{"dp_type": "Project", "free_text": "organic matter"}
[{"awards": "1841228 Lyons, W. Berry", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((163.37428 -77.558627,163.3922735 -77.558627,163.410267 -77.558627,163.4282605 -77.558627,163.446254 -77.558627,163.4642475 -77.558627,163.482241 -77.558627,163.5002345 -77.558627,163.518228 -77.558627,163.5362215 -77.558627,163.554215 -77.558627,163.554215 -77.56397510000001,163.554215 -77.5693232,163.554215 -77.5746713,163.554215 -77.5800194,163.554215 -77.5853675,163.554215 -77.59071560000001,163.554215 -77.5960637,163.554215 -77.60141180000001,163.554215 -77.6067599,163.554215 -77.612108,163.5362215 -77.612108,163.518228 -77.612108,163.5002345 -77.612108,163.482241 -77.612108,163.4642475 -77.612108,163.446254 -77.612108,163.4282605 -77.612108,163.410267 -77.612108,163.3922735 -77.612108,163.37428 -77.612108,163.37428 -77.6067599,163.37428 -77.60141180000001,163.37428 -77.5960637,163.37428 -77.59071560000001,163.37428 -77.5853675,163.37428 -77.5800194,163.37428 -77.5746713,163.37428 -77.5693232,163.37428 -77.56397510000001,163.37428 -77.558627))", "dataset_titles": "Commonwealth Stream Diel Water Chemistry; Hyporheic zone geochemistry of Wales Stream, Taylor Valley, Antarctica; isotopic signature of massive buried ice, eastern Taylor Valley, Antarctica", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601848", "doi": "10.15784/601848", "keywords": "Antarctica; Buried Ice; Cryosphere; Stable Isotopes; Stable Water Isotopes; Taylor Valley", "people": "Gardner, Christopher B.", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "isotopic signature of massive buried ice, eastern Taylor Valley, Antarctica", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601848"}, {"dataset_uid": "601844", "doi": "10.15784/601844", "keywords": "Antarctica; Commonwealth Stream; Cryosphere; Diel; Inlandwaters; McMurdo Dry Valleys; Stream Chemistry; Water Chemisty", "people": "Gardner, Christopher B.", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Commonwealth Stream Diel Water Chemistry", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601844"}, {"dataset_uid": "601847", "doi": "10.15784/601847", "keywords": "Antarctica; Cryosphere; Nutrients; Stable Isotopes; Taylor Valley; Trace Elements", "people": "Gardner, Christopher B.", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Hyporheic zone geochemistry of Wales Stream, Taylor Valley, Antarctica", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601847"}], "date_created": "Wed, 16 Oct 2024 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Phytoplankton, or microscopic marine algae, are an important part of the carbon cycle and can lower the rates of atmospheric carbon dioxide by transferring the atmospheric carbon into the oceans. The concentration of phytoplankton in the Southern Ocean is regularly limited by the availability of marine iron. This in turn influences the rate of carbon transfer from the atmosphere to the ocean. The primary source of iron in the Southern Ocean is eroded continental rock. Understanding the current and future sources of iron to the Southern Ocean as a result of increased melting of terrestrial glaciers is necessary for predicting future concentrations of Southern Ocean phytoplankton and the subsequent influence on the carbon cycle. A poorly understood source of iron to the Southern Ocean is stream input from ice-free regions such as the McMurdo Dry Valleys in Antarctica. This source of iron is likely to become larger if glaciers retreat. This study investigates the sources and amount of iron transported by McMurdo Dry Valley streams directly into the Southern Ocean. Because not all forms of iron can be used by phytoplankton, experiments will be performed to determine how available iron is to phytoplankton and how iron mixes with seawater. Immersive 360-degree video, infographics, and educational videos of findings from this project will be shared on social media, at schools and science events, and in an urban science center. In the Southern Ocean (SO) there is an excess of macronutrients but regional primary production is limited or co-limited due to iron. An addition of iron to the ocean will affect biochemical cycles, increase primary production, and affect the structure and composition of phytoplankton communities in the SO. Iron flux to the SO is globally significant, as increased Fe fertilization leads to increased carbon sequestration which acts as a negative feedback to increased atmospheric pCO2. One source of potentially bioavailable iron to the coastal regions of the SO is from direct sub-aerial stream discharge in ice-free areas of Antarctica, a source that may become more important if terrestrial glaciers retreat. It is imperative to understand the source, nature, potential fate, and flux of iron to the SO if better predictive models for the carbon cycle and atmospheric chemistry are to be developed. This project will investigate in-stream processes and characteristics controlling dissolved iron draining into the Ross Sea including photoreduction, temperature, and complexation with organic matter. The novel study will quantify bioavailability of particulate iron and bioavailability of dissolved iron in Antarctic in streams draining into the SO. On-site speciation measurements will be performed on dissolved iron species, particulate iron speciation will be determined using high-resolution spectroscopy, mixing experiments will be performed with coastal marine water, and the bioavailability of Fe will be determined through marine bioassays. This project will provide two students with valuable Antarctic field experience and reach thousands of individuals through existing partnerships with K-12 schools, public STEM events, an urban science center, and a strong social media presence. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": 163.554215, "geometry": "POINT(163.4642475 -77.5853675)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "SURFACE WATER CHEMISTRY; Iron Fertilization; McMurdo Dry Valleys; Weathering", "locations": "McMurdo Dry Valleys", "north": -77.558627, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Lyons, W. Berry; Gardner, Christopher B.", "platforms": null, "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -77.612108, "title": "Fe Behavior and Bioavailability in Sub-aerial Runoff into the Ross Sea", "uid": "p0010483", "west": 163.37428}, {"awards": "2332062 Kim, Heather", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-80 -59,-76.8 -59,-73.6 -59,-70.4 -59,-67.2 -59,-64 -59,-60.8 -59,-57.599999999999994 -59,-54.4 -59,-51.2 -59,-48 -59,-48 -60.6,-48 -62.2,-48 -63.8,-48 -65.4,-48 -67,-48 -68.6,-48 -70.2,-48 -71.8,-48 -73.4,-48 -75,-51.2 -75,-54.4 -75,-57.6 -75,-60.8 -75,-64 -75,-67.2 -75,-70.4 -75,-73.6 -75,-76.8 -75,-80 -75,-80 -73.4,-80 -71.8,-80 -70.2,-80 -68.6,-80 -67,-80 -65.4,-80 -63.8,-80 -62.2,-80 -60.6,-80 -59))", "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Mon, 05 Aug 2024 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "The West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) is experiencing significant environmental changes, including warming temperatures, reduced sea ice, and glacier retreat. These changes could impact marine ecosystems and biological and chemical processes, particularly the biological pump, which is the process by which carbon is transported from the ocean surface to the deep sea, playing a crucial role in regulating atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. This project aims to understand how climate change affects the biological pump in the WAP region. Using a combination of advanced modeling techniques and data from long-term research programs, the project will investigate the processes governing the biological pump and its climate feedback. The findings will provide insights into the future dynamics of the WAP region and contribute to our understanding of climate change impacts on polar marine ecosystems. This research is important as it will enhance knowledge of how polar regions respond to climate change, which is vital for predicting global climate patterns and informing conservation efforts. Furthermore, the project supports the development of early-career researchers and promotes diversity in science through collaborations with educational programs and outreach to underrepresented communities. This project focuses on the WAP, a region undergoing rapid environmental changes. The goal is to investigate and quantify the factors controlling the biological pump and its feedback to climate change and variability. A novel hybrid modeling framework will be developed, integrating observational data from the Palmer Long-Term Ecological Research program and the Rothera Oceanographic and Biological Time-Series into a sophisticated one-dimensional mechanistic biogeochemical model. This framework will utilize Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning techniques for data assimilation and parameter optimization. By incorporating complementary datasets and optimizing model parameters, the project aims to reduce uncertainties in modeling biological pump processes. The study will also use climate scenarios from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 to assess the impacts of future climate conditions on the biological pump. Additionally, the project will examine the role of vertical mixing of dissolved organic matter in total export production, providing a comprehensive understanding of the WAP carbon cycle. The outcomes will improve temporal resolution and data assimilation, advancing the mechanistic understanding of the interplay between ocean dynamics and biogeochemical processes in the changing polar environment. The project will also leverage unique datasets and make the model framework and source codes publicly available, facilitating collaboration and benefiting the broader scientific community. Outreach efforts include engaging with educational programs and promoting diversity in Polar Science through collaborations with institutions serving underrepresented groups. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": -48.0, "geometry": "POINT(-64 -67)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "West Antarctic; BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES; PELAGIC; ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONS", "locations": "West Antarctic", "north": -59.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Kim, Heather", "platforms": null, "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": -75.0, "title": "Projecting the Biological Carbon Pump and Climate Feedback in the Rapidly Changing West Antarctic Peninsula: A Hybrid Modeling Study", "uid": "p0010474", "west": -80.0}, {"awards": "2336354 Juarez Rivera, Marisol", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((160 -76.5,160.45 -76.5,160.9 -76.5,161.35 -76.5,161.8 -76.5,162.25 -76.5,162.7 -76.5,163.15 -76.5,163.6 -76.5,164.05 -76.5,164.5 -76.5,164.5 -76.7,164.5 -76.9,164.5 -77.1,164.5 -77.3,164.5 -77.5,164.5 -77.7,164.5 -77.9,164.5 -78.1,164.5 -78.3,164.5 -78.5,164.05 -78.5,163.6 -78.5,163.15 -78.5,162.7 -78.5,162.25 -78.5,161.8 -78.5,161.35 -78.5,160.9 -78.5,160.45 -78.5,160 -78.5,160 -78.3,160 -78.1,160 -77.9,160 -77.7,160 -77.5,160 -77.3,160 -77.1,160 -76.9,160 -76.7,160 -76.5))", "dataset_titles": "Lake Fryxell 2022-2023 benthic microbial mat thickness and number of laminae", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601839", "doi": "10.15784/601839", "keywords": "Antarctica; Cryosphere; Dry Valleys; Lake Fryxell; Laminae; Microbial Mat; Thickness", "people": "Mackey, Tyler; Juarez Rivera, Marisol; Sumner, Dawn; Paul, Ann; Hawes, Ian", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Lake Fryxell 2022-2023 benthic microbial mat thickness and number of laminae", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601839"}], "date_created": "Fri, 05 Jul 2024 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Perennially ice-covered lakes in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica contain abundant microbial mats, and the export of this mat material can fertilize the surrounding polar desert ecosystems. These desert soils are one of the most organic-poor on earth yet host a community of microorganisms. Microbial mat material is exported from the shallow, gas-supersaturated regions of the lakes when gas bubbles form in the mats, lifting them to the ice cover; the perennial ice cover maintains gas supersaturation. These mats freeze in and are exported to the surrounding soils through ice ablation. The largest seasonal decrease and thinnest ice cover in the history of Lake Fryxell was recorded during the 2022-2023 Austral summer. In this thin ice year, the water column dissolved oxygen increased over prior observations, and the lake bottom surface area with bubble-disrupted mat was more than double that observed in 1980-1981 and 2006-2007. This work will constrain mat mobilization within and out of Lake Fryxell in the McMurdo Dry Valleys during a period of unprecedented ice thinning to understand how future changing regional climate and predicted seasonal loss of lake ice cover will affect nutrient transport in the McMurdo Dry Valleys. Exceptional years of mat export are hypothesized to have the most significant impact on nutrient export to soil communities; variability in mat liftoff may thus play a role in the McMurdo Dry Valleys ecosystem response to changing climate. The perennial ice cover of lakes in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica modulates the transfer of gasses, organic and inorganic material, between the lakes and surrounding soils. The export of biomass in these lakes is driven by the supersaturation of atmospheric gasses in the shallow regions under perennial ice cover. Gas bubbles nucleate in the mats, producing buoyancy that lifts them to the bottom of the ice, where they freeze in and are exported to the surrounding soils through ice ablation. These mats represent a significant source of biomass and nutrients to the McMurdo Dry Valleys soils, which are among the most organic-poor on earth. Nevertheless, this biomass remains unaccounted for in organic carbon cycling models for the McMurdo Dry Valleys. Ice cover data from the McMurdo Dry Valleys Long Term Ecological Research Project shows that the ice thickness has undergone cyclical variation over the last 40 years, reaching the largest seasonal decrease and thinnest ice-cover in the recorded history of Lake Fryxell during the 2022-2023 austral summer. Preliminary work shows that the surface area with mat liftoff at Lake Fryxell is more than double that observed in 1980-1981 and 2006-2007, coinciding with this unprecedented thinning of the ice-cover and an increase in the water column dissolved O2. This research will constrain biomass mobilization within and out of Lake Fryxell in the McMurdo Dry Valleys during a period of unprecedented ice thinning. The researchers hypothesize that a thinner ice cover promotes more biomass mobilization by 1) stimulating additional production of gas bubbles from the existing gas-supersaturated waters during summertime photosynthesis to create microbial mat liftoff and 2) promoting mat liftoff in deeper, thicker microbial mats, and 3) that this biomass can be traced into the soils by characterizing its chemistry and modeling the most likely depositional settings. This work will use microbial mat samples, lake dissolved oxygen and photosynthetically active radiation data and underwater drone footage documenting the depth distribution of liftoff mats in January 2023, and long-term ice cover thickness, photosynthetically active radiation, and lake level change data collected by the McMurdo Dry Valleys Long Term Ecological Research Project to test hypotheses 1-3. The dispersal of the liftoff mat exposed at Lake Fryxell surface will be modeled using a Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model. Exceptional liftoff years like the present are hypothesized to have the most significant impact on the soil communities as the rates of soil respiration increase with the addition of carbon. However, continued warming in the next 10 - 40 years may result in seasonal loss of the ice cover and cessation of liftoff mat export. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": 164.5, "geometry": "POINT(162.25 -77.5)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Stable Isotopes; MINERALS; LAKE/POND; ISOTOPES; Organic Matter; McMurdo Dry Valleys; SEDIMENTARY ROCKS", "locations": "McMurdo Dry Valleys", "north": -76.5, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Juarez Rivera, Marisol", "platforms": null, "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -78.5, "title": "RAPID: Is Biomass Mobilization at Ice-covered Lake Fryxell, Antarctica reaching a Critical Threshold?", "uid": "p0010467", "west": 160.0}, {"awards": "2423761 Blackburn, Terrence", "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": "Thermogenic Methane Production in Antarctic Subglacial Hydrocarbon Seeps", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601918", "doi": "10.15784/601918", "keywords": "Antarctica; Carbon Isotopes; Cryosphere; East Antarctica; Elephant Moraine; Geochronology; Isotope Data; Subglacial", "people": "Piccione, Gavin", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Thermogenic Methane Production in Antarctic Subglacial Hydrocarbon Seeps", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601918"}], "date_created": "Tue, 14 May 2024 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Non-technical abstract Earth\u2019s climatic changes have been recorded in the ice core collected from the Antarctic ice sheet. While these records provide a high resolution view of how polar temperatures changed through time, it is not always clear what Earth process influence Antarctic climate. One likely contributor to Antarctic temperature changes is the cyclic changes in Earth\u2019s orientation as it orbits the sun. These so-called Milankovitch cycles control the amount and pattern of sunlight reaching the polar regions, that in turn result in periods of climatic warming or cooling. While the orbital variations and control on incoming solar energy remain well understood, how they influence Antarctic climate remains unresolved. It is the goal of this project to determine how variations in Earth\u2019s orbit may be locally influencing Antarctic temperatures. The researchers on this project are pursing this goal by identifying periods of past ice melting on the surface of Antarctica using minerals that precipitate from the meltwaters that resulted from past warm periods. The timing of this past melting will be determined by radioisotopic dating of the minerals using the natural radioactive decay of uranium to thorium. By dating numerous samples, collected in past scientific expeditions throughout the Antarctic continent, these researchers aim to reconstruct the frequency and spatial pattern of past warming and in doing so, determine what aspect of Earth\u2019s orbital variations influences Antarctic ice loss. Technical abstract Antarctic ice cores provide high resolution records of Pleistocene Southern Hemisphere temperatures that show an overall coherence with Northern Hemisphere temperature variations. One explanation for this bi-hemispheric temperature covariance relies on changes in atmospheric CO2 that result from varying northern hemisphere insolation. An alternative posits that the apparent coherence of polar temperatures is due to the misleading covariance between northern hemisphere summer insolation and, the southern hemisphere summer duration. At present there is an insufficient understanding of the role that local insolation plays in Antarctic climate. The goal of this research project is to identify the temporal spatial patterns of solar forcing in Antarctica. To reach this goal, the project team will: 1) develop a way to identify periods of past surface melt production in Antarctica using U-Th dating of pedogenic carbonates; and 2) utilize the evidence of past surface melting to calibrate energy balance models and interrogate past Antarctic surface temperatures and; 3) compare the timing of Antarctic warm periods to potential solar forcing mechanisms such as peak summer insolation or summer duration. A means of identifying the spatial and temporal pattern at which local insolation influences Antarctic temperature would provide a transformative solution to the contradiction in current climate records. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": 180.0, "geometry": "POINT(0 -89.999)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Antarctic Ice Sheet; PALEOCLIMATE RECONSTRUCTIONS", "locations": "Antarctic Ice Sheet", "north": -60.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Blackburn, Terrence", "platforms": null, "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -90.0, "title": "EAGER: Pedogenic Carbonates Record Insolation Driven Surface Melting in Antarctica", "uid": "p0010459", "west": -180.0}, {"awards": "2325922 Couradeau, Estelle", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-73.783 4.679,-73.7827 4.679,-73.7824 4.679,-73.7821 4.679,-73.7818 4.679,-73.7815 4.679,-73.7812 4.679,-73.7809 4.679,-73.7806 4.679,-73.7803 4.679,-73.78 4.679,-73.78 4.6789,-73.78 4.6788,-73.78 4.6787,-73.78 4.6786,-73.78 4.6785,-73.78 4.6784,-73.78 4.6783,-73.78 4.6782,-73.78 4.6781,-73.78 4.678,-73.7803 4.678,-73.7806 4.678,-73.7809 4.678,-73.7812 4.678,-73.7815 4.678,-73.7818 4.678,-73.7821 4.678,-73.7824 4.678,-73.7827 4.678,-73.783 4.678,-73.783 4.6781,-73.783 4.6782,-73.783 4.6783,-73.783 4.6784,-73.783 4.6785,-73.783 4.6786,-73.783 4.6787,-73.783 4.6788,-73.783 4.6789,-73.783 4.679))", "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Tue, 06 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "P\u00e1ramos are high-altitude tundra ecosystems nested at the heart of the Andes mountains. These cold and humid environments are home to a multitude of plants, animals, and insects. P\u00e1ramos are a critical water source for downstream urban centers, including Colombia\u0027s capital city, Bogota. Additionally, the P\u00e1ramos soils contain substantial organic carbon reserves due to slow rates of organic matter decomposition. Beyond being a pool of carbon sequestered away from the atmosphere, this large reservoir of organic matter controls the soils\u2019 hydraulic and fertility properties. The P\u00e1ramos\u2019 unique geographic location, at an elevation above 2,800 m above sea level, makes them highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. In fact, these ecosystems\u2019 surface areas are projected to shrink by half within the next 50 years possibly causing loss of the essential services they provide. This project aims to characterize the microbial diversity in the P\u00e1ramos soils in Colombia and investigate how climate change will affect microbes\u2019 functions. The research is of high importance, considering that immediate and long-term changes in microbial metabolism could impact the ability of P\u00e1ramos soils to store organic carbon and regulate downstream water flow. To study the cascading effect of climate change on P\u00e1ramos ecosystems, this project will jumpstart collaborations among transdisciplinary experts that will integrate the research of below-ground microbial communities with above-ground vegetation functions. The project will also engage high school and undergraduate students that will work together to develop and deploy low-cost long-term soil monitoring data loggers in Chingaza National Natural Park, near the city of Bogota. This project will address the critical need to disentangle the effect of moisture and temperature on the fate of organic carbon in P\u00e1ramos soils while building a transdisciplinary team capable of expanding the scope of the research to an ecosystem level. The project includes establishing controlled soil mesocosms that will allow to independently vary moisture and temperature levels. Additionally, functions of the soil microbiome will be investigated using metagenomics and amplicon sequencing, and probes will be deployed to initiate long-term monitoring of the soil response to climate change in situ. This project will culminate in the organization of an international P\u00e1ramos symposium that will set up priorities for future systems research. The symposium will bring together scientists from diverse fields to discuss the linkages between above-ground and below-ground ecosystem functions and plan future collaborations in predicting P\u00e1ramos-wide effects of climate change. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": -73.78, "geometry": "POINT(-73.7815 4.6785)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS; Chingaza Paramos Colombia; ORGANIC MATTER; SOIL MECHANICS", "locations": "Chingaza Paramos Colombia", "north": 4.679, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Couradeau, Estelle; Maximova, Siela; Machado, Jose Luis", "platforms": null, "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": 4.678, "title": "Collaborative Research: BoCP-Design: Climate change alteration of soils functional biodiversity of the P\u00e1ramos, Colombia", "uid": "p0010445", "west": -73.783}, {"awards": "2142491 Young, Jodi", "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, 26 Jul 2023 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Sea ice in Antarctic coastal waters shape ecosystems, both in the surface waters and at the bottom of the ocean, environments that depend on algae living in sea ice for their productivity. With high variability in sea ice formation and melt between years and as a response to climate change, it is of importance to obtain better understanding of the interaction of sea ice with algae, as well as provide better data for global climate models. This project will accomplish those goals by measuring phytoplankton growth and cellular properties in sea ice with experiments performed using an ice tank. Laboratory experiments will be based on previous observations in the Antarctic Peninsula coastal waters, providing realistic conditions to emulate. The scientific importance of the proposed work aligns with the National Science Foundation goals to understand the biological and chemical properties of sea ice bio-geo-chemistry and its feedbacks with seasonal sea ice dynamics and climate. The finding from this project will be of interest to a broad scientific community, including oceanographers, biologists, chemists, and ecosystem and ocean modelers. To address the scarcity of data on sea ice microbes that limits our ability to predict future Antarctic climate with accuracy, the principal investigator will develop an Antarctic Science Minor in order to train future scientists with an environmental perspective and prepare the future US workforce with a strong scientific background on Earth and Biological Sciences. There is a paucity of data to understand the processes underlying observed patters in sea ice quality and their interaction with the sea-ice microbial community. This project will provide a mechanistic understanding of primary production and physiology of sympagic algae over the seasonal cycle of formation and melt of Antarctic sea ice. Although sea ice is central to the Antarctic coastal ecosystems, little is known of how they affect, and are in turn affected, by sea-ice algae. This project concentrates on first-year sea ice, forming and melting each year, creating unique and very dynamic habitats. The study will be structured by 4 main objectives: 1) how different algal species adapt to the seasonal changes in sea ice conditions, 2) how different methods to measure primary production (carbon dioxide drawdown, oxygen production and variable fluorescence) relate in sea ice and differ from sea water measurements, 3) how sympagic algae influence the physical structure of sea ice, 4) how sympagic algae contribute to organic matter cycling during ice melt. Due to expected changes in sea ice due to climate change, this study is uniquely positioned to provide needed data on short-term and seasonal processes. Results from this study will be useful to refine models of algal production in Antarctic and Arctic ecosystems, data not available to date as sea ice and its biogeochemistry are often poorly represented in earth system models. This project will also provide education for graduate and undergraduate students as well as material to develop class curriculum for middle-school students. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": 180.0, "geometry": "POINT(0 -89.999)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "MARINE ECOSYSTEMS", "locations": null, "north": -60.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems; Antarctic Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Young, Jodi", "platforms": null, "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": -90.0, "title": "CAREER: Experimentally Testing the Role of Sympagic Algae in Sea-ice Environments using a Laboratory Scale Ice-tank.", "uid": "p0010425", "west": -180.0}, {"awards": "2147045 Learman, Deric", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-180 -60,-168 -60,-156 -60,-144 -60,-132 -60,-120 -60,-108 -60,-96 -60,-84 -60,-72 -60,-60 -60,-60 -62,-60 -64,-60 -66,-60 -68,-60 -70,-60 -72,-60 -74,-60 -76,-60 -78,-60 -80,-72 -80,-84 -80,-96 -80,-108 -80,-120 -80,-132 -80,-144 -80,-156 -80,-168 -80,180 -80,171 -80,162 -80,153 -80,144 -80,135 -80,126 -80,117 -80,108 -80,99 -80,90 -80,90 -78,90 -76,90 -74,90 -72,90 -70,90 -68,90 -66,90 -64,90 -62,90 -60,99 -60,108 -60,117 -60,126 -60,135 -60,144 -60,153 -60,162 -60,171 -60,-180 -60))", "dataset_titles": "Physical and geochemical data from shelf sediments eastern Antarctica", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601876", "doi": "10.15784/601876", "keywords": "Antarctica; Cryosphere", "people": "Learman, Deric", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Physical and geochemical data from shelf sediments eastern Antarctica", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601876"}], "date_created": "Tue, 30 Aug 2022 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Microbes in Antarctic surface marine sediments have an important role in degrading organic matter and releasing nutrients to the ocean. Organic matter degradation is at the center of the carbon cycle in the ocean, providing valuable information on nutrient recycling, food availability to animals and carbon dioxide release to the atmosphere. The functionality of these microbes has been inferred by their genomics, however these methods only address the possible function, not their actual rates. In this project the PIs plan to combine genomics methods with cellular estimates of enzyme abundance and activity as a way to determine the rates of carbon degradation. This project aims to sample in several regions of Antarctica to provide a large-scale picture of the processes under study and understand the importance of microbial community composition and environmental factors, such as primary productivity, have on microbial activity. The proposed work will combine research tools such as metagenomics, meta-transcriptomics, and metabolomics coupled with chemical data and enzyme assays to establish degradation of organic matter in Antarctic sediments. This project benefits NSFs goals of understanding the adaptation of Antarctic organisms to the cold and isolated environment, critical to predict effects of climate change to polar organisms, as well as contribute to our knowledge of how Antarctic organisms have adapted to this environment. Society will benefit from this project by education of 2 graduate students, undergraduates and K-12 students as well as increase public literacy through short videos production shared in YouTube. The PIs propose to advance understanding of polar microbial community function, by measuring enzyme and gene function of complex organic matter degradation in several ocean regions, providing a circum-Antarctic description of sediment processes. Two hypotheses are proposed. The first hypothesis states that many genes for the degradation of complex organic matter will be shared in sediments throughout a sampling transect and that where variations in gene content occur, it will reflect differences in the quantity and quality of organic matter, not regional variability. The second hypothesis states that a fraction of gene transcripts for organic matter degradation will not result in measurable enzyme activity due to post-translational modification or rapid degradation of the enzymes. The PIs will analyze sediment cores already collected in a 2020 cruise to the western Antarctic Peninsula with the additional request of participating in a cruise in 2023 to East Antarctica. The PIs will analyze sediments for metagenomics, meta-transcriptomics, and metabolomics coupled with geochemical data and enzyme assays to establish microbial degradation of complex organic matter in Antarctic sediments. Organic carbon concentrations and content in sediments will be measured with \u03b413C, \u03b415N, TOC porewater fluorescence in bulk organic carbon. Combined with determination of geographical variability as well as dependence on carbon sources, results from this study could provide the basis for new hypotheses on how climate variability, with increased water temperature, affects geochemistry in the Southern Ocean. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": 90.0, "geometry": "POINT(-165 -70)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "BENTHIC; ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONS; Weddell Sea; Antarctic Peninsula; SEDIMENT CHEMISTRY; R/V NBP", "locations": "Antarctic Peninsula; Weddell Sea", "north": -60.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Learman, Deric", "platforms": "WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V NBP", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -80.0, "title": "Collaborative Research: ANT LIA: Connecting Metagenome Potential to Microbial Function: Investigating Microbial Degradation of Complex Organic Matter Antarctic Benthic Sediments", "uid": "p0010373", "west": -60.0}, {"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": "Candice, Falk; Passchier, Sandra", "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": "1946326 Doran, Peter", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((161 -77.4,161.3 -77.4,161.6 -77.4,161.9 -77.4,162.2 -77.4,162.5 -77.4,162.8 -77.4,163.1 -77.4,163.4 -77.4,163.7 -77.4,164 -77.4,164 -77.46,164 -77.52,164 -77.58,164 -77.64,164 -77.7,164 -77.76,164 -77.82,164 -77.88,164 -77.94,164 -78,163.7 -78,163.4 -78,163.1 -78,162.8 -78,162.5 -78,162.2 -78,161.9 -78,161.6 -78,161.3 -78,161 -78,161 -77.94,161 -77.88,161 -77.82,161 -77.76,161 -77.7,161 -77.64,161 -77.58,161 -77.52,161 -77.46,161 -77.4))", "dataset_titles": "EAGER: Refining glacial lake history in Taylor Valley, East Antarctica with alternative geochronometers: Infrared Stimulated Luminescence data; EAGER: Refining glacial lake history in Taylor Valley, East Antarctica with alternative geochronometers: in situ 14C data", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601521", "doi": "10.15784/601521", "keywords": "Antarctica; Carbon-14; Sample/collection Description; Sample/Collection Description; Sample Location; Taylor Valley", "people": "Doran, Peter; Stone, Michael", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "EAGER: Refining glacial lake history in Taylor Valley, East Antarctica with alternative geochronometers: in situ 14C data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601521"}, {"dataset_uid": "601520", "doi": "10.15784/601520", "keywords": "Antarctica; Sample/collection Description; Sample/Collection Description; Sample Location; Taylor Valley", "people": "Stone, Michael; Doran, Peter", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "LTER", "title": "EAGER: Refining glacial lake history in Taylor Valley, East Antarctica with alternative geochronometers: Infrared Stimulated Luminescence data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601520"}], "date_created": "Mon, 31 Jan 2022 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Correlating ecosystem responses to past climate forcing is highly dependent on the use of reliable techniques for establishing the age of events (dating techniques). In Antarctic dry regions (land areas without glaciers), carbon-14 dating has been used to assess the ages of organic deposits left behind by ancient lakes. However, the reliability of the ages is debatable because of possible contamination with \"old carbon\" from the surrounding landscape. The proposed research will attempt to establish two alternate dating techniques, in situ carbon-14 cosmogenic radionuclide exposure dating and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), as reliable alternate dating methods for lake history in Antarctic dry areas that are not contaminated by the old carbon. The end goal will be to increase scientific understanding of lake level fluctuation in the lakes of Taylor Valley, Antarctica so that inference about past climate, glacier, and ecosystem response can be inferred. The results of this study will provide a coarse-scale absolute chronology for lake level history in Taylor Valley, demonstrate that exposure dating and OSL are effective means to understand the physical dynamics of ancient water bodies, and increase the current understanding of polar lacustrine and ice sheet responses to past and present climatic changes. These chronologies will allow polar lake level fluctuations to be correlated with past changes in global and regional climate, providing information critical for understanding and modeling the physical responses of these environments to modern change. This research supports a PhD student; the student will highlight this work with grade school classes in the United States. This research aims to establish in situ carbon-14 exposure dating and OSL as reliable alternate (to carbon-14 of organic lake deposits) geochronometers that can be used to settle the long-disputed lacustrine history and chronology of Taylor Valley, Antarctica and elsewhere. Improved lake level history will have significant impacts for the McMurdo Dry Valleys Long Term Ecological Research (MCM LTER) site as the legacy of fluctuating lake levels of the past affects the distribution of organic matter and nutrients, and impacts biological connectivity valley-wide. This work will provide insight into the carbon reservoir of large glacial lakes in the late Holocene and have implications for previously reported radiocarbon chronologies. OSL samples will be analyzed in the Desert Research Institute Luminescence Laboratory in Reno, NV. For the in situ carbon-14 work, rock samples extracted from boulders and bedrock surfaces will be prepared at Tulane University. The prepared in situ carbon-14 samples will be analyzed at the National Ocean Sciences Accelerator Mass Spectrometry laboratory in Woods Hole, MA. The two datasets will be combined to produce a reliable, coarse scale chronology for late Quaternary lake level fluctuations in Taylor Valley. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": 164.0, "geometry": "POINT(162.5 -77.7)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "FIELD SURVEYS; Amd/Us; Taylor Valley; AGE DETERMINATIONS; USA/NSF; AMD; USAP-DC", "locations": "Taylor Valley", "north": -77.4, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Integrated System Science", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Doran, Peter", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD SURVEYS", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": "LTER", "south": -78.0, "title": "EAGER: Refining glacial lake history in Taylor Valley, East Antarctica with alternative geochronometers", "uid": "p0010294", "west": 161.0}, {"awards": "1847067 Levy, Joseph", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((161 -76,161.35 -76,161.7 -76,162.05 -76,162.4 -76,162.75 -76,163.1 -76,163.45 -76,163.8 -76,164.15 -76,164.5 -76,164.5 -76.2,164.5 -76.4,164.5 -76.6,164.5 -76.8,164.5 -77,164.5 -77.2,164.5 -77.4,164.5 -77.6,164.5 -77.8,164.5 -78,164.15 -78,163.8 -78,163.45 -78,163.1 -78,162.75 -78,162.4 -78,162.05 -78,161.7 -78,161.35 -78,161 -78,161 -77.8,161 -77.6,161 -77.4,161 -77.2,161 -77,161 -76.8,161 -76.6,161 -76.4,161 -76.2,161 -76))", "dataset_titles": "Biogeochemical measurements of water tracks and adjacent dry soils from the McMurdo Dry Valleys; Surface Water Geochemistry from the McMurdo Dry Valleys", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601684", "doi": "10.15784/601684", "keywords": "Antarctica; Cation Exchange; Chemistry:soil; Chemistry:Soil; Dry Valleys; Organic Matter; Salt; Soil", "people": "Levy, Joseph", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Biogeochemical measurements of water tracks and adjacent dry soils from the McMurdo Dry Valleys", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601684"}, {"dataset_uid": "601703", "doi": "10.15784/601703", "keywords": "Antarctica; Dry Valleys", "people": "Levy, Joseph", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Surface Water Geochemistry from the McMurdo Dry Valleys", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601703"}], "date_created": "Fri, 24 Dec 2021 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Antarctic groundwater drives the regional carbon cycle and can accelerate permafrost thaw shaping Antarctic surface features. However, groundwater extent, flow, and processes on a continent virtually locked in ice are poorly understood. The proposed work investigates the interplay between groundwater, sediment, and ice in Antarctica\u0027s cold desert landscape to determine when, where, and why Antarctic groundwater is flowing, and how it may evolve Antarctic frozen deserts from dry and stable to wet and dynamic. Mapping the changing extent of Antarctic near-surface groundwater requires the ability to measure soil moisture rapidly and repeatedly over large areas. The research will capture changes in near-surface groundwater distribution through an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) mapping approach. The project integrates a diverse range of sensors with new UAV technologies to provide a higher-resolution and more frequent assessment of Antarctic groundwater extent and composition than can be accomplished using satellite observations alone. To complement the research objectives, the PI will develop a new UAV summer field school, the Geosciences UAV Academy, focused on training undergraduate-level UAV pilots in conducting novel earth sciences research using cutting edge imaging tools. The integration of research and technology will prepare students for careers in UAV-related industries and research. The project will deliver new UAV tools and workflows for soil moisture mapping relevant to arid regions including Antarctica as well as temperate desert and dryland systems and will train student research pilots to tackle next generation airborne challenges. Water tracks are the basic hydrological unit that currently feeds the rapidly-changing permafrost and wetlands in the Antarctic McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV). Despite the importance of water tracks in the MDV hydrologic cycle and their influence on biogeochemistry, little is known about how these water tracks control the unique brine processes operating in Antarctic ice-free areas. Both groundwater availability and geochemistry shape Antarctic microbial communities, connecting soil geology and hydrology to carbon cycling and ecosystem functioning. The objectives of this CAREER proposal are to 1) map water tracks to determine the spatial distribution and seasonal magnitude of groundwater impacts on the MDV near-surface environment to determine how near-surface groundwater drives permafrost thaw and enhances chemical weathering and biogeochemical cycling; 2) establish a UAV academy training earth sciences students to answer geoscience questions using drone-based platforms and remote sensing techniques; and 3) provide a formative step in the development of the PI as a teacher-scholar. UAV-borne hyperspectral imaging complemented with field soil sampling will determine the aerial extent and timing of inundation, water level, and water budget of representative water tracks in the MDV. Soil moisture will be measured via near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy while bulk chemistry of soils and groundwater will be analyzed via ion chromatography and soil x-ray fluorescence. Sedimentological and hydrological properties will be determined via analysis of intact core samples. These data will be used to test competing hypotheses regarding the origin of water track solutions and water movement through seasonal wetlands. The work will provide a regional understanding of groundwater sources, shallow groundwater flux, and the influence of regional hydrogeology on solute export to the Southern Ocean and on soil/atmosphere linkages in earth\u0027s carbon budget. The UAV school will 1) provide comprehensive instruction at the undergraduate level in both how and why UAVs can advance geoscience research and learning; and 2) provide educational infrastructure for an eventual self-sustaining summer program for undergraduate UAV education. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": 164.5, "geometry": "POINT(162.75 -77)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "FIELD SURVEYS; Amd/Us; USA/NSF; AMD; USAP-DC; FROZEN GROUND; Taylor Valley", "locations": "Taylor Valley", "north": -76.