Project Title

NSFGEO-NERC: Investigating the direct influence of meltwater on Antarctic Ice Sheet dynamics

Summary

Event Number:
I-347-E
NSF / OPP Award 2053169

Program Director:
Dr. Kelly Brunt

ASC POC/Implementer:
Lesley Anderson / Diane Hutt

Principal Investigator(s)

Dr. Jonathan Kingslake
jonnyk@ldeo.columbia.edu
Columbia University
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory

Location

Supporting Stations: Special Project
Research Locations: Flask Glacier (via Rothera)

Description

Surface melting is widespread in Antarctica and predicted to increase significantly as Antarctica warms. This US-UK project will take steps toward understanding and predicting these changes. The team will test three hypotheses: (1) short-term changes in ice velocity indicated by satellite data result from surface meltwater reaching the bed of outlet glaciers in the Antarctic Peninsula; (2) this is widespread in Antarctica today; and (3) this results in a measurable increase in mean annual ice discharge. In addition to the fieldwork described below, the team will conduct a continent-wide remote sensing survey using synthetic aperture radar and multi-spectral imagery to comprehensively map meltwater on grounded ice and short-term velocity variations.

Field Season Overview

This project is in conjunction with the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) with two seasons of field work scheduled in 2024-25 and 2025-26, for installation and removal of survey equipment respectively. In 2023-24, science cargo will be shipped to Punta Arenas via the USAP cargo system and transferred onboard the BAS ship, RRS Sir David Attenborough for transport to Rothera Research Station, in preparation for the field seasons.