Organization and Operation of a Workshop for Establishing the US Science Plan for the ANDRILL Project

University Of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln NE

Investigators

Abstract

This award, provided by the Office of Polar Programs of the National Science Foundation, provides support for a US research-planning workshop for Antarctic geological drilling. Geological drilling to recover core for scientific investigations was successfully conducted in the McMurdo Sound Region during 10 austral summers over a 28-year period since 1973. The sea-ice has been used successfully as a drilling platform for seven drill-holes in this area. Experience gained during these projects forms the basis for developing new drilling technology to advance this approach. The ANDRILL (ANtarctic DRILLing) Project considers future drilling from sea-ice, ice shelf and land platforms within its "McMurdo Sound Portfolio". This award provides funds for organizing and operating a workshop to develop the US science plan for the McMurdo Sound Portfolio of the ANDRILL Initiative. It has been advertised widely across the US Antarctic science community as well as beyond, to the general US geoscience community, and it will be open to all interested individuals. The aim of the workshop is to bring together scientists to: (1) discuss and refine the scientific goals and objectives of the McMurdo Sound Portfolio; (2) to inform the US science community of past and planned ANDRILL activities; (3) provide a vehicle for the distribution of information to scientists new to Cenozoic geoscience in Antarctica; (4) devise a plan agreeable to the US community for the structure of the US ANDRILL program, its style of funding and mode of operation; and (5) prepare a report that will summarize the interest and potential contributions of US scientists to this program, and provide guidelines as to how scientists can participate in the program. ANDRILL is an international consortium with objectives to recover stratigraphic core records for use in interpreting Antarctica's past climatic, glacial, and geological history over the past 50 million years and at varying scales of age resolution (0.1 to 100 k.y.). Understanding the past history of ice volume variation in Antarctica and associated physical changes in this region is critical to proper assessment of the global climate system and interaction of ice sheets with the ocean, atmosphere and biosphere. ANDRILL will proceed in three phases: geophysical and site surveys (2001-2004), drilling and core recovery (2003-2007), and climate and glacial modeling and integration of recovered data into global records of climate change (2005-2009). For the past 40 million years the Antarctic Ice Sheet has played a critical role in regulating global climate and sea level. Climatic warming is expected to be most pronounced in polar regions; Antarctic temperatures may rise by the end of the century to levels that have not been achieved for several million years. It is therefore vital that we understand the past response of the Antarctic ice sheet to climatic change in order to provide constraints on models that predict the future. ANDRILL currently plans 4 seasons of drilling under the "McMurdo Sound Portfolio", in the regions of New Harbor, Windless Bight, Mackay Sea Valley, and on the Southern McMurdo Ice Shelf. This Portfolio proposes more than ten individual drilling targets that will require varied drilling equipment and strategies. Most of these targets have several common requirements, including drilling through hundreds of meters of water (up to 1000 m), and recovering continuous core starting from the sea-floor to depths of as much as 1000 m. Through subsequent Portfolios, the life of ANDRILL and this new drilling system will likely continue towards the year 2020. Support for programs of this scale must come from contributions of several nations. To date, the ANDRILL International Consortium includes as member nations the USA, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Italy and Germany, and it invites membership from any interested nation. Similar to the Cape Roberts Project (CRP), close interaction of a diverse team of research scientists, postdoctoral scientists, graduate and undergraduate students will provide excellent opportunities for education and on-site training. REU appointments will target underrepresented groups in the geosciences. ANDRILL plans to expand the educational and outreach component beyond that of CRP by direct on-site and remote learning opportunities through member-nation initiatives and ANDRILL sponsored outreach and education. An "on-ice" team of scientists would prepare the core and provide initial description and characterization. Samples would be shipped to "off-ice" scientists to study and present results at the first of two science workshops to be hosted at member-nations home academic institutions on a rotating basis. Publication of initial results would be followed by presentation of results in major scientific journals and at professional meetings.