Project Info

Evaluating Glacial Surface Roughness in Antarctica using Remotely Sensed Data

Ryan Venturelli

venturelli@mines.edu

Matt Siegfried

siegfried@mines.edu

Project Goals and Description:

We seek a motivated undergraduate to help develop a method to measure, quantify, and interpret the implications of fine-scale surface roughness features in Antarctica. Although Antarctica is almost completely covered by snow and ice the surface is not uniform. Instead, it is covered by meter to sub-meter scale features known as sastrugi—sharp-irregular ridges formed by wind erosion and snow deposition. These features are currently not incorporated into ice sheet models, not accounted for when considering snow accumulation or removal, and pose a risk to human travel in Antarctica, as they have the potential to overturn vehicles. Due to their smaller size in relation to many remote sensing instruments they have not received much attention by researchers in the past. Through this project we will identify the orientation and seasonal evolution of surface features over key areas of the Antarctic ice sheet. Additionally we are interested in the relationship between wind transported snow and ice-core data, particularly attempting to quantify down-core variability. This work will inform glacial modelers about the importance of wind-transported snow, provide context for paleoclimatologists interpreting variability in ice cores, and potentially help improve the ability for human transportation on the ice in Antarctica. This project offers a unique opportunity for the student to gain experience in Antarctic science and address an interesting and unique problem relevant to scientific understanding of Antarctica and research operations over snow and ice.

The team includes a professor of geology with expertise in isotope geochemistry and paleoglaciology, a professor in geophysics with expertise in satellite remote sensing and glaciology, and a PhD student in geology with expertise in Antarctic Ice Sheet reconstruction. The student will primarily work with the PhD student to plan and complete the proposed work, and the full mentorship team will meet at least monthly to discuss research direction, results, and big-picture context of the project. The initial work will require more time working with satellite data and be geophysics heavy, whereas later stages of the project will involve comparison to ice core data and entail a heavier geology focus.

More Information:

Grand Challenge: Engineer the tools of scientific discovery.

The below links may provide the student with some additional understanding of related work and project motivation; however this project will have a different approach and goal than previous work. It is not expected that the student will have read or understood all of the previous work before beginning the project. https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1029/2008JF001067 https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/15/4873/2021/ https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/14/3287/2020/ https://www.nature.com/articles/ngeo1766

Primary Contacts:

Jason Drebber, jason_drebber@mines.edu | Ryan Venturelli, venturelli@mines.edu | Matt Siegfried, siegfried@mines.edu

Student Preparation

Qualifications

A qualified student should have a background in coding with preference given to Python coding experience. Highly motivated students with a background in other coding languages are also encouraged to apply. Any previous training or experience working with remotely sensed data is useful, but not required. Understanding of or experience with data management will also be valuable due to the size and complexity of the types of data the student will work with. It is not expected that the student has a background understanding of polar science or Antarctica before the project starts, but we do hope that students interested in or curious about these fields will apply.

TIME COMMITMENT (HRS/WK)

3-5

SKILLS/TECHNIQUES GAINED

The student will gain foundational knowledge in Antarctic research, polar science, and glaciology, while gaining technical skills in satellite altimetry data processing and analysis using Python. They will also learn fundamentals of ice core science including how to find, compile, manage and compare geochemical and geophysical data. Ice cores are proxies for past climate conditions, so the student will also learn about paleoclimatology and glacier history. Broadly the student will build expertise combining diverse data types from multiple scientific disciplines and answer scientific questions, enhancing their computational, analytical and research skills in Earth science more generally.

MENTORING PLAN

The primary mentor will be a PhD student, who will work closely with the student to develop overall project goals and smaller weekly goals. They will also ensure that the student has the necessary tools and resources to achieve their goals for each week. The mentor will be available to answer questions readily during normal business hours and will support the student by providing research support and background knowledge needed to complete the project. The other mentors on the research team will be responsible for overseeing the general project administration and support research goals by providing expertise and assisting within their domain of expertise. All project partners will meet at least once a month. The undergraduate student will be invited to activities in both research groups, including weekly group meetings where undergraduates, graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and faculty members present their research in an informal setting as well as literature reading groups and professional development events when they are scheduled. As research developments, the student may also have the ability to write and submit an abstract and give a poster or oral presentation for a relevant conference.

Preferred Student Status

Sophomore

Junior

Senior

Return to All Project Page