U.S. scientists travel to Antarctica, Greenland, Alaska, and other glaciated regions around the world to conduct fieldwork in some of the harshest conditions on Earth. Below you can find information about current and upcoming IDP-supported fieldwork. You can also view information about IDP-supported completed fieldwork.
Fieldwork
You can use the drop-down menus below to filter the projects by Field Season or Equipment. If you use the drop-down menus to filter the projects, click the blue "Apply" button to run the filter. To reset the filter to show all projects, click the red "Reset" button.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19
| Project | Equipment | Point of Contact | Description | Schedule (Estimated) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Center for OLDest Ice Exploration (COLDEX) - Shallow Coring | Blue Ice Drill, Sidewinder, IDDO Hand Auger | Ed Brook, Oregon State University. |
Cores drilled through the Antarctic ice sheet provide a remarkable window on the evolution of Earth’s climate and unique samples of the ancient atmosphere. The clear link between greenhouse gases and climate revealed by ice cores underpins much of the scientific understanding of global environmental change. Unfortunately, the existing data do not extend far enough back in time to reveal key features of climates warmer than today. The US National Science Foundation Center for Oldest Ice Exploration (NSF COLDEX) is a Science and Technology Center formed in 2021 to explore Antarctica for the oldest possible ice core records of our planet’s climate and environmental history. This component of COLDEX will recover a suite of shallow (16 x < 200 m) ice cores from the Allan Hills and other Antarctic Blue Ice Areas (BIAs) that contribute towards our understanding of how Earth's climate system operated during warmer periods in the past and why the periodicity of glacial cycles lengthened from 40,000 to 100,000 years approximately 1 million years ago. |
- |
| Collaborative Research: A New Approach to Firn Evolution using the Taylor Dome Natural Laboratory | Eclipse Drill, IDDO Hand Auger, Sidewinder | Kaitlin Keegan, University of Nevada, Reno. |
The transformation of snow into firn and then glacial ice is a fundamental process in glaciology. This project will introduce a new combination of firn datasets designed to lead to the development of next-generation, physics-based firn models. Advances in ice-core science and satellite altimetry demand firn models that can reliably simulate firn evolution in a range of climatic conditions, in a changing climate, and on long- and short-time scales. Current firn-compaction models are largely based on a steady-state assumption and tuned to particular geographical locations. Advancing beyond these models requires (1) measuring current firn-compaction rates (2) measuring grain-scale microstructures that play a crucial role in firn compaction, and (3) quantifying processes driving evolution of those microstructures. To decouple firn’s sensitivities to accumulation and temperature, the team will measure in situ strain rates by two independent methods and observe trends in microstructure in cores from sites spanning the accumulation gradient at Taylor Dome, while maintaining the same average temperature. The team will assess the ability of phase-sensitive radar to remotely measure firn-compaction rates, potentially simplifying future in situ measurements. This work will create a roadmap for collecting future microstructural data spanning key areas of temperature-accumulation space and simplify future collaborations through the availability of an open-source Community Firn Model. |
- |
| Collaborative Research: Coring Seymour Island (CSI) Antarctica: Evaluating Causes and Effects of the End Cretaceous Mass Extinction | SIPRE Hand Auger | Thomas Tobin, University of Alabama Tuscaloosa. |
This project is evaluating evidence of extinction patterns and depositional conditions from a high southern latitude Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) outcrop section found on Seymore Island, in the Western Antarctic Peninsula. Using the Winkie Drill, the team is using sediment samples collected below the weathering horizon to evaluate detailed sedimentary structures, geochemistry, and microfossils in targeted stratigraphic intervals. The study will help determine if the K-Pg mass extinction was a single or double phased event and whether Seymour Island region in the geological past was a restricted, suboxic marine environment or an open well-mixed shelf. |
- |
| IceCube Upgrade: An IceCube Extension for Precision Neutrino Physics and Astrophysics | Deep Logging Winch | Albrecht Karle, University of Wisconsin-Madison. |
