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The National Academies Polar Research Board Public Lecture

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The National Academies Polar Research Board Public Lecture The Antarctican Society Honorary President NRC's Committee on Abrupt Climate Mrs. Paul A. Siple Vol.The 00-01 National MarchChange. No. 3 Presidents Dr. Carl R. Eklund 1959-61 Dr. Paul A. Siple 1961-62 Academies Polar NRC’s Committee on abrupt Climate Mr. Gordon D. Cartwright 1962-63 Change. RADM David M. Tyree (Ret.)1963-64 Research Board Mr. George R. Toney 1964-65 Check the PRB's website at Mr. Morton J. Rubin 1965-66 Public Lecture www.national-academies.org/prb for Dr. Albert P. Crary 1966-68 Dr. Henry M. Dater 1968-70 further information, or call Mr. George A. Doumani 1970-71 Climate Change: (202) 334-3479. Dr. William J. L. Sladen 1971-73 From the Poles to the World Mr. Peter F. Bermel 1973-75 Dr. Kenneth J. Bertrand 1975-77 Brash Ice Mrs. Paul A. Siple 1977-78 by Dr. Richard Alley Dr. Paul C. Dalrymple 1978-80 Pennsylvania State University This is the first newsletter put to bed Dr. Meredith F. Burrill 1980-82 outside of the Washington, DC Area, as Dr. Mort D. Turner 1982-84 it was put together on Midcoast Maine. Dr. Edward P. Todd 1984-86 Thanks to modern technology, we Mr. Robert H. T. Dodson 1986-88 Thursday, March 22 - 6:00 p.m. Dr. Robert H. Rutford 1988-90 conscripted John Splettstoesser, Jerry Mr. Guy G. Guthridge 1990-92 Room 104, Green Building Marty, Julie Palais, Polly Penhale and Dr. Polly A. Penhale 1992-94 Steve Dibbern to send us material over 2001 Wisconsin Avenue NW Mr. Tony K. Meunier 1994-96 the lines. We decided that we had better Mr. RonNaveen 1996-98 The National Academies go ahead with this end-of-the-season Dr. Paul C. Dalrymple 1998-00 newsletter without the usual inputs from (Georgetown Campus) our President, Kristin Larsen, whose Honorary Members Penguin Prattle column is not appearing as she is on the west coast studying for Ambassador Paul C. Daniels her bar exams. Dr. Laurence McKinley Gould Dr. Richard Alley is a glaciologist and a Count Emilio Pucci leader in the field of glacier dynamics Incidentally, dues are now do-able. If Sir Charles S. Wright and ice-core research on paleoclimates. you owe, you should have received a Mr. Hugh Blackwell Evans He is especially interested in the two big Dr. Henry M. Dater notice in the mail. For another year, our questions of glaciology: What was the Mr. August Howard dues for U.S. and Canada members Mr. Amory H. "Bud" Waite, Jr. world like in the past? Will the ice remain ten ($10) dollars per year. Dr. Charles W. Swithinbank sheets melt into the ocean and flood the Remittance to the address on our Dr. Paul C. Dalrymple coasts? He studies past climate change letterhead. by analyzing ice cores from Greenland and Antarctica, and has demonstrated This person has always taken a dim that exceptionally large climate changes view of adventurers hitting orange golf The Antarctican Society have occurred in as little as a single balls off the top of some Antarctic 7338 Wayfarer Drive Fairfax year. His work seeks to understand the mountain, but in the great proliferation Station, Virginia 22039 of adventures that made Antarctica a causes of such changes. Dr. Alley is Evan Pugh Professor of Geosciences at continental highway this past austral the Pennsylvania State University's summer; finally something really Earth Systems Science Center. He is significant was accomplished. Two currently a member of the Polar Norwegians, Erik Sonneland and Rolf Research Board and is chairing the Bae, successfully completed an March 2001 UNSUPPORTED crossing of Antarctica designated B-15B and drifting north and MacAyeal said he expects soon to begin from Troll Station, Draining Maud the other piece, called B-15A, drifting analyzing the iceberg's motion and the Land, to Scott Base. A crossing of along the front of the Ross Ice Shelf effects of collisions between the berg 2,900 km in 107 days. But they over toward Ross Island and McMurdo and the shoreline and ice at Cape calculated the ordeal, as they finished Station. Along the way it was moved Crozier in Antarctica. The weather with three breakfasts, seven lunches, and by winds, tides and currents and from stations, assembled at the University of fifteen days of fuel. They were time to time was seen, with satellite Wisconsin, are equipped with batteries hastened, perhaps, by using their sails imagery, to collide with the front of the and solar panels. Based on their use on three days while crossing the Ross Ross Ice Shelf, spawning new icebergs elsewhere in Antarctica, they could be Ice Shelf, making a remarkable 210 km along the front of the ice shelf, in what expected to operate for as many as five one day! Siberian ponies, eat your have been called sympathetic calving years. hearts out!! events. One of the large