Expressions of Intent for IPY 2007-2008 Activities

Expression of Interest Details

PROPOSAL INFORMATION

Greenland’s Ice Sheet – reactions to past and present climate change  (Greenland’s Ice Sheet – reactions to past and present climate change)

Outline
Greenland’s Ice Sheet offers outstanding opportunities for studies of its present state and interaction with climate as well as its archive of palaeo-climatic information. One of the very important questions to address is the mass balance of the ice sheet, especially in relation to global climate change. There are indications that the margin of Greenland’s Ice Sheet is thinning with as much as 1 m annually and satellite data show an increasing melting zone. The mass balance of the Greenland Ice Sheet is directly related to past and future sea level changes. The mass balance is a function of both the past and the present climate and the proposed IPY activity is a concerted effort to address these issues: 1. North Eemian Ice Core Project. The last interglacial was warmer than the Holocene, providing an analog for an anthropogenically-warmed world. We need to learn about the behaviour of climate and the Greenland ice sheet during this time. The oldest reliable core only partly penetrates the last interglacial. Sites have been located in North West Greenland where the Greenland ice core record can be extended back through the last interglacial and into the previous glacials and interglacials. A detailed record of the Holocene should also be obtained. 2. Mapping of the Greenland ice sheet. Surface, airborne and satellite measurements of the surface and bedrock of the Ice Sheet in order to detect elevation changes and to map the volume and areas of basal melt. The collection of basic data to understand satellite radar remote sensing signals, and penetration into snow/ice, is an integral part of this activity. 3. Weather and mass balance stations on the ice in order to relate mass balance changes with climate and investigate the ablation processes. 4. Modelling of the evolution of the Ice Sheet. The thinning of the margin of the Greenland Ice Sheet is not solely caused by the present climate conditions. Ice flows slowly, past mass balance changes still alter the shape of the Ice Sheet and past temperature changes slowly change the temperatures of the deep ice thereby changing the flow properties of the ice. 5. Intermediate ice cores. To study the climate during the last thousand years a net of ice cores of intermediate ice cores is needed. Many of the existing cores can be used if the sites are revisited and 100 m cores drilled to bring the records up to modern time. 6. Detailed modelling of weather and climate over the Greenland Ice Sheet. A very high resolution regional atmospheric model (HIRLAM) will be run in re-analysis and climate mode, providing both hindcasts and future predictions of atmospheric conditions relevant to ice sheet modelling.

What significant advance(s) in relation to the IPY themes and targets can be anticipated from this project?
The role of the Greenland Ice Sheets in global sea level rise is addressed by an concerted activities concentrated on the past and present condition of the Ice Sheet. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that sea level could rise between 20 and 100 cm by the end of this century, which may have serious consequences for people living in coastal areas. The ice sheet of Greenland contains nearly 3 million cubic kilometers of ice, an amount that would raise global sea level by about 7 m if it were to melt completely. The ICSU report identifies the polar regions as sensitive areas for detecting climate change, and having the potential of significantly contributing to abrupt climate change. A important out spring of the program will be to involve young scientists in polar research by creating PhD and Post Doc positions in the programs. Outreach activities are expected to create awareness of the role of the Greenland Ice Sheet in the Climate System.

What international collaboration is involved in this project?
The proposed activities are international and involve scientist from Denmark, France, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, UK and USA

FIELD ACTIVITY DETAILS

Geographical location(s) for the proposed field activities:
Greenland

Approximate timeframe(s) for proposed field activities:
Arctic: 05/07 – 09/07      05/08 – 09/08      
Antarctic: n/a

Significant facilities will be required for this project:
Greenland: C130/Twin Otter support Twin Otter monitoring flights with laser and radar Support for field camps and ice sheet traverses Ice core drill(s) and drilling crews Establishment of a camp at the deep drill site in NW Greenland The platforms can be shared with other projects

Will the project leave a legacy of infrastructure?
Yes: Drilling camp, pilot hole (at least) for full interglacial in Greenland Traverse facility Weatherstations

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

Has the project been "endorsed" at a national or international level?
Y: The deep drilling project was agreed as a consensus plan at the IPICS meeting in April 2004, attended by most major international ice coring groups, and several logistic operators. The single parts of the project have been endorsed in many of the participating nations national IPY programs.

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?
New
The project is an initiative based on the success of earlier programs like the NGRIP and EPICA deep drillings, the PARCA program, and smaller national programs. The program will utilize fully new polar observation satellites such as CryoSat and ICESat.

How will the project be organised and managed?
An international steering committee will be formed.

What are the initial plans of the project for addressing the education, outreach and communication issues outlined in the Framework document?
The initial plans are to include budgets for PhD and Post Doc positions in the national applications for the project thereby involving young scientists in polar research. The involved groups have experience in outreach through homepages, popular articles and television programs and budgets will be allocated to these activities.

What are the initial plans of the project to address data management issues (as outlined in the Framework document)?
Data will be made available through existing international data bases.

How is it proposed to fund the project?
Funds will be obtained for each sub-component from national operators, as well as from international funding sources such as the EU.

Is there additional information you wish to provide?
The deep drilling in NW Greenland is also proposed through the International IPICS body.

PROPOSER DETAILS

Prof  Dorthe Dahl-Jensen
Juliane Maries Vej 30
Copenhagen OE
DK-2100
Denmark

Tel: +45 35 32 05 56
Mobile:
Fax: +45 35 36 53 57
Email:

Other project members and their affiliation

Other Information