Development of an Air-droppable Goedetic-seismic Ice Penetrator for Response Studies of Antarctic Ice Shelves and Icebergs to Ocean Forcings

职务名称：南极冰架和冰山对海洋作用力响应研究用的空投式大地-地震冰穿透器的研制非技术摘要：整个南极冰川系统的稳定性主要取决于其冰架的稳定性。南极冰架，巨大的南极冰盖的海洋漂浮边缘，正在显示出快速下降的迹象。冰架的衰减导致了向海洋排放的冰的增加，并导致海平面上升。冰架的解体将推动南极大陆冰盖，特别是南极洲西部部分，最终崩溃。海浪可以提供触发变薄的、机械上变弱的冰架失效所需的倾翻力。迫切需要监测冰架如何对不断变化的海洋和大气条件作出反应，但获得这种测量结果在技术和后勤方面都具有挑战性。技术摘要：该项目旨在解决南极冰架冰川学中存在的观测空白，其时间尺度短于卫星大地测量和图像提供的几天冰原。通过这些努力，将设计一种新的科学仪器并制作原型，以填补冰架对海洋作用力作出动态反应的高频（从每月到亚秒）领域的差距。这将通过将最先进的全球定位系统和地震仪传感器整合到一个具有近实时数据下载能力的单一宽带科学仪器中来实现。这一科学装置将被包装成一个可以从直升机空投到冰架（和扁平冰山）上的冰穿透器。将根据通过实验室和现场试验对功能原型的性能进行验证的结果，评估这种大地地震钻冰器的技术准备情况。对南极冰架进行连续、高分辨率的GSIP观测将为南极冰架衰减模型提供有意义的限制，并有助于更好地了解冰-海洋动态相互作用。全球系统信息基础设施项目将通过加快部署大大简化后勤挑战，减少南极洲的冰上足迹，提高目前的实地冰川观测能力，并使更广泛的极地社区受益。

Title: Development of an air-droppable geodetic-seismic ice penetrator for response studies of Antarctic ice shelves and icebergs to ocean forcingsNon-technical abstract:The stability of the entire Antarctic glacial system depends critically on the stability of its ice shelves. Antarctic ice shelves, the ocean-floating margins of the massive Antarctic ice sheet, are showing signs of rapid decline. Ice shelf decay leads to increased discharge of grounded-ice to the ocean, and to mean sea-level rise. Ice shelf disintegration would drive the continental Antarctic ice sheet, in particular the West Antarctica section, to eventual collapse. Ocean waves may provide the tipping force necessary to trigger the failure of a thinned, mechanically weakened ice shelf. Monitoring how the ice shelves are responding to changing oceanic and atmospheric conditions is critically needed, but obtaining such measurements is technologically and logistically challenging. This award supports the development of novel technologies that can meet the challenge.Technical abstract:The project aims to address the observational gap that exists in Antarctic ice-shelf glaciology for timescales shorter than the few-day ice-fields provided by satellite geodesy and imagery. Through these efforts, a new scientific instrument will be devised and prototyped that closes the gap into the high-frequency (from monthly to sub-seconds) domain where ice shelves respond dynamically to oceanic forcings. This will be accomplished by integrating state-of-the-art GPS and seismometer sensors into a single broadband scientific instrument with data download capabilities in near-real time. This scientific device will be packaged into an ice penetrator that can be air-dropped onto an ice shelf (and tabular icebergs) from a helicopter. The technology readiness of this geodetic-seismic ice penetrator (GSIP) will be assessed based on verification of performance of a functional prototype through both laboratory and field trials. Having continuous, high-resolution GSIP observations of Antarctic ice shelves would provide meaningful constraints to Antarctic ice-shelf decay models, and contribute to an improved understanding of ice-ocean dynamic interactions. GSIPs would greatly simplify logistic challenges by expediting deployment, reduce the on-ice footprint in Antarctica, enhance current capabilities for in situ glaciological observations, and benefit the broader polar community.