Full Proposals for IPY 2007-2008 Activities

Proposed IPY Activity Details

1.0 PROPOSER INFORMATION

(Activity ID No: 67)

1.1 Title of Activity
Origin, evolution and setting of the Gamburtsev subglacial highlands: Exploring an unknown Antarctic territory

1.2 Short Form Title of Proposed Activity
Antarctica's Gamburtsev Province (AGAP) --preliminary--

1.3 Activity Leader Details
Detlef Damaske
BGR
Germany

1.4 Lead International Organisation(s) (if applicable)
NULL
NULL
NULL
NULL

1.5 Other Countries involved in the activity
Australia
China
New Zealand
Russia
UK
USA
NULL
NULL
NULL
NULL
NULL
NULL
NULL
NULL
NULL
NULL

1.6 Expression of Intent ID #'s brought together in this proposed activity
384,256,349,412,558,892,934

1.7 Location of Field Activities
Antarctic

1.8 Which IPY themes are addressed
2. Change in the polar regions
4. Exploring new frontiers

1.9 What is the main IPY target addressed by this activity
1. Natural or social science

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2.0 SUMMARY OF THE ACTIVITY

This project is a multinational campaign to collect a range of data that will impact on our understanding of the Earth as a bipolar coupled system, where Antarctica’s evolution impacts on global scale changes of sea level, ice volume and climate. This project involves a transect from the centre of the Antarctic continent, where the ice sheet is underlain by the Gamburtsev Mountains, northwards into Prydz Bay. We will acquire major new data sets including offshore marine data, gravity, magnetics, ice radar soundings and a wealth of geological observations. This will also be part of a multinational Gamburtsev Mountains IPY expedition that will include the GAMBIT (EoI 558) regional aerogeophysical program, a Chinese drilling program (GMDP) and a passive seismic experiment (GAMSEIS – EoI 412).

The main objective is to derive a four dimensional evolutionary history of the area of East Antarctica affected by the world’s largest glacier (Lambert) and associated ice shelf (Amery). The project is focused in an area that exhibits the largest set of geological exposures in East Antarctica (Prince Charles Mountains). This southern part of the transect will cover the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains. Nothing is known about the nature of this ice-covered Antarctic “highland”. It was from this region that the expanding Antarctic ice sheet originated and it has been suggested that during warmer periods, this terrain was drained first by ice streams and then, nearer the coast, by rivers from which thick sediments accumulated. In the Late Palaeozoic and Mesozoic these sediments probably included the Amery Group of East Antarctica together with a huge succession of similarly aged sediments that were deposited in Africa, India and Australia. The modern East Antarctic ice sheet is also thought to have nucleated on this “highland”, and progressively expanded from there to cover the continent as Antarctica gradually cooled.
The marine sub-project will target the Lambert Rift system in the area of Prydz Bay with acquisition of deep crustal geophysical data and sediment cores that will be integrated with the continental based data sets. The sedimentary and glacial history of Prydz Bay and the structural grain of its uppermost basement are relatively well known from extensive shallow to medium depth seismic reflection profiling and ODP Legs 119 and 188. This existing information will serve as an important parameter basis to build deep dynamic crustal and lithospheric models of the evolution of the Lambert Rift system and its role in the ice-sheet dynamics of East Antarctica.
The marine geoscience activities will be facilitated through the deployment of the RV “Polarstern” and the RV “Akademik Alexander Karpinsky” in 2007, with a continental and airborne based program in the Prince Charles Mountains and the Gamburtsev Mountains during the 2007/08 austral summer.

2.1 What is the evidence of inter-disciplinarity in this activity?
This project will incorporate a geoscientific approach involving geology, geomorphology, glaciology, geophysics and geodesy in order to establish the geological, environmental and glaciological evolution of the Antarctic continent from its interior into the Southern Ocean. The results will be important contributions to ice-sheet and climatic modeling.

2.2 What will be the significant advances/developments from this activity? What will be the major deliverables? What are the outputs for your peers?
The proposed project will provide data and samples from a region that is considered to be the last great unknown of Antarctica. The target area is a critical region for ice-sheet evolution and initiation. The timing of the formation of the cratonic highlands is of particular importance for the climate and ice sheet evolution of Antarctica.Furthermore, our project will provide critical parameters for geodynamic modelling such as lithospheric/crustal structure, physical parameters, subglacial topography and palaeo-topography. These parameters are also crucial to constraints ice-sheet dynamics (isostasy, geodesy). Our project will contribute to understanding of the interaction between geodynamics and ice-sheet history.