The IceCube Neutrino Observatory (ICNO) at the geographic South Pole is a national facility that enables a wide array of internationally collaborative scientific research in ground based neutrino astrophysics. ICNO has reached a number of milestones in the field of neutrino astrophysics. The IceCube Upgrade is the next stage of the IceCube project. The IceCube Upgrade consists of seven new columns of photosensors, densely embedded near the bottom center of the existing cubic-kilometer-scale ICNO. The IceCube Upgrade project will use the Deep Logging Winch to log one of the newly drilled deep holes (2600 meter depth) with an oriented dust logger (provided by a scientist). No dust log exists below 2450 meters so far. Therefore, accessing depths up to 2600 meters will help mapping and understanding ice properties (dust profile and anisotropy as a function of depth and azimuth), at the depths instrumented by the IceCube Upgrade. |
- |
| NSFGEO-NERC: Investigating the Direct Influence of Meltwater on Antarctic Ice Sheet Dynamics | IDDO Hand Auger | Jonathan Kingslake, Columbia University. |
This project aims to examine the response of the flow of an Antarctic Peninsula outlet glacier (Flask Glacier) to surface meltwater. Satellite observations suggest that Antarctic Peninsula outlet glaciers speed up during surface melt events. The researchers will make field observations of surface melting, ice dynamics, and surface conditions on Flask Glacier to investigate if Antarctic Peninsula outlet glaciers speed up during surface melt events. The researchers will use an IDDO Hand Auger to drill several shallow firn cores. The firn cores will be used to constrain firn stratigraphy to help determine how temporal changes in near-surface water content affect satellite-based velocity measurements. |
- |
| Project | Equipment | Point of Contact | Description | Schedule (Estimated) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAREER: Characterizing Feedbacks in Arctic Ponds while Incorporating Next-Generation Technologies and Arctic Field Experiences in Education | SIPRE Hand Auger | Christian Andresen, University of Wisconsin-Madison. |
Wetlands represent a significant portion of the Arctic landscape and are characterized by their numerous polygonal thaw ponds. These Arctic pond habitats are hotspots for biodiversity and carbon cycling. Particularly, ponds are key emitters of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. This project will characterize the role of Arctic wetland ponds in regional land-atmosphere carbon exchange, estimate their contributions of methane to the atmosphere, and assess how they have changed over the past 50 years to better anticipate their future role in Arctic carbon cycling and feedbacks to climate. The researchers will use a SIPRE hand auger to assist in the setup of eddy-covariance flux towers that measure methane and carbon dioxide fluxes from tundra ponds, and meteorological information. |
- |
| Collaborative Research: AON Network for Observing Transformation of the Greenland Ice Sheet Firn Layer | IDDO Hand Auger, Sidewinder | Joel Harper, University of Montana. Toby Meierbachtol, University of Wyoming. |
This project will establish a network of instrumented sites to observe transformation of the Greenland Ice sheet’s percolation zone firn layer. Using the IDDO Hand Auger and Sidewinder, repeat cores will be collected over five years to track density and ice content changes, and instrumentation installed in core holes will monitor firn temperature evolution and compaction of the firn layer. The data from these efforts will be of high value to scientists focused on changes in storage capacity of the firn layer, process details of meltwater infiltration in cold firn, and the influence of firn compaction and melt on satellite-observed ice sheet elevation. |
- |
| Collaborative Research: North American ice patches: Assessing formation, morphology, and persistence through the Holocene and links to climate, humans, and the environment | Chipmunk Drill, Prairie Dog Drill, Sidewinder | Nathan Chellman, Desert Research Institute. |
Ice is a crucial component of the Earth system and exists in a variety of landforms, including polar ice caps, glaciers, and permafrost. Long-lived, shallow ice patches are relatively obscure ice features that have persisted for thousands of years in certain alpine landscapes and serve as ecologically and culturally significant archives of past climate and environmental conditions, vegetation changes, and human and animal activities. Because these ice patches can be up to 10,000 years old, they preserve some of the oldest ice on Earth outside the polar regions. This project will study North American ice patches located in the northern Rocky Mountains and Alaska to develop detailed, multifaceted records of environmental and ecological change in high-elevation regions across a range of geographic regions where few high-resolution, long-term historical records exist. Fieldwork is (tentatively) scheduled across several field sites and seasons as follows:
|
- |
| Collaborative Research: North American ice patches: Assessing formation, morphology, and persistence through the Holocene and links to climate, humans, and the environment | Chipmunk Drill | Nathan Chellman, Desert Research Institute. |
