Whillans Ice Stream Subglacial Access Research Drilling: Integrative Study of Marine Ice Sheet Stability and Subglacial Habitats in West Antarctica

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Proposal Title: Whillans Ice Stream Subglacial Access Research Drilling: Integrative Study of Marine Ice Sheet Stability and Subglacial Habitats in West AntarcticaInstitution: Montana State UniversityAbstract Date: 06/25/2014The WISSARD (Whillans Ice Stream Subglacial Access and Research Drilling) Project has been awarded a two-part, multi-year grant (September 2009-August 2015). The aim of the project is to drill beneath the 1000 meter thick West Antarctic ice sheet, allowing investigation of glaciological, geological, microbiological, geochemical, and oceanographic systems, with a focus on the role of subglacial liquid water including subglacial lakes. A 2007 National Research Council (NRC) report stated "It is time for scientific research on subglacial lakes to begin". The WISSARD project is the United States contribution to subglacial lake research. The current award is a renewal of the earlier project, and will allow completion of one component of the work (the grounding line studies).The overall WISSARD project continues to study the overarching hypothesis that active water drainage connects various subglacial environments and exerts major control on ice sheet flow, geochemistry, metabolic and phylogenetic diversity, and biogeochemical transformations. Global warming, melting of ice sheets, and subsequent sea-level rise are of high societal relevance, and the WISSARD project contributes significantly to our understanding of carbon cycling and ice sheet dynamics. The technological infrastructure built as part of the project will benefit the broader science community for years to come. The project has increased studentparticipation in polar research, introduced new investigators to the polar sciences,enriched K-12 teaching and learning programs, and reached a larger public audience through such venues as popular science magazines, museum based activities and videography and documentary films. In summary, WISSARD promotes scientific exploration of Antarctica by conveying to the public the excitement of accessing and studying what may be some of the last unexplored aquatic environments on Earth.