#### Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA)

#### FY 2000 Performance Report

#### 

#### ![](media/image1.png){width="1.0in" height="1.0in"}

#### Office of Polar Programs 

#### 

#### [Table of Contents]{.smallcaps}

[A. Introduction: Directorate/Office
4](#a.-introduction-directorateoffice)

[FY 2001 Highlights 6](#fy-2001-highlights)

[Management and Operations 8](#management-and-operations)

[B. Crosscutting and Coordination Activities
10](#b.-crosscutting-and-coordination-activities)

[NSF-wide activities 10](#nsf-wide-activities)

[Interagency activities 11](#interagency-activities)

[International activities 12](#international-activities)

[C. FY 2001 COV Results and FY 2002-2004 COV Schedule
14](#c.-fy-2001-cov-results-and-fy-2002-2004-cov-schedule)

[FY 2001 COV: Polar (Antarctic) Research Support
14](#fy-2001-cov-polar-antarctic-research-support)

[COV Schedule FY 2001-2004 15](#cov-schedule-fy-2001-2004)

[D. Summary of FY 2001 Achievements
16](#d.-summary-of-fy-2001-achievements)

[OPP Results for Outcome Goals 16](#opp-results-for-outcome-goals)

[OPP Results for Management and Investment Process Goals
17](#opp-results-for-management-and-investment-process-goals)

[Discussion of Goals Not Met 18](#discussion-of-goals-not-met)

[E. Reporting Examples for Relevant Outcome Goals and Areas of Emphasis
19](#e.-reporting-examples-for-relevant-outcome-goals-and-areas-of-emphasis)

[People---Development of "a diverse, internationally competitive and
globally-engaged workforce of scientists, engineers, and well-prepared
citizens."
19](#peopledevelopment-of-a-diverse-internationally-competitive-and-globally-engaged-workforce-of-scientists-engineers-and-well-prepared-citizens.)

[People Indicator 1---Improved mathematics, science, and technology
skills for U.S. students at the K-12 level and for citizens of all ages,
so that they can be competitive in a technological society.
19](#people-indicator-1improved-mathematics-science-and-technology-skills-for-u.s.-students-at-the-k-12-level-and-for-citizens-of-all-ages-so-that-they-can-be-competitive-in-a-technological-society.)

[People Indicator 2---A science and technology and instructional
workforce that reflects America's diversity.
20](#people-indicator-2a-science-and-technology-and-instructional-workforce-that-reflects-americas-diversity.)

[People Indicator 3---Globally engaged science and engineering
professionals who are among the best in the world.
21](#people-indicator-3globally-engaged-science-and-engineering-professionals-who-are-among-the-best-in-the-world.)

[People Indicator 4---A public that is provided access to the benefits
of science and engineering research and education.
22](#people-indicator-4a-public-that-is-provided-access-to-the-benefits-of-science-and-engineering-research-and-education.)

[Ideas---Enabling "discovery across the frontier of science and
engineering, connected to learning, innovation, and service to society."
23](#ideasenabling-discovery-across-the-frontier-of-science-and-engineering-connected-to-learning-innovation-and-service-to-society.)

[Ideas Indicator 1---A robust and growing fundamental knowledge base
that enhances progress in all science and engineering areas including
the science of learning.
23](#ideas-indicator-1a-robust-and-growing-fundamental-knowledge-base-that-enhances-progress-in-all-science-and-engineering-areas-including-the-science-of-learning.)

[Ideas Indicator 2---discoveries that advance the frontiers of science,
engineering and technology.
29](#ideas-indicator-2discoveries-that-advance-the-frontiers-of-science-engineering-and-technology.)

[Ideas Indicator 3---partnerships connecting discovery to innovation,
learning and societal advancement
32](#ideas-indicator-3partnerships-connecting-discovery-to-innovation-learning-and-societal-advancement)

[Ideas Indicator 4---research and education processes that are
synergistic.
33](#ideas-indicator-4research-and-education-processes-that-are-synergistic.)

[Tools---Providing "broadly accessible, state-of-the-art
information-bases and shared research and education tools."
35](#toolsproviding-broadly-accessible-state-of-the-art-information-bases-and-shared-research-and-education-tools.)

[Tools Indicator 1---Shared-use platforms, facilities, instruments and
databases that enable discovery and enhance the productivity and
effectiveness of the science and engineering workforce.
35](#tools-indicator-1shared-use-platforms-facilities-instruments-and-databases-that-enable-discovery-and-enhance-the-productivity-and-effectiveness-of-the-science-and-engineering-workforce.)

[Tools Indicator 2---Networking and connectivity that take full
advantage of the internet and make science, mathematics, engineering and
technology information available to all citizens.
37](#tools-indicator-2networking-and-connectivity-that-take-full-advantage-of-the-internet-and-make-science-mathematics-engineering-and-technology-information-available-to-all-citizens.)

[Tools Indicator 3---Information and policy analyses that contribute to
the effective use of science and engineering resources.
38](#tools-indicator-3information-and-policy-analyses-that-contribute-to-the-effective-use-of-science-and-engineering-resources.)

[F. FY 2001 Areas of Emphasis 38](#f.-fy-2001-areas-of-emphasis)

[People Goals 38](#people-goals)

[Ideas Goals 39](#ideas-goals)

[Tools Goals 42](#tools-goals)

# A. Introduction: Directorate/Office 

Polar Programs is unique within the Foundation in both its geographic
focus \-- polar regions \-- and in the breadth of the science it
supports. Polar regions play a central role in environmental issues
related to global climate and are vital to understanding past, present,
and future responses of Earth systems to natural and man-made changes.

The Arctic and the Antarctic are premier natural laboratories whose
extreme environments and geographically unique processes enable research
not feasible elsewhere. For example, projects supported by Polar
Programs employ ice sheets to detect high energy subatomic particles,
establish environmental observatories to detect and monitor effects of
climate change on terrestrial and marine ecosystems, analyze the
chemistry of ice cores as a record of global climate history, utilize
astrophysical observations made in cold dry polar conditions to
determine the evolution and structure of the universe, examine the
effects on terrestrial and marine life of increased ultraviolet light
(UVB) from ozone depletion, and elucidate adaptation mechanisms of
organisms and ecosystems to extreme living conditions.

NSF is one of twelve federal agencies supporting Arctic research and
logistics. The Foundation provides interagency leadership for research
planning as directed by the Arctic Research Policy Act of 1984. NSF also
supports university research to increase our knowledge of the region, to
improve understanding of Arctic phenomena, and to enhance stewardship of
natural resources. Funding in the Arctic includes research and
operational support for work conducted in that remote region.

NSF is charged with managing all U.S. activities in the Antarctic as a
single, integrated program. The U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP) implements
national policy to maintain Antarctica as an area of international
cooperation reserved for peaceful purposes, to preserve and pursue
unique opportunities for scientific research to understand Antarctica
and its role in global environmental systems, to protect the relatively
pristine environment and its associated ecosystems, and to assure the
conservation and sustainable management of the living resources in the
surrounding oceans. Funding for the USAP includes research and the
science support directly linked to research projects, as well as support
for the broader operations and logistics infrastructure that makes it
possible to conduct science on the remote and otherwise uninhabited
continent.

The Office of Polar Programs supports research and education, ranging
from single investigator projects to large multi-investigator,
multi-institutional, and sometimes international programs. The polar
regions have special significance for studies of the environment and
understanding processes related to global change and its possible
effects. These regions are especially sensitive to climate change
because of processes that are affected by low temperatures or by phase
changes of water between the liquid and solid state.

*Budget*

The Office of Polar Programs' FY 2001 budget was \$276.57 million, of
which approximately 73% is classified as "Tools," including research
support, operations, and logistics. Over 26% is classified as "Ideas"
\-- direct research project support. The research supported and the
facilities and logistics that make the research possible support the NSF
goal, "Discoveries at and across the frontier of science and engineering
connected to learning, innovation and service to society." About 1% of
OPP's funding is classified as "People" and contributes to the goal of a
"Diverse, internationally competitive and globally engaged workforce of
scientists, engineers, and well-prepared citizens." The majority of
these funds are for three Foundation-wide initiatives, Integrative
Graduate Education and Research Training program (IGERT), Model
Institutes of Excellence (MIE), and Increasing the Participation and
Advancement of Women in Academic Science and Engineering Careers
(ADVANCE). OPP contributes funds but does not manage any of these
programs. OPP also supports Research Experiences for Undergraduates and
contributes to GK-12 activities.

