Expressions of Intent for IPY 2007-2008 Activities

Expression of Interest Details

PROPOSAL INFORMATION

Antarctic Convergence Zone -- Dome A (ACDA) Program  (ACDA)

Outline
Polar regions are important components of the earth system and highly influence global environment and societies; rapid significant changes have been occurring and will last; there is a gap of scientific studies in the polar regions compared with other part of our earth system; polar regions are important to understand the past and present behavior of the earth system.Objectives of CHINA IPY: To explore and facilitate new research base in the east Antarctic ice sheet To enhance international collaboration in polar research To improve observatories and establish long-term monitoring system in polar regions To get further understanding of response and feedbacks of polar regions to global change To develop new technologies and logistical capabilities To cultivate next generation of polar scientists, experts and logistics managers To ensure data collection and sharing Proposed activity(1) ACDA_1: Variability of the Southern Ocean and Air-Sea-Ice Interaction (VASOASI) The component of the project is going to undertake multidisciplinary field investigations, including physical oceanography, chemical oceanography, trace matter, biology, sea ice and the atmosphere in the region of the Prydz Bay and a section along 73°E south of the Antarctic Convergence of the southern Indian ocean, and a semi-circumpolar line north of the sea ice edge in the southern Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. To study Variability of the ACW, teleconnection with low latitudes and low frequency variability; Variability of the ACC system; the process and mechanism of water mass formation and change; monitoring the variability of Southern Ocean frontal systems; Southern Ocean meridional overturning circulation; ice-ocean-atmosphere interaction and coupled modeling. (2) ACDA_2: Processes of the Amery Ice Shelf and its Interaction with the Ocean (PAISIO) Field operations include oceanographic measurements along the ice shelf front and through the hot drilling holes in the sub-ice shelf cavity; and measurements and water sampling by ROV within the cavity; ice shelf core drilling; ice radar section survey; and mass balance measurements. And to study the interaction between the ocean and the Amery Ice Shelf and their role in determining the mass balance of ice sheets and larger-scale oceanic conditions; physical oceanographic processes occurring beneath and outside of the ice shelf; and to determine the implications of the interaction for the discharge of grounded ice; the role of ice shelf water in formation of Antarctic Bottom Water. (3) ACDA_3: Geo-scientific Investigation in the Grove Mountains (GIGMs) GISMs will involve a regional synthetic geo-scientific investigation in the Grove Mountains where more than 64 nunataks are distributed on the blue ice-snow over 10 thousands square kilometres between the Larsemann Hills and the southern Prince Charles Mountains in Prydz Bay sector. The investigation will incorporate a multidisciplinary approach, involving geology, geomorphology, glaciology and geophysics to establish the geological, environmental and glaciological evolution of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. The first of two objectives is to derive a four dimensional evolutionary history of the area and its interaction with global climatic changes, especially with the history of the northern sphere’s large ice sheet since Pliocene. The other is to fixing on the tectonic evolution concerning the Gondwana and Rodinia super-continents. The collection of meteorite and the detecting on local sub-glacial lakes could be involved in this project. In these sub-glacial lakes could preserve ice sheet margin sediments during last warmer period. (4) ACDA_4: Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountain Drilling (GSMD) Drilling in the Gamburtsev Mountains is going to survey the sub-glacial geomorphology along the Mountain’s trending, to determine an ideal region to try to obtain the oldest glacier record of Greater Antarctica, paleoclimate and environmental history, to take rock samples from the sub-glacial mountains and to conduct geophysical investigation in the Gamburtsev Mountains, through which our knowledge of poorly understanding of East Antarctic Craton interior can be much improved. The goal is to understand the mystic Greater Antarctic continent interior, its lithosphere structure, and the role that the Pan-African Prydz belt and East Antarctic blocks played in assembly of East Antarctic Carton and Gondwana, the