EAGER: Surface Variability and Spectral Analyses of the Central Transantarctic Mountains, Antarctica

智力优势：横跨北极山脉的无冰岩石露头为了解冰雪覆盖的南极大陆内部提供了唯一可接近的窗口；这些岩石极其偏远，很难研究。该地区还拥有地球上纬度最高的无冰山谷系统。根据两个跨学科讲习班，沙克尔顿冰川附近的横贯北极地区已被确定为进一步研究的高度优先地点，拟议在2015-2016年南极实地考察季节设立一个野外营地。自20世纪初英勇的南极探险时代以来，人们一直在研究该地区的地质情况，但地质制图已有40多年没有更新过，现有地图的分辨率很低(通常为1：25万)。该项目将利用WorldView-2多光谱轨道数据集来补充拟议中的2015-2016年沙克尔顿冰川营地附近的原始地质制图工作。WorldView-2卫星是唯一能够对整个南极山脉成像的多光谱轨道传感器，极地地理空间中心目前可以获得所有必要的数据。用于地质调查的多光谱数据的高纬度大气校正最近才得到测试，但从未用于WorldView-2数据，也从未用于这种类型的观测。因此，这项研究需要技术的改进和方法论的发展来实现这些目标。通过对目前储存在俄亥俄州立大学美国极地岩石储存库的岩石样品进行实验室光谱测量，将有可能进行大气修正和光谱验证。该项目将以比以前的地质制图工作高四倍的分辨率(1：62,500)进行光谱单位识别和边界制图，并有可能以比以前的地质图提高四十八倍以上的分辨率进行更详细的调查(1：5,123)。在这些改进的分辨率下验证的光谱测绘将允许使用现有的卫星图像进行详细的岩性和潜在的生物测绘。这将极大地增强规划能力，从而最大限度地提高与沙克尔顿冰川深场营地相关的科学研究和支持后勤的效率。广泛影响：拟议的工作将对更广泛的科学界产生多重影响。首先，改进现有的大气校正方法和开发新的光谱测绘技术，可能会大大提高我们对整个南极洲的地质表面进行遥感调查的能力。验证这一轨道数据集的能力将对目前和未来的地质、环境和生物学研究，可能是整个大陆的研究都是有用的。该项目将在2014年3月1日之前向科学界提供一种具体的光谱测绘产品(比例为1：62,500)，以支持向国家科学基金会提交的关于拟议的2015/2016年沙克尔顿冰川营的提案。还将为具有特殊科学意义的区域生成高分辨率光谱测绘产品(最高分辨率为每像素2米)。使用基于社区的资源，如极地地理空间中心(PGC)图像和美国极地岩石库岩石样本，将在南极研究界内产生新的协同和协作研究可能性。此外，领队Pi(塞尔瓦托)是一名早期职业科学家，在南极和行星遥感方面都很活跃。在南极和行星应用的遥感光谱数据集的校准、校正和验证方面存在重叠，这可能会给早期职业PI以及这两个社区带来好处和洞察。

Intellectual Merit:Ice free rock outcrops in the Transantarctic Mountains provide the only accessible windows into the interior of the ice covered Antarctic continent; they are extremely remote and difficult to study. This region also hosts the highest latitude ice-free valley systems on the planet. Based on two interdisciplinary workshops, the Transantarctic region near the Shackleton Glacier has been identified as a high priority site for further studies, with a field camp proposed for the 2015-2016 Antarctic field season. The geology of this region has been studied since the heroic era of Antarctic exploration, in the early 1900s, but geologic mapping has not been updated in more than forty years, and existing maps are at poor resolution (typically 1:250,000).This project would utilize the WorldView-2 multispectral orbital dataset to supplement original geologic mapping efforts near the proposed 2015-2016 Shackleton Glacier camp. The WorldView-2 satellite is the only multispectral orbiting sensor capable of imaging the entirety of the Transantarctic Mountains, and all necessary data are currently available to the Polar Geospatial Center. High-latitude atmospheric correction of multispectral data for geologic investigations has only recently been tested, but has never been applied to WorldView-2 data, and never for observations of this type. Therefore, this research will require technique refinements and methodological developements to accomplish the goals. Atmospheric correction refinements and spectral validation will be made possible by laboratory spectroscopic measurements of rock samples currently stored at the U.S. Polar Rock Repository, at the Ohio State University. This project will result in spectral unit identification and boundary mapping at a factor of four higher resolution (1:62,500) than previous geologic mapping efforts, and more detailed investigations (1:5,123) are possible at resolutions more than a factor of forty-eight improved over previous geologic maps. Validated spectral mapping at these improved resolutions will allow for detailed lithologic, and potentially biologic, mapping using existing satellite imagery. This will greatly enhance planning capabilities, thus maximizing the efficiency of the scientific research and support logistics associated with the Shackleton Glacier deep field camp.Broader impacts:The proposed work will have multiple impacts on the broader scientific community. First, the refinement of existing atmospheric correction methodologies, and the development of new spectral mapping techniques, may substantially improve our ability to remotely investigate geologic surfaces throughout Antarctica. The ability to validate this orbital dataset will be of use to both current and future geologic, environmental, and biologic studies, potentially across the entire continent. The project will yield a specific spectral mapping product (at a scale of 1:62,500) to the scientific community by a targeted date of 01 March 2014, in order to support proposals submitted to the National Science Foundation for the proposed 2015/2016 Shackleton Glacier camp. High-resolution spectral mapping products (up to a maximum resolution of 2 meters per pixel) will also be generated for regions of particular scientific interest. The use of community based resources, such as Polar Geospatial Center (PGC) imagery and U.S. Polar Rock Repository rock samples, will generate new synergistic and collaborative research possibilities within the Antarctic research community. In addition, the lead PI (Salvatore) is an early career scientist who is active in both Antarctic and planetary remote sensing. There are overlaps in the calibration, correction, and validation of remote spectral datasets for Antarctic and planetary applications which can lead to benefits and insights to an early career PI, as well as the two communities.