+----------------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
| Outcome Goal         | Ideas         | Tools         | People        |
|                      | (Research)    | (Facilities)  | (Education)   |
|                      |               |               |               |
|                      | 25% of        | 74% of        | \< 1% of      |
|                      | funding       | funding       | funding       |
+----------------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
| Discoveries at and   |               |               |               |
| across the frontier  |               |               |               |
| of science and       |               |               |               |
| engineering          |               |               |               |
| connected to         |               |               |               |
| learning, innovation |               |               |               |
| and service to       |               |               |               |
| society              |               |               |               |
+----------------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
| Broadly accessible,  |               |               |               |
| state-of-the-art     |               |               |               |
| information-bases    |               |               |               |
| and shared research  |               |               |               |
| and education tools  |               |               |               |
+----------------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
| Diverse,             |               |               |               |
| internationally      |               |               |               |
| competitive and      |               |               |               |
| globally engaged     |               |               |               |
| workforce of         |               |               |               |
| scientists,          |               |               |               |
| engineers, and       |               |               |               |
| well-prepared        |               |               |               |
| citizens             |               |               |               |
+----------------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+

> Shading of blocks indicates whether the funds contribute in a major
> way (darkest), a minor way (medium), or not at all (white).

*How Report was Developed*

Information for this report was developed by staff in OPP, from all
three sections: Arctic Sciences Section, Antarctic Sciences Section, and
Polar Research Support Section. This is particularly true for Section F
of the report. Information from the FY 2001 COV of Antarctic research
support was also used. Information for Section E of the report was
developed primarily from NSF databases. Other data on facilities was
developed in conjunction with OPP staff and contractors.

*Sources of Information for Report*

Primary information comes directly from the researchers through site
visits, scientific meetings, annual progress reports, final project
reports, and informal PI reports to program officers. Secondary sources
of information include press releases and other publications as well as
television and radio reports. When possible, specific award numbers have
been provided.

## FY 2001 Highlights

Highlights of OPP-supported activities are below. This is not intended
to be all-inclusive. More complete descriptions of these activities can
be found in Section E of this report.

**Iron Isotopes as Biological Markers.** This project, from MarsRock,
developed a chemical method for fingerprinting biological activity in
meteorites using the isotopic composition of iron (Fe),triggering new
research in a field crossing geochemistry and biology and has attracted
several other research groups.

**Teachers Experiencing Antarctica and the Arctic (TEA).** The TEA
program promotes integration of research and education by allowing K-12
teachers to join a research team in Antarctica or the Arctic. The
teachers post daily electronic journals for their students and develop
teaching materials for classroom use. Fifteen teachers participated in
the program this year

**K-12 Teacher Training in Arctic Science.** A partnership between the
University of Texas at Austin Marine Science Institute and the Port
Aransas Independent School District provides training for K-12 teachers
on arctic science, including topics such as climate, sea ice, ozone
depletion, and human adaptations.

**Underrepresented Students Study Arctic DNA Samples.** Students
participated in Arctic DNA research in conjunction with the Center for
Academic and Research Excellence (CARE), a program in which
underrepresented students are trained in scientific techniques and
participate in research projects.

**Alaskan Fisheries Management Aided by Research on Lake Trout.** In
2001, PIs met with the head of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game
(ADF&G) for Fairbanks and the north to inform him of the slow growth and
extreme longevity of lake trout in the region. As a result, ADF&G
instigated a catch-and-release-only program for lake trout north of the
Brooks Range.

**Sea Ice and Native Whale Hunting in the Arctic.** Two workshops
brought together scientists and their instrumental data, anthropological
records, and sea ice models with Native experts on sea ice conditions
that have affected the whale hunt.

**New Tool to Study Abrupt Climate Change.** Researchers have developed
and applied a new ice core \'paleothermometer\' based on the principle
of thermal diffusion, in which a mixture of gases separates into heavier
and lighter components when subjected to a temperature gradient. This
technique allows direct comparison of the timing of atmospheric trace
gas variations (for example, methane) relative to variations in surface
temperature.

**New Ribotype Discovered in Polar Plankton.** PI compared the
phylogenetic composition b-Proteobacterial ammonia-oxidizing bacteria
(AOB) assemblages in plankton samples collected in the Arctic and
Antarctic, and found a novel 16S rDNA sequence distantly related to
*Nitrosospira* in all samples that were positive for AOB. The widespread
distribution of this ribotype in cold oceans suggests that it represents
a dominant species of planktonic AOB. This is an important first-look at
the genomic composition of polar bacteria.

**Marine, Glacial and Environmental History of the Russian Arctic.** A
PI completed two field expeditions to the shores of the Kara Sea on the
Yamal and Yugorski Peninsulas, areas that are parts of the
little-studied Russian Arctic. The geologic record has yielded
significant new information on the marine, glacial, and environmental
history of the Russian Arctic, in some cases dramatically revising our
understanding of past glacial extents and dynamics.

**Geometry and Early Structure of the Universe.** The array of sensors
on the various telescopes at South Pole Station have continued to
produce significant new insights into the structure of the cosmic
microwave background radiation (CMBR). In particular, the Degree Angular
Scale Interferometer (DASI) is currently providing measurements of the
background radiation anisotropy over a range of scales that span the
first three acoustic peaks in the CMBR power spectrum.

**New Information About the Size of the Antarctic Ice Sheet During the
Pliocene.** By examining sediments recovered from sites on the Kerguelen
Plateau and on Maude Rise, a PI has discovered important new information
about the age of inception of the Antarctic ice sheets. This information
will improve understanding of Antarctic environmental history and will
be useful to polar paleoclimatology and paleobiology.

**Thinning Arctic Sea Ice Cover.** The cause of a rapid, decade-long
thinning of Arctic Ocean sea ice in the 1990s, which has been widely
reported in the press in the past two years, is largely attributed to
changes in atmospheric circulation. The potential disappearance of the
sea ice is critical to understanding future climates because of the role
of surface reflectance from snow and sea ice in the Arctic in global
climate change feedbacks.

**New Model of Kinetic Theory.** As part of a project on dynamic
properties of plankton in polar lakes, PIs developed a new model of
kinetic theory that could replace the 90 year-old Michaelis Menten and
60 year-old Monod models to become the new standard for describing and
understanding nutrient flux and transport into microorganisms and other
cells.

**New Diatom Fossil Species.** A project analyzing drill cores recovered
by the Cape Roberts Project discovered a new diatom species in Antarctic
waters during the interval of 18-35 million years ago.

**Oceanic Carbon Sequestration.** Synthesis of oceanographic data
obtained in the Southern Ocean Experiment of the Joint Global Ocean Flux
Study has given a much more precise understanding of the temporal and
spatial variation in the effectiveness of the Southern Ocean as a sink
for atmospheric carbon dioxide. The new data show that this region
accounts for nearly a quarter of the global oceanic sequestering of
atmospheric carbon dioxide.

**Stream Size and Nutrient Transport.** In a finding that could have
important consequences for land-use policies in watersheds from the
Chesapeake Bay to Puget Sound, researchers have discovered that small
streams contribute more to removing nutrients such as nitrogen from
water than do their larger counterparts.

**Acquisition of Core Logging Equipment for the Antarctic Marine Geology
Research Facility.** The Multi-Sensor Core Logger has been used to
analyze high-resolution mineralogical variations in marine sediment
cores collected from four USAP cruises. The high-resolution MSCL data,
among the first high-resolution core data from the USAP, contributes to
interdisciplinary environmental change research.

**The APOGEE vehicle.** An Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) has been
designed to work under ice-covered water, particularly in the Arctic
Ocean Basin. A PI is developing a cost-effective experimental platform
that can access all portions of the Arctic Ocean Basin.

For projects considered particularly high-risk, multidisciplinary and
innovative, see section on FY 2001 Areas of Emphases, Ideas, page 39.

## Management and Operations

OPP manages and oversees operations and logistics in remote regions.
Some OPP successes, therefore, do not readily fit into specific
performance goals, but in very important ways provide the foundation for
the successes reported. These are often the result of management
decisions and can positively impact the entire program:

**Improved Infrastructure for Support of Arctic Science.** OPP improved
infrastructure for Arctic science by means of a cooperative agreement
with the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, for operation of the Toolik
Lake field station (completed labs, upgraded power plant and wireless
LAN); through upgrades of living conditions at Summit field camp in
Greenland; through improved operations at Barrow Environmental
Observatory; with a new mooring at the North Pole Environmental
Observatory[^1]; with a new radar at Barrow for mesosphere and lower
thermosphere observations; and with studies preparing for the Little
Diomede Environmental Observatory. [^2]

**Provided and Supported Logistics Needs for 150 Projects and 600
Scientists.** Approximately 50% of fieldwork was supported in Alaska,
often via VECO Polar Resources,[^3] Barrow Arctic Science
Consortium[^4], or the University of Alaska, Fairbanks (Toolik Lake)
[^5]. Support in Russia has been improved by means of new arrangements
with a variety of providers. Expanded demand for air support and
satellite communications in the past three years has been met.

