BASE (Basal Access and Subglacial Exploration) Drill

Through iterative discussion between IDP and science community members, it has become clear that the drills in IDP inventory for retrieving rock cores from under 100 m and under 700 m of glacial ice are not optimal logistically for retrieving cores from under 200 m of ice, which is an important depth for understanding the first two feet of estimated sea level rise from current melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet. In PY 2022, IDP reviewed potential solutions and discussed with NSF the purchase and modification of a commercially available rock coring rig that is optimized for depths up to 200 m. With community enthusiasm and NSF support from both the Arctic and Antarctic sections, IDP was given approval in February 2022 to pursue the purchase of a 200 m rock coring rig.

Current Status

IDP is working with University of Wisconsin Purchasing Services in summer 2022 to release a Request For Proposal (RFP) solicitation to rock coring drill vendors. IDP hopes to select a vendor to purchase a rig in late 2022 and would make necessary modifications to the system over the next two years to allow for polar drilling applications. The drill is estimated to be ready for deployment by spring of 2024, at the earliest.