Workshop on Interdisciplinary Polar Research Based on Fast Ice-Sheet Drilling - FASTDRILL; Santa Cruz, CA, October, 2002

该奖项为一个跨学科讲习班提供了部分支持，该讲习班将生物学家、地质学家、冰川学家和古气候学家聚集在一起，讨论各种科学研究，这些科学研究可能受益于开发一种进入极地冰盖底部的新的、快速和移动的钻探技术。文中提到了通过这种技术可以实现的一些科学应用，包括开辟通往冰下湖泊的通道、探测古冰中的生命、钻孔古测温、深冰芯选址、利用地球物理工具记录气候指标、冰流变学研究、调查基本条件及其对基底滑动的控制、冰川下地质取样和地热热流测量。该研讨会将提供一个论坛，与冰钻、常规钻井和井下采样系统的专家进行讨论，并将就快速通道钻井技术的未来方向向NSF提出制定建议。这次研讨会将有助于研究南极洲的冰下湖泊，如沃斯托克湖。在启动研究冰下湖泊地质史、冰川学和生物学之间相互关系的研究计划之前，有必要在采样、测量和污染控制技术方面取得进展，以便能够对湖泊进行采样，以环境无害的方式保持样品的完整性。该讲习班将有助于技术的发展，使之应用于冰下湖泊的研究。

This award provides partial support for an interdisciplinary workshop to bring biologists, geologists, glaciologists and paleoclimatologists together to discuss the various scientific studies that could benefit from the development of a new, fast and mobile drilling technology for accessing the base of the polar ice sheets. Some of the scientific applications which have been mentioned which would be made possible by such technology include opening of access to subglacial lakes, detection of life in ancient ice, borehole paleothermometry, site selection for deep ice cores, logging of climate proxies with geophysical tools, ice rheology studies, investigation of basal conditions and their control on basal sliding, sampling of subglacial geology and geothermal heat flow measurements. This workshop will provide a forum for discussions with experts in ice drilling, conventional drilling and downhole sampling systems and will lead to the formulation recommendations to NSF for future directions in rapid access drilling technology. This workshop will contribute to research on sub-glacial lakes in Antarctica, such as Lake Vostok. Prior to the initiation of a research program to study the interrelationship among geologic history, glaciology and biology in sub-glacial lakes, it is necessary to make progress on sampling, measurement and contamination control technologies so that the Lake can be sampled in order to maintain sample integrity in an environmentally sound manner. This workshop will contribute to technology development that will have application to the study of subglacial lakes.