Surface Energy Balance on West Antarctica and the Ross Ice Shelf

大气变暖一直是南极半岛冰架丧失的一个主要因素。在西南极，海洋变暖目前被认为是冰架和冰盖接地线上最大的压力来源。失去冰架支撑和接地线后退可能已经导致斯韦茨冰川不可逆转的损失。为了推进预测模型，需要更多关于冰架上的水诱导破裂和接地线附近的海洋冰崖不稳定的数据。该项目将有助于增进对南极洲西部和罗斯冰架上空导致表面融化的大气环流和太阳辐射的了解。为了支持这一项目，并将南极科学纳入这项工作，加州大学圣迭戈分校的教育工作者将为模范初中和/或高中科学教师举办一系列研讨会，旨在满足这一需求。教师参与者将根据他们所展示的领导技能进行精心挑选，最终将成为一支“精通”科学教师队伍的一部分，他们将担任当地领导人，传播应对NGSS(下一代科学)的战略和工具。英语。性病。)对于要求的夏季野外季节，加州大学圣地亚哥分校的科学家们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。这套仪器将根据电力需求自力更生，并将通过一架双水獭飞机在现场得到支持。研究人员计划将这套设备部署为一个偏远的冰营，由2-3名野外人员组成，在每个采样的夏季野外季节进行长达一个月的测量。在改进耦合气候模式参数化的背景下，这些测量将被分析和解释以确定支配南极洲西部表面融化的中尺度条件。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

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.