Active Ice-Shelf Rift Systems on the Amery Ice Shelf, East Antarctica. Our work will inform the public on how the Antarctic might contribute to global sea level rise, e.g., are current iceberg production rates accelerating and causing inland ice to flow into the sea more rapidly? Furthermore, a greater understanding of the important Earth systems, including the ocean-ice-atmosphere system, is important to a society contemplating the responsibilities of stewardship of the planet as we move into t ....Active Ice-Shelf Rift Systems on the Amery Ice Shelf, East Antarctica. Our work will inform the public on how the Antarctic might contribute to global sea level rise, e.g., are current iceberg production rates accelerating and causing inland ice to flow into the sea more rapidly? Furthermore, a greater understanding of the important Earth systems, including the ocean-ice-atmosphere system, is important to a society contemplating the responsibilities of stewardship of the planet as we move into the era of potentially profound effects from global climate change.Read moreRead less
Looking back to see the future: Change in the Lambert Glacier and the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. To develop a comprehensive understanding of the Lambert Glacier of East Antarctica, from the time of the last maximum glaciation to the present, through an integrated and interdisciplinary study combining new field evidence - ice retreat history, geodetic measurements of crustal rebound, satellite measurements of present ice heights and changes therein - with other geological and glaciological data an ....Looking back to see the future: Change in the Lambert Glacier and the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. To develop a comprehensive understanding of the Lambert Glacier of East Antarctica, from the time of the last maximum glaciation to the present, through an integrated and interdisciplinary study combining new field evidence - ice retreat history, geodetic measurements of crustal rebound, satellite measurements of present ice heights and changes therein - with other geological and glaciological data and numerical geophysical modelling advances. The project contributes to the quantitative characterisation of the complex interactions between ice-sheets, oceans and solid earth within the climate system. Outcomes have implications for geophysics, glaciology, geomorphology, climate, and past and future sea-level change.Read moreRead less
Cosmogenic isotopes in glacial landscapes: climate change and production rates. By dating glacial deposits near Australia, we will provide new insights into climate change in our region. A better understanding of the factors that control climate change in our region will be of benefit to all Australians. We will use a tool called exposure dating that has become very important in understanding a variety of processes at the Earth's surface, many of which are poorly understood in the Australian reg ....Cosmogenic isotopes in glacial landscapes: climate change and production rates. By dating glacial deposits near Australia, we will provide new insights into climate change in our region. A better understanding of the factors that control climate change in our region will be of benefit to all Australians. We will use a tool called exposure dating that has become very important in understanding a variety of processes at the Earth's surface, many of which are poorly understood in the Australian region. Our research will ensure that Australia remains at the leading edge of the application of this technique and is included in future international research programs. Read moreRead less
The Impact of Changing Climatic Conditions inferred from the Isotope Abundances of Trace Metals in Global Ice Sheets and Glaciers. In this project Greenland and Antarctic ice-cores more than 3 km long will be used to investigate climatic variation extending back more that 4 complete glacial cycles. Some of these ice-cores include sections of refrozen water formed from sub-glacial Antarctic lake water. This project will use naturally occurring lead and strontium isotopic tracers to fingerprint ....The Impact of Changing Climatic Conditions inferred from the Isotope Abundances of Trace Metals in Global Ice Sheets and Glaciers. In this project Greenland and Antarctic ice-cores more than 3 km long will be used to investigate climatic variation extending back more that 4 complete glacial cycles. Some of these ice-cores include sections of refrozen water formed from sub-glacial Antarctic lake water. This project will use naturally occurring lead and strontium isotopic tracers to fingerprint impurities in the ice, because they have the potential to simultaneously signal the timing and location of past episodes of climate change. This will lead to an improvement in our understanding of the processes that cause these changes.Read moreRead less
Iron in the Antarctic sea ice zone and its role in the past and future climate. The Antarctic sea ice environment has remained poorly investigated for decades as it is difficult to access. Recent scientific advances have revealed that melting sea ice may provide a significant amount of the plant micro-nutrient iron to the Southern Ocean. Given that polar waters are iron-deficient and seasonal sea ice affects ~14 million square kilometres of ocean, the importance of iron fertilisation from deca ....Iron in the Antarctic sea ice zone and its role in the past and future climate. The Antarctic sea ice environment has remained poorly investigated for decades as it is difficult to access. Recent scientific advances have revealed that melting sea ice may provide a significant amount of the plant micro-nutrient iron to the Southern Ocean. Given that polar waters are iron-deficient and seasonal sea ice affects ~14 million square kilometres of ocean, the importance of iron fertilisation from decaying sea ice and its effect on global climate urgently need to be evaluated. This proposal aims at improving our understanding of Earth's complex system, and will inform future climate change policy in Australia.
