THE TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK INC
Grant: $160,179 - National Science Foundation - May. 27, 2009
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Award Description: The West Antarctic Ice Sheet is believed to be vulnerable to climate change as it is grounded below sea level, is drained by rapidly flowing ice streams and is fringed by floating ice shelves subject to melting by incursions of relatively warm Antarctic circumpolar water. Currently, the most rapidly thinning glaciers in Antarctica occur in the Amundsen and Bellingshausen Sea sectors. This study seeks to place the present day observations into a longer-term geological context over a broad scale by high-resolution swath bathymetric mapping of continental shelf sea floor features that indicate past ice presence and behavior. Gaps in existing survey coverage of glacial lineations and troughs indicating ice flow direction and paleo-grounding zone wedges over the Ross, Amundsen and Bellingshausen Sea sectors are targeted. The surveys will be conducted as part of the 2010 Icebreaker Oden science opportunity and will take advantage of the vessel?s state-of-the-art swath mapping system. Broader impacts: This activity will supplement and complement more focused regional studies by US, Swedish, UK, French, Japanese and Polish collaborators also sailing on the Oden. The PI will compile bathymetric data to be acquired by the Oden and other ships in the region over the duration of the project into the existing bathymetric data base. The compiled data set will be made publically available through the NSF founded Antarctic Multibeam Bathymetry and Geophysical Data Synthesis (AMBS) site. It will also be integrated into the GEBCO International Bathymetric Chart of the Southern Ocean (IBCSO) and so significantly improve the basis for ship navigation in the Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean. Undergraduate students will be involved in the research under supervision of the PI via the Lamont summer internship program. The PI is a young investigator and this will be his first NSF grant as a PI.
Project Description: As defined in the project abstract. The project started on June 1st 2009. A workstation and data storage system was purchased and installed to handle the expected multibeam bathymetry data and data processing. We started the processes of integrating data on the new system. We also started the planning process for the upcoming expedition to the Amundsen and Bellingshausen Sea. This included a meeting on the ice breaker Oden in Landskrona Sweden to inspect the facilities of the ship and discuss the logistics of the expedition.
Jobs Summary: Columbia University Created/Retained a Named Assoc Rsch Scientist. Note: Tenured Faculty are excluded from the FTE estimates. (Total jobs reported: 0)
Project Status: Less Than 50% Completed
This award's data was last updated on May. 27, 2009. Help expand these official descriptions using the wiki below.
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