Collaborative Research: Conference: Conference support for the 2nd RAID Science Planning Workshop

南极冰盖是地球气候系统的一个重要组成部分，正在经历快速但难以量化的变化。东南极冰盖是地球上最大的淡水储存库，是海平面上升的最大潜在贡献者，但人们对其热力和机械条件以及冰量损失的可能性知之甚少。它还包含了地球上最古老的大气和大气气体气候记录;探索和利用这些记录是可靠模拟近期和中期气候变化的关键。几十年来，主要通过遥感技术，对南极东部冰盖内部的探索进展缓慢但稳步进行。尽管取得了巨大的进展，但关于地球气候的紧迫问题仍然存在100万年。前，冰变形，地热流，基础材料的性质，和冰下地质。解决这些问题的最佳方法是快速穿透南极冰盖的冰床，取回冰芯和岩芯样品，并提供钻孔用于冰的物理性质的井下记录。这是由美国快速访问冰钻，作为一种新的钻井技术，能够直接访问开发成为可能。它已在南极洲实地测试，现在已准备好进行科学研究。该奖项的主要研究人员将于2024年召开研讨会，以支持研究界在南极洲使用快速访问冰钻。研讨会参与者将开会考虑如何最好地利用钻探系统来促进我们对当前操作冰盖过程的理解，过去的气候记录，冰盖发展的历史，以及东南极冰盖的地质基底，所有这些都具有社会意义。具有相关经验的研究科学家将会面，指导如何、何时、何地使用快速取冰钻勘探最古老的冰，验证冰川层的机载雷达成像，观察冰盖底部的状况，并回收冰下岩石样本的核心进行实验室分析。研讨会将强调早期职业研究人员的参与，他们代表下一代极地科学家在关键的冰冻圈-地圈边界从事南极研究。非技术摘要南极冰盖是地球气候系统的一个关键要素，正在经历快速但难以量化的变化。东南极冰盖是地球上最大的淡水储存库，是海平面上升的最大潜在贡献者，但人们对其热力和机械条件以及冰量损失的可能性知之甚少。它还包含了地球上最古老的大气气候记录（被困在冰中的古代空气气泡中）;探索和使用这些记录是可靠建模近期和中期未来潜在气候变化的关键。在过去的几十年里，我们从卫星观测中学到了很多东西，但我们需要在南极东部冰盖内进行直接观测，以验证和了解变化状况。为了解决这些问题，美国开发了一种新的钻探技术，能够快速穿透南极冰盖的冰川床，取回冰芯和岩芯样品，并为冰的物理性质的井下记录提供钻孔。它已在南极洲实地测试，现在已准备好进行科学研究。该奖项的主要研究人员将召集一个研讨会，汇集具有相关经验的研究科学家，指导如何，何时何地使用快速获取冰钻勘探最古老的冰，验证冰川层的机载雷达成像，观察冰盖底部的条件，并恢复冰下岩石样品的核心进行实验室分析。该研讨会将强调早期职业研究人员的参与，他们代表下一代极地科学家在冰盖与下面的固体地球的关键边界从事南极研究。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Technical AbstractThe Antarctic ice sheets are a critical element of Earth’s climate system and are undergoing rapid but poorly quantified change. The East Antarctic Ice Sheet is the largest repository of fresh water on the planet and represents the greatest potential contribution to sea-level rise, yet little is known about its thermal and mechanical conditions, as well as its potential for ice-mass loss. It also contains the oldest meteoric and atmospheric gas climate records on the planet; exploration for and utilization of those records is key to reliable modeling of climate variations in the near- and mid-term future. Exploration of the interior of the East Antarctic ice sheet has proceeded slowly but steadily over several decades, mainly through remote sensing technologies. Despite great progress, pressing questions remain about Earth's climate 1 m.y. ago, ice deformation, geothermal heat flow, basal material properties, and subglacial geology. These problems are best addressed by quickly penetrating to the glacial bed of Antarctic ice sheets, retrieving ice core and rock core samples, and providing boreholes for down-hole logging of physical properties in ice. This is made possible by the US Rapid Access Ice Drill, developed as a new drilling technology capable of direct access. It has been tested in the field in Antarctica and is now ready for scientific research. The Principal Investigators of this award will convene a workshop in 2024 to support research community use of the Rapid Access Ice Drill in Antarctica. Workshop participants will meet to consider how the drilling system can best be used to advance our understanding of current operative ice-sheet processes, past climate records, history of ice-sheet development, and the geological substrate to the East Antarctic ice sheet, all of which have societal relevance. Research scientists with relevant experience will meet to guide how, when and where the Rapid Access Ice Drill will be used for exploration for the oldest ice, to validate airborne radar imaging of glacial layers, to observe the conditions at the base of the ice sheet, and to recover cores of subglacial rock samples for laboratory analysis. The workshop will emphasize participation by early-career researchers who represent the next generation of polar scientists to engage in Antarctic research at the critical cryosphere-geosphere boundary.Non-technical AbstractThe Antarctic ice sheets are a critical element of Earth’s climate system and are undergoing rapid but poorly quantified change. The East Antarctic Ice Sheet is the largest repository of fresh water on the planet and represents the greatest potential contribution to sea-level rise, yet little is known about its thermal and mechanical conditions, as well as its potential for ice-mass loss. It also contains the oldest atmospheric climate records on the planet (trapped as bubbles of ancient air in ice); exploration for and use of those records is key to reliable modeling of potential climate variations in the near- and mid-term future. Much has been learned over the past decades from satellite observation, but we need direct observation within the East Antarctic Ice Sheet to validate and understand the state of change. To address these problems, the US Rapid Access Ice Drill was developed as a new drilling technology capable of quickly penetrating to the glacial bed of Antarctic ice sheets, retrieving ice core and rock core samples, and providing boreholes for down-hole logging of physical properties in ice. It has been tested in the field in Antarctica and is now ready for scientific research. The Principal Investigators of this award will convene a workshop to bring together research scientists with relevant experience to guide how, when and where the Rapid Access Ice Drill will be used for exploration for the oldest ice, to validate airborne radar imaging of glacial layers, to observe the conditions at the base of the ice sheet, and to recover cores of subglacial rock samples for laboratory analysis. The workshop will emphasize participation by early-career researchers who represent the next generation of polar scientists to engage in Antarctic research at the critical boundary separating the ice sheet from the solid earth below.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.