COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: Elevation Change Anomalies in West Antarctica and Dynamics of Subglacial Water Transport Beneath Ice Streams and their Tributaries

合作研究：南极洲西部的海拔变化异常以及冰流及其支流下方冰下水输送的动态

• 批准号: 0636719
• 负责人: Ian Joughin
• 金额: $ 23.79万
• 依托单位: University of Washington
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2007
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2007-05-01 至 2012-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0636719&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: COLLABORATIVE; RESEARCH; Elevation; Change; Anomalies

Tulaczyk/0636970This award supports a project to study elevation change anomalies (henceforth ECAs), which are oval-shaped, 5-to-10 km areas observed in remote sensing images in several locations within the Ross Sea sector of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS). Within these anomalies, surface elevation changes at rates of up to ~1 to ~2 cm per day, significantly faster than in surrounding regions. These anomalies are thought to result from filling and draining of multi-kilometer-scale subglacial water pockets. The intellectual merit of this project is that these ECA's represent an unprecedented window into the elusive world of water drainage dynamics beneath the modern Antarctic ice sheet. Although subglacial water fluxes are small compared to normal terrestrial conditions, they play an important role in controlling fast ice streaming and, potentially, stability of the ice sheet. The dearth of observational constraints on sub-ice sheet water dynamics represents one of the most important limitations on progress in quantitative modeling of ice streams and ice sheets. Such models are necessary to assess future ice sheet mass balance and to reconstruct the response of ice sheets to past climate changes. The dynamic sub-ice sheet water transport indicated by the ECAs may have also implications for studies of subglacial lakes and other subglacial environments, which may harbor life adapted to such extreme conditions. The broader impacts of this project are that it will provide advanced training opportunities to one postdoctoral fellow (UW), two female doctoral students (UCSC), who will enhance diversity in polar sciences, and at least three undergraduate students (UCSC). Project output will be relevant to broad scientific and societal interests, such as the future global sea level changes and the response of Polar Regions to climate changes. Douglas Fox, a freelance science journalist, is interested in joining the first field season to write feature articles to popular science magazines and promote the exposure of this project, and Antarctic Science in general, to mass media.

Tulaczyk/0636970该奖项支持一个研究海拔变化异常（以下称为 ECA）的项目，这些异常是在南极西部冰盖 (WAIS) 罗斯海区域内多个地点的遥感图像中观察到的椭圆形、5 至 10 公里的区域。在这些异常区域内，地表海拔变化速度高达每天约 1 至 2 厘米，明显快于周围地区。这些异常现象被认为是由数公里规模的冰下水囊的填充和排水造成的。 该项目的智力价值在于，这些排放控制区代表了一个前所未有的窗口，可以让人们了解现代南极冰盖下难以捉摸的排水动力学世界。尽管与正常陆地条件相比，冰下水通量很小，但它们在控制快速冰流以及潜在的冰盖稳定性方面发挥着重要作用。冰盖下水动力学观测约束的缺乏是冰流和冰盖定量建模进展的最重要限制之一。这些模型对于评估未来冰盖质量平衡和重建冰盖对过去气候变化的响应是必要的。 ECA表明的动态冰盖下水输送也可能对冰下湖泊和其他冰下环境的研究产生影响，这些环境可能孕育着适应这种极端条件的生命。 该项目更广泛的影响在于，它将为一名博士后研究员（UW）、两名女博士生（UCSC）以及至少三名本科生（UCSC）提供高级培训机会，她们将增强极地科学的多样性。 项目成果将与广泛的科学和社会利益相关，例如未来全球海平面变化和极地地区对气候变化的反应。自由科学记者道格拉斯·福克斯（Douglas Fox）有兴趣参加第一个实地考察季，为科普杂志撰写专题文章，并促进大众媒体对该项目以及整个南极科学的曝光。