Development of a Polar Multidisciplinary Airborne Imaging System for the International Polar Year 2007-2009

该项目开发了一套机载仪器系统，用于探测极地冰盖及其底层环境。仪器套件包括破冰雷达、激光高度计、重力仪和磁力计。航空地球物理测量是了解99%的南极洲和85%的格陵兰岛被冰覆盖的关键，到目前为止，这些都是在邮票水平上研究的。将冰盖行为与底层地质联系起来的项目将立即受益于该系统，但更令人兴奋的是该系统在极地科学前沿工作中的潜在用途，例如：1)探索冰下湖泊，最近发现的，可能是地球上最独特的地点，可以了解极端环境下的生命；2)找到最深、最古老的冰层，这将提供数百万年前甚至更古老的大气样本；3)解释南极洲的冰下地质，其中包含独特的、未被研究的火山、山脉和构造省。就更广泛的影响而言，该项目构建了对社会理解海平面上升至关重要的研究基础设施，并支持涉及国内，国际和私营部门合作的项目。

This project develops a system of airborne instruments to explore the polar ice sheets and their underlying environments. The instrument suite includes an ice-penetrating radar, laser altimeter, gravimeter and magnetometer. Airborne geophysical measurements are key to understanding the 99% of Antarctica and 85% of Greenland covered by ice, which have thus far been studied at the postage stamp level. Projects linking ice sheet behavior to underlying geology will immediately benefit from this system, but even more exciting are the system's potential uses for work at the frontiers of polar science, such as: 1) exploring subglacial lakes, recently discovered and potentially the most unique sites on Earth for understanding life in extreme environments; 2) locating the deepest, oldest ice, which would offer million year and older samples of the atmosphere; and 3) interpreting Antarctica's subglacial geology, which contains unique and unstudied volcanoes, mountains, and tectonic provinces.In terms of broader impacts, this project constructs research infrastructure critical to society's understanding of sea level rise, and supports a project involving domestic, international, and private sector collaborations.