Antarctic Climate Evolution: Paleoclimate and Ice Sheet Modeling Workshop

University Of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst MA

Investigators

Abstract

This award, provided by the Office of Polar Programs of the National Science Foundation, provides support for a workshop entitled "Antarctic Climate Evolution: Paleoclimate and Ice Sheet Modeling." ACE (Antarctic Climate Evolution) is a new research initiative that has recently grown out of the ANTOSTRAT (ANTarctic Offshore STRATigraphy) project. The goal of ACE is to advance the study of Antarctic climate and glacial history, through paleoclimate and ice sheet modeling studies, purposefully integrated with geological investigations of the direct and proxy record of ancient Antarctic climates and ice sheets. While ACE is not yet an official SCAR (Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research) program, a proposal will be presented to SCAR XXVII in July 2002, with the hope of establishing ACE as a fully sanctioned, international research initiative, operating under the SCAR umbrella. The ANTOSTRAT and newly appointed ACE steering committees have identified the need for members of the international climate and ice sheet modeling community, with interests in Antarctic climate and glacial history, to be identified and united with geologists working on the reconstruction of ancient Antarctic climates and ice sheets. In order to promote interaction between these groups, an ACE Paleoclimate and Ice Sheet Modeling Workshop will be held in Northampton Massachusetts, May 30-June 2, 2002. The emphasis of the workshop will be placed on evaluating the "state of the art" in modeling the climates and ice sheets of the Antarctic paleoenvironment and developing strategies for incorporating geologic data into paleoclimate, ocean, and ice sheet modeling studies. The workshop will consider a wide range of timescales, with an emphasis on Paleogene glacial inception and longer-term (>10 4 year) climate change and ice sheet behavior. The workshop will better define modeler's needs, from a geologic data perspective. In turn, the modeling community will have a better understanding of the types and quality of data available for model boundary conditions, model development, and model validation. Workshop topics cover two general categories: 1) climate and ice sheet models: assessment and applications, and 2) the geologic record: boundary conditions and model validation. Participants will contribute to one of these categories by submitting an extended abstract, giving 15-minute oral presentations, and presenting volunteered posters. The meeting will be limited to 30 participants. The workshop strategy calls a roughly equal number of modelers and geologists. Lively discussion, focused on developing strategies to better incorporate geologic data into numerical modeling exercises and vice versa, is anticipated. Some workshop participants will be charged with chairing sessions, leading breakout groups, and reporting on breakout session activities. All participants are expected to engage in discussion and to contribute to the final workshop summary document. The workshop report will include extended abstracts, meeting proceedings, and a final summary report. The summary will include recommendations for future research strategies aimed at unraveling Antarctic climate and glacial evolution. A draft version of the workshop report will be presented to SCAR XXVII in July 2002. An abbreviated workshop summary will be submitted to the primary literature, while the complete document will be disseminated via hardcopy mailings, through email list servers, and via the world-wide-web. An ACE website has already been established at the University of Massachusetts (http://www.geo.umass.edu/ace). It is intended that the results of this workshop will help guide ACE related research for years to come.