Collaborative Research: Continued Study of Physical Properties of the WAIS Divide Deep Core

1043528/Alley该奖项支持一个项目，以完成目前正在南极洲西部收集的WAIS分水岭深冰芯的物理特性研究。由美国国家科学基金会资助的正在进行的工作，在即将结束的赠款下，已经产生了可见的地层年代测定，检查核心的任何熔融层，火山层，流动扰动或其他特征，分析气泡数量密度，允许重建两千年的冷却趋势，在现场全新世后期，其他气泡特征（大小等）的表征，密度研究、现场雪面变化的表征、初步c轴研究等。目前的建议是，一旦找到堆芯的其余部分，就完成这项工作。拟议活动的智力价值首先是通过目视检测任何可能破坏气候记录完整性的气流扰动证据，保证岩心的质量。检查还将揭示任何融化层、火山层等。将进行年层年代测定;迄今为止，可见层没有其他一些指标那么有用，但（根据格陵兰的经验）可见检查将允许检测比其他技术更薄的年层的可能性激发了这一努力。气泡数密度将被用来重建通过核心的气泡部分的其余部分的温度变化，提供重要的古气候数据的全新世早期。协调解释的c轴织物，粒度和形状，气泡特性将被用来了解冰流的历史，冰流的过程，以及冰的柔软度的额外变形。对已经收集的地表数据进行分析将改善对岩心分层的解释。年层测年可能不够成功，而且地核不会受到干扰，没有熔融层;如果是这样，那么这些努力将不会产生重大出版物。然而，其他努力的成功应该会提高对冰盖历史和稳定性的理解，以及控制这些的关键过程，目视检查提供的质量保证对整个项目至关重要。拟议活动的更广泛影响包括一名博士生和多名本科生的教育，以及本科院校初级教员的研究机会。拟议的活动将有助于支持一项特别积极的教育和外联工作，每年为1 000多名学生提供本科教育，接触到数千名公民和许多决策者，并编写在许多层面使用的教育材料。

1043528/AlleyThis award supports a project to complete the physical-properties studies of the WAIS Divide deep ice core, now being collected in West Antarctica. Ongoing work funded by NSF, under a grant that is ending, has produced visible stratigraphy dating, inspection of the core for any melt layers, volcanic horizons, flow disturbances or other features, analysis of bubble number-densities allowing reconstruction of a two-millennial cooling trend in the latter Holocene at the site, characterization of other bubble characteristics (size, etc.), density studies, characterization of snow-surface changes at the site, preliminary c-axis studies, and more. The current proposal seeks to complete this work, once the rest of the core is recovered. The intellectual merit of the proposed activity starts with quality assurance for the core, by visual detection of any evidence of flow disturbances that would disrupt the integrity of the climate record. Inspection will also reveal any melt layers, volcanic horizons, etc. Annual-layer dating will be conducted; thus far, the visible strata have not been as useful as some other indicators, but the possibility (based on experience in Greenland) that visible examination will allow detection of thinner annual layers than other techniques motivates the effort. Bubble number-density will be used to reconstruct temperature changes through the rest of the bubbly part of the core, providing important paleoclimatic data for earlier parts of the Holocene. Coordinated interpretation of c-axis fabrics, grain sizes and shapes, and bubble characteristics will be used to learn about the history of ice flow, the processes of ice flow, and the softness of the ice for additional deformation. Analysis of surface data already collected will improve interpretation of the layering of the core. It is possible that the annual-layer dating will not be sufficiently successful, and that the core will be undisturbed with no melt layers; if so, then these efforts will not yield major publications. However, success of the other efforts should produce improved understanding of the history and stability of the ice sheet, and key processes controlling these, and the quality assurance provided by the visual examination is important for the project as a whole. The broader impacts of the proposed activity include education of a PhD student and multiple undergraduates, and research opportunities for a junior faculty member at an undergraduate institution. The proposed activity will help support an especially vigorous education and outreach effort providing undergraduate instruction for over 1000 students per year, reaching thousands more citizens and many policymakers, and preparing educational materials used at many levels.