 S latitude. Swath bathymetry, gravity, magnetics, and a small amount of seismic reflection profiling will be collected to determine the exact trace of the fracture zone and its relationship to the associated gravity anomaly seen in shipboard and satellite radar altimetry data. These observations are critical for precise plate reconstructions, and will provide GPS-navigated locations of a major fracture zone near the northern end of the Pacific-Antarctic boundary. These data will be used in combination with similar data from the Pitman fracture zone at the southwestern end of the plate boundary and magnetic anomalies from previous cruises near the Menard fracture zone to improve high-precision plate reconstructions and evaluate the limits of internal deformation of the Pacific and Antarctic plates. The science plan for cruises in following years will be designed once transit schedules are set. In terms of broader impacts, we plan to teach an on-board marine geophysics class to graduate and undergraduate students on two cruises. The class consists of daily classroom lectures about the instruments and data; several hours per day of watch standing and data processing; and work by each student on an independent research project. We expect to accommodate 15 students per class, including participants from primarily undergraduate institutions with high minority enrollments.
This work will perform a marine geophysical survey of sea floor spreading off Cape Adare, Antarctica. Magnetic, gravity, swath bathymetry and multi-channel seismic data will be acquired from the southern end of the Adare Basin to the northern parts of the Northern Basin and Central Trough in the Ross Embayment. Previous surveys documented 170 km of regional extension between forty-three and twenty-six million years ago, which resulted in some seafloor spreading in the Adare Basin. However, the relationship of Adare Basin spreading to the overall extension and the southward continental basins of the Ross Embayment has not been established. This relationship is critical to understanding the tectonic evolution of East and West Antarctica and linking Pacific plate motions to the rest of the world. The study will also offer unique insight into rifting processes by studying the transition of rifting between oceanic and continental lithosphere. In terms of broader impacts, this project will support two graduate students and field research experience for undergraduates. The project also involves cooperation between scientists from the US, Australia, New Zealand and Japan.
This award, provided by the Office of Polar Programs of the National Science Foundation, supports research to investigate the seismicity and tectonics of the South Shetland Arc and the Bransfield Strait. This region presents an intriguing and unique tectonic setting, with slowing of subduction, cessation of island arc volcanism, as well as the apparent onset of backarc rifting occurring within the last four million years. This project will carry out a 5-month deployment of 14 ocean bottom seismographs (OBSs) to complement and extend a deployment of 6 broadband land seismic stations that were successfully installed during early 1997. The OBSs include 2 instruments with broadband sensors, and all have flowmeters for measuring and sampling hydrothermal fluids. The OBSs will be used to examine many of the characteristics of the Shetland- Bransfield tectonic system, including: --- The existence and depth of penetration of a Shetland Slab: The existence of a downgoing Shetland slab will be determined from earthquake locations and from seismic tomography. The maximum depth of earthquake activity and the depth of the slab velocity anomaly will constrain the current configuration of the slab, and may help clarify the relationship between the subducting slab and the cessation of arc volcanism. -- Shallow Shetland trench seismicity?: No teleseismic shallow thrust faulting seismicity has been observed along the South Shetland Trench from available seismic information. Using the OBS data, the level of small earthquake activity along the shallow thrust zone will be determined and compared to other regions undergoing slow subduction of young oceanic lithosphere, such as Cascadia, which also generally shows very low levels of thrust zone seismicity. -- Mode of deformation along the Bransfield Rift: The Bransfield backarc has an active rift in the center, but there is considerable evidence for off-rift faulting. There is a long-standing controversy about whet her back-arc extension occurs along discrete rift zones, or is more diffuse geographically. This project will accurately locate small earthquakes to better determine whether Bransfield extension is discrete or diffuse. -- Identification of volcanism and hydrothermal activity: Seismic records will be used to identify the locations of active seafloor volcanism along the Bransfield rift. Flowmeters attached to the OBSs will record and sample the fluid flux out of the sediments. -- Upper mantle structure of the Bransfield - evidence for partial melting?: Other backarc basins show very slow upper mantle seismic velocities and high seismic attenuation, characteristics due to the presence of partially molten material. This project will use seismic tomography to resolve the upper mantle structure of the Bransfield backarc, allowing comparison with other backarc regions and placing constraints on the existence of partially molten material and the importance of partial melting as a mantle process in this region. Collaborative awards: OPP 9725679 and OPP 9726180
