Continuing Operations Proposal: the Polar Rock Repository - a Sample and Data Resource for the Earth Sciences

极地地区的地质实地考察在后勤上困难，经济上昂贵，而且可能对原始地区产生重大的环境影响。南极洲98%被冰覆盖，露出水面的岩石非常稀少，这使得之前收集的岩石样本对科学界非常有价值，如长期气候变化、行星科学、古生物学、地质学、海洋科学等。美国极地岩石库于2003年在俄亥俄州立大学建立，以满足保存极地地区岩石、挖泥船和陆地岩心样本的需求。极地岩石储存库寻找、接受和管理主要从南极洲和南大洋收集的地质样本。极地岩石储存库的存在使以高昂的财务成本收集的样本能够充分发挥其科学潜力。目前，有超过55,000个样品可供免费借阅，用于研究、教育和博物馆展品。除实物样品外，储存库还从收集器中存档支持材料，如样品图像、现场地图、航空照片、薄片以及任何相关的参考书目/数字对象识别符。科学家、研究生和本科生经常在他们的研究项目中使用来自极地岩石储存库的样本。极地岩石储存库还免费向美国各地的大学预科教师借出一个有教育意义的“岩石盒子”，里面有代表性的岩石、化石和矿物样本、关于地质学和南极洲的书籍和活动。美国极地岩石库(PRR)最近开发了一个“虚拟岩石盒”，允许在教室外进行类似的活动。美国极地岩石库(PRR)负责管理极地岩石样本收集和元数据。它是为数不多的允许破坏性研究技术用于样品的出借岩石储存库之一。PRR网站和内部数字元数据档案提供了数据的全球传播以及试点研究、提案编写和实地后勤规划的独特资源。PRR提供对元数据和集合的免费、全面和开放的访问。在这个奖项的过程中，PRR将与研究界积极合作，获取具有科学价值的岩石收藏和补充材料，以加强PRR收藏。样品将按照标准的馆藏做法进行编目，并将通过伯德极地气候和研究中心开发的面向公众的收藏管理系统部分进行发现。保存这些实物样本，以及存档相关的元数据，并将数字对象识别符纳入可发现的在线数据库，可使极地地球科学研究具有透明度和可重复性。藏品管理系统将继续更新和改进。馆长将通过出席会议、创建网络研讨会并就该设施的新收藏品与科学家联系，继续提高PRR的可发现性。研究报告将继续提供样品，并加强与其他储存库和数据管理实体的联系，以更好地开展跨学科研究。面向大学预科学校的教育推广活动将继续进行，美国的学校可以免费获得“极地摇滚盒”。这一奖项反映了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。

Geological field expeditions in polar regions are logistically difficult, financially expensive, and can have a significant environmental impact on pristine regions. The scarcity of exposed rock outcrop in Antarctica, which is 98% ice-covered, makes previously collected rock samples very valuable to the science community in disciplines like long term climate change, planetary science, paleontology, geology, marine science, and more. The U.S. Polar Rock Repository was established at the Ohio State University in 2003 to meet the need for preserving rock, dredge, and terrestrial core samples from polar areas. The Polar Rock Repository seeks out, accepts, and curates geological samples collected primarily from Antarctica and the southern oceans. The existence of the Polar Rock Repository allows samples collected at a high financial cost to be used to their full scientific potential. Currently more than 55,000 samples are available as no-cost loans for research, education, and museum exhibits. In addition to the physical samples, the repository archives supporting materials from the collector, such as images of the samples, field maps, air photos, thin sections, and any associated bibliography/Digital Object Identifiers. Scientists, graduate students, and undergraduate students routinely use samples from the Polar Rock Repository for their research projects. The Polar Rock Repository also freely loans an educational 'rock box' that contains representative rock, fossil and mineral samples, books and activities about geology and Antarctica to pre-college teachers from across the United States. The Polar Rock Repository recently developed a “virtual rock box” to allow similar activities to occur outside of the classroom.The U.S. Polar Rock Repository (PRR) provides stewardship of polar rock sample collections and metadata. It is one of the few lending rock repositories to allow destructive research techniques to be used on samples. The PRR website and in-house digital metadata archive provides for global dissemination of data and a unique resource for pilot studies, proposal preparation and field logistics planning. The PRR provides free, full and open access to metadata and collections. Over the course of this award, the PRR will work proactively with the research community to acquire scientifically valuable rock collections and supplementary materials that will enhance the PRR collection. Samples will be cataloged following standard curatorial practices and will be made discoverable through the public facing portion of the Collections Management system developed at the Byrd Polar Climate and Research Center. The preservation of these physical samples, along with archiving of associated metadata, and inclusion of Digital Object Identifiers in a discoverable online database, allows for transparency and reproducibility in polar earth science research. The Collections Management System will continue to be updated and improved. The Curator will continue to advance the discoverability of the PRR by attending meetings, creating a webinar and contacting scientists about new collections at the facility. The PRR will continue to fulfill loans of samples and enhance the links with other repositories and data management entities to better enable interdisciplinary research. Educational outreach to pre-college schools will continue with the 'polar rock box' being freely available to schools with in the United States.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.