**Retrieved the Long-term Acoustic Tomography Array from the Arctic
Ocean.** In cooperation with the Office of Naval Research, OPP supported
retrieval of the array located off Alert, Canada, which, upon analysis,
will provide a continuous four-year record of ocean temperature and
climate. This effort took advantage of logistics support of the
synchronous emplacement of moorings at the North Pole Environmental
Observatory. [^6]

**First science cruise of the USCG Cutter *Healy*** to the Gakkel Ridge
in the Arctic Ocean. NSF worked extensively with USCG, the science team
and the polar oceanographic community to establish a new, effective
research capability opening up new research possibilities in the Arctic.
The cruise also utilized NASA's TILT communication system to provide
high bandwidth at high latitudes.

**First OPP-sponsored field safety training course** held in the spring
in Fairbanks, Alaska. This course will be offered again next year in
several locations.

**Expanded pool of satellite phones** allocated to remote field parties
in the Arctic.

**Summit Station, Greenland operated year-round** with a staff of 4 to
support an international suite of experiments.

**Light Vehicle Replacement**. OPP recently completed replacement of the
USAP light wheeled vehicles (pick-up trucks and vans), which will
consolidate the fleet around a single vendor. This consolidation will
result in reduced maintenance costs and reduced total inventory of spare
parts

**Commercial Helicopter Services in Antarctica.** The first commercial
contract for helicopter services has ended with marked success.
Operational costs for USAP helicopters were reduced 50% from the
Department of Defense with marked improvement in responsiveness to PI
needs. OPP will continue to contract for commercial helicopter services.

**New Science Support Aircraft for Antarctic Field Work**. USAP
contracted for a \"medium lift\" ski-equipped aircraft - Basler 67. The
field test of this aircraft was successful, proving this aircraft can
enhance USAP's ability to support deep field science.

**CTBT Monitoring.** USAP established and successfully installed the
first Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) monitoring site in the
Windless Bight, Antarctica. This was a combined effort involving NSF,
the Department of Defense, and the University of Alaska.

**LC-130 Maintenance**. Contracted with Air New Zealand for maintenance
of Air National Guard LC-130 aircraft, saving the Air National Guard
approximately \$300,000 per aircraft.

**Medical Equipment for Antarctica**. Installed, tested, and used
ultrasound diagnostic capabilities for use at McMurdo and South Pole
stations.

**Antarctic Remediation.** A joint U.S. and New Zealand team has
completed an environmental survey of a former Antarctic research station
at Cape Hallett. This station was operated jointly by New Zealand and
the United States from the International Geophysical Year in 1957 to
February 1973 on the eastern side of Cape Hallett. It was operated as a
year-round research station until 1964, when the main scientific
laboratory was destroyed by fire. Steps have been recommended to
safeguard penguin chicks at a nearby rookery from melt pools
contaminated with oil from an unknown source.

**Successful Winter Evacuation from the South Pole.** A twin-engine
plane successfully completed an historic 1,300-mile Antarctic flight to
the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, bringing a new physician to
replace the ailing doctor who recently suffered a bout of gallstones and
associated pancreatitis. NSF officials along with the Air Force and the
Department of Interior had analyzed options and concluded that the Twin
Otter airframe offered the best chance of getting to and from the Pole
in the near-dark with temperatures around -75 Celsius (-103 Fahrenheit).
Two Twin Otters (one for backup) flew from Canada to South America and
then on to Britain\'s Rothera research station located on the Antarctic
Peninsula. When weather conditions made it possible, one of the planes
made the 10-hour flight to the South Pole carrying two pilots, an
engineer, a replacement physician and a nurse. After landing at the
Pole, the crew shut down the aircraft and rested for 10 hours before
restarting the engines and successfully evacuating the station
physician, who had been suffering from gallstones and associated
pancreatitis.

**Cost-Saving Retrograde**. Waste products returned from Antarctica
formerly processed in Washington state were processed in California,
reducing per diem costs for the cargo vessel by approximately \$200,000
and decreasing by several days the time it takes to return samples and
cargo to investigators.

**South Pole Communications**. Improvements in communication at the
South include: installation of a 9-meter satellite earth station;
acquisition and inauguration of significant bandwidth available to South
Pole via the MARISAT satellite; and transmission of an aggregate 1.1
terabytes of science data via the South Pole NSF/NASA TDRSS high speed
service. This is the largest amount of science data ever transmitted
from Antarctica by the USAP in one year.

**Flight Communications Improvements.** The final installation of the
modernization program for the McMurdo Station HF radio communications
infrastructure was successfully completed. This infrastructure is used
for aircraft flight following, search and rescue, and deep field science
operations and safety.

# B. Crosscutting and Coordination Activities 

OPP's geographic focus on the poles lends itself to interdisciplinary
research, interagency, and international activities, and OPP encourages
these types of activities.

## NSF-wide activities

Crosscutting activities include the following:

-   Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic (SHEBA) - cooperative with GEO/OCE
    and Office of Naval Research (ONR).

-   Shelf Basin Interactions (SBI) -- cooperative with GEO/OCE and ONR.

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-   Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Education (GK-12) (Lead: DGE/EHR):
    OPP co-funds one GK-12 award: San Diego State University, Nancy
    Taylor and Walt Oechel, in collaboration with Barrow schools.

-   CAREER: OPP participates on the coordinating committee.

-   IGERT: OPP participates on the coordinating committee.

-   Biocomplexity: OPP is represented on the environmental research and
    education working group) which advises senior management on NSF\'s
    environmental portfolio and on the Biocomplexity special
    competitions.

-   Partnerships for Innovation (Lead: EHR): OPP co-funds an award to
    Ilisagvik College and partners to develop, test, and refine distance
    education model for isolated rural communities.

-   EPSCoR (lead: EHR): OPP works with the EPSCOR office on outreach
    travel to EPSCoR states.

-   ADVANCE: OPP participates on the agency-wide working group

-   National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR): Works with GEO's
    Division of Atmospheric Sciences and NCAR to refine atmospheric
    modelling of Antarctic meteorology to assist in flight forecasting;
    will lead to integration of forecasters, modellers, and research
    scientists in understanding dynamics affecting weather in
    Antarctica.

-   Worked with EHR\'s Division of Elementary, Secondary, and Informal
    Education to support Teachers Experiencing the Arctic and Antarctica
    (TEA), a program that puts teachers in polar regions with NSF-funded
    research teams to bring polar science into classrooms.

-   Worked with the NSF's Office of Legislative and Public Affairs to
    select media events to bring Arctic and Antarctic science to the
    general public.

-   MRI: OPP participates as a member of the coordinating committee for
    this agency wide program.

## Interagency activities

OPP has long-term collaborative ventures with other agencies in support
of research including the Long Duration Balloon Program (with NASA), the
Antarctic Mapping and Geodesy Program (with USGS), the National Ice Core
Laboratory (with USGS), the Antarctic Meteorite Program (with NASA and
the Smithsonian Institution), SCICEX (with ONR), Greenland climate
change (with NASA), gas flux measurements (with DOE, NASA, and NOAA),
the Cold Regions Bibliography Project (with Army Cold Regions Research
and Engineering Laboratory), and the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment
(with NOAA).

OPP also actively works with the Interagency Arctic Research Policy
Committee (IARPC), for which NSF is the lead agency. This past year
IARPC, at the urging of Neal Lane, Assistant to the President for
Science and Technology, authorized the establishment of a working group
on the Study of Environmental Change (SEARCH) and authorized the working
group to develop a multi-agency research project and a coordinated
approach to implementation. The working group completed a report
recommending a coordinated research program, and IARPC staff
representatives currently are implementing the report. There is
increased agency attention on SEARCH because the Arctic is in the midst
of a major change involving impacts on the atmosphere, oceans, land,
ecosystems and society. Arctic change is connected to changes in the
atmospheric circulation of the Northern Hemisphere. The future course of
the change is unknown, but change in the Arctic may be a fingerprint of
global warming. To study these changes, long-term programs in
observation, analysis and modeling will be required.

Other interagency activities included:

-   Participation in the Department of State Interagency Arctic Policy
    Group, which meets monthly, addressing a wide range of
    Arctic-related issues.

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-   Cooperating with the DoD in the installation and operating of
    infrasound, and seismic instruments to monitor for nuclear weapons
    tests under the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.

-   Work with NASA and U.S. Air Force in the establishment of a Joint
    Spacecraft Operations Center in McMurdo station for the downlink of
    remote sensing satellite imagery, tracking first orbit polar
    satellite trajectory parameters, and station communication
    functions.

-   Continued support of NOAA Climate Modeling and Diagnostics
    Laboratory at the South Pole for continuous monitoring of
    atmospheric chemistry including green house gases and ozone and
    cooperative measurement of UV at Barrow, Alaska..

-   The following Antarctic projects are cooperative efforts with NASA:

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-   Long Duration Ballooning Program - near space balloon borne
    experiments to assist in the measurement of mass of the universe and
    investigate the composition and energy spectra of galactic cosmic
    rays.

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-   Antarctic Miniature Lidar/Antarctic Weather Station Lidar - to
    establish a long-term data record of evolution of polar
    stratospheric clouds; and establish long-term near surface to 30
    kilometer backscatter and transmission.

