scholarly journals DISC drill and replicate coring system: a new era in deep ice drilling engineering

2014 ◽  
Vol 55 (68) ◽  
pp. 189-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander J. Shturmakov ◽  
Donald A. Lebar ◽  
Charles R. Bentley
Keyword(s):  
Ice Core ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Ice Cores ◽  
West Antarctic Ice Sheet ◽  
New Era ◽  
West Antarctic ◽  
University Of Wisconsin ◽  
Field Season ◽  
Science Community ◽  
The University

AbstractThe deep ice sheet coring (DISC) drill and replicate coring system (RCS) were designed and manufactured by Ice Coring and Drilling Services/Ice Drilling Design and Operations group of the University of Wisconsin–Madison. The DISC/RCS is an electromechanical system designed to take 122 mm diameter ice cores from the main borehole and 108 mm diameter replicate ice cores to depths of 4000 m. Detailed design of the DISC drill began in 2003, and the completed drill was tested in Greenland in 2006. During five consecutive field seasons at West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) Divide, 3405 m of ice core were drilled, setting the US deep ice drilling record. The RCS, based on the DISC drill, was developed and built in 2010/11, tested in Antarctica during the 2011/12 WAIS Divide field season and tested further in Madison, WI, during summer–fall 2012. During the 2012/13 Antarctic field season, the system produced five azimuth and depth-controlled deviations at four target depth levels. A total of 285 m of replicate ice core was recovered in the first coring of its kind. The entire main/replicate ice core, including ductile, brittle and warm ice, had excellent quality and satisfied the needs of the ice science community.

scholarly journals A new 122 mm electromechanical drill for deep ice-sheet coring (DISC): 1. Design concepts

2007 ◽  
Vol 47 ◽  
pp. 28-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander J. Shturmakov ◽  
Donald A. Lebar ◽  
William P. Mason ◽  
Charles R. Bentley
Keyword(s):  
Ice Core ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Ice Cores ◽  
The United States ◽  
West Antarctic Ice Sheet ◽  
Design Concepts ◽  
West Antarctic ◽  
Support Organizations ◽  
Building Safety ◽  
Core Project

AbstractThe Deep Ice Sheet Coring (DISC) drill, developed by Ice Coring and Drilling Services (ICDS) under contract with the US National Science Foundation, is an electromechanical drill designed to take 122 mm diameter ice cores to depths of 4000 m. The conceptual design of the DISC drill was developed in 2002/03 based on science requirements written by K. Taylor and the United States ice-coring community and on engineering performance objectives. Detailed design of the drill began in June 2003. Special attention was paid to building safety into the design and operation of the drill system. The drill was designed and manufactured by a team of engineers and technicians from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and various subcontractors with assistance from the science community, the European ice-drilling community and polar logistical support organizations. ICDS successfully tested the drill in Greenland in 2006 and will continue its development to meet the science objectives of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet Divide Ice Core Project.

scholarly journals A flow cytometric method to measure prokaryotic records in ice cores: an example from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet Divide drilling site

2016 ◽  
Vol 62 (234) ◽  
pp. 655-673 ◽  
Author(s):  
PAMELA A. SANTIBÁÑEZ ◽  
JOSEPH R. McCONNELL ◽  
JOHN C. PRISCU
Keyword(s):  
Ice Core ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Ice Cores ◽  
High Temporal Resolution ◽  
The West ◽  
Antarctic Ice Sheet ◽  
West Antarctic Ice Sheet ◽  
West Antarctic ◽  
Flow Cytometric Method ◽  
Microbial Responses

ABSTRACTMicroorganisms were the earliest inhabitants on our planet that occupy nearly every environment, and play a major role in biogeochemical cycles. Despite their global importance, there remains a paucity of data on microbial responses to long-term environmental and climatic changes. Microorganisms are known to be immured in glacial ice, but no high-resolution temporal records of their density exist, owing in large part to the lack of appropriate clean methodology that allows for rapid analysis of samples over depth. We describe a clean and time efficient method that can produce a high-temporal resolution record of prokaryotic density archived in ice cores. The method combines acquisition of discrete samples using a continuous ice-core melting system coupled with flow cytometry (FCM) of DNA-stained samples. Specifically, we evaluate the performance of the FCM measurement technique in terms of specificity, precision, accuracy and minimum detection limits. Examples from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet Divide ice core are included to show the efficacy of the method.

scholarly journals Modelling the Antarctic Ice Sheet across the mid-Pleistocene transition – implications for Oldest Ice

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 2023-2041 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johannes Sutter ◽  
Hubertus Fischer ◽  
Klaus Grosfeld ◽  
Nanna B. Karlsson ◽  
Thomas Kleiner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ice Core ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Climate Modelling ◽  
Geothermal Heat ◽  
Antarctic Ice Sheet ◽  
West Antarctic Ice Sheet ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
West Antarctic ◽  
Pleistocene Climate

Abstract. The international endeavour to retrieve a continuous ice core, which spans the middle Pleistocene climate transition ca. 1.2–0.9 Myr ago, encompasses a multitude of field and model-based pre-site surveys. We expand on the current efforts to locate a suitable drilling site for the oldest Antarctic ice core by means of 3-D continental ice-sheet modelling. To this end, we present an ensemble of ice-sheet simulations spanning the last 2 Myr, employing transient boundary conditions derived from climate modelling and climate proxy records. We discuss the imprint of changing climate conditions, sea level and geothermal heat flux on the ice thickness, and basal conditions around previously identified sites with continuous records of old ice. Our modelling results show a range of configurational ice-sheet changes across the middle Pleistocene transition, suggesting a potential shift of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet to a marine-based configuration. Despite the middle Pleistocene climate reorganisation and associated ice-dynamic changes, we identify several regions conducive to conditions maintaining 1.5 Myr (million years) old ice, particularly around Dome Fuji, Dome C and Ridge B, which is in agreement with previous studies. This finding strengthens the notion that continuous records with such old ice do exist in previously identified regions, while we are also providing a dynamic continental ice-sheet context.