Domack: OPP 9615053 Manley: OPP 9615670 Banerjee: OPP 9615695 Dunbar: OPP 9615668 Ishman: OPP 9615669 Leventer: OPP 9714371 Abstract This award supports a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional effort to elucidate the detailed climate history of the Antarctic Peninsula during the Holocene epoch (the last 10,000 years). The Holocene is an important, but often overlooked, portion of the Antarctic paleoclimatic record because natural variability in Holocene climate on time scales of decades to millennia can be evaluated as a model for our present "interglacial" world. This project builds on over ten years of prior investigation into the depositional processes, productivity patterns and climate regime of the Antarctic Peninsula. This previous work identified key locations that contain ultra-high resolution records of past climatic variation. These data indicate that solar cycles operating on multi-century and millennial time scales are important regulators of meltwater production and paleoproductivity. These marine records can be correlated with ice core records in Greenland and Antarctica. This project will focus on sediment dispersal patterns across the Palmer Deep region. The objective is to understand the present links between the modern climatic and oceanographic systems and sediment distribution. In particular, additional information is needed regarding the influence of sea ice on the distribution of both biogenic and terrigenous sediment distribution. Sediment samples will be collected with a variety of grab sampling and coring devices. Analytical work will include carbon-14 dating of surface sediments using accellerator mass spectrometry and standard sedimentologic, micropaleontologic and magnetic granulometric analyses. This multiparameter approach is the most effective way to extract the paleoclimatic signals contained in the marine sediment cores. Two additional objectives are the deployment of sediment traps in front of the Muller Ice Shelf in Lallemand Fjord and seismic reflection work in conjunction with site augmentation funded through the Joint Oceanographic Institute. The goal of sediment trap work is to address whether sand transport and deposition adjacent to the ice shelf calving line results from meltwater or aeolian processes. In addition, the relationship between sea ice conditions and primary productivity will be investigated. The collection of a short series of seismic lines across the Palmer Deep basins will fully resolve the question of depth to acoustic basement. The combination of investigators on this project, all with many years of experience working in high latitude settings, provides an effective team to complete the project in a timely fashion. A combination of undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate students will be involved in all stages of the project so that educational objectives will be met in-tandem with research goals of the project.
The proposal is to develop an instrument that can simultaneously measure the sound speed and magnetic fields at three heights in the solar atmosphere. The instrument will use magneto-optical filters tuned to the solar absorption lines at 422 nm (Ca I), 589 nm (Na D2), and 770 nm (K) to make measurements of Doppler velocities and longitudinal magnetic field. These lines form in the mid- and low-chromosphere and photosphere, respectively. In addition, the instrument will also use a Fabry-Perot etalon as a narrowband filter to measure the intensity variations of the 1083 nm (He I) line that is formed high in the chromosphere and which shows the location of the "foot points" of coronal holes. Together, the four lines will allow studying wave motions throughout the solar atmosphere. The instrument will record images of the Sun every 10 seconds with a spatial resolution of 1 arc-second. Thus, the project will be fostering the development of existing magneto-optical filter technology to a new level. Upon construction, the telescope will be tested at South Pole for a long period of uninterrupted observations. Both the local and global helioseismic analysis procedures will be utilized to identify and to characterize different types of waves present in the solar atmosphere. These observations will allow determining the structure and dynamics of the Sun's atmosphere through seismic measurements and, thus, improve the atmosphere models, assess the role of waves in heating the chromosphere/corona and driving the solar wind, and better understand how the Sun's atmosphere couples to the interior. The broader impact of the proposed project is two fold. First, there is a potential benefit to the science and to the society because it is believed that the solar atmosphere is a "home" to many phenomena that can have a direct effect on the solar activity, including flares, coronal mass ejections, and the solar wind. Understanding the structure and dynamics of the solar atmosphere will therefore lead to a better understanding of the Sun-Earth connection. The collected data will be made available to other researchers at DVDs. The broader audience of general public will be reached through presentations at high schools, libraries, and community events, and news articles in the general press. Most of the research materials will also be placed in the Web.