Ice is a crucial component of the Earth system and exists in a variety of landforms, including polar ice caps, glaciers, and permafrost. Long-lived, shallow ice patches are relatively obscure ice features that have persisted for thousands of years in certain alpine landscapes and serve as ecologically and culturally significant archives of past climate and environmental conditions, vegetation changes, and human and animal activities. Because these ice patches can be up to 10,000 years old, they preserve some of the oldest ice on Earth outside the polar regions. This project will study North American ice patches located in the northern Rocky Mountains and Alaska to develop detailed, multifaceted records of environmental and ecological change in high-elevation regions across a range of geographic regions where few high-resolution, long-term historical records exist. Fieldwork is (tentatively) scheduled across several field sites and seasons as follows:
|
- |
| Collaborative Research: North American ice patches: Assessing formation, morphology, and persistence through the Holocene and links to climate, humans, and the environment | Prairie Dog Drill, Chipmunk Drill, Sidewinder | Nathan Chellman, Desert Research Institute. |
Ice is a crucial component of the Earth system and exists in a variety of landforms, including polar ice caps, glaciers, and permafrost. Long-lived, shallow ice patches are relatively obscure ice features that have persisted for thousands of years in certain alpine landscapes and serve as ecologically and culturally significant archives of past climate and environmental conditions, vegetation changes, and human and animal activities. Because these ice patches can be up to 10,000 years old, they preserve some of the oldest ice on Earth outside the polar regions. This project will study North American ice patches located in the northern Rocky Mountains and Alaska to develop detailed, multifaceted records of environmental and ecological change in high-elevation regions across a range of geographic regions where few high-resolution, long-term historical records exist. Fieldwork is (tentatively) scheduled across several field sites and seasons as follows:
|
- |
| WoU-MMA: Ice Characterization and Calibration to Enable Ultra-High Energy Neutrino Astronomy | Sidewinder, IDDO Hand Auger | Dave Besson, The University of Kansas. |
The objective of this research is to extract ice cores to make fine-grained permittivity measurements, which will provide detailed information on radio-frequency propagation through polar ice. The investigators' goal is to resolve current discrepancies between data and calculation and fill in gaps in understanding, necessary for measurements of ultra-high energy neutrino-induced radio signals. The investigators' also propose to make measurements, or place limits on borehole closure, which is essential to the long-term operation of radio receiver detectors in Antarctica or Greenland. The science team plans to drill shallow holes to 30 m maximum depth with an IDDO 3-Inch Hand Auger and Sidewinder. One hole would be drilled approximately 2 km from Summit Station, Greenland, and the other hole approximately 4 km from Summit Station. The science team plans to conduct measurements of complex permittivity on the cores collected. |
- |
| Project | Equipment | Point of Contact | Description | Schedule (Estimated) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAREER: Characterizing Feedbacks in Arctic Ponds while Incorporating Next-Generation Technologies and Arctic Field Experiences in Education | SIPRE Hand Auger | Christian Andresen, University of Wisconsin-Madison. |
Wetlands represent a significant portion of the Arctic landscape and are characterized by their numerous polygonal thaw ponds. These Arctic pond habitats are hotspots for biodiversity and carbon cycling. Particularly, ponds are key emitters of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. This project will characterize the role of Arctic wetland ponds in regional land-atmosphere carbon exchange, estimate their contributions of methane to the atmosphere, and assess how they have changed over the past 50 years to better anticipate their future role in Arctic carbon cycling and feedbacks to climate. The researchers will use a SIPRE hand auger to assist in the setup of eddy-covariance flux towers that measure methane and carbon dioxide fluxes from tundra ponds, and meteorological information. |
- |
| Collaborative Research: North American ice patches: Assessing formation, morphology, and persistence through the Holocene and links to climate, humans, and the environment | Prairie Dog Drill, Chipmunk Drill, Sidewinder | Nathan Chellman, Desert Research Institute. |
