NSF Org:	EAR Division Of Earth Sciences
Recipient:	THE TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK
Initial Amendment Date:	August 14, 2008
Latest Amendment Date:	August 14, 2008
Award Number:	0834294
Award Instrument:	Standard Grant
Program Manager:	Richard Yuretich ryuretic@nsf.gov  (703)292-4744 EAR  Division Of Earth Sciences GEO  Directorate for Geosciences
Start Date:	August 15, 2008
End Date:	July 31, 2009 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount:	$40,864.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date:	$40,864.00
Funds Obligated to Date:	FY 2008 = $40,864.00
History of Investigator:	Joerg Schaefer (Principal Investigator) schaefer@ldeo.columbia.edu
Recipient Sponsored Research Office:	Columbia University 615 W 131ST ST NEW YORK NY  US  10027-7922 (212)854-6851
Sponsor Congressional District:	13
Primary Place of Performance:	Columbia University Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory Rt 9W Palisades NY  US  10964
Primary Place of Performance Congressional District:	17
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI):	F4N1QNPB95M4
Parent UEI:
NSF Program(s):	Geomorphology & Land-use Dynam
Primary Program Source:	01000809DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s):	OTHR, 0000, 7458
Program Element Code(s):	745800
Award Agency Code:	4900
Fund Agency Code:	4900
Assistance Listing Number(s):	47.050

ABSTRACT

This project will develop and apply a novel in situ carbon-14/beryllium-10 (14C/10Be) chronometer as a tool to quantify periods during which mountain glaciers and ice-sheets were smaller than today. The results will provide a semi-continuous record of fluctuations of the Rhone Glacier during the Holocene, which can be combined with glacier energy balance models to estimate temperature and precipitation changes. The project will also aid in providing a better understanding of the patterns and rates of subglacial erosion beneath an alpine type glacier, and it will afford a calibration for the new isotopic earth surface process tool, which could be applied in many other glacier and ice-sheet systems globally.

The research will quantify the duration in which glaciers were smaller than today and, in turn, infer key information related to climate warm periods, which will provide relevant information concerning the present-day global warmth. This is a neglected area of investigation, since we often operate under the assumption that recent climate change has been continuously in one direction. This research has the potential to provide realistic constraints on the extent and nature of previous warm episodes and to develop a method for extending this analysis to other parts of the globe.

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