OPP-0230285/OPP-0230356<br/>PIs: Wilson, Terry J./Hothem, Larry D.<br/><br/>This award, provided by the Antarctic Geology and Geophysics Program of the Office of Polar Programs, supports a project to conduct GPS measurements of bedrock crustal motions in an extended Transantarctic Mountains Deformation network (TAMDEF) to document neotectonic displacements due to tectonic deformation within the West Antarctic rift and/or to mass change of the Antarctic ice sheets. Horizontal displacements related to active neotectonic rifting, strike-slip translations, and volcanism will be tightly constrained by monitoring the combined TAMDEF and Italian VLNDEF networks of bedrock GPS stations along the Transantarctic Mountains and on offshore islands in the Ross Sea. Glacio-isostatic adjustments due to deglaciation since the Last Glacial Maximum and to modern mass change of the ice sheets will be modeled from GPS-derived crustal motions together with new information from other programs on the configurations, thicknesses, deglaciation history and modern mass balance of the ice sheets. Tectonic and rheological information from ongoing structural and seismic investigations in the Victoria Land region will also be integrated in the modeling. The integrative and iterative modeling will yield a holistic interpretation of neotectonics and ice sheet history that will help us to discriminate tectonic crustal displacements from viscoelastic/elastic glacio-isostatic motions. These results will provide key information to interpret broad, continental-scale crustal motion patterns detected by sparse, regionally distributed GPS continuous trackers and by spaceborne instruments. This study will contribute to international programs focused on Antarctic neotectonic and global change issues.<br/><br/>Strategies to meet these science objectives include repeat surveys of key sites in the existing TAMDEF network, extension of the array of TAMDEF sites southward about 250 km along the Transantarctic Mountains, linked measurements with the VLNDEF network, and integration of quasi-continuous trackers within the campaign network. By extending the array of bedrock sites southward, these measurements will cross gradients in predicted vertical motion due to viscoelastic rebound. The southward extension will also allow determination of the southern limit of the active Terror Rift and will provide a better baseline for constraints on any ongoing tectonic displacements across the West Antarctic rift system as a whole that might be possible using GPS data collected by the West Antarctic GPS Network. This project will also investigate unique aspects of GPS geodesy in Antarctica to determine how the error spectrum compares to mid-latitude regions and to identify the optimum measurement and data processing schemes for Antarctic conditions. The geodetic research will improve position accuracies within our network and will also yield general recommendations for deformation monitoring networks in polar regions.<br/><br/>An education and outreach program is planned and will be targeted at non-science-major undergraduate students taking Earth System Science at Ohio State University. The objective will be to illuminate the research process for nonscientists. This effort will educate students on the process of science and inform them about Antarctica and how it relates to global science issues.
0538195<br/>Marone<br/>This award supports a project to conduct laboratory experiments and numerical modeling to determine the constitutive properties of subglacial till under dynamic stressing and to test the hypothesis that granular properties of till are sufficient, when coupled elastically to a large ice stream, to reproduce the field observations of triggered slip and subglacial seismicity. Testing will be carried out in a servo-controlled biaxial shear device under controlled temperature and stress conditions, which will allow both sliding and microstructural processes to be studied in detail. The main focus of the work will be on laboratory measurements. In addition, we will construct continuum models to evaluate whether our results can predict complex ice sheet motions and observed characteristics of subglacial seismicity. In terms of broader impacts, the proposed work will encourage interactions between the rock-mechanics and glaciology communities and will bring together members of different scientific backgrounds and vocabularies, but similar problems and data. The project will train undergraduate and graduate students at Penn State University and the scientists involved plan to give presentations to grade school classes, scout groups, and at community open houses. Results will be presented at professional meetings and will be published in a timely manner. The work will result in a better understanding of glacial motion and the physics of earthquake slip, which is essential for understanding ice sheet dynamics and earthquake hazard.
