What Lies Beneath? Interdisciplinary Outcomes of the ANDRILL Coulman High Project Site Surveys on the Ross Ice Shelf

• Main Authors: Robert Zook, Frank R. Rack, Richard H. Levy, Richard Limeburner, Craig Stewart, Michael J.M. Williams, Bruce Luyendyk
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: The Oceanography Society 2012
• Subjects: Antarctica; scientific drillling; ANDRILL; McMurdo; Coulman High; Oceanography; GC1-1581; Antarctic; Ross Island; Ross Ice Shelf; New Zealand; McMurdo Station; Antarc*; Ice Shelf
• Online Access: https://doaj.org/article/274dca741d64432ab90caa2dc01d8737

Extensive field operations were conducted on the northwestern Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica from November 2010 through January 2011. A significant amount of equipment, supplies, and people safely traversed from McMurdo Station to establish a series of combined United States–New Zealand field camps at locations northeast of Ross Island. The ANDRILL (ANtarctic geological DRILLing) hot water drill system was used to melt multiple access holes through the ice shelf at each site to deploy a variety of sediment coring tools, cameras, and oceanographic instruments, as well as a remotely operated vehicle to characterize the ice shelf and sub-ice environment. These studies will contribute to future proposed geological drilling as part of the ANDRILL Coulman High Project.