2.3 Outline the geographical location(s) for the proposed field work (approximate coordinates will be helpful if possible)

2.4 Define the approximate timeframe(s) for proposed field activities?

2.5 What major logistic support/facilities will be required for this project?
Ice strengthened research ship
Ship-based drilling capability
Rock-drilling capability
Fixed wing geophysical aircraft
Fixed wing transport aircraft
Snow terrain vehicles
Helicopters
Fuel depots

Further details – in addition to above list: summer field camps further details: Ships: RV Polarstern (Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) Germany), RV Karpinsky (PMGRE - VNIIOkeangeologia Russia) Aircrafts & Helicopters: Fed. Inst. for Geosci. & Natural Resources Germany (BGR) , Australian Antarctic Div. (AAD), Univ. Texas / US Naval Res. Lab., US Antarctic Progr. (USAP) Ground traverses: China, AAD, USAP Ice/rock drilling capability: China

2.6 How will the required logistics be supplied? Have operators been approached?

2.7 If working in the Arctic regions, has there been contact with local indigenous groups or relevant authorities regarding access?

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3.0 STRUCTURE OF THE ACTIVITY

3.1 Origin of the activity
This is a new activity developed for the IPY period

3.2 How will the activity be organised and managed? Describe the proposed management structure and means for coordinating across the cluster
The proposed project will be a coordinated network comprised of individual projects of equal partners. We will establish a steering group for general coordination. The project will maintain a central web-site for information distribution and communication, newsletters, mailing list for communication; list of expeditions/cruises, list of projects, contacts etc. We will disseminate metadata using existing data center infrastructure. We plan to have annual meetings/workshops of the steering group and/or participants to exchange status of planning and progress of the project. SG liaison/contact person to IPY sub-committee Education & Outreach: Robin E. Bell.

3.3 Will the activity leave a legacy of infrastructure and if so in what form?
No infrastructures will be left in Antarctica. However, there will be a large meta-data resource that can be used for future earth science and glaciology programs.

3.4 Will the activity involve nations other than traditional polar nations? How will this be addressed?
No, but partners and institutions from non-traditional polar nations will be invited to form collaborative linkages with participating researchers and institutions. Through the ACE programme, financial support for scientists from non-traditional nations to visit conferences and workshops can be offered.

3.5 Will this activity be linked with other IPY core activities? If yes please specify
This program will fall under the EoI Clustering 3- Mission “Exploration beneath the ice, traverses, earth history”. Primary links exists to IDEA (301), PLATES & GATES (20), ACE (37), POLENET (234), ITASE (892), SALE (876)
Secondary links: PET (221), AAG (540), FIRE, ICE & LIFE (583)

3.6 How will the activity manage its data? Is there a viable plan and which data management organisations/structures will be involved?
We plan to use existing infrastructure to distribute and archive the data sets that will be acquired
as part of this joint project. The data centres are: Australian Antarctic Data Centre (AADC), World Data Centre, PANGAEA, supply to SCAR and IAG data bases (ADMAP, BEDMAP, SDLS, ADGRAV, AntGP)

3.7 Data Policy Agreement
Will this activity sign up to the IPY draft Data Policy (see website)
Yes

3.8 How will the activity contribute to developing the next generation of polar scientists, logisticians, etc.?
The team that is being assembled for this project has extensive experience in other eastern Antarctic terrains but will include a number of new PhD students who will be involved in analysing the data and samples collected. Results will also be dissipated to undergraduate courses by senior researchers to draw students into future programs.

3.9 How will this activity address education, outreach and communication issues outlined in the Framework document?
In implementing this project, extensive initiatives involving the media and the education sector will be used to foster the outcomes of these investigations on our society and to the next generation of scientists. The Royal Society of Victoria has submitted an outreach IPY proposal that includes this project. We will invite journalist (print & TV media) to join (part of) campaigns. We have planned activities for journalism students at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. Our project will be linked to the planned “Antarctic Institute” (IPY # 405). Both the GAMBIT and GAMSEIS subproject have a strong outreach and education component. Our project conforms with the SCAR education & outreach program. We will archive field documentation for popular science purpose.

3.10 What are the proposed sources of funding for this activity?
National funding agencies and national polar programs.

3.11 Additional Comments
Feb-Apr 2007: The marine geological and geophysical expeditions with RV ‘Polarstern’ and RV ‘Akademik Alexander Karpinsky’ in the Prydz Bay area will be at the start of the IPY. This will provide a unique opportunity to herald the start of the IPY activities from ships that are engaged in an IPY project.CHINARE, through the Chinese Polar Research Institute and Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences is proposing a deep ice drilling program over the Gamburtsev Mountains with geology related activities in the Grove Mountains (adjacent to PCMs) during the IPY. Discussions have already commenced for co-ordinating logistic support with the Chinese program.

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4.0 CONSORTIUM INFORMATION

4.1 Contact Details

Lead Contact
Dr Detlef Damaske
BGR
Stilleweg 2 Hannover
30655
Germany

Tel:          +49 511 643 2692
Mobile:   N/A
Fax:         +49 511 643 3663
Email:       d.damaske@bgr.de

Second Contact
Prof Chris Wilson
University of Melbourne
Parkville Victoria
3010
Australia

Tel:          61 8344 6538
Mobile:   N/A
Fax:         61 8344 7761
Email:      cjlw@unimelb.edu.au

4.2 Other significant consortium members and their affiliation