9911617<br/>Blankenship<br/><br/>This award, provided jointly by the Antarctic Geology and Geophysics Program, the Antarctic Glaciology Program, and the Polar Research Support Section of the Office of Polar Programs, provides funds for continuation of the Support Office for Aerogeophysical Research (SOAR). From July 1994 to July 2000, SOAR served as a facility to accomplish aerogeophysical research in Antarctica under an agreement between the University of Texas at Austin and the National Science Foundation's Office of Polar Programs (NSF/OPP). SOAR operated and maintained an aerogeophysical instrument package that consists of an ice-penetrating radar sounder, a laser altimeter, a gravimeter and a magnetometer that are tightly integrated with each other as well as with the aircraft's avionics and power packages. An array of aircraft and ground-based GPS receivers supported kinematic differential positioning using carrier-phase observations. SOAR activities included: developing aerogeophysical research projects with NSF/OPP investigators; upgrading of the aerogeophysical instrumentation package to accommodate new science projects and advances in technology; fielding this instrument package to accomplish SOAR-developed projects; and management, reduction, and analysis of the acquired aerogeophysical data. In pursuit of 9 NSF-OPP funded aerogeophysical research projects (involving 14 investigators from 9 institutions), SOAR carried out six field campaigns over a six-year period and accomplished approximately 200,000 line kilometers of aerogeophysical surveying over both East and West Antarctica in 377 flights.<br/><br/>This award supports SOAR to undertake a one year and 8 month program of aerogeophysical activities that are consistent with continuing U.S. support for geophysical research in Antarctica. <br/>- SOAR will conduct an aerogeophysical campaign during the 200/01 austral summer to accomplish surveys for two SOAR-developed projects: "Understanding the Boundary Conditions of the Lake Vostok Environment: A Site Survey for Future Studies" (Co-PI's Bell and Studinger, LDEO); and "Collaborative Research: Seismic Investigation of the Deep Continental Structure Across the East-West Antarctic Boundary" (Co-PI's Weins, Washington U. and Anandakrishnan, U. Alabama). After configuration and testing of the survey aircraft in McMurdo, SOAR will conduct survey flights from an NSF-supported base adjacent to the Russian Station above Lake Vostok and briefly occupy one or two remote bases on the East Antarctic ice sheet.<br/>- SOAR will reduce these aerogeophysical data and produce profiles and maps of surface elevation, bed elevation, gravity and magnetic field intensity. These results will be provided to the respective project investigators within nine months of conclusion of field activities. We will also submit a technical manuscript that describes these results to a refereed scientific journal and distribute these results to appropriate national geophysical data centers within approximately 24 months of completion of field activities.<br/>- SOAR will standardize all previously reduced SOAR data products and transfer them to the appropriate national geophysical data centers by the end of this grant.<br/>- SOAR will convene a workshop to establish a community consensus for future U.S. Antarctic aerogeophysical research. This workshop will be co-convened by Ian Dalziel and Richard Alley and will take place during the spring of 2001.<br/>- SOAR will upgrade the existing SOAR in-field quality control procedures to serve as a web-based interface for efficient browsing of many low-level SOAR data streams.<br/>- SOAR will repair and/or refurbish equipment that was used during the 2000/01 field campaign.<br/><br/>Support for SOAR is essential for accomplishing major geophysical investigations in Antarctica. Following data interpretation by the science teams, these data will provide valuable insights to the structure and evolution of the Antarctic continent.
This award supports the study of the drift and break-up of Earth's largest icebergs, which were recently released into the Ross Sea of Antarctica as a result of calving from the Ross Ice Shelf. The scientific goals of the study are to determine the physics of iceberg motion within the dynamic context of ocean currents, winds, and sea ice, which determine the forces that drive iceberg motion, and the relationship between the iceberg and geographically and topographically determined pinning points on which the iceberg can ground. In addition, the processes by which icebergs influence the local environments (e.g., sea ice conditions near Antarctica, access to penguin rookeries, air-sea heat exchange and upwelling at iceberg margins, nutrient fluxes) will be studied. The processes by which icebergs generate globally far-reaching ocean acoustic signals that are detected within the global seismic (earthquake) sensing networks will also be studied. A featured element of the scientific research activity will be a field effort to deploy automatic weather stations, seismometer arrays and GPS-tracking stations on several of the largest icebergs presently adrift, or about to be adrift, in the Ross Sea. Data generated and relayed via satellite to home institutions in the Midwest will motivate theoretical analysis and computer simulation; and will be archived on an "iceberg" website (http://amrc.ssec.wisc.edu/amrc/iceberg.html) for access by scientists and the general public. At the most broad level, the study is justified by the fact that icebergs released by the Antarctic ice sheet represent the largest movements of fresh water within the natural environment (e.g., several of the icebergs to be studied, B15, C19 and others calved since 2000 CE, represent over 6000 cubic kilometers of fresh water-an amount roughly equivalent to 100 years of the flow of the Nile River). A better understanding of the impact of iceberg drift through the environment, and particularly the impact on ocean stratification and mixing, is essential to the understanding of the abrupt global climate changes witnessed by proxy during the ice age and of concern under conditions of future greenhouse warming. On a more specific level, the study will generate a knowledge base useful for the better management of Antarctic logistical resources (e.g., the shipping lanes to McMurdo Station) that can occasionally be influenced by adverse effects icebergs have on sea ice conditions.