icebergs that were formed in this process, C-16 then Scientists do not really know what We hope all of you in me Washington began drifting westward toward Ross causes these icebergs to calve in the firsi area will take advantage of the open Island in front of B-15 A. place. Although in the Antarctic door policy of the National Academies' Peninsula a similar phenomenon can be Polar Research Board Public Lecture by During this past austral summer field convincingly attributed to local Dr. Richard Alley of Perm State season (2000-01) me National Science warming in the region, the reason that University on Thursday evening, March Foundation funded a group of so many large icebergs calved off the 24,2001. Our society kicked in with a researchers from the University of front of the Ross Ice Shelf this last year small contribution towards liquid Chicago and the University of remains unclear. Scientists speculate libations and hors d'oeuvres, so enjoy Wisconsin to instrument the B-15A that the large rifts which cut through the before you hear one of this country's iceberg with automatic weather stations ice shelf, and which propagate with hottest items talk about climate change. (which are measuring wind velocity and time, weaken the ice on the ice shelf. We recently heard him speak at direction, relative humidity, surface This causes the large tabular icebergs to Bowdoin College, and if you want to temperature and barometric pressure) be generated once all of the rifts become know everything there is to be known and global positioning system (GPS) interconnected. The actual calving about Ice Ages, be sure to be there. Even units which will track the exact position event is probably triggered by a if you don't, come and socialize. of the iceberg. The scientists, Douglas combination of tidal forcing and MacAyeal of Chicago, and Jonathan weather conditions. Future research HOPE YOU ENJOY OUR FIRST- Thorn of Madison, Wisconsin were may allow scientists to better EVER COLORED PICTURES! transported in late January from understand these mechanisms and allow McMurdo Station on the U.S. Coast them to predict when the next major Guard icebreaker, Polar Sea to the breakout will occur. Follow that Iceberg! iceberg and erected three stations on the ice surface, roughly 45 meters (150 feet) (Julie Palais/NSF) The South Pole above the surface of the ocean. These In March of last year a large iceberg instruments will allow scientists to track (Jerry Marty/NSF) (295 km/180 mi. by 37 km/25 mi.) the progress of the icebergs more about twice the size of Delaware, broke precisely than they were able to before Major construction projects in support off me front of the Ross Ice Shelf near with just the satellite images. Because of the National Science Foundation's Roosevelt Island and began drifting into storms and cloud cover often obscures Amundsen-Scott new South Pole me Ross Sea. The iceberg, designated me field of view, scientists sometimes scientific research station were B-15 (following the convention of the lose track of the iceberg for days at a completed this FY01 summer season Joint Ice Center which tracks icebergs time. The new instruments will allow despite extreme weather conditions in that are at least 10 nautical miles long. researchers to better understand what Antarctica that have hampered cargo The letter refers to the quadrant of determines the motion of these icebergs flights. ThisFYOl season represents Antarctica and the number is for how and how they are affected by weather the forth season of construction. During many icebergs have been observed in conditions and ocean currents. Several the past 4 years the following agencies that sector since the center first started weeks of data from the sensors have have assisted NSF in meeting the tracking icebergs), subsequently broke already been collected by satellite. project goals: Pacific Division Naval in half, with one portion being 2 The Antarctican Society Facilities Engineering Command Services, NSF's logistical contractor in so that it won't hurt quite so much, just (PACDIV) have assisted NSF in the Antarctica, worked closely with a longer. The total cost is going to be design management. The Architect for number of government agencies and $152.9 million, with the station the project is Ferraro Choi. US Army sub-contractors to achieve the success. modernization cost $127.9 million and Cold Regions Research and Engineering the so-called safety and environmental Laboratory (CRREL) has provided The first major construction season for upgrades a cool $25 million. It will all technical oversight. the elevated station (food service, be completed, hopefully, in the austral housing, science, administration, summer of 04-05, with dedication of the The new power plant (NPP) which went medical, communication, work stations, station sometime in January 2005.
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