Ice-Radar and Satellite Remote-Sensing Studies of Glaciers and Ice Sheets, II

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Ice-Radar and Satellite Remote Sensing Studies of Glaciers and Ice Sheets II This project is for continued funding of the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site at St . Olaf College and South Cascade Glacier, WA. Since 1987, with support form NSF, the St. Olaf ice radar has been part of the effort to understand the dynamics of the West Antarctic ice Sheet. The St. Olaf contribution to this prmject has been the development and deployment of a ground-based radar system used in studies of several of the fast ice streams which drain into the Ross Ice Shelf. Through the current REU award, the group has more recently become involved in the use of satellite imagery for obtaining ice velocities - a complementary tool to the radar also used for understanding ice dynamics. At the same time, St. Olaf has carried out an active research program on South Cascade Glacier, WA in collaboration with scientists in the U.S. Geological Survey. In addition to serving as a testing and development site for the Antarctic radar system, this glacier has been focus of an intensive effort to investigate the problem of englacial and subglacial drainage and hydrology. Studies on South Cascade Glacier also provide and accessible site for students to experience glaciological science in the field, and to plan and carry out experiments of their own design similar to those done in the polar regions. This proposal will enable undergraduate students to participate in the data reduction and analysis phase of radar and ice dynamical studies being carried out on Siple Dome, Antarctica. It will also fund a complementary study of ice velocities in this area using satellite imagery to answer questions about the transitory nature of the ice streams surrounding the dome. The proposal supports continued field work mn South Cascade Glacier to study problems of glacial hydrology and further developments of the radar system.