This award supports a comprehensive study of land-based polar ice cliffs. Through field measurements, modeling, and remote sensing, the physics underlying the formation of ice cliffs at the margin of Taylor Glacier in the McMurdo Dry Valleys will be investigated. At three sites, measurements of ice deformation and temperature fields near the cliff face will be combined with existing energy balance data to quantify ice-cliff evolution over one full seasonal cycle. In addition, a small seismic network will monitor local "ice quakes" associated with calving events. Numerical modeling, validated by the field data, will enable determination of the sensitivity of ice cliff evolution to environmental variables. There are both local and global motivations for studying the ice cliffs of Taylor Glacier. On a global scale, this work will provide insight into the fundamental processes of calving and glacier terminus A better grasp of ice cliff processes will also improve boundary conditions required for predicting glaciers' response to climate change. Locally, the Taylor Glacier is an important component of the McMurdo Dry Valleys landscape and the results of this study will aid in defining ecologically-important sources of glacial meltwater and will lead to a better understanding of moraine formation at polar ice cliffs. This study will help launch the career of a female scientist, will support one graduate student, and provide experiential learning experiences for two undergraduates. The post-doctoral researcher will also use this research in the curriculum of a wilderness science experiential education program for high school girls.
Anandakrishnan, Sridhar; Alley, Richard; Voigt, Donald E.
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This award supports a project to investigate the new-found, startling sensitivity of two major West Antarctic ice streams to tidal oscillations to learn the extent and character of the effect and its ramifications for future ice-stream behavior. Ice streams D, C and Whillans (B) all show strong but distinct tidal signals. The ice plain of Whillans is usually stopped outright, forward motion being limited to two brief periods each day, at high tide and on the falling tide. Motion events propagate across the ice plain at seismic wave velocities. Near the mouth of D, tides cause a diurnal variation of about 50% in ice-stream speed that propagates upglacier more slowly than on Whillans, and seismic data show that C experiences even slower upglacier propagation of tidal signals. Tidal influences are observed more than 100 km upglacier on C, more than 40 km upglacier on D, and may be responsible for fluctuations in basal water pressure reported 400 km upstream on Whillans, nearly the full length of the ice stream. During the first year, the spatial extent of this behavior will be measured on Whillans Ice Stream and ice stream D by five coordinated seismic and GPS instrument packages at 100-km spacing on each ice stream. These packages will be deployed by Twin Otter at sites selected by review of satellite imagery and will operate autonomously through a combination of solar and battery power for two lunar cycles to study the sensitivity of the ice stream motion to spring and neap tides. Additionally, existing data sets will be examined further for clues to the mechanisms involved, and preliminary models will be developed to reconcile the seemingly contrasting behaviors observed on the ice streams. The second and third field seasons will examine in greater detail the tidal behavior of Whillans (year 2) and D (year 3). Work will especially focus on detailed study of at least one source area for events on Whillans, assuming that source areas inferred from preliminary data remain active. Vertical motions have not yet been detected, but differential GPS will increase our detection sensitivity. Seismic instrumentation will greatly increase temporal resolution and the ability to measure the propagation speed and any spatial heterogeneity. Modeling will be refined as more is learned from the field experiments. The project should yield numerous broader impacts. The improved knowledge of ice-stream behavior from this study will contribute to assessment of the potential for rapid ice-sheet change affecting global sea level with societal consequences. Results will be disseminated through scientific publication and talks at professional meetings, as well as contacts with the press, university classes taught by the PIs, visits to schools and community groups, and other activities. Two graduate students will be educated through the project.
This award supports a comprehensive study of rift growth on the Amery Ice Shelf (AIS), East Antarctica, using a combination of in situ and remote sensing data with numerical modeling. On the AIS there is an opportunity to examine an active rift system, which is a combination of two longitudinal-to-flow rifts, which originated at the ice shelf front in the suture zones between merging flowbands, and two transverse-to-flow rifts, which formed at the tip of the western longitudinal rift around 1996. Work in progress indicates that these two transverse rifts do not propagate independently of each other, but somehow grow more or less synchronously. The longest of these rifts-the eastern one-grows at an average rate of about 8m per day. When it meets the eastern longitudinal rift, an event that is expected to occur during the funding period (mid-2006), an iceberg (~30 x 30 km) will calve. Based on observations collected over the past half century, there is reason to believe that such a calving event may be a part of a repetitive sequence. In the proposed project, the expansion and propagation of both transverse rifts will be studied using a network of GPS and seismometers deployed around the tip of each transverse rift. Once the iceberg has calved, the effects its calving has on the dynamics of the ice shelf and the activation of previously inactive rifts will also be studied. Insofar as the rate of calving activity is a proxy for local and regional climate conditions, a broader impact of the proposed work is directly related to the socio-environmental topics of climate and sea-level change. The subject of iceberg calving has a history of sparking a great deal of interest from the media and the public alike, especially since the recent large calving events from the Ross and Ronne ice shelves and the remarkably sudden break-up of the Larsen Ice Shelf. The work will involve at least one graduate student, and will involve a partnership with a local charter high school. Field work, instrument deployments, and data collection and analysis will be conducted in close collaboration with the Australian Antarctic Division and the University of Tasmania, which has been a crucial component of research conducted to date. This project will also make use of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography Visualization Center as a means to display results to faculty and researchers of the University of California, San Diego, undergraduate and graduate students, to school children and their teachers, and ultimately to the visiting public.
