Collaborative Proposal: Integrated study of East Antarctic Ice Sheet Tills (ISET): Tracers of Ice Flow and Proxies of the Ice-covered Continental Shield

该项目研究的冰川将南极东部的冰盖通过横贯北极的山脉排入罗斯湾。来自南极东部和西部的冰川汇聚在这一地区，形成了罗斯冰架，其大小是全球气候变化的敏感指标。这项工作将通过岩石学、地球化学和同位素研究来确定其来源。它的目标是了解第四纪晚期冰盖流入该地区的路径，特别是大约18,000年前的最后一次冰川盛期。这些知识对于模拟冰盖的形成和行为是至关重要的。虽然东南极冰盖被认为是稳定的，但西南极拥有快速流动的冰流，可能会受到全球气候变化的影响。这项工作还将提高我们对东南极地壳岩石的了解。它被千米厚的冰盖覆盖，其基本地质情况在很大程度上是未知的。这些来源研究还将用于印第安纳州地球科学教育工作者的实地课程研讨会。其他更广泛的影响包括研究生和本科教育，以及提高社会对全球气候变化的理解。南极洲冰盖在大气和海洋环流中起着举足轻重的作用，是海平面上升的关键因素。冰盖行为的模型依赖于这项研究将提供的对过去冰盖形态的准确重建。

This project studies till from the glaciers that drain the East Antarctic ice sheet through the Transantarctic Mountains into the Ross Embayment. Glaciers from both East and West Antarctica converge in this area, creating the Ross Ice Shelf, whose size is a sensitive indicator of global climate change. This work will determine till provenance through petrologic, geochemical, and isotopic studies. Its goal is to understand the flow paths of ice sheets into this area during the late Quaternary period, especially focused on the last glacial maximum approximately 18,000 yrs ago. This knowledge is critical to modeling ice sheet formation and behavior. While the East Antarctic ice sheet is considered stable, West Antarctica hosts rapidly flowing ice streams that may be affected by global climate change. The work will also improve our knowledge of the crustal rocks of East Antarctica. Covered by kilometer-thick ice sheets, its basic geology is largely unknown. The provenance studies will also be used in field-based curriculum workshops for Indiana Earth Science educators. Other broader impacts include graduate and undergraduate education, and improving society's understanding of global climate change. Antarctica's ice sheets play a pivotal role in atmospheric and oceanic circulation, and are key factors in sea-level rise. Models of ice sheet behavior rely on accurate reconstructions of past ice sheet configurations that this study will provide.