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Levy, Joseph", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD SURVEYS", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -78.0, "title": "Linking Antarctic Cold Desert Groundwater to Thermokarst \u0026 Chemical Weathering in Partnership with the Geoscience UAV Academy", "uid": "p0010286", "west": 161.0}, {"awards": "2114839 Passchier, Sandra", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": "Argon thermochronological data on Pliocene ice-rafted detrital mineral grains from IODP Expedition 379 in the Amundsen Sea sector; Grain-size data for the Pliocene section at IODP Site U1533, Amundsen Sea", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601900", "doi": "10.15784/601900", "keywords": "Amundsen Sea Sector; Antarctica; Cryosphere; Glaciation; Grain Size; Pliocene; Sediment Core Data; Sedimentology", "people": "Mino-Moreira, Lisbeth; Passchier, Sandra", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Grain-size data for the Pliocene section at IODP Site U1533, Amundsen Sea", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601900"}, {"dataset_uid": "601907", "doi": "10.15784/601907", "keywords": "40Ar/39Ar; Amundsen Sea; Amundsen Sea Sector; Antarctica; Cryosphere; Ice-Rafted Detritus; IODP; Paleoclimate; Pliocene; Provenance; Sedimentology", "people": "Hemming, Sidney R.; Passchier, Sandra", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Argon thermochronological data on Pliocene ice-rafted detrital mineral grains from IODP Expedition 379 in the Amundsen Sea sector", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601907"}], "date_created": "Wed, 25 Aug 2021 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "The West Antarctic Ice Sheet is the most vulnerable polar ice mass to warming and already a major contributor to global mean sea level rise. Its fate in the light of prolonged warming is a topic of major uncertainty. Accelerated sea level rise from ice mass loss in the polar regions is a major concern as a cause of increased coastal flooding affecting millions of people. This project will disclose a unique geological archive buried beneath the seafloor off the Amundsen Sea, Antarctica, which will reveal how the West Antarctic Ice Sheet behaved in a warmer climate in the past. The data and insights can be used to inform ice-sheet and ocean modeling used in coastal policy development. The project will also support the development of a competitive U.S. STEM workforce. Online class exercises for introductory geology classes will provide a gateway for qualified students into undergraduate research programs and this project will enhance the participation of women in science by funding the education of current female Ph.D. students. The project targets the long-term variability of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet over several glacial-interglacial cycles in the early Pliocene sedimentary record drilled by the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 379 in the Amundsen Sea. Data collection includes 1) the sand provenance of ice-rafted debris and shelf diamictites and its sources within the Amundsen Sea and Antarctic Peninsula region; 2) sedimentary structures and sortable silt calculations from particle size records and reconstructions of current intensities and interactions; and 3) the bulk provenance of continental rise sediments compared to existing data from the Amundsen Sea shelf with investigations into downslope currents as pathways for Antarctic Bottom Water formation. The results are analyzed within a cyclostratigraphic framework of reflectance spectroscopy and colorimetry (RSC) and X-ray fluorescence scanner (XRF) data to gain insight into orbital forcing of the high-latitude processes. The early Pliocene Climatic Optimum (PCO) ~4.5-4.1 Ma spans a major warm period recognized in deep-sea stable isotope and sea-surface temperature records. This period also coincides with a global mean sea level highstand of \u003e 20 m requiring contributions in ice mass loss from Antarctica. The following hypotheses will be tested: 1) that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet retreated from the continental shelf break through an increase in sub iceshelf melt and iceberg calving at the onset of the PCO ~4.5 Ma, and 2) that dense shelf water cascaded down through slope channels after ~4.5 Ma as the continental shelf became exposed during glacial terminations. The project will reveal for the first time how the West Antarctic Ice Sheet operated in a warmer climate state prior to the onset of the current \u201cicehouse\u201d period ~3.3 Ma. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "USA/NSF; TERRIGENOUS SEDIMENTS; Amd/Us; SEDIMENTS; FIELD SURVEYS; Amundsen Sea; USAP-DC; AMD", "locations": "Amundsen Sea", "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Passchier, Sandra", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD SURVEYS", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "West Antarctic Ice-sheet Change and Paleoceanography in the Amundsen Sea Across the Pliocene Climatic Optimum", "uid": "p0010252", "west": null}, {"awards": "1941304 Sherrell, Robert; 1941308 Fitzsimmons, Jessica; 1941483 Yager, Patricia; 1941327 Stammerjohn, Sharon; 1941292 St-Laurent, Pierre", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-120 -71,-118 -71,-116 -71,-114 -71,-112 -71,-110 -71,-108 -71,-106 -71,-104 -71,-102 -71,-100 -71,-100 -71.4,-100 -71.8,-100 -72.2,-100 -72.6,-100 -73,-100 -73.4,-100 -73.8,-100 -74.2,-100 -74.6,-100 -75,-102 -75,-104 -75,-106 -75,-108 -75,-110 -75,-112 -75,-114 -75,-116 -75,-118 -75,-120 -75,-120 -74.6,-120 -74.2,-120 -73.8,-120 -73.4,-120 -73,-120 -72.6,-120 -72.2,-120 -71.8,-120 -71.4,-120 -71))", "dataset_titles": "Dataset: A numerical simulation of the ocean, sea ice and ice shelves in the Amundsen Sea (Antarctica) over the period 2006-2022 and its associated code and input files; Expedition Data of NBP2202; Numerical experiments examining the response of onshore oceanic heat supply to yearly changes in the Amundsen Sea icescape (Antarctica); Vertical ocean profiles collected by a Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) package in the Amundsen Sea", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601785", "doi": "10.15784/601785", "keywords": "Amundsen Sea; Antarctica; Cryosphere; CTD; NBP2202; Oceanography; R/v Nathaniel B. Palmer", "people": "Stammerjohn, Sharon", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "Thwaites (ITGC)", "title": "Vertical ocean profiles collected by a Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) package in the Amundsen Sea", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601785"}, {"dataset_uid": "200399", "doi": "10.25773/bt54-sj65", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "William \u0026 Mary ScholarWorks", "science_program": null, "title": "Dataset: A numerical simulation of the ocean, sea ice and ice shelves in the Amundsen Sea (Antarctica) over the period 2006-2022 and its associated code and input files", "url": "https://doi.org/10.25773/bt54-sj65"}, {"dataset_uid": "200400", "doi": "10.17882/99231", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "SEANOE", "science_program": null, "title": "Numerical experiments examining the response of onshore oceanic heat supply to yearly changes in the Amundsen Sea icescape (Antarctica)", "url": "https://doi.org/10.17882/99231"}, {"dataset_uid": "200311", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data of NBP2202", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP2202"}], "date_created": "Fri, 20 Aug 2021 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Part I: Non-technical summary: The Amundsen Sea is adjacent to the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) and hosts the most productive coastal ecosystem in all of Antarctica, with vibrant green waters visible from space and an atmospheric carbon dioxide uptake rate ten times higher than the Southern Ocean average. The region is also an area highly impacted by climate change and glacier ice loss. Upwelling of warm deep water is causing melt under the ice sheet, which is contributing to sea level rise and added nutrient inputs to the region. This is a project that is jointly funded by the National Science Foundation\u2019s Directorate of Geosciences (NSF/GEO) and the National Environment Research Council (NERC) of the United Kingdom (UK) via the NSF/GEO-NERC Lead Agency Agreement. This Agreement allows a single joint US/UK proposal to be submitted and peer-reviewed by the Agency whose investigator has the largest proportion of the budget. Upon successful joint determination of an award, each Agency funds the proportion of the budget and the investigators associated with its own country. In this collaboration, the US team will undertake biogeochemical sampling alongside a UK-funded physical oceanographic program to evaluate the contribution of micronutrients such as iron from glacial meltwater to ecosystem productivity and carbon cycling. Measurements will be incorporated into computer simulations to examine ecosystem responses to further glacial melting. Results will help predict future impacts on the region and determine whether the climate sensitivity of the Amundsen Sea ecosystem represents the front line of processes generalizable to the greater Antarctic. This study is aligned with the large International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration (ITGC) and will make data available to the full scientific community. The program will provide training for undergraduate, graduate, post-doctoral, and early-career scientists in both science and communication. The team will also develop out-of-school science experiences for middle and high schoolers related to climate change and Antarctica. Part II: Technical summary: The Amundsen Sea hosts the most productive polynya in all of Antarctica, with atmospheric carbon dioxide uptake rates ten times higher than the Southern Ocean average. The region is vulnerable to climate change, experiencing rapid losses in sea ice, a changing icescape and some of the fastest melting glaciers flowing from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, a process being studied by the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration. The biogeochemical composition of the outflow from the glaciers surrounding the Amundsen Sea is largely unstudied. In collaboration with a UK-funded physical oceanographic program, ARTEMIS is using shipboard sampling for trace metals, carbonate system, nutrients, organic matter, and microorganisms, with biogeochemical sensors on autonomous vehicles to gather data needed to understand the impact of the melting ice sheet on both the coastal ecosystem and the regional carbon cycle. These measurements, along with access to the advanced physical oceanographic measurements will allow this team to 1) bridge the gap between biogeochemistry and physics by adding estimates of fluxes and transport of limiting micronutrients; 2) provide biogeochemical context to broaden understanding of the global significance of ocean-ice shelf interactions; 3) determine processes and scales of variability in micronutrient supply that drive the ten-fold increase in carbon dioxide uptake, and 4) identify small-scale processes key to iron and carbon cycling using optimized field sampling. Observations will be integrated into an ocean model to enhance predictive capabilities of regional ocean function. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": -100.0, "geometry": "POINT(-110 -73)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES; USA/NSF; USAP-DC; AMD; Amundsen Sea; Amd/Us; SHIPS", "locations": "Amundsen Sea", "north": -71.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems; Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems; Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems; Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems; Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Yager, Patricia; Medeiros, Patricia; Sherrell, Robert; St-Laurent, Pierre; Fitzsimmons, Jessica; Stammerjohn, Sharon", "platforms": "WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e SHIPS", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "R2R; SEANOE; USAP-DC; William \u0026 Mary ScholarWorks", "science_programs": "Thwaites (ITGC)", "south": -75.0, "title": "NSFGEO-NERC: Collaborative Research: Accelerating Thwaites Ecosystem Impacts for the Southern Ocean (ARTEMIS)", "uid": "p0010249", "west": -120.0}, {"awards": "1745064 Perez-Huerta, Alberto; 1745057 Walker, Sally; 1745080 Gillikin, David", "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": "Analysis of striae groups and interstrial increments from Adamussium colbecki valves from Explorers Cove and Bay of Sails; Annual growth of Adamussium colbecki from Explorers Cove and Bay of Sails; Linking Modern Benthic Communities and Taphonomic Processes to the Stratigraphic Record of Antarctic Cores; Nitrogen, carbon, and oxygen isotopes in the shell of the Antarctic scallop Adamussium colbecki as a proxy for sea ice cover in Antarctica.; Stable isotopes of Oxygen and Carbon in Adamissium colbecki from Explorers Cove and Bay of Sails", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601764", "doi": "10.15784/601764", "keywords": "Adamussium Colbecki; Antarctica; Biota; Carbon Isotopes; Explorers Cove; Nitrogen Isotopes; Oxygen Isotope; Scallop", "people": "Gillikin, David; Puhalski, Emma; Camarra, Steve; Cronin, Kelly; Verheyden, Anouk; Walker, Sally", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Nitrogen, carbon, and oxygen isotopes in the shell of the Antarctic scallop Adamussium colbecki as a proxy for sea ice cover in Antarctica.", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601764"}, {"dataset_uid": "601468", "doi": "10.15784/601468", "keywords": "Adamussium Colbecki; Antarctica; Growth; McMurdo Sound; Shell Fish", "people": "Walker, Sally; Cronin, Kelly", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Annual growth of Adamussium colbecki from Explorers Cove and Bay of Sails", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601468"}, {"dataset_uid": "601469", "doi": "10.15784/601469", "keywords": "Adamussium Colbecki; Antarctica; McMurdo", "people": "Walker, Sally; Cronin, Kelly", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Analysis of striae groups and interstrial increments from Adamussium colbecki valves from Explorers Cove and Bay of Sails", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601469"}, {"dataset_uid": "601761", "doi": "10.15784/601761", "keywords": "Adamussium Colbecki; Antarctica; Bay Of Sails; Carbon; Explorers Cove; McMurdo Sound; Oxygen; Stable Isotopes", "people": "Walker, Sally; Cronin, Kelly; Puhalski, Emma; Perez-Huerta, Alberto; Bowser, Samuel S.; Verheyden, Anouk; Gillikin, David; Camarra, Steve; Andrus, Fred", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Stable isotopes of Oxygen and Carbon in Adamissium colbecki from Explorers Cove and Bay of Sails", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601761"}, {"dataset_uid": "600077", "doi": "10.15784/600077", "keywords": "Antarctica; Biota; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; McMurdo Sound; Oceans; Sample/collection Description; Sample/Collection Description", "people": "Walker, Sally", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Linking Modern Benthic Communities and Taphonomic Processes to the Stratigraphic Record of Antarctic Cores", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/600077"}], "date_created": "Fri, 06 Aug 2021 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "The goal of this project is to discover whether the Antarctic scallop, Adamussium colbecki, provides a guide to sea-ice conditions in nearshore Antarctica today and in the past. Scallops may grow slower and live longer in habitats where sea ice persists for many years, limited by food, compared to habitats where sea ice melts out annually. Also, the chemicals retained in the shell during growth may provide crucial habitat information related to not only changing sea-ice conditions but also the type of food, whether it is recycled from the seafloor or produced by algae blooming when sea ice has melted. Unlocking the ecological imprint captured within the shell of the Antarctic Scallop will increase our understanding of changing sea-ice conditions in Antarctica. Further, because the Antarctic scallop had relatives living at the time when the Antarctic ice sheet first appeared, the scallop shell record may contain information on the stability of the ice sheet and the history of Antarctic shallow seas. Funding will also be integral for training a new generation of geoscientists in fossil and chemical forensics related to shallow sea habitats in Antarctica. Scallops are worldwide in distribution, are integral for structuring marine communities have an extensive fossil record dating to the late Devonian, and are increasingly recognized as important paleoenvironmental proxies because they are generally well preserved in the sediment and rock record. The primary goal of this project is to assess the differences in growth, lifespan, and chemistry (stable isotopes, trace elements) archived in the shell of the Antarctic scallop that may be indicative of two ice states: persistent (multiannual) sea ice at Explorers Cove (EC) and annual sea ice (that melts out every year) at Bay of Sails (BOS), western McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. This project will investigate growth and lifespan proxies (physical and geochemical) and will use high-resolution records of stable oxygen isotopes to determine if a melt-water signal is archived in A. colbecki shells and whether that signal captures the differing ice behavior at two sites (EC versus BOS). Stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen in association with trace elements will be used to examine subannual productivity spikes indicative of phytoplankton blooms, which are predicted to be more pronounced during open ocean conditions. Small growth increments in the outer calcite layer will be assessed to determine if they represent fortnightly growth, if so, they could provide a high-resolution proxy for monthly environmental processes. Unlocking the environmental archive preserved in A. colbecki shells may prove to be an important proxy for understanding changing sea-ice conditions in Antarctica\u0027s past. Funding will support a Ph.D. student and undergraduates from multiple institutions working on independent research projects. Web content focused on Antarctic marine communities will be designed for museum outreach, reaching thousands of middle-school children each year. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": 180.0, "geometry": "POINT(0 -89.999)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Amd/Us; PALEOCLIMATE RECONSTRUCTIONS; AMD; Dry Valleys; USAP-DC; LABORATORY; USA/NSF", "locations": "Dry Valleys", "north": -60.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Walker, Sally; Gillikin, David; Perez-Huerta, Alberto; Andrus, Fred", "platforms": "OTHER \u003e PHYSICAL MODELS \u003e LABORATORY", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -90.0, "title": "Collaborative research: The Antarctic Scallop as Key to Paleoenvironments and Sea Ice Conditions: Understanding the Modern to Predict the Past", "uid": "p0010238", "west": -180.0}, {"awards": "2031442 Learman, Deric", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-180 -60,-167.5 -60,-155 -60,-142.5 -60,-130 -60,-117.5 -60,-105 -60,-92.5 -60,-80 -60,-67.5 -60,-55 -60,-55 -62,-55 -64,-55 -66,-55 -68,-55 -70,-55 -72,-55 -74,-55 -76,-55 -78,-55 -80,-67.5 -80,-80 -80,-92.5 -80,-105 -80,-117.5 -80,-130 -80,-142.5 -80,-155 -80,-167.5 -80,180 -80,178 -80,176 -80,174 -80,172 -80,170 -80,168 -80,166 -80,164 -80,162 -80,160 -80,160 -78,160 -76,160 -74,160 -72,160 -70,160 -68,160 -66,160 -64,160 -62,160 -60,162 -60,164 -60,166 -60,168 -60,170 -60,172 -60,174 -60,176 -60,178 -60,-180 -60))", "dataset_titles": "Physical and geochemical data from shelf sediments near the Antartic Pennisula", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601607", "doi": "10.15784/601607", "keywords": "Antarctica; Antarctic Peninsula; Grain Size; Grain Size Analysis; Marine Geoscience; Marine Sediments; Organic Matter Geochemistry; Sediment Core Data; Shelf Sediments; Weddell Sea", "people": "Learman, Deric", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Physical and geochemical data from shelf sediments near the Antartic Pennisula", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601607"}], "date_created": "Wed, 28 Jul 2021 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Western Antarctica is one of the fastest warming locations on Earth. Its changing climate will lead to an increase in sea-level and will also alter regional water temperature and chemistry. These changes will directly alter the microbes that inhabit the ecosystem. Microbes are the smallest forms of life on Earth, but they are also the most abundant. They drive cycling of essential nutrients, such as carbon and nitrogen that are found in ocean sediments. In this way they form the foundation of the food chain that supports larger and more complex life. However, we do not know much about how different communities of microbes break down sediments in Antarctica and this will influence the chemistry of those waters. This research will determine how communities of microbes on the coastal shelf of Antarctica degrade complex organic sediments using genetic and chemical data. This data will identify the species in the community, what enzymes they are producing and what chemical reactions they are driving. This research will create broader impacts as the data will be used to create in-class activities that improve a student\u2019s data analysis and critical thinking skills. The data will be used in graduate, undergraduate and K-12 classrooms. This research will provide genetic and enzymatic insight into how microbial communities in benthic sediments on the coastal shelf of Antarctica degrade complex organic matter. The current understanding of how benthic microbial communities respond to and then degrade complex organic matter in Antarctica is fragmented. Recent work suggests benthic microbial communities are shaped by organic matter availability. However, those studies were observational and did not directly examine community function. A preliminary study of metagenomic data from western Antarctic marine sediments, indicates a genetic potential for organic matter degradation but functional data was not been collected. Other studies have examined either enzyme activity or metagenomic potential, but few have been able to directly connect the two. To address this gap in knowledge, this study will utilize metagenomics and metatranscriptomics, coupled with microcosm experiments, enzyme assays, and geochemical data. It will examine Antarctic microbial communities from the Ross Sea, the Bransfield Strait and Weddell Sea to document how the relationship between a communities\u2019 enzymatic activity and the genes used to degrade complex organic matter is related to sediment breakdown. The data will expand our current knowledge of microbial genetic potential and provide a solid understanding of enzyme function as it relates to degradation of complex organic matter in those marine sediments. It will thereby improve our understanding of temperature change on the chemistry of Antarctic seawater. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": 160.0, "geometry": "POINT(-127.5 -70)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONS; USAP-DC; Antarctic Peninsula; BENTHIC; SHIPS; SEDIMENT CHEMISTRY; Amd/Us; AMD; USA/NSF; Weddell Sea", "locations": "Antarctic Peninsula; Weddell Sea", "north": -60.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Learman, Deric", "platforms": "WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e SHIPS", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -80.0, "title": "RAPID: Meta-genomic and Transcriptomic Investigation of Complex Organic Matter Degradation in Antarctic Benthic Sediments", "uid": "p0010235", "west": -55.0}, {"awards": "2000992 Romans, Brian", "bounds_geometry": "POINT(-172.873074 -74.274008)", "dataset_titles": "Grain size of Plio-Pleistocene continental slope and rise sediments, Hillary Canyon, Ross Sea", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601807", "doi": "10.15784/601807", "keywords": "Antarctica; Cryosphere; Grain Size; Ross Sea", "people": "Romans, Brian W.; Varela, Natalia", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Grain size of Plio-Pleistocene continental slope and rise sediments, Hillary Canyon, Ross Sea", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601807"}], "date_created": "Tue, 06 Jul 2021 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Part I: Non-technical description: Predicting how polar ice sheets will respond to future global warming is difficult because all the processes that contribute to their melting are not well understood. This is important because the more ice on land that melts, the higher sea levels will rise. The most significant uncertainty in current estimates of sea-level rise in the coming decades is the potential contribution from the Antarctic Ice Sheet. One way to increase our knowledge about how large ice sheets respond to climate change in response to natural factors is to examine the geologic past. Natural global warming (and cooling) events in Earth\u2019s history provide examples that we can use to better understand processes, interactions, and responses we can\u2019t directly observe today. One such time period, approximately three million years ago (known as the Pliocene), was the last time atmospheric carbon dioxide levels were as high as they are today and, therefore, represents a time period to study to better understand the ice sheet response to a warming climate. Specifically, this project is interested in understanding how ocean currents near Antarctica, which transport heat and store carbon, behaved during these past climate events. The history of past ice sheet-ocean interactions are recorded in sediments that were deposited, layer upon layer, in the deep sea offshore Antarctica. In January-February 2018, a team of scientists and crew set sail to the Ross Sea, offshore west Antarctica, on the scientific ocean drilling vessel JOIDES Resolution to recover such sediment archives. This project focuses on a sediment core from that expedition, which captures the relatively warm Pliocene time interval, as well as the subsequent transition into cooler climates typical of the past two million years. The researchers will analyze the sediment with multiple complementary measurements, including: grain size, composition, chemistry of organic matter, physical structures, microfossil type and abundance, and more. These analyses will be done by the research team, including several students, at their respective laboratories and will then integrated into a unified record of ice sheet-ocean interactions. Ultimately, the results will be used to improve modeled projections of how the Antarctic Ice Sheet could respond to future climate change. Part II: Technical description: Geological records from the Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) margin demonstrate that the ice sheet oscillated in response to orbital variations in insolation (i.e., ~400, 100, 41, and 20 kyr), and it appears to be more sensitive to specific frequencies that regulate mean annual insolation (i.e., 41-kyr obliquity), particularly when the ice sheet extends into marine environments and is impacted by ocean circulation. However, the relationship between orbital forcing and the production of Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) is unconstrained. Thus, a knowledge gap exists in understanding how changing insolation impacts ice marginal and Southern Ocean conditions that directly influence ventilation of the global ocean. The researchers hypothesize that insolation-driven changes directly affected the production and export of AABW to the Southern Ocean from the Pliocene through the Pleistocene. For example, obliquity amplification during the warmer Pliocene may have led to enhanced production and export of dense waters from the shelf due to reduced AIS extent, which, in turn, led to greater AABW outflow. To determine the relationship of AABW production to orbital regime, they plan to reconstruct both from a single, continuous record from the levee of Hillary Canyon, a major conduit of AABW outflow, on the Ross Sea continental rise. To test their hypothesis, they will analyze sediment from IODP Site U1524 (recovered in 2018 during International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 374) and focus on three data sets. (1) They will use the occurrence, frequency, and character of mm-scale turbidite beds as a proxy of dense-shelf-water cascading outflow and AABW production. They will estimate the down-slope flux via numerical modeling of turbidity current properties using morphology, grain size, and bed thickness as input parameters. (2) They will use grain-size data, physical properties, XRF core scanning, CT imaging, and hyperspectral imaging to guide lithofacies analysis to infer processes occurring during glacial, deglacial, and interglacial periods. Statistical techniques and optimization methods will be applied to test for astronomical forcing of sedimentary packages in order to provide a cyclostratigraphic framework and interpret the orbital-forcing regime. (3) They will use bulk sedimentary carbon and nitrogen abundance and isotope data to determine how relative contributions of terrigenous and marine organic matter change in response to orbital forcing. All of these data will be integrated with sedimentological records to deconvolve organic matter production from its deposition or remobilization due to AABW outflow as a function of the oscillating extent of the AIS. These data sets will be integrated into a unified chronostratigraphy to determine the relationship between AABW outflow and orbital-forcing scenarios under the varying climate regimes of the Plio-Pleistocene. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": -172.873074, "geometry": "POINT(-172.873074 -74.274008)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "USAP-DC; LABORATORY; AMD; USA/NSF; SEDIMENTS; Amd/Us; Ross Sea", "locations": "Ross Sea", "north": -74.274008, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Patterson, Molly; Ash, Jeanine; Kulhanek, Denise; Ash, Jeannie", "platforms": "OTHER \u003e PHYSICAL MODELS \u003e LABORATORY", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -74.274008, "title": "COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: Orbital-scale Variability of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and the Formation of Bottom Water in the Ross Sea during the Pliocene-Pleistocene", "uid": "p0010227", "west": -172.873074}, {"awards": "1341376 Tabor, Neil; 1341475 Smith, Nathan; 2001033 Makovicky, Peter; 1341304 Sidor, Christian; 1341645 Makovicky, Peter", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-180 -84,-178 -84,-176 -84,-174 -84,-172 -84,-170 -84,-168 -84,-166 -84,-164 -84,-162 -84,-160 -84,-160 -84.3,-160 -84.6,-160 -84.9,-160 -85.2,-160 -85.5,-160 -85.8,-160 -86.1,-160 -86.4,-160 -86.7,-160 -87,-162 -87,-164 -87,-166 -87,-168 -87,-170 -87,-172 -87,-174 -87,-176 -87,-178 -87,180 -87,178.5 -87,177 -87,175.5 -87,174 -87,172.5 -87,171 -87,169.5 -87,168 -87,166.5 -87,165 -87,165 -86.7,165 -86.4,165 -86.1,165 -85.8,165 -85.5,165 -85.2,165 -84.9,165 -84.6,165 -84.3,165 -84,166.5 -84,168 -84,169.5 -84,171 -84,172.5 -84,174 -84,175.5 -84,177 -84,178.5 -84,-180 -84))", "dataset_titles": "Lower Triassic Antarctic vertebrate fossils at Field Museum, Chicago, IL", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601511", "doi": "10.15784/601511", "keywords": "Allan Hills; Antarctica; Fremouw Formation; Lystrosaurus; Permo-Triassic Extinction; Prolacerta; Sample Location; Thrinaxofon; Triassic", "people": "Makovicky, Peter", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Lower Triassic Antarctic vertebrate fossils at Field Museum, Chicago, IL", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601511"}], "date_created": "Tue, 29 Jun 2021 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Around 252 million years ago, a major mass extinction wiped out upwards of 90% of species on Earth. Coincident with this extinction, the Antarctic portion of the supercontinent of Pangea transitioned to a warmer climatic regime and became devoid of glaciers. Little is known about the survivors of the extinction in Antarctica, although it has been hypothesized that the continent\u0027s high latitude location shielded it from the worst of the extinction\u0027s effects. The Shackleton Glacier region is the best place to study this extinction in Antarctica because it exposes an abundance of correct age rocks and relevant fossils were found there in the 1960s and 1980s. For this research, paleontologists will study fossil vertebrates that span from about 260 to 240 million years ago to understand how life evolved at high latitudes in the face of massive climate change. In addition, geologists will use fossil soils and fossil plant matter to more precisely reconstruct the climate of Antarctica across this extinction boundary. These data will allow for a more complete understanding of ancient climates and how Antarctic life compared to that at lower latitudes. Undergraduate and graduate students will be actively involved in this research. Public engagement in Antarctic science will be accomplished at several natural history museums. This three-year project will examine the evolution of Permo-Triassic paleoenvironments and their vertebrate communities by conducting fieldwork in the Shackleton Glacier region of Antarctica. The team will characterize the Permo-Triassic boundary within Shackleton area strata and correlate it to other stratigraphic successions in the region (e.g. via stable carbon isotope stratigraphy of fossilized plant organic matter). The researchers will use multiple types of data to assess the paleoenvironment, including: 1) paleosol morphology; 2) paleosol geochemistry; 3) pedogenic organic matter; and 4) fossil wood chronology and stable isotopes. The Fremouw Formation of Antarctica preserves the highest paleolatitude (~70\u00b0 S) tetrapod fauna of the entire Triassic and thus has the potential to shed important light on the evolution of polar life during the early Mesozoic. The biology of Triassic vertebrates from Antarctica will be compared to conspecifics from lower paleolatitudes through analysis of growth in bone and tusk histology. An interdisciplinary approach will be used to address relationships between environmental change, faunal composition, and biogeographic patterns in the context of the high-latitude strata preserved in the Buckley and Fremouw formations in the Shackleton Glacier region.", "east": -160.0, "geometry": "POINT(-177.5 -85.5)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "REPTILES; FIELD SURVEYS; USA/NSF; PALEOCLIMATE RECONSTRUCTIONS; Triassic; USAP-DC; TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS; MACROFOSSILS; Amd/Us; Fossils; Shackleton Glacier; LAND RECORDS; ANIMALS/VERTEBRATES; AMD", "locations": "Shackleton Glacier", "north": -84.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Sidor, Christian; Smith, Nathan; Makovicky, Peter; Tabor, Neil", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD SURVEYS", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -87.0, "title": "Collaborative Research: Understanding the evolution of high-latitude Permo-Triassic paleoenvironments and their vertebrate communities", "uid": "p0010213", "west": 165.0}, {"awards": "2045611 Rasbury, Emma; 2042495 Blackburn, Terrence", "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": " Subglacial Precipitates Record Antarctic Ice Sheet Response to Pleistocene Millennial Climate Cycles; Subglacial precipitates record Antarctic ice sheet response to Southern Ocean warming ; Thermogenic Methane Production in Antarctic Subglacial Hydrocarbon Seeps; U-Th isotopes and major elements in sediments from Taylor Valley, Antarctica", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601806", "doi": "10.15784/601806", "keywords": "Antarctica; Cryosphere; Erosion; Isotope Data; Major Elements; Soil; Taylor Glacier; Taylor Valley", "people": "Tulaczyk, Slawek; Edwards, Graham; Piccione, Gavin; Blackburn, Terrence", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "U-Th isotopes and major elements in sediments from Taylor Valley, Antarctica", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601806"}, {"dataset_uid": "601594", "doi": "10.15784/601594", "keywords": "Antarctica; East Antarctica", "people": "Blackburn, Terrence; Piccione, Gavin", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": " Subglacial Precipitates Record Antarctic Ice Sheet Response to Pleistocene Millennial Climate Cycles", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601594"}, {"dataset_uid": "601918", "doi": "10.15784/601918", "keywords": "Antarctica; Carbon Isotopes; Cryosphere; East Antarctica; Elephant Moraine; Geochronology; Isotope Data; Subglacial", "people": "Piccione, Gavin", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Thermogenic Methane Production in Antarctic Subglacial Hydrocarbon Seeps", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601918"}, {"dataset_uid": "601911", "doi": null, "keywords": "Antarctica; Cryosphere", "people": "Gagliardi, Jessica", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Subglacial precipitates record Antarctic ice sheet response to Southern Ocean warming ", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601911"}], "date_created": "Fri, 18 Jun 2021 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Over the past century, climate science has constructed an extensive record of Earth\u2019s ice age cycles through the chemical and isotopic characterization of various geologic archives such as polar ice cores, deep-ocean sediments, and cave speleothems. These climatic archives provide an insightful picture of ice age cycles and of the related large global sea level fluctuations triggered by these significant climate rhythms. However, such records still provide limited insight as to how or which of Earth\u2019s ice sheets contributed to higher sea levels during past warm climate periods. This is of particular importance for our modern world: the Antarctic ice sheet is currently the world\u2019s largest freshwater reservoir, which, if completely melted, would raise the global sea level by over 60 meters (200 feet). Yet, geologic records of Antarctic ice sheet sensitivity to warm climates are particularly limited and difficult to obtain, because the direct records of ice sheet geometry smaller than the modern one are still buried beneath the mile-thick ice covering the continent. Therefore, it remains unclear how much this ice sheet contributed to past sea level rise during warm climate periods or how it will respond to the anticipated near-future climate warming. In the proposed research we seek to develop sub-ice chemical precipitates\u2014minerals that form in lakes found beneath the ice sheet\u2014as a climatic archive, one that records how the Antarctic ice sheet responded to past climatic change. These sub-ice mineral formations accumulated beneath the ice for over a hundred thousand years, recording the changes in chemical and isotopic subglacial properties that occur in response to climate change. Eventually these samples were eroded by the ice sheet and moved to the Antarctic ice margin where they were collected and made available to study. This research will utilize advanced geochemical, isotopic and geochronologic techniques to develop record of the Antarctica ice sheet\u2019s past response to warm climate periods, directly informing efforts to understand how Antarctica will response to future warming. Efforts to improve sea level forecasting on a warming planet have focused on determining the temperature, sea level and extent of polar ice sheets during Earth\u2019s past warm periods. Large uncertainties, however, in reconstructions of past and future sea levels, result from the poorly constrained climate sensitivity of the Antarctic Ice sheet (AIS). This research project aims to develop the use of subglacial precipitates as an archive the Antarctic ice sheet (AIS) past response to climate change. The subglacial precipitates from East Antarctica form in water bodies beneath Antarctic ice and in doing so provide an entirely new and unique measure of how the AIS responds to climate change. In preliminary examination of these precipitates, we identified multiple samples consisting of cyclic opal and calcite that spans hundreds of thousands of years in duration. Our preliminary geochemical characterization of these samples indicates that the observed mineralogic changes result from a cyclic change in subglacial water compositions between isotopically and chemically distinct waters. Opal-forming waters are reduced (Ce* \u003c1 and high Fe/Mn) and exhibit elevated 234U/238U compositions similar to the saline groundwater brines found at the periphery of the AIS. Calcite-forming waters, are rather, oxidized and exhibit \u03b418O compositions consistent with derivation from the depleted polar plateau (\u003c -50 \u2030). 234U-230Th dates permit construction of a robust timeseries describing these mineralogic and compositional changes through time. Comparisons of these time series with other Antarctic climate records (e.g., ice core records) reveal that calcite forming events align with millennial scale changes in local temperature or \u201cAntarctic isotopic maximums\u201d, which represent Southern Hemisphere warm periods resulting in increased Atlantic Meridional overturing circulation. Ultimately, this project seeks to develop a comprehensive model as to how changes in the thermohaline cycle induce a glaciologic response which in turn induces a change in the composition of subglacial waters and the mineralogic phase recorded within the precipitate archive. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": 180.0, "geometry": "POINT(0 -89.999)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "GLACIERS/ICE SHEETS; FIELD INVESTIGATION; AMD; USA/NSF; Amd/Us; USAP-DC; East Antarctica", "locations": "East Antarctica", "north": -60.