Collaborative Research: Sloccum Glider in Western Antarctic Peninsula Continental Shelf Waters Pilot Study

合作研究：南极半岛西部大陆架水域的 Sloccum 滑翔机试点研究

• 批准号: 0700770
• 负责人: Oscar Schofield
• 金额: $ 5.64万
• 依托单位: Rutgers University New Brunswick
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2007
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2007-01-15 至 2007-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0700770&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Sloccum; Glider; Western

The Antarctic Peninsula (AP) is characterized by (1) the most rapid recent regional (winter) warming (5.35 times global mean), (2) a loss of nearly all its perennial sea ice cover on its western margin, and (3) 87% of the glaciers in retreat, contributing to global sea level rise. An ability to understand this change depends upon researchers' ability to better understand the underlying sources of this change and their driving mechanisms. Despite intensive efforts, the western AP (WAP) is chronically under-sampled. Therefore developing a capability to maintain a sustained in situ presence is a high scientific priority. The current proposal addresses this critical need through 2 objectives: (1) establish the feasibility of a Slocum Webb ocean glider to enable real-time high resolution data-adaptive polar oceanographic research; (2) address a critical question involving the regional climate change by measuring the ocean heat budget within a grid containing 14 years of ship-based ocean snapshots. This will involve the launch of the glider during the PAL-LTER austral summer research cruise, where it will fly the full along-shore distance of the LTER sample grid to be recovered at the southern extreme when the ship arrives there later in the summer. The glider will provide nearly continuous ocean property (temperature, salinity and pressure) coverage over this distance.Intellectual merit. The proposed activity will involve state of the art sampling methodology that will revolutionize the ability to address climate change and other scientific issues requiring sampling densities that could not be achieved by research vessels. Specifically, the adaptive sampling capability of the glider will be used to alter its course allowing identification of routes by which the source waters of the ocean heat (and nutrients) enter the continental shelf region, while the near-continuous sampling will provide a diagnosis of how well standard shipborne stations close the heat budget. Resources are adequate for this study due to heavy leveraging by the availability of the Rutgers SLOCUM Web glider, glider control center and participation of the team of experts that flew the first such glider.Broader Impacts. The proposed activity will advance discovery and understanding of the WAP responses to climate variability, to study the intricate feedback mechanisms associated with this variability and to better understand the chemical and physical processes associated with climate change. The data will be made available across the World Wide Web as it is collected, almost in real time, a potential bonanza for scientists during the upcoming International Polar Year, for classroom instruction and general outreach. Society will ultimately benefit from the improved knowledge of how climate change elsewhere in the world is impacting the unique ecosystem of the Antarctic, and driving glacial melt (sea level rise), among its other influences.

南极半岛（AP）的特点是：（1）最近最快的区域（冬季）变暖（全球平均值的5.35倍），（2）几乎所有的常年海冰覆盖在其西部边缘的损失，（3）87%的冰川退缩，导致全球海平面上升。理解这种变化的能力取决于研究人员更好地理解这种变化的潜在来源及其驱动机制的能力。 尽管付出了大量努力，但西部AP（WAP）长期以来一直采样不足。 因此，发展维持持续实地存在的能力是一个高度优先的科学问题。 目前的提案通过两个目标满足这一关键需求：（1）确定斯洛克姆·韦伯海洋滑翔机的可行性，以实现实时高分辨率数据适应性极地海洋学研究;（2）通过测量包含14年船载海洋快照的网格内的海洋热量收支，解决涉及区域气候变化的关键问题。这将涉及在PAL-LTER南极夏季研究巡航期间发射滑翔机，在那里它将沿着LTER样本网格的整个海岸距离飞行，当船在夏季晚些时候到达那里时，将在南端恢复。滑翔机将在这段距离内提供几乎连续的海洋特性（温度、盐度和压力）覆盖。 拟议的活动将涉及最先进的采样方法，这将使应对气候变化和其他科学问题的能力发生革命性变化，这些问题需要研究船无法达到的采样密度。具体而言，将利用滑翔机的自适应采样能力来改变其航线，以便确定海洋热量（和营养物）的来源沃茨进入大陆架区域的路线，而近乎连续的采样将提供关于标准船载站如何关闭热量收支的诊断。 由于罗格斯大学SLOCUM网式滑翔机、滑翔机控制中心的可用性以及第一架这种滑翔机的专家团队的参与，这项研究的资源是足够的。拟议的活动将促进发现和了解WAP对气候变异性的反应，研究与这种变异性有关的复杂反馈机制，并更好地了解与气候变化有关的化学和物理过程。 这些数据几乎是在真实的时间内收集的，将在万维网上提供，在即将到来的国际极地年期间，这可能是科学家的一笔财富，可用于课堂教学和一般宣传。社会最终将受益于对世界其他地方气候变化如何影响南极独特生态系统的更好了解，以及推动冰川融化（海平面上升）等影响。