Science Requirements: Clean Deep Hot Water Access Drill

Rapid changes in speed of fast-flowing tide-water glaciers, outlet glaciers and ice streams observed over the past decade create urgency to understand their dynamics. Properties of the ice-bed interface exert strong control on the flow of glaciers and ice sheets. Modular hot water access drills that are mobile and capable of drilling to the bed of glaciers and ice sheets in much less than one season and for drilling multiple holes per season are needed for measurements of temperature, heat flux, pressure, and microbiology sampling. The drill design should be similar to the deep clean hot water drill developed by the British Antarctic Society (BAS). The scientific requirements for a U.S. deep hot water clean access drill are outlined in this document.