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Blackburn, Terrence; Tulaczyk, Slawek; Hain, Mathis; Rasbury, Troy", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD INVESTIGATION", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -90.0, "title": "Collaborative Research: Reconstructing East Antarctica\u2019s Past Response to Climate using Subglacial Precipitates", "uid": "p0010192", "west": -180.0}, {"awards": "1643345 Popp, Brian; 1643466 Hollibaugh, James", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-78.20206667 -64.03195833,-76.785055836 -64.03195833,-75.368045002 -64.03195833,-73.951034168 -64.03195833,-72.534023334 -64.03195833,-71.1170125 -64.03195833,-69.700001666 -64.03195833,-68.282990832 -64.03195833,-66.865979998 -64.03195833,-65.448969164 -64.03195833,-64.03195833 -64.03195833,-64.03195833 -64.554377497,-64.03195833 -65.076796664,-64.03195833 -65.599215831,-64.03195833 -66.121634998,-64.03195833 -66.644054165,-64.03195833 -67.166473332,-64.03195833 -67.688892499,-64.03195833 -68.211311666,-64.03195833 -68.733730833,-64.03195833 -69.25615,-65.448969164 -69.25615,-66.865979998 -69.25615,-68.282990832 -69.25615,-69.700001666 -69.25615,-71.1170125 -69.25615,-72.534023334 -69.25615,-73.951034168 -69.25615,-75.368045002 -69.25615,-76.785055836 -69.25615,-78.20206667 -69.25615,-78.20206667 -68.733730833,-78.20206667 -68.211311666,-78.20206667 -67.688892499,-78.20206667 -67.166473332,-78.20206667 -66.644054165,-78.20206667 -66.121634998,-78.20206667 -65.599215831,-78.20206667 -65.076796664,-78.20206667 -64.554377497,-78.20206667 -64.03195833))", "dataset_titles": "\"Collaborative research: Chemoautotrophy in Antarctic bacterioplankton communities supported by the oxidation of urea-derived nitrogen\"; Expedition data of LMG1801", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "200193", "doi": "Not yet assigned", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "BCO-DMO", "science_program": null, "title": "\"Collaborative research: Chemoautotrophy in Antarctic bacterioplankton communities supported by the oxidation of urea-derived nitrogen\"", "url": "https://www.bco-dmo.org/project/775717"}, {"dataset_uid": "200124", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition data of LMG1801", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/LMG1801"}], "date_created": "Fri, 18 Dec 2020 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Part 1: Nitrification is the conversion of ammonium to nitrate by a two-step process involving two different guilds of microorganisms: ammonia- and nitrite-oxidizers. The process is central to the global nitrogen cycle, affecting everything from retention of fertilizer on croplands to removal of excess nitrogen from coastal waters before it can cause blooms of harmful algae. It also produces nitrous oxide, an ozone-destroying, greenhouse gas. The energy derived from both steps of nitrification is used to convert inorganic carbon into microbial biomass. The biomass produced contributes to the overall food web production of the Southern Ocean and may be a particularly important subsidy during winter when low light levels restrict the other major source of biomass, primary production by single-celled plants. This project addresses three fundamental questions about the biology and geochemistry of polar oceans, with a focus on the process of nitrification. The first question the project will address concerns the contribution of chemoautotrophy (based on nitrification) to the overall supply of organic carbon to the food web of the Southern Ocean. Previous measurements indicate that it contributes about 9% to the Antarctic food web on an annual basis, but those measurements did not include the additional production associated with nitrite oxidation. The second question to be addressed is related to the first and concerns the coupling between the steps of the process. The third seeks to determine the significance of the contribution of other sources of nitrogen, (specifically organic nitrogen and urea released by other organisms) to nitrification because these contributions may not be assessed by standard protocols. Measurements made by others suggest that urea in particular might be as important as ammonium to nitrification in polar regions. This project will result in training a postdoctoral researcher and provide undergraduate students opportunities to gain hand-on experience with research on microbial geochemistry. The Palmer LTER (PAL) activities have focused largely on the interaction between ocean climate and the marine food web affecting top predators. Relatively little effort has been devoted to studying processes related to the microbial geochemistry of nitrogen cycling as part of the Palmer Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) program, yet these are a major themes at other sites. This work will contribute substantially to understanding an important aspect of nitrogen cycling and bacterioplankton production in the PAL-LTER study area. The team will be working synergistically and be participating fully in the education and outreach efforts of the Palmer LTER, including making highlights of the findings available for posting to their project web site and participating in any special efforts they have in the area of outreach. Part 2: The proposed work will quantify oxidation rates of 15N supplied as ammonium, urea and nitrite, allowing us to estimate the contribution of urea-derived N and complete nitrification (ammonia to nitrate) to chemoautotrophy and bacterioplankton production in Antarctic coastal waters. The project will compare these estimates to direct measurements of the incorporation of 14C into organic matter the dark for an independent estimate of chemoautotrophy. The team aims to collect samples spanning the water column: from surface water (~10 m), winter water (50-100 m) and circumpolar deep water (\u003e150 m); on a cruise surveying the continental shelf and slope west of the Antarctic Peninsula in the austral summer of 2018. Other samples will be taken to measure the concentrations of nitrate, nitrite, ammonia and urea, for qPCR analysis of the abundance of relevant microorganisms, and for studies of related processes. The project will rely on collaboration with the existing Palmer LTER to ensure that ancillary data (bacterioplankton abundance and production, chlorophyll, physical and chemical variables) will be available. The synergistic activities of this project along with the LTER activities will provide a unique opportunity to assess chemoautotrophy in context of the overall ecosystem?s dynamics- including both primary and secondary production processes.", "east": -64.03195833, "geometry": "POINT(-71.1170125 -66.644054165)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Pal-Lter; NITROGEN; SHIPS; USAP-DC; MARINE ECOSYSTEMS; BACTERIA/ARCHAEA; BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES; Amd/Us; West Antarctic Shelf; USA/NSF; AMD", "locations": "West Antarctic Shelf; Pal-Lter", "north": -64.03195833, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems; Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Hollibaugh, James T.; Popp, Brian", "platforms": "WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e SHIPS", "repo": "BCO-DMO", "repositories": "BCO-DMO; R2R", "science_programs": null, "south": -69.25615, "title": "Collaborative Research: Chemoautotrophy in Antarctic Bacterioplankton Communities Supported by the Oxidation of Urea-derived Nitrogen", "uid": "p0010150", "west": -78.20206667}, {"awards": "1543396 Christner, Brent; 1543453 Lyons, W. Berry; 1543537 Priscu, John; 1543441 Fricker, Helen; 1543347 Rosenheim, Brad; 1543405 Leventer, Amy", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-163.611 -84.33543,-162.200034 -84.33543,-160.789068 -84.33543,-159.378102 -84.33543,-157.967136 -84.33543,-156.55617 -84.33543,-155.145204 -84.33543,-153.734238 -84.33543,-152.323272 -84.33543,-150.912306 -84.33543,-149.50134 -84.33543,-149.50134 -84.3659157,-149.50134 -84.3964014,-149.50134 -84.4268871,-149.50134 -84.4573728,-149.50134 -84.4878585,-149.50134 -84.5183442,-149.50134 -84.5488299,-149.50134 -84.5793156,-149.50134 -84.6098013,-149.50134 -84.640287,-150.912306 -84.640287,-152.323272 -84.640287,-153.734238 -84.640287,-155.145204 -84.640287,-156.55617 -84.640287,-157.967136 -84.640287,-159.378102 -84.640287,-160.789068 -84.640287,-162.200034 -84.640287,-163.611 -84.640287,-163.611 -84.6098013,-163.611 -84.5793156,-163.611 -84.5488299,-163.611 -84.5183442,-163.611 -84.4878585,-163.611 -84.4573728,-163.611 -84.4268871,-163.611 -84.3964014,-163.611 -84.3659157,-163.611 -84.33543))", "dataset_titles": "Antarctica - PI Continuous - GZ01-WIS_GroundingZone_01 P.S. - GPS/GNSS Observations Dataset; Antarctica - PI Continuous - GZ13-WIS_GroundingZone_13 P.S. - GPS/GNSS Observations Dataset; Antarctica - PI Continuous - LA02-WIS_LAKES_02 P.S. - GPS/GNSS Observations Dataset; Antarctica - PI Continuous - LA06-WIS_LAKES_06 P.S. - GPS/GNSS Observations Dataset; Antarctica - PI Continuous - LA07-WIS_LAKES_07 P.S. - GPS/GNSS Observations Dataset; Antarctica - PI Continuous - LA09-WIS_LAKES_09 P.S. - GPS/GNSS Observations Dataset; Bistatic Radar Sounding of Whillans Ice Stream, Antarctica and Store Glacier, Greenland; CTD data from Mercer Subglacial Lake and access borehole; Discrete bulk sediment properties data from Mercer Subglacial Lake; Isotopic data from Whillans Ice Stream grounding zone, West Antarctica; Mercer Subglacial Lake radiocarbon and stable isotope data ; Mercer Subglacial Lake (SLM) microbial composition: 16S rRNA genes (Sequence Read Archive; BioProject: PRJNA790995); Mercer Subglacial Lake (SLM) noble gas and isotopic data; Mercer Subglacial Lake water column viral metagenomic sequencing; Salsa sediment cores; Sediment porewater properties data from Mercer Subglacial Lake; Water column biogeochemical data from Mercer Subglacial Lake", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "200215", "doi": "10.7283/C503-KS23", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "UNAVCO", "science_program": null, "title": "Antarctica - PI Continuous - LA06-WIS_LAKES_06 P.S. - GPS/GNSS Observations Dataset", "url": "https://www.unavco.org/data/doi/10.7283/C503-KS23"}, {"dataset_uid": "200212", "doi": "10.7283/PT0Q-JB95", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "UNAVCO", "science_program": null, "title": "Antarctica - PI Continuous - GZ01-WIS_GroundingZone_01 P.S. - GPS/GNSS Observations Dataset", "url": "https://www.unavco.org/data/doi/10.7283/PT0Q-JB95"}, {"dataset_uid": "200213", "doi": "10.7283/F7BB-JH05", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "UNAVCO", "science_program": null, "title": "Antarctica - PI Continuous - GZ13-WIS_GroundingZone_13 P.S. - GPS/GNSS Observations Dataset", "url": "https://www.unavco.org/data/doi/10.7283/F7BB-JH05"}, {"dataset_uid": "200214", "doi": "10.7283/YW8Z-TK03", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "UNAVCO", "science_program": null, "title": "Antarctica - PI Continuous - LA02-WIS_LAKES_02 P.S. - GPS/GNSS Observations Dataset", "url": "https://www.unavco.org/data/doi/10.7283/YW8Z-TK03"}, {"dataset_uid": "200216", "doi": "10.7283/F8NH-CV04", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "UNAVCO", "science_program": null, "title": "Antarctica - PI Continuous - LA07-WIS_LAKES_07 P.S. - GPS/GNSS Observations Dataset", "url": "https://www.unavco.org/data/doi/10.7283/F8NH-CV04"}, {"dataset_uid": "601498", "doi": "10.15784/601498", "keywords": "Antarctica; Mercer Subglacial Lake; Noble Gas", "people": "Lyons, W. Berry; Gardner, Christopher B.", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Mercer Subglacial Lake (SLM) noble gas and isotopic data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601498"}, {"dataset_uid": "200282", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "NCBI GenBank", "science_program": null, "title": "Mercer Subglacial Lake (SLM) microbial composition: 16S rRNA genes (Sequence Read Archive; BioProject: PRJNA790995)", "url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/bioproject/?term=PRJNA790995"}, {"dataset_uid": "601657", "doi": "10.15784/601657", "keywords": "Antarctica; Conductivity; CTD; Depth; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Hot Water Drill; Mercer Subglacial Lake; Physical Properties; SALSA; Subglacial Lake; Temperature", "people": "Priscu, John; Rosenheim, Brad; Leventer, Amy; Dore, John", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "CTD data from Mercer Subglacial Lake and access borehole", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601657"}, {"dataset_uid": "200246", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "OSU-MGR", "science_program": null, "title": "Salsa sediment cores", "url": "https://osu-mgr.org"}, {"dataset_uid": "601360", "doi": "10.15784/601360", "keywords": "Antarctica; Radiocarbon; Sediment; Whillans Ice Stream", "people": "Venturelli, Ryan A", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "WISSARD", "title": "Isotopic data from Whillans Ice Stream grounding zone, West Antarctica", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601360"}, {"dataset_uid": "601672", "doi": "10.15784/601672", "keywords": "Antarctica; Isotope; Mercer Subglacial Lake; Radiocarbon; Subglacial Lake", "people": "Venturelli, Ryan; Rosenheim, Brad", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Mercer Subglacial Lake radiocarbon and stable isotope data ", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601672"}, {"dataset_uid": "200342", "doi": null, "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "GenBank", "science_program": null, "title": "Mercer Subglacial Lake water column viral metagenomic sequencing", "url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/biosample/32811410"}, {"dataset_uid": "200217", "doi": "10.7283/3JMY-Y504", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "UNAVCO", "science_program": null, "title": "Antarctica - PI Continuous - LA09-WIS_LAKES_09 P.S. - GPS/GNSS Observations Dataset", "url": "https://www.unavco.org/data/doi/10.7283/3JMY-Y504"}, {"dataset_uid": "601664", "doi": "10.15784/601664", "keywords": "Antarctica; Gas; Geochemistry; Glacier; Glaciology; Mercer Subglacial Lake; Methane; SALSA; Sediment Core; West Antarctic Ice Sheet", "people": "Michaud, Alexander; Dore, John; Science Team, SALSA; Steigmeyer, August; Tranter, Martyn; Skidmore, Mark", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Sediment porewater properties data from Mercer Subglacial Lake", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601664"}, {"dataset_uid": "601663", "doi": "10.15784/601663", "keywords": "Antarctica; Carbon; Cell Counts; Geochemistry; Glacier; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Mercer Subglacial Lake; Microbes; Nutrients; SALSA; Stable Isotopes; Trace Elements; West Antarctic Ice Sheet", "people": "Steigmeyer, August; Hawkings, Jon; Skidmore, Mark; Dore, John; Science Team, SALSA; Priscu, John; Tranter, Martyn; Barker, Joel; Li, Wei", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Water column biogeochemical data from Mercer Subglacial Lake", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601663"}, {"dataset_uid": "601661", "doi": "10.15784/601661", "keywords": "Antarctica; Carbon; Glacier; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Iron; Mercer Subglacial Lake; Mineralogy; Particle Size; Physical Properties; SALSA; Sediment Core; Sulfur; West Antarctic Ice Sheet", "people": "Campbell, Timothy; Dore, John; Michaud, Alexander; Hawkings, Jon; Skidmore, Mark; Tranter, Martyn; Venturelli, Ryan A; Science Team, SALSA", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Discrete bulk sediment properties data from Mercer Subglacial Lake", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601661"}, {"dataset_uid": "601472", "doi": "10.15784/601472", "keywords": "Antarctica; Bistatic Radar; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; GPS Data; Greenland; Lake Whillans; Radar; Store Glacier; Whillans Ice Stream; WISSARD", "people": "Christoffersen, Poul; Peters, Sean; Bienert, Nicole; Siegfried, Matthew; Schroeder, Dustin; Dawson, Eliza; MacKie, Emma", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "WISSARD", "title": "Bistatic Radar Sounding of Whillans Ice Stream, Antarctica and Store Glacier, Greenland", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601472"}], "date_created": "Thu, 16 Jul 2020 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "The Antarctic subglacial environment remains one of the least explored regions on Earth. This project will examine the physical and biological characteristics of Subglacial Lake Mercer, a lake that lies 1200m beneath the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. This study will address key questions relating to the stability of the ice sheet, the subglacial hydrological system, and the deep-cold subglacial biosphere. The education and outreach component aims to widely disseminate results to the scientific community and to the general public through short films, a blog, and a website. Subglacial Lake Mercer is one of the larger hydrologically active lakes in the southern basin of the Whillans Ice Plain, West Antarctica. It receives about 25 percent of its water from East Antarctica with the remainder originating from West Antarctica, is influenced by drain/fill cycles in a lake immediately upstream (Subglacial Lake Conway), and lies about 100 km upstream of the present grounding line of the Ross Ice Shelf. This site will yield information on the history of the Whillans and Mercer Ice Streams, and on grounding line migration. The integrated study will include direct sampling of basal ice, water, and sediment from the lake in concert with surface geophysical surveys over a three-year period to define the hydrological connectivity among lakes on the Whillans Ice Plain and their flow paths to the sea. The geophysical surveys will furnish information on subglacial hydrology, aid the site selection for hot-water drilling, and provide spatial context for interpreting findings. The hot-water-drilled boreholes will be used to collect basal ice samples, provide access for direct measurement of subglacial physical, chemical, and biological conditions in the water column and sediments, and to explore the subglacial water cavities using a remotely operated vehicle equipped with sensors, cameras, and sampling equipment. Data collected from this study will address the overarching hypothesis \"Contemporary biodiversity and carbon cycling in hydrologically-active subglacial environments associated with the Mercer and Whillans ice streams are regulated by the mineralization and cycling of relict marine organic matter and through interactions among ice, rock, water, and sediments\". The project will be undertaken by a collaborative team of scientists, with expertise in microbiology, biogeochemistry, hydrology, geophysics, glaciology, marine geology, paleoceanography, and science communication.", "east": -149.50134, "geometry": "POINT(-156.55617 -84.4878585)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "SEDIMENTS; Antarctica; ISOTOPES; Subglacial Lake; USAP-DC; VIRUSES; PALEOCLIMATE RECONSTRUCTIONS; BACTERIA/ARCHAEA; LABORATORY; Radiocarbon; Whillans Ice Stream; AMD; SALSA; ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONS; RADIOCARBON; FIELD INVESTIGATION; ICE MOTION; Mercer Ice Stream; Amd/Us; USA/NSF; GLACIERS/ICE SHEETS", "locations": "Antarctica; Mercer Ice Stream; Whillans Ice Stream", "north": -84.33543, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology; Antarctic Integrated System Science; Antarctic Glaciology; Antarctic Integrated System Science; Antarctic Glaciology; Antarctic Glaciology; Antarctic Glaciology; Antarctic Instrumentation and Support; Antarctic Integrated System Science; Antarctic Integrated System Science; Antarctic Integrated System Science; Antarctic Integrated System Science", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Rosenheim, Brad; Fricker, Helen; Priscu, John; Leventer, Amy; Dore, John; Lyons, W. Berry; Christner, Brent", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD INVESTIGATION; OTHER \u003e PHYSICAL MODELS \u003e LABORATORY", "repo": "UNAVCO", "repositories": "GenBank; NCBI GenBank; OSU-MGR; UNAVCO; USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -84.640287, "title": "Collaborative Research: Subglacial Antarctic Lakes Scientific Access (SALSA): Integrated Study of Carbon Cycling in Hydrologically-active Subglacial Environments", "uid": "p0010119", "west": -163.611}, {"awards": "1551195 Burdige, David", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-71 -64,-70.1 -64,-69.2 -64,-68.3 -64,-67.4 -64,-66.5 -64,-65.6 -64,-64.7 -64,-63.8 -64,-62.9 -64,-62 -64,-62 -64.4,-62 -64.8,-62 -65.2,-62 -65.6,-62 -66,-62 -66.4,-62 -66.8,-62 -67.2,-62 -67.6,-62 -68,-62.9 -68,-63.8 -68,-64.7 -68,-65.6 -68,-66.5 -68,-67.4 -68,-68.3 -68,-69.2 -68,-70.1 -68,-71 -68,-71 -67.6,-71 -67.2,-71 -66.8,-71 -66.4,-71 -66,-71 -65.6,-71 -65.2,-71 -64.8,-71 -64.4,-71 -64))", "dataset_titles": "Expedition data of NBP1601; Project: Organic Carbon Oxidation and Iron Remobilization by West Antarctic Shelf Sediments", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "200148", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "BCO-DMO", "science_program": null, "title": "Project: Organic Carbon Oxidation and Iron Remobilization by West Antarctic Shelf Sediments", "url": "https://www.bco-dmo.org/project/806864"}, {"dataset_uid": "002665", "doi": null, "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition data of NBP1601", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP1601"}], "date_created": "Tue, 16 Jun 2020 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "General Statement: The continental shelf region west of the Antarctic Peninsula has recently undergone dramatic changes and ecosystem shifts, and the community of organisms that live in, or feed off, the sea floor sediments is being impacted by species invasions from the north. Previous studies of these sediments indicate that this community may consume much more of the regional productivity than previously estimated, suggesting that sediments are a rich and important component of this ecosystem and one that may be ripe for dramatic change. Furthermore, under richer sediment conditions, iron is mobilized and released back to the water column. Since productivity in this ecosystem is thought to be limited by the availability of iron, increased rates of iron release from these sediments could stimulate productivity and promote greater overall ecosystem change. In this research, a variety of sites across the shelf region will be sampled to accurately evaluate the role of sediments in consuming ecosystem productivity and to estimate the current level of iron release from the sediments. This project will provide a baseline set of sediment results that will present a more complete picture of the west Antarctic shelf ecosystem, will allow for comparison with water column measurements and for evaluation of the fundamental workings of this important ecosystem. This is particularly important since high latitude systems may be vulnerable to the effects of climate fluctuations. Both graduate and undergraduate students will be trained. Presentations will be made at scientific meetings, at other universities, and at outreach events. A project web site will present key results to the public and explain how this new information improves understanding of Antarctic ecosystems. Technical Description of Project: In order to determine the role of sediments within the west Antarctic shelf ecosystem, this project will determine the rates of sediment organic matter oxidation at a variety of sites across the Palmer Long Term Ecosystem Research (LTER) study region. To estimate the rates of release of iron and manganese from the sediments, these same sites will be sampled for detailed vertical distributions of the concentrations of these metals both in the porewaters and in important mineral phases. Since sediment sampling will be done at LTER sites, the sediment data can be correlated with the rich productivity data set from the LTER. In detail, the project: a) will determine the rates of oxygen consumption, organic carbon oxidation, nutrient release, and iron mobilization by shelf sediments west of the Antarctic Peninsula; b) will investigate the vertical distribution of diagenetic reactions within the sediments; and c) will assess the regional importance of these sediment rates. Sediment cores will be used to determine sediment-water fluxes of dissolved oxygen, total carbon dioxide, nutrients, and the vertical distributions of these dissolved compounds, as well as iron and manganese in the pore waters. Bulk sediment properties of porosity, organic carbon and nitrogen content, carbonate content, biogenic silica content, and multiple species of solid-phase iron, manganese, and sulfur species will also be determined. These measurements will allow determination of total organic carbon oxidation and denitrification rates, and the proportion of aerobic versus anaerobic respiration at each site. Sediment diagenetic modeling will link the processes of organic matter oxidation to metal mobilization. Pore water and solid phase iron and manganese distributions will be used to model iron diagenesis in these sediments and to estimate the iron flux from the sediments to the overlying waters. Finally, the overall regional average and distribution of the sediment processes will be compared with the distributions of seasonally averaged chlorophyll biomass and productivity.", "east": -62.0, "geometry": "POINT(-66.5 -66)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES; Iron Remobilization; R/V NBP; NBP1601; SEDIMENT CHEMISTRY; USAP-DC; West Antarctic Shelf", "locations": "West Antarctic Shelf", "north": -64.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Burdige, David; Christensen, John", "platforms": "WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V NBP", "repo": "BCO-DMO", "repositories": "BCO-DMO; R2R", "science_programs": null, "south": -68.0, "title": "Organic carbon oxidation and iron remobilization by West Antarctic shelf sediments ", "uid": "p0010108", "west": -71.0}, {"awards": "1744570 Galloway, Aaron; 1744550 Amsler, Charles; 1744584 Klein, Andrew; 1744602 Iken, Katrin", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-70 -61,-69 -61,-68 -61,-67 -61,-66 -61,-65 -61,-64 -61,-63 -61,-62 -61,-61 -61,-60 -61,-60 -61.772,-60 -62.544,-60 -63.316,-60 -64.088,-60 -64.86,-60 -65.632,-60 -66.404,-60 -67.176,-60 -67.948,-60 -68.72,-61 -68.72,-62 -68.72,-63 -68.72,-64 -68.72,-65 -68.72,-66 -68.72,-67 -68.72,-68 -68.72,-69 -68.72,-70 -68.72,-70 -67.948,-70 -67.176,-70 -66.404,-70 -65.632,-70 -64.86,-70 -64.088,-70 -63.316,-70 -62.544,-70 -61.772,-70 -61))", "dataset_titles": "Average global horizontal solar irradiance at study sites; Carbon and nitrogen isotope data along a gradient at the Antarctic Peninsula; Chemical composition data for Desmarestia menziesii; Chemical composition data for Himantothallus grandifolius; Chemical composition data for Iridaea ; Chemical composition data for Sarcopeltis antarctica ; Computed fetch for project study sites; Five year mean annual and summer sea ice concentration grids for the Western Antarctic Peninsula from AMSR2, National Ice Center Charts and the Sea Ice Index ; Gridded sea ice concentrations from National Ice Center (NIC) Charts 2014-2019 for Western Antarctic Peninsula ; Initial release of code and data associated with Whippo et al. (2024) Fatty acid profiles and stable isotope composition of Antarctic macroalgae: A baseline for a combined biomarker approach in food web studies.; Landsat Sea Ice/Cloud classifications surrounding project study sites; Latitude and longitude data for project study sites; LMG1904 expedition data; Macroalgal species collected along horizontal transect components ; Modelled Solar Irradiance for Western Antarctic Pennisula; Sea Ice Concentration Timeseries for study sites; Underwater transect videos used for community analyses; Underwater video transect community analysis data; VIIRS KD(490) diffuse attenuation coefficients for study sites", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601610", "doi": "10.15784/601610", "keywords": "Antarctica; Antarctic Peninsula; Benthic Communities; Biota; Macroalgae; Macroinvertebrates; Oceans; Video Transects", "people": "Amsler, Charles", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Underwater transect videos used for community analyses", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601610"}, {"dataset_uid": "200402", "doi": "10.5281/zenodo.10524919", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "Zendo", "science_program": null, "title": "Initial release of code and data associated with Whippo et al. (2024) Fatty acid profiles and stable isotope composition of Antarctic macroalgae: A baseline for a combined biomarker approach in food web studies.", "url": "https://zenodo.org/records/10524920"}, {"dataset_uid": "200147", "doi": "10.7284/908260", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "LMG1904 expedition data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/LMG1904"}, {"dataset_uid": "601330", "doi": "10.15784/601330", "keywords": "Antarctica; Antarctic Peninsula; Biota; LMG1904; R/v Laurence M. Gould; Sample Location", "people": "Amsler, Charles", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Latitude and longitude data for project study sites", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601330"}, {"dataset_uid": "601619", "doi": "10.15784/601619", "keywords": "Antarctica; Antarctic Peninsula; Benthic Communities; Biota; Macroalgae; Macroinvertebrates; Oceans; Video Transects", "people": "Amsler, Charles", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Underwater video transect community analysis data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601619"}, {"dataset_uid": "601639", "doi": "10.15784/601639", "keywords": "Antarctica; Antarctic Peninsula; Biota; Fetch; LMG1904; R/v Laurence M. Gould", "people": "Klein, Andrew", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Computed fetch for project study sites", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601639"}, {"dataset_uid": "601640", "doi": "10.15784/601640", "keywords": "Antarctica; Biota; Diffuse Attenuation Coefficient; LMG1904; R/v Laurence M. Gould; Turbidity", "people": "Klein, Andrew", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "VIIRS KD(490) diffuse attenuation coefficients for study sites", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601640"}, {"dataset_uid": "601641", "doi": "10.15784/601641", "keywords": "Antarctica; Average Global Horizontal Solar Irradiance; Biota; LMG1904; R/v Laurence M. Gould", "people": "Klein, Andrew", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Average global horizontal solar irradiance at study sites", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601641"}, {"dataset_uid": "601642", "doi": "10.15784/601642", "keywords": "Antarctica; Antarctic Peninsula; Biota; LMG1904; R/v Laurence M. Gould; Sea Ice Concentration", "people": "Klein, Andrew", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Sea Ice Concentration Timeseries for study sites", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601642"}, {"dataset_uid": "601643", "doi": "10.15784/601643", "keywords": "Antarctica; Antarctic Peninsula; LMG1904; National Ice Center Charts; R/v Laurence M. Gould; Sea Ice Concentration", "people": "Klein, Andrew", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Gridded sea ice concentrations from National Ice Center (NIC) Charts 2014-2019 for Western Antarctic Peninsula ", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601643"}, {"dataset_uid": "601649", "doi": "10.15784/601649", "keywords": "Antarctica; Antarctic Peninsula; LMG1904; National Ice Center Charts; Sea Ice Concentration", "people": "Klein, Andrew", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Five year mean annual and summer sea ice concentration grids for the Western Antarctic Peninsula from AMSR2, National Ice Center Charts and the Sea Ice Index ", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601649"}, {"dataset_uid": "601651", "doi": "10.15784/601651", "keywords": "Antarctica; Antarctic Peninsula; Biota; GIS; GIS Data; LMG1904; R/v Laurence M. Gould; Solar Radiation", "people": "Klein, Andrew", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Modelled Solar Irradiance for Western Antarctic Pennisula", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601651"}, {"dataset_uid": "601653", "doi": "10.15784/601653", "keywords": "Antarctica; Antarctic Peninsula; Biota; Carbon; Carbon Isotopes; LMG1904; Nitrogen Isotopes; Oceans", "people": "Iken, Katrin", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Carbon and nitrogen isotope data along a gradient at the Antarctic Peninsula", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601653"}, {"dataset_uid": "601654", "doi": "10.15784/601654", "keywords": "Antarctica; Antarctic Peninsula; GIS; LANDSAT; LMG1904; Remote Sensing; R/v Laurence M. Gould", "people": "Klein, Andrew", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Landsat Sea Ice/Cloud classifications surrounding project study sites", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601654"}, {"dataset_uid": "601725", "doi": "10.15784/601725", "keywords": "Antarctica; Antarctic Peninsula", "people": "Amsler, Charles", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Macroalgal species collected along horizontal transect components ", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601725"}, {"dataset_uid": "601882", "doi": "10.15784/601882", "keywords": "Antarctica; Antarctic Peninsula; Cryosphere; Macroalgae", "people": "Amsler, Charles", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Chemical composition data for Desmarestia menziesii", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601882"}, {"dataset_uid": "601883", "doi": "10.15784/601883", "keywords": "Antarctica; Antarctic Peninsula; Cryosphere; Macroalgae", "people": "Amsler, Charles", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Chemical composition data for Himantothallus grandifolius", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601883"}, {"dataset_uid": "601884", "doi": "10.15784/601884", "keywords": "Antarctica; Antarctic Peninsula; Cryosphere; Macroalgae", "people": "Amsler, Charles", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Chemical composition data for Iridaea ", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601884"}, {"dataset_uid": "601885", "doi": "10.15784/601885", "keywords": "Antarctica; Antarctic Peninsula; Cryosphere; Macroalgae", "people": "Amsler, Charles", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Chemical composition data for Sarcopeltis antarctica ", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601885"}], "date_created": "Thu, 04 Jun 2020 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "The western Antarctic Peninsula has become a model for understanding cold water communities and how they may be changing in Antarctica and elsewhere. Brown macroalgae (seaweeds) form extensive undersea forests in the northern portion of this region where they play a key role in providing both physical structure and a food (carbon) source for shallow water communities. Yet between Anvers Island (64 degrees S latitude) and Adelaide Island (67 S latitude) these macroalgae become markedly less abundant and diverse. This is probably because the habitat to the south is covered by more sea ice for a longer period, and the sea ice reduces the amount of light that reaches the algae. The reduced macroalgal cover undoubtedly impacts other organisms in the food web, but the ways in which it alters sea-floor community processes and organization is unknown. This project will quantitatively document the macroalgal communities at multiple sites between Anvers and Adelaide Islands using a combination of SCUBA diving, video surveys, and algal collections. Sea ice cover, light levels, and other environmental parameters on community structure will be modelled to determine which factors have the largest influence. Impacts on community structure, food webs, and carbon flow will be assessed through a mixture of SCUBA diving and video surveys. Broader impacts include the training of graduate students and a postdoctoral researcher, as well as numerous informal public education activities including lectures, presentations to K-12 groups, and a variety of social media-based outreach. Macroalgal communities are more abundance and diverse to the north along the Western Antarctic Peninsula, perhaps due to the greater light availability that is associated with shorter period of sea-ice cover. This project will determine the causes and community level consequence of this variation in algal community structure. First, satellite data on sea ice extent and water turbidity will be used to select study sites between 64 S and 69 S where the extent of annual sea ice cover is the primary factor influencing subsurface light levels. Then, variations in macroalgal cover across these study sites will be determined by video line-transect surveys conducted by SCUBA divers. The health, growth, and physiological status of species found at the different sites will be determined by quadrat sampling. The relative importance of macroalgal-derived carbon to the common invertebrate consumers in the foodweb will be assessed with stable isotope and fatty acid biomarker techniques. This will reveal how variation in macroalgal abundance and species composition across the sea ice cover gradient impacts sea floor community composition and carbon flow throughout the food web. In combination, this work will facilitate predictions of how the ongoing reductions in extent and duration of sea ice cover that is occurring in the region as a result of global climate change will impact the structure of nearshore benthic communities. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": -60.0, "geometry": "POINT(-65 -64.86)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "COASTAL; R/V LMG; MACROALGAE (SEAWEEDS); BENTHIC; USAP-DC; Antarctic Peninsula", "locations": "Antarctic Peninsula", "north": -61.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems; Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems; Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems; Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Amsler, Charles; McClintock, James; Iken, Katrin; Galloway, Aaron; Klein, Andrew", "platforms": "WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V LMG", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "R2R; USAP-DC; Zendo", "science_programs": null, "south": -68.72, "title": "Collaborative Research: Sea ice as a driver of Antarctic benthic macroalgal community composition and nearshore trophic connectivity", "uid": "p0010104", "west": -70.0}, {"awards": "1743643 Passchier, Sandra", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": "Major and trace element analyses of Eocene-Oligocene marine sediments from ODP Site 696, South Orkney Microcontinent; Particle-size distributions of Eocene-Oligocene sediment from ODP Site 696, South Orkney Microcontinent", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601582", "doi": "10.15784/601582", "keywords": "Antarctica; Glaciation; IODP 650; IODP 696; Paleoceanography; Provenance; Sediment Core Data; Weathering; Weddell Sea", "people": "Passchier, Sandra; Lepp, Allison; States, Abbey; Li, Xiaona; Hojnacki, Victoria", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Major and trace element analyses of Eocene-Oligocene marine sediments from ODP Site 696, South Orkney Microcontinent", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601582"}, {"dataset_uid": "601581", "doi": "10.15784/601581", "keywords": "Antarctica; Glaciation; IODP 696; Marine Geoscience; Marine Sediments; Paleoceanography; Sediment Core Data; Weddell Sea", "people": "Horowitz Castaldo, Josie; Passchier, Sandra; Lepp, Allison; Light, Jennifer", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Particle-size distributions of Eocene-Oligocene sediment from ODP Site 696, South Orkney Microcontinent", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601581"}], "date_created": "Tue, 26 May 2020 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Abstract (non-technical) Sea level rise is a problem of global importance and it is increasingly affecting the tens of millions of Americans living along coastlines. The melting of glaciers in mountain areas worldwide in response to global warming is a major cause of sea level rise and increases in nuisance coastal flooding. However, the world\u0027s largest land-based ice sheets are situated in the Polar Regions and their response under continued warming is very difficult to predict. One reason for this uncertainty is a lack of observations of ice behavior and melt under conditions of warming, as it is a relatively new global climate state lasting only a few generations so far. Researchers will investigate ice growth on Antarctica under past warm conditions using geological archives embedded in the layers of sand and mud under the sea floor near Antarctica. By peeling back at the layers beneath the seafloor investigators can read the history book of past events affecting the ice sheet. The Antarctic continent on the South Pole, carries the largest ice mass in the world. The investigator\u0027s findings will substantially improve scientists understanding of the response of ice sheets to global warming and its effect on sea level rise. Abstract (technical) The melt of land based ice is raising global sea levels with at present only minor contributions from polar ice sheets. However, the future role of polar ice sheets in climate change is one of the most critical uncertainties in predictions of sea level rise around the globe. The respective roles of oceanic and atmospheric greenhouse forcing on ice sheets are poorly addressed with recent measurements of polar climatology, because of the extreme rise in greenhouse forcing the earth is experiencing at this time. Data on the evolution of the West Antarctic ice sheet is particularly sparse. To address the data gap, researchers will reconstruct the timing and spatial distribution of Antarctic ice growth through the last greenhouse to icehouse climate transition around 37 to 33 Ma. They will collect sedimentological and geochemical data on core samples from a high-latitude paleoarchive to trace the shutdown of the chemical weathering system, the onset of glacial erosion, ice rafting, and sea ice development, as East and West Antarctic ice sheets coalesced in the Weddell Sea sector. Their findings will lead to profound increases in the understanding of the role of greenhouse forcing in ice sheet development and its effect on the global climate system. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Amd/Us; AMD; SEDIMENTS; LABORATORY; USA/NSF; USAP-DC; Weddell Sea", "locations": "Weddell Sea", "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Passchier, Sandra", "platforms": "OTHER \u003e PHYSICAL MODELS \u003e LABORATORY", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Timing and Spatial Distribution of Antarctic Ice Sheet Growth and Sea-ice Formation across the Eocene-Oligocene Transition", "uid": "p0010101", "west": null}, {"awards": "1341432 Brzezinski, Mark; 1341464 Robinson, Rebecca", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-175 -54,-174 -54,-173 -54,-172 -54,-171 -54,-170 -54,-169 -54,-168 -54,-167 -54,-166 -54,-165 -54,-165 -55.3,-165 -56.6,-165 -57.9,-165 -59.2,-165 -60.5,-165 -61.8,-165 -63.1,-165 -64.4,-165 -65.7,-165 -67,-166 -67,-167 -67,-168 -67,-169 -67,-170 -67,-171 -67,-172 -67,-173 -67,-174 -67,-175 -67,-175 -65.7,-175 -64.4,-175 -63.1,-175 -61.8,-175 -60.5,-175 -59.2,-175 -57.9,-175 -56.6,-175 -55.3,-175 -54))", "dataset_titles": "Diatom assemblage counts from NBP17-02 shipboard carboy experiments; Dissolved nutrient profiles from along 170\u00b0W between 67 and 54\u00b0S; Expedition Data of NBP1702; Particle composition measurements from along 170\u00b0W between 67-54\u00b0S; Particulate silicon and nitrogen concentrations and isotopic composition measurements in McLane pump profiles from 67\u00b0S to 55\u00b0S latitude in the Pacific Sector of the Southern Ocean; Silicon concentration and isotopic composition measurements in pore waters and sediments from 67\u00b0S to 55\u00b0S latitude in the Pacific Sector of the Southern Ocean; Surface Southern Ocean community growouts to evaluate the diatom bound N isotope proxy", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601522", "doi": "10.15784/601522", "keywords": "Antarctica; Nitrogen Isotopes; Oceans; Paleoproxies; Southern Ocean", "people": "Robinson, Rebecca; Jones, Colin; Brzezinski, Mark; Riesselman, Christina; Kelly, Roger; Closset, Ivia; Robinson, Rebecca ", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Surface Southern Ocean community growouts to evaluate the diatom bound N isotope proxy", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601522"}, {"dataset_uid": "200126", "doi": "10.7284/907211", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data of NBP1702", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP1702"}, {"dataset_uid": "601523", "doi": "10.15784/601523", "keywords": "Antarctica; Biota; Carboy Growouts; Diatom; Diatom Assemblage Data; NBP1702; Oceans; R/v Nathaniel B. Palmer; Southern Ocean; Southern Ocean Summer", "people": "Robinson, Rebecca; Riesselman, Christina; Robinson, Rebecca ; Jones, Colin", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Diatom assemblage counts from NBP17-02 shipboard carboy experiments", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601523"}, {"dataset_uid": "601269", "doi": "10.15784/601269", "keywords": "Antarctica; Chlorophyll; Southern Ocean", "people": "Brzezinski, Mark; Robinson, Rebecca", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Dissolved nutrient profiles from along 170\u00b0W between 67 and 54\u00b0S", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601269"}, {"dataset_uid": "601276", "doi": "10.15784/601276", "keywords": "Antarctica; Biogenic Silica; Nitrogen Isotopes; Southern Ocean", "people": "Robinson, Rebecca; Brzezinski, Mark", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Particle composition measurements from along 170\u00b0W between 67-54\u00b0S", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601276"}, {"dataset_uid": "601562", "doi": "10.15784/601562", "keywords": "Antarctica; Biogenic Silica; Chemistry:sediment; Chemistry:Sediment; Lithogenic Silica; Marine Geoscience; NBP1702; Pore Water Biogeochemistry; Sediment; Silicon Cycle; Silicon Stable Isotope; Southern Ocean", "people": "Jones, Janice L.; Brzezinski, Mark; Closset, Ivia", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Silicon concentration and isotopic composition measurements in pore waters and sediments from 67\u00b0S to 55\u00b0S latitude in the Pacific Sector of the Southern Ocean", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601562"}, {"dataset_uid": "601576", "doi": "10.15784/601576", "keywords": "Antarctica; Biogenic Silica; Chemistry:sediment; Chemistry:Sediment; Diatom; Diatom Bound; Lithogenic Silica; Marine Geoscience; NBP1702; Nitrogen Isotopes; Silicon Cycle; Silicon Stable Isotope; Southern Ocean", "people": "Robinson, Rebecca; Jones, Janice L.; Closset, Ivia; Brzezinski, Mark", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": " Particulate silicon and nitrogen concentrations and isotopic composition measurements in McLane pump profiles from 67\u00b0S to 55\u00b0S latitude in the Pacific Sector of the Southern Ocean", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601576"}], "date_created": "Wed, 26 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Collaborative Proposal: A field and laboratory examination of the diatom N and Si isotope proxies: Implications for assessing the Southern Ocean biological pump The rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations and associated climate changes make understanding the role of the ocean in large scale carbon cycle a priority. Geologic samples allow exploration of potential mechanisms for carbon dioxide drawdown during glacial periods through the use of geochemical proxies. Nitrogen and silicon isotope signatures from fossil diatoms (microscopic plants) are used to investigate changes in the physical supply and biological demand for nutrients (like nitrogen and silicon and carbon) in the Southern Ocean. The project will evaluate the use the nitrogen and silicon isotope proxies through a series of laboratory experiments and Southern Ocean field sampling. The results will provide quantification of real relationships between nitrogen and silicon isotopes and nutrient usage in the Southern Ocean and allow exploration of the role of other factors, including biological diversity, ice cover, and mixing, in altering the chemical signatures recorded by diatoms. Seafloor sediment samples will be used to evaluate how well the signal created in the water column is recorded by fossil diatoms buried in the seafloor. Improving the nutrient isotope proxies will allow for a more quantitative understanding of the role of polar biology in regulating natural variation in atmospheric carbon dioxide. The project will also result in the training of a graduate student and development of outreach materials targeting a broad popular audience. This project seeks to test the fidelity of the diatom nitrogen and silicon isotope proxies, two commonly used paleoceanographic tools for investigating the role of the Southern Ocean biological pump in regulating atmospheric CO2 concentrations on glacial-interglacial timescales. Existing ground-truthing data, including culture experiments, surface sediment data and downcore reconstructions, all suggest that nutrient utilization is the primary driver of isotopic variation in the Southern Ocean. However, strong contribution of interspecific variation is implied by recent culture results. Moreover, field and laboratory studies present some contradictory results in terms of the relative importance of interspecific variation and of inferred post-depositional alteration of the nutrient isotope signals. Here, a first order test of the N and Si diatom nutrient isotope paleo-proxies, involving water column dissolved and particulate sampling and laboratory culturing of field-isolates, is proposed. Southern Ocean water, biomass, live diatoms and fossil diatom sampling will be conducted to investigate species and assemblage related variability in diatom nitrogen and silicon isotopes and their relationship to surface nutrient fields and early diagenesis. Access to fresh materials produced in an analogous environmental context to the sediments of primary interest is critical for making robust paleoceanographic reconstructions. Field sampling will occur along 175\u00b0W, transecting the Antarctic Circumpolar Current from the subtropics to the marginal ice edge. Collection of water, sinking/suspended particles and multi-core samples from 13 stations and 3 shipboard incubation experiments will be used to test four proposed hypotheses that together evaluate the significance of existing culture results and seek to allow the best use of diatom nutrient isotope proxies in evaluating the biological pump.", "east": -165.0, "geometry": "POINT(-170 -60.5)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Southern Ocean; AMD; NITROGEN ISOTOPES; R/V NBP; NSF/USA; NUTRIENTS; USAP-DC; Amd/Us", "locations": "Southern Ocean", "north": -54.