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

摘要南极冰盖是地球气候系统的一个重要组成部分，正在经历快速但缺乏量化的变化。南极东部冰盖是地球上最大的淡水储存库，对海平面上升的潜在影响最大，但人们对它的热和机械条件以及冰质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地模拟近期和中期未来气候变化的关键。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定。尽管取得了很大的进展，但关于1亿年前的地球气候、冰变形、地热热流、基础物质性质和冰下地质等紧迫问题仍然存在。解决这些问题的最好方法是快速穿透南极冰盖的冰床，提取冰芯和岩芯样品，并提供钻孔进行冰的物理性质的井下测井。这是由美国快速进入冰钻实现的，这是一种能够直接进入的新钻井技术。它已经在南极洲进行了实地测试，现在已经为科学研究做好了准备。该奖项的主要研究人员将于2024年召开一次研讨会，以支持研究界在南极洲使用快速通道冰钻。研讨会参与者将开会讨论如何最好地利用钻井系统来促进我们对当前冰盖运行过程、过去气候记录、冰盖发展历史和南极东部冰盖地质基底的理解，所有这些都具有社会相关性。具有相关经验的研究科学家将举行会议，指导如何、何时、何地使用快速通道冰钻勘探最古老的冰，验证机载雷达对冰川层的成像，观察冰盖底部的情况，并恢复冰下岩石样本的岩芯以供实验室分析。研讨会将强调代表下一代极地科学家的早期职业研究人员的参与，他们将在关键的冰冻圈-地圈边界从事南极研究。南极冰盖是地球气候系统的一个重要组成部分，正在经历快速但缺乏量化的变化。南极东部冰盖是地球上最大的淡水储存库，对海平面上升的潜在影响最大，但人们对它的热和机械条件以及冰质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）；探索和利用这些记录是可靠地模拟近期和中期未来潜在气候变化的关键。在过去的几十年里，我们已经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，以验证和了解变化的状态。为了解决这些问题，美国开发了快速通道冰钻，作为一种新的钻井技术，能够快速穿透南极冰盖的冰床，提取冰芯和岩芯样本，并为冰的物理性质的井下测井提供钻孔。它已经在南极洲进行了实地测试，现在已经为科学研究做好了准备。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、何地使用快速通道冰钻勘探最古老的冰，验证机载雷达对冰川层的成像，观察冰盖底部的情况，并恢复冰下岩石样本的核心以供实验室分析。研讨会将强调代表下一代极地科学家的早期职业研究人员的参与，他们将在冰盖与下面的固体地球分离的关键边界从事南极研究。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，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.