| NSF Org: |
OPP Office of Polar Programs (OPP) |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | May 6, 2021 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | May 24, 2022 |
| Award Number: | 2026045 |
| Award Instrument: | Continuing Grant |
| Program Manager: |
William Ambrose
wambrose@nsf.gov (703)292-8048 OPP Office of Polar Programs (OPP) GEO Directorate for Geosciences |
| Start Date: | May 15, 2021 |
| End Date: | March 31, 2024 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $2,374,386.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $2,374,386.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
FY 2022 = $1,187,258.00 |
| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
3 RUTGERS PLZ NEW BRUNSWICK NJ US 08901-8559 (848)932-0150 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
NJ US 08854-3925 |
| 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): | ANT Integrated System Science |
| Primary Program Source: |
0100XXXXDB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT |
| 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): | 47.078 |
ABSTRACT
Part 1: Non-technical description
The goal of all LTER sites is to conduct policy-relevant ecosystem research for questions that require tens of years of data and cover large geographical areas. The Palmer Antarctica Long Term Ecological Research (PAL-LTER) site has been in operation since 1990 and has been studying how the marine ecosystem west of the Antarctica Peninsula (WAP) is responding to a climate that is changing as rapidly as any place on the Earth. The study is evaluating how warming conditions and decreased ice cover leading to extended periods of open water are affecting many aspects of ecosystem function. The team is using combined cutting-edge approaches including yearly ship-based research cruises, small-boat weekly sampling, autonomous vehicles, animal biologging, oceanographic floats and seafloor moorings, manipulative lab-based process studies and modeling to evaluate both seasonal and annual ecosystem responses. These combined approaches are allowing for the study the ecosystem changes at scales needed to assess both short-term and long-term drivers. The study region also includes submarine canyons that are special regions of enhanced biological activity within the WAP. This research program is paired with a comprehensive education and outreach program promoting the global significance of Antarctic science and research. In addition to training for graduate and undergraduate students, they are using newly-developed Polar Literacy Principles as a foundation in a virtual schoolyard program that shares polar instructional materials and provides learning opportunities for K-12 educators. The PAL-LTER team is also leveraging the development of Out of School Time materials for afterschool and summer camp programs, sharing Palmer LTER-specific teaching materials with University, Museum, and 4-H Special Interest Club partners.
Part 2: Technical description
Polar ecosystems are among the most rapidly changing on Earth. The Palmer LTER (PAL-LTER) program builds on three decades of coordinated research along the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) to gain new mechanistic and predictive understanding of ecosystem changes in response to disturbances spanning long-term decadal (?press?) drivers and changes due to higher-frequency (?pulse?) drivers, such as large storms and extreme seasonal anomaly in sea ice cover. The influence of major natural climate modes that modulate variations in sea ice, weather, and oceanographic conditions to drive changes in ecosystem structure and function (e.g., El Niño Southern Oscillation and Southern Annular Mode) are being studied at multiple time scales ?from diel, seasonal, interannual, to decadal intervals, and space scales?from hemispheric to global scale investigated by remote sensing, the regional scales. Specifically, the team is evaluating how variability of physical properties (such as vertical and alongshore connectivity processes) interact to modulate biogeochemical cycling and community ecology in the WAP region. The study is providing an evaluation of ecosystem resilience and ecological responses to long-term ?press-pulse? drivers and a decadal-level reversal in sea ice coverage. This program is providing fundamental understanding of population and biogeochemical responses for a marine ecosystem experiencing profound change.
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.
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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.
Intellectual Merit: High-latitude coastal marine ecosystems are vulnerable to climate change because of the interactions of sea/continental ice, ocean physics, biogeochemistry, and food-web structure. The West Antarctic Peninsula is one of the most rapidly changing locations in the ocean and is exhibiting accelerating change. This project is a Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) site and is focused on understanding how a shifting climate will alter the marine ecosystems. This work combines data collected by scientists working in Antarctica, robots and satellites with mathematical modeling approaches. In the Southern Ocean, ice influences marine food webs by modulating solar inputs to the ocean, inhibiting wind mixing, altering the freshwater balance and ocean stability, and providing a physical substrate for organisms. Additionally there is a clear increases in storms and ocean heat. These physical changes ripple through the food web, shifting the magnitude of primary production and its community composition, altering the abundance of krill and other prey essential for marine mammals and seabirds. Accelerating change in the recent years is predicted to transition the system away from a short polar food web, which not only drives significant deposition of atmospheric carbon into the deep sea but also supports a diverse array of migratory organisms taking advantage of the highly productive summer months. A warmer future is predicted to lead to a lower productivity system. Understanding the pace of change and whether the state transition is reversible remains a critical open question.
Broader Impacts: This program supports the science training of undergraduate students, graduate students, and early-career scientists including postdoctoral researchers. The education and outreach efforts focus on increasing the publics’ knowledge and excitement for science conducted along the western Antarctic peninsula through partnerships with a wide variety of informal science centers, universities, science museums, aquariums, nonprofit organizations, corporations, broadcast media, community and government leaders. We strive to A) promote understanding of the polar ocean environment though our Polar Literacy Initiative, B) support the next generation of young scientists through rich and innovative field and classroom experiences for K-12 students and C) provide opportunities to pursue lifelong learning through public outreach initiatives, events, and meetings. We infuse the science into effective practices of teaching and learning through our focus on data literacy that highlight the value of long-term ecological research and scientific data collection. Our educational programing builds students’ data skills. We have been leveraging other National Science Foundation programs to develop Polar Camps & Afterschool Programs (CAP). Our project is developing an educational research-based program designed to develop innovative ways of engaging young learners in exploring scientific data while increasing their understanding of the polar regions. Developed during the 2020 pandemic, the Polar CAP materials were designed to be adaptable for various facilitators and youth groups. The Polar Adventure online modules provide a guided tour through the Polar Regions for youth. Our Facilitator guides offers opportunities and information on how to engage young people in social interaction and collaboration as they learn about the Polar Regions and climate change. We encourage learning through conversation where youth can tap their prior knowledge and share their ideas and insights.
Last Modified: 07/12/2024
Modified by: Oscar Schofield
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