This project supports US participation in ROSSMAP, an International Polar Year project developing new geophysical and geologic maps for the Ross Sea. Under this award a US Principal Investigator synthesizes marine seismic data collected on various research cruises of the US Antarctic Program. This region is critical for study because it records the formation and evolution of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS). WAIS deglaciation is amongst the largest unconstrained factors in determining the sea level rise that will accompany global warming, and understanding WAIS history will improve models of its response to elevated temperatures. This project also improves our understanding of tectonic processes that occurred in the region. The Ross basin is part of the West Antarctic Rift System, among the Earth's largest and perhaps the most poorly understood. This system is unique in being bounded on one side by a mountain range, the TransAntarctic Mountains.
The broader impacts are international collaboration with scientists in Italy and New Zealand, graduate student participation, and development of a web-accessible digital database.