-   In cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey assist in the conduct
    of geodetic surveying, aerial photography, remote sensing and
    mapping to support research objectives primarily in geological,
    geophysical, and glaciologic sciences.

-   Continued cooperative efforts with the U.S. Army Cold Regions
    Research and Engineering Laboratory for assistance in polar
    engineering of the modernization of South Pole Station, airfields,
    and snow and ice roadways.

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-   Work with the U.S. Coast Guard for the emplacement of instruments to
    measure the dynamics surrounding the major ice bergs that have
    broken from the Ross Ice Shelf. The U.S. Coast Guard also breaks the
    channel to McMurdo Station each year for resupply ships.

-   Work with CIA, NIMA, and USGS to release images of the Barrow,
    Alaska, area for use in environmental studies.

-   Work with the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names with USGS. This
    is a subcommittee of the Department of Interior's Board on
    Geographic Names.

-   OPP represents NSF on the Civil Applications Committee and on the
    Global Fiducials Working Group.

## International activities

OPP also works extensively with the Department of State on Antarctic
issues, particularly those that relate to the Antarctic Treaty.
International cooperation in the U.S. Antarctic Program is extensive in
both research and operations. It usually involves in-kind contribution
of national strengths to the realization of research goals beyond the
capability of a single nation. These goals generally are achieved by (1)
performing similar work in different places (collecting weather data,
for example) and sharing the results as required by the Antarctic Treaty
or (2) performing an intensive project in one place (an example is the
1996--1998 Cape Roberts project, which will drill an ocean-bottom
sedimentary core from a platform on coastal sea ice) in which each
participating nation delivers a negotiated component of the project.
Opportunities for international cooperation are explored and implemented
regularly. Formal mechanisms include the Scientific Committee on
Antarctic Research (SCAR) of the International Council of Scientific
Unions (nongovernmental), the annual Antarctic Treaty consultative
meetings (government-to-government policy decisions), the Council of
Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP, a U.S. initiative), the
Council's Standing Committee on Antarctic Logistics and Operations
(SCALOP) and its Antarctic Managers' Electronic Network (AMEN:
electronic mail and data exchange and a home page on the World Wide
Web).

Other international work includes:

-   Member of Forum of Arctic Research Operators (FARO) Executive
    Committee

-   Memorandum of Understanding with Norway (Norsk Polarinstitut for
    research on Svalbard (Norway)

-   U.S. representative to Arctic Ocean Studies Board.

-   U.S. representative to Regional Board of the International Arctic
    Science Committee.

