Project Summary Project
Title: Collaborative Research: Dynamics and Climatic Response of the Taylor
Glacier System, OPP-0126202 08/15/02
- 08/14/05 |
Abstract
|
| Taylor
Glacier drains the Taylor Dome region of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet and
terminates in Taylor Valley, one of the Dry Valleys of Victoria Land. It
provides a crucial and unique link between two intensively studied Antarctic
environments: the Taylor Dome, from which a 130 kyr ice core paleoclimate
record has recently been extracted, and the Dry Valleys, a pivotal Long-Term
Ecological Research site and a focus of research on geomorphology and glacial
geology. The goal of the proposed research is to significantly improve our
understanding of how Taylor Glacier flows and responds to climate changes.
Such information is central to understanding the changing physical environment
of the Taylor Valley ecosystem, and is a necessity for linking interpretations
of the Taylor Dome paleoclimate record to interpretations of Dry Valley's
geomorphology and glacial geology, as has been widely recognized. The proposed
work will thus make an important contribution to ongoing efforts to exploit
the Taylor Dome - Dry Valleys system to build a uniquely comprehensive view
of regional long-term environmental changes.
The proposed work has two complementary components: field research and numerical modelling. Two field seasons will be used to measure velocity, surface strain rate, mass balance, ice thickness, glacier bed reflectance, and subglacial topography, along a nearly complete longitudinal transect of the Taylor Glacier, and along select cross-valley transects. This information will be used to constrain numerical models of ice and heat flow for the Taylor Dome - Taylor Glacier system. These calibrated models will be used to analyze the time-dependent response of the Taylor Glacier to climate changes. The synthesis of results will be aimed to improve understanding of the glacial geomorphology of Taylor Valley, and to illuminate impacts on the Taylor Valley lakes ecosystem. The collaborative nature of the proposed work is designed to maximize the project's scientific achievement given the diversity of expertise at the two institutions, and constraints on time. UC will primarily be responsible for oversight of the field program, for flow, deformation and ablation measurements, and for numerical modelling. UT will have primary responsibility for analyses yielding ice thickness, subglacial topography, and reflectance, and for integration with results of past geophysical surveys on Taylor Dome. Both institutions will collaborate on synthesis, and will welcome involvement from parties with expertise on geomorphology, ecology, and Dry Valleys glaciology. The project will have a major role in furthering the careers of a doctoral-level graduate student and a post-doctoral researcher. The proposal requests three years of funding, primarily for personnel support and for enhancement of computational facilities. The proposed work requires use of a radio-echo sounding system, and this will be made possible by collaboration with Dr. Howard Conway through a subcontract agreement to the University of Washington. The
prospective PI has not previously been funded by the Antarctic Program
as a PI or co- PI. |