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Robinson, Rebecca; Brzezinski, Mark", "platforms": "WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V NBP", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "R2R; USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -67.0, "title": "Collaborative Proposal: A Field and Laboratory Examination of the Diatom N and Si Isotope Proxies: Implications for Assessing the Southern Ocean Biological Pump", "uid": "p0010083", "west": -175.0}, {"awards": "1544526 Omelon, Christopher", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((160 -76.5,160.37 -76.5,160.74 -76.5,161.11 -76.5,161.48 -76.5,161.85 -76.5,162.22 -76.5,162.59 -76.5,162.96 -76.5,163.33 -76.5,163.7 -76.5,163.7 -76.63,163.7 -76.76,163.7 -76.89,163.7 -77.02,163.7 -77.15,163.7 -77.28,163.7 -77.41,163.7 -77.54,163.7 -77.67,163.7 -77.8,163.33 -77.8,162.96 -77.8,162.59 -77.8,162.22 -77.8,161.85 -77.8,161.48 -77.8,161.11 -77.8,160.74 -77.8,160.37 -77.8,160 -77.8,160 -77.67,160 -77.54,160 -77.41,160 -77.28,160 -77.15,160 -77.02,160 -76.89,160 -76.76,160 -76.63,160 -76.5))", "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Thu, 09 May 2019 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Cryptoendoliths are organisms that colonize microscopic cavities of rocks, which give them protection and allow them to inhabit extreme environments, such as the cold, arid desert of the Dry Valleys of Antarctica. Fossilized cryptoendoliths preserve the forms and features of organisms from the past and thus provide a unique opportunity to study the organisms? life histories and environments. To study this fossil record, there needs to be a better understanding of what environmental conditions allow these fossils to form. A climate gradient currently exists in the Dry Valleys that allows us to study living, dead, and fossilized cryptoendoliths from mild to increasingly harsh environments; providing insight to the limits of life and how these fossils are formed. This project will develop instruments to detect the biological activity of the live microorganisms and conduct laboratory experiments to determine the environmental limits of their survival. The project also will characterize the chemical and structural features of the living, dead, and fossilized cryptoendoliths to understand how they become fossilized. Knowing how microorganisms are preserved as fossils in cold and dry environments like Antarctica can help to refine methods that can be used to search for and identify evidence for extraterrestrial life in similar habitats on planets such as Mars. This project includes training of graduate and undergraduate students. Little is known about cryptoendolithic microfossils and their formation processes in cold, arid terrestrial habitats of the Dry Valleys of Antarctica, where a legacy of activity is discernible in the form of biosignatures including inorganic materials and microbial fossils that preserve and indicate traces of past biological activity. The overarching goals of the proposed work are: (1) to determine how rates of microbial respiration and biodegradation of organic matter control microbial fossilization; and (2) to characterize microbial fossils and their living counterparts to elucidate mechanisms for fossilization. Using samples collected across an increasingly harsher (more cold and dry) climatic gradient that encompasses living, dead, and fossilized cryptoendolithic microorganisms, the proposed work will: (1) develop an instrument to be used in the field that can measure small concentrations of CO2 in cryptoendolithic habitats in situ; (2) conduct incubation experiments to target variations in microbial activity in samples containing living, dead, and fossilized microorganisms as well as limits to microbial activity by measuring CO2 evolution and delta13C signatures; and (3) use a suite of microscopy techniques (CLSM, cryo-SEM, FIB-SEM, \u00b5-XFM) to correlate laboratory experimental evidence for microbial viability and activity and to identify the chemical and morphological characteristics of biosignatures and microbial fossils. A metagenomic survey of microbial communities in these samples will be used to characterize differences in diversity, identify if specific microorganisms (e.g. prokaryotes, eukaryotes) are more capable of surviving under these harsh climatic conditions, and to corroborate microscopic observations of the viability states of these microorganisms.", "east": 163.7, "geometry": "POINT(161.85 -77.15)", "instruments": "NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "USAP-DC; Antarctica; NOT APPLICABLE; TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS", "locations": "Antarctica", "north": -76.5, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Omelon, Christopher; Breecker, Daniel; Bennett, Philip", "platforms": "OTHER \u003e NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE", "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": -77.8, "title": "Activity, Preservation and Fossilization of Cryptoendolithic Microorganisms in Antarctica", "uid": "p0010028", "west": 160.0}, {"awards": "1341669 DeMaster, David", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-70 -62,-68.8 -62,-67.6 -62,-66.4 -62,-65.2 -62,-64 -62,-62.8 -62,-61.6 -62,-60.4 -62,-59.2 -62,-58 -62,-58 -62.6,-58 -63.2,-58 -63.8,-58 -64.4,-58 -65,-58 -65.6,-58 -66.2,-58 -66.8,-58 -67.4,-58 -68,-59.2 -68,-60.4 -68,-61.6 -68,-62.8 -68,-64 -68,-65.2 -68,-66.4 -68,-67.6 -68,-68.8 -68,-70 -68,-70 -67.4,-70 -66.8,-70 -66.2,-70 -65.6,-70 -65,-70 -64.4,-70 -63.8,-70 -63.2,-70 -62.6,-70 -62))", "dataset_titles": "DeMaster Compiled Larsen Ice Shelf and the West Antarctic Peninsula C14 Data; Expedition Data of NBP1203; Labile Organic Carbon distributions on the West Antarctic Peninsula Shelf; Radioisotope data (C-14 and Pb-210) from bulk sediments, Larsen A Ice Shelf; Species Abundance Data from the Larsen Ice Shelf Ice acquired during R/V Nathaniel B. Palmer expedition NBP1203", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601336", "doi": "10.15784/601336", "keywords": "Antarctica; Carbon-14; Larsen Ice Shelf; Lead-210; Marine Sediments; Radioisotope Analysis", "people": "Taylor, Richard; DeMaster, David", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "LARISSA", "title": "Radioisotope data (C-14 and Pb-210) from bulk sediments, Larsen A Ice Shelf", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601336"}, {"dataset_uid": "601319", "doi": "10.15784/601319", "keywords": "Antarctica; Antarctic Peninsula; Biota; Bioturbation Coefficients; Diagenesis; Labile Organic Carbon; LOC Mean Residence Times; Marguerite Bay; Oceans; Organic Carbon Degradation Rates; Sediment Core", "people": "Taylor, Richard; DeMaster, David; Thomas, Carrie; Smith, Craig; Isla, Enrique", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Labile Organic Carbon distributions on the West Antarctic Peninsula Shelf", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601319"}, {"dataset_uid": "001438", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data of NBP1203", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP1203"}, {"dataset_uid": "601082", "doi": "10.15784/601082", "keywords": null, "people": "DeMaster, David", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "LARISSA", "title": "DeMaster Compiled Larsen Ice Shelf and the West Antarctic Peninsula C14 Data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601082"}, {"dataset_uid": "601304", "doi": null, "keywords": "Antarctica; Antarctic Peninsula; Biota; Box Corer; LARISSA; Larsen Ice Shelf; Macrofauna; Megafauna; NBP1203; Oceans; R/v Nathaniel B. Palmer; Seafloor Sampling; Species Abundance", "people": "Smith, Craig", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "LARISSA", "title": "Species Abundance Data from the Larsen Ice Shelf Ice acquired during R/V Nathaniel B. Palmer expedition NBP1203", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601304"}], "date_created": "Sat, 03 Feb 2018 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Intellectual Merit: The PI requests support to analyze sediments from multi-cores and mega-cores previously collected from beneath the former Larsen B and Larsen A ice shelves. These unique cores will allow the PI to develop a time-integrated understanding of the benthic response to ice shelf collapse off the East Antarctic Peninsula over time periods as short as 5 years following ice shelf collapse up to \u003e170 years after collapse. High latitudes are responding to climate change more rapidly than the rest of the planet and the disappearance of ice shelves are a key manifestation of climate warming. The PI will investigate the newly created benthic environments and associated ecosystems that have resulted from the re-initiation of fresh planktonic material to the sediment-water interface. This proposal will use a new geochemical technique, based on naturally occurring 14C that can be used to assess the distribution and inventory of recently produced organic carbon accumulating in the sediments beneath the former Larsen A and B ice shelves. The PI will couple 14C measurements with 210Pb analyses to assess turnover times for sedimentary labile organic matter. By comparing the distributions and inventories of labile organic matter as well as the bioturbation intensities among different locations as a function of time following ice shelf collapse/retreat, the nature and timing of the benthic response to ice shelf collapse can be assessed. Broader impacts: This study will provide important information characterizing changes occurring on the seafloor after the collapse of ice shelves. This research will support the research project of a graduate student. This project brings together researchers from both the European community and the LARISSA Project.", "east": -58.0, "geometry": "POINT(-64 -65)", "instruments": "NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Pb-210; C-14; NBP1203; Radioisotop; USAP-DC; R/V NBP; Species Abundance; Labile Organic Carbon; LABORATORY", "locations": null, "north": -62.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Instrumentation and Support", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "DeMaster, David; Smith, Craig", "platforms": "OTHER \u003e PHYSICAL MODELS \u003e LABORATORY; WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V NBP", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "R2R; USAP-DC", "science_programs": "LARISSA", "south": -68.0, "title": "Using Radiochemical Data from Collapsed Ice Shelf Sediments to Understand the Nature and Timing of the Benthic Response to High-Latitude Climate Change", "uid": "p0000382", "west": -70.0}, {"awards": "1103428 Thurber, Andrew", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((165 -77,165.5 -77,166 -77,166.5 -77,167 -77,167.5 -77,168 -77,168.5 -77,169 -77,169.5 -77,170 -77,170 -77.1,170 -77.2,170 -77.3,170 -77.4,170 -77.5,170 -77.6,170 -77.7,170 -77.8,170 -77.9,170 -78,169.5 -78,169 -78,168.5 -78,168 -78,167.5 -78,167 -78,166.5 -78,166 -78,165.5 -78,165 -78,165 -77.9,165 -77.8,165 -77.7,165 -77.6,165 -77.5,165 -77.4,165 -77.3,165 -77.2,165 -77.1,165 -77))", "dataset_titles": "McMurdo Spiophanes beds 16s V4 region community composition from sediment cores at McMurdo Station, Antarctia on Sept 9th, 2012 (McMurdo Benthos project); Stable isotopic composition of McMurdo Benthos", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "000201", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "BCO-DMO", "science_program": null, "title": "Stable isotopic composition of McMurdo Benthos", "url": "https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/716462"}, {"dataset_uid": "000202", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "BCO-DMO", "science_program": null, "title": "McMurdo Spiophanes beds 16s V4 region community composition from sediment cores at McMurdo Station, Antarctia on Sept 9th, 2012 (McMurdo Benthos project)", "url": "https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/716443"}], "date_created": "Tue, 10 Oct 2017 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "The biota of the world\u0027s seafloor is fueled by bursts of seasonal primary production. For food-limited sediment communities to persist, a balance must exist between metazoan consumption of and competition with bacteria, a balance which likely changes through the seasons. Polar marine ecosystems are ideal places to study such complex interactions due to stark seasonal shifts between heterotrophic and autotrophic communities, and temperatures that may limit microbial processing of organic matter. The research will test the following hypotheses: 1) heterotrophic bacteria compete with macrofauna for food; 2) as phytoplankton populations decline macrofauna increasingly consume microbial biomass to sustain their populations; and 3) in the absence of seasonal photosynthetic inputs, macrofaunal biodiversity will decrease unless supplied with microbially derived nutrition. Observational and empirical studies will test these hypotheses at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, where a high-abundance macro-infaunal community is adapted to this boom-and-bust cycle of productivity. The investigator will mentor undergraduates from a predominantly minority-serving institution, in the fields of invertebrate taxonomy and biogeochemistry. The general public and young scientists will be engaged through lectures at local K-12 venues and launch of an interactive website. The results will better inform scientists and managers about the effects of climate change on polar ecosystems and the mechanisms of changing productivity patterns on global biodiversity.", "east": 170.0, "geometry": "POINT(167.5 -77.5)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": -77.0, "nsf_funding_programs": null, "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Thurber, Andrew", "platforms": "Not provided", "repo": "BCO-DMO", "repositories": "BCO-DMO", "science_programs": null, "south": -78.0, "title": "PostDoctoral Research Fellowship", "uid": "p0000416", "west": 165.0}, {"awards": "1141993 Rich, Jeremy", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-60 -70,-59.3 -70,-58.6 -70,-57.9 -70,-57.2 -70,-56.5 -70,-55.8 -70,-55.1 -70,-54.4 -70,-53.7 -70,-53 -70,-53 -70.9,-53 -71.8,-53 -72.7,-53 -73.6,-53 -74.5,-53 -75.4,-53 -76.3,-53 -77.2,-53 -78.1,-53 -79,-53.7 -79,-54.4 -79,-55.1 -79,-55.8 -79,-56.5 -79,-57.2 -79,-57.9 -79,-58.6 -79,-59.3 -79,-60 -79,-60 -78.1,-60 -77.2,-60 -76.3,-60 -75.4,-60 -74.5,-60 -73.6,-60 -72.7,-60 -71.8,-60 -70.9,-60 -70))", "dataset_titles": "Seasonal Succession of Bacterial Communities in Coastal Waters of the Western Antarctic Peninsula", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601032", "doi": "10.15784/601032", "keywords": "Antarctica; Antarctic Peninsula; Bacteria; Biota; Genetic; Geochemistry; Palmer Station; Sample/collection Description; Sample/Collection Description; Sea Water; Southern Ocean", "people": "Rich, Jeremy", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Seasonal Succession of Bacterial Communities in Coastal Waters of the Western Antarctic Peninsula", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601032"}], "date_created": "Thu, 15 Jun 2017 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "The Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) has experienced unprecedented warming and shifts in sea ice cover over the past fifty years. How these changes impact marine microbial communities, and subsequently how these shifts in the biota may affect the carbon cycle in surface waters is unknown. This work will examine how these ecosystem-level changes affect microbial community structure and function. This research will use modern metagenomic and transcriptomic approaches to test the hypothesis that the introduction of organic matter from spring phytoplankton blooms drives turnover in microbial communities. This research will characterize patterns in bacterial and archaeal succession during the transition from the austral winter at two long-term monitoring sites: Palmer Station in the north and Rothera Station in the south. This project will also include microcosm incubations to directly assess the effects of additions of organic carbon and melted sea ice on microbial community structure and function. The results of this work will provide a broader understanding of the roles of both rare and abundant microorganisms in carbon cycling within the WAP region, and how these communities may shift in structure and function in response to climate change. Results will be widely disseminated through publications as well as through presentations at national and international meetings. The research will provide training opportunities for both graduate and undergraduate students and will enhance international collaborations with the British Antarctic Survey.", "east": -53.0, "geometry": "POINT(-56.5 -74.5)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": -70.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Rich, Jeremy", "platforms": "Not provided", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -79.0, "title": "Collaborative Research: Microbial Community Assembly in Coastal Waters of the Western Antarctic Peninsula", "uid": "p0000409", "west": -60.0}, {"awards": "1141978 Foreman, Christine", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((160 -76,160.1 -76,160.2 -76,160.3 -76,160.4 -76,160.5 -76,160.6 -76,160.7 -76,160.8 -76,160.9 -76,161 -76,161 -76.1,161 -76.2,161 -76.3,161 -76.4,161 -76.5,161 -76.6,161 -76.7,161 -76.8,161 -76.9,161 -77,160.9 -77,160.8 -77,160.7 -77,160.6 -77,160.5 -77,160.4 -77,160.3 -77,160.2 -77,160.1 -77,160 -77,160 -76.9,160 -76.8,160 -76.7,160 -76.6,160 -76.5,160 -76.4,160 -76.3,160 -76.2,160 -76.1,160 -76))", "dataset_titles": "FT-ICR MS Metadata; Respiration Metadata; UPLC-Q-TOF data of Cotton Glacier exometabolites", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601089", "doi": "10.15784/601089", "keywords": "Antarctica; Biota; Exometabolites; Mass Spectrometry; Microbes; Microbiology", "people": "Foreman, Christine; Tigges, Michelle; Bothner, Brian", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "UPLC-Q-TOF data of Cotton Glacier exometabolites", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601089"}, {"dataset_uid": "601077", "doi": "10.15784/601077", "keywords": "Antarctica; Biota; Chemistry:fluid; Chemistry:Fluid; Fluorescence Spectroscopy; Mass Spectrometry", "people": "Foreman, Christine; D\u0027Andrilli, Juliana", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "FT-ICR MS Metadata", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601077"}, {"dataset_uid": "601076", "doi": "10.15784/601076", "keywords": "Antarctica; Biota; Chemistry:fluid; Chemistry:Fluid; Fluorescence Spectroscopy; Mass Spectrometry", "people": "Foreman, Christine; Smith, Heidi", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Respiration Metadata", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601076"}], "date_created": "Tue, 25 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Uncovering the dynamics of dissolved organic matter (DOM) is central to an understanding of the global carbon cycle, as organic material from lakes, streams, oceans and soils passes through this pool. DOM acts as a key energy source for microbes in many ecosystems and therefore can affect regional nutrient cycling patterns. For example, preliminary results suggest that organisms isolated from a supraglacial stream on Cotton Glacier, Antarctica, may be important in DOM cycling in this relatively simple, low temperature system. However, little is known about the functional attributes of the microbes that interact with DOM in the environment. This project will use state-of-the-art genomics, proteomics and metabolomics approaches to understand the mechanisms by which two microbial isolates, CG3 and CG9_1, affect DOM cycling. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry will also be used to better characterize the microbially-derived DOM from this ecosystem. This project will support the research and training of one undergraduate and two graduate students. Results will be widely disseminated through publications as well as through presentations at national and international meetings. In addition, raw data will be made available through open-access databases. Understanding the relationship between cold-adapted microbial metabolisms and DOM pools is important as more than 90% of the Earth?s oceans are below 5 degrees Celsius.", "east": 161.0, "geometry": "POINT(160.5 -76.5)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": -76.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Foreman, Christine; Bothner, Brian", "platforms": "Not provided", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -77.0, "title": "Multidimensional \"omics\" characterization of microbial metabolism and dissolved organic matter in Antarctica", "uid": "p0000408", "west": 160.0}, {"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": "601454", "doi": "10.15784/601454", "keywords": "Antarctica; Eocene; Marine Geoscience; ODP742; Oligocene; Particle Size; Prydz Bay; Sediment Core Data", "people": "Passchier, Sandra; Ciarletta, Daniel", "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": "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": "601455", "doi": "10.15784/601455", "keywords": "Antarctica; Eocene; Marine Geoscience; ODP1166; Particle Size; Prydz Bay; Sediment Core Data", "people": "Ciarletta, Daniel; Passchier, Sandra", "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: 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. Broader impacts: 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.", "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": "1142117 Hansell, Dennis; 1142044 Dunbar, Robert; 1142097 Bochdansky, Alexander; 1142065 DiTullio, Giacomo", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((165 -52,166 -52,167 -52,168 -52,169 -52,170 -52,171 -52,172 -52,173 -52,174 -52,175 -52,175 -54.65,175 -57.3,175 -59.95,175 -62.6,175 -65.25,175 -67.9,175 -70.55,175 -73.2,175 -75.85,175 -78.5,174 -78.5,173 -78.5,172 -78.5,171 -78.5,170 -78.5,169 -78.5,168 -78.5,167 -78.5,166 -78.5,165 -78.5,165 -75.85,165 -73.2,165 -70.55,165 -67.9,165 -65.25,165 -62.6,165 -59.95,165 -57.3,165 -54.650000000000006,165 -52))", "dataset_titles": "Carbon chemistry from CTD; Deployment: NBP1302; NBP1302 data; Video Particle Profiler (VPP) and Digital Inline Holographic Microscopy (DIHM) data from cruise NBP1302", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "000221", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "BCO-DMO", "science_program": null, "title": "Deployment: NBP1302", "url": "http://www.bco-dmo.org/deployment/547873"}, {"dataset_uid": "600388", "doi": "10.15784/600388", "keywords": "Antarctica; Biota; Holographic Microscopy; Oceans; Photo/video; Photo/Video; Phytoplankton; Ross Sea; Sample/collection Description; Sample/Collection Description; Southern Ocean; Video Particle Profiler", "people": "Bochdansky, Alexander", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Video Particle Profiler (VPP) and Digital Inline Holographic Microscopy (DIHM) data from cruise NBP1302", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/600388"}, {"dataset_uid": "000220", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "BCO-DMO", "science_program": null, "title": "Carbon chemistry from CTD", "url": "http://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/658394"}, {"dataset_uid": "000179", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "NBP1302 data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP1302"}], "date_created": "Wed, 26 Aug 2015 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Intellectual Merit: Sinking particles are a major element of the biological pump and they are commonly assigned to two fates: mineralization in the water column and accumulation at the seafloor. However, there is another fate of export hidden within the vertical decline of carbon, the transformation of sinking organic matter to fine suspended and/or dissolved organic fractions. This process has been suggested but has rarely been observed or quantified. As a result, it is presumed that the solubilized fraction is largely mineralized over short time scales. However, global ocean surveys of dissolved organic carbon are demonstrating a significant water column accumulation of organic matter under high productivity environments. This proposal will investigate the transformation of organic particles from sinking to solubilized phases of the export flux in the Ross Sea. The Ross Sea experiences high export particle production, low dissolved organic carbon export with overturning circulation, and the area has a predictable succession of production and export events. In addition, the basin is shallow (\u003c 000 m) so the products the PIs will target are relatively concentrated. To address the proposed hypothesis, the PIs will use both well-established and novel biochemical and optical measures of export production and its fate. The outcomes of this work will help researchers close the carbon budget in the Ross Sea. Broader impacts: This research will support graduate and undergraduate students and will provide undergraduates and pre-college students with field-based research experience. Scientifically, this research will increase understanding of carbon sinks in the Ross Sea and will help develop new tools for identifying, quantifying, and tracking that carbon. The PIs will interface with K-12 students through daily reports from the field and through educational modules developed by several of the PIs in collaboration with science education specialists and college students. A K-12 educator will be included on the research cruises. Outreach will be through COSEE Florida and the Maritime Center in Norfolk, VA.", "east": 175.0, "geometry": "POINT(170 -65.25)", "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PHOTON/OPTICAL DETECTORS \u003e DIHM; 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 PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e PROFILERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e RECORDERS/LOGGERS \u003e AWS; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e POSITIONING/NAVIGATION \u003e GPS \u003e GPS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e XBT; 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": "Not provided; NBP1302; Phaeocystis; R/V NBP", "locations": null, "north": -52.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences; Antarctic Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences; Antarctic Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences; Antarctic Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Bochdansky, Alexander; Dunbar, Robert; DiTullio, Giacomo; Ditullio, Giacomo; Harry, Dennis L.; HANSELL, DENNIS", "platforms": "Not provided; WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V NBP", "repo": "BCO-DMO", "repositories": "BCO-DMO; R2R; USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -78.5, "title": "Collaborative research: TRacing the fate of Algal Carbon Export in the Ross Sea (TRACERS)", "uid": "p0000307", "west": 165.0}, {"awards": "1141275 Warren, Stephen", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": "Antarctic field campaign data page", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "001399", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "PI website", "science_program": null, "title": "Antarctic field campaign data page", "url": "http://www.atmos.washington.edu/articles/EastAntarctica_SeaIceAlbedos_SnowImpurities/"}], "date_created": "Fri, 30 Jan 2015 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "The albedo, or reflection coefficient, is a measure of the diffuse reflectivity of an irradiated surface. With the sunlit atmosphere as a light source, and sea-ice as a diffuse reflecting surface, the albedo would be the fraction of incident light that is returned to the atmosphere. A perfect (white) reflecting surface would have an albedo of 1; a perfect (black) absorbing surface would have an albedo of 0. The albedo of sea-ice is needed to assess the solar energy budget of the marginal ice zone, to compute the partial solar bands in radiation budgets in general circulation and earth system models, and is also needed to interpret remote sensing imagery data products. Applications requiring albedos further into the near IR, out to 2500nm, are assumed or approximated. Modern spectral radiometers, such as will be used in this campaign on a Southern Ocean voyage from Hobart to Antarctica, can extend these measurements of albedo from 350 to 2500nm, allowing earlier estimates to be verified, or corrected. Surfaces to be encountered on this research cruise are expected to include open water, grease ice, nila ice, pancake ice, young grey ice, young grey-white ice, along with first year ice. The presence of variable amounts of snow on these surfaces is also of interest. Light absorbing impurities in the snow and ice, including black carbon and organic matter (brown carbon) are different from those found in Arctic Sea ice, the Antarctic being so remote from combustion sources. This may allow better understanding of the seasonal cycles, energy budgets and their recent trends in spatial extent and thickness. The project will also broaden the educational experiences of both US and Australian students participating in the measurement campaign", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "Radiometers; Radiation Budgets; Sea Ice; Energy Budgets; Impurities; COMPUTERS; Albedo; Spectral; LABORATORY; Antarctica; Snow Temperature; Reflecting Surface; Snow Density; R/V AA", "locations": "Antarctica", "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Warren, Stephen; Zatko, Maria", "platforms": "OTHER \u003e MODELS \u003e COMPUTERS; OTHER \u003e PHYSICAL MODELS \u003e LABORATORY; WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V AA", "repo": "PI website", "repositories": "PI website", "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Spectral and Broadband Albedo of Antarctic Sea-ice Types", "uid": "p0000375", "west": null}, {"awards": "0838970 Foreman, Christine", "bounds_geometry": "POINT(161.667 -77.117)", "dataset_titles": "The Biogeochemical Evolution of Dissolved Organic Matter in a Fluvial System on the Cotton Glacier, Antarctica", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "600104", "doi": "10.15784/600104", "keywords": "Antarctica; Biota; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Microbiology", "people": "Foreman, Christine", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "The Biogeochemical Evolution of Dissolved Organic Matter in a Fluvial System on the Cotton Glacier, Antarctica", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/600104"}], "date_created": "Fri, 10 Oct 2014 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Dissolved organic matter (DOM) comprises a significant pool of Earth\u0027s organic carbon that dwarfs the amount present in living aquatic organisms. The properties and reactivity of DOM are not well defined, and the evolution of autochthonous DOM from its precursor materials in freshwater has not been observed. Recent sampling of a supraglacial stream formed on the Cotton Glacier in the Transantarctic Mountains revealed DOM that more closely resembles an assemblage of recognizable precursor organic compounds, based upon its UV-VIS and fluorescence spectra. It is suggested that the DOM from this water evolved over time to resemble materials present in marine and many inland surface waters. The transient nature of the system i.e., it reforms seasonally, also prevents any accumulation of the refractory DOM present in most surface waters. Thus, the Cotton Glacier provides us with a unique environment to study the formation of DOM from precursor materials. An interdisciplinary team will study the biogeochemistry of this progenitor DOM and how microbes modify it. By focusing on the chemical composition of the DOM as it shifts from precursor material to the more humified fractions, the investigators will relate this transition to bioavailability, enzymatic activity, community composition and microbial growth efficiency. This project will support education at all levels, K-12, high school, undergraduate, graduate and post-doc and will increase participation by under-represented groups in science. Towards these goals, the investigators have established relationships with girls\u0027 schools and Native American programs. Additional outreach will be carried out in coordination with PolarTREC, PolarPalooza, and if possible, an Antarctic Artist and Writer.", "east": 161.667, "geometry": "POINT(161.667 -77.117)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": -77.117, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Foreman, Christine", "platforms": "Not provided", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -77.117, "title": "Collaborative Research: The Biogeochemical Evolution of Dissolved Organic Matter in a Fluvial System on the Cotton Glacier, Antarctica", "uid": "p0000458", "west": 161.667}, {"awards": "0839122 Saltzman, Eric; 0839093 McConnell, Joseph; 0839075 Priscu, John", "bounds_geometry": "POINT(112.05 -79.28)", "dataset_titles": "Fluorescence spectroscopy data from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) Divide ice core, WDC06A; Holocene Black Carbon in Antarctica; Ice Core Air Carbonyl Sulfide Measurements - Taylor Dome M3C1 Ice Core; Prokaryotic cell concentration record from the WAIS Divide ice core", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601006", "doi": "10.15784/601006", "keywords": "Antarctica; Fluorescence Spectroscopy; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Ice Core Records; Physical Properties; WAIS Divide; WAIS Divide Ice Core", "people": "Priscu, John; D\u0027Andrilli, Juliana", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "WAIS Divide Ice Core", "title": "Fluorescence spectroscopy data from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) Divide ice core, WDC06A", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601006"}, {"dataset_uid": "601072", "doi": "10.15784/601072", "keywords": "Antarctica; Biota; Cell Counts; Glaciology; Microbiology; WAIS Divide; WAIS Divide Ice Core", "people": "Santibanez, Pamela; Priscu, John", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "WAIS Divide Ice Core", "title": "Prokaryotic cell concentration record from the WAIS Divide ice core", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601072"}, {"dataset_uid": "601034", "doi": "10.15784/601034", "keywords": "Antarctica; Atmosphere; Black Carbon; Chemistry:ice; Chemistry:Ice; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Ice Core Records; WAIS Divide; WAIS Divide Ice Core", "people": "Arienzo, Monica; McConnell, Joseph", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "WAIS Divide Ice Core", "title": "Holocene Black Carbon in Antarctica", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601034"}, {"dataset_uid": "601361", "doi": "10.15784/601361", "keywords": "Antarctica; Carbonyl Sulfide; Trace Gases", "people": "Saltzman, Eric; Aydin, Murat", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Ice Core Air Carbonyl Sulfide Measurements - Taylor Dome M3C1 Ice Core", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601361"}], "date_created": "Fri, 30 May 2014 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThis award supports a project to use the WAIS Divide deep core to investigate the Last Deglaciation at sub-annual resolution through an integrated set of chemical and biological analyses. The intellectual merit of the project is that these analyses, combined with others, will take advantage of the high snow accumulation WAIS Divide site yielding the highest time resolution glacio-biogeochemical and gas record of any deep Antarctic ice core. With other high resolution Greenland cores (GISP2 and GRIP) and lower resolution Antarctic cores, the combined record will yield new insights into worldwide climate dynamics and abrupt change. The proposed chemical, biological, and elemental tracer measurements will also be used to address all of the WAIS Divide science themes. The broader impacts of the project include education and outreach activities such as numerous presentations to local K-12 students; opportunities for student and teacher involvement in the laboratory work; a teacher training program in Earth sciences in the heavily minority Santa Ana, Compton, and Costa Mesa, California school districts; and development of high school curricula. Extensive graduate and undergraduate student involvement also is planned and will include one post doctoral associate, one graduate student, and undergraduate hourly involvement at DRI; a graduate student and undergraduates at University of California, Irvine (UCI); and a post doctoral fellow at MSU. Student recruitment will be made from underrepresented groups building on a long track record of involvement and will include the NSF funded California Alliance for Minority Participation (CAMP) and the Montana American Indian Research Opportunities (AIRO).\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThis award does not involve field work in Antarctica.", "east": 112.05, "geometry": "POINT(112.05 -79.28)", "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e CHEMICAL METERS/ANALYZERS \u003e CARBON ANALYZERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e CHEMICAL METERS/ANALYZERS \u003e FLUOROMETERS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e CHEMICAL METERS/ANALYZERS \u003e WAS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e SPECTROMETERS/RADIOMETERS \u003e ICP-MS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e ICE CORE MELTER; EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PASSIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e PHOTON/OPTICAL DETECTORS \u003e PHOTOMETERS \u003e SPECTROPHOTOMETERS", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "FIELD SURVEYS; Bacteria Ice Core; LABORATORY; Ice Core; FIELD INVESTIGATION; West Antarctica; Not provided; Dissolved Organic Carbon", "locations": "West Antarctica", "north": -79.28, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology; Antarctic Glaciology; Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": "PHANEROZOIC \u003e CENOZOIC \u003e QUATERNARY", "persons": "Foreman, Christine; Skidmore, Mark; Saltzman, Eric; McConnell, Joseph; Priscu, John", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD INVESTIGATION; LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD SURVEYS; Not provided; OTHER \u003e PHYSICAL MODELS \u003e LABORATORY", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": "WAIS Divide Ice Core", "south": -79.28, "title": "Collaborative Research: Integrated High Resolution Chemical and Biological Measurements on the Deep WAIS Divide Core", "uid": "p0000273", "west": 112.05}, {"awards": "0838830 Cottrell, Matthew", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-64.079666 -64.77966,-64.07576590000001 -64.77966,-64.0718658 -64.77966,-64.0679657 -64.77966,-64.0640656 -64.77966,-64.06016550000001 -64.77966,-64.0562654 -64.77966,-64.0523653 -64.77966,-64.04846520000001 -64.77966,-64.0445651 -64.77966,-64.040665 -64.77966,-64.040665 -64.78326100000001,-64.040665 -64.786862,-64.040665 -64.790463,-64.040665 -64.794064,-64.040665 -64.797665,-64.040665 -64.801266,-64.040665 -64.804867,-64.040665 -64.808468,-64.040665 -64.812069,-64.040665 -64.81567,-64.0445651 -64.81567,-64.04846520000001 -64.81567,-64.0523653 -64.81567,-64.0562654 -64.81567,-64.06016550000001 -64.81567,-64.0640656 -64.81567,-64.0679657 -64.81567,-64.0718658 -64.81567,-64.07576590000001 -64.81567,-64.079666 -64.81567,-64.079666 -64.812069,-64.079666 -64.808468,-64.079666 -64.804867,-64.079666 -64.801266,-64.079666 -64.797665,-64.079666 -64.794064,-64.079666 -64.790463,-64.079666 -64.786862,-64.079666 -64.78326100000001,-64.079666 -64.77966))", "dataset_titles": "Photoheterotrophic Microbes in the West Antarctic Peninsula Marine Ecosystem", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "600097", "doi": "10.15784/600097", "keywords": "Antarctic Peninsula; Biota; LTER Palmer Station; Microbiology; Oceans; Southern Ocean", "people": "Kirchman, David; Cottrell, Matthew", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Photoheterotrophic Microbes in the West Antarctic Peninsula Marine Ecosystem", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/600097"}], "date_created": "Mon, 16 Dec 2013 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eLight quality and availability are likely to change in polar ecosystems as ice coverage and thickness decrease. How microbes adjust to these and other changes will have huge impacts on the polar marine ecosystems. Little is known about photoheterotrophic prokaryotes, which are hypothesized to gain a metabolic advantage by harvesting light energy in addition to utilizing dissolved organic matter (DOM). Photoheterotrophy is not included in current models of carbon cycling and energy flow. This research will examine three questions: 1. Are photoheterotrophic microbes present and active in Antarctic waters in winter and summer? 2. Does community structure of photoheterotrophs shift between summer and winter? 3. Which microbial groups assimilate more DOM in light than in the dark? The research will test hypotheses about activity of photoheterotrophs in winter and in summer, shifts in community structure between light and dark seasons and the potentially unique impacts of photoheterotrophs on biogeochemical processes in the Antarctic. The project will directly support a graduate student, will positively impact the NSF REU program at the College of Marine and Earth Studies, and will include students from the nation?s oldest historical minority college. The results will be featured during weekly tours of Lewes facilities (about 1000 visitors per year) and during Coast Day, an annual open-house that attracts about 10,000 visitors.", "east": -64.040665, "geometry": "POINT(-64.0601655 -64.797665)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": -64.77966, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Cottrell, Matthew; David, Kirchman", "platforms": "Not provided", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -64.81567, "title": "Photoheterotrophic Microbes in the West Antarctic Peninsula Marine Ecosystem", "uid": "p0000473", "west": -64.079666}, {"awards": "1039365 Rimmer, Susan", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": "The Permian-Triassic Transition in Antarctica: Evaluating the Rates and Variability of Carbon Isotope Fluctuations in Terrestrial Organic Matter", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "600121", "doi": "10.15784/600121", "keywords": "Antarctica; Chemistry:rock; Chemistry:Rock; Geochemistry; Solid Earth; Transantarctic Mountains", "people": "Rimmer, Susan", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "The Permian-Triassic Transition in Antarctica: Evaluating the Rates and Variability of Carbon Isotope Fluctuations in Terrestrial Organic Matter", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/600121"}], "date_created": "Wed, 30 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This project studies the Permian-Triassic extinction event as recorded in sedimentary rocks from the Transantarctic Mountains of Antarctica. Two hundred and fifty million years ago most life on Earth was wiped out in a geologic instant. The cause is a subject of great debate. Researchers have identified a unique stratigraphic section near Shackleton glacier laid down during the extinction event. Organic matter from these deposits will be analyzed by density gradient centrifugation (DGC), which will offer detailed information on the carbon isotope composition. The age of these layers will be precisely dated by U/Pb-zircon-dating of intercalated volcanics. Combined, these results will offer detailed constraints on the timing and duration of carbon isotope excursions during the extinction, and offer insight into the coupling of marine and terrestrial carbon cycles. The broader impacts of this project include graduate and undergraduate student research, K12 outreach and teacher involvement, and societal relevance of the results, since the P/T extinction may have been caused by phenomena such as methane release, which could accompany global warming.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Rimmer, Susan", "platforms": "Not provided", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Collaborative Research: The Permian -Triassic Transition in Antarctica: Evaluating the Rates and Variability of Carbon Isotope Fluctuatios in Terrestrial Organic Matter", "uid": "p0000507", "west": null}, {"awards": "0739684 Hatcher, Patrick", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Wed, 26 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award supports a project to fully develop the analytical protocols needed to exploit a relatively new technique for the analysis of soluble organic matter in ice core samples. The technique couples Electrospray ionization to high resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (ESI-FTICR-MS). Sample volume will be reduced and pre-concentration steps will be eliminated. Following method optimization a suite of ice core samples will be studied from several Antarctic and Greenland locations to address several hypothesis driven research questions. Preliminary results show that a vast record of relatively high molecular weight organic material exists in ice core samples and intriguing results from a few samples warrant further investigation. Several important questions related to developing a better understanding of the nature and paleo record of organic matter in ice cores will be addressed. These include developing a better understanding of the origin of nitrogen and sulfur isotopes in pre-industrial vs. modern samples, developing the methods to apply molecular biomarker techniques, routinely used by organic geochemists for sediment analyses, to the analysis of organic matter in ice cores, tracking the level of oxidation of homologous series of compounds and using them as a proxy for atmospheric oxidant levels in the past and determining whether or not high resolution FTICR mass spectral analysis can provide the ice core community with a robust method to analyze organic materials at the molecular level. The intellectual merit of this work is that this analytical method will provide a new understanding of the nature of organic matter in ice, possibly leading to the discovery of multitudes of molecular species indicative of global change processes whose abundances can be compared with other change proxies. The proposed studies are of an exploratory nature and potentially transformative for the field of ice core research and cryobiology. The broader impacts of these studies are that they should provide compelling evidence regarding organic matter sources, atmospheric processing and anthropogenic inputs to polar ice and how these have varied over time. The collaborative work proposed here will partner atmospheric chemistry/polar ice chemistry expertise with organic geochemistry expertise, resulting in significant contributions to both fields of study and significant advances in ice core analysis. Training of both graduate and undergraduate students will be a key component of the project and students will be involved in collaborative research using advanced analytical instrumentation, presentation of research results at national meetings, and will participate in manuscript preparation.