2013-2014 Antarctic

Climate Controls on Aerosol Fluxes to Taylor Dome and Taylor Glacier

This project will collect approximately 60 samples of blue ice between 5-7 meters depth at Taylor Glacier and analyzed for dust concentration, dust size distribution, bulk major elements, bulk trace elements, and radiogenic isotope composition. These measurements will be used to deduce the changing climate of the Taylor Dome area from the Last Glacial Maximum through the Holocene.

  • Point of Contact:

    Sarah Aciego, University of Michigan

  • Schedule: December 1, 2013 - January 31, 2014 (estimated)
  • Equipment: Blue Ice Drill

Using 14C in Ice to Understand the Past Methane Budget and Cosmogenic Production Rates

Using the Blue Ice Drill, this project will collect large-diameter ice cores to (1) investigate carbon-14 of methane in ice during the last deglaciation and the Early Holocene, (2) investigate the carbon-14 of methane, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide produced in ice by cosmic rays, and (3) continue to age-map the outcropping ice stratigraphy of Taylor Glacier.

Roosevelt Island Borehole Logging

The project will measure the internal properties of the ice at Roosevelt Island via borehole logging. Specific logging measurements include ice temperature, sonic velocity in the ice (a proxy for preferred crystal orientation fabric), and optical properties of the ice in the borehole.

Beardmore Glacier Dynamics

The Beardmore Glacier Dynamics project will collect active and passive seismic observations, as well as radar measurements, to characterize the subglacial environment of Beardmore Glacier in order to improve our understanding of fast glacier motion. The science team will use a Small Hot Water Drill provided by IDP to create the shot holes needed for the seismic work.

Optical Fabric and Fiber Logging of Glacial Ice

This project will profile the Siple Dome borehole with optical logging instruments that permit the study of dust, crystal structure, and ice fabric. In addition, the project will develop novel light-weight fiber-optic instrumentation that allows complex optical sources, electronics, and detectors to remain at the surface, while fibers transmit signals to and from the borehole during logging.