International Polar Year 2007-2008 II
Presiding: M Albert, Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory; D Bromwich, Byrd Polar Research Center, Ohio State University
C42A-01 10:30h
The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) in the IPY 2007-2009
The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) initiates, develops, and coordinates international scientific research in the Antarctic region. SCAR is assuming a leadership position in the IPY primarily through its five major Scientific Research Programs; ACE, SALE, EBA, AGCS, and ICESTAR; which will be briefly described.Antarctic Climate Evolution (ACE) promotes the exchange of data and ideas between research groups focusing on the evolution of Antarctica's climate system and ice sheet. The program will: (1) quantitatively assess the climate and glacial history of Antarctica; (2) identify the processes which govern Antarctic change and feed back around the globe; (3) improve our ability to model past changes in Antarctica; and (4)document past change to predict future change in Antarctica. Subglacial Antarctic Lake Environments (SALE) promotes, facilitates, and champions cooperation and collaboration in the exploration and study of subglacial environments in Antarctica. SALE intends to understand the complex interplay of biological, geological, chemical, glaciological, and physical processes within subglacial lake environments through coordinated international research teams. Evolution and Biodiversity in the Antarctic (EBA) will use a suite of modern techniques and interdisciplinary approaches, to explore the evolutionary history of selected modern Antarctic biota, examine how modern biological diversity in the Antarctic influences the way present-day ecosystems function, and thereby predict how the biota may respond to future environmental change. Antarctica and the Global Climate System (AGCS) will investigate the nature of the atmospheric and oceanic linkages between the climate of the Antarctic and the rest of the Earth system, and the mechanisms involved therein. A combination of modern instrumented records of atmospheric and oceanic conditions, and the climate signals held within ice cores will be used to understand past and future climate variability and change in the Antarctic as a result of natural and anthropogenic forcings over the last 100,000 years. Interhemispheric Conjugacy Effects in Solar-Terrestrial and Aeronomy Research (ICESTAR) will study the interactions between and collective behavior of the many component parts of the Earth system, including the interaction between the natural environment and human society. Objectives include specification and prediction of the state of the system and assimilation and integration of data from disparate sources to understand the complex geospace environment.
http://www.scar.org/researchgroups/
C42A-02 10:45h
Coring to the West Antarctic ice sheet bed with a new Deep Ice Sheet Coring (DISC) drill
As a contribution to IPY 2007-2008, the U.S. ice core research community, supported by the National Science Foundation, plans to core through the West Antarctic ice sheet (WAIS) at the ice-flow divide between the Ross Sea and Amundsen Sea drainage systems. The aim is to develop a unique series of interrelated climatic, ice-dynamic, and biologic records focused on understanding interactions among global earth systems. There will be approximately 15 separate but synergistic projects to analyze the ice and interpret the records. The most significant expected outcome of the WAIS Divide program will be climate records for the last ~40,000 years with an annually resolved chronology (through layer counting), comparable to the records from central Greenland. The data will also extend, at lower temporal resolution, to approximately 100,000 BP. These records will permit comparison of environmental conditions between the northern and southern hemispheres, and study of greenhouse gas concentrations in the paleoatmosphere, with unprecedented detail. To accomplish the coring, an innovative new Deep Ice Sheet Coring (DISC) drill is being built at the University of Wisconsin. The modular design of the bore-hole assembly (sonde) provides high flexibility for producing a 122 mm diameter ice core to depths of 4,000 m with maximum core lengths of 4 m. The DISC drill has a rotating outer barrel that can be used with or without an inner barrel designed to improve core recovery in brittle ice. Separate and independent motors for the drill and pump allow cutter speeds from 0 to 150 rpm and pump rates from 0 to 140 gpm. The high pumping rate should alleviate problems drilling in warm ice near the bed; it also helps make tripping speeds several times faster than with the old US drill. Other innovations include vibration and acoustic sensors for monitoring the drilling process, a segmented core barrel to avoid the formerly persistent problem of bent core barrels, and a high-speed data acquisition system, which allows the real-time monitoring of 30 parameters for operational and scientific use. Data are transmitted from the sonde to the surface through optical fibers contained in the drill cable, which also provides power to the sonde. The entire drilling process utilizes a user-friendly "expert" control system. Quick connectors allow for fast core removal and sonde servicing. The drill tower is a tilting tower utilizing modular truss construction for flexibility and portability. We expect higher quality cores than produced by the old drill, because of a straighter barrel, the independently controlled drill and pump motors, and better monitoring and control of the drilling process. The drill is scheduled for testing in Greenland in the summer of 2006 and for first drilling at the WAIS Divide site late in the 2006-07 austral field season.
