Collaborative Research: EAGER: Expedited Measurement of Englacial Temperatures by Means of Melt-Probe-Deployed Distributed Temperature Sensing

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Knowledge of basal temperatures and geothermal fluxes underneath the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets is key to modeling ice-sheet flow, to finding locations where climate records are preserved, and in general to better understand subglacial conditions that influence ice-sheet evolution. Yet such information has been difficult to acquire and there exist limited basal temperature and geothermal flux measurements from a few, isolated locations. This project will develop and test a new measurement capability that would couple unreinforced single-mode optical fiber with melt probe technology. The project aims to develop and test a capability that would greatly expand the number and distribution of temperature and flux observations from ice sheets. An immediate goal is to enhance the measurement capabilities of probes to be used by the Center for Oldest Ice Exploration (COLDEX) Science and Technology Center.The team will augment the capability of melt probes that are presently being built for COLDEX to deploy optical dust-loggers to depths up to 3000 m in Greenland and East Antarctica. The team will add to each probe 3000 m of single-mode optical fiber to unspool as the probe descends. Distributed Temperature Sensing at the deployment site will be realized with minimal additional surface equipment and a single additional field team member.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.