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e SPECTROMETERS/RADIOMETERS \u003e MASS SPECTROMETERS", "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "Ice Core; Isotope; Organic Matter; Nitrogen; Sulfur; Not provided; LABORATORY; Mass Spectrometry; COMPUTERS; Molecular", "locations": null, "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Hatcher, Patrick; Grannas, Amanda", "platforms": "Not provided; OTHER \u003e MODELS \u003e COMPUTERS; OTHER \u003e PHYSICAL MODELS \u003e LABORATORY", "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Collaborative Research: Molecular Level Characterization of Organic Matter in Ice Cores using High-resolution FTICR mass spectrometry", "uid": "p0000707", "west": null}, {"awards": "0230499 Kieber, David", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-179.99998 -43.58056,-143.999984 -43.58056,-107.999988 -43.58056,-71.999992 -43.58056,-35.999996 -43.58056,0 -43.58056,35.999996 -43.58056,71.999992 -43.58056,107.999988 -43.58056,143.999984 -43.58056,179.99998 -43.58056,179.99998 -46.971468,179.99998 -50.362376,179.99998 -53.753284,179.99998 -57.144192,179.99998 -60.5351,179.99998 -63.926008,179.99998 -67.316916,179.99998 -70.707824,179.99998 -74.098732,179.99998 -77.48964,143.999984 -77.48964,107.999988 -77.48964,71.999992 -77.48964,35.999996 -77.48964,0 -77.48964,-35.999996 -77.48964,-71.999992 -77.48964,-107.999988 -77.48964,-143.999984 -77.48964,-179.99998 -77.48964,-179.99998 -74.098732,-179.99998 -70.707824,-179.99998 -67.316916,-179.99998 -63.926008,-179.99998 -60.5351,-179.99998 -57.144192,-179.99998 -53.753284,-179.99998 -50.362376,-179.99998 -46.971468,-179.99998 -43.58056))", "dataset_titles": "Expedition Data", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "001616", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP0409"}], "date_created": "Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Areas of the Southern Ocean have spectacular blooms of phytoplankton during the austral spring and early summer. One of the dominant phytoplankton species, the haptophyte Phaeocystis antarctica, is a prolific producer of the organic sulfur compound dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) and Phaeocystis blooms are associated with some of the world\u0027s highest concentrations of DMSP and its volatile degradation product, dimethylsulfide (DMS). Sulfur, in the form of DMS, is transferred from the oceans to the atmosphere and can affect the chemistry of precipitation and influence cloud properties and possibly climate. DMSP and DMS are also quantitatively significant components of the carbon, sulfur and energy flows in many marine food webs, although very little information is available on these processes in high latitude systems. \u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThis project will study how solar radiation and iron cycling affect DMSP and DMS production by phytoplankton, and the subsequent utilization of these labile forms of organic matter by the microbial food web. Four interrelated hypotheses will be tested in field-based experiments and in situ observations: 1) solar radiation, including enhanced UV-B due to seasonal ozone depletion, plays an important role in determining the net ecosystem production of DMS in the Ross Sea; 2) development of shallow mixed layers promotes the accumulation of DMS in surface waters, because of enhanced exposure of plankton communities to high doses of solar radiation; 3) DMSP production and turnover represent a significant part of the carbon and sulfur flux through polar food webs; 4) bloom development and resulting nutrient depletion (e.g., iron) will result in high production rates of DMSP and high DMS concentrations and atmospheric fluxes. Results from this study will greatly improve understanding of the underlying mechanisms controlling DMSP and DMS concentrations in polar waters, thereby improving our ability to predict DMS fluxes to the atmosphere from this important climatic region. \u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eBoth Drs. Kieber and Kiene actively engage high school, undergraduate and graduate students in their research and are involved in formal programs that target underrepresented groups (NSF-REU and the American Chemical Society-SEED). This project will continue this type of educational outreach. The PIs also teach undergraduate and graduate courses and incorporation of research experiences into their classes will enrich student learning experiences.", "east": 179.99998, "geometry": "POINT(0 -89.999)", "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": -43.58056, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Kiene, Ronald", "platforms": "WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V NBP", "repo": "R2R", "repositories": "R2R", "science_programs": null, "south": -77.48964, "title": "Collaborative Research: Impact of Solar Radiation and Nutrients on Biogeochemical Cycling of DMSP and DMS in the Ross Sea, Antarctica", "uid": "p0000582", "west": -179.99998}, {"awards": "0230497 Kiene, Ronald", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": "Expedition Data; Expedition data of NBP0409", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "001616", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP0409"}, {"dataset_uid": "002640", "doi": null, "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition data of NBP0409", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP0409"}], "date_created": "Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Areas of the Southern Ocean have spectacular blooms of phytoplankton during the austral spring and early summer. One of the dominant phytoplankton species, the haptophyte Phaeocystis antarctica, is a prolific producer of the organic sulfur compound dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) and Phaeocystis blooms are associated with some of the world\u0027s highest concentrations of DMSP and its volatile degradation product, dimethylsulfide (DMS). Sulfur, in the form of DMS, is transferred from the oceans to the atmosphere and can affect the chemistry of precipitation and influence cloud properties and possibly climate. DMSP and DMS are also quantitatively significant components of the carbon, sulfur and energy flows in many marine food webs, although very little information is available on these processes in high latitude systems. \u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThis project will study how solar radiation and iron cycling affect DMSP and DMS production by phytoplankton, and the subsequent utilization of these labile forms of organic matter by the microbial food web. Four interrelated hypotheses will be tested in field-based experiments and in situ observations: 1) solar radiation, including enhanced UV-B due to seasonal ozone depletion, plays an important role in determining the net ecosystem production of DMS in the Ross Sea; 2) development of shallow mixed layers promotes the accumulation of DMS in surface waters, because of enhanced exposure of plankton communities to high doses of solar radiation; 3) DMSP production and turnover represent a significant part of the carbon and sulfur flux through polar food webs; 4) bloom development and resulting nutrient depletion (e.g., iron) will result in high production rates of DMSP and high DMS concentrations and atmospheric fluxes. Results from this study will greatly improve understanding of the underlying mechanisms controlling DMSP and DMS concentrations in polar waters, thereby improving our ability to predict DMS fluxes to the atmosphere from this important climatic region. \u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eBoth Drs. Kieber and Kiene actively engage high school, undergraduate and graduate students in their research and are involved in formal programs that target underrepresented groups (NSF-REU and the American Chemical Society-SEED). This project will continue this type of educational outreach. The PIs also teach undergraduate and graduate courses and incorporation of research experiences into their classes will enrich student learning experiences.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "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": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Kiene, Ronald", "platforms": "WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V NBP", "repo": "R2R", "repositories": "R2R", "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Collaborative Research: Impact of Solar Radiation and Nutrients on Biogeochemical Cycling of DMSP and DMS in the Ross Sea, Antarctica", "uid": "p0000832", "west": null}, {"awards": "0838866 Buesseler, Ken", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-75 -62,-74 -62,-73 -62,-72 -62,-71 -62,-70 -62,-69 -62,-68 -62,-67 -62,-66 -62,-65 -62,-65 -62.8,-65 -63.6,-65 -64.4,-65 -65.2,-65 -66,-65 -66.8,-65 -67.6,-65 -68.4,-65 -69.2,-65 -70,-66 -70,-67 -70,-68 -70,-69 -70,-70 -70,-71 -70,-72 -70,-73 -70,-74 -70,-75 -70,-75 -69.2,-75 -68.4,-75 -67.6,-75 -66.8,-75 -66,-75 -65.2,-75 -64.4,-75 -63.6,-75 -62.8,-75 -62))", "dataset_titles": "data deposited with Palmer Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) repository.", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "000215", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "LTER", "science_program": null, "title": "data deposited with Palmer Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) repository.", "url": "http://pal.lternet.edu/data/"}], "date_created": "Wed, 31 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Abstract\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eBy using a tool-box of particle flux and characterization techniques appropriate to the study of particulate organic carbon fluxes out of the upper sunlit zone, WHOI researchers will attempt to evaluate the so called \u0027biological pump\u0027 term at the Palmer Long Term Ecological Research (PAL) site in the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP). The goal of these measurements is to describe the seasonal dynamics of production, export (sinking) and at-depth remineralization rates of organic matter produced in the Antarctic photic zone. This should lead to a better understanding of the biogeochemical controls on the carbon cycle in this difficult to access region. Additionally, how much of the newly fixed organic carbon is exported off the shelf, effectively driving an influx of atmospheric (including anthropogenic) CO2 to be sequestered into the deep ocean is not presently known. Comparison of prior time series sediment traps in the WAP seem to indicate smaller sinking C fluxes than other, as equally as productive Antarctic coastal regions, e.g. the Ross Sea. New observations and modeling activities will attempt to explain this discrepancy, and to account for the apparently inefficient particle export. \u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003e\"This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).\"", "east": -65.0, "geometry": "POINT(-70 -66)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": -62.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Buesseler, Ken; Valdes, James", "platforms": "Not provided", "repo": "LTER", "repositories": "LTER", "science_programs": "LTER", "south": -70.0, "title": "WAPflux - New Tools to Study the Fate of Phytoplankton Production in the West Antarctic Peninsula", "uid": "p0000686", "west": -75.0}, {"awards": "9726186 Pilskaln, Cynthia", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": "Expedition data of NBP0101", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "002641", "doi": null, "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition data of NBP0101", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP0101"}, {"dataset_uid": "002580", "doi": null, "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition data of NBP0101", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP0101"}], "date_created": "Thu, 03 Mar 2011 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "*** 9726186 Pilskaln This proposed work is a study of the biological production and export flux of biogenic matter in response to ventilation of intermediate and deep water masses within the Polar Front zone. It is a collaborative work between the University of Maine and the Chinese Antarctic Research Expedition (CHINARE). The shipboard work is proposed for the Chinese antarctic resupply vessel off Prydz Bay in the Indian Ocean sector. In the austral Spring, this region experiences phytoplankton blooms that are thought to be the result of nutrient transport by the ventilation of intermediate and deep water masses. On an annual basis, it is believed that such blooms are the primary source of particulate organic carbon and biogenic silica flux to the ocean bottom. At this time however no data exists on the amount of particulate organic matter that sinks through the water column, leaving the quantitative relationships between production and export largely undefined in this region. The initial phase of the work consists of setting out a time-series sediment trap mooring at approximately 64 deg S latitude and 73 deg E longitude to take advantage of the historical data set that CHINARE has obtained in this area over the past decade. The biweekly to monthly trap samples will be analyzed for their organic constituents, and in conjunction with primary productivity observations will provide the basic data from which export values can be derived. This work will be carried out in collaboration with the State Oceanic Administration of the People\u0027s Republic of China, and the Chinese Antarctic Research Expedition. In addition to providing time on the antarctic resupply vessel, the SOA will sponsor the shipboard primary productivity experiments and the supporting hydrographic measurements. The collaborating American scientists will provide guidance in making these observations to standards developed for the Joint Global Ocean Flux Study, and provide the hardware for the moored sediment trap. There will be a mutual sharing between the U.S. and Chinese investigators of all samples and data sets, and the data analysis will be carried out jointly. ***", "east": null, "geometry": null, "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": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Leventer, Amy", "platforms": "WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V NBP", "repo": "R2R", "repositories": "R2R", "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "POC Production and Export in the Indian Ocean Sector of the Southern Ocean: A US-China Collaborative Research Program", "uid": "p0000800", "west": null}, {"awards": "0838842 Passchier, Sandra", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-180 -68,-177 -68,-174 -68,-171 -68,-168 -68,-165 -68,-162 -68,-159 -68,-156 -68,-153 -68,-150 -68,-150 -69,-150 -70,-150 -71,-150 -72,-150 -73,-150 -74,-150 -75,-150 -76,-150 -77,-150 -78,-153 -78,-156 -78,-159 -78,-162 -78,-165 -78,-168 -78,-171 -78,-174 -78,-177 -78,180 -78,178 -78,176 -78,174 -78,172 -78,170 -78,168 -78,166 -78,164 -78,162 -78,160 -78,160 -77,160 -76,160 -75,160 -74,160 -73,160 -72,160 -71,160 -70,160 -69,160 -68,162 -68,164 -68,166 -68,168 -68,170 -68,172 -68,174 -68,176 -68,178 -68,-180 -68))", "dataset_titles": "Particle-size measurements for diamictites AND-2A sediment core, McMurdo Sound", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601452", "doi": "10.15784/601452", "keywords": "Antarctica; McMurdo Sound; Miocene; Particle Size; Pleistocene; Pliocene", "people": "Hansen, Melissa A.; Passchier, Sandra", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "ANDRILL", "title": "Particle-size measurements for diamictites AND-2A sediment core, McMurdo Sound", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601452"}], "date_created": "Fri, 27 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). The project aims on studying sediment cores collected from Prydz Bay and the Ross Sea to unravel the Neogene paleoclimatic history of the East Antarctic ice sheet. In the light of current measurements and predictions of a substantial rise in global temperature, investigations into the sensitivity of the East Antarctic ice sheet to climate change and its role in the climate system are essential. Geological records of former periods of climate change provide an opportunity to ground truth model predictions. The scientific objective of this project is to identify a previously proposed middle Miocene transition from a more dynamic wet-based East Antarctic ice sheet to the present semi-permanent ice sheet that is partially frozen to its bed. The timing and significance of this transition is controversial due to a lack of quantitative studies on well-dated ice-proximal sedimentary sequences. This project partially fills that gap using the composition and physical properties of diamictites and sandstones to establish shifts in ice-sheet drainage pathways, paleoenvironments and basal ice conditions. The results from the two key areas around the Antarctic continental margin will provide insight into the behavior of the East Antarctic ice sheet across the middle Miocene transition and through known times of warming in the late Miocene and Pliocene.", "east": -150.0, "geometry": "POINT(-175 -73)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": -68.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Passchier, Sandra", "platforms": "Not provided", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -78.0, "title": "Determining Middle Miocene through Pliocene Changes in Paleo Ice-flow and Basal Ice Conditions in East Antarctica through Sedimentological Analyses of Core Samples", "uid": "p0000147", "west": 160.0}, {"awards": "9527255 Mopper, Kenneth", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": "Expedition data of LMG9809", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "002719", "doi": null, "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition data of LMG9809", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/LMG9809"}], "date_created": "Tue, 04 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "ACT K. Mopper \u0026 D. Kieber OPP 9527255 \u0026 OPP 9527314 PHOTOCHEMICAL AND OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF ANTARCTIC WATERS IN RESPONSE TO CHANGING UV-B FLUXES The decrease in stratospheric ozone over the Antarctic results in an increase in the UV-B flux in the euphotic zone. The increase leads to cellular damage to aquatic organisms, as documented by photo-inhibition and decreased productivity. Cellular damage can occur either intracellularly, or externally at the cell surface from biomolecular reactions with externally-generated reactive transients. The extent of this extracellular damage will depend on the photochemistry of the seawater surrounding the cell. Until recently, nothing was known about the type of photochemical processes, rates, and steady state concentrations of transients in Antarctic waters. It is proposed that field experiments be performed which will allow the construction of predictive models of photochemical production rates in surface waters and with depth. These studies will involve further quantum yield measurementts, development of a sensitive underwater actinometer system, and use of a new underwater multichannel photometer. The model will allow the prediction of the impact of varying levels of UV-B on the photoproduction and steady state concentration of several key reactive transient species in the upper water column. In addition to this effort, experiments will also be performed to study the photodegradation of dissolved organic matter and to determine whether biologically utilizable substrates that are formed photochemically can enhance secondary productivity in Antarctic waters.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "R/V LMG", "locations": null, "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Mopper, Kenneth", "platforms": "WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V LMG", "repo": "R2R", "repositories": "R2R", "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Collaborative Research: Photochemical and Optical Properties of Antarctic Waters in Response to Changing UV-B Fluxes", "uid": "p0000870", "west": null}, {"awards": "0739583 Bowser, Samuel; 0739512 Walker, Sally; 0739496 Miller, Molly", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((163.41667 -77.33333,163.46667 -77.33333,163.51667 -77.33333,163.56667 -77.33333,163.61667 -77.33333,163.66667 -77.33333,163.71667 -77.33333,163.76667 -77.33333,163.81667 -77.33333,163.86667 -77.33333,163.91667 -77.33333,163.91667 -77.369997,163.91667 -77.406664,163.91667 -77.443331,163.91667 -77.479998,163.91667 -77.516665,163.91667 -77.553332,163.91667 -77.589999,163.91667 -77.626666,163.91667 -77.663333,163.91667 -77.7,163.86667 -77.7,163.81667 -77.7,163.76667 -77.7,163.71667 -77.7,163.66667 -77.7,163.61667 -77.7,163.56667 -77.7,163.51667 -77.7,163.46667 -77.7,163.41667 -77.7,163.41667 -77.663333,163.41667 -77.626666,163.41667 -77.589999,163.41667 -77.553332,163.41667 -77.516665,163.41667 -77.479998,163.41667 -77.443331,163.41667 -77.406664,163.41667 -77.369997,163.41667 -77.33333))", "dataset_titles": "Linking Modern Benthic Communities and Taphonomic Processes to the Stratigraphic Record of Antarctic Cores; Nitrogen, carbon, and oxygen isotopes in the shell of the Antarctic scallop Adamussium colbecki as a proxy for sea ice cover in Antarctica.; Sequence Data", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "600076", "doi": "10.15784/600076", "keywords": "Biota; Geochronology; Marine Sediments; Oceans; Southern Ocean", "people": "Miller, Molly; Furbish, David", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Linking Modern Benthic Communities and Taphonomic Processes to the Stratigraphic Record of Antarctic Cores", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/600076"}, {"dataset_uid": "600077", "doi": "10.15784/600077", "keywords": "Antarctica; Biota; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; McMurdo Sound; Oceans; Sample/collection Description; Sample/Collection Description", "people": "Walker, Sally", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Linking Modern Benthic Communities and Taphonomic Processes to the Stratigraphic Record of Antarctic Cores", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/600077"}, {"dataset_uid": "601764", "doi": "10.15784/601764", "keywords": "Adamussium Colbecki; Antarctica; Biota; Carbon Isotopes; Explorers Cove; Nitrogen Isotopes; Oxygen Isotope; Scallop", "people": "Gillikin, David; Puhalski, Emma; Camarra, Steve; Cronin, Kelly; Verheyden, Anouk; Walker, Sally", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Nitrogen, carbon, and oxygen isotopes in the shell of the Antarctic scallop Adamussium colbecki as a proxy for sea ice cover in Antarctica.", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601764"}, {"dataset_uid": "000144", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "NCBI GenBank", "science_program": null, "title": "Sequence Data", "url": "http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/myncbi/collections/public/1rMU2lBNcxWAsa9h9WyD8rzA8/"}], "date_created": "Wed, 15 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This project answers a simple question: why are there so few fossils in sediment cores from Antarctica?s continental shelf? Antarctica?s benthos are as biologically rich as those of the tropics. Shell-secreting organisms should have left a trail throughout geologic time, but have not. This trail is particularly important because these organisms record regional climate in ways that are critical to interpreting the global climate record. This study uses field experiments and targeted observations of modern benthic systems to examine the biases inflicted by fossil preservation. By examining a spectrum of ice-affected habitats, this project provides paleoenvironmental insights into carbonate preservation, sedimentation rates, and burial processes; and will provide new approaches to reconstructing the Cenozoic history of Antarctica. Broader impacts include graduate and undergraduate research and education, development of undergraduate curricula to link art and science, K12 outreach, public outreach via the web, and societal relevance through improved understanding of records of global climate change.", "east": 163.91667, "geometry": "POINT(163.66667 -77.516665)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": -77.33333, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Walker, Sally; Bowser, Samuel; Miller, Molly; Furbish, David", "platforms": "Not provided", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "NCBI GenBank; USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -77.7, "title": "Collaborative Research: Linking Modern Benthic Communities and Taphonomic Processes to the Stratigraphic Record of Antarctic Cores", "uid": "p0000203", "west": 163.41667}, {"awards": "9221598 Mopper, Kenneth", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": "Expedition Data", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "002282", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "R2R", "science_program": null, "title": "Expedition Data", "url": "https://www.rvdata.us/search/cruise/NBP9306"}], "date_created": "Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Decreases in stratospheric ozone over the Antarctic result in an increase in the ultraviolet radiation flux in the euphotic zone of the ocean. This increase may lead to cellular damage in aquatic organisms resulting in photo-inhibition and decreased productivity. Cellular damage can occur either intracellularly, or externally at the cell surface from biomolecular reactions with externally-generated reactive transient species. Extracellular damage will depend to a large degree on the photochemistry of the seawater surrounding the cell. To date, little is known about the photochemistry of the unique Antarctic waters. This project integrates a field and laboratory approach to obtain baseline information regarding the marine photochemistry of the euphotic zone in Antarctica waters as related to changes in ultraviolet radiation levels. In situ photochemical production rates and steady state concentrations of a suite of reactive species and dissolved organic matter degradation products as well as downwelling ultraviolet radiation will be measured. Additionally, flux by in situ chemical actinometry, action spectra for photochemical production of various reactive species and dissolved organic matter degradation products, and fluorescence and absorbance properties of dissolved organic matter will be determined. This information will serve as a basis for understanding and predicting the effects of ultraviolet radiation-induced marine photochemical processes on the productivity and ecology in the euphotic zone of the Antarctic Ocean.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "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": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Mopper, Kenneth; Neale, Patrick", "platforms": "WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V NBP", "repo": "R2R", "repositories": "R2R", "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Photochemistry of Antarctic Waters in Repsonse to Changing Ultraviolet Radiation Fluxes", "uid": "p0000649", "west": null}, {"awards": "0440478 Tang, Kam", "bounds_geometry": "POINT(166.66267 -77.85067)", "dataset_titles": "Environmental and Ecological Regulation of Differences and Interactions between Solitary and Colonial Forms of Phaeocystis Antarctica", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "600043", "doi": "10.15784/600043", "keywords": "Biota; McMurdo Sound; Oceans; Phytoplankton; Ross Sea; Southern Ocean; Zooplankton", "people": "Smith, Walker; Tang, Kam", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Environmental and Ecological Regulation of Differences and Interactions between Solitary and Colonial Forms of Phaeocystis Antarctica", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/600043"}], "date_created": "Mon, 04 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Phaeocystis Antarctica is a widely distributed phytoplankton that forms dense blooms and aggregates in the Southern Ocean. This phytoplankton and plays important roles in polar ecology and biogeochemistry, in part because it is a dominant primary producer, a main component of organic matter vertical fluxes, and the principal producer of volatile organic sulfur in the region. Yet P. Antarctica is also one of the lesser known species in terms of its physiology, life history and trophic relationships with other organisms; furthermore, information collected on other Phaeocystis species and from different locations may not be applicable to P. Antarctica in the Ross Sea. P. Antarctica occurs mainly as two morphotypes: solitary cells and mucilaginous colonies, which differ significantly in size, architecture and chemical composition. Relative dominance between solitary cells and colonies determines not only the size spectrum of the population, but also its carbon dynamics, nutrient uptake and utilization. Conventional thinking of the planktonic trophic processes is also challenged by the fact that colony formation could effectively alter the predator-prey interactions and interspecific competition. However, the factors that regulate the differences between solitary and colonial forms of P. Antarctica are not well-understood. The research objective of this proposal is therefore to address these over-arching questions:\u003cbr/\u003eo Do P. Antarctica solitary cells and colonies differ in growth, composition and\u003cbr/\u003ephotosynthetic rates?\u003cbr/\u003eo How do nutrients and grazers affect colony development and size distribution of P. \u003cbr/\u003eAntarctica?\u003cbr/\u003eo How do nutrients and grazers act synergistically to affect the long-term population\u003cbr/\u003edynamics of P. Antarctica? Experiments will be conducted in the McMurdo station with natural P. Antarctica assemblages and co-occurring grazers. Laboratory experiments will be conducted to study size-specific growth and photosynthetic rates of P. Antarctica, size-specific grazing mortality due to microzooplankton and mesozooplankton, the effects of macronutrients on the (nitrogen compounds) relative dominance of solitary cells and colonies, and the effects of micronutrient (Fe) and grazing related chemical signals on P. Antarctica colony development. Because this species is of critical importance in the Southern Ocean, and because this research will provide critical information on factors that regulate the role of P.Antarctica in food webs and biogeochemical cycles, a major gap in knowledge will be addressed. This project will train two marine science PhD students. The investigators will also collaborate with the School of Education and a marine science museum to communicate polar science to a broader audience.", "east": 166.66267, "geometry": "POINT(166.66267 -77.85067)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": -77.85067, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Tang, Kam; Smith, Walker", "platforms": "Not provided", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -77.85067, "title": "Environmental and Ecological Regulation of Differences and Interactions between Solitary and Colonial forms of Phaeocystis antarctica", "uid": "p0000214", "west": 166.66267}, {"awards": "0338260 Chin, Yu-Ping; 0338342 Foreman, Christine", "bounds_geometry": "POINT(166.167 -77.55)", "dataset_titles": "Biogeochemistry of Dissolved Organic Matter in Pony Lake, Ross Island", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "600168", "doi": "10.15784/600168", "keywords": "Antarctica; Chemistry:fluid; Chemistry:Fluid; Critical Zone; Ross Island; Sample/collection Description; Sample/Collection Description; Water Samples", "people": "Foreman, Christine; Chin, Yu-Ping", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Biogeochemistry of Dissolved Organic Matter in Pony Lake, Ross Island", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/600168"}], "date_created": "Mon, 16 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is a significant chemical component in aquatic systems because it acts as an important carbon source for microorganisms, absorbs harmful radiation in sunlight, is able to complex metals, and can participate in important biogeochemical reactions. This study will investigate the biogeochemical cycling of DOM in a small coastal Antarctic pond, Pony Lake, located on Cape Royds, Ross Island. Because there are no higher plants present at this site all of the DOM in this lake is derived from microorganisms. Thus, Pony Lake is an ideal site to study the effect of physical, chemical, and microbial processes on the composition and character of the DOM pool. Finally, Pony Lake is also an ideal site to collect an International Humic Substances Society (IHSS) fulvic acid standard. Unlike other IHSS standards, this standard will not contain DOM components derived from higher land plants. To better understand the role of physical influences, the project will study the changes in the DOM pool as the lake evolves from ice-covered to ice-free conditions during the summer, as well as the relationship of DOM to the observed turnover of dominant microbial communities in the lake. Scientists will also monitor changes in microbial abundance, diversity, and productivity that may occur during the ice to open-water transition period. This research will provide much needed information regarding the relationship between microbial diversity and DOM biogeochemistry. Middle school science students will be active participants in this project through the Internet, while scientists are in the field, and in the lab.", "east": 166.167, "geometry": "POINT(166.167 -77.55)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Not provided; FIELD SURVEYS", "locations": null, "north": -77.55, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems; Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Foreman, Christine; Chin, Yu-Ping", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD SURVEYS; Not provided", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -77.55, "title": "Collaborative Research: Biogeochemistry of Dissolved Organic Matter in Pony Lake, Ross Island", "uid": "p0000548", "west": 166.167}, {"awards": "0126270 Doran, Peter", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Mon, 05 Feb 2007 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Polar Programs, provides funds for a study of sediment cores from the McMurdo Dry Valley lakes. The Dry Valley lakes have a long history of fluctuating levels reflecting regional climate change. The history of lake level fluctuations is generally known from the LGM to early Holocene through 14C dates of buried organic matter in paleolake deposits. However, the youngest paleolake deposits available are between 8000 to 9000 14C yr BP, suggesting that lake levels were at or below current levels for much of the Holocene. Thus, any information about the lake history and climate controls for the Holocene is largely contained in bottom sediments. This project will attempt to extract paleoclimatic information from sediment cores for a series of closed-basin dry valley lakes under study by the McMurdo LTER site. This work involves multiple approaches to dating the sediments and use of several climate proxy approaches to extract century to millennial scale chronologies from Antarctic lacustrine deposits. This research uses knowledge on lake processes gained over the past eight years by the LTER to calibrate climate proxies from lake sediments. Proxies for lake depth and ice thickness, which are largely controlled by summer climate, are the focus of this work. This study focuses on four key questions: 1. How sensitively do dry valley lake sediments record Holocene environmental and climate variability? 2. What is the paleoclimatic variability in the dry valleys on a century and millennial scale throughout the Holocene? Especially, is the 1200 yr evaporative event unique, or are there other such events in the record? 3. Does a mid-Holocene (7000 to 5000 yr BP) climate shift occur in the dry valleys as documented elsewhere in the polar regions? 4. Is there evidence, in the dry valley lake record of the 1500 yr Holocene periodicities recently recognized in the Taylor Dome record? Core collection will be performed with LTER support using a state-of-the-art percussion/piston corer system that has been used successfully to retrieve long cores (10 to 20 m) from other remote polar locations. Analyses to be done include algal pigments, biogenic silica, basic geochemistry, organic and inorganic carbon and nitrogen content, stable isotopes of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen, carbonate phases, salt content and mineralogy, and grain size. In addition this project will pursue a multi-chronometer approach to assess the age of the core through optically-stimulated luminescence, 226Ra/230Th , 230Th/234U, and 14C techniques. New experimentation with U-series techniques will be performed to allow for greater precision in the dry valley lake sediments. Compound specific isotopes and lipid biomarkers , which are powerful tools for inferring past lake conditions, will also be assessed. Combined, these analyses will provide a new century to millennial scale continuous record of the Holocene climate change in the Ross Sea region.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e CORERS \u003e SEDIMENT CORERS", "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": "PHANEROZOIC \u003e CENOZOIC \u003e QUATERNARY", "persons": "Doran, Peter", "platforms": "Not provided", "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Paleoclimate Inferred from Lake Sediment Cores in Taylor Valley, Antarctica", "uid": "p0000092", "west": null}]
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Project Title/Abstract/Map | NSF Award(s) | Date Created | PIs / Scientists | Dataset Links and Repositories | Abstract | Bounds Geometry | Geometry | Selected | Visible | |||||||||
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Fe Behavior and Bioavailability in Sub-aerial Runoff into the Ross Sea
|
1841228 |
2024-10-16 | Lyons, W. Berry; Gardner, Christopher B. | Phytoplankton, or microscopic marine algae, are an important part of the carbon cycle and can lower the rates of atmospheric carbon dioxide by transferring the atmospheric carbon into the oceans. The concentration of phytoplankton in the Southern Ocean is regularly limited by the availability of marine iron. This in turn influences the rate of carbon transfer from the atmosphere to the ocean. The primary source of iron in the Southern Ocean is eroded continental rock. Understanding the current and future sources of iron to the Southern Ocean as a result of increased melting of terrestrial glaciers is necessary for predicting future concentrations of Southern Ocean phytoplankton and the subsequent influence on the carbon cycle. A poorly understood source of iron to the Southern Ocean is stream input from ice-free regions such as the McMurdo Dry Valleys in Antarctica. This source of iron is likely to become larger if glaciers retreat. This study investigates the sources and amount of iron transported by McMurdo Dry Valley streams directly into the Southern Ocean. Because not all forms of iron can be used by phytoplankton, experiments will be performed to determine how available iron is to phytoplankton and how iron mixes with seawater. Immersive 360-degree video, infographics, and educational videos of findings from this project will be shared on social media, at schools and science events, and in an urban science center. In the Southern Ocean (SO) there is an excess of macronutrients but regional primary production is limited or co-limited due to iron. An addition of iron to the ocean will affect biochemical cycles, increase primary production, and affect the structure and composition of phytoplankton communities in the SO. Iron flux to the SO is globally significant, as increased Fe fertilization leads to increased carbon sequestration which acts as a negative feedback to increased atmospheric pCO2. One source of potentially bioavailable iron to the coastal regions of the SO is from direct sub-aerial stream discharge in ice-free areas of Antarctica, a source that may become more important if terrestrial glaciers retreat. It is imperative to understand the source, nature, potential fate, and flux of iron to the SO if better predictive models for the carbon cycle and atmospheric chemistry are to be developed. This project will investigate in-stream processes and characteristics controlling dissolved iron draining into the Ross Sea including photoreduction, temperature, and complexation with organic matter. The novel study will quantify bioavailability of particulate iron and bioavailability of dissolved iron in Antarctic in streams draining into the SO. On-site speciation measurements will be performed on dissolved iron species, particulate iron speciation will be determined using high-resolution spectroscopy, mixing experiments will be performed with coastal marine water, and the bioavailability of Fe will be determined through marine bioassays. This project will provide two students with valuable Antarctic field experience and reach thousands of individuals through existing partnerships with K-12 schools, public STEM events, an urban science center, and a strong social media presence. 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. | POLYGON((163.37428 -77.558627,163.3922735 -77.558627,163.410267 -77.558627,163.4282605 -77.558627,163.446254 -77.558627,163.4642475 -77.558627,163.482241 -77.558627,163.5002345 -77.558627,163.518228 -77.558627,163.5362215 -77.558627,163.554215 -77.558627,163.554215 -77.56397510000001,163.554215 -77.5693232,163.554215 -77.5746713,163.554215 -77.5800194,163.554215 -77.5853675,163.554215 -77.59071560000001,163.554215 -77.5960637,163.554215 -77.60141180000001,163.554215 -77.6067599,163.554215 -77.612108,163.5362215 -77.612108,163.518228 -77.612108,163.5002345 -77.612108,163.482241 -77.612108,163.4642475 -77.612108,163.446254 -77.612108,163.4282605 -77.612108,163.410267 -77.612108,163.3922735 -77.612108,163.37428 -77.612108,163.37428 -77.6067599,163.37428 -77.60141180000001,163.37428 -77.5960637,163.37428 -77.59071560000001,163.37428 -77.5853675,163.37428 -77.5800194,163.37428 -77.5746713,163.37428 -77.5693232,163.37428 -77.56397510000001,163.37428 -77.558627)) | POINT(163.4642475 -77.5853675) | false | false | ||||||||||
Projecting the Biological Carbon Pump and Climate Feedback in the Rapidly Changing West Antarctic Peninsula: A Hybrid Modeling Study
|
2332062 |
2024-08-05 | Kim, Heather | No dataset link provided | The West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) is experiencing significant environmental changes, including warming temperatures, reduced sea ice, and glacier retreat. These changes could impact marine ecosystems and biological and chemical processes, particularly the biological pump, which is the process by which carbon is transported from the ocean surface to the deep sea, playing a crucial role in regulating atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. This project aims to understand how climate change affects the biological pump in the WAP region. Using a combination of advanced modeling techniques and data from long-term research programs, the project will investigate the processes governing the biological pump and its climate feedback. The findings will provide insights into the future dynamics of the WAP region and contribute to our understanding of climate change impacts on polar marine ecosystems. This research is important as it will enhance knowledge of how polar regions respond to climate change, which is vital for predicting global climate patterns and informing conservation efforts. Furthermore, the project supports the development of early-career researchers and promotes diversity in science through collaborations with educational programs and outreach to underrepresented communities. This project focuses on the WAP, a region undergoing rapid environmental changes. The goal is to investigate and quantify the factors controlling the biological pump and its feedback to climate change and variability. A novel hybrid modeling framework will be developed, integrating observational data from the Palmer Long-Term Ecological Research program and the Rothera Oceanographic and Biological Time-Series into a sophisticated one-dimensional mechanistic biogeochemical model. This framework will utilize Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning techniques for data assimilation and parameter optimization. By incorporating complementary datasets and optimizing model parameters, the project aims to reduce uncertainties in modeling biological pump processes. The study will also use climate scenarios from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 to assess the impacts of future climate conditions on the biological pump. Additionally, the project will examine the role of vertical mixing of dissolved organic matter in total export production, providing a comprehensive understanding of the WAP carbon cycle. The outcomes will improve temporal resolution and data assimilation, advancing the mechanistic understanding of the interplay between ocean dynamics and biogeochemical processes in the changing polar environment. The project will also leverage unique datasets and make the model framework and source codes publicly available, facilitating collaboration and benefiting the broader scientific community. Outreach efforts include engaging with educational programs and promoting diversity in Polar Science through collaborations with institutions serving underrepresented groups. 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. | POLYGON((-80 -59,-76.8 -59,-73.6 -59,-70.4 -59,-67.2 -59,-64 -59,-60.8 -59,-57.599999999999994 -59,-54.4 -59,-51.2 -59,-48 -59,-48 -60.6,-48 -62.2,-48 -63.8,-48 -65.4,-48 -67,-48 -68.6,-48 -70.2,-48 -71.8,-48 -73.4,-48 -75,-51.2 -75,-54.4 -75,-57.6 -75,-60.8 -75,-64 -75,-67.2 -75,-70.4 -75,-73.6 -75,-76.8 -75,-80 -75,-80 -73.4,-80 -71.8,-80 -70.2,-80 -68.6,-80 -67,-80 -65.4,-80 -63.8,-80 -62.2,-80 -60.6,-80 -59)) | POINT(-64 -67) | false | false | |||||||||
RAPID: Is Biomass Mobilization at Ice-covered Lake Fryxell, Antarctica reaching a Critical Threshold?
