Collaborative Research: MOSAiC Sea Ice Samples for Stratigraphy, Microstructure, and Inherent Optical Property Studies

北冰洋的冰盖正在发生变化。随着气候变暖，冰盖经历了更短的生长季节和更小的空间覆盖率，冰层厚度变小，融化更早、更剧烈。然而，人们还不完全了解冰是如何冻结的，它是如何融化的，它如何对气候做出反应，以及气候如何对此做出反应。为了填补这一知识空白，研究人员将研究在为期一年的北极气候研究多学科漂移观测站(MOSAIC)野外活动期间采集的多年冰芯的微观结构特性，在那里，一艘考察船在秋季被冻结在北冰洋冰中，并允许漂流一年(2019年10月至2020年9月)。研究人员将从这些岩心样本中切下薄片，以记录冰层的微结构。他们将使用相机和显微镜拍摄这些切片的数字图像。研究人员将检查晶体和口袋的数量、大小、形状和方向，以确定冰的大规模物理性质，包括它如何传导热量和反射光线。这个项目将提高我们对北极变暖中海冰可能发生变化的理解。调查人员将创建一个可搜索的图像和海冰属性库。调查人员将把大学生包括在这项工作中。学生将学习如何开发他们可以测试和练习批判性思维的问题。一名电影制作人将与公众合作，将这项研究传达给公众。调查人员将在他们的机构展示一系列摄影和短片。他们将通过科学出版物和会议分享研究成果。调查人员将在美国北极数据中心存档数据和结果。这项提议利用一个机会来准备和分析从最近为期一年的北极气候研究多学科漂流观测站(MOSAIC)野外活动(2019年10月至2020年9月)收集的冰芯样本。我们将利用这些冰制作薄片，创建一个全面的图像数字清单，进行微结构和纹理分析，生成用于了解结构-光学关系的光学数据，并在海冰微结构变化和短波辐射分配的背景下调查沉积物包裹体的作用。研究人员将开发一个可搜索的库，其中包括采样冰的图像和微观结构属性。本科生将参与研究，学习科学方法，培养批判性思维能力。调查人员将与电影制作人合作，向公众传达这项研究。他们将策划一系列图像和短片，在调查机构展出。研究结果将通过科学出版物和会议传播，并在美国北极数据中心存档。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。

The Arctic sea ice cover is changing. As the climate has warmed, ice cover has experienced a shorter growing season and reduced spatial coverage, ice thickness has decreased, and melt is earlier and more intense. However, it is not fully understood how ice freezes, how it melts, how it responds to climate, and how climate responds to it. To fill this gap in knowledge, the investigators will study the microstructural properties of multi-year ice cores taken during the year-long Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) field campaign, where a research ship was frozen into Arctic Sea ice in the fall and allowed to drift for a year (Oct 2019 - Sept 2020). The investigators will cut thin slices from these core samples to document the ice microstructure. They will take digital images of these slices using a camera and microscope. The investigators will examine the number, size, shape, and orientation of the crystals and pockets to determine large-scale physical properties of the ice, including how it conducts heat, and reflects light. This project will improve our understanding of how sea ice may change in a warming Arctic. The investigators will create a searchable library of images and sea ice properties. The investigators will include college students in this work. Students will learn how to develop questions they can test and practice critical thinking. A filmmaker will work alongside to communicate this research to the public. The investigators will display a collection of photography and short movies at their institutions. They will share findings through scientific publications and conferences. The investigators will archive the data and results at the US Arctic Data Center.This proposal acts on an opportunity to prepare and analyze ice core samples collected from the recent year-long Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) field campaign (Oct 2019 - Sept 2020). We will use this ice to produce thin sections, create a comprehensive digital inventory of the imagery, carry out microstructural and textural analyses, generate optical data for understanding structural-optical relationships, and investigate the role of sediment inclusions in the context of changing sea ice microstructure and the partitioning of shortwave radiation. The investigators will develop a searchable library of images and microstructure properties of the sampled ice. Undergraduate students will be involved in the research, learning the scientific method, and developing critical thinking skills. The investigators will work with a filmmaker to communicate this research to the public. They will curate a collection of imagery and short movies for display at the investigators’ institutions. Findings will be disseminated through scientific publications and conferences and archived at the US Arctic Data Center.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.