C42A-03 11:00h
Measured Spatial and Temporal Variation of Antarctic Ice Sheet Accumulation and Discharge: New Landmark Data Sets for IPY
An IPY project is described that makes use of the unique focus of IPY cooperation to plan, collect, analyze and distribute comprehensive data sets on the spatial and temporal patterns of accumulation of snow and the perimeter discharge of ice from the Antarctic ice sheet. ITASE traverses have begun collecting high-frequency radar soundings that, when tied to dated ice cores, provide a continuous transect of accumulation history. Two specific goals of our IPY project are to standardize new high-frequency radar observations and to encourage the expansion of these observations by identifying commercially available equipment that can be operated as part of any IPY or post-IPY Antarctic traverse. Where possible, these traverses will cross existing accumulation transects and include dated ice core locations. In addition, the pattern of transects will be augmented by at least one airborne high-frequency radar system to fill in major gaps in coverage and increase the number of intersecting transect tie-points. The distributed product from this activity will be a three-dimensional mapping of numerous isochrones that represent the spatial and temporal variability of Antarctic accumulation at an unprecedented level of detail. Discharge from the ice sheet will be derived from new measurements of grounding-line ice thickness and both existing and anticipated new measurements of grounding-line surface velocity. At least three countries have operational airborne ice penetrating radars that can measure ice thickness of more than one kilometer. Antarctica's entire grounded perimeter is accessible with current aircraft utilizing existing stations and the placement of necessary fuel depots. The cooperation of these countries will permit the collection of these data in the IPY timeframe and may permit the inclusion of additional flow-transverse transects to enhance the data set. Surface velocity at the grounding line, as well as the grounding line's position has been determined over most of the continent already by interferometric SAR (INSAR) analysis. It is hoped that a new collection of INSAR data will be part of IPY to allow a common epoch for the data sets of surface velocity and ice thickness. The comparison of new velocity data with the previous large-scale mapping of ice speed, as well as a wealth of isolated measurements, will help quantify the temporal stability of ice discharge across large portions of Antarctica's grounded perimeter.
C42A-04 11:15h
AITI and GELATI - Initiatives to promote education and training for the next generation of educators and scientists during the IPY 2007/08 and beyond
The fourth International Polar Year (IPY) in 2007/08 provides a unique opportunity to enhance international collaboration in research and education. Here we present an IPY-teaching initiative (AITI), which proposes to develop an interdisciplinary international short course series promoting and fostering education and training of the next generation(s) of scientists and educators interested in natural and social sciences related to Polar Regions; a short course series (GELATI) focusing on the impact of the cryosphere on the Earth system. The main goals of the short course series are to: a) provide education and training for the next generation of graduate students, science teachers, researchers in science related to Polar Regions; b) provide training for junior faculty c) integrate research and education; d) create awareness for Polar Regions related questions in class-rooms and beyond; e) create international partnerships in education and training; f) promote multidisciplinary thinking; g) increase gender diversity in science and teaching; h) encourage minority participation. To achieve these goals it is intended to develop a curriculum of specialized and interdisciplinary courses considering various aspects of science and scientific activities, which study, or are concerned with processes/developments in Polar Regions. Due to the vast dimensions and distribution of Polar Regions across international boundaries as well as the complexity of environmental studies in Polar Regions these courses will internationally pool students and instructors. Pooling of experts and students internationally will not only ensure highest standards but also foster international partnership. To allow the integration of research and teaching and to provide the best possible study environment the up to two to three weeklong, courses will be held at international field stations or will be incorporated into large research projects. To ensure training of the next generation of internationally recognized experts, junior scientists will be fully integrated in the development of this initiative and actually are taking a lead in the development and teaching of the here proposed short courses. Highest teaching and research standards are ensured through participation and mentoring of international experts. To complement the courses and increase the broader impact of this initiative, the short course series will be accompanied by science teacher majors, multi-media and science communication students and experts. The integration of these students and experts will not only simply transfer knowledge about the importance of Polar Regions in the Earth's system, but will link this initiative more globally to high schools and the general public. The initiative is open to anyone interested in combining Polar Regions research with education and outreach. Broad international participation is anticipated. Many people from several disciplines have already indicated interest and support this initiative. More information and a more comprehensive list of people involved in the AITI and GELATI initiatives is available at http://bprc.mps.ohio-state.edu/~svogel/IPY/IPY-index.php.
