USAP-DC

This award supports a program of field surveys of an area within the large, well-developed megadune field southeast of Vostok station. The objectives are to determine the physical characteristics of the firn across the dunes, including typical climate indicators such as stable isotopes and major chemical species, and to install instruments to measure the time variation of near-surface wind and temperature with depth, to test and refine hypotheses for megadune formation. Field study will consist of surface snowpit and shallow core sampling, ground penetrating radar (GPR) profiling, GPS topographic and ice motion surveys, AWS installation, accumulation/ ablation measurements, subsurface temperature, and firn permeability studies. Field work in two successive seasons is proposed. Continent-wide remote sensing studies of the dunes will be continued, using the new group of instruments that are now, or will shortly be available (e.g., MODIS, MISR, GLAS, AMSR). The earlier study of topographic, passive microwave, and SAR characteristics will be extended, with the intent of determining the relationships of dune amplitude and wavelength to climate parameters, and further development of models of dune formation. Diffusion, ventilation, and vapor transport processes within the dune firn will be modeled as well. A robust program of outreach is planned and reporting to inform both the public and scientists of the fundamental in-situ and remote sensing characteristics of these uniquely Antarctic features will be an important part of the work. Because of their extreme nature, their broad extent, and their potential impact on the climate record, it is important to improve our current understanding of these. Megadunes are a manifestation of an extreme terrestrial climate and may provide insight on past terrestrial climate, or to processes active on other planets. Megadunes are likely to represent an end-member in firn diagenesis, and as such, may have much to teach us about the processes involved.

Person	Role
Courville, Zoe	Co-Investigator
Cathles, Mac	Co-Investigator
Scambos, Ted	Investigator
Bauer, Rob	Co-Investigator
Fahnestock, Mark	Investigator
Haran, Terry	Co-Investigator
Shuman, Christopher A.	Co-Investigator
Albert, Mary R.	Investigator

Antarctic Glaciology	Award # 0125570
Antarctic Glaciology	Award # 0125276

NSIDC-0299_1
scambos_0125570
NSIDC-0283_1
NSIDC-0282_1
albert_OPP0125276

None in the Database

Repository	Title (link)	Format(s)	Status
USAP-DC	Snow and Firn Permeability: Characteristics of Snow Megadunes and their Potential Effects on Ice Core Interpretation	JPEG	exist
USAP-DC	GPR and GPS Data: Characteristics of Snow Megadunes and their Potential Effects on Ice Core Interpretation	JPEG	exist
NSIDC	Access AGDC data online by navigating to Data Sets. Data sets are arranged by Principal Investigators. Access data that are combined into multiple data sets, or compiled products.	JPEG	bad_url
USAP-DC	AWS Data: Characteristics of Snow Megadunes and Their Potential Effect on Ice Core Interpretation	JPEG	exist
NSIDC	The Antarctic Glaciological Data Center (AGDC) at the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) archives and distributes Antarctic glaciological and cryospheric system data collected by the U.S. Antarctic Program.	JPEG	bad_url

1. Severinghaus, J. P., Albert, M. R., Courville, Z. R., Fahnestock, M. A., Kawamura, K., Montzka, S. A., … Weiss, R. F. (2010). Deep air convection in the firn at a zero-accumulation site, central Antarctica. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 293(3-4), 359–367. (doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2010.03.003)