-   Steering Committee of Arctic Climate Impact Assessment under Arctic
    Council.

```{=html}
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```
-   Cape Roberts drilling was completed in FY 2000, but science
    cooperation is ongoing and continued through FY 2001). This project
    is interdisciplinary \-- earth science - paleontology,
    paleoceanography, geophysics, tectonics -- and includes the
    cooperation of 7 nations: U.S., New Zealand, Italy, the United
    Kingdom, Germany, Australia, and the Netherlands.

-   The Antarctic Meteorite program is a key element that facilitates
    research conducted by an international community of planetary
    materials researchers. Samples are provided on a regular basis to
    researchers in the U.S. and many other countries. The meteorite
    program is also an interagency activity that bears on a wide range
    of planetary science issues.

-   Cooperative efforts with Russia in the remote aerogeophysical, and
    seismic survey of Lake Vostok and on a variety of projects in the
    Russian Arctic.

-   Workshop on Antarctic weather forecasting with participants from
    Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, and Italy.

-   Continued logistics cooperative arrangements with Italy and New
    Zealand for support to the Ross Sea Region of the Antarctica.

-   International Trans-Antarctic Scientific Expedition an international
    effort to collect and interpret a continental wide array of
    environmental parameters including transfer functions between the
    atmosphere and snow/ice interface; verify atmospheric models, and
    interpolate spatial and time-series from satellite remote sensing.
    The U.S. component is, collecting surface and near surface snow and
    ice samples and conducting radar studies to determine the internal
    stratigraphy and bedrock topography of the terrain along a traverse
    in West Antarctica.

-   Discussions are being held with the British Antarctic program to
    plan a joint field program in West Antarctica in the Amundsen Sea
    Embayment section (Pine Island/Thwaites Glacier area).

-   ·Continued cooperation with New Zealand on joint topographic mapping
    projects as a research support activity. This activity is
    implemented through the NSF/OPP partnership with the USGS for
    Antarctic Mapping and Geodesy Program.

-   Cold Regions Bibliography Project collaboration with the world's
    most complete polar research library at the Scott Polar Research
    Institute, University of Cambridge, UK.

-   International teacher exchange with the Swedish Polar Research
    Secretariat.

OPP/NSF has been extensively involved in Arctic Council activities, at
the request of the U.S. Department of State. This high level
intergovernmental forum addresses environmental protection and
sustainable development in the Arctic region. Members of the forum
include 8 Arctic nations, Arctic indigenous representatives and a wide
range of governmental and organizational observers. OPP's major
involvement includes participation in a comprehensive study of the
impact of climate change in the Arctic. This Arctic Climate Impact
Assessment (ACIA) is an international multi-year program that will
assess the impact and effects of climate change, including
environmental, human health, social and economic impacts. This project
was initiated in FY 2000 and received official ministerial endorsement
by the Arctic Council in FY 2001.

# C. FY 2001 COV Results and FY 2002-2004 COV Schedule

## FY 2001 COV: Polar (Antarctic) Research Support

The COV for Polar Research Support was held September 6-7, 2001.
Although the NSF Committee of Visitors structure requires COVs to
address GPRA goals and results, this standard structure is intended for
NSF's primary business: awarding research grants. The standard structure
of the COV reports does not lend itself to identifying results or
successes of an operational program. Those successes have been included
in this GPRA report in Section A under "Management and Operations." That
being said, however, the COV did realize that is a direct link between
the performance of the Polar Research Support Section and the research
results of the Antarctic Sciences Section. The Executive Summary of the
COV Report includes the following statement:

> "The performance of the National Science Foundation\'s Polar Research
> Support Section (PRSS) is most directly judged by assessing the
> effectiveness of the Office of Polar Programs (OPP) in accomplishing
> its primary mission \~ conducting science in Antarctica. While
> research support operations can and will be judged on metrics of
> efficiency, productivity, on-time performance, and cost effectiveness,
> it is the more intangible measures related to the quality, impact, and
> relevance of Antarctic science that the success of PRSS should
> ultimately be judged against. In all measures of performance, it is
> the Committee of Visitors' assessment that Antarctic science is
> strong, it is relevant, it is cutting edge, and it is by far the best
> being performed in the world today. The Committee, therefore,
> concludes that PRSS is accomplishing its major objectives as reflected
> in the state and health of U.S. Antarctic science. Given the
> challenging environment, the complex network of stations and
> facilities, the fleets of vehicles of all kinds, the extensive
> infrastructure, supply lines that extend virtually around the world,
> and not least of all, the human resources provided by PRSS, it is even
> more impressive that their presence is often taken for granted by the
> ultimate end users - the National Science Foundation-supported
> scientists. The question must be asked; could the accomplishments of
> the scientists be achieved if PRSS were not there \~ the answer is
> clearly no.
>
> ....
>
> "Discoveries include enhancing our understanding of the behavior of
> the earth system, providing cosmological insights into the origins of
> the universe, and documenting ecosystem responses to climate change.
> Specific important discoveries include: measurement of cosmic
> microwaves generated at the time of the creation of the universe,
> recognition of recent major fluctuations in sea ice cover, revision of
> our understanding of atmospheric sulfur chemistry, recognition of
> ancient volcanic eruptions in the Ross Sea, and the mapping of
> sub-glacial lakes under more than four kilometers of the East
> Antarctic ice sheet. The creation of new knowledge and techniques
> within and across traditional boundaries as a result of OPP awards and
> PRSS support include: descriptions of global scale primary
> productivity, definition of the role of clouds in atmospheric warming
> and melting of sea ice, discovery of fish anti-freeze genes that link
> evolution with climate history, and the use of Antarctic ice as a
> detector of high energy particles. It is clear that these discoveries
> required substantial and complex logistical support from PRSS and the
> excellence of the science produced says volumes about the
> effectiveness of PRSS."

The specific recommendations made by the COV are unrelated to GPRA
outcome goals.

## COV Schedule FY 2001-2004

  ------------------ ----------------------------------------------------
  FY 2001            Antarctic Research Support

  FY 2002            none

  FY 2003            Polar Sciences (Arctic and Antarctic)

  FY 2004            Antarctic Research Support
  ------------------ ----------------------------------------------------

# D. Summary of FY 2001 Achievements 

OPP's results for each goal and indicator is summarized in the tables
below:

## OPP Results for Outcome Goals

+-------------------------------------------------+--------------------+
| **Goal:** Development of \"a diverse,           | **Overall Rating   |
| internationally competitive and                 | for Goal:**        |
| globally-engaged workforce of scientists,       |                    |
| engineers, and well-prepared citizens.\"        | Successful         |
+-------------------------------------------------+--------------------+
|                                                 |                    |
+-------------------------------------------------+--------------------+
| > **Indicators**                                | **Rating for Each  |
|                                                 | Indicator:**       |
+-------------------------------------------------+--------------------+
| > Improved mathematics, science, and technology | Successful         |
| > skills for U.S. students at the K-12 level    |                    |
| > and for citizens of all ages.                 |                    |
+-------------------------------------------------+--------------------+
| > A science and technology and instructional    | Successful         |
| > workforce that reflects America\'s diversity. |                    |
+-------------------------------------------------+--------------------+
| > Globally engaged science and engineering      | Successful         |
| > professionals who are among the best in the   |                    |
| > world.                                        |                    |
+-------------------------------------------------+--------------------+
| > A public that is provided access to the       | Successful         |
| > benefits of science and engineering research  |                    |
| > and education.                                |                    |
+-------------------------------------------------+--------------------+
|                                                 |                    |
+-------------------------------------------------+--------------------+
| **Goal:** Enabling \"discovery across the       | **Overall Rating   |
| frontier of science and engineering, connected  | for Goal:**        |
| to learning, innovation, and service to         |                    |
| society.\"                                      | Successful         |
+-------------------------------------------------+--------------------+
|                                                 |                    |
+-------------------------------------------------+--------------------+
| > **Indicators**                                | **Rating for Each  |
|                                                 | Indicator:**       |
+-------------------------------------------------+--------------------+
| > A robust and growing fundamental knowledge    | Successful         |
| > base that enhances progress in all science    |                    |
| > and engineering areas including the science   |                    |
| > of learning.                                  |                    |
+-------------------------------------------------+--------------------+
| > Discoveries that advance the frontiers of     | Successful         |
| > science, engineering and technology.          |                    |
+-------------------------------------------------+--------------------+
| > Partnerships connecting discovery to          | Successful         |
| > innovation, learning, and societal            |                    |
| > advancement.                                  |                    |
+-------------------------------------------------+--------------------+
| > Research and education processes that are     | Successful         |
| > synergistic.                                  |                    |
+-------------------------------------------------+--------------------+
|                                                 |                    |
+-------------------------------------------------+--------------------+
| **Goal:** Providing \"broadly accessible,       | **Overall Rating   |
| state-of-the-art information-bases and shared   | for Goal:**        |
| research and education tools.\"                 |                    |
|                                                 | Successful         |
+-------------------------------------------------+--------------------+
|                                                 |                    |
+-------------------------------------------------+--------------------+
| > **Indicators**                                | **Rating for Each  |
|                                                 | Indicator:**       |
+-------------------------------------------------+--------------------+
| > Shared-use platforms, facilities,             | ####### Successful |
| > instruments, and databases that enable        |                    |
| > discovery and enhance the productivity and    |                    |
| > effectiveness of the science and engineering  |                    |
| > workforce.                                    |                    |
+-------------------------------------------------+--------------------+
| > Networking and connectivity that take full    | Successful         |
| > advantage of the Internet and make science,   |                    |
| > mathematics, engineering and technology       |                    |
| > information available to all citizens         |                    |
+-------------------------------------------------+--------------------+