http://bprc.mps.ohio-state.edu/~svogel/IPY/IPY-index.php
C42A-05 11:30h
Assessing Challenges and Opportunities for Education and Communication Activities for International Polar Year 2007-2008
Considerable planning has gone into identifying ways to maximize International Polar Year 2007-2008 (IPY) as a global event that will facilitate the integration of research and education inherent in IPY, and draw the interest and involvement of people around the world. Documents developed through the IPY planning process, including NRC Reports (2004), and drafts reports on education and outreach from the ICSU IPY Planning Group in the Fall of 2004, and the Bridging the Poles workshop of June, 2004, articulate the tremendous potential for IPY beyond the formal research agenda and goals. With less that two years before the start of IPY and fewer than fours years before the activities are completed, these and emerging opportunities face a number of challenges. In addition to the limited time frame remaining to prepare for these activities, participants involved with IPY education and outreach will also need to consider factors such as: uncertain funding for such activities; the lack of established international networks for geoscience education; the need for high level coordination of IPY education and communication; and the creative and intellectual challenge of making the polar regions relevant to people around the world. The planning process has identified six constituencies as key audiences of IPY communication efforts: i) the scientific/research community, ii) young and potentially new polar researchers, iii) the pre-university education community, iv) arctic communities, iv) the general public, and v) decision-makers. Understanding and meeting these audiences' expectations through on-going evaluation and engagement will be key to successful IPY education and outreach efforts. A number of distinct education and outreach projects have been proposed to the ICSU-WMO IPY planning process, such as courses and workshops on specific aspects of IPY, including efforts to address the social and cultural dimension of Arctic peoples. To help meet the challenges, achieve the goals, contribute to building a lasting legacy for IPY, and support prior IPY Education and Outreach planning efforts, a Center for Polar Education and Coordination, and an online journal entitled the POLAR Post, modeled after the NASA Earth Observatory, have been proposed by the Outreach Department at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at the University of Colorado, in conjunction with the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), the Institute for Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR), and UCAR Education and Outreach. National Research Council (2004). A Vision for the International Polar Year. "Increasing Public Understanding and Participation in Polar Science Through the International Polar Year" and "Actions Needed to Make the International Polar Year Succeed." 65-79. National Research Council (2004). Planning for the International Polar Year 2007-2008: Report from the Implementation Workshop. "Data Education and Outreach Initiatives." 32-34.
C42A-06 11:45h
An Alaskan IPY Overview: design for rapid implementation of research findings
The International Polar Year Vision speaks of a wide range of polar research including the human dimension, the creation of legacies enabling future research, and benefits in terms of social and economic improvements. The Alaskan IPY Overview is a plan providing integration and synthesis of ideas and results leading to rapid consideration for implementation in social and economic programs in Alaska. It begins with the publication of a guide suggesting themes that could be used in a coherent way as broader impacts of proposed research. During the IPY event and afterwards, workshops will occur bringing Departments of the Alaskan State Government together with researchers to discuss research findings and their potential to assist in solving the many problems of living and working in northern Alaska. The Alaskan Overview Plan has been put together in consultation with the University of Alaska Faculty and Alaskan Departmental Commissioners. Publication of the plan has been discussed with the National Science Foundation. In operation, this plan has the potential to engage a large and broadly-based group of scientists in work that will bring to light new ideas and data for the solution of urgent problems for those who live and work in Alaska.
http://IPY.alaska.edu