|
2336354 |
2024-07-05 | Juarez Rivera, Marisol |
|
Perennially ice-covered lakes in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica contain abundant microbial mats, and the export of this mat material can fertilize the surrounding polar desert ecosystems. These desert soils are one of the most organic-poor on earth yet host a community of microorganisms. Microbial mat material is exported from the shallow, gas-supersaturated regions of the lakes when gas bubbles form in the mats, lifting them to the ice cover; the perennial ice cover maintains gas supersaturation. These mats freeze in and are exported to the surrounding soils through ice ablation. The largest seasonal decrease and thinnest ice cover in the history of Lake Fryxell was recorded during the 2022-2023 Austral summer. In this thin ice year, the water column dissolved oxygen increased over prior observations, and the lake bottom surface area with bubble-disrupted mat was more than double that observed in 1980-1981 and 2006-2007. This work will constrain mat mobilization within and out of Lake Fryxell in the McMurdo Dry Valleys during a period of unprecedented ice thinning to understand how future changing regional climate and predicted seasonal loss of lake ice cover will affect nutrient transport in the McMurdo Dry Valleys. Exceptional years of mat export are hypothesized to have the most significant impact on nutrient export to soil communities; variability in mat liftoff may thus play a role in the McMurdo Dry Valleys ecosystem response to changing climate. The perennial ice cover of lakes in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica modulates the transfer of gasses, organic and inorganic material, between the lakes and surrounding soils. The export of biomass in these lakes is driven by the supersaturation of atmospheric gasses in the shallow regions under perennial ice cover. Gas bubbles nucleate in the mats, producing buoyancy that lifts them to the bottom of the ice, where they freeze in and are exported to the surrounding soils through ice ablation. These mats represent a significant source of biomass and nutrients to the McMurdo Dry Valleys soils, which are among the most organic-poor on earth. Nevertheless, this biomass remains unaccounted for in organic carbon cycling models for the McMurdo Dry Valleys. Ice cover data from the McMurdo Dry Valleys Long Term Ecological Research Project shows that the ice thickness has undergone cyclical variation over the last 40 years, reaching the largest seasonal decrease and thinnest ice-cover in the recorded history of Lake Fryxell during the 2022-2023 austral summer. Preliminary work shows that the surface area with mat liftoff at Lake Fryxell is more than double that observed in 1980-1981 and 2006-2007, coinciding with this unprecedented thinning of the ice-cover and an increase in the water column dissolved O2. This research will constrain biomass mobilization within and out of Lake Fryxell in the McMurdo Dry Valleys during a period of unprecedented ice thinning. The researchers hypothesize that a thinner ice cover promotes more biomass mobilization by 1) stimulating additional production of gas bubbles from the existing gas-supersaturated waters during summertime photosynthesis to create microbial mat liftoff and 2) promoting mat liftoff in deeper, thicker microbial mats, and 3) that this biomass can be traced into the soils by characterizing its chemistry and modeling the most likely depositional settings. This work will use microbial mat samples, lake dissolved oxygen and photosynthetically active radiation data and underwater drone footage documenting the depth distribution of liftoff mats in January 2023, and long-term ice cover thickness, photosynthetically active radiation, and lake level change data collected by the McMurdo Dry Valleys Long Term Ecological Research Project to test hypotheses 1-3. The dispersal of the liftoff mat exposed at Lake Fryxell surface will be modeled using a Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model. Exceptional liftoff years like the present are hypothesized to have the most significant impact on the soil communities as the rates of soil respiration increase with the addition of carbon. However, continued warming in the next 10 - 40 years may result in seasonal loss of the ice cover and cessation of liftoff mat export. 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. | POLYGON((160 -76.5,160.45 -76.5,160.9 -76.5,161.35 -76.5,161.8 -76.5,162.25 -76.5,162.7 -76.5,163.15 -76.5,163.6 -76.5,164.05 -76.5,164.5 -76.5,164.5 -76.7,164.5 -76.9,164.5 -77.1,164.5 -77.3,164.5 -77.5,164.5 -77.7,164.5 -77.9,164.5 -78.1,164.5 -78.3,164.5 -78.5,164.05 -78.5,163.6 -78.5,163.15 -78.5,162.7 -78.5,162.25 -78.5,161.8 -78.5,161.35 -78.5,160.9 -78.5,160.45 -78.5,160 -78.5,160 -78.3,160 -78.1,160 -77.9,160 -77.7,160 -77.5,160 -77.3,160 -77.1,160 -76.9,160 -76.7,160 -76.5)) | POINT(162.25 -77.5) | false | false | |||||||||
EAGER: Pedogenic Carbonates Record Insolation Driven Surface Melting in Antarctica
|
2423761 |
2024-05-14 | Blackburn, Terrence |
|
Non-technical abstract Earth’s climatic changes have been recorded in the ice core collected from the Antarctic ice sheet. While these records provide a high resolution view of how polar temperatures changed through time, it is not always clear what Earth process influence Antarctic climate. One likely contributor to Antarctic temperature changes is the cyclic changes in Earth’s orientation as it orbits the sun. These so-called Milankovitch cycles control the amount and pattern of sunlight reaching the polar regions, that in turn result in periods of climatic warming or cooling. While the orbital variations and control on incoming solar energy remain well understood, how they influence Antarctic climate remains unresolved. It is the goal of this project to determine how variations in Earth’s orbit may be locally influencing Antarctic temperatures. The researchers on this project are pursing this goal by identifying periods of past ice melting on the surface of Antarctica using minerals that precipitate from the meltwaters that resulted from past warm periods. The timing of this past melting will be determined by radioisotopic dating of the minerals using the natural radioactive decay of uranium to thorium. By dating numerous samples, collected in past scientific expeditions throughout the Antarctic continent, these researchers aim to reconstruct the frequency and spatial pattern of past warming and in doing so, determine what aspect of Earth’s orbital variations influences Antarctic ice loss. Technical abstract Antarctic ice cores provide high resolution records of Pleistocene Southern Hemisphere temperatures that show an overall coherence with Northern Hemisphere temperature variations. One explanation for this bi-hemispheric temperature covariance relies on changes in atmospheric CO2 that result from varying northern hemisphere insolation. An alternative posits that the apparent coherence of polar temperatures is due to the misleading covariance between northern hemisphere summer insolation and, the southern hemisphere summer duration. At present there is an insufficient understanding of the role that local insolation plays in Antarctic climate. The goal of this research project is to identify the temporal spatial patterns of solar forcing in Antarctica. To reach this goal, the project team will: 1) develop a way to identify periods of past surface melt production in Antarctica using U-Th dating of pedogenic carbonates; and 2) utilize the evidence of past surface melting to calibrate energy balance models and interrogate past Antarctic surface temperatures and; 3) compare the timing of Antarctic warm periods to potential solar forcing mechanisms such as peak summer insolation or summer duration. A means of identifying the spatial and temporal pattern at which local insolation influences Antarctic temperature would provide a transformative solution to the contradiction in current climate records. 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. | 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)) | POINT(0 -89.999) | false | false | |||||||||
Collaborative Research: BoCP-Design: Climate change alteration of soils functional biodiversity of the Páramos, Colombia
|
2325922 |
2024-02-06 | Couradeau, Estelle; Maximova, Siela; Machado, Jose Luis | No dataset link provided | Páramos are high-altitude tundra ecosystems nested at the heart of the Andes mountains. These cold and humid environments are home to a multitude of plants, animals, and insects. Páramos are a critical water source for downstream urban centers, including Colombia's capital city, Bogota. Additionally, the Páramos soils contain substantial organic carbon reserves due to slow rates of organic matter decomposition. Beyond being a pool of carbon sequestered away from the atmosphere, this large reservoir of organic matter controls the soils’ hydraulic and fertility properties. The Páramos’ unique geographic location, at an elevation above 2,800 m above sea level, makes them highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. In fact, these ecosystems’ surface areas are projected to shrink by half within the next 50 years possibly causing loss of the essential services they provide. This project aims to characterize the microbial diversity in the Páramos soils in Colombia and investigate how climate change will affect microbes’ functions. The research is of high importance, considering that immediate and long-term changes in microbial metabolism could impact the ability of Páramos soils to store organic carbon and regulate downstream water flow. To study the cascading effect of climate change on Páramos ecosystems, this project will jumpstart collaborations among transdisciplinary experts that will integrate the research of below-ground microbial communities with above-ground vegetation functions. The project will also engage high school and undergraduate students that will work together to develop and deploy low-cost long-term soil monitoring data loggers in Chingaza National Natural Park, near the city of Bogota. This project will address the critical need to disentangle the effect of moisture and temperature on the fate of organic carbon in Páramos soils while building a transdisciplinary team capable of expanding the scope of the research to an ecosystem level. The project includes establishing controlled soil mesocosms that will allow to independently vary moisture and temperature levels. Additionally, functions of the soil microbiome will be investigated using metagenomics and amplicon sequencing, and probes will be deployed to initiate long-term monitoring of the soil response to climate change in situ. This project will culminate in the organization of an international Páramos symposium that will set up priorities for future systems research. The symposium will bring together scientists from diverse fields to discuss the linkages between above-ground and below-ground ecosystem functions and plan future collaborations in predicting Páramos-wide effects of climate change. 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. | POLYGON((-73.783 4.679,-73.7827 4.679,-73.7824 4.679,-73.7821 4.679,-73.7818 4.679,-73.7815 4.679,-73.7812 4.679,-73.7809 4.679,-73.7806 4.679,-73.7803 4.679,-73.78 4.679,-73.78 4.6789,-73.78 4.6788,-73.78 4.6787,-73.78 4.6786,-73.78 4.6785,-73.78 4.6784,-73.78 4.6783,-73.78 4.6782,-73.78 4.6781,-73.78 4.678,-73.7803 4.678,-73.7806 4.678,-73.7809 4.678,-73.7812 4.678,-73.7815 4.678,-73.7818 4.678,-73.7821 4.678,-73.7824 4.678,-73.7827 4.678,-73.783 4.678,-73.783 4.6781,-73.783 4.6782,-73.783 4.6783,-73.783 4.6784,-73.783 4.6785,-73.783 4.6786,-73.783 4.6787,-73.783 4.6788,-73.783 4.6789,-73.783 4.679)) | POINT(-73.7815 4.6785) | false | false | |||||||||
CAREER: Experimentally Testing the Role of Sympagic Algae in Sea-ice Environments using a Laboratory Scale Ice-tank.
|
2142491 |
2023-07-26 | Young, Jodi | No dataset link provided | Sea ice in Antarctic coastal waters shape ecosystems, both in the surface waters and at the bottom of the ocean, environments that depend on algae living in sea ice for their productivity. With high variability in sea ice formation and melt between years and as a response to climate change, it is of importance to obtain better understanding of the interaction of sea ice with algae, as well as provide better data for global climate models. This project will accomplish those goals by measuring phytoplankton growth and cellular properties in sea ice with experiments performed using an ice tank. Laboratory experiments will be based on previous observations in the Antarctic Peninsula coastal waters, providing realistic conditions to emulate. The scientific importance of the proposed work aligns with the National Science Foundation goals to understand the biological and chemical properties of sea ice bio-geo-chemistry and its feedbacks with seasonal sea ice dynamics and climate. The finding from this project will be of interest to a broad scientific community, including oceanographers, biologists, chemists, and ecosystem and ocean modelers. To address the scarcity of data on sea ice microbes that limits our ability to predict future Antarctic climate with accuracy, the principal investigator will develop an Antarctic Science Minor in order to train future scientists with an environmental perspective and prepare the future US workforce with a strong scientific background on Earth and Biological Sciences. There is a paucity of data to understand the processes underlying observed patters in sea ice quality and their interaction with the sea-ice microbial community. This project will provide a mechanistic understanding of primary production and physiology of sympagic algae over the seasonal cycle of formation and melt of Antarctic sea ice. Although sea ice is central to the Antarctic coastal ecosystems, little is known of how they affect, and are in turn affected, by sea-ice algae. This project concentrates on first-year sea ice, forming and melting each year, creating unique and very dynamic habitats. The study will be structured by 4 main objectives: 1) how different algal species adapt to the seasonal changes in sea ice conditions, 2) how different methods to measure primary production (carbon dioxide drawdown, oxygen production and variable fluorescence) relate in sea ice and differ from sea water measurements, 3) how sympagic algae influence the physical structure of sea ice, 4) how sympagic algae contribute to organic matter cycling during ice melt. Due to expected changes in sea ice due to climate change, this study is uniquely positioned to provide needed data on short-term and seasonal processes. Results from this study will be useful to refine models of algal production in Antarctic and Arctic ecosystems, data not available to date as sea ice and its biogeochemistry are often poorly represented in earth system models. This project will also provide education for graduate and undergraduate students as well as material to develop class curriculum for middle-school students. 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. | 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)) | POINT(0 -89.999) | false | false | |||||||||
Collaborative Research: ANT LIA: Connecting Metagenome Potential to Microbial Function: Investigating Microbial Degradation of Complex Organic Matter Antarctic Benthic Sediments
|
2147045 |
2022-08-30 | Learman, Deric |
|
Microbes in Antarctic surface marine sediments have an important role in degrading organic matter and releasing nutrients to the ocean. Organic matter degradation is at the center of the carbon cycle in the ocean, providing valuable information on nutrient recycling, food availability to animals and carbon dioxide release to the atmosphere. The functionality of these microbes has been inferred by their genomics, however these methods only address the possible function, not their actual rates. In this project the PIs plan to combine genomics methods with cellular estimates of enzyme abundance and activity as a way to determine the rates of carbon degradation. This project aims to sample in several regions of Antarctica to provide a large-scale picture of the processes under study and understand the importance of microbial community composition and environmental factors, such as primary productivity, have on microbial activity. The proposed work will combine research tools such as metagenomics, meta-transcriptomics, and metabolomics coupled with chemical data and enzyme assays to establish degradation of organic matter in Antarctic sediments. This project benefits NSFs goals of understanding the adaptation of Antarctic organisms to the cold and isolated environment, critical to predict effects of climate change to polar organisms, as well as contribute to our knowledge of how Antarctic organisms have adapted to this environment. Society will benefit from this project by education of 2 graduate students, undergraduates and K-12 students as well as increase public literacy through short videos production shared in YouTube. The PIs propose to advance understanding of polar microbial community function, by measuring enzyme and gene function of complex organic matter degradation in several ocean regions, providing a circum-Antarctic description of sediment processes. Two hypotheses are proposed. The first hypothesis states that many genes for the degradation of complex organic matter will be shared in sediments throughout a sampling transect and that where variations in gene content occur, it will reflect differences in the quantity and quality of organic matter, not regional variability. The second hypothesis states that a fraction of gene transcripts for organic matter degradation will not result in measurable enzyme activity due to post-translational modification or rapid degradation of the enzymes. The PIs will analyze sediment cores already collected in a 2020 cruise to the western Antarctic Peninsula with the additional request of participating in a cruise in 2023 to East Antarctica. The PIs will analyze sediments for metagenomics, meta-transcriptomics, and metabolomics coupled with geochemical data and enzyme assays to establish microbial degradation of complex organic matter in Antarctic sediments. Organic carbon concentrations and content in sediments will be measured with δ13C, δ15N, TOC porewater fluorescence in bulk organic carbon. Combined with determination of geographical variability as well as dependence on carbon sources, results from this study could provide the basis for new hypotheses on how climate variability, with increased water temperature, affects geochemistry in the Southern Ocean. 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. | POLYGON((-180 -60,-168 -60,-156 -60,-144 -60,-132 -60,-120 -60,-108 -60,-96 -60,-84 -60,-72 -60,-60 -60,-60 -62,-60 -64,-60 -66,-60 -68,-60 -70,-60 -72,-60 -74,-60 -76,-60 -78,-60 -80,-72 -80,-84 -80,-96 -80,-108 -80,-120 -80,-132 -80,-144 -80,-156 -80,-168 -80,180 -80,171 -80,162 -80,153 -80,144 -80,135 -80,126 -80,117 -80,108 -80,99 -80,90 -80,90 -78,90 -76,90 -74,90 -72,90 -70,90 -68,90 -66,90 -64,90 -62,90 -60,99 -60,108 -60,117 -60,126 -60,135 -60,144 -60,153 -60,162 -60,171 -60,-180 -60)) | POINT(-165 -70) | false | false | |||||||||
Collaborative Research: ANDRILL - - Investigating Antarcticas Role in Cenozoic Global Environmental Change
|
0342484 |
2022-02-04 | Harwood, David; Levy, Richard |
|
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. | POINT(167.083333 -77.888889) | POINT(167.083333 -77.888889) | false | false | |||||||||
EAGER: Refining glacial lake history in Taylor Valley, East Antarctica with alternative geochronometers
|
1946326 |
2022-01-31 | Doran, Peter | Correlating ecosystem responses to past climate forcing is highly dependent on the use of reliable techniques for establishing the age of events (dating techniques). In Antarctic dry regions (land areas without glaciers), carbon-14 dating has been used to assess the ages of organic deposits left behind by ancient lakes. However, the reliability of the ages is debatable because of possible contamination with "old carbon" from the surrounding landscape. The proposed research will attempt to establish two alternate dating techniques, in situ carbon-14 cosmogenic radionuclide exposure dating and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), as reliable alternate dating methods for lake history in Antarctic dry areas that are not contaminated by the old carbon. The end goal will be to increase scientific understanding of lake level fluctuation in the lakes of Taylor Valley, Antarctica so that inference about past climate, glacier, and ecosystem response can be inferred. The results of this study will provide a coarse-scale absolute chronology for lake level history in Taylor Valley, demonstrate that exposure dating and OSL are effective means to understand the physical dynamics of ancient water bodies, and increase the current understanding of polar lacustrine and ice sheet responses to past and present climatic changes. These chronologies will allow polar lake level fluctuations to be correlated with past changes in global and regional climate, providing information critical for understanding and modeling the physical responses of these environments to modern change. This research supports a PhD student; the student will highlight this work with grade school classes in the United States. This research aims to establish in situ carbon-14 exposure dating and OSL as reliable alternate (to carbon-14 of organic lake deposits) geochronometers that can be used to settle the long-disputed lacustrine history and chronology of Taylor Valley, Antarctica and elsewhere. Improved lake level history will have significant impacts for the McMurdo Dry Valleys Long Term Ecological Research (MCM LTER) site as the legacy of fluctuating lake levels of the past affects the distribution of organic matter and nutrients, and impacts biological connectivity valley-wide. This work will provide insight into the carbon reservoir of large glacial lakes in the late Holocene and have implications for previously reported radiocarbon chronologies. OSL samples will be analyzed in the Desert Research Institute Luminescence Laboratory in Reno, NV. For the in situ carbon-14 work, rock samples extracted from boulders and bedrock surfaces will be prepared at Tulane University. The prepared in situ carbon-14 samples will be analyzed at the National Ocean Sciences Accelerator Mass Spectrometry laboratory in Woods Hole, MA. The two datasets will be combined to produce a reliable, coarse scale chronology for late Quaternary lake level fluctuations in Taylor Valley. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria. | POLYGON((161 -77.4,161.3 -77.4,161.6 -77.4,161.9 -77.4,162.2 -77.4,162.5 -77.4,162.8 -77.4,163.1 -77.4,163.4 -77.4,163.7 -77.4,164 -77.4,164 -77.46,164 -77.52,164 -77.58,164 -77.64,164 -77.7,164 -77.76,164 -77.82,164 -77.88,164 -77.94,164 -78,163.7 -78,163.4 -78,163.1 -78,162.8 -78,162.5 -78,162.2 -78,161.9 -78,161.6 -78,161.3 -78,161 -78,161 -77.94,161 -77.88,161 -77.82,161 -77.76,161 -77.7,161 -77.64,161 -77.58,161 -77.52,161 -77.46,161 -77.4)) | POINT(162.5 -77.7) | false | false | ||||||||||
Linking Antarctic Cold Desert Groundwater to Thermokarst & Chemical Weathering in Partnership with the Geoscience UAV Academy
|
1847067 |
2021-12-24 | Levy, Joseph |
|
Antarctic groundwater drives the regional carbon cycle and can accelerate permafrost thaw shaping Antarctic surface features. However, groundwater extent, flow, and processes on a continent virtually locked in ice are poorly understood. The proposed work investigates the interplay between groundwater, sediment, and ice in Antarctica's cold desert landscape to determine when, where, and why Antarctic groundwater is flowing, and how it may evolve Antarctic frozen deserts from dry and stable to wet and dynamic. Mapping the changing extent of Antarctic near-surface groundwater requires the ability to measure soil moisture rapidly and repeatedly over large areas. The research will capture changes in near-surface groundwater distribution through an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) mapping approach. The project integrates a diverse range of sensors with new UAV technologies to provide a higher-resolution and more frequent assessment of Antarctic groundwater extent and composition than can be accomplished using satellite observations alone. To complement the research objectives, the PI will develop a new UAV summer field school, the Geosciences UAV Academy, focused on training undergraduate-level UAV pilots in conducting novel earth sciences research using cutting edge imaging tools. The integration of research and technology will prepare students for careers in UAV-related industries and research. The project will deliver new UAV tools and workflows for soil moisture mapping relevant to arid regions including Antarctica as well as temperate desert and dryland systems and will train student research pilots to tackle next generation airborne challenges. Water tracks are the basic hydrological unit that currently feeds the rapidly-changing permafrost and wetlands in the Antarctic McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV). Despite the importance of water tracks in the MDV hydrologic cycle and their influence on biogeochemistry, little is known about how these water tracks control the unique brine processes operating in Antarctic ice-free areas. Both groundwater availability and geochemistry shape Antarctic microbial communities, connecting soil geology and hydrology to carbon cycling and ecosystem functioning. The objectives of this CAREER proposal are to 1) map water tracks to determine the spatial distribution and seasonal magnitude of groundwater impacts on the MDV near-surface environment to determine how near-surface groundwater drives permafrost thaw and enhances chemical weathering and biogeochemical cycling; 2) establish a UAV academy training earth sciences students to answer geoscience questions using drone-based platforms and remote sensing techniques; and 3) provide a formative step in the development of the PI as a teacher-scholar. UAV-borne hyperspectral imaging complemented with field soil sampling will determine the aerial extent and timing of inundation, water level, and water budget of representative water tracks in the MDV. Soil moisture will be measured via near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy while bulk chemistry of soils and groundwater will be analyzed via ion chromatography and soil x-ray fluorescence. Sedimentological and hydrological properties will be determined via analysis of intact core samples. These data will be used to test competing hypotheses regarding the origin of water track solutions and water movement through seasonal wetlands. The work will provide a regional understanding of groundwater sources, shallow groundwater flux, and the influence of regional hydrogeology on solute export to the Southern Ocean and on soil/atmosphere linkages in earth's carbon budget. The UAV school will 1) provide comprehensive instruction at the undergraduate level in both how and why UAVs can advance geoscience research and learning; and 2) provide educational infrastructure for an eventual self-sustaining summer program for undergraduate UAV education. 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. | POLYGON((161 -76,161.35 -76,161.7 -76,162.05 -76,162.4 -76,162.75 -76,163.1 -76,163.45 -76,163.8 -76,164.15 -76,164.5 -76,164.5 -76.2,164.5 -76.4,164.5 -76.6,164.5 -76.8,164.5 -77,164.5 -77.2,164.5 -77.4,164.5 -77.6,164.5 -77.8,164.5 -78,164.15 -78,163.8 -78,163.45 -78,163.1 -78,162.75 -78,162.4 -78,162.05 -78,161.7 -78,161.35 -78,161 -78,161 -77.8,161 -77.6,161 -77.4,161 -77.2,161 -77,161 -76.8,161 -76.6,161 -76.4,161 -76.2,161 -76)) | POINT(162.75 -77) | false | false | |||||||||
West Antarctic Ice-sheet Change and Paleoceanography in the Amundsen Sea Across the Pliocene Climatic Optimum
|
2114839 |
2021-08-25 | Passchier, Sandra | The West Antarctic Ice Sheet is the most vulnerable polar ice mass to warming and already a major contributor to global mean sea level rise. Its fate in the light of prolonged warming is a topic of major uncertainty. Accelerated sea level rise from ice mass loss in the polar regions is a major concern as a cause of increased coastal flooding affecting millions of people. This project will disclose a unique geological archive buried beneath the seafloor off the Amundsen Sea, Antarctica, which will reveal how the West Antarctic Ice Sheet behaved in a warmer climate in the past. The data and insights can be used to inform ice-sheet and ocean modeling used in coastal policy development. The project will also support the development of a competitive U.S. STEM workforce. Online class exercises for introductory geology classes will provide a gateway for qualified students into undergraduate research programs and this project will enhance the participation of women in science by funding the education of current female Ph.D. students. The project targets the long-term variability of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet over several glacial-interglacial cycles in the early Pliocene sedimentary record drilled by the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 379 in the Amundsen Sea. Data collection includes 1) the sand provenance of ice-rafted debris and shelf diamictites and its sources within the Amundsen Sea and Antarctic Peninsula region; 2) sedimentary structures and sortable silt calculations from particle size records and reconstructions of current intensities and interactions; and 3) the bulk provenance of continental rise sediments compared to existing data from the Amundsen Sea shelf with investigations into downslope currents as pathways for Antarctic Bottom Water formation. The results are analyzed within a cyclostratigraphic framework of reflectance spectroscopy and colorimetry (RSC) and X-ray fluorescence scanner (XRF) data to gain insight into orbital forcing of the high-latitude processes. The early Pliocene Climatic Optimum (PCO) ~4.5-4.1 Ma spans a major warm period recognized in deep-sea stable isotope and sea-surface temperature records. This period also coincides with a global mean sea level highstand of > 20 m requiring contributions in ice mass loss from Antarctica. The following hypotheses will be tested: 1) that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet retreated from the continental shelf break through an increase in sub iceshelf melt and iceberg calving at the onset of the PCO ~4.5 Ma, and 2) that dense shelf water cascaded down through slope channels after ~4.5 Ma as the continental shelf became exposed during glacial terminations. The project will reveal for the first time how the West Antarctic Ice Sheet operated in a warmer climate state prior to the onset of the current “icehouse” period ~3.3 Ma. 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. | None | None | false | false | ||||||||||
NSFGEO-NERC: Collaborative Research: Accelerating Thwaites Ecosystem Impacts for the Southern Ocean (ARTEMIS)
|
1941304 1941308 1941483 1941327 1941292 |
2021-08-20 | Yager, Patricia; Medeiros, Patricia; Sherrell, Robert; St-Laurent, Pierre; Fitzsimmons, Jessica; Stammerjohn, Sharon | Part I: Non-technical summary: The Amundsen Sea is adjacent to the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) and hosts the most productive coastal ecosystem in all of Antarctica, with vibrant green waters visible from space and an atmospheric carbon dioxide uptake rate ten times higher than the Southern Ocean average. The region is also an area highly impacted by climate change and glacier ice loss. Upwelling of warm deep water is causing melt under the ice sheet, which is contributing to sea level rise and added nutrient inputs to the region. This is a project that is jointly funded by the National Science Foundation’s Directorate of Geosciences (NSF/GEO) and the National Environment Research Council (NERC) of the United Kingdom (UK) via the NSF/GEO-NERC Lead Agency Agreement. This Agreement allows a single joint US/UK proposal to be submitted and peer-reviewed by the Agency whose investigator has the largest proportion of the budget. Upon successful joint determination of an award, each Agency funds the proportion of the budget and the investigators associated with its own country. In this collaboration, the US team will undertake biogeochemical sampling alongside a UK-funded physical oceanographic program to evaluate the contribution of micronutrients such as iron from glacial meltwater to ecosystem productivity and carbon cycling. Measurements will be incorporated into computer simulations to examine ecosystem responses to further glacial melting. Results will help predict future impacts on the region and determine whether the climate sensitivity of the Amundsen Sea ecosystem represents the front line of processes generalizable to the greater Antarctic. This study is aligned with the large International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration (ITGC) and will make data available to the full scientific community. The program will provide training for undergraduate, graduate, post-doctoral, and early-career scientists in both science and communication. The team will also develop out-of-school science experiences for middle and high schoolers related to climate change and Antarctica. Part II: Technical summary: The Amundsen Sea hosts the most productive polynya in all of Antarctica, with atmospheric carbon dioxide uptake rates ten times higher than the Southern Ocean average. The region is vulnerable to climate change, experiencing rapid losses in sea ice, a changing icescape and some of the fastest melting glaciers flowing from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, a process being studied by the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration. The biogeochemical composition of the outflow from the glaciers surrounding the Amundsen Sea is largely unstudied. In collaboration with a UK-funded physical oceanographic program, ARTEMIS is using shipboard sampling for trace metals, carbonate system, nutrients, organic matter, and microorganisms, with biogeochemical sensors on autonomous vehicles to gather data needed to understand the impact of the melting ice sheet on both the coastal ecosystem and the regional carbon cycle. These measurements, along with access to the advanced physical oceanographic measurements will allow this team to 1) bridge the gap between biogeochemistry and physics by adding estimates of fluxes and transport of limiting micronutrients; 2) provide biogeochemical context to broaden understanding of the global significance of ocean-ice shelf interactions; 3) determine processes and scales of variability in micronutrient supply that drive the ten-fold increase in carbon dioxide uptake, and 4) identify small-scale processes key to iron and carbon cycling using optimized field sampling. Observations will be integrated into an ocean model to enhance predictive capabilities of regional ocean function. 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. | POLYGON((-120 -71,-118 -71,-116 -71,-114 -71,-112 -71,-110 -71,-108 -71,-106 -71,-104 -71,-102 -71,-100 -71,-100 -71.4,-100 -71.8,-100 -72.2,-100 -72.6,-100 -73,-100 -73.4,-100 -73.8,-100 -74.2,-100 -74.6,-100 -75,-102 -75,-104 -75,-106 -75,-108 -75,-110 -75,-112 -75,-114 -75,-116 -75,-118 -75,-120 -75,-120 -74.6,-120 -74.2,-120 -73.8,-120 -73.4,-120 -73,-120 -72.6,-120 -72.2,-120 -71.8,-120 -71.4,-120 -71)) | POINT(-110 -73) | false | false | ||||||||||
Collaborative research: The Antarctic Scallop as Key to Paleoenvironments and Sea Ice Conditions: Understanding the Modern to Predict the Past
|
1745064 1745057 1745080 |
2021-08-06 | Walker, Sally; Gillikin, David; Perez-Huerta, Alberto; Andrus, Fred | The goal of this project is to discover whether the Antarctic scallop, Adamussium colbecki, provides a guide to sea-ice conditions in nearshore Antarctica today and in the past. Scallops may grow slower and live longer in habitats where sea ice persists for many years, limited by food, compared to habitats where sea ice melts out annually. Also, the chemicals retained in the shell during growth may provide crucial habitat information related to not only changing sea-ice conditions but also the type of food, whether it is recycled from the seafloor or produced by algae blooming when sea ice has melted. Unlocking the ecological imprint captured within the shell of the Antarctic Scallop will increase our understanding of changing sea-ice conditions in Antarctica. Further, because the Antarctic scallop had relatives living at the time when the Antarctic ice sheet first appeared, the scallop shell record may contain information on the stability of the ice sheet and the history of Antarctic shallow seas. Funding will also be integral for training a new generation of geoscientists in fossil and chemical forensics related to shallow sea habitats in Antarctica. Scallops are worldwide in distribution, are integral for structuring marine communities have an extensive fossil record dating to the late Devonian, and are increasingly recognized as important paleoenvironmental proxies because they are generally well preserved in the sediment and rock record. The primary goal of this project is to assess the differences in growth, lifespan, and chemistry (stable isotopes, trace elements) archived in the shell of the Antarctic scallop that may be indicative of two ice states: persistent (multiannual) sea ice at Explorers Cove (EC) and annual sea ice (that melts out every year) at Bay of Sails (BOS), western McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. This project will investigate growth and lifespan proxies (physical and geochemical) and will use high-resolution records of stable oxygen isotopes to determine if a melt-water signal is archived in A. colbecki shells and whether that signal captures the differing ice behavior at two sites (EC versus BOS). Stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen in association with trace elements will be used to examine subannual productivity spikes indicative of phytoplankton blooms, which are predicted to be more pronounced during open ocean conditions. Small growth increments in the outer calcite layer will be assessed to determine if they represent fortnightly growth, if so, they could provide a high-resolution proxy for monthly environmental processes. Unlocking the environmental archive preserved in A. colbecki shells may prove to be an important proxy for understanding changing sea-ice conditions in Antarctica's past. Funding will support a Ph.D. student and undergraduates from multiple institutions working on independent research projects. Web content focused on Antarctic marine communities will be designed for museum outreach, reaching thousands of middle-school children each year. 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. | 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)) | POINT(0 -89.999) | false | false | ||||||||||
RAPID: Meta-genomic and Transcriptomic Investigation of Complex Organic Matter Degradation in Antarctic Benthic Sediments
|
2031442 |
2021-07-28 | Learman, Deric |
|
Western Antarctica is one of the fastest warming locations on Earth. Its changing climate will lead to an increase in sea-level and will also alter regional water temperature and chemistry. These changes will directly alter the microbes that inhabit the ecosystem. Microbes are the smallest forms of life on Earth, but they are also the most abundant. They drive cycling of essential nutrients, such as carbon and nitrogen that are found in ocean sediments. In this way they form the foundation of the food chain that supports larger and more complex life. However, we do not know much about how different communities of microbes break down sediments in Antarctica and this will influence the chemistry of those waters. This research will determine how communities of microbes on the coastal shelf of Antarctica degrade complex organic sediments using genetic and chemical data. This data will identify the species in the community, what enzymes they are producing and what chemical reactions they are driving. This research will create broader impacts as the data will be used to create in-class activities that improve a student’s data analysis and critical thinking skills. The data will be used in graduate, undergraduate and K-12 classrooms. This research will provide genetic and enzymatic insight into how microbial communities in benthic sediments on the coastal shelf of Antarctica degrade complex organic matter. The current understanding of how benthic microbial communities respond to and then degrade complex organic matter in Antarctica is fragmented. Recent work suggests benthic microbial communities are shaped by organic matter availability. However, those studies were observational and did not directly examine community function. A preliminary study of metagenomic data from western Antarctic marine sediments, indicates a genetic potential for organic matter degradation but functional data was not been collected. Other studies have examined either enzyme activity or metagenomic potential, but few have been able to directly connect the two. To address this gap in knowledge, this study will utilize metagenomics and metatranscriptomics, coupled with microcosm experiments, enzyme assays, and geochemical data. It will examine Antarctic microbial communities from the Ross Sea, the Bransfield Strait and Weddell Sea to document how the relationship between a communities’ enzymatic activity and the genes used to degrade complex organic matter is related to sediment breakdown. The data will expand our current knowledge of microbial genetic potential and provide a solid understanding of enzyme function as it relates to degradation of complex organic matter in those marine sediments. It will thereby improve our understanding of temperature change on the chemistry of Antarctic seawater. 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. | POLYGON((-180 -60,-167.5 -60,-155 -60,-142.5 -60,-130 -60,-117.5 -60,-105 -60,-92.5 -60,-80 -60,-67.5 -60,-55 -60,-55 -62,-55 -64,-55 -66,-55 -68,-55 -70,-55 -72,-55 -74,-55 -76,-55 -78,-55 -80,-67.5 -80,-80 -80,-92.5 -80,-105 -80,-117.5 -80,-130 -80,-142.5 -80,-155 -80,-167.5 -80,180 -80,178 -80,176 -80,174 -80,172 -80,170 -80,168 -80,166 -80,164 -80,162 -80,160 -80,160 -78,160 -76,160 -74,160 -72,160 -70,160 -68,160 -66,160 -64,160 -62,160 -60,162 -60,164 -60,166 -60,168 -60,170 -60,172 -60,174 -60,176 -60,178 -60,-180 -60)) | POINT(-127.5 -70) | false | false | |||||||||
COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: Orbital-scale Variability of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and the Formation of Bottom Water in the Ross Sea during the Pliocene-Pleistocene
|
2000992 |
2021-07-06 | Patterson, Molly; Ash, Jeanine; Kulhanek, Denise; Ash, Jeannie |
|