| > Information and policy analyses that          | N/A                |
| > contribute to the effective use of science    |                    |
| > and engineering resources.                    |                    |
+-------------------------------------------------+--------------------+

## OPP Results for Management and Investment Process Goals

+-------------------------------------------+--------------------------+
| **Management Goals**                      | **OPP Result**           |
|                                           |                          |
|                                           | **Goal met/not met**     |
+-------------------------------------------+--------------------------+
|                                           |                          |
+-------------------------------------------+--------------------------+
| **Diversity** - NSF will show an increase | Goal **not met**         |
| over 1997 in the total number of hires to |                          |
| S&E positions from underrepresented       | OPP 2001 - 1 hire: 1     |
| groups.                                   | woman                    |
|                                           |                          |
|                                           | OPP 1997 -- 1 hire: 1    |
|                                           | woman                    |
+-------------------------------------------+--------------------------+
|                                           |                          |
+-------------------------------------------+--------------------------+
| **[Investment Process                     |                          |
| Goals]{.smallcaps}**                      |                          |
+-------------------------------------------+--------------------------+
| **Implementation of Merit Review          | 60% of reviewers address |
| Criteria** **-- Reviewers** address both  | both (up from 34% in FY  |
| criteria                                  | 1999)                    |
+-------------------------------------------+--------------------------+
| **Implementation of Merit Review Criteria | 73% of program officers  |
| -- Program Officers** address both        | address both (up from    |
| criteria                                  | 47% in FY 1999)          |
+-------------------------------------------+--------------------------+
| **Time to Prepare Proposals** -- 95% of   | Goal **met**.            |
| program announcements available at least  |                          |
| 90 days prior to deadline                 | 2 out of 2.              |
+-------------------------------------------+--------------------------+
| **Time to Decision** -- 70% of proposals  | Goal **not met**         |
| acted on within 6 months                  |                          |
|                                           | 59% acted on within 6    |
|                                           | months.                  |
+-------------------------------------------+--------------------------+
| **Award Size** -- average annualized      | Goal **met**             |
| awards size at least \$110,000            |                          |
|                                           | \$111,902                |
+-------------------------------------------+--------------------------+
| **Award Duration** -- average duration at | Goal **not met**         |
| least 3 years                             |                          |
|                                           | 2.7 months               |
+-------------------------------------------+--------------------------+
| **Maintaining Openness in System** -- 30% | Goal **not met**         |
| of research grants awarded to new         |                          |
| investigators                             | 17% to new investigators |
+-------------------------------------------+--------------------------+
|                                           |                          |
+-------------------------------------------+--------------------------+
| **Construction and Upgrade of             | Goal **met** for SPSM.   |
| Facilities**                              |                          |
|                                           | Goal **not met** for     |
| Annual expenditures do not exceed 110% of | LC-130's.                |
| plan                                      |                          |
|                                           |                          |
| Annual scheduled milestones met.          |                          |
+-------------------------------------------+--------------------------+
| **Operation and Management of             | Goal **met**.            |
| Facilities**                              |                          |
|                                           |                          |
| Operating time lost less than 10% of      |                          |
| scheduled operating time.                 |                          |
+-------------------------------------------+--------------------------+

## Discussion of Goals Not Met

*Time to Prepare Proposals*

The relatively long planning time required for fielding projects in
Antarctica makes it extremely difficult to make informed decisions on
proposals within six months. Proposals undergo a merit review of the
scientific quality of the work proposed as well as a fairly lengthy
analysis to determine the logistics and support required. This results
in a longer-than-average time for decisions to be made.

OPP will be reviewing the entire review process to determine whether
changes could reasonably be made to speed processing time without
impacting the quality of decisions made.

*Award Duration*

The average duration of research awards in OPP is 2.7 years, somewhat
short of the goal of 3 years. Increasing duration as a general goal
makes sense, but cannot be applied across the board. Many awards are
naturally short, including workshops. However, OPP understands that
longer duration is an NSF goal and makes efforts, when possible and when
prudent, to increase duration.

*New Principal Investigators*

The percentage of new investigators who submit proposals to OPP is
perennially low. Recognizing that fact, OPP held a two-day new
investigators workshop in FY 2001, attended by about 90 people, to
introduce new investigators to polar research. It will be difficult to
judge the success of the workshop in terms of increasing new researchers
until FY 2002, but proposals were received in June from workshop
attendees -- first time proposers.

*Construction and Upgrade of Facilities -- Annual Milestones*

Three NSF-owned LC-130s are being upgraded to conform to Air Force
safety and operability standards. Completion of the three aircraft was
originally scheduled for FY01. Modifications were complete on one
aircraft in FY01. The other two are scheduled to be complete November
2001 and January 2002. The original schedule for completion did not
realistically account for complexity of modification or the difficulty
in obtaining certain critical parts.

Lack of Information

Most of the Investment Goals have quantitative data used for measuring
success. Assessing whether the goals on use of both merit review
criterion have been met continues to be problematic. The NSF Performance
Plan indicates "Reviewer data will be collected on FastLane to establish
a baseline," but there is no systematic method for making this
assessment. Since measurement depends on individuals reading samples of
reviews and program recommendations, the process is subjective and the
results almost surely vary depending on who is reading the information.
The goals themselves are somewhat subjective since "reviewers address
the elements of both generic review criteria" gives no indication of how
many reviewers would need to address the criteria for it to be a
success. In addition, the solution of having separate blocks in FastLane
for the two review criteria and then using as a measure of success how
many people enter something in both blocks may not be valid. There
appears to be some confusion, still, on what criterion 2 is intended to
cover. Reviewers say they are addressing criterion 2, but they often are
not.

# E. Reporting Examples for Relevant Outcome Goals and Areas of Emphasis

# 

NSF has three broadly stated GPRA outcome goals covering a wide variety
of supported activities. The three areas covered are referred to simply
as People, Ideas, and Tools. Each of the three goals is further
subdivided into types of activities called "indicators." This section of
the report contains examples of OPP results for each GPRA goal and
indicator, as appropriate. The following research results have been
broadly organized under the GPRA People, Ideas and Tools outcome goals.
However, most address more than one of the performance indicators for
the three outcome goals. (See Attachment 1 for a summary table of goals
and indicators.) Therefore, each result is followed by a classification
of all of the performance indicators it addresses. For instance, if a
result addresses the first indicator of the GPRA People outcome goal and
the third indicator of the GPRA Ideas outcome goal, it will be followed
by the notation "*People 1, Ideas 3"*.

## People---Development of "a diverse, internationally competitive and globally-engaged workforce of scientists, engineers, and well-prepared citizens."

### [People Indicator 1]{.underline}---Improved mathematics, science, and technology skills for U.S. students at the K-12 level and for citizens of all ages, so that they can be competitive in a technological society.

**Teachers Experiencing Antarctica and the Arctic (TEA).** The TEA
program promotes integration of research and education by allowing K-12
teachers to join a research team in Antarctica or the Arctic. The
teachers post daily electronic journals for their students and develop
teaching materials for classroom use. Fifteen teachers participated in
the program this year[^7], including:

-   Kolene Krysl, Spacing and Group Dynamics of Weddell Seal Colonies
    (PI Donald B. Siniff, University of Minnesota)[^8]

-   Karina Leppik, The Antarctic Submillimeter Telescope/Remote
    Observatory (AST/RO) at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. (PIs
    Chris Martin and Anthony Stark, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for
    Astrophysics.)[^9]

-   Robert Schlichting, Investigation of Englacial Conduit Formation and
    Evolution (PI Andrew Fountain, Portland St.)[^10]

-   Elizabeth Youngman, Snowpack and Atmospheric Photochemistry (PI
    Roger Bales, U. Arizona)[^11]

> *People 1, 3, 4, Ideas 3, 4*

**K-12 Teacher Training in Arctic Science.** A partnership between the
University of Texas at Austin Marine Science Institute and the Port
Aransas Independent School District provides training for K-12 teachers
on arctic science, including topics such as climate, sea ice, ozone
depletion, and human adaptations.[^12] *People 1, Ideas 3*

**U.S. Component of the International Trans-Antarctic Expedition**
During the last two U.S. ITASE field seasons, team members (including
several students) participated in a variety of outreach activities.
These included: a Sunday lecture in McMurdo, a news article for the
*Antarctic Sun*, biweekly live telephone interviews with the Boston
Museum of Science, and e-mail/web site updates. Numerous visits have
been made to elementary schools that were following the project as part
of their curriculum in New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, Maryland and Ohio.
Several local newspaper articles have written about the project. One
team member developed laboratory exercises for grade schoolers, which
have been presented at teacher workshops. Video footage is available
from the field season and outreach websites are maintained. US ITASE
posters have been developed for distribution at teacher workshops. Data
collected as part of this program will be used as an integral part of a
senior/graduate level course in Paleoclimate Analysis. [^13] *People 1,
4, Ideas 3, 4, Tools 2*

### [People Indicator 2]{.underline}---A science and technology and instructional workforce that reflects America's diversity.

**Underrepresented Students Study Arctic DNA Samples.** Students
participated in Arctic DNA research in conjunction with the Center for
Academic and Research Excellence (CARE), a program in which
underrepresented students are trained in scientific techniques and
participate in research projects. Reliable techniques were developed for
extracting and amplifying DNA from ancient samples preserved in the
permafrost of the Arctic. As a result, over 100,000 samples of
vertebrates housed in the American Museum of Natural History can now
undergo genetic analysis.[^14] *People 2, Ideas 2, 4*

**Continued Outreach and Interaction with Alaska Native Organizations.**
Activities this year include a new Cooperative Agreement with the Alaska
Native Science Commission, continued research support and community
outreach via the Barrow Arctic Science Consortium, community support of
the Little Diomede Environmental Observatory and a long-term program
with the Calista Elders Council.[^15] *People 2, 4, Ideas 3*

