SGER: Antarctic Borehole Research with an Advanced TV/UV Instrument Developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory

SGER：使用喷气推进实验室开发的先进电视/紫外线仪器进行南极钻孔研究

• 批准号: 9910838
• 负责人: Barclay Kamb
• 金额: $ 2.49万
• 依托单位: California Institute of Technology
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2000
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2000-02-01 至 2001-01-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9910838&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SGER; Antarctic; Borehole; Research; Advanced

OPP 9910839KambThis award, provided by the Antarctic Glaciology Program of the Office of Polar Programs, is made under the Small Grants for Exploratory Research (SGER) program. The award is to apply new, advanced TV imaging technology of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to research on the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS). JPL will provide a deep borehole TV camera system for observing directly the zone of contact between ice and subglacial till at the base of the West Antarctic ice streams. The purpose is to gain an understanding of the mechanism of rapid ice stream motion, which governs the ice streams' effect on the stability/instability of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet in relation to global change. A borehole TV system is needed to reveal: (1) the configuration and dimensions of the basal ice-till contact and possible gaps between the ice and the till, which may be conduits in a basal water system; (2) the amount, character, and distribution of rock debris in the basal ice; and (3) any dynamic motions of the ice or till. JPL has developed a new borehole instrument system, which is to operate on a fiber optic cable and consist of a high-resolution TV camera combined with a UV spectral fluorometer. JPL has made this new instrument available for use in our NSF-OPP sponsored research project on the West Antarctic ice streams. JPL would in turn be able to use the instrument to make fluorometric measurements aimed at detection of microbial activity in the deep ice and on rock surfaces. The fluorometric technique represents a forerunner in the development of a method for microbial detection intended ultimately for use in Lake Vostok or similar environments.The objective of this work is thus to apply a new technology to the fundamental problems of rapid ice-stream motion and the existence of microbial activity at or near the basal (ice-till) interface. The research is exploratory in tackling two fundamental observations in Antarctic science that have not been attempted previously. It is high risk in lacking a basis in previous experience for predicting how successful the observations will be.

该奖项由极地项目办公室南极冰川学项目提供，是根据探索性研究（SGER）项目的小额赠款颁发的。该奖项旨在将喷气推进实验室（JPL）的新的先进电视成像技术应用于西南极冰盖（WAIS）的研究。喷气推进实验室将提供一个深钻孔电视摄像系统，用于直接观察南极西部冰流底部冰与冰下冰碛物之间的接触区。 目的是了解快速冰流运动的机制，这决定了冰流对南极西部冰盖稳定性/不稳定性的影响。 需要钻孔电视系统来揭示：（1）基底冰-冰碛接触的构造和尺寸，以及冰和冰碛之间可能存在的间隙，这些间隙可能是基底水系中的管道;（2）基底冰中岩屑的数量、特征和分布;以及（3）冰或冰碛的任何动态运动。喷气推进实验室开发了一种新的钻孔仪器系统，该系统将在光纤电缆上运行，由一台高分辨率电视摄像机和一台紫外光谱荧光计组成。喷气推进实验室已经使这种新仪器可用于我们的NSF赞助的西南极冰流研究项目。喷气推进实验室将能够使用该仪器进行荧光测量，旨在检测深层冰和岩石表面的微生物活动。荧光技术代表了一个先驱的微生物检测方法的发展，最终用于在湖沃斯托克或类似的environments. Objective这项工作的目的是应用一种新的技术的快速冰流运动的基本问题和存在的微生物活动或附近的基础（冰耕）接口。 这项研究是探索性的，旨在解决南极科学中以前没有尝试过的两个基本观测结果。 缺乏以往经验的基础来预测观测的成功程度是很危险的。