Ice is a crucial component of the Earth system and exists in a variety of landforms, including polar ice caps, glaciers, and permafrost. Long-lived, shallow ice patches are relatively obscure ice features that have persisted for thousands of years in certain alpine landscapes and serve as ecologically and culturally significant archives of past climate and environmental conditions, vegetation changes, and human and animal activities. Because these ice patches can be up to 10,000 years old, they preserve some of the oldest ice on Earth outside the polar regions. This project will study North American ice patches located in the northern Rocky Mountains and Alaska to develop detailed, multifaceted records of environmental and ecological change in high-elevation regions across a range of geographic regions where few high-resolution, long-term historical records exist. Fieldwork is (tentatively) scheduled across several field sites and seasons as follows:
|
- |
| Collaborative Research: North American ice patches: Assessing formation, morphology, and persistence through the Holocene and links to climate, humans, and the environment | Chipmunk Drill | Nathan Chellman, Desert Research Institute. |
Ice is a crucial component of the Earth system and exists in a variety of landforms, including polar ice caps, glaciers, and permafrost. Long-lived, shallow ice patches are relatively obscure ice features that have persisted for thousands of years in certain alpine landscapes and serve as ecologically and culturally significant archives of past climate and environmental conditions, vegetation changes, and human and animal activities. Because these ice patches can be up to 10,000 years old, they preserve some of the oldest ice on Earth outside the polar regions. This project will study North American ice patches located in the northern Rocky Mountains and Alaska to develop detailed, multifaceted records of environmental and ecological change in high-elevation regions across a range of geographic regions where few high-resolution, long-term historical records exist. Fieldwork is (tentatively) scheduled across several field sites and seasons as follows:
|
- |
| Project | Equipment | Point of Contact | Description | Schedule (Estimated) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collaborative Research: An Ice Core from Hercules Dome, East Antarctica | Foro 3000 Drill | Eric Steig, University of Washington. Murat Aydin, University of California Irvine. TJ Fudge, University of Washington. Joe Souney, University of New Hampshire. |
The goal of this project is to drill and recover an ice core from Hercules Dome, Antarctica. The geographic setting of Hercules Dome makes it well-situated to investigate changes in the size of the West Antarctic ice sheet over long time periods. The base of the West Antarctic ice sheet lies below sea level, which makes this part of Antarctica vulnerable to melting from the relatively warm deep water of the Southern Ocean. An important research question is whether the West Antarctic Ice Sheet collapsed during Earth's last prolonged warm period, about 125,000 years ago, when the ocean was warmer and sea level was several meters higher than today. Evidence for or against such a collapse will be recorded in the chemistry and physical properties of the ice. Glaciological conditions at Hercules Dome are simple, with well-defined layering to the bed, optimal for the recovery of a deep ice core reaching to the last interglacial period. An ice core from Hercules Dome will provide a research opportunity for ice-core analysts and others to make progress on a number of science priorities, including the environmental conditions of the last interglacial period, the history of gases and aerosols, and the magnitude and timing of changes in temperature and snow accumulation over the last 150,000 years. For more information, visit the Hercules Dome website. |
- |
| Project | Equipment | Point of Contact | Description | Schedule (Estimated) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collaborative Research: An Ice Core from Hercules Dome, East Antarctica | Foro 3000 Drill | Eric Steig, University of Washington. Murat Aydin, University of California Irvine. TJ Fudge, University of Washington. Joe Souney, University of New Hampshire. |
The goal of this project is to drill and recover an ice core from Hercules Dome, Antarctica. The geographic setting of Hercules Dome makes it well-situated to investigate changes in the size of the West Antarctic ice sheet over long time periods. The base of the West Antarctic ice sheet lies below sea level, which makes this part of Antarctica vulnerable to melting from the relatively warm deep water of the Southern Ocean. An important research question is whether the West Antarctic Ice Sheet collapsed during Earth's last prolonged warm period, about 125,000 years ago, when the ocean was warmer and sea level was several meters higher than today. Evidence for or against such a collapse will be recorded in the chemistry and physical properties of the ice. Glaciological conditions at Hercules Dome are simple, with well-defined layering to the bed, optimal for the recovery of a deep ice core reaching to the last interglacial period. An ice core from Hercules Dome will provide a research opportunity for ice-core analysts and others to make progress on a number of science priorities, including the environmental conditions of the last interglacial period, the history of gases and aerosols, and the magnitude and timing of changes in temperature and snow accumulation over the last 150,000 years. For more information, visit the Hercules Dome website. |