### [People Indicator 3]{.underline}---Globally engaged science and engineering professionals who are among the best in the world.

**International Science at Summit, Greenland.** In an effort to broaden
international funding of a year-round program at Summit, a German
microwave radar study[^16] was added to the Swiss boundary layer
meteorology program[^17] and the on-going U.S. study of atmosphere-ice
transfer processes at the Environmental Observatory[^18] (site of the
Greenland Ice Sheet Project-2 core). *People 3, Ideas 2*

**International Workshops**. OPP organizes, provides resources for and
participates in a wide variety of workshops that facilitate
collaboration with international colleagues. These workshops are a
useful mechanism for ensuring that the US scientific community is
globally engaged and among the best in the world. During the past year,
OPP contributed to over twenty workshops. These included:

-   **Workshop Report: Life in Ancient Ice.** This symposium brought
    together an international group of researchers in diverse
    disciplines that work with ancient ice and permafrost. The group
    assessed current and future research that would extend knowledge of
    life in ancient frozen matrices. Topics included: contamination and
    decontamination; methods to detect and identify microorganisms and
    their nucleic acids; and methods on ice coring, transport,
    processing and culturing.[^19]

-   **Social Science Workshop and Field Course in the Arctic.** The
    Arctic Social Sciences Program supported an interdisciplinary
    workshop and field course in Alaska for graduate students through
    the Circumpolar Arctic Social Science (CASS) Ph.D. Network. The
    workshop promoted connections among graduate students across the
    entire circumpolar north, and between scholars and indigenous
    communities. The students and faculty participating in the workshop
    and field course published a book of proceedings, [Northern
    Communities and the Global Economy]{.underline}.[^20]

-   **West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) Workshop.** This workshop focused
    a broad cross-section of the Antarctic research community on two
    urgent global issues: future sea level and rapid climate changes. It
    promoted international, interdisciplinary collaboration, while
    providing an opportunity for scientists to exchange and present
    research results.[^21]

-   **Antarctic Acoustic Stratigraphy program (ANTOSTRAT) Symposium.**
    This international coordination encouraged and facilitated data
    sharing and research collaboration related to marine sedimentary
    records from the Antarctic continental margins. Much of the work
    focused on paleoenvironmental issues, including paleoceanography and
    ice sheet fluctuations in the past. The ultimate ANTOSTRAT goal has
    been to generate successful proposals to the Ocean Drilling
    Program.[^22]

-   **Antarctic Drilling - ANDRILL.** Scientists from several nations
    met at Oxford to prepare a science implementation plan for
    geological drilling in Antarctica. Most of the scientific goals for
    drilling are related to paleoclimate issues. Participating nations
    included the US, UK, Italy, New Zealand and Germany. [^23]

-   **Paleoecology and Quaternary Geology Arctic Workshop.** Graduate
    students from the US, Canada, and several European countries
    attended the Arctic Workshop, to present and discuss results of
    paleoecology and quaternary geology research.[^24]

*People 3, Ideas 3, 4*

**Integrating Research and Education Globally.** The Arctic Social
Sciences Program Director convened and chaired a special session at the
International Congress of Arctic Social Sciences in Quebec (May 16-20,
2001) on integrating research and education across international
boundaries.[^25] *People 3, Ideas 4*

### [People Indicator 4]{.underline}---A public that is provided access to the benefits of science and engineering research and education.

**Arctic Contaminants and Their Relevance to Arctic Communities.** PIs
met in the field with delegates from the U.S. Department of the
Interior, several state and federal congressional staff, the NSF liaison
to Congress, and numerous local governmental officials to provide a
special briefing on arctic contaminants and their relevance to Arctic
communities. The research project on airborne contaminants contributes
significantly to our understanding of how environmental issues affect
Inupiat people. The scientists worked directly with village elders and
other members of the community in planning, experimental design and
fieldwork. In this way, the two groups not only benefited from their
collective wisdom, but also were able to ensure that the project would
contribute significantly to their scientific and societal needs.[^26]
*People 4, Ideas 3*

**Alaskan Fisheries Management Aided by Research on Lake Trout.** In
2001, PIs met with the head of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game
(ADF&G) for Fairbanks and the north. After the scientists informed the
ADF&G of the slow growth and extreme longevity (more than 50 years) of
lake trout in the region, ADF&G instigated a catch-and-release-only
program for lake trout north of the Brooks Range. Each year, PIs brief
representatives of the ADF&G on the results of their research underway
at Toolik Lake, Alaska.[^27] *People 4, Ideas 3*

**Evolution of Alaskan Brown Bears and Gray Wolves.** Prior to the last
glaciation 20,000 years ago, North American bears and wolves showed a
wide diversity of distinctive DNA sequences. When the land bridge with
Asia opened, they were replaced by sequences of Old World origin. The
Old World sequences carried through to the present with minor
modifications. The fact that pre-glacial population of bears and wolves
were genetically more diverse than post-glacial ones suggests a natural,
rather than anthropogenic, cause of limited genetic diversity in large
North American carnivores. If supported by further study on other
species, these findings would have substantial importance for theories
of faunal change in the late Pleistocene. This work is featured in the
first show of the recent television series *EVOLUTION*, by WGBH and
Clear Blue Skies Productions.[^28] *People 1, 4, Ideas 1, 2*

**Sea Ice and Native Whale Hunting in the Arctic.** Changes in sea ice
dynamics for the past few decades have affected both the size of the
whale harvest and the ability of Arctic Natives in Alaska and Chukota to
implement safe hunting practices. Two workshops, "Native Whaling in the
Western Arctic: Development, Spread and Responses to a Changing
Environment" and "The Barrow Symposium on Sea Ice, 2000," brought
together scientists and their instrumental data, anthropological
records, and sea ice models with Native experts on sea ice conditions
that have affected the whale hunt. The symposia revealed a wealth of
knowledge from the scientific approach and Traditional Ecological
Knowledge (TEK) that when utilized together enhances the understanding
of environmental change impacts on subsistence and cultural hunting
practices.[^29] *People 4, Ideas 1, 2, 3*

## Ideas---Enabling "discovery across the frontier of science and engineering, connected to learning, innovation, and service to society."

### [Ideas Indicator 1]{.underline}---A robust and growing fundamental knowledge base that enhances progress in all science and engineering areas including the science of learning.

**New Tool to Study Abrupt Climate Change.** Abrupt climate events,
occurring in less than decades, are now widely recognized in
paleoclimatic records spanning the last 100,000 years. The aim of the
funded research was to better quantify the events\' magnitude and scope,
and to address their fundamental cause. Researchers have developed and
applied a new ice core \'paleothermometer\' based on the principle of
thermal diffusion, in which a mixture of gases separates into heavier
and lighter components when subjected to a temperature gradient. This
technique allows direct comparison of the timing of atmospheric trace
gas variations (for example, methane) relative to variations in surface
temperature. With these methods, PIs identified a 20-30 year lag of
atmospheric methane concentration change following Greenland temperature
change during the abrupt warming at the end of the last ice age (known
as the Bolling Transition). This lag is thought to be significant
because it suggests that the tropical climate changed at least 20 years
after the Greenland climate. A second major finding concerns the
magnitude of the Greenland temperature change, which was up to 9 degrees
Celsius in as little as a decade. Work is ongoing on Antarctic cores to
look for similar results. These findings reinforce the emerging view
that abrupt events are important to the evolution of the earth
system.[^30] *Ideas 1, 2*

**New Ribotype Discovered in Polar Plankton.** PI compared the
phylogenetic composition b-Proteobacterial ammonia-oxidizing bacteria
(AOB) assemblages in plankton samples collected in the Arctic and
Antarctic, and found a novel 16S rDNA sequence distantly related to
*Nitrosospira* in all samples that were positive for AOB. The widespread
distribution of this ribotype in cold oceans suggests that it represents
a dominant species of planktonic AOB. Its trans-polar distribution
contrasts with that of another group of polar prokaryotes, the gas
vacuolate bacteria, which display polar endemism. These differences in
distribution can be related to the influence of the adaptive strategies
of these two groups of organisms on their potential for trans-global
dispersal. This is an important first-look at the genomic composition of
polar bacteria.[^31] *Ideas 1, 2*

**Modeling Paleozoic Glaciations.** Coupled modeling of the oceans and
atmosphere shows important aspects of the effects of atmospheric CO2 on
global climate. This project is simulating paleoenvironmental conditions
that are derived from geological records and is demonstrating the value
of plate tectonic reconstructions to paleoclimate models. The paper
published in *Nature* (May, v405, p425-429) is an outstanding
contribution toward understanding glacial intervals in Earth\'s early
history and thus understanding of Earth's evolution as a whole. An
additional aspect of this project is that it is teaching people how to
more fully integrate boundary conditions into global simulations. This
work also has important ramifications for understanding how life could
survive on Earth during periods of global glaciation.[^32] *Ideas 1, 2*

**Marine, Glacial and Environmental History of the Russian Arctic.** A
PI completed two field expeditions to the shores of the Kara Sea on the
Yamal and Yugorski Peninsulas, areas that are parts of the
little-studied Russian Arctic. The geologic record has yielded
significant new information on the marine, glacial, and environmental
history of the Russian Arctic, in some cases dramatically revising our
understanding of past glacial extents and dynamics. For example,
radiocarbon and luminescence age estimates coupled with
lithostratigraphic and paleoenvironmental proxies indicate that the
eastern Kara Sea was not glaciated during the last glacial maximum, but
remained cold and dry. This is currently a part of the boundary
conditions for testing global circulation model simulations of climate.
A major focus of the project was to develop and apply a new technique
for amino acid dating and paleothermometry (reverse-phase chromatography
for higher resolution with D/L Aspartic Acid in fossil molluscs).[^33]
*People 3, Ideas 1, 2*

**Hydrologic Change.** The Arctic Ocean receives 11% of the world's
freshwater runoff while containing only 1% of the global volume of
seawater. The largest volume of that runoff flows onto the shallow
Russian shelves, where access to hydrologic data has been sparse. A
compilation of existing data for the entire Arctic drainage basin is
revealing seasonal changes on a decadal time scale that may be related
to natural or anthropologic climate change. Those changes are critical
to understanding the role of continental scale hydrologic changes on
terrestrial and marine productivity, sea ice formation, and ocean
circulation.[^34] *Ideas 1, 2*

**Genetic Variation Among Ancient Arctic Populations.** Researchers
studying genetics and northern human history have discovered a high
level of genetic variance among the ancient populations of North Asia,
especially those groups adapted to boreal climates in the northernmost
regions of human habitation. This discovery has important implications
for understanding the historic peopling of North America. [^35] *Ideas
1, 2*

**Geometry and Early Structure of the Universe.** The array of sensors
on the various telescopes at South Pole Station have continued to
produce significant new insights into the structure of the cosmic
microwave background radiation (CMBR). In particular, the Degree Angular
Scale Interferometer (DASI) is currently providing measurements of the
background radiation anisotropy over a range of scales that span the
first three acoustic peaks in the CMBR power spectrum. The shape of the
