| NSF Org: |
OIA OIA-Office of Integrative Activities |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | February 4, 2020 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | February 4, 2020 |
| Award Number: | 1929068 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Eric Lindquist
OIA OIA-Office of Integrative Activities O/D Office Of The Director |
| Start Date: | February 1, 2020 |
| End Date: | January 31, 2023 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $164,733.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $164,733.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
32 CAMPUS DR MISSOULA MT US 59812-0003 (406)243-6670 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
801 Leroy Place Socorro NM US 87801-4681 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | EPSCoR Research Infrastructure |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.083 |
ABSTRACT
Ice sheets are tightly connected to the underlying earth upon which they rest. Where liquid water resides at the bottom of an ice sheet, it can exchange with the groundwater system. Whether the bottom of an ice sheet is frozen or melted is therefore an important control on the connection between ice and groundwater but depends on the complex ways in which water and heat pass between ice and earth systems. In this project the PI, with expertise in glacier science, will work closely with groundwater experts at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, sharing discipline-specific knowledge to overcome challenges to understanding connections between ice sheets and groundwater systems. The PI will carry out computer modeling that connects both ice sheet and groundwater systems to determine how groundwater flow influences where the bottom of the ice sheet is frozen or melted. Where a glacier or ice sheet is frozen or melted at its base controls where it can slide, and also determines where water can recharge the groundwater system. Outcomes from the project are therefore relevant to both ice sheet dynamics and groundwater flow in cold regions. The project will increase research capacity and student opportunities at University of Montana, and guest lectures to Montana high schools will benefit the local jurisdiction.
Water cycling in the Arctic is distinctly unique from the global hydrologic cycle due to the presence of large ice masses that source and generally drive groundwater to adjacent terrestrial and ocean systems. Linking coupling processes between ice sheet and groundwater systems, however, requires merging the knowledgebase and skillsets of a spectrum of scientific sub-disciplines. The objective of this project is to overcome discipline-specific barriers by enabling close collaboration, sharing of expertise, and educational exchange between experts in ice sheet processes and groundwater systems. Project research is focused on mass and energy feedbacks on the inland extent of melted conditions at the bottom of an ice sheet: a key problem that is highly relevant to both glaciology and hydrogeology disciplines. The problem will be addressed through novel modeling of coupled ice sheet and groundwater systems: the PI will be an early adopter of modeling packages developed by host collaborators, and generate new thermal coupling between systems. Outcomes of the project will advance understanding of heat and water fluxes across ice sheet and groundwater systems: two critical components of the Arctic that impact sea level rise, groundwater resources at the global scale, and submarine fluxes of fresh groundwater. Activities will generate new learning opportunities for students at the University of Montana, increase the institution?s research capacity, and yield jurisdictional benefits through outreach lectures to Montana high schools.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
This project facilitated an expansion of research expertise on the University of Montana campusin an emerging area of scientific importance. University of Montana researchers worked closely with external researchers in groundwater science to pioneer new approaches and tools forinvestigating ice sheet interactions with underlying groundwater systems. Laboratory exchanges of personnel was made impossible by Covid restrictions, so the integration ofexpertise was done through digital communications.
Major scientific findings include the following:
• Greenland’s groundwater system responds rapidly and sensitively to relatively minorice sheet forcing. Hydraulic head clearly varies over multi-annual, seasonal and diurnaltimescales, which we interpret as a response to fluid pressure forcing at the ice/bed interface associated with changes in overlying ice loading and ice sheet hydrology. A systematic declinein hydraulic head over the eight-year observational period is linked primarily to ice sheet massloss.
• Southwest Greenland thinned by >12m on average over a recent 32-year period, but the change was highly variable in time and space. Regional differences in elevation change are inconsistent with surface mass balance anomalies, indicating that enhanced ice flow contributed to thickening. These findings support the interpretation that changing ice flow can influence ice surface elevation in the slow-moving SWLTS.
• The thermally active bedrock layer under Greenland Ice Sheet acts as a heat sink, tending to slow contraction of frozen-bed conditions. Where bedrock heat flux under the ice is relatively low, the frozen region is more susceptible to margin-ward changes in the frictional and strain heating fields. Migration of melted regions thus depends on both geometric changes and the antecedent thermal state of the bedrock and ice, both of which vary considerably around the ice sheet.
The project supported one undergraduate student research experience and the degrees of one M.S. student, and one Ph.D. student. The project conducted outreach actives at a local food bank targeting school children from low income families. The research produced three published peer-reviewed manuscripts, including one in a high-profile broad interest journal.
Last Modified: 09/17/2023
Modified by: Toby Meierbachtol
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