Surface Energy Balance on West Antarctica and the Ross Ice Shelf

大气变暖是南极半岛冰架消失的主要因素。在南极洲西部，海洋变暖目前被认为是对冰架和冰盖接地线造成压力的最大来源。冰架支撑和接地线后退的损失可能已经导致了斯韦茨冰川的不可逆转的损失。为了推进预测模型，需要更多关于冰架上的水致破裂和接地线附近的海洋冰崖不稳定性的数据。该项目将有助于进一步了解导致南极洲西部和罗斯冰架表面融化的大气环流和太阳辐射。为了支持这一项目，并将南极科学从这项工作中，UCSD教育工作者将赞助一个示范性的初中和/或高中科学教师系列研讨会，旨在满足这一需求。教师参与者将根据其表现出的领导能力进行精心挑选，并最终成为“大师”科学教师骨干队伍的一部分，他们将担任当地领导人，传播解决NGSS（科学的下一代）问题的策略和工具。工程标准品）对于夏季野外季节的要求，加州大学圣地亚哥分校的科学家将部署一套仪器来测量下降流和净短波和长波通量，感热和潜热通量以及近地表气象学。这套仪器将在电力需求方面自给自足，并将在现场由一架Twin Otter飞机提供支持。研究人员计划将该套件部署为一个远程冰营地，由2-3名人员组成的野外小组，在每个夏季野外采样季节进行长达一个月的测量。这些测量结果将被分析和解释，以确定中尺度条件下，管理在南极洲西部的表面融化，在改善耦合气候模式parameterizations.This奖项的背景下，反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。

Atmospheric warming has been a major factor in the loss of ice shelves on the Antarctic Peninsula. In West Antarctica, oceanic warming is presently regarded as the largest source of stress on both the ice-shelves and at the grounding lines of the ice sheets. The loss of ice shelf buttressing and grounding line retreat may have already induced irreversible loss of Thwaites Glacier. To advance predictive models more data is needed regarding both water-induced fracturing on an ice shelf and marine ice cliff instability near the grounding line. This project will help advance understanding of atmospheric circulation and solar radiation over West Antarctica and the Ross Ice Shelf that lead to surface melting. In support of this project, and incorporating Antarctic science from this work, UCSD educators will sponsor a workshop series for exemplary middle and/or high school science teachers designed to address this need. Teacher participants will be carefully selected for their demonstrated leadership skills and will eventually become part of an cadre of "master" science teachers who will serve as local leaders in disseminating strategies and tools for addressing the NGSS (Ca Next Gen. of Sci. Eng. Stds.) to teachers throughout the county.For the summer field seasons requested, UCSD scientists will deploy a suite instruments to measure downwelling and net shortwave and longwave fluxes, sensible and latent heat fluxes, and near-surface meteorology. This suite of instruments will be self-reliant with power requirements and will be supportable in the field with a single Twin Otter aircraft. The investigators plan to deploy this suite as a remote ice camp with a field party of 2-3 personnel, making measurements for at up to one month during each of the sampled summer field seasons. These measurements will be analyzed and interpreted to determine mesoscale conditions that govern surface melt in West Antarctica, in the context of improving coupled climate model parameterizations.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.