Collaborative Research: Integrated Study of East Antarctic Ice Sheet Tills (ISET): Tracers of Ice Flow and Proxies of the Ice-covered continental shield

该项目研究的是从南极东部冰盖通过横贯南极山脉流入罗斯湾的冰川。来自南极洲东部和西部的冰川汇聚在这一地区，形成了罗斯冰架，其大小是全球气候变化的敏感指标。这项工作将通过岩石学、地球化学和同位素研究确定冰碛物的物源。它的目标是了解在第四纪晚期，冰盖进入该地区的流动路径，特别是集中在大约18,000年前的最后一次冰期。这些知识对于模拟冰盖的形成和行为至关重要。虽然东南极冰盖被认为是稳定的，但西南极洲拥有可能受到全球气候变化影响的快速流动的冰流。这项工作还将增进我们对东南极洲地壳岩石的了解。由于被更厚的冰盖覆盖，其基本地质基本上是未知的。起源研究还将用于印第安纳州地球科学教育工作者的实地课程研讨会。其他更广泛的影响包括研究生和本科生教育，以及提高社会对全球气候变化的理解。南极洲的冰盖在大气和海洋环流中发挥着关键作用，是海平面上升的关键因素。冰盖行为的模型依赖于本研究将提供的过去冰盖配置的准确重建。

This project studies till from the glaciers that drain the East Antarctic ice sheet through the Transantarctic Mountains into the Ross Embayment. Glaciers from both East and West Antarctica converge in this area, creating the Ross Ice Shelf, whose size is a sensitive indicator of global climate change. This work will determine till provenance through petrologic, geochemical, and isotopic studies. Its goal is to understand the flow paths of ice sheets into this area during the late Quaternary period, especially focused on the last glacial maximum approximately 18,000 yrs ago. This knowledge is critical to modeling ice sheet formation and behavior. While the East Antarctic ice sheet is considered stable, West Antarctica hosts rapidly flowing ice streams that may be affected by global climate change. The work will also improve our knowledge of the crustal rocks of East Antarctica. Covered by kilometer-thick ice sheets, its basic geology is largely unknown. The provenance studies will also be used in field-based curriculum workshops for Indiana Earth Science educators. Other broader impacts include graduate and undergraduate education, and improving society's understanding of global climate change. Antarctica's ice sheets play a pivotal role in atmospheric and oceanic circulation, and are key factors in sea-level rise. Models of ice sheet behavior rely on accurate reconstructions of past ice sheet configurations that this study will provide.