scholarly journals Atmospheric CO2over the last 1000 years: A high-resolution record from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) Divide ice core

2012 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. n/a-n/a ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinho Ahn ◽  
Edward J. Brook ◽  
Logan Mitchell ◽  
Julia Rosen ◽  
Joseph R. McConnell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Ice Core ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
The West ◽  
Antarctic Ice Sheet ◽  
West Antarctic Ice Sheet ◽  
West Antarctic

Active subglacial volcanism in West Antarctica as assessed by airborne geophysics: Distribution and context

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald Blankenship ◽  
Enrica Quatini ◽  
Duncan Young
Keyword(s):  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Ice Cores ◽  
Rift System ◽  
West Antarctica ◽  
The West ◽  
Amundsen Sea ◽  
Antarctic Ice Sheet ◽  
West Antarctic Ice Sheet ◽  
West Antarctic ◽  
Subglacial Volcanism

<p>A combination of aerogeophysics, seismic observations and direct observation from ice cores and subglacial sampling has revealed at least 21 sites under the West Antarctic Ice sheet consistent with active volcanism (where active is defined as volcanism that has interacted with the current manifestation of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet). Coverage of these datasets is heterogenous, potentially biasing the apparent distribution of these features. Also, the products of volcanic activity under thinner ice characterized by relatively fast flow are more prone to erosion and removal by the ice sheet, and therefore potentially underrepresented. Unsurprisingly, the sites of active subglacial volcanism we have identified often overlap with areas of relatively thick ice and slow ice surface flow, both of which are critical conditions for the preservation of volcanic records. Overall, we find the majority of active subglacial volcanic sites in West Antarctica concentrate strongly along the crustal thickness gradients bounding the central West Antarctic Rift System, complemented by intra-rift sites associated with the Amundsen Sea to Siple Coast lithospheric transition.</p>

Chapter 7.5 Active subglacial volcanism in West Antarctica

2021 ◽  
pp. M55-2019-3
Author(s):  
Enrica Quartini ◽  
Donald D. Blankenship ◽  
Duncan A. Young
Keyword(s):  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Ice Cores ◽  
Rift System ◽  
West Antarctica ◽  
The West ◽  
Amundsen Sea ◽  
Antarctic Ice Sheet ◽  
West Antarctic Ice Sheet ◽  
West Antarctic ◽  
Subglacial Volcanism

AbstractA combination of aerogeophysics, seismic observations and direct observation from ice cores, and subglacial sampling, has revealed at least 21 sites under the West Antarctic Ice Sheet consistent with active volcanism (where active is defined as volcanism that has interacted with the current manifestation of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet). Coverage of these datasets is heterogeneous, potentially biasing the apparent distribution of these features. Also, the products of volcanic activity under thinner ice characterized by relatively fast flow are more prone to erosion and removal by the ice sheet, and therefore potentially under-represented. Unsurprisingly, the sites of active subglacial volcanism that we have identified often overlap with areas of relatively thick ice and slow ice surface flow, both of which are critical conditions for the preservation of volcanic records. Overall, we find the majority of active subglacial volcanic sites in West Antarctica concentrate strongly along the crustal-thickness gradients bounding the central West Antarctic Rift System, complemented by intra-rift sites associated with the Amundsen Sea–Siple Coast lithospheric transition.

Inferring the Last Interglacial West Antarctic Ice Sheet from the coupling of an ice core water stable isotope record and an atmospheric general circulation model

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sentia Goursaud ◽  
Louise Sime ◽  
Eric Wolff
Keyword(s):  
General Circulation ◽  
Ice Core ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Last Interglacial ◽  
Antarctic Ice Sheet ◽  
West Antarctic Ice Sheet ◽  
West Antarctic ◽  
Isotope Record ◽  
Water Stable Isotope

<p><span><span>The Last Interglacial period (</span></span><span><span>130-115 ka BP, </span></span><span><span>hereafter LIG</span></span><span><span>) </span></span><span><span>is often considered as a</span></span> <span><span>prime example to study the effect of </span></span><span><span>warmer-than-present </span></span><span><span>temperatures on polar ice sheets evolution. As the debate mainly focuses on the causes and tip</span></span><span><span>ping</span></span><span><span> point of a potential collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet </span></span><span><span>(hereafter </span></span><span><span>WAIS</span></span><span><span>), </span></span><span><span>few investigations examine the consequences of a wais collapse in terms of atmospheric circulation. </span></span><span><span>However, a knowledge of </span></span><span><span>the state of the atmosphere is necessary to use proxy data recorded in ice cores. </span></span><span><span>By analysing a new ice core drilled in Skytrain ice rise and using climate modeling, t</span></span><span><span>he WACSWAIN (WArm Climate Stability of West Antarctic ice sheet in the last Interglacial) </span></span><span><span>aims to </span></span><span><span>reconstruct WAIS extent during the LIG. Here, we use simulations from the atmospheric general circulation model HadCM3 </span></span> <span><span>with </span></span><span><span>different </span></span><span><span>WAIS configurations. We show that changes in temperature are directly linked to changes in orography through thermodynamic effects, as well as a linear sea ice extent rise over the Pacific Ocean with the WAIS reduction explained by a reversal of meridional winds turning southwards as the WAIS disappears.</span></span> <span><span>At the Skytrain ice rise, we show that not only the isotopic thermometer can be applied, but we also suggest that the water stable isotope record imprinted in the ice core will allow us to quantify the wais reduction.</span></span></p>

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