Collaborative Research: Western Divide West Antarctic Ice Cores (WAISCORES) Site Selection

合作研究：西分水岭西南极冰芯 (WAISCORES) 选址

• 批准号: 0087507
• 负责人: Donald Blankenship
• 金额: $ 6.16万
• 依托单位: University of Texas at Austin
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2002
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2002-07-15 至 2006-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0087507&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Western; Divide; West

This award supports a program of ground-based geophysical measurements to map in detail the spatial variations of ice flow, accumulation rate, internal layering and ice thickness at the sites which have been identified as promising locations to drill the next deep ice core in West Antarctica. The main investigative tools are a high- and low-frequency ice penetrating radar to image the topography of internal layers and the bed, repeat GPS surveys to calculate the present day surface velocity field, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) interferometry to calculate the regional velocity field, and short firn cores to calculate present day accumulation rates. The data which will be collected will be used to as input to time-dependent ice flow and temperature models that will predict depth variation of age, layer thickness, and temperature. As well as yielding an estimate of expected conditions before drilling, the mismatch between the model prediction and data eventually recovered from the core will help infer thinning and climate (accumulation and temperature) histories for the region. The Western Divide, between the Ross Sea Embayment and the Amundsen Sea, has been identified as the region which best satisfies the criteria which have been established for a deep drilling site. Preliminary site selection using airborne geophysical methods has identified several potential drill sites on the Western Divide where the climate record should be best preserved. This work will contribute in a major way to the final site selection for the next deep ice core in West Antarctica.

该奖项支持一个基于地面的地球物理测量方案，以详细绘制已被确定为有希望在南极洲西部钻探下一个深冰芯的地点的冰流、积累率、内部分层和冰厚度的空间变化。 主要的调查工具有：高频和低频冰层穿透雷达，用于对内层和海床的地形进行成像;重复全球定位系统测量，用于计算目前的表面速度场;合成孔径雷达干涉测量，用于计算区域速度场;以及短的积雪芯，用于计算目前的积累率。 将收集的数据将被用作随时间变化的冰流和温度模型的输入，这些模型将预测年龄、层厚度和温度的深度变化。 除了在钻井前对预期条件进行估计外，模型预测与最终从岩心中恢复的数据之间的不匹配将有助于推断该地区的变薄和气候（累积和温度）历史。 罗斯海海湾和阿蒙森海之间的西部分水岭被确定为最符合为深海钻探场地确定的标准的区域。 使用航空地球物理方法进行的初步选址已经确定了西部分水岭上的几个潜在钻探地点，那里的气候记录应该得到最好的保存。 这项工作将为南极洲西部下一个深冰芯的最终选址做出重大贡献。