Expressions of Intent for International Polar Year 2007-2008 Activities

Expression of Interest Details

PROPOSAL INFORMATION

Deep Ventilation and Ice Variability from proxy records  (VEnICE from proxy)

Outline
Within the framework of CASO (Climate in Antartica and Southern Ocean) and SASSI (Synoptic Antarctic Shelf-Slope Interactions Study ) proposals, the activity of “Deep Ventilation and Ice Variability from proxy records (hereafter named VEnICE) will provide an internationally integrated and multidisciplinary work, both on observational and modelling field, to understand the role of deep ocean ventilation in polar region to the climate variability on time scales from years to millennia.The field activity will include observations along transects across the Antarctic continental shelf offshore the Ross Sea (synoptic with similar sections in SASSI project). The field activity will include mainly physical observation of water column, sediment core in selected area and biological samplings (deep corals). The model activity will include a nested set of sea-ice coupled models, based on ROMS, focus to asses the influence of the new formed AABW variability on the ACC variability.In particular, VEnICE will add value to the CASO strategy for topics: 1.Climate processes at the Antarctic continental margin Objectives: to improve our understanding and modelling of ocean-ice-atmosphere interactions; to quantify the production rate variability of Antarctic Bottom Water comparing actual measurements with proxy related ones (deep corals and sediment cores) 2.Records of past Antarctic climate variability and changeObjectives: to build and use proxy records to determine the natural modes of climate variability on time-scales from years to century and from centuries to millennia; to improve our understanding of the mechanisms of abrupt climate change in the past, including the role of northern versus southern hemisphere.The research aims to focus the role of the variability of the Antarctic Bottom Waters formation and dispersion (particularly, the Ross Sea Bottom Water) as a regulator of the global thermohaline cell. In this study, time ranges having order of 10**0 – 10**1 years will be studied via physical observations, while time ranges having order of 10**1 – 10**2 will be explored via deep corals proxy, ending with time range having order 10**2 – 10**3, that will be explored via sediment cores in selected areas. Specific model simulations can be included, to improve knowledge on the global circulation, its impact to the climate and on the polar ecosystems. The possibility of focusing the study on this variability up to millennia scales, using state of the art methods (biological records), together with physical observations and sediment core is a real novelty contribution to the subject.

What significant advance(s) in relation to the IPY themes and targets can be anticipated from this project?
VEnICE will advance in knowledge related to deep dynamics and water mass modification (Theme 1); how climatic key variables evolve as documented by sediment depositions and in bio-samples (deep corals) (Theme 2). Appropriate long-term time series combined with hydrological observation and evolution of key proxy will provide means to reconstruct the dynamical regimes covering seasonal to century time scale (Theme 3). A hierarchy of models based on ROMS will be targeted to evaluate the role of forcing functions (fluxes, topography, boundary conditions) on the volume transports related to bottom water plumes, and changes in the past dynamics (Theme 4).

What international collaboration is involved in this project?
VEnICE is a contribution to the large and regional scale coverage of the Southern Ocean (CASO and SASSI ). It is part of the international projects as CLIVAR and CliC. The VEnICE activity will be carried on by research groups of different countries (Italy, Australia,U.K.,U.S.A.).

FIELD ACTIVITY DETAILS

Geographical location(s) for the proposed field activities:
VEnICE is focused on the Ross Sea and offshore crossing the Ross Gyre, including the sea ice zone, and the continental slope and shelf, as part of a wider synoptic coverage proposed by CASO and SASSI Projects

Approximate timeframe(s) for proposed field activities:
Arctic: n/a
Antarctic: 01/07 – 02/07      01/08 – 02/08      

Significant facilities will be required for this project:
The VEnICE field activity will be mainly ship-based. Specific facilities required include full equipped ice-strengthened ships as R/V ITALICA and EXPLORA and some local activity near TerraNovaBay. Specific facilities include moorings, sediment core and coral sampling capability. All such facilities can be shared and managed with other projects.

Will the project leave a legacy of infrastructure?
VEnICE inside CASO and SASSI strategy will leave a legacy of a design for an observing system on the Antarctic margin to calibrate specific proxy data sets. During the IPY we will test a variety of new observational approaches for their suitability as part of a sustained system.

How is it envisaged that the required logistic support will be secured?
Consortium
Own national polar operator
Another national polar operator
National agency

Has the project been "endorsed" at a national or international level?
The VEnICE proposal is part of CASO and SASSI strategy which is endorsed internationally by CLIVAR / CliC / SCAR Southern Ocean Implementation Panel

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

VEnICE is a project contributing to particular objectives of CASO and SASSI, it addresses scientific questions that are main topics for international programs as CLIVAR, CliC, PAGES, IGBP. VEnICE is a substantial extension and improvement of the existing Italian Polar DOVE project.

How will the project be organised and managed?
VEnICE project will interact with the CLIVAR/CliC/SCAR SO Panel and with the other partner projects. VEnICE project will play a coordination and integration role for CASO strategy, it will work in cooperation with this group of experts, the existing cooperation between the Italian CLIMA and Polar DOVE projects will play a crucial role.VEnICE project will plan regular meetings and workshops during the two years long activity, also associated with the ongoing Ross Sea International Conferences sponsored by the Italian project.Annual international meetings to review the progress of the project will be needed.

What are the initial plans of the project for addressing the education, outreach and communication issues outlined in the Framework document?
VEnICE project will add value to the education improving the outreach activities to the Italian Antarctic Museums (Genova, Siena, and Trieste). Workshops and summer schools will be organised as well as young scientists exchange program and new students within the Italian PhD for Polar Science (Siena University).

What are the initial plans of the project to address data management issues (as outlined in the Framework document?
Different data set will be acquired and stored, ready to be pooled together with other Project data in a common data bank managed by the partner projects. After a limited period of restricted use for calibration, the complete data set will be available to the scientific community without any limitation.

How is it proposed to fund the project?
Each partner project of VEnICE will seek funding at national and international level. The Italian components of VEnICE will submit a proposal to the Italian funding agency for Antarctic Research for 2006-08 which will furnish also the main logistic support (e.g. ship time and logistic teams).

Is there additional information you wish to provide?
VEnICE project will use data from past observations in the Ross Sea acquired by national programs as BIOSESO, CLIMA and Polar DOVE of PNRA during 1995-2005. In particular sediment core and mooring data will be used to enlarge the time series in selected area.

PROPOSER DETAILS

Dr Andrea Bergamasco
CNR - ISMAR
S.Polo 1364
30125
Italy

Tel: +39 041 5216811
Mobile: +39 339 466 7388
Fax: +39 041 2602340
Email:

Other project members and their affiliation