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Summary
Pages 1-14

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From page 1...
... Research on the Southern Ocean and the Antarctic ice sheets is becoming increasingly urgent for understanding the future of the region and its interconnections with and impacts on many other parts of the globe. Antarctic science has global consequences.
From page 2...
... This report builds on a series of USAP advisory efforts in recent years, including a National Research Council study, Future Science Opportunities in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean (NRC, 2011a) and a special Blue Ribbon Panel study, More and Better Science in Antarctica Through Increased Logistical Effectiveness (BRP, 2012)
From page 3...
... Recommendation: NSF should continue to support a core program of broad-based, investigator-driven research and actively look for opportunities to gain efficiencies and improve coordination and data sharing among independent studies. LARGER-SCALE PRIORITY RESEARCH INITIATIVES Given the costs and logistical challenges of accessing remote Antarctic and Southern Ocean regions of interest, we suggest that the traditional PI-driven research support be balanced with more directed, large-scale efforts aimed at concentrating a critical mass of human and financial resources on key research goals.
From page 4...
... •  otential to help bridge existing disciplinary divides: research that could provide P opportunities to bring together disciplinary communities that seldom work together. • Using multiple records of past ice sheet change to understand rates and processes.
From page 5...
... As the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) responds to a warming ocean and changing climate, it could contribute 2 to 4 m of global sea level rise within just a few centuries (with additional, much larger potential contributions from the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, but on unknown timescales)
From page 6...
... Component ii: Using multiple records of past ice sheet change to understand rates and processes The detailed physical processes by which ice sheet collapse occurs are not well understood, and this lack of understanding translates directly into model un certainties on the predicted speed and extent of future WAIS collapse. Resolv ing these uncertainties requires rigorous study of past rapid ice retreat events.
From page 7...
... High rates of sediment accumulation are expected in open marine conditions; and it is thus reasonable to expect that annually or near annually resolved intervals from collapse phases of the WAIS can be recovered in carefully selected records, providing new insights on how fast and how much West Antarctic ice melted during key historical intervals. Determining the geographical footprint of past marine ice sheet loss by map ping the areal extent of the collapse region is also critical to estimating the volume of ice lost and hence the contribution to sea level rise.
From page 8...
... This initiative would involve biologists working on diverse species ranging from viruses to mammals, in a coordinated pulse of activity with a shared goal of decoding the genomic and functional bases of organismal adaptation in a changing environment. The effort would be inclusive of genomes and transcriptomes of individual species and species assemblages; and it could encompass ancient DNA, viruses, bacteria, and complex eukaryote species from major Antarctic habitats, including ice sheets, soils, outcropping rocks, surface and subglacial lakes and streams, the ocean, and sea 8
From page 9...
... NSF could implement this initiative in a series of calls for proposals designed to encourage interplay among lab-based genomic analyses, field-based environmental investigations, and collection of biological samples and environmental physical data -- with concurrent support for bioinformatics advancements to aid in assembling and annotating the genomes to be analyzed. This initiative can be based in part on analysis of already-archived biological s ­ amples, effectively advancing Antarctic biological research without taxing already-­ overstretched budgets and field logistics.
From page 10...
... FOUNDATIONS FOR A ROBUST ANTARCTIC AND SOUTHERN OCEAN RESEARCH PROGRAM The Committee identified the following infrastructure and logistical support needs and other key issues as particularly critical for advancing the priority research initiatives, as well as supporting a wide array of investigator-driven research across PLR's core programs. Access to remote field sites.
From page 11...
... And the proposed Changing Ice Initiative offers excellent opportunities to develop regional building blocks of a broader Antarctic and Southern Ocean observing system. Communication and data transmission capacity.
From page 12...
... Some areas that seem particularly ripe for expanding collaborative efforts include carrying out aerogeophysical, bathymetric, and seismic mapping exercises; performing biological sampling and survey efforts; planning ice core, marine-sediment, and geological drilling activities; improving representation of Antarctic and Southern Ocean processes in earth system models; expanding environmental sampling and instrument deployment from ships that service the various national bases around Antarctica; and supporting the LongDuration Balloon studies and other large-scale astronomy/astrophysics and space weather research projects. Education and public outreach.
From page 13...
... NSF can also help provide developmental opportunities in teaching and research for graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and early-career Antarctic and Southern Ocean scholars -- for instance, through targeted funding opportunities for research experiences, including international collaborations and institutional exchange, for undergraduates, graduates, postdocs, and educators. Recommendation: NSF should prioritize the following actions to advance infrastructure and logistical support for the priority research initiatives recommended here -- actions that will likewise benefit many other research activities supported under NSF/PLR's core programs.
From page 14...
... The Committee hopes that the ideas raised here, which were richly informed and inspired by the input of researchers across the country, will provide a useful strategic framework for helping NSF leadership and staff make wise choices for the coming years.


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