Collaborative Research: Dating and Paleoenvironmental Studies on Ancient Ice in the Dry Valleys, Antarctica

该项目研究埋藏在南极洲干燥山谷中的古冰。这些冰层的年龄可能接近1000万年，将使用Ar和铀放射性同位素技术进行测年。这是一项高风险的工作，如果成功，它将提供过去数百万年来第一批也可能是唯一一批地球大气样本。这些样本可以提供对古气候记录和替代物的至关重要的测试，以及对过去世界的特征的一瞥，就像预测的未来地球变暖一样。更广泛的影响是研究生教育，并可能有助于社会对全球气候变化和海平面上升的理解。

This project studies ancient ice buried in the Dry Valleys of Antarctica. The ice, which may approach ten million years in age, will be dated using argon and uranium radioisotope techniques. High-risk work, if successful it will offer the first and perhaps only samples of the Earth's atmosphere from millions of years in the past. These samples could offer critically important tests of paleoclimate records and proxies, as well as a glimpse into the characteristics of a past world much like the predicted future, warmer Earth. The broader impacts are graduate student education, and potentially contributing to society's understanding of global climate change and sea level rise.