WAIS Divide Ice Core Project - Science: Related Projects/Programs
Related Projects/Programs
WAISCORES and the West Antarctic Ice Sheet initiative (WAIS)
The WAISCORES project is part of the U.S. National Science Foundation’s West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) initiative, which is aimed at understanding the influence of the WAIS on climate and sea level change. The WAISCORES project called for two deep ice cores to be collected from West Antarctica: one from a coastal location and one from an inland location near the Ross/Amundsen ice divide region. Siple Dome was selected as the coastal location and drilling began in November 1996 and finished in January 1999. WAIS Divide was selected as the inland location and drilling began in the 2006/2007 season.
Click here to visit the WAIS initiative website.
International Polar Year (IPY)
The International Polar Year (IPY) is a large international scientific and educational campaign focused on the Arctic and the Antarctic. The IPY "year" officially began on March 1, 2007 and will run through March 1, 2009 allowing researchers to conduct two full annual observing cycles in each polar region. IPY 2007-2008 involves over 200 projects and thousands of scientists from over 60 nations. Previous IPYs took place in 1882-3, 1932-3, and 1957-8 (more commonly referred to as the International Geophysical Year). IPY activities are focused on the Arctic and Antarctic polar environments and encompass a wide range of physical, biological and social research topics. The WAIS Divide Ice Core Project is a United States contribtion to IPY 2007-2008.
Click here to visit the US IPY website. Click here to visit the international IPY website.
United States Antarctic Program (USAP)
Funded by the U.S. Government's National Science Foundation (NSF), the United States Antarctic Program (USAP) supports scientific research in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. The USAP carries forward the Nation's goal of supporting the Antarctic Treaty, fostering cooperative research with other nations, protecting the Antarctic environment, and conserving living resources. The NSF manages the USAP under guidance of a Presidential memorandum that directs an "active and influential presence in Antarctica designed to support the range of U.S. Antarctic interests." USAP operational support organizations involved with WAIS Divide include:
Raytheon Polar Services Company: Provides a wide range of logistical and science support operations
New York Air National Guard 109th Airwing Lift: Provides ski-equipped C-130 (LC-130) air support between Antarctica and New Zealand and from McMurdo Station to WAIS Divide.
United States 62nd Airlift Wing (McChord AFB, Washington): Provides airlift support between Christchruch, NZ and McMurdo Station, Antarctica.
U.S. Coast Guard (PACAREA Icebreaker Operations, Cutter Polar Sea, and Cutter Polar Star): Breaks a channel in the sea ice in McMurdo Sound before the arrival of the annual fuel and resupply ships; escorts resupply ships in and out of McMurdo Station; and provides science support as needed.
Kenn Borek Air Ltd: Provides Twin Otter aircraft support within Antarctica.
U.S. Navy (SPAWAR Systems Center Charleston/Code 66, Aviation Command and Control [C2] Division): Provides weather forecasting, air traffic control, base operations and ground electronics maintenance services.
Click here to visit the USAP website.
Greenland Ice Sheet Project 2 (GISP2)
On July 1, 1993 after five years of drilling the Greenland Ice Sheet Project Two (GISP2) penetrated through the ice sheet and 1.55 meters into bedrock recovering an ice core 3053.44 meters in depth, the deepest ice core recovered in the world at the time. With the completion of the GISP2 drilling program and a companion European ice coring effort (the Greenland Ice core Project (GRIP), located 28 KM to the east), a new era in paleoenvironmental investigation had been opened. These records are of extreme significance to our understanding of environmental change because they not only provide the highest resolution, continuous, multi-parameter view produced thus far but as importantly the two records can be used to validate each other(e.g., dating, presence of events, length of the environmental record, presence or lack of discontinuities), the only such experiment of this magnitude in ice core research.
Click here to visit their website.
WAIS Divide Ice Core Project
This site is administered by the WAIS Divide Ice Core Project Science Coordination Office (Desert Research Institute and University of New Hampshire)
This material is based on work supported by the National Science Foundation under award OPP-0440817 to the Desert Research Institute, Nevada System of Higher Education.
Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
The WAISCORES project is part of the U.S. National Science Foundation’s West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) initiative, which is aimed at understanding the influence of the WAIS on climate and sea level change. The WAISCORES project called for two deep ice cores to be collected from West Antarctica: one from a coastal location and one from an inland location near the Ross/Amundsen ice divide region. Siple Dome was selected as the coastal location and drilling began in November 1996 and finished in January 1999. WAIS Divide was selected as the inland location and drilling began in the 2006/2007 season.
The International Polar Year (IPY) is a large international scientific and educational campaign focused on the Arctic and the Antarctic. The IPY "year" officially began on March 1, 2007 and will run through March 1, 2009 allowing researchers to conduct two full annual observing cycles in each polar region. IPY 2007-2008 involves over 200 projects and thousands of scientists from over 60 nations. Previous IPYs took place in 1882-3, 1932-3, and 1957-8 (more commonly referred to as the International Geophysical Year). IPY activities are focused on the Arctic and Antarctic polar environments and encompass a wide range of physical, biological and social research topics. The WAIS Divide Ice Core Project is a United States contribtion to IPY 2007-2008.
Funded by the U.S. Government's National Science Foundation (NSF), the United States Antarctic Program (USAP) supports scientific research in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. The USAP carries forward the Nation's goal of supporting the Antarctic Treaty, fostering cooperative research with other nations, protecting the Antarctic environment, and conserving living resources. The NSF manages the USAP under guidance of a Presidential memorandum that directs an "active and influential presence in Antarctica designed to support the range of U.S. Antarctic interests." USAP operational support organizations involved with WAIS Divide include: 
On July 1, 1993 after five years of drilling the Greenland Ice Sheet Project Two (GISP2) penetrated through the ice sheet and 1.55 meters into bedrock recovering an ice core 3053.44 meters in depth, the deepest ice core recovered in the world at the time. With the completion of the GISP2 drilling program and a companion European ice coring effort (the Greenland Ice core Project (GRIP), located 28 KM to the east), a new era in paleoenvironmental investigation had been opened. These records are of extreme significance to our understanding of environmental change because they not only provide the highest resolution, continuous, multi-parameter view produced thus far but as importantly the two records can be used to validate each other(e.g., dating, presence of events, length of the environmental record, presence or lack of discontinuities), the only such experiment of this magnitude in ice core research.
