Expressions of Intent for International Polar Year 2007-2008 Activities

Expression of Interest Details

PROPOSAL INFORMATION

Pine Island Glacier -IPY  (PIG-IPY)

Outline
Hypothesis: Pine Island Glacier has a uniquely smooth bed, unlike that of any other known ice stream and this is a factor in its recent change. The glaciers draining the West Antarctic Ice Sheet into the Amundsen Sea are undergoing significant acceleration and thinning, which may amount to a noteable contribution to sea level rise over the coming one hundred years. Change affects the whole catchment basin, but it is concentrated in the outlet glaciers. Although more and more data are emerging that confirms these trends, little advance has been made in determining their causes. Pine Island Glacier (Figure 1) comprises 10% of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and has the potential to contribute 50 cm to global sea level rise. Recent airborne radio-echo data along the main tributary revealed unusual reflections from the glacier bed, which suggest the basal conditions are a transitional, or intermediate, state in the evolution of an ice stream and may be a significant factor in its on-going change. We will conduct a ground-based programme of glaciological and geophysical fieldwork that will provide quantitative information on basal and glacial conditions on Pine Island Glacier: •Active and passive seismic surveys for basal conditions and distribution of basal friction. •Ground-based radar data for ice thickness and long-term ice sheet dynamics. •GPS surveys for ice flow, including short-period flow transients. •Ground-penetrating radar and analysis of shallow ice cores for the spatial pattern of surface accumulation and recent accumulation or flow changes. The surveys will cover the main glacier tributary. They will be carried out over two austral summer seasons. The first season will be 2006-2007, and will involve 4 or 6 people. The second and main season (2007-2008) will fall fully within the IPY timeframe and will involve a party of 6 or 8 people. The project addresses a mixture of glaciological, climatological and geoscience issues.

What significant advance(s) in relation to the IPY themes and targets can be anticipated from this project?
The project will make a major contribution to Theme 1: To determine the present environmental status of the polar regions by quantifying their spatial and temporal variability. We will determine the spatial variability of glacial and subglacial conditions on Pine Island Glacier - one of those that has shown significant change in recent decades. The data will also indicate the detailed spatial pattern of these changes, as well as an indication of whether similar changes have occurred previously. We will also contribute to Theme 2: To quantify and understand past and present environmental and human change in the polar regions in order to improve predictions. A model of ice stream flow will incorporate the field data and lead to more accurate predictions of future evolution of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.

What international collaboration is involved in this project?
This will be a joint project between the UK and the USA.

FIELD ACTIVITY DETAILS

Geographical location(s) for the proposed field activities:
Pine Island Glacier

Approximate timeframe(s) for proposed field activities:
Arctic: n/a
Antarctic: The project will take place in the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. It will involve two field campaigns: the first will be prior to IPY (2006-2007); the second, and main season in 2007-2008, will be fully within the IPY timeframe.            

Significant facilities will be required for this project:
Logistical support for the BAS component has already been approved. If successful, the application to NSF in 2005 will include logistical support from USAP for the US component.

Will the project leave a legacy of infrastructure?
Despite showing the most rapid rates of change, the Amundsen Sea sector of West Antarctica, which is the subject of this proposal, has only been visited on a few occasions and is the subject of only a handful of published papers. The major programmes that have focused on the Ross and Weddell sea sectors of West Antarctica have largely not addressed this area. The legacy of new research in the Amundsen Sea sector will be the seedcorn of future programmes, and in a very real sense, will open new areas to research. The programme that we are proposing is likely to act as a catalyst for future work, build the logistic expertise and capacity required to support ongoing fieldwork, and the basic data required to build realistic predictive model of ice sheet behaviour.

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

Has the project been "endorsed" at a national or international level?
The project will be submitted for endorsement by the UK IPY 2007-2008 Committee.

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?
Expansion

The BAS component is a major part of the BAS core program 2005-2010, within which it is fully integrated. Collaboration with the US will significantly enhance the value of the project. The project will build on the achievements of joint BAS-University of Texas/NSF airborne geophysical surveys in 2004-2005. It will also contribute very effectively to the West Antarctic Ice Sheet Initiative (WAIS).

How will the project be organised and managed?
The UK component of the project has been approved and funded as part of the BAS core programme 2005-2010 (Global Science in the Antarctic Context). Management of the project will be in accordance with BAS protocols for its core science programme. US collaborators will submit a proposal to NSF in 2005, which is appropriate timing for funding and support covering the same period as the BAS component. The outcome of the application to NSF is expected in autumn 2005. The collaboration will be managed by a small group led by the project PIs in both the UK and the US.

What are the initial plans of the project for addressing the education, outreach and communication issues outlined in the Framework document?
These will be achieved through the usual BAS mechanisms, with which we have a strong record of successful outreach. We will maintain a project web site, at least through the period of the field activities, as we have done recently for the AFI-RABID project (AFI 1-05). Funding for a new recruit has been approved for the BAS component. Details for the US component have still to be finalized, but we expect it to include at least one new researcher at an early stage in their career.

What are the initial plans of the project to address data management issues (as outlined in the Framework document?
As an approved component of the BAS core programme, data management will be fully compliant with BAS requirements and NERC and UK regulations. It will be managed through the support provided by the BAS science divisions.

How is it proposed to fund the project?
Funding for the BAS component has been approved. Funding from NSF will be requested through the normal funding round, in an application to be submitted in 2005.

Is there additional information you wish to provide?
None

PROPOSER DETAILS

Dr Andy M. Smith
British Antarctic survey
Madingley Road
Cambridge
CB3 0ET
UK

Tel: +44-(0)1223-221481
Mobile: no
Fax: +44-(0)1223-221226
Email:

Other project members and their affiliation