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Growth and Decay of ice sheets during glacial cycles:the example of Europe. The proposal is to develop a comprehensive model for the growth and decay of the ice sheets of Europe during the last glacial cycle, using a combination of diverse field evidence with geophysical modelling. The outcomes provide boundary conditions for climate models (times of inception and decay, ice limits, ice thickness) including processes driving climate as well as constraints on the Earth's mantle viscosity. Thu ....Growth and Decay of ice sheets during glacial cycles:the example of Europe. The proposal is to develop a comprehensive model for the growth and decay of the ice sheets of Europe during the last glacial cycle, using a combination of diverse field evidence with geophysical modelling. The outcomes provide boundary conditions for climate models (times of inception and decay, ice limits, ice thickness) including processes driving climate as well as constraints on the Earth's mantle viscosity. Thus the project contributes to the quantitative characterisation of both climate change and planetary structure. In an Australian context, these outcomes form important elements in the development of predictive models for sea-level change.Read moreRead less
Acoustic observation of Antarctic ice rifting and calving events using remote hydroacoustic listening stations. The calving activity of the Antarctic ice shelves is one of the major indicators of global climate change. Global warming induced by an increase in atmospheric CO2 will affect the Antarctic Ice Sheet, primarily in form of disintegration of the Antarctic ice shelves surrounding the continent. The processes of calving on the ice shelves may lead to a substantial increase of sea level aro ....Acoustic observation of Antarctic ice rifting and calving events using remote hydroacoustic listening stations. The calving activity of the Antarctic ice shelves is one of the major indicators of global climate change. Global warming induced by an increase in atmospheric CO2 will affect the Antarctic Ice Sheet, primarily in form of disintegration of the Antarctic ice shelves surrounding the continent. The processes of calving on the ice shelves may lead to a substantial increase of sea level around the world, with devastating effects on the continental coasts and low-lying islands. The method of remote acoustic observations investigated in this project is a new approach to the problem of creating an efficient and cost effective system to monitor rifting and calving of the Antarctic ice shelves. Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0232306
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$190,000.00
Summary
GPS receivers and support equipment for geophysical observatories in Antarctica. Global Positioning System (GPS) equipment and supporting electronics systems are required for monitoring of the uplift of the Earth's crust near the Lambert Glacier. This will lead to fundamental insights into the past and present-day mass-balance changes of the Antarctic
ice sheet. This research will provide critical data on the changes in the Antarctic ice sheet, a region where scientific information is currently ....GPS receivers and support equipment for geophysical observatories in Antarctica. Global Positioning System (GPS) equipment and supporting electronics systems are required for monitoring of the uplift of the Earth's crust near the Lambert Glacier. This will lead to fundamental insights into the past and present-day mass-balance changes of the Antarctic
ice sheet. This research will provide critical data on the changes in the Antarctic ice sheet, a region where scientific information is currently poorly defined or lacking altogther. Combined with other geophysical data, the results of this project will produce, for the first time, constraints on the contribution of Antarctica to global ice and sea-level models.
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