Part I: Non-technical description: Predicting how polar ice sheets will respond to future global warming is difficult because all the processes that contribute to their melting are not well understood. This is important because the more ice on land that melts, the higher sea levels will rise. The most significant uncertainty in current estimates of sea-level rise in the coming decades is the potential contribution from the Antarctic Ice Sheet. One way to increase our knowledge about how large ice sheets respond to climate change in response to natural factors is to examine the geologic past. Natural global warming (and cooling) events in Earth’s history provide examples that we can use to better understand processes, interactions, and responses we can’t directly observe today. One such time period, approximately three million years ago (known as the Pliocene), was the last time atmospheric carbon dioxide levels were as high as they are today and, therefore, represents a time period to study to better understand the ice sheet response to a warming climate. Specifically, this project is interested in understanding how ocean currents near Antarctica, which transport heat and store carbon, behaved during these past climate events. The history of past ice sheet-ocean interactions are recorded in sediments that were deposited, layer upon layer, in the deep sea offshore Antarctica. In January-February 2018, a team of scientists and crew set sail to the Ross Sea, offshore west Antarctica, on the scientific ocean drilling vessel JOIDES Resolution to recover such sediment archives. This project focuses on a sediment core from that expedition, which captures the relatively warm Pliocene time interval, as well as the subsequent transition into cooler climates typical of the past two million years. The researchers will analyze the sediment with multiple complementary measurements, including: grain size, composition, chemistry of organic matter, physical structures, microfossil type and abundance, and more. These analyses will be done by the research team, including several students, at their respective laboratories and will then integrated into a unified record of ice sheet-ocean interactions. Ultimately, the results will be used to improve modeled projections of how the Antarctic Ice Sheet could respond to future climate change. Part II: Technical description: Geological records from the Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) margin demonstrate that the ice sheet oscillated in response to orbital variations in insolation (i.e., ~400, 100, 41, and 20 kyr), and it appears to be more sensitive to specific frequencies that regulate mean annual insolation (i.e., 41-kyr obliquity), particularly when the ice sheet extends into marine environments and is impacted by ocean circulation. However, the relationship between orbital forcing and the production of Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) is unconstrained. Thus, a knowledge gap exists in understanding how changing insolation impacts ice marginal and Southern Ocean conditions that directly influence ventilation of the global ocean. The researchers hypothesize that insolation-driven changes directly affected the production and export of AABW to the Southern Ocean from the Pliocene through the Pleistocene. For example, obliquity amplification during the warmer Pliocene may have led to enhanced production and export of dense waters from the shelf due to reduced AIS extent, which, in turn, led to greater AABW outflow. To determine the relationship of AABW production to orbital regime, they plan to reconstruct both from a single, continuous record from the levee of Hillary Canyon, a major conduit of AABW outflow, on the Ross Sea continental rise. To test their hypothesis, they will analyze sediment from IODP Site U1524 (recovered in 2018 during International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 374) and focus on three data sets. (1) They will use the occurrence, frequency, and character of mm-scale turbidite beds as a proxy of dense-shelf-water cascading outflow and AABW production. They will estimate the down-slope flux via numerical modeling of turbidity current properties using morphology, grain size, and bed thickness as input parameters. (2) They will use grain-size data, physical properties, XRF core scanning, CT imaging, and hyperspectral imaging to guide lithofacies analysis to infer processes occurring during glacial, deglacial, and interglacial periods. Statistical techniques and optimization methods will be applied to test for astronomical forcing of sedimentary packages in order to provide a cyclostratigraphic framework and interpret the orbital-forcing regime. (3) They will use bulk sedimentary carbon and nitrogen abundance and isotope data to determine how relative contributions of terrigenous and marine organic matter change in response to orbital forcing. All of these data will be integrated with sedimentological records to deconvolve organic matter production from its deposition or remobilization due to AABW outflow as a function of the oscillating extent of the AIS. These data sets will be integrated into a unified chronostratigraphy to determine the relationship between AABW outflow and orbital-forcing scenarios under the varying climate regimes of the Plio-Pleistocene. 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. | POINT(-172.873074 -74.274008) | POINT(-172.873074 -74.274008) | false | false | |||||||||
Collaborative Research: Understanding the evolution of high-latitude Permo-Triassic paleoenvironments and their vertebrate communities
|
1341376 1341475 2001033 1341304 1341645 |
2021-06-29 | Sidor, Christian; Smith, Nathan; Makovicky, Peter; Tabor, Neil |
|
Around 252 million years ago, a major mass extinction wiped out upwards of 90% of species on Earth. Coincident with this extinction, the Antarctic portion of the supercontinent of Pangea transitioned to a warmer climatic regime and became devoid of glaciers. Little is known about the survivors of the extinction in Antarctica, although it has been hypothesized that the continent's high latitude location shielded it from the worst of the extinction's effects. The Shackleton Glacier region is the best place to study this extinction in Antarctica because it exposes an abundance of correct age rocks and relevant fossils were found there in the 1960s and 1980s. For this research, paleontologists will study fossil vertebrates that span from about 260 to 240 million years ago to understand how life evolved at high latitudes in the face of massive climate change. In addition, geologists will use fossil soils and fossil plant matter to more precisely reconstruct the climate of Antarctica across this extinction boundary. These data will allow for a more complete understanding of ancient climates and how Antarctic life compared to that at lower latitudes. Undergraduate and graduate students will be actively involved in this research. Public engagement in Antarctic science will be accomplished at several natural history museums. This three-year project will examine the evolution of Permo-Triassic paleoenvironments and their vertebrate communities by conducting fieldwork in the Shackleton Glacier region of Antarctica. The team will characterize the Permo-Triassic boundary within Shackleton area strata and correlate it to other stratigraphic successions in the region (e.g. via stable carbon isotope stratigraphy of fossilized plant organic matter). The researchers will use multiple types of data to assess the paleoenvironment, including: 1) paleosol morphology; 2) paleosol geochemistry; 3) pedogenic organic matter; and 4) fossil wood chronology and stable isotopes. The Fremouw Formation of Antarctica preserves the highest paleolatitude (~70° S) tetrapod fauna of the entire Triassic and thus has the potential to shed important light on the evolution of polar life during the early Mesozoic. The biology of Triassic vertebrates from Antarctica will be compared to conspecifics from lower paleolatitudes through analysis of growth in bone and tusk histology. An interdisciplinary approach will be used to address relationships between environmental change, faunal composition, and biogeographic patterns in the context of the high-latitude strata preserved in the Buckley and Fremouw formations in the Shackleton Glacier region. | POLYGON((-180 -84,-178 -84,-176 -84,-174 -84,-172 -84,-170 -84,-168 -84,-166 -84,-164 -84,-162 -84,-160 -84,-160 -84.3,-160 -84.6,-160 -84.9,-160 -85.2,-160 -85.5,-160 -85.8,-160 -86.1,-160 -86.4,-160 -86.7,-160 -87,-162 -87,-164 -87,-166 -87,-168 -87,-170 -87,-172 -87,-174 -87,-176 -87,-178 -87,180 -87,178.5 -87,177 -87,175.5 -87,174 -87,172.5 -87,171 -87,169.5 -87,168 -87,166.5 -87,165 -87,165 -86.7,165 -86.4,165 -86.1,165 -85.8,165 -85.5,165 -85.2,165 -84.9,165 -84.6,165 -84.3,165 -84,166.5 -84,168 -84,169.5 -84,171 -84,172.5 -84,174 -84,175.5 -84,177 -84,178.5 -84,-180 -84)) | POINT(-177.5 -85.5) | false | false | |||||||||
Collaborative Research: Reconstructing East Antarctica’s Past Response to Climate using Subglacial Precipitates
|
2045611 2042495 |
2021-06-18 | Blackburn, Terrence; Tulaczyk, Slawek; Hain, Mathis; Rasbury, Troy | Over the past century, climate science has constructed an extensive record of Earth’s ice age cycles through the chemical and isotopic characterization of various geologic archives such as polar ice cores, deep-ocean sediments, and cave speleothems. These climatic archives provide an insightful picture of ice age cycles and of the related large global sea level fluctuations triggered by these significant climate rhythms. However, such records still provide limited insight as to how or which of Earth’s ice sheets contributed to higher sea levels during past warm climate periods. This is of particular importance for our modern world: the Antarctic ice sheet is currently the world’s largest freshwater reservoir, which, if completely melted, would raise the global sea level by over 60 meters (200 feet). Yet, geologic records of Antarctic ice sheet sensitivity to warm climates are particularly limited and difficult to obtain, because the direct records of ice sheet geometry smaller than the modern one are still buried beneath the mile-thick ice covering the continent. Therefore, it remains unclear how much this ice sheet contributed to past sea level rise during warm climate periods or how it will respond to the anticipated near-future climate warming. In the proposed research we seek to develop sub-ice chemical precipitates—minerals that form in lakes found beneath the ice sheet—as a climatic archive, one that records how the Antarctic ice sheet responded to past climatic change. These sub-ice mineral formations accumulated beneath the ice for over a hundred thousand years, recording the changes in chemical and isotopic subglacial properties that occur in response to climate change. Eventually these samples were eroded by the ice sheet and moved to the Antarctic ice margin where they were collected and made available to study. This research will utilize advanced geochemical, isotopic and geochronologic techniques to develop record of the Antarctica ice sheet’s past response to warm climate periods, directly informing efforts to understand how Antarctica will response to future warming. Efforts to improve sea level forecasting on a warming planet have focused on determining the temperature, sea level and extent of polar ice sheets during Earth’s past warm periods. Large uncertainties, however, in reconstructions of past and future sea levels, result from the poorly constrained climate sensitivity of the Antarctic Ice sheet (AIS). This research project aims to develop the use of subglacial precipitates as an archive the Antarctic ice sheet (AIS) past response to climate change. The subglacial precipitates from East Antarctica form in water bodies beneath Antarctic ice and in doing so provide an entirely new and unique measure of how the AIS responds to climate change. In preliminary examination of these precipitates, we identified multiple samples consisting of cyclic opal and calcite that spans hundreds of thousands of years in duration. Our preliminary geochemical characterization of these samples indicates that the observed mineralogic changes result from a cyclic change in subglacial water compositions between isotopically and chemically distinct waters. Opal-forming waters are reduced (Ce* <1 and high Fe/Mn) and exhibit elevated 234U/238U compositions similar to the saline groundwater brines found at the periphery of the AIS. Calcite-forming waters, are rather, oxidized and exhibit δ18O compositions consistent with derivation from the depleted polar plateau (< -50 ‰). 234U-230Th dates permit construction of a robust timeseries describing these mineralogic and compositional changes through time. Comparisons of these time series with other Antarctic climate records (e.g., ice core records) reveal that calcite forming events align with millennial scale changes in local temperature or “Antarctic isotopic maximums”, which represent Southern Hemisphere warm periods resulting in increased Atlantic Meridional overturing circulation. Ultimately, this project seeks to develop a comprehensive model as to how changes in the thermohaline cycle induce a glaciologic response which in turn induces a change in the composition of subglacial waters and the mineralogic phase recorded within the precipitate archive. 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. | 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)) | POINT(0 -89.999) | false | false | ||||||||||
Collaborative Research: Chemoautotrophy in Antarctic Bacterioplankton Communities Supported by the Oxidation of Urea-derived Nitrogen
|
1643345 1643466 |
2020-12-18 | Hollibaugh, James T.; Popp, Brian |
|
Part 1: Nitrification is the conversion of ammonium to nitrate by a two-step process involving two different guilds of microorganisms: ammonia- and nitrite-oxidizers. The process is central to the global nitrogen cycle, affecting everything from retention of fertilizer on croplands to removal of excess nitrogen from coastal waters before it can cause blooms of harmful algae. It also produces nitrous oxide, an ozone-destroying, greenhouse gas. The energy derived from both steps of nitrification is used to convert inorganic carbon into microbial biomass. The biomass produced contributes to the overall food web production of the Southern Ocean and may be a particularly important subsidy during winter when low light levels restrict the other major source of biomass, primary production by single-celled plants. This project addresses three fundamental questions about the biology and geochemistry of polar oceans, with a focus on the process of nitrification. The first question the project will address concerns the contribution of chemoautotrophy (based on nitrification) to the overall supply of organic carbon to the food web of the Southern Ocean. Previous measurements indicate that it contributes about 9% to the Antarctic food web on an annual basis, but those measurements did not include the additional production associated with nitrite oxidation. The second question to be addressed is related to the first and concerns the coupling between the steps of the process. The third seeks to determine the significance of the contribution of other sources of nitrogen, (specifically organic nitrogen and urea released by other organisms) to nitrification because these contributions may not be assessed by standard protocols. Measurements made by others suggest that urea in particular might be as important as ammonium to nitrification in polar regions. This project will result in training a postdoctoral researcher and provide undergraduate students opportunities to gain hand-on experience with research on microbial geochemistry. The Palmer LTER (PAL) activities have focused largely on the interaction between ocean climate and the marine food web affecting top predators. Relatively little effort has been devoted to studying processes related to the microbial geochemistry of nitrogen cycling as part of the Palmer Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) program, yet these are a major themes at other sites. This work will contribute substantially to understanding an important aspect of nitrogen cycling and bacterioplankton production in the PAL-LTER study area. The team will be working synergistically and be participating fully in the education and outreach efforts of the Palmer LTER, including making highlights of the findings available for posting to their project web site and participating in any special efforts they have in the area of outreach. Part 2: The proposed work will quantify oxidation rates of 15N supplied as ammonium, urea and nitrite, allowing us to estimate the contribution of urea-derived N and complete nitrification (ammonia to nitrate) to chemoautotrophy and bacterioplankton production in Antarctic coastal waters. The project will compare these estimates to direct measurements of the incorporation of 14C into organic matter the dark for an independent estimate of chemoautotrophy. The team aims to collect samples spanning the water column: from surface water (~10 m), winter water (50-100 m) and circumpolar deep water (>150 m); on a cruise surveying the continental shelf and slope west of the Antarctic Peninsula in the austral summer of 2018. Other samples will be taken to measure the concentrations of nitrate, nitrite, ammonia and urea, for qPCR analysis of the abundance of relevant microorganisms, and for studies of related processes. The project will rely on collaboration with the existing Palmer LTER to ensure that ancillary data (bacterioplankton abundance and production, chlorophyll, physical and chemical variables) will be available. The synergistic activities of this project along with the LTER activities will provide a unique opportunity to assess chemoautotrophy in context of the overall ecosystem?s dynamics- including both primary and secondary production processes. | POLYGON((-78.20206667 -64.03195833,-76.785055836 -64.03195833,-75.368045002 -64.03195833,-73.951034168 -64.03195833,-72.534023334 -64.03195833,-71.1170125 -64.03195833,-69.700001666 -64.03195833,-68.282990832 -64.03195833,-66.865979998 -64.03195833,-65.448969164 -64.03195833,-64.03195833 -64.03195833,-64.03195833 -64.554377497,-64.03195833 -65.076796664,-64.03195833 -65.599215831,-64.03195833 -66.121634998,-64.03195833 -66.644054165,-64.03195833 -67.166473332,-64.03195833 -67.688892499,-64.03195833 -68.211311666,-64.03195833 -68.733730833,-64.03195833 -69.25615,-65.448969164 -69.25615,-66.865979998 -69.25615,-68.282990832 -69.25615,-69.700001666 -69.25615,-71.1170125 -69.25615,-72.534023334 -69.25615,-73.951034168 -69.25615,-75.368045002 -69.25615,-76.785055836 -69.25615,-78.20206667 -69.25615,-78.20206667 -68.733730833,-78.20206667 -68.211311666,-78.20206667 -67.688892499,-78.20206667 -67.166473332,-78.20206667 -66.644054165,-78.20206667 -66.121634998,-78.20206667 -65.599215831,-78.20206667 -65.076796664,-78.20206667 -64.554377497,-78.20206667 -64.03195833)) | POINT(-71.1170125 -66.644054165) | false | false | |||||||||
Collaborative Research: Subglacial Antarctic Lakes Scientific Access (SALSA): Integrated Study of Carbon Cycling in Hydrologically-active Subglacial Environments
|
1543396 1543453 1543537 1543441 1543347 1543405 |
2020-07-16 | Rosenheim, Brad; Fricker, Helen; Priscu, John; Leventer, Amy; Dore, John; Lyons, W. Berry; Christner, Brent | The Antarctic subglacial environment remains one of the least explored regions on Earth. This project will examine the physical and biological characteristics of Subglacial Lake Mercer, a lake that lies 1200m beneath the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. This study will address key questions relating to the stability of the ice sheet, the subglacial hydrological system, and the deep-cold subglacial biosphere. The education and outreach component aims to widely disseminate results to the scientific community and to the general public through short films, a blog, and a website. Subglacial Lake Mercer is one of the larger hydrologically active lakes in the southern basin of the Whillans Ice Plain, West Antarctica. It receives about 25 percent of its water from East Antarctica with the remainder originating from West Antarctica, is influenced by drain/fill cycles in a lake immediately upstream (Subglacial Lake Conway), and lies about 100 km upstream of the present grounding line of the Ross Ice Shelf. This site will yield information on the history of the Whillans and Mercer Ice Streams, and on grounding line migration. The integrated study will include direct sampling of basal ice, water, and sediment from the lake in concert with surface geophysical surveys over a three-year period to define the hydrological connectivity among lakes on the Whillans Ice Plain and their flow paths to the sea. The geophysical surveys will furnish information on subglacial hydrology, aid the site selection for hot-water drilling, and provide spatial context for interpreting findings. The hot-water-drilled boreholes will be used to collect basal ice samples, provide access for direct measurement of subglacial physical, chemical, and biological conditions in the water column and sediments, and to explore the subglacial water cavities using a remotely operated vehicle equipped with sensors, cameras, and sampling equipment. Data collected from this study will address the overarching hypothesis "Contemporary biodiversity and carbon cycling in hydrologically-active subglacial environments associated with the Mercer and Whillans ice streams are regulated by the mineralization and cycling of relict marine organic matter and through interactions among ice, rock, water, and sediments". The project will be undertaken by a collaborative team of scientists, with expertise in microbiology, biogeochemistry, hydrology, geophysics, glaciology, marine geology, paleoceanography, and science communication. | POLYGON((-163.611 -84.33543,-162.200034 -84.33543,-160.789068 -84.33543,-159.378102 -84.33543,-157.967136 -84.33543,-156.55617 -84.33543,-155.145204 -84.33543,-153.734238 -84.33543,-152.323272 -84.33543,-150.912306 -84.33543,-149.50134 -84.33543,-149.50134 -84.3659157,-149.50134 -84.3964014,-149.50134 -84.4268871,-149.50134 -84.4573728,-149.50134 -84.4878585,-149.50134 -84.5183442,-149.50134 -84.5488299,-149.50134 -84.5793156,-149.50134 -84.6098013,-149.50134 -84.640287,-150.912306 -84.640287,-152.323272 -84.640287,-153.734238 -84.640287,-155.145204 -84.640287,-156.55617 -84.640287,-157.967136 -84.640287,-159.378102 -84.640287,-160.789068 -84.640287,-162.200034 -84.640287,-163.611 -84.640287,-163.611 -84.6098013,-163.611 -84.5793156,-163.611 -84.5488299,-163.611 -84.5183442,-163.611 -84.4878585,-163.611 -84.4573728,-163.611 -84.4268871,-163.611 -84.3964014,-163.611 -84.3659157,-163.611 -84.33543)) | POINT(-156.55617 -84.4878585) | false | false | ||||||||||
Organic carbon oxidation and iron remobilization by West Antarctic shelf sediments
|
1551195 |
2020-06-16 | Burdige, David; Christensen, John |
|
General Statement: The continental shelf region west of the Antarctic Peninsula has recently undergone dramatic changes and ecosystem shifts, and the community of organisms that live in, or feed off, the sea floor sediments is being impacted by species invasions from the north. Previous studies of these sediments indicate that this community may consume much more of the regional productivity than previously estimated, suggesting that sediments are a rich and important component of this ecosystem and one that may be ripe for dramatic change. Furthermore, under richer sediment conditions, iron is mobilized and released back to the water column. Since productivity in this ecosystem is thought to be limited by the availability of iron, increased rates of iron release from these sediments could stimulate productivity and promote greater overall ecosystem change. In this research, a variety of sites across the shelf region will be sampled to accurately evaluate the role of sediments in consuming ecosystem productivity and to estimate the current level of iron release from the sediments. This project will provide a baseline set of sediment results that will present a more complete picture of the west Antarctic shelf ecosystem, will allow for comparison with water column measurements and for evaluation of the fundamental workings of this important ecosystem. This is particularly important since high latitude systems may be vulnerable to the effects of climate fluctuations. Both graduate and undergraduate students will be trained. Presentations will be made at scientific meetings, at other universities, and at outreach events. A project web site will present key results to the public and explain how this new information improves understanding of Antarctic ecosystems. Technical Description of Project: In order to determine the role of sediments within the west Antarctic shelf ecosystem, this project will determine the rates of sediment organic matter oxidation at a variety of sites across the Palmer Long Term Ecosystem Research (LTER) study region. To estimate the rates of release of iron and manganese from the sediments, these same sites will be sampled for detailed vertical distributions of the concentrations of these metals both in the porewaters and in important mineral phases. Since sediment sampling will be done at LTER sites, the sediment data can be correlated with the rich productivity data set from the LTER. In detail, the project: a) will determine the rates of oxygen consumption, organic carbon oxidation, nutrient release, and iron mobilization by shelf sediments west of the Antarctic Peninsula; b) will investigate the vertical distribution of diagenetic reactions within the sediments; and c) will assess the regional importance of these sediment rates. Sediment cores will be used to determine sediment-water fluxes of dissolved oxygen, total carbon dioxide, nutrients, and the vertical distributions of these dissolved compounds, as well as iron and manganese in the pore waters. Bulk sediment properties of porosity, organic carbon and nitrogen content, carbonate content, biogenic silica content, and multiple species of solid-phase iron, manganese, and sulfur species will also be determined. These measurements will allow determination of total organic carbon oxidation and denitrification rates, and the proportion of aerobic versus anaerobic respiration at each site. Sediment diagenetic modeling will link the processes of organic matter oxidation to metal mobilization. Pore water and solid phase iron and manganese distributions will be used to model iron diagenesis in these sediments and to estimate the iron flux from the sediments to the overlying waters. Finally, the overall regional average and distribution of the sediment processes will be compared with the distributions of seasonally averaged chlorophyll biomass and productivity. | POLYGON((-71 -64,-70.1 -64,-69.2 -64,-68.3 -64,-67.4 -64,-66.5 -64,-65.6 -64,-64.7 -64,-63.8 -64,-62.9 -64,-62 -64,-62 -64.4,-62 -64.8,-62 -65.2,-62 -65.6,-62 -66,-62 -66.4,-62 -66.8,-62 -67.2,-62 -67.6,-62 -68,-62.9 -68,-63.8 -68,-64.7 -68,-65.6 -68,-66.5 -68,-67.4 -68,-68.3 -68,-69.2 -68,-70.1 -68,-71 -68,-71 -67.6,-71 -67.2,-71 -66.8,-71 -66.4,-71 -66,-71 -65.6,-71 -65.2,-71 -64.8,-71 -64.4,-71 -64)) | POINT(-66.5 -66) | false | false | |||||||||
Collaborative Research: Sea ice as a driver of Antarctic benthic macroalgal community composition and nearshore trophic connectivity
|
1744570 1744550 1744584 1744602 |
2020-06-04 | Amsler, Charles; McClintock, James; Iken, Katrin; Galloway, Aaron; Klein, Andrew | The western Antarctic Peninsula has become a model for understanding cold water communities and how they may be changing in Antarctica and elsewhere. Brown macroalgae (seaweeds) form extensive undersea forests in the northern portion of this region where they play a key role in providing both physical structure and a food (carbon) source for shallow water communities. Yet between Anvers Island (64 degrees S latitude) and Adelaide Island (67 S latitude) these macroalgae become markedly less abundant and diverse. This is probably because the habitat to the south is covered by more sea ice for a longer period, and the sea ice reduces the amount of light that reaches the algae. The reduced macroalgal cover undoubtedly impacts other organisms in the food web, but the ways in which it alters sea-floor community processes and organization is unknown. This project will quantitatively document the macroalgal communities at multiple sites between Anvers and Adelaide Islands using a combination of SCUBA diving, video surveys, and algal collections. Sea ice cover, light levels, and other environmental parameters on community structure will be modelled to determine which factors have the largest influence. Impacts on community structure, food webs, and carbon flow will be assessed through a mixture of SCUBA diving and video surveys. Broader impacts include the training of graduate students and a postdoctoral researcher, as well as numerous informal public education activities including lectures, presentations to K-12 groups, and a variety of social media-based outreach. Macroalgal communities are more abundance and diverse to the north along the Western Antarctic Peninsula, perhaps due to the greater light availability that is associated with shorter period of sea-ice cover. This project will determine the causes and community level consequence of this variation in algal community structure. First, satellite data on sea ice extent and water turbidity will be used to select study sites between 64 S and 69 S where the extent of annual sea ice cover is the primary factor influencing subsurface light levels. Then, variations in macroalgal cover across these study sites will be determined by video line-transect surveys conducted by SCUBA divers. The health, growth, and physiological status of species found at the different sites will be determined by quadrat sampling. The relative importance of macroalgal-derived carbon to the common invertebrate consumers in the foodweb will be assessed with stable isotope and fatty acid biomarker techniques. This will reveal how variation in macroalgal abundance and species composition across the sea ice cover gradient impacts sea floor community composition and carbon flow throughout the food web. In combination, this work will facilitate predictions of how the ongoing reductions in extent and duration of sea ice cover that is occurring in the region as a result of global climate change will impact the structure of nearshore benthic communities. 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. | POLYGON((-70 -61,-69 -61,-68 -61,-67 -61,-66 -61,-65 -61,-64 -61,-63 -61,-62 -61,-61 -61,-60 -61,-60 -61.772,-60 -62.544,-60 -63.316,-60 -64.088,-60 -64.86,-60 -65.632,-60 -66.404,-60 -67.176,-60 -67.948,-60 -68.72,-61 -68.72,-62 -68.72,-63 -68.72,-64 -68.72,-65 -68.72,-66 -68.72,-67 -68.72,-68 -68.72,-69 -68.72,-70 -68.72,-70 -67.948,-70 -67.176,-70 -66.404,-70 -65.632,-70 -64.86,-70 -64.088,-70 -63.316,-70 -62.544,-70 -61.772,-70 -61)) | POINT(-65 -64.86) | false | false | ||||||||||
Timing and Spatial Distribution of Antarctic Ice Sheet Growth and Sea-ice Formation across the Eocene-Oligocene Transition
|
1743643 |
2020-05-26 | Passchier, Sandra | Abstract (non-technical) Sea level rise is a problem of global importance and it is increasingly affecting the tens of millions of Americans living along coastlines. The melting of glaciers in mountain areas worldwide in response to global warming is a major cause of sea level rise and increases in nuisance coastal flooding. However, the world's largest land-based ice sheets are situated in the Polar Regions and their response under continued warming is very difficult to predict. One reason for this uncertainty is a lack of observations of ice behavior and melt under conditions of warming, as it is a relatively new global climate state lasting only a few generations so far. Researchers will investigate ice growth on Antarctica under past warm conditions using geological archives embedded in the layers of sand and mud under the sea floor near Antarctica. By peeling back at the layers beneath the seafloor investigators can read the history book of past events affecting the ice sheet. The Antarctic continent on the South Pole, carries the largest ice mass in the world. The investigator's findings will substantially improve scientists understanding of the response of ice sheets to global warming and its effect on sea level rise. Abstract (technical) The melt of land based ice is raising global sea levels with at present only minor contributions from polar ice sheets. However, the future role of polar ice sheets in climate change is one of the most critical uncertainties in predictions of sea level rise around the globe. The respective roles of oceanic and atmospheric greenhouse forcing on ice sheets are poorly addressed with recent measurements of polar climatology, because of the extreme rise in greenhouse forcing the earth is experiencing at this time. Data on the evolution of the West Antarctic ice sheet is particularly sparse. To address the data gap, researchers will reconstruct the timing and spatial distribution of Antarctic ice growth through the last greenhouse to icehouse climate transition around 37 to 33 Ma. They will collect sedimentological and geochemical data on core samples from a high-latitude paleoarchive to trace the shutdown of the chemical weathering system, the onset of glacial erosion, ice rafting, and sea ice development, as East and West Antarctic ice sheets coalesced in the Weddell Sea sector. Their findings will lead to profound increases in the understanding of the role of greenhouse forcing in ice sheet development and its effect on the global climate system. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria. | None | None | false | false | ||||||||||
Collaborative Proposal: A Field and Laboratory Examination of the Diatom N and Si Isotope Proxies: Implications for Assessing the Southern Ocean Biological Pump
|
1341432 1341464 |
2020-02-26 | Robinson, Rebecca; Brzezinski, Mark | Collaborative Proposal: A field and laboratory examination of the diatom N and Si isotope proxies: Implications for assessing the Southern Ocean biological pump The rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations and associated climate changes make understanding the role of the ocean in large scale carbon cycle a priority. Geologic samples allow exploration of potential mechanisms for carbon dioxide drawdown during glacial periods through the use of geochemical proxies. Nitrogen and silicon isotope signatures from fossil diatoms (microscopic plants) are used to investigate changes in the physical supply and biological demand for nutrients (like nitrogen and silicon and carbon) in the Southern Ocean. The project will evaluate the use the nitrogen and silicon isotope proxies through a series of laboratory experiments and Southern Ocean field sampling. The results will provide quantification of real relationships between nitrogen and silicon isotopes and nutrient usage in the Southern Ocean and allow exploration of the role of other factors, including biological diversity, ice cover, and mixing, in altering the chemical signatures recorded by diatoms. Seafloor sediment samples will be used to evaluate how well the signal created in the water column is recorded by fossil diatoms buried in the seafloor. Improving the nutrient isotope proxies will allow for a more quantitative understanding of the role of polar biology in regulating natural variation in atmospheric carbon dioxide. The project will also result in the training of a graduate student and development of outreach materials targeting a broad popular audience. This project seeks to test the fidelity of the diatom nitrogen and silicon isotope proxies, two commonly used paleoceanographic tools for investigating the role of the Southern Ocean biological pump in regulating atmospheric CO2 concentrations on glacial-interglacial timescales. Existing ground-truthing data, including culture experiments, surface sediment data and downcore reconstructions, all suggest that nutrient utilization is the primary driver of isotopic variation in the Southern Ocean. However, strong contribution of interspecific variation is implied by recent culture results. Moreover, field and laboratory studies present some contradictory results in terms of the relative importance of interspecific variation and of inferred post-depositional alteration of the nutrient isotope signals. Here, a first order test of the N and Si diatom nutrient isotope paleo-proxies, involving water column dissolved and particulate sampling and laboratory culturing of field-isolates, is proposed. Southern Ocean water, biomass, live diatoms and fossil diatom sampling will be conducted to investigate species and assemblage related variability in diatom nitrogen and silicon isotopes and their relationship to surface nutrient fields and early diagenesis. Access to fresh materials produced in an analogous environmental context to the sediments of primary interest is critical for making robust paleoceanographic reconstructions. Field sampling will occur along 175°W, transecting the Antarctic Circumpolar Current from the subtropics to the marginal ice edge. Collection of water, sinking/suspended particles and multi-core samples from 13 stations and 3 shipboard incubation experiments will be used to test four proposed hypotheses that together evaluate the significance of existing culture results and seek to allow the best use of diatom nutrient isotope proxies in evaluating the biological pump. | POLYGON((-175 -54,-174 -54,-173 -54,-172 -54,-171 -54,-170 -54,-169 -54,-168 -54,-167 -54,-166 -54,-165 -54,-165 -55.3,-165 -56.6,-165 -57.9,-165 -59.2,-165 -60.5,-165 -61.8,-165 -63.1,-165 -64.4,-165 -65.7,-165 -67,-166 -67,-167 -67,-168 -67,-169 -67,-170 -67,-171 -67,-172 -67,-173 -67,-174 -67,-175 -67,-175 -65.7,-175 -64.4,-175 -63.1,-175 -61.8,-175 -60.5,-175 -59.2,-175 -57.9,-175 -56.6,-175 -55.3,-175 -54)) | POINT(-170 -60.5) | false | false | ||||||||||
Activity, Preservation and Fossilization of Cryptoendolithic Microorganisms in Antarctica
|
1544526 |
2019-05-09 | Omelon, Christopher; Breecker, Daniel; Bennett, Philip | No dataset link provided | Cryptoendoliths are organisms that colonize microscopic cavities of rocks, which give them protection and allow them to inhabit extreme environments, such as the cold, arid desert of the Dry Valleys of Antarctica. Fossilized cryptoendoliths preserve the forms and features of organisms from the past and thus provide a unique opportunity to study the organisms? life histories and environments. To study this fossil record, there needs to be a better understanding of what environmental conditions allow these fossils to form. A climate gradient currently exists in the Dry Valleys that allows us to study living, dead, and fossilized cryptoendoliths from mild to increasingly harsh environments; providing insight to the limits of life and how these fossils are formed. This project will develop instruments to detect the biological activity of the live microorganisms and conduct laboratory experiments to determine the environmental limits of their survival. The project also will characterize the chemical and structural features of the living, dead, and fossilized cryptoendoliths to understand how they become fossilized. Knowing how microorganisms are preserved as fossils in cold and dry environments like Antarctica can help to refine methods that can be used to search for and identify evidence for extraterrestrial life in similar habitats on planets such as Mars. This project includes training of graduate and undergraduate students. Little is known about cryptoendolithic microfossils and their formation processes in cold, arid terrestrial habitats of the Dry Valleys of Antarctica, where a legacy of activity is discernible in the form of biosignatures including inorganic materials and microbial fossils that preserve and indicate traces of past biological activity. The overarching goals of the proposed work are: (1) to determine how rates of microbial respiration and biodegradation of organic matter control microbial fossilization; and (2) to characterize microbial fossils and their living counterparts to elucidate mechanisms for fossilization. Using samples collected across an increasingly harsher (more cold and dry) climatic gradient that encompasses living, dead, and fossilized cryptoendolithic microorganisms, the proposed work will: (1) develop an instrument to be used in the field that can measure small concentrations of CO2 in cryptoendolithic habitats in situ; (2) conduct incubation experiments to target variations in microbial activity in samples containing living, dead, and fossilized microorganisms as well as limits to microbial activity by measuring CO2 evolution and delta13C signatures; and (3) use a suite of microscopy techniques (CLSM, cryo-SEM, FIB-SEM, µ-XFM) to correlate laboratory experimental evidence for microbial viability and activity and to identify the chemical and morphological characteristics of biosignatures and microbial fossils. A metagenomic survey of microbial communities in these samples will be used to characterize differences in diversity, identify if specific microorganisms (e.g. prokaryotes, eukaryotes) are more capable of surviving under these harsh climatic conditions, and to corroborate microscopic observations of the viability states of these microorganisms. | POLYGON((160 -76.5,160.37 -76.5,160.74 -76.5,161.11 -76.5,161.48 -76.5,161.85 -76.5,162.22 -76.5,162.59 -76.5,162.96 -76.5,163.33 -76.5,163.7 -76.5,163.7 -76.63,163.7 -76.76,163.7 -76.89,163.7 -77.02,163.7 -77.15,163.7 -77.28,163.7 -77.41,163.7 -77.54,163.7 -77.67,163.7 -77.8,163.33 -77.8,162.96 -77.8,162.59 -77.8,162.22 -77.8,161.85 -77.8,161.48 -77.8,161.11 -77.8,160.74 -77.8,160.37 -77.8,160 -77.8,160 -77.67,160 -77.54,160 -77.41,160 -77.28,160 -77.15,160 -77.02,160 -76.89,160 -76.76,160 -76.63,160 -76.5)) | POINT(161.85 -77.15) | false | false | |||||||||
Using Radiochemical Data from Collapsed Ice Shelf Sediments to Understand the Nature and Timing of the Benthic Response to High-Latitude Climate Change
|
1341669 |
2018-02-03 | DeMaster, David; Smith, Craig | Intellectual Merit: The PI requests support to analyze sediments from multi-cores and mega-cores previously collected from beneath the former Larsen B and Larsen A ice shelves. These unique cores will allow the PI to develop a time-integrated understanding of the benthic response to ice shelf collapse off the East Antarctic Peninsula over time periods as short as 5 years following ice shelf collapse up to >170 years after collapse. High latitudes are responding to climate change more rapidly than the rest of the planet and the disappearance of ice shelves are a key manifestation of climate warming. The PI will investigate the newly created benthic environments and associated ecosystems that have resulted from the re-initiation of fresh planktonic material to the sediment-water interface. This proposal will use a new geochemical technique, based on naturally occurring 14C that can be used to assess the distribution and inventory of recently produced organic carbon accumulating in the sediments beneath the former Larsen A and B ice shelves. The PI will couple 14C measurements with 210Pb analyses to assess turnover times for sedimentary labile organic matter. By comparing the distributions and inventories of labile organic matter as well as the bioturbation intensities among different locations as a function of time following ice shelf collapse/retreat, the nature and timing of the benthic response to ice shelf collapse can be assessed. Broader impacts: This study will provide important information characterizing changes occurring on the seafloor after the collapse of ice shelves. This research will support the research project of a graduate student. This project brings together researchers from both the European community and the LARISSA Project. | POLYGON((-70 -62,-68.8 -62,-67.6 -62,-66.4 -62,-65.2 -62,-64 -62,-62.8 -62,-61.6 -62,-60.4 -62,-59.2 -62,-58 -62,-58 -62.6,-58 -63.2,-58 -63.8,-58 -64.4,-58 -65,-58 -65.6,-58 -66.2,-58 -66.8,-58 -67.4,-58 -68,-59.2 -68,-60.4 -68,-61.6 -68,-62.8 -68,-64 -68,-65.2 -68,-66.4 -68,-67.6 -68,-68.8 -68,-70 -68,-70 -67.4,-70 -66.8,-70 -66.2,-70 -65.6,-70 -65,-70 -64.4,-70 -63.8,-70 -63.2,-70 -62.6,-70 -62)) | POINT(-64 -65) | false | false | ||||||||||
PostDoctoral Research Fellowship
|
1103428 |
2017-10-10 | Thurber, Andrew | The biota of the world's seafloor is fueled by bursts of seasonal primary production. For food-limited sediment communities to persist, a balance must exist between metazoan consumption of and competition with bacteria, a balance which likely changes through the seasons. Polar marine ecosystems are ideal places to study such complex interactions due to stark seasonal shifts between heterotrophic and autotrophic communities, and temperatures that may limit microbial processing of organic matter. The research will test the following hypotheses: 1) heterotrophic bacteria compete with macrofauna for food; 2) as phytoplankton populations decline macrofauna increasingly consume microbial biomass to sustain their populations; and 3) in the absence of seasonal photosynthetic inputs, macrofaunal biodiversity will decrease unless supplied with microbially derived nutrition. Observational and empirical studies will test these hypotheses at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, where a high-abundance macro-infaunal community is adapted to this boom-and-bust cycle of productivity. The investigator will mentor undergraduates from a predominantly minority-serving institution, in the fields of invertebrate taxonomy and biogeochemistry. The general public and young scientists will be engaged through lectures at local K-12 venues and launch of an interactive website. The results will better inform scientists and managers about the effects of climate change on polar ecosystems and the mechanisms of changing productivity patterns on global biodiversity. | POLYGON((165 -77,165.5 -77,166 -77,166.5 -77,167 -77,167.5 -77,168 -77,168.5 -77,169 -77,169.5 -77,170 -77,170 -77.1,170 -77.2,170 -77.3,170 -77.4,170 -77.5,170 -77.6,170 -77.7,170 -77.8,170 -77.9,170 -78,169.5 -78,169 -78,168.5 -78,168 -78,167.5 -78,167 -78,166.5 -78,166 -78,165.5 -78,165 -78,165 -77.9,165 -77.8,165 -77.7,165 -77.6,165 -77.5,165 -77.4,165 -77.3,165 -77.2,165 -77.1,165 -77)) | POINT(167.5 -77.5) | false | false | ||||||||||
Collaborative Research: Microbial Community Assembly in Coastal Waters of the Western Antarctic Peninsula
|
1141993 |
2017-06-15 | Rich, Jeremy |
|
The Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) has experienced unprecedented warming and shifts in sea ice cover over the past fifty years. How these changes impact marine microbial communities, and subsequently how these shifts in the biota may affect the carbon cycle in surface waters is unknown. This work will examine how these ecosystem-level changes affect microbial community structure and function. This research will use modern metagenomic and transcriptomic approaches to test the hypothesis that the introduction of organic matter from spring phytoplankton blooms drives turnover in microbial communities. This research will characterize patterns in bacterial and archaeal succession during the transition from the austral winter at two long-term monitoring sites: Palmer Station in the north and Rothera Station in the south. This project will also include microcosm incubations to directly assess the effects of additions of organic carbon and melted sea ice on microbial community structure and function. The results of this work will provide a broader understanding of the roles of both rare and abundant microorganisms in carbon cycling within the WAP region, and how these communities may shift in structure and function in response to climate change. Results will be widely disseminated through publications as well as through presentations at national and international meetings. The research will provide training opportunities for both graduate and undergraduate students and will enhance international collaborations with the British Antarctic Survey. | POLYGON((-60 -70,-59.3 -70,-58.6 -70,-57.9 -70,-57.2 -70,-56.5 -70,-55.8 -70,-55.1 -70,-54.4 -70,-53.7 -70,-53 -70,-53 -70.9,-53 -71.8,-53 -72.7,-53 -73.6,-53 -74.5,-53 -75.4,-53 -76.3,-53 -77.2,-53 -78.1,-53 -79,-53.7 -79,-54.4 -79,-55.1 -79,-55.8 -79,-56.5 -79,-57.2 -79,-57.9 -79,-58.6 -79,-59.3 -79,-60 -79,-60 -78.1,-60 -77.2,-60 -76.3,-60 -75.4,-60 -74.5,-60 -73.6,-60 -72.7,-60 -71.8,-60 -70.9,-60 -70)) | POINT(-56.5 -74.5) | false | false | |||||||||