process that moulds the sub-glacial geomorphology and its Paleoclimate and environmental implications. (5) ACDA_5: East Antarctic Glaciological Expedition from Zhongshan Station to Dome A (EAGLE) East Antarctica is an important and least explored component in Antarctica, especially the inner part of East Antarctica. Shallow ice core drilling, in-situ sampling and real time monitoring along different traverse routes could offer the opportunities to understand more about the past and present climates and environment, the atmosphere-snow-ice process, and improve our ability to monitor and predict future climatic and environmental changes in polar regions.EAGLE is going to carry out: 1) long-term monitoring of atmosphere and glacier or ice sheet from Zhongshan station to Dome A and attempts to understand two important processes: the changes of present-day load and composition of atmospheric aerosol and gases, and the process occurring at the atmosphere-snow interface; 2) to study past climate and environment in East Antarctica with ice cores to identify the regional climate and environment differences of past several hundred years or even millennia among a series of shallow ice cores retrieved from Zhongshan station to Dome A, in order to improve our understanding of regional and global changes; 3) to evaluate sea level change and its relationship to Antarctica mass balance: more spatially accumulation rate data from ice cores are needed to reduce the uncertainty of Antarctica mass balance contribution to sea level change. The Lambert Glacier drainage basin, located at the west side of traverse route from Zhongshan Station to Dome A, is one of the major ice-drainage basins of the East Antarctic ice sheet. Through its long-term monitoring (snow accumulation stakes, AWS, GPS and remote sensing etc.), it is possible to assess the state of mass balance of Lambert Glacier drainage basin, to reduce the uncertainty of the contribution of Antarctic mass balance to sea level change. (6) ACDA_6: Chinese Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica (CPICA) Dome A has the highest elevation in whole Antarctic ice sheet. China is planning to set up a permanent or semi-permanent scientific research station there during the IPY 2007/2008. It will be an important facility to carry out comprehensive observations and studies in terms of glaciology, atmosphere sciences, and upper atmosphere physics, and will greatly improve our understanding of polar environments. CPICA, one of the projects at Dome-A, will be a long-term (~8years) Chinese deep ice core drilling project to derive high resolution records of climate and atmospheric composition through several glacial-interglacial cycles; it is designed to complement the highly successful EIPCA, Vostok, Dome Fujii projects and it will allow comparison and contrast with other East Antarctic records. Another objective is to find out whether there exists the eldest ice at Dome A. Expected outcomes of CPICA include: 1) the improvement of deep ice core drilling techniques; 2) the reconstruction of palaeo-climate records (precipitation and temperature) from ice cores; 3) the reconstruction of palaeo-environmental records (dust and soluble impurities etc.) from ice cores; 4) the analyses and studies of the greenhouse gases retrieved from ice cores; 5) the studies of physical properties and dating of ice cores; 6) the microbiological studies of ice cores; 7) the studies of reliability of climatic and environmental indexes from ice cores; 8) exploration of a subglacial continent interior from rock core at the bottom. (7) ACDA_7: Antarctic Cusp and Polar Cap Research (ACPCR) This program is aimed to observe and study the hints in the dayside and polar cap upper atmosphere due to the solar wind-magnetosphere interaction. China has carried out observations for more than ten years in ionosphere, optical aurora, imaging riometer and geomagnetic fields etc. at Antarctic Zhongshan station, which locates at cusp latitudes in the dayside. During IPY, new equipments will be deployed, such as multi-frequencies all sky auroral imaging system, HF radar and auto-magnetometers at Zhongshan, Dome-A station and along the route between the two stations, which follows almost the geomagnetic latitude circle.ACPCR will monitor dayside ionosphere, auroras and magnetospheric boundary layer processes near Zhongshan Station in Antarctica; study the polar ionosphere and aurora dynamics under the magnetospheric cusp for the understanding of solar wind -magnetosphere interaction; contribute to SuperDARN measurements and to the international world wide ground-based geomagnetic measurements.

