Collaborative Research: A fossil ecosystem under the ice: deciphering the glacial and vegetation history of northwest Greenland using long-lost Camp Century basal sediment

合作研究：冰下的化石生态系统：利用失传已久的坎普世纪基底沉积物破译格陵兰岛西北部的冰川和植被历史

• 批准号: 2114631
• 负责人: Eric Steig
• 金额: $ 12.6万
• 依托单位: University of Washington
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-07-01 至 2025-06-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2114631&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; fossil; ecosystem; under

Climate warming is melting the Greenland Ice Sheet and contributing to global sea level rise. In order to understand how the Greenland Ice Sheet will behave in the future, we will look to the geologic past. Material recovered from the bottom of ice cores, such as sediment and bedrock, can contain evidence about the ecosystems and landscapes from past ice-free times in Greenland. Drilled through nearly 1400 m of ice during the 1960s, the Camp Century ice core recovered ~3.5 m of frozen sediment at its base that was lost for several decades in a freezer. In this project, we will conduct a comprehensive study of the sediment at the bottom of this ice core. We will use laboratory analyses to determine when and how many times the Greenland Ice Sheet melted in the past, to study the types of ecosystems that thrived during those times, and to understand how the ice sheet erodes the landscape. This new information will allow us to better understand how Greenland Ice Sheet responds to warming and its potential contribution to sea-level rise, as well as understand what types of ecosystems develop in Greenland when ice melts away. Our team includes a filmmaker who will engage with media outlets to tell a story about how ground-breaking research, both in the 1960s and today, has advanced our understanding of Earth’s climate and its polar regions. Along with videos, websites, and social media, we will develop K-12 curricula that tell the story of Camp Century and teach the process of scientific research. In order to understand how the Greenland Ice Sheet may respond to future climate warming, we look to the geologic past. Material recovered from the bottom of ice cores, such as sediment and bedrock, contains information from past times when the ice sheet was smaller and sea level was higher. In northwestern Greenland, the Camp Century ice core was drilled through 1400 m of ice and recovered ~3.5 m of frozen sediment at its base; however, this sediment was not fully studied and then misplaced for decades in a freezer. In this international collaborative project, we will conduct a comprehensive study of the sediment at the bottom of the Camp Century ice core by applying a range of biologic, isotopic, and geochemical analyses along a depth profile in the sediment. We will use a wide range of analyses to determine the timing and number of ice-free events in northwest Greenland, to fully characterize the ecosystems that emerged during those times, and to understand the erosional processes operating at the base of ice sheets. The new information will allow us to better understand the sensitivity of the Greenland Ice Sheet to climate warming, as well as what types of ecosystems may develop in Greenland as ice melts away. Our work will be a blueprint for future analyses of sediments recovered from beneath ice sheets. The climate information extracted from this ice core tells the exciting history of climate change and climate science over 50+ years. Our team includes a filmmaker who will engage with media outlets to tell a story about how ground-breaking research, both in the 1960s and today, has advanced our understanding of Earth’s climate and its polar regions, and to show the utility of science to society. Along with videos, websites, and social media, we will develop K-12 curricula that tell the story of Camp Century and teach the process of interdisciplinary science.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.

气候变暖正在融化格陵兰冰盖，并导致全球海平面上升。为了了解格陵兰冰盖在未来的表现，我们来看看过去的地质情况。从冰芯底部回收的物质，如沉积物和基岩，可能包含格陵兰过去无冰时期的生态系统和景观的证据。20世纪60年代，坎普世纪冰芯钻穿了近1400米厚的冰，在底部回收了约3.5米的冻结沉积物，这些沉积物在冰柜中丢失了几十年。在这个项目中，我们将对这个冰芯底部的沉积物进行全面的研究。我们将使用实验室分析来确定格陵兰冰盖在过去融化的时间和次数，研究在那段时间蓬勃发展的生态系统类型，并了解冰盖是如何侵蚀地形的。这一新信息将使我们能够更好地了解格陵兰冰盖如何应对变暖及其对海平面上升的潜在贡献，以及了解当冰融化时格陵兰发展出什么类型的生态系统。我们的团队包括一位电影制作人，他将与媒体接触，讲述一个故事，讲述在20世纪60年代和今天的开创性研究如何促进我们对地球气候和极地地区的理解。除了视频、网站和社交媒体，我们还将开发K-12课程，讲述世纪营的故事，教授科学研究的过程。为了了解格陵兰冰盖可能如何应对未来的气候变暖，我们来看看过去的地质情况。从冰芯底部回收的物质，如沉积物和基岩，包含了过去冰盖较小、海平面较高时的信息。在格陵兰岛西北部，世纪营冰芯钻穿了1400米厚的冰，在底部回收了约3.5米的冻结沉积物；然而，这些沉积物没有得到充分的研究，然后被错放在冰柜里几十年。在这个国际合作项目中，我们将对Camp Century冰芯底部的沉积物进行全面的研究，方法是沿沉积物的深度剖面应用一系列生物、同位素和地球化学分析。我们将使用广泛的分析来确定格陵兰西北部无冰事件的时间和数量，全面描述在这些时间段出现的生态系统，并了解在冰盖底部运行的侵蚀过程。这些新信息将使我们能够更好地了解格陵兰冰盖对气候变暖的敏感性，以及随着冰的融化，格陵兰可能会发展出什么类型的生态系统。我们的工作将是未来对从冰盖下回收的沉积物进行分析的蓝图。从这个冰芯中提取的气候信息讲述了50多年来气候变化和气候科学的激动人心的历史。我们的团队包括一名电影制作人，他将与媒体接触，讲述一个故事，讲述在20世纪60年代和今天的开创性研究如何促进我们对地球气候和极地地区的理解，并向社会展示科学的效用。与视频、网站和社交媒体一起，我们将开发讲述世纪营故事的K-12课程，并教授跨学科科学的过程。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。