Multidimensional "omics" characterization of microbial metabolism and dissolved organic matter in Antarctica
|
1141978 |
2017-04-25 | Foreman, Christine; Bothner, Brian |
|
Uncovering the dynamics of dissolved organic matter (DOM) is central to an understanding of the global carbon cycle, as organic material from lakes, streams, oceans and soils passes through this pool. DOM acts as a key energy source for microbes in many ecosystems and therefore can affect regional nutrient cycling patterns. For example, preliminary results suggest that organisms isolated from a supraglacial stream on Cotton Glacier, Antarctica, may be important in DOM cycling in this relatively simple, low temperature system. However, little is known about the functional attributes of the microbes that interact with DOM in the environment. This project will use state-of-the-art genomics, proteomics and metabolomics approaches to understand the mechanisms by which two microbial isolates, CG3 and CG9_1, affect DOM cycling. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry will also be used to better characterize the microbially-derived DOM from this ecosystem. This project will support the research and training of one undergraduate and two graduate students. Results will be widely disseminated through publications as well as through presentations at national and international meetings. In addition, raw data will be made available through open-access databases. Understanding the relationship between cold-adapted microbial metabolisms and DOM pools is important as more than 90% of the Earth?s oceans are below 5 degrees Celsius. | POLYGON((160 -76,160.1 -76,160.2 -76,160.3 -76,160.4 -76,160.5 -76,160.6 -76,160.7 -76,160.8 -76,160.9 -76,161 -76,161 -76.1,161 -76.2,161 -76.3,161 -76.4,161 -76.5,161 -76.6,161 -76.7,161 -76.8,161 -76.9,161 -77,160.9 -77,160.8 -77,160.7 -77,160.6 -77,160.5 -77,160.4 -77,160.3 -77,160.2 -77,160.1 -77,160 -77,160 -76.9,160 -76.8,160 -76.7,160 -76.6,160 -76.5,160 -76.4,160 -76.3,160 -76.2,160 -76.1,160 -76)) | POINT(160.5 -76.5) | false | false | |||||||||
The Stratigraphic Expression of the Onset of Glaciation in Eocene-Oligocene Successions on the Antarctic Continental Margin
|
1245283 |
2017-04-25 | Passchier, Sandra | Intellectual Merit: 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. Broader impacts: 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. | 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)) | POINT(72.5 -69) | false | false | ||||||||||
Collaborative research: TRacing the fate of Algal Carbon Export in the Ross Sea (TRACERS)
|
1142117 1142044 1142097 1142065 |
2015-08-26 | Bochdansky, Alexander; Dunbar, Robert; DiTullio, Giacomo; Ditullio, Giacomo; Harry, Dennis L.; HANSELL, DENNIS |
|
Intellectual Merit: Sinking particles are a major element of the biological pump and they are commonly assigned to two fates: mineralization in the water column and accumulation at the seafloor. However, there is another fate of export hidden within the vertical decline of carbon, the transformation of sinking organic matter to fine suspended and/or dissolved organic fractions. This process has been suggested but has rarely been observed or quantified. As a result, it is presumed that the solubilized fraction is largely mineralized over short time scales. However, global ocean surveys of dissolved organic carbon are demonstrating a significant water column accumulation of organic matter under high productivity environments. This proposal will investigate the transformation of organic particles from sinking to solubilized phases of the export flux in the Ross Sea. The Ross Sea experiences high export particle production, low dissolved organic carbon export with overturning circulation, and the area has a predictable succession of production and export events. In addition, the basin is shallow (< 000 m) so the products the PIs will target are relatively concentrated. To address the proposed hypothesis, the PIs will use both well-established and novel biochemical and optical measures of export production and its fate. The outcomes of this work will help researchers close the carbon budget in the Ross Sea. Broader impacts: This research will support graduate and undergraduate students and will provide undergraduates and pre-college students with field-based research experience. Scientifically, this research will increase understanding of carbon sinks in the Ross Sea and will help develop new tools for identifying, quantifying, and tracking that carbon. The PIs will interface with K-12 students through daily reports from the field and through educational modules developed by several of the PIs in collaboration with science education specialists and college students. A K-12 educator will be included on the research cruises. Outreach will be through COSEE Florida and the Maritime Center in Norfolk, VA. | POLYGON((165 -52,166 -52,167 -52,168 -52,169 -52,170 -52,171 -52,172 -52,173 -52,174 -52,175 -52,175 -54.65,175 -57.3,175 -59.95,175 -62.6,175 -65.25,175 -67.9,175 -70.55,175 -73.2,175 -75.85,175 -78.5,174 -78.5,173 -78.5,172 -78.5,171 -78.5,170 -78.5,169 -78.5,168 -78.5,167 -78.5,166 -78.5,165 -78.5,165 -75.85,165 -73.2,165 -70.55,165 -67.9,165 -65.25,165 -62.6,165 -59.95,165 -57.3,165 -54.650000000000006,165 -52)) | POINT(170 -65.25) | false | false | |||||||||
Spectral and Broadband Albedo of Antarctic Sea-ice Types
|
1141275 |
2015-01-30 | Warren, Stephen; Zatko, Maria |
|
The albedo, or reflection coefficient, is a measure of the diffuse reflectivity of an irradiated surface. With the sunlit atmosphere as a light source, and sea-ice as a diffuse reflecting surface, the albedo would be the fraction of incident light that is returned to the atmosphere. A perfect (white) reflecting surface would have an albedo of 1; a perfect (black) absorbing surface would have an albedo of 0. The albedo of sea-ice is needed to assess the solar energy budget of the marginal ice zone, to compute the partial solar bands in radiation budgets in general circulation and earth system models, and is also needed to interpret remote sensing imagery data products. Applications requiring albedos further into the near IR, out to 2500nm, are assumed or approximated. Modern spectral radiometers, such as will be used in this campaign on a Southern Ocean voyage from Hobart to Antarctica, can extend these measurements of albedo from 350 to 2500nm, allowing earlier estimates to be verified, or corrected. Surfaces to be encountered on this research cruise are expected to include open water, grease ice, nila ice, pancake ice, young grey ice, young grey-white ice, along with first year ice. The presence of variable amounts of snow on these surfaces is also of interest. Light absorbing impurities in the snow and ice, including black carbon and organic matter (brown carbon) are different from those found in Arctic Sea ice, the Antarctic being so remote from combustion sources. This may allow better understanding of the seasonal cycles, energy budgets and their recent trends in spatial extent and thickness. The project will also broaden the educational experiences of both US and Australian students participating in the measurement campaign | None | None | false | false | |||||||||
Collaborative Research: The Biogeochemical Evolution of Dissolved Organic Matter in a Fluvial System on the Cotton Glacier, Antarctica
|
0838970 |
2014-10-10 | Foreman, Christine |
|
Dissolved organic matter (DOM) comprises a significant pool of Earth's organic carbon that dwarfs the amount present in living aquatic organisms. The properties and reactivity of DOM are not well defined, and the evolution of autochthonous DOM from its precursor materials in freshwater has not been observed. Recent sampling of a supraglacial stream formed on the Cotton Glacier in the Transantarctic Mountains revealed DOM that more closely resembles an assemblage of recognizable precursor organic compounds, based upon its UV-VIS and fluorescence spectra. It is suggested that the DOM from this water evolved over time to resemble materials present in marine and many inland surface waters. The transient nature of the system i.e., it reforms seasonally, also prevents any accumulation of the refractory DOM present in most surface waters. Thus, the Cotton Glacier provides us with a unique environment to study the formation of DOM from precursor materials. An interdisciplinary team will study the biogeochemistry of this progenitor DOM and how microbes modify it. By focusing on the chemical composition of the DOM as it shifts from precursor material to the more humified fractions, the investigators will relate this transition to bioavailability, enzymatic activity, community composition and microbial growth efficiency. This project will support education at all levels, K-12, high school, undergraduate, graduate and post-doc and will increase participation by under-represented groups in science. Towards these goals, the investigators have established relationships with girls' schools and Native American programs. Additional outreach will be carried out in coordination with PolarTREC, PolarPalooza, and if possible, an Antarctic Artist and Writer. | POINT(161.667 -77.117) | POINT(161.667 -77.117) | false | false | |||||||||
Collaborative Research: Integrated High Resolution Chemical and Biological Measurements on the Deep WAIS Divide Core
|
0839122 0839093 0839075 |
2014-05-30 | Foreman, Christine; Skidmore, Mark; Saltzman, Eric; McConnell, Joseph; Priscu, John | This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).<br/><br/>This award supports a project to use the WAIS Divide deep core to investigate the Last Deglaciation at sub-annual resolution through an integrated set of chemical and biological analyses. The intellectual merit of the project is that these analyses, combined with others, will take advantage of the high snow accumulation WAIS Divide site yielding the highest time resolution glacio-biogeochemical and gas record of any deep Antarctic ice core. With other high resolution Greenland cores (GISP2 and GRIP) and lower resolution Antarctic cores, the combined record will yield new insights into worldwide climate dynamics and abrupt change. The proposed chemical, biological, and elemental tracer measurements will also be used to address all of the WAIS Divide science themes. The broader impacts of the project include education and outreach activities such as numerous presentations to local K-12 students; opportunities for student and teacher involvement in the laboratory work; a teacher training program in Earth sciences in the heavily minority Santa Ana, Compton, and Costa Mesa, California school districts; and development of high school curricula. Extensive graduate and undergraduate student involvement also is planned and will include one post doctoral associate, one graduate student, and undergraduate hourly involvement at DRI; a graduate student and undergraduates at University of California, Irvine (UCI); and a post doctoral fellow at MSU. Student recruitment will be made from underrepresented groups building on a long track record of involvement and will include the NSF funded California Alliance for Minority Participation (CAMP) and the Montana American Indian Research Opportunities (AIRO).<br/><br/>This award does not involve field work in Antarctica. | POINT(112.05 -79.28) | POINT(112.05 -79.28) | false | false | ||||||||||
Photoheterotrophic Microbes in the West Antarctic Peninsula Marine Ecosystem
|
0838830 |
2013-12-16 | Cottrell, Matthew; David, Kirchman |
|
This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).<br/><br/>Light quality and availability are likely to change in polar ecosystems as ice coverage and thickness decrease. How microbes adjust to these and other changes will have huge impacts on the polar marine ecosystems. Little is known about photoheterotrophic prokaryotes, which are hypothesized to gain a metabolic advantage by harvesting light energy in addition to utilizing dissolved organic matter (DOM). Photoheterotrophy is not included in current models of carbon cycling and energy flow. This research will examine three questions: 1. Are photoheterotrophic microbes present and active in Antarctic waters in winter and summer? 2. Does community structure of photoheterotrophs shift between summer and winter? 3. Which microbial groups assimilate more DOM in light than in the dark? The research will test hypotheses about activity of photoheterotrophs in winter and in summer, shifts in community structure between light and dark seasons and the potentially unique impacts of photoheterotrophs on biogeochemical processes in the Antarctic. The project will directly support a graduate student, will positively impact the NSF REU program at the College of Marine and Earth Studies, and will include students from the nation?s oldest historical minority college. The results will be featured during weekly tours of Lewes facilities (about 1000 visitors per year) and during Coast Day, an annual open-house that attracts about 10,000 visitors. | POLYGON((-64.079666 -64.77966,-64.07576590000001 -64.77966,-64.0718658 -64.77966,-64.0679657 -64.77966,-64.0640656 -64.77966,-64.06016550000001 -64.77966,-64.0562654 -64.77966,-64.0523653 -64.77966,-64.04846520000001 -64.77966,-64.0445651 -64.77966,-64.040665 -64.77966,-64.040665 -64.78326100000001,-64.040665 -64.786862,-64.040665 -64.790463,-64.040665 -64.794064,-64.040665 -64.797665,-64.040665 -64.801266,-64.040665 -64.804867,-64.040665 -64.808468,-64.040665 -64.812069,-64.040665 -64.81567,-64.0445651 -64.81567,-64.04846520000001 -64.81567,-64.0523653 -64.81567,-64.0562654 -64.81567,-64.06016550000001 -64.81567,-64.0640656 -64.81567,-64.0679657 -64.81567,-64.0718658 -64.81567,-64.07576590000001 -64.81567,-64.079666 -64.81567,-64.079666 -64.812069,-64.079666 -64.808468,-64.079666 -64.804867,-64.079666 -64.801266,-64.079666 -64.797665,-64.079666 -64.794064,-64.079666 -64.790463,-64.079666 -64.786862,-64.079666 -64.78326100000001,-64.079666 -64.77966)) | POINT(-64.0601655 -64.797665) | false | false | |||||||||
Collaborative Research: The Permian -Triassic Transition in Antarctica: Evaluating the Rates and Variability of Carbon Isotope Fluctuatios in Terrestrial Organic Matter
|
1039365 |
2013-01-30 | Rimmer, Susan |
|
This project studies the Permian-Triassic extinction event as recorded in sedimentary rocks from the Transantarctic Mountains of Antarctica. Two hundred and fifty million years ago most life on Earth was wiped out in a geologic instant. The cause is a subject of great debate. Researchers have identified a unique stratigraphic section near Shackleton glacier laid down during the extinction event. Organic matter from these deposits will be analyzed by density gradient centrifugation (DGC), which will offer detailed information on the carbon isotope composition. The age of these layers will be precisely dated by U/Pb-zircon-dating of intercalated volcanics. Combined, these results will offer detailed constraints on the timing and duration of carbon isotope excursions during the extinction, and offer insight into the coupling of marine and terrestrial carbon cycles. The broader impacts of this project include graduate and undergraduate student research, K12 outreach and teacher involvement, and societal relevance of the results, since the P/T extinction may have been caused by phenomena such as methane release, which could accompany global warming. | None | None | false | false | |||||||||
Collaborative Research: Molecular Level Characterization of Organic Matter in Ice Cores using High-resolution FTICR mass spectrometry
|
0739684 |
2012-09-26 | Hatcher, Patrick; Grannas, Amanda | No dataset link provided | This award supports a project to fully develop the analytical protocols needed to exploit a relatively new technique for the analysis of soluble organic matter in ice core samples. The technique couples Electrospray ionization to high resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (ESI-FTICR-MS). Sample volume will be reduced and pre-concentration steps will be eliminated. Following method optimization a suite of ice core samples will be studied from several Antarctic and Greenland locations to address several hypothesis driven research questions. Preliminary results show that a vast record of relatively high molecular weight organic material exists in ice core samples and intriguing results from a few samples warrant further investigation. Several important questions related to developing a better understanding of the nature and paleo record of organic matter in ice cores will be addressed. These include developing a better understanding of the origin of nitrogen and sulfur isotopes in pre-industrial vs. modern samples, developing the methods to apply molecular biomarker techniques, routinely used by organic geochemists for sediment analyses, to the analysis of organic matter in ice cores, tracking the level of oxidation of homologous series of compounds and using them as a proxy for atmospheric oxidant levels in the past and determining whether or not high resolution FTICR mass spectral analysis can provide the ice core community with a robust method to analyze organic materials at the molecular level. The intellectual merit of this work is that this analytical method will provide a new understanding of the nature of organic matter in ice, possibly leading to the discovery of multitudes of molecular species indicative of global change processes whose abundances can be compared with other change proxies. The proposed studies are of an exploratory nature and potentially transformative for the field of ice core research and cryobiology. The broader impacts of these studies are that they should provide compelling evidence regarding organic matter sources, atmospheric processing and anthropogenic inputs to polar ice and how these have varied over time. The collaborative work proposed here will partner atmospheric chemistry/polar ice chemistry expertise with organic geochemistry expertise, resulting in significant contributions to both fields of study and significant advances in ice core analysis. Training of both graduate and undergraduate students will be a key component of the project and students will be involved in collaborative research using advanced analytical instrumentation, presentation of research results at national meetings, and will participate in manuscript preparation. | None | None | false | false | |||||||||
Collaborative Research: Impact of Solar Radiation and Nutrients on Biogeochemical Cycling of DMSP and DMS in the Ross Sea, Antarctica
|
0230499 |
2012-01-17 | Kiene, Ronald |
|
Areas of the Southern Ocean have spectacular blooms of phytoplankton during the austral spring and early summer. One of the dominant phytoplankton species, the haptophyte Phaeocystis antarctica, is a prolific producer of the organic sulfur compound dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) and Phaeocystis blooms are associated with some of the world's highest concentrations of DMSP and its volatile degradation product, dimethylsulfide (DMS). Sulfur, in the form of DMS, is transferred from the oceans to the atmosphere and can affect the chemistry of precipitation and influence cloud properties and possibly climate. DMSP and DMS are also quantitatively significant components of the carbon, sulfur and energy flows in many marine food webs, although very little information is available on these processes in high latitude systems. <br/><br/>This project will study how solar radiation and iron cycling affect DMSP and DMS production by phytoplankton, and the subsequent utilization of these labile forms of organic matter by the microbial food web. Four interrelated hypotheses will be tested in field-based experiments and in situ observations: 1) solar radiation, including enhanced UV-B due to seasonal ozone depletion, plays an important role in determining the net ecosystem production of DMS in the Ross Sea; 2) development of shallow mixed layers promotes the accumulation of DMS in surface waters, because of enhanced exposure of plankton communities to high doses of solar radiation; 3) DMSP production and turnover represent a significant part of the carbon and sulfur flux through polar food webs; 4) bloom development and resulting nutrient depletion (e.g., iron) will result in high production rates of DMSP and high DMS concentrations and atmospheric fluxes. Results from this study will greatly improve understanding of the underlying mechanisms controlling DMSP and DMS concentrations in polar waters, thereby improving our ability to predict DMS fluxes to the atmosphere from this important climatic region. <br/><br/>Both Drs. Kieber and Kiene actively engage high school, undergraduate and graduate students in their research and are involved in formal programs that target underrepresented groups (NSF-REU and the American Chemical Society-SEED). This project will continue this type of educational outreach. The PIs also teach undergraduate and graduate courses and incorporation of research experiences into their classes will enrich student learning experiences. | POLYGON((-179.99998 -43.58056,-143.999984 -43.58056,-107.999988 -43.58056,-71.999992 -43.58056,-35.999996 -43.58056,0 -43.58056,35.999996 -43.58056,71.999992 -43.58056,107.999988 -43.58056,143.999984 -43.58056,179.99998 -43.58056,179.99998 -46.971468,179.99998 -50.362376,179.99998 -53.753284,179.99998 -57.144192,179.99998 -60.5351,179.99998 -63.926008,179.99998 -67.316916,179.99998 -70.707824,179.99998 -74.098732,179.99998 -77.48964,143.999984 -77.48964,107.999988 -77.48964,71.999992 -77.48964,35.999996 -77.48964,0 -77.48964,-35.999996 -77.48964,-71.999992 -77.48964,-107.999988 -77.48964,-143.999984 -77.48964,-179.99998 -77.48964,-179.99998 -74.098732,-179.99998 -70.707824,-179.99998 -67.316916,-179.99998 -63.926008,-179.99998 -60.5351,-179.99998 -57.144192,-179.99998 -53.753284,-179.99998 -50.362376,-179.99998 -46.971468,-179.99998 -43.58056)) | POINT(0 -89.999) | false | false | |||||||||
Collaborative Research: Impact of Solar Radiation and Nutrients on Biogeochemical Cycling of DMSP and DMS in the Ross Sea, Antarctica
|
0230497 |
2012-01-17 | Kiene, Ronald |
|
Areas of the Southern Ocean have spectacular blooms of phytoplankton during the austral spring and early summer. One of the dominant phytoplankton species, the haptophyte Phaeocystis antarctica, is a prolific producer of the organic sulfur compound dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) and Phaeocystis blooms are associated with some of the world's highest concentrations of DMSP and its volatile degradation product, dimethylsulfide (DMS). Sulfur, in the form of DMS, is transferred from the oceans to the atmosphere and can affect the chemistry of precipitation and influence cloud properties and possibly climate. DMSP and DMS are also quantitatively significant components of the carbon, sulfur and energy flows in many marine food webs, although very little information is available on these processes in high latitude systems. <br/><br/>This project will study how solar radiation and iron cycling affect DMSP and DMS production by phytoplankton, and the subsequent utilization of these labile forms of organic matter by the microbial food web. Four interrelated hypotheses will be tested in field-based experiments and in situ observations: 1) solar radiation, including enhanced UV-B due to seasonal ozone depletion, plays an important role in determining the net ecosystem production of DMS in the Ross Sea; 2) development of shallow mixed layers promotes the accumulation of DMS in surface waters, because of enhanced exposure of plankton communities to high doses of solar radiation; 3) DMSP production and turnover represent a significant part of the carbon and sulfur flux through polar food webs; 4) bloom development and resulting nutrient depletion (e.g., iron) will result in high production rates of DMSP and high DMS concentrations and atmospheric fluxes. Results from this study will greatly improve understanding of the underlying mechanisms controlling DMSP and DMS concentrations in polar waters, thereby improving our ability to predict DMS fluxes to the atmosphere from this important climatic region. <br/><br/>Both Drs. Kieber and Kiene actively engage high school, undergraduate and graduate students in their research and are involved in formal programs that target underrepresented groups (NSF-REU and the American Chemical Society-SEED). This project will continue this type of educational outreach. The PIs also teach undergraduate and graduate courses and incorporation of research experiences into their classes will enrich student learning experiences. | None | None | false | false | |||||||||
WAPflux - New Tools to Study the Fate of Phytoplankton Production in the West Antarctic Peninsula
|
0838866 |
2011-08-31 | Buesseler, Ken; Valdes, James |
|
Abstract<br/><br/><br/>By using a tool-box of particle flux and characterization techniques appropriate to the study of particulate organic carbon fluxes out of the upper sunlit zone, WHOI researchers will attempt to evaluate the so called 'biological pump' term at the Palmer Long Term Ecological Research (PAL) site in the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP). The goal of these measurements is to describe the seasonal dynamics of production, export (sinking) and at-depth remineralization rates of organic matter produced in the Antarctic photic zone. This should lead to a better understanding of the biogeochemical controls on the carbon cycle in this difficult to access region. Additionally, how much of the newly fixed organic carbon is exported off the shelf, effectively driving an influx of atmospheric (including anthropogenic) CO2 to be sequestered into the deep ocean is not presently known. Comparison of prior time series sediment traps in the WAP seem to indicate smaller sinking C fluxes than other, as equally as productive Antarctic coastal regions, e.g. the Ross Sea. New observations and modeling activities will attempt to explain this discrepancy, and to account for the apparently inefficient particle export. <br/><br/><br/>"This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5)." | POLYGON((-75 -62,-74 -62,-73 -62,-72 -62,-71 -62,-70 -62,-69 -62,-68 -62,-67 -62,-66 -62,-65 -62,-65 -62.8,-65 -63.6,-65 -64.4,-65 -65.2,-65 -66,-65 -66.8,-65 -67.6,-65 -68.4,-65 -69.2,-65 -70,-66 -70,-67 -70,-68 -70,-69 -70,-70 -70,-71 -70,-72 -70,-73 -70,-74 -70,-75 -70,-75 -69.2,-75 -68.4,-75 -67.6,-75 -66.8,-75 -66,-75 -65.2,-75 -64.4,-75 -63.6,-75 -62.8,-75 -62)) | POINT(-70 -66) | false | false | |||||||||
POC Production and Export in the Indian Ocean Sector of the Southern Ocean: A US-China Collaborative Research Program
|
9726186 |
2011-03-03 | Leventer, Amy |
|
*** 9726186 Pilskaln This proposed work is a study of the biological production and export flux of biogenic matter in response to ventilation of intermediate and deep water masses within the Polar Front zone. It is a collaborative work between the University of Maine and the Chinese Antarctic Research Expedition (CHINARE). The shipboard work is proposed for the Chinese antarctic resupply vessel off Prydz Bay in the Indian Ocean sector. In the austral Spring, this region experiences phytoplankton blooms that are thought to be the result of nutrient transport by the ventilation of intermediate and deep water masses. On an annual basis, it is believed that such blooms are the primary source of particulate organic carbon and biogenic silica flux to the ocean bottom. At this time however no data exists on the amount of particulate organic matter that sinks through the water column, leaving the quantitative relationships between production and export largely undefined in this region. The initial phase of the work consists of setting out a time-series sediment trap mooring at approximately 64 deg S latitude and 73 deg E longitude to take advantage of the historical data set that CHINARE has obtained in this area over the past decade. The biweekly to monthly trap samples will be analyzed for their organic constituents, and in conjunction with primary productivity observations will provide the basic data from which export values can be derived. This work will be carried out in collaboration with the State Oceanic Administration of the People's Republic of China, and the Chinese Antarctic Research Expedition. In addition to providing time on the antarctic resupply vessel, the SOA will sponsor the shipboard primary productivity experiments and the supporting hydrographic measurements. The collaborating American scientists will provide guidance in making these observations to standards developed for the Joint Global Ocean Flux Study, and provide the hardware for the moored sediment trap. There will be a mutual sharing between the U.S. and Chinese investigators of all samples and data sets, and the data analysis will be carried out jointly. *** | None | None | false | false | |||||||||
Determining Middle Miocene through Pliocene Changes in Paleo Ice-flow and Basal Ice Conditions in East Antarctica through Sedimentological Analyses of Core Samples
|
0838842 |
2010-08-27 | Passchier, Sandra |
|
This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). The project aims on studying sediment cores collected from Prydz Bay and the Ross Sea to unravel the Neogene paleoclimatic history of the East Antarctic ice sheet. In the light of current measurements and predictions of a substantial rise in global temperature, investigations into the sensitivity of the East Antarctic ice sheet to climate change and its role in the climate system are essential. Geological records of former periods of climate change provide an opportunity to ground truth model predictions. The scientific objective of this project is to identify a previously proposed middle Miocene transition from a more dynamic wet-based East Antarctic ice sheet to the present semi-permanent ice sheet that is partially frozen to its bed. The timing and significance of this transition is controversial due to a lack of quantitative studies on well-dated ice-proximal sedimentary sequences. This project partially fills that gap using the composition and physical properties of diamictites and sandstones to establish shifts in ice-sheet drainage pathways, paleoenvironments and basal ice conditions. The results from the two key areas around the Antarctic continental margin will provide insight into the behavior of the East Antarctic ice sheet across the middle Miocene transition and through known times of warming in the late Miocene and Pliocene. | POLYGON((-180 -68,-177 -68,-174 -68,-171 -68,-168 -68,-165 -68,-162 -68,-159 -68,-156 -68,-153 -68,-150 -68,-150 -69,-150 -70,-150 -71,-150 -72,-150 -73,-150 -74,-150 -75,-150 -76,-150 -77,-150 -78,-153 -78,-156 -78,-159 -78,-162 -78,-165 -78,-168 -78,-171 -78,-174 -78,-177 -78,180 -78,178 -78,176 -78,174 -78,172 -78,170 -78,168 -78,166 -78,164 -78,162 -78,160 -78,160 -77,160 -76,160 -75,160 -74,160 -73,160 -72,160 -71,160 -70,160 -69,160 -68,162 -68,164 -68,166 -68,168 -68,170 -68,172 -68,174 -68,176 -68,178 -68,-180 -68)) | POINT(-175 -73) | false | false | |||||||||
Collaborative Research: Photochemical and Optical Properties of Antarctic Waters in Response to Changing UV-B Fluxes
|
9527255 |
2010-05-04 | Mopper, Kenneth |
|
ACT K. Mopper & D. Kieber OPP 9527255 & OPP 9527314 PHOTOCHEMICAL AND OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF ANTARCTIC WATERS IN RESPONSE TO CHANGING UV-B FLUXES The decrease in stratospheric ozone over the Antarctic results in an increase in the UV-B flux in the euphotic zone. The increase leads to cellular damage to aquatic organisms, as documented by photo-inhibition and decreased productivity. Cellular damage can occur either intracellularly, or externally at the cell surface from biomolecular reactions with externally-generated reactive transients. The extent of this extracellular damage will depend on the photochemistry of the seawater surrounding the cell. Until recently, nothing was known about the type of photochemical processes, rates, and steady state concentrations of transients in Antarctic waters. It is proposed that field experiments be performed which will allow the construction of predictive models of photochemical production rates in surface waters and with depth. These studies will involve further quantum yield measurementts, development of a sensitive underwater actinometer system, and use of a new underwater multichannel photometer. The model will allow the prediction of the impact of varying levels of UV-B on the photoproduction and steady state concentration of several key reactive transient species in the upper water column. In addition to this effort, experiments will also be performed to study the photodegradation of dissolved organic matter and to determine whether biologically utilizable substrates that are formed photochemically can enhance secondary productivity in Antarctic waters. | None | None | false | false | |||||||||
Collaborative Research: Linking Modern Benthic Communities and Taphonomic Processes to the Stratigraphic Record of Antarctic Cores
|
0739583 0739512 0739496 |
2009-07-15 | Walker, Sally; Bowser, Samuel; Miller, Molly; Furbish, David | This project answers a simple question: why are there so few fossils in sediment cores from Antarctica?s continental shelf? Antarctica?s benthos are as biologically rich as those of the tropics. Shell-secreting organisms should have left a trail throughout geologic time, but have not. This trail is particularly important because these organisms record regional climate in ways that are critical to interpreting the global climate record. This study uses field experiments and targeted observations of modern benthic systems to examine the biases inflicted by fossil preservation. By examining a spectrum of ice-affected habitats, this project provides paleoenvironmental insights into carbonate preservation, sedimentation rates, and burial processes; and will provide new approaches to reconstructing the Cenozoic history of Antarctica. Broader impacts include graduate and undergraduate research and education, development of undergraduate curricula to link art and science, K12 outreach, public outreach via the web, and societal relevance through improved understanding of records of global climate change. | POLYGON((163.41667 -77.33333,163.46667 -77.33333,163.51667 -77.33333,163.56667 -77.33333,163.61667 -77.33333,163.66667 -77.33333,163.71667 -77.33333,163.76667 -77.33333,163.81667 -77.33333,163.86667 -77.33333,163.91667 -77.33333,163.91667 -77.369997,163.91667 -77.406664,163.91667 -77.443331,163.91667 -77.479998,163.91667 -77.516665,163.91667 -77.553332,163.91667 -77.589999,163.91667 -77.626666,163.91667 -77.663333,163.91667 -77.7,163.86667 -77.7,163.81667 -77.7,163.76667 -77.7,163.71667 -77.7,163.66667 -77.7,163.61667 -77.7,163.56667 -77.7,163.51667 -77.7,163.46667 -77.7,163.41667 -77.7,163.41667 -77.663333,163.41667 -77.626666,163.41667 -77.589999,163.41667 -77.553332,163.41667 -77.516665,163.41667 -77.479998,163.41667 -77.443331,163.41667 -77.406664,163.41667 -77.369997,163.41667 -77.33333)) | POINT(163.66667 -77.516665) | false | false | ||||||||||
Photochemistry of Antarctic Waters in Repsonse to Changing Ultraviolet Radiation Fluxes
|
9221598 |
2009-06-19 | Mopper, Kenneth; Neale, Patrick |
|
Decreases in stratospheric ozone over the Antarctic result in an increase in the ultraviolet radiation flux in the euphotic zone of the ocean. This increase may lead to cellular damage in aquatic organisms resulting in photo-inhibition and decreased productivity. Cellular damage can occur either intracellularly, or externally at the cell surface from biomolecular reactions with externally-generated reactive transient species. Extracellular damage will depend to a large degree on the photochemistry of the seawater surrounding the cell. To date, little is known about the photochemistry of the unique Antarctic waters. This project integrates a field and laboratory approach to obtain baseline information regarding the marine photochemistry of the euphotic zone in Antarctica waters as related to changes in ultraviolet radiation levels. In situ photochemical production rates and steady state concentrations of a suite of reactive species and dissolved organic matter degradation products as well as downwelling ultraviolet radiation will be measured. Additionally, flux by in situ chemical actinometry, action spectra for photochemical production of various reactive species and dissolved organic matter degradation products, and fluorescence and absorbance properties of dissolved organic matter will be determined. This information will serve as a basis for understanding and predicting the effects of ultraviolet radiation-induced marine photochemical processes on the productivity and ecology in the euphotic zone of the Antarctic Ocean. | None | None | false | false | |||||||||
Environmental and Ecological Regulation of Differences and Interactions between Solitary and Colonial forms of Phaeocystis antarctica
|
0440478 |
2009-05-04 | Tang, Kam; Smith, Walker |
|
Phaeocystis Antarctica is a widely distributed phytoplankton that forms dense blooms and aggregates in the Southern Ocean. This phytoplankton and plays important roles in polar ecology and biogeochemistry, in part because it is a dominant primary producer, a main component of organic matter vertical fluxes, and the principal producer of volatile organic sulfur in the region. Yet P. Antarctica is also one of the lesser known species in terms of its physiology, life history and trophic relationships with other organisms; furthermore, information collected on other Phaeocystis species and from different locations may not be applicable to P. Antarctica in the Ross Sea. P. Antarctica occurs mainly as two morphotypes: solitary cells and mucilaginous colonies, which differ significantly in size, architecture and chemical composition. Relative dominance between solitary cells and colonies determines not only the size spectrum of the population, but also its carbon dynamics, nutrient uptake and utilization. Conventional thinking of the planktonic trophic processes is also challenged by the fact that colony formation could effectively alter the predator-prey interactions and interspecific competition. However, the factors that regulate the differences between solitary and colonial forms of P. Antarctica are not well-understood. The research objective of this proposal is therefore to address these over-arching questions:<br/>o Do P. Antarctica solitary cells and colonies differ in growth, composition and<br/>photosynthetic rates?<br/>o How do nutrients and grazers affect colony development and size distribution of P. <br/>Antarctica?<br/>o How do nutrients and grazers act synergistically to affect the long-term population<br/>dynamics of P. Antarctica? Experiments will be conducted in the McMurdo station with natural P. Antarctica assemblages and co-occurring grazers. Laboratory experiments will be conducted to study size-specific growth and photosynthetic rates of P. Antarctica, size-specific grazing mortality due to microzooplankton and mesozooplankton, the effects of macronutrients on the (nitrogen compounds) relative dominance of solitary cells and colonies, and the effects of micronutrient (Fe) and grazing related chemical signals on P. Antarctica colony development. Because this species is of critical importance in the Southern Ocean, and because this research will provide critical information on factors that regulate the role of P.Antarctica in food webs and biogeochemical cycles, a major gap in knowledge will be addressed. This project will train two marine science PhD students. The investigators will also collaborate with the School of Education and a marine science museum to communicate polar science to a broader audience. | POINT(166.66267 -77.85067) | POINT(166.66267 -77.85067) | false | false | |||||||||
Collaborative Research: Biogeochemistry of Dissolved Organic Matter in Pony Lake, Ross Island
|
0338260 0338342 |
2009-03-16 | Foreman, Christine; Chin, Yu-Ping |
|
Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is a significant chemical component in aquatic systems because it acts as an important carbon source for microorganisms, absorbs harmful radiation in sunlight, is able to complex metals, and can participate in important biogeochemical reactions. This study will investigate the biogeochemical cycling of DOM in a small coastal Antarctic pond, Pony Lake, located on Cape Royds, Ross Island. Because there are no higher plants present at this site all of the DOM in this lake is derived from microorganisms. Thus, Pony Lake is an ideal site to study the effect of physical, chemical, and microbial processes on the composition and character of the DOM pool. Finally, Pony Lake is also an ideal site to collect an International Humic Substances Society (IHSS) fulvic acid standard. Unlike other IHSS standards, this standard will not contain DOM components derived from higher land plants. To better understand the role of physical influences, the project will study the changes in the DOM pool as the lake evolves from ice-covered to ice-free conditions during the summer, as well as the relationship of DOM to the observed turnover of dominant microbial communities in the lake. Scientists will also monitor changes in microbial abundance, diversity, and productivity that may occur during the ice to open-water transition period. This research will provide much needed information regarding the relationship between microbial diversity and DOM biogeochemistry. Middle school science students will be active participants in this project through the Internet, while scientists are in the field, and in the lab. | POINT(166.167 -77.55) | POINT(166.167 -77.55) | false | false | |||||||||
Paleoclimate Inferred from Lake Sediment Cores in Taylor Valley, Antarctica
|
0126270 |
2007-02-05 | Doran, Peter | No dataset link provided | Polar Programs, provides funds for a study of sediment cores from the McMurdo Dry Valley lakes. The Dry Valley lakes have a long history of fluctuating levels reflecting regional climate change. The history of lake level fluctuations is generally known from the LGM to early Holocene through 14C dates of buried organic matter in paleolake deposits. However, the youngest paleolake deposits available are between 8000 to 9000 14C yr BP, suggesting that lake levels were at or below current levels for much of the Holocene. Thus, any information about the lake history and climate controls for the Holocene is largely contained in bottom sediments. This project will attempt to extract paleoclimatic information from sediment cores for a series of closed-basin dry valley lakes under study by the McMurdo LTER site. This work involves multiple approaches to dating the sediments and use of several climate proxy approaches to extract century to millennial scale chronologies from Antarctic lacustrine deposits. This research uses knowledge on lake processes gained over the past eight years by the LTER to calibrate climate proxies from lake sediments. Proxies for lake depth and ice thickness, which are largely controlled by summer climate, are the focus of this work. This study focuses on four key questions: 1. How sensitively do dry valley lake sediments record Holocene environmental and climate variability? 2. What is the paleoclimatic variability in the dry valleys on a century and millennial scale throughout the Holocene? Especially, is the 1200 yr evaporative event unique, or are there other such events in the record? 3. Does a mid-Holocene (7000 to 5000 yr BP) climate shift occur in the dry valleys as documented elsewhere in the polar regions? 4. Is there evidence, in the dry valley lake record of the 1500 yr Holocene periodicities recently recognized in the Taylor Dome record? Core collection will be performed with LTER support using a state-of-the-art percussion/piston corer system that has been used successfully to retrieve long cores (10 to 20 m) from other remote polar locations. Analyses to be done include algal pigments, biogenic silica, basic geochemistry, organic and inorganic carbon and nitrogen content, stable isotopes of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen, carbonate phases, salt content and mineralogy, and grain size. In addition this project will pursue a multi-chronometer approach to assess the age of the core through optically-stimulated luminescence, 226Ra/230Th , 230Th/234U, and 14C techniques. New experimentation with U-series techniques will be performed to allow for greater precision in the dry valley lake sediments. Compound specific isotopes and lipid biomarkers , which are powerful tools for inferring past lake conditions, will also be assessed. Combined, these analyses will provide a new century to millennial scale continuous record of the Holocene climate change in the Ross Sea region. | None | None | false | false |