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
Improving models of West Antarctic glacial isostatic adjustment through a new surface velocity field. This project seeks to "fix the scales" being used to weigh changes in the Antarctic ice sheet. Present measurements are biased by a failure to accurately account for mass changes beneath the ice and within the Earth itself. This project seeks to use new measurements of the changes in the shape of the Earth to calibrate out that bias.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120100030
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
The role of Antarctic sea ice as a natural ocean fertiliser. This project will assess the importance of sea ice as a natural fertiliser in the climatically important polar region. The knowledge gained will aid climate modellers and Governmental policy-makers concerned with the commercial use of ocean iron fertilisation as an attempt to reduce human-induced atmospheric carbon dioxide and gain carbon credits.
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE200100086
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$420,000.00
Summary
Rapid Deployment Seismic Recorders for Interdisciplinary Antarctic Research. We aim to establish an Antarctic-based set of seismic instruments, a mobile facility, to provide data to help predict how ice sheets will evolve and how the continent under the ice sheets will respond to changes in ice load. Our approach to tackling such significant questions is innovative, and makes use of newly available, rapid deployment instruments that may be deployed in ice by a small team with light logistics. ....Rapid Deployment Seismic Recorders for Interdisciplinary Antarctic Research. We aim to establish an Antarctic-based set of seismic instruments, a mobile facility, to provide data to help predict how ice sheets will evolve and how the continent under the ice sheets will respond to changes in ice load. Our approach to tackling such significant questions is innovative, and makes use of newly available, rapid deployment instruments that may be deployed in ice by a small team with light logistics. Outcomes will include maps of sub-ice sediments and 3D images of the deep Earth. The facility will thus enable new knowledge relating to major ice sheets. Interdisciplinary use of the research will benefit Australia through an improved ability to plan for future sea level rise in areas with large coastal populations.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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Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR140300001
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$24,000,000.00
Summary
Antarctic and Southern Ocean Research. This multidisciplinary proposal has four integrated research themes which enhance existing Antarctic research. The proposal will build new polar research capability in Tasmania to secure and reinforce its recognition as a global leader in Antarctic and Southern Ocean science; develop a marine technology hub; leverage co-investment with national and overseas agencies; and further establish Tasmania as a gateway for Antarctic research, education, innovation a ....Antarctic and Southern Ocean Research. This multidisciplinary proposal has four integrated research themes which enhance existing Antarctic research. The proposal will build new polar research capability in Tasmania to secure and reinforce its recognition as a global leader in Antarctic and Southern Ocean science; develop a marine technology hub; leverage co-investment with national and overseas agencies; and further establish Tasmania as a gateway for Antarctic research, education, innovation and logistics. The initiative will bolster Australia's Antarctic program via integration of novel understanding of ice-shelf and ice sheet contributions to present-day sea level change, and new perspectives on polar marine ecosystems and biogeochemical cycles, and sea-ice forecasting.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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