What significant advance(s) in relation to the IPY themes and targets can be anticipated from this project?
Theme 1: ACDA will provide a comprehensive data base on ocean, sea ice and the atmosphere; ice shelf; biology, geology and geophysics; ice sheets; and upper atmosphere in a meridianal region from the Antarctic Convergence in the southern Indian ocean to Dome A in the mainland of east Antarctica, and a semi-circumpolar line north of the sea ice edge in the southern Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.Theme 2: ACDA will provide information on the status and changes of a series of parameters in the study region.Theme 3: ACDA will provide information on polar-global linkages and interaction of a series of parameters in the study region.Theme 4: ACDA will try to find new scientific frontiers in the study of the Amery Ice Shelf, Gamburtsev Mountain, Grove Mountains, ice sheet and the upper atmosphere.

What international collaboration is involved in this project?
For VASOASI, collaboration with Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, US is anticipated.For PAISIO, collaboration with Australian CRC is anticipated.For GSMD, co-ordination with the international Gamburtsev Mts program.For GIGMs, The project is internationally opening for foreign participants, and is co-ordinated with the program GigaGAP headed by Australia, Germany and Russia. Chinese Polar Research Administration will be contributing funds and resources to this program.For EAGLE and CPICA, welcome scientists from interested countries to take part in the project. For ACPCR, collaborative measurement and study in Antarctic with National Institute of Polar Research, Japan; collaboration with the Australia Antarctic Division on joint measurement and study of plasma waves between Zhongshan and Davis stations; conjugate observation and study on upper polar atmosphere, and cusp aurora measurement campaign with Tromso University, Norway by using EISCAT radar.

FIELD ACTIVITY DETAILS

Geographical location(s) for the proposed field activities:
ACDA will carry out observations and sampling in a meridianal region from the Antarctic Convergence in the southern Indian ocean to Dome A in the mainland of east Antarctica.

Approximate timeframe(s) for proposed field activities:
Arctic: n/a
Antarctic: 12/2006 – 02/2007       12/2007– 02/2008      

Significant facilities will be required for this project:
Chinese research vessel RV ‘Xuelong’ (icebreaker) with helicopters, and snow mobiles are going to support the field investigations. Sharing the platform is on request and under discussion.

Will the project leave a legacy of infrastructure?
There will be a large meta-data resource that can be used for future earth science studies.

How is it envisaged that the required logistic support will be secured?

The Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration of the State oceanic Administration and Polar Research Institute of China will secure the required logistic support.

Has the project been "endorsed" at a national or international level?
Y or N? Further details –ACDA is "endorsed" in the Chinese National 2006-2010 Antarctic Science Plan, which is currently being reviewed by the Chinese government.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND STRUCTURE

Is the project a short-term expansion (over the IPY 2007-2008 timeframe) of an existing plan, programme or initiative or is it a new autonomous proposal?
yes
This project is a component of the Chinese National 2006-2010 Antarctic Science Plan.

How will the project be organised and managed?
China IPY Scientific Committee will be in charge of coordinating the national and international effort, to insure data delivery and education outreach etc.

What are the initial plans of the project for addressing the education, outreach and communication issues outlined in the Framework document?
National IPY project will serve as a platform for communication and education outreach: permanent contact with involved Scientists. Invited journalists or students could visit to the traverse activities for short periods. Web sites will be created with on line information including this project.

What are the initial plans of the project to address data management issues (as outlined in the Framework document)?
ACDA data will be stored in the Chinese National Polar Data Base located in Polar Research institute of China. And the data is exchangeable and available with/for IPY scientific communities on request and discussion.

How is it proposed to fund the project?
The Chinese national funds will cover the expenses of field investigations. Scientific research is going to be funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology and the National Science Foundation of China.

Is there additional information you wish to provide?
None

PROPOSER DETAILS

Professor  Zhanhai Zhang
Polar Research Institute of China, SOA
451 Jinqiao Road, Shanghai
200136
China

Tel: +86-21-58713605
Mobile: 13918902988
Fax: +86-21-58711663
Email:

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