Collaborative Research: EAGER: Persistent measurements of surface waves in landfast ice using fiber optic telecommunication cables

在北极浅海的沿海地区，在海洋上形成的附着在海岸上的海冰被称为陆上冰。冰层的破裂很可能是由融化和海浪共同作用的结果。在春季融化之后，当夏季的几个月没有冰时，海岸就会有更多的海浪能量。海浪会加剧海岸侵蚀。然而，由于缺乏观测，我们对海浪冲破沿海海冰并促进北极海岸侵蚀的过程的了解仍然受到限制。该项目将测试一种新技术的使用，以更好地测量沿海冰中的波浪。该项目的成功将大大提高我们了解正在迅速侵蚀的北极沿海地区的能力。这一成果将广泛应用于北极科学和沿海社区，该项目将吸引当地高中生建造和部署仪器。该项目将测试我们使用海底电缆测量冰盖地区海浪的能力。调查人员将在2022年春、夏、秋长达一周的时间里，沿着海底电缆和地面浮标测量海浪。桑迪亚国家实验室的合作者将使用岸上仪器收集电缆测量数据，而浮标将通过机载或基于船只的方法沿电缆长度部署。这些测量旨在解决有关沿海冰及其破裂的基本问题，包括：(1)海浪在冰破裂中扮演什么角色？以及(2)海浪是如何在沿海冰区变化和演变的？在此期间将浮标部署和电缆测量放在同一地点旨在产生一种方法，使研究人员能够在未来使用海底电缆测量海浪，而不需要额外部署设备。利用电缆对表面波进行持续、高分辨率观测的潜力为这一领域的研究开辟了新的途径。预计未来几年，阿拉斯加北极的冰盖季节将继续缩短，海浪的作用可能会更大。该项目将开始建立网络，通过北极科学网络和当地社区使用这项技术来回答与社会相关的问题。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。

In shallow, coastal regions of the Arctic, sea ice forming on the ocean that is attached to the coast is known as landfast ice. Breakup of this ice is likely driven by a combination of melting and ocean wave action. Following spring breakup, when ice is not present for the summer months, there is more wave energy at the coast. Waves can increase coastal erosion. However, our understanding of the processes by which waves break up coastal sea ice and contribute to Arctic coastal erosion are still limited by a lack of observations. This project will test use of a new technology for better measuring waves in coastal ice. The success of this project will significantly advance our ability to understand the rapidly eroding coastal Arctic. The results will have broad applications for both scientific and coastal Arctic communities, and the project will engage local high school students to build and deploy instruments.This project will test our ability to measure waves in ice-covered regions using seafloor cables. The investigators will measure waves along a seafloor cable and by surface buoys over week-long periods in spring, summer, and fall 2022. Cable measurements will be collected using shore-based instrumentation by collaborators at Sandia National Laboratory, while buoys will be deployed along the length of the cable by airborne or vessel-based methods. These measurements aim to address fundamental questions about coastal ice and its breakup, including: (1) What is the role of waves in breaking up ice? and (2) How do waves change and evolve in areas of coastal ice? The co-location of buoy deployments and cable measurements during this period aims to produce a method that will allow researchers to measure waves using seafloor cables in the future with no additional deployment of equipment. The potential for persistent, high-resolution observations of surface waves using cables opens new avenues of research in this area. The ice-covered season in the Alaskan Arctic is expected to continue to shorten in future years, and the role of waves is likely to be greater. This project will begin building networks to use this technology to answer societally relevant questions, through Arctic science networks and in local communities.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.