This project determines the recent history of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) through a multidisciplinary study of the seabed in the Ross Sea of Antarctica. WAIS is perhaps the world's most critical ice sheet to sea level rise dut to near-future global warming. its history has been a key focus for the past decade, but there are significant questions as to whether WAIS was stable during the last glacial maximum--about 20,000 years ago--or undergoing advance and retreat. This project studies grounding zone translantions in Eastern Basin to constrain WAIS movements using a multidisciplinary approach that integrates multibeam bathymetry, seismic stratigraphy, sedimentology, diatom biostratigraphy, radiocarbon dating, 10Be concentration analyses, and numerical modeling.<br/><br/>The broader impacts include improving society's understanding of sea level rise linked to global warming; postdoctoral, graduate, and undergraduate education; and expanding the participation of groups underrepresented in Earth sciences through links with LSU's Geoscience Alliance to Encourage Minority Participation.
9814816<br/>Blankenship<br/><br/>This award supports a four year project to develop of better understanding the ice streams of the Ross Sea Embayment (A--F) which drain the interior West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) by rapidly moving vast quantities of ice to the calving front of the Ross Ice Shelf. The project will examine the role of these ice streams as buffers between the interior ice and the floating ice shelves. The reasons for their fast flow, the factors controlling their current grounding-line-, margin-, and head-positions are crucial to any attempt at modeling the WAIS system and predicting the future of the ice sheet. For the Antarctic ice streams of the Siple Coast, the transition from no-sliding (or all internal deformation) to motion dominated by sliding is defined as the "onset-region". To fully understand (and adequately model) the WAIS, this onset region must be better understood. The lateral margins of the ice streams are also a transition that need better explanation. Hypotheses on controls of the location of the onset region range from the "purely-glaciologic" to the "purely-geologic. Thus, to model the ice sheet accurately, the basal boundary conditions (roughness, wetness, till properties) and a good subglacial geologic map, showing the distribution, thickness, and properties of the sedimentary basins, are required. These parameters can be estimated from seismic, radar, and other geophysical methods. The transition region of ice stream D will be studied in detail with this coupled geophysical experiment. In addition, selected other locations on ice streams C & D will be made, to compare and contrast conditions with the main site on ice stream D. Site-selection for the main camp will be based on existing radar, GPS, and satellite data as well as input from the modeling community.
This award supports an in situ and short traverse seismic reflection/refraction and magnetotelluric experiment in West Antarctica. This collaborative experiment involves four awards at four institutions. The four-fold purpose is 1) to investigate part of the Byrd Subglacial Basin, 2) to test techniques for this work that could be done in a long traverse, 3) to determine the viability of the magnetotelluric method on a thick (electrically resistive) ice sheet, and 4) to evaluate the relative merits of refraction with wide reflection versus reflection with narrow refraction seismic studies in imaging the lithosphere. The geophysical techniques that will be employed are capable of imaging the ice sheet, the continental lithosphere, and the upper mantle, as well as determining physical properties of parts of the lithosphere and mantle. Investigations of outcrop geology over the last thirty years in West Antarctica and the Transantarctic Mountains have lead to recent interpretations that the crust is made up of many different lithospheric blocks. Seismic reflection work is the only way to image the crust in detail and the refraction work is the only way to determine physical properties of the layers and blocks defined by the reflection work. The magnetotelluric work is scientifically risky because it may not yield useful information when used over the electrically resistive ice sheet; however, if it works it has the potential to image molten rock in the crust and upper mantle. In a continental rift region such as West Antarctica, the presence of melt in the lithosphere is likely and, if documented, has very important ramifications to ice sheet dynamics. Research work supported by this award is expected to provide constraints to models of a range of crustal processes from models of ice sheet dynamics to tectonic and kinematic models of lithospheric thinning and rifting.