- |
| Project | Equipment | Point of Contact | Description | Schedule (Estimated) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collaborative Research: North American ice patches: Assessing formation, morphology, and persistence through the Holocene and links to climate, humans, and the environment | Chipmunk Drill | Nathan Chellman, Desert Research Institute. |
Ice is a crucial component of the Earth system and exists in a variety of landforms, including polar ice caps, glaciers, and permafrost. Long-lived, shallow ice patches are relatively obscure ice features that have persisted for thousands of years in certain alpine landscapes and serve as ecologically and culturally significant archives of past climate and environmental conditions, vegetation changes, and human and animal activities. Because these ice patches can be up to 10,000 years old, they preserve some of the oldest ice on Earth outside the polar regions. This project will study North American ice patches located in the northern Rocky Mountains and Alaska to develop detailed, multifaceted records of environmental and ecological change in high-elevation regions across a range of geographic regions where few high-resolution, long-term historical records exist. Fieldwork is (tentatively) scheduled across several field sites and seasons as follows:
|
- |
| Project | Equipment | Point of Contact | Description | Schedule (Estimated) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collaborative Research: An Ice Core from Hercules Dome, East Antarctica | Foro 3000 Drill | Eric Steig, University of Washington. Murat Aydin, University of California Irvine. TJ Fudge, University of Washington. Joe Souney, University of New Hampshire. |
The goal of this project is to drill and recover an ice core from Hercules Dome, Antarctica. The geographic setting of Hercules Dome makes it well-situated to investigate changes in the size of the West Antarctic ice sheet over long time periods. The base of the West Antarctic ice sheet lies below sea level, which makes this part of Antarctica vulnerable to melting from the relatively warm deep water of the Southern Ocean. An important research question is whether the West Antarctic Ice Sheet collapsed during Earth's last prolonged warm period, about 125,000 years ago, when the ocean was warmer and sea level was several meters higher than today. Evidence for or against such a collapse will be recorded in the chemistry and physical properties of the ice. Glaciological conditions at Hercules Dome are simple, with well-defined layering to the bed, optimal for the recovery of a deep ice core reaching to the last interglacial period. An ice core from Hercules Dome will provide a research opportunity for ice-core analysts and others to make progress on a number of science priorities, including the environmental conditions of the last interglacial period, the history of gases and aerosols, and the magnitude and timing of changes in temperature and snow accumulation over the last 150,000 years. For more information, visit the Hercules Dome website. |
- |
| Project | Equipment | Point of Contact | Description | Schedule (Estimated) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collaborative Research: An Ice Core from Hercules Dome, East Antarctica | Foro 3000 Drill | Eric Steig, University of Washington. Murat Aydin, University of California Irvine. TJ Fudge, University of Washington. Joe Souney, University of New Hampshire. |
The goal of this project is to drill and recover an ice core from Hercules Dome, Antarctica. The geographic setting of Hercules Dome makes it well-situated to investigate changes in the size of the West Antarctic ice sheet over long time periods. The base of the West Antarctic ice sheet lies below sea level, which makes this part of Antarctica vulnerable to melting from the relatively warm deep water of the Southern Ocean. An important research question is whether the West Antarctic Ice Sheet collapsed during Earth's last prolonged warm period, about 125,000 years ago, when the ocean was warmer and sea level was several meters higher than today. Evidence for or against such a collapse will be recorded in the chemistry and physical properties of the ice. Glaciological conditions at Hercules Dome are simple, with well-defined layering to the bed, optimal for the recovery of a deep ice core reaching to the last interglacial period. An ice core from Hercules Dome will provide a research opportunity for ice-core analysts and others to make progress on a number of science priorities, including the environmental conditions of the last interglacial period, the history of gases and aerosols, and the magnitude and timing of changes in temperature and snow accumulation over the last 150,000 years. For more information, visit the Hercules Dome website. |
- |