power spectrum, in particular the spacing of the peaks, provides a
potentially clean measure of the geometry of the universe. An extension
to measure the polarization of the CMBR anisotropy will provide a
critical test of the early structure of the universe. [^36] *Ideas 1, 2*

**Cold Halocline Layer.** The cold halocline (salinity gradient)
insulates sea ice from warmer ocean water below. Without it, more warm
water would come in contact with the ice, creating a positive feedback
loop for melting. In a modeling and data analysis effort, PIs discovered
a partial recovery of the Cold Halocline Layer (CHL) in the Eurasian
Basin of the Arctic Ocean. As of 2000, conditions were similar to those
seen in 1991 by the icebreaker Oden. These conditions are still
somewhere between the historical mean and the extreme CHL retreat seen
by the mid-1990\'s, in keeping with the behavior of the Arctic
Oscillation index. The PIs have begun to examine the circulation and
heat content variability of summertime Pacific waters that flow into the
Arctic Ocean. This will assist in an examination of the so-called \'cool
halocline\' of the western arctic, where waters of up to a degree above
freezing reside just below the mixed layer. Surprisingly, they also
found that within Fram Strait, the gridded data from the Environmental
Working Group were of lower quality than those from the National
Oceanographic Data Center (NODC). The reason is a fortuitous blending of
summertime data into the winter time frame, which preserves the
exchanges of water masses in this region in the NODC data. The PIs
engaged in extensive outreach, and have given lectures on Arctic change,
sea ice and the polar oceans to the Washington Science Teachers
Association annual meeting, an undergraduate class at the University of
Washington, and classes at elementary schools in Seattle. In addition,
they have written an article for *Discover* magazine and two chapters of
the upcoming *Encyclopedia of the Arctic*. [^37] *People 1, 4, Ideas 1,
2,* *3*

**Cape Roberts Project (CRP).** The CRP is a major program within the
international Antarctic earth science community which collected over
1700 meters of drill core offshore of Cape Roberts, McMurdo Sound,
Antarctica, having sediment of Pleistocene, Pliocene, Miocene and
Oligocene age. This provides a physical record of environmental changes
over periods of history which had not been previously available.
Analysis of these records has significance for all areas of Antarctic
geosciences, including glacial, tectonic, stratigraphic, paleobiologic
and paleoceanographic disciplines. For example, sedimentological studies
show some depositional cycles that appear to be related to the 100
thousand year orbital cycle, providing important evidence that the
orbital variations did affect earth's environment over 30 million years
ago. The CRP is an excellent example of a large coordinated
international project that provided professional interactions and
development activities for all participants, from professors to
students. Over fifty people from seven countries participated in the
project.[^38] *People 3, Ideas 1, 2, 3, 4*

**Arctic Bird Adaptations.** Researchers are currently studying the
physiological and behavioral adaptations of birds to the extreme
conditions that prevail in Arctic environments. Recent field studies in
Barrow revealed that Arctic breeding birds are resistant to the
well-known effects of stress hormones that are typical of breeding birds
at lower latitudes. There are three possible receptor types for
corticosteroids in the brain of a passerine bird, one of which appears
to be different from the mammalian type. Additionally, mRNA can be
measured for androgen receptor gene expression in the passerine brain.
Finally, the studies found that snow buntings and redpolls are
polyandrous (i.e. each nesting female has from 1-5 males attending her
and the nest), a condition that appears unique in arctic
passerines.[^39] *Ideas 1, 2*

***American Zoologist* .** The entire contents of Volume 41 of this
journal issue consisted of nine papers resulting from the symposium
*Antarctic Marine Biology*, organized by James McClintock, Charles
Amsler, and Bill Baker, and held at the Annual Meeting of the Society
for Comparative and Integrative Biology, January 4-8, 2000. All authors
were OPP PIs who reported on research topics ranging from the effects of
increased ultraviolet radiation on marine organisms, global climate
change and the origin of modern benthic communities, chemical ecology of
marine organisms, sea ice algae production, primary production in marine
ecosystems, biology of krill, habitat use by seal and penguins in the
Ross Sea, trophic relationships between fauna and benthic macroalgae,
and adaptive evolution of gene expression in Antarctic fishes. [^40]
*Ideas 1, 2, 3*

**High Metabolism of Sea Urchin Embryos at Low Temperatures.** Assessing
the energy costs of development in extreme environments is important for
understanding how organisms can exist at the margins of the biosphere.
Macromolecular turnover rates of RNA and protein were measured at -1.5°C
during early development of an Antarctic sea urchin. Contrary to
expectations of low synthesis with low metabolism at low temperatures,
protein and RNA synthesis rates exhibited temperature compensation and
were equivalent to rates in temperate sea urchin embryos. High protein
metabolism with a low metabolic rate is energetically possible in this
Antarctic sea urchin because the energy cost of protein turnover is
1/25th the values reported for other animals.[^41] *Ideas 1, 2*

**Needle Retention and Tree Growth Variance in Alaska.** A PI discovered
that the needle retention of forest white spruce in the Chugach
Mountains in the south of Alaska was about half of that in the White
Mountains of interior Alaska, and the Brooks Range of northern Alaska.
The trees above the forest limit (i.e. in the treeline zone) showed
premature needle loss and thus lower needle retention than forest trees.
This difference in needle retention between forest and treeline is
greatest in the southern-most mountain Range (the Chugach Mountains) and
least in the northernmost mountain range (the Brooks Range). Tree growth
decreases northwards and at higher elevations, and the greatest
difference between elevations is in the southernmost Chugach Mountains
where climatic differences between treeline and forest sites are most
extreme. These results have implications for vegetation in a global
warming scenario.[^42] *Ideas 1, 2* []{.mark}

**Stability of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.** Glacial geologists have
developed a history of grounding line retreat for the West Antarctic ice
sheet in the Ross Sea. Interpretation and analysis of the data through
flow modeling, constrained by field measurements, has enabled the
scientists to determine when the grounding line retreated past Roosevelt
Island. Results concerning the retreat of the West Antarctic ice sheet
have been of widespread interest, particularly for those who are
studying past and present changes in sea level, ocean circulation, and
atmospheric circulation. This information was widely disseminated to the
public through press and radio reports, and also at seminars and
meetings.[^43] *Ideas 1, 2*

**New Information About the Size of the Antarctic Ice Sheet During the
Pliocene.** By examining sediments recovered from sites on the Kerguelen
Plateau and on Maude Rise, a PI has discovered important new information
about the age of inception of the Antarctic ice sheets. This research
supports the \"stabilists\" view in the debate over the Sirius Formation
deposits and their paleoenvironmental significance. In other words, it
refutes the notion that there was a significant reduction in Antarctic
ice sheet volume during the Pliocene. This information will improve
understanding of Antarctic environmental history and will be useful to
polar paleoclimatology and paleobiology.[^44] *Ideas 1, 2*

**Snowball Earth.** The "snowball earth" hypothesis postulates that a
stratigraphic record of global glaciations should be apparent in
well-preserved Neoproterozoic sections worldwide, even where no glacial
deposits are preserved. Thus, an important way of understanding how
these extreme ice ages began is to examine the sedimentary record
leading up to glaciation. Isotope profiles in carbonates immediately
below glacial deposits are proxies for marine chemistry leading into the
ice age and may help to elucidate their ultimate cause. Researchers
studying stratigraphic cores along with two glacial deposits in Svalbard
have recorded firm documentation of a large decline in isotopic
Carbon-13 preceding deposition of the older of the two glacial deposits.
Large declines in isotopic Carbon-13 prior to Neoproterozoic glaciation
have also been identified in Namibia and the Adelaide Rift complex of
Australia.[^45] *Ideas 1, 2*

**Sources of Radionuclides in Sea Ice Sediments.** A study using natural
and anthropogenic radionuclides in sea-ice sediments characterizes the
source(s) of these sediments and possible modifications as they are
transported across the Arctic in the Transpolar Drift. The PI found that
samples of sea-ice sediment recovered from sea ice floes around Svalbard
all had detectable Cs-137 activity. Measurements of plutonium isotope
ratios (Pu-240/Pu-239) on these samples show that the source of the
plutonium is fallout from the atmospheric testing of atomic weapons.
There was no evidence in the sea-ice sediment samples of a source of
plutonium from Russian nuclear facilities in the Siberian Arctic.
However, measurement of the Pu-240/Pu-239 isotope ratio in bottom
sediments from the Fram Strait and Northeast Water Polynya show that
non-fallout plutonium may have been added to these areas in the
past.[^46] *Ideas 1, 2*

**Thinning Arctic Sea Ice Cover.** The cause of a rapid, decade-long
thinning of Arctic Ocean sea ice in the 1990s, which has been widely
reported in the press in the past two years, is largely attributed to
changes in atmospheric circulation. The thinning is due to a natural
long-term cycle of atmospheric variability that is difficult to separate
from the additional influence of anthropogenic forcing on sea ice
thickness variability without more measurements of the natural
system.[^47] The potential disappearance of the sea ice is critical to
understanding future climates because of the role of surface reflectance
from snow and sea ice in the Arctic in global climate change feedbacks.
The physical factors controlling the seasonal and interannual sea ice
thinning have been the subject of the SHEBA project, which has shown the
importance of how increasing cloudiness plays a role in enhanced melting
rates.[^48] *Ideas 1, 2*

**Vegetation and Climate Change.** Warming of the Alaskan Arctic has
accelerated over the past three decades and is expected to increase
vegetation productivity in tundra though increased abundance of shrubs.
Comparison of aerial photographs taken over fifty years ago with current
photographs taken at the same locations reveals that the expansion of
shrubs has already begun. Shrub expansion affects both the amount of
carbon absorbed from the atmosphere and soils as well as the trapping
and distribution of snow, which affects hydrologic runoff and surface
reflectivity. The study of complex climate feedbacks from shrub
expansion reveals how climate is changing the environment in northern
Alaska.[^49] *Ideas 1, 2*

**Arctic Freshwater Crustacean Genetics and Distribution.** A PI
produced the first genetic characterization of the major lineages of an
ecologically important freshwater crustacean group (Bosmina). Using the
16S reference sequences he developed, researchers can now determine the
major group to which their study populations belong. This is an
important contribution to the comparative biology of Arctic freshwater
organisms. The PI also found the first strong evidence for the origin of
an Arctic polyploid animal. Newly collected nuclear phylogeography and
mtDNA evidence suggest that the most successful zooplankter in glacial
lakes (*Daphnia galeata mendotae*) resulted from hybridization between
two species that hid out in Beringia during the last glaciation. The
phylogeographic patterns emerging from freshwater microcrustaceans
suggest a close association of Eastern Canadian Arctic to European
Arctic species, and a close association of western North American Arctic
species with Asian Arctic species (Beringia). This challenges the
argument that Greenland acts as a dispersal barrier between North
American and Eurasian freshwater species in the Arctic.[^50] *Ideas 1,
2*

### [Ideas Indicator 2]{.underline}---discoveries that advance the frontiers of science, engineering and technology.

**Iron Isotopes as Biological Markers.** This project, from MarsRock,
developed a chemical method for fingerprinting biological activity in
meteorites using the isotopic composition of iron (Fe). Meanwhile, it
has triggered new research in a field crossing geochemistry and biology
and has attracted several other research groups. For the first time, it
was shown that biological activity can produce detectable isotopic
fractionation of iron. The results