The Sciences of Ice and the West Antarctica Problem: Geophysics, Glaciology, and Geology, 1945-present

冰科学和西南极洲问题：地球物理学、冰川学和地质学，1945 年至今

• 批准号: 0957891
• 负责人: Gerald Thomas
• 金额: $ 10.14万
• 依托单位: American Institute of Physics
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-09-01 至 2011-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0957891&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Sciences; Ice; West; Antarctica; Problem

The Sciences of Ice and the West Antarctica Problem: Geophysics, Glaciology, and Geology, 1945-presentWilliam ThomasAmerican Institute of Physics, Center for History of PhysicsCollege Park, MarylandAbstract This project examines the history of research on the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS), placing it in the context of other contemporary research in the fields of geophysics, glaciology, and geology in Antarctica and elsewhere. Since the 1970s, WAIS has been of special scientific interest because the fact that it rests on bedrock below sea level suggests the possibility that WAIS could be inherently vulnerable to disintegration on a time scale of centuries. This would lead to rises in sea level of approximately five meters. This possibility was initially raised because it was thought that WAIS disintegration might play a role in the planet's long-term climate cycles. Since about 1980, it has been feared that accelerated climate change due to human activity might trigger or hasten such a disintegration. On this basis, the question of WAIS disintegration has motivated the construction of special research programs (funded largely by the National Science Foundation), the holding of workshops and conferences dedicated to the subject, and the integration of WAIS research into climate change assessments, such as those conducted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The proposal of the possibility of rapid WAIS disintegration, and the subsequent investigation of its likelihood and timescale, have involved the integration of disparate traditions of scientific research, including the geological reconstruction of the Earth's climate history, the suggestion of mechanisms governing that history, the field investigation of ice behavior, and the construction of mathematical and computer-simulated models of ice behavior, all of which have also been integrated with broader research programs dedicated to the study of planet-wide climate change. This project will study the ways these lines of scientific research have been integrated, contextualizing each line as arising from a distinct tradition, and will make results available via publications and a web resource.

冰的科学和西南极洲问题：地球物理学，冰川学和地质学，1945年至今威廉·道格拉斯美国物理研究所，物理学历史中心马里兰州大学帕克摘要该项目审查了西南极冰盖（WAIS）研究的历史，将其置于其他当代研究的背景下，在南极洲和其他地方的地球物理学，冰川学和地质学领域。 自20世纪70年代以来，WAIS一直具有特殊的科学意义，因为它位于海平面以下的基岩上，这表明WAIS可能天生容易在几个世纪的时间尺度上解体。 这将导致海平面上升约5米。 这种可能性最初被提出，因为人们认为WAIS解体可能在地球的长期气候周期中发挥作用。 大约自1980年以来，人们一直担心人类活动导致的气候变化加速可能会引发或加速这种解体。 在此基础上，WAIS解体的问题促使建立了专门的研究计划（主要由国家科学基金会资助），举办了专门讨论该主题的研讨会和会议，并将WAIS研究纳入气候变化评估，例如政府间气候变化专门委员会（IPCC）进行的评估。关于WAIS快速解体的可能性的建议，以及随后对其可能性和时间尺度的调查，涉及到不同传统科学研究的整合，包括地球气候历史的地质重建，管理该历史的机制的建议，冰行为的实地调查，以及冰行为的数学和计算机模拟模型的构建，所有这些都已与致力于研究全球气候变化的更广泛的研究方案相结合。 该项目将研究这些科学研究路线的整合方式，将每条路线置于不同传统的背景下，并将通过出版物和网络资源提供结果。