ANDRILL Coulman High Project -- Investigating Antarctica's Role in Cenozoic Global Environmental Change - Coulman High Project

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。ANDRILL （ANtarctic geological DRILLing，南极地质钻探）是一个国际性的多学科项目，旨在研究南极大陆在新生代全球环境变化中的作用。在两次成功的钻探项目之后，ANDRILL计划向东北方向移动，并在熟知的维多利亚陆地盆地之外，以库尔曼高地（CH）的白垩纪至中新世中期的地质序列为目标，在两个潜在的钻探点上解决全球气候演变和区域构造的基本问题，确定影响全球海洋和气候重组的南极冰冻圈的基本变化和短暂偏移。该提案要求提供资金，以启动国际ANDRILL CH钻井项目的第一阶段，重点是选址和广泛调查，包括评估现有的地震反射和机载雷达数据，进行冰上雷达测绘，以定位沿穿越路线的任何冰下裂缝；进行热水钻探，在300米厚的冰架上提供通道孔，从而能够部署/恢复流速仪和其他传感器（例如远程操作的水下航行器），以测量潮汐和洋流，评估冰下条件，并评估拟议地点的潜在钻探策略。所有这些数据和建模结果将用于最终确定场地选择并确定最稳健的钻井策略。此外，ANDRILL科学管理办公室将继续开展多样化和高度可见的教育和推广计划，并为美国研究界参与CH钻井项目提供项目管理和机构支持。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). ANDRILL (ANtarctic geological DRILLing) is an international, multidisciplinary program that aims on investigating the role of Antarctic continent in Cenozoic global environmental change. After two successful drilling projects, ANDRILL proposes to move northeastward and outside the well-understood Victoria Land Basin to target a Cretaceous to middle Miocene geological sequence on the Coulman High (CH) at two potential drilling sites that will address fundamental questions of global climate evolution and regional tectonics, determining fundamental shifts as well as transient excursions in the Antarctic cryosphere that impacted global ocean and climate reorganization. This proposal requests funds to initiate Phase I of the international ANDRILL CH Drilling Project, focusing on site selection and extensive surveys, including evaluating existing seismic reflection and airborne radar data, conducting over-ice radar mapping of to locate any sub-ice crevassing along the traverse route, and conducting hot water drilling to provide access holes through the 300 meter-thick ice shelf and thereby enable the deployment/recovery of current meters and other sensors (e.g. remotely operated underwater vehicles) to measure tidal and ocean currents, assess sub-ice conditions, and evaluate potential drilling strategies at the proposed sites. All of these data and modeling results will be used to finalize site selection and determine the most robust drilling strategy. In addition, the ANDRILL Science Management Office will continue a diverse and highly visible education and outreach program, and provide project management and institutional support for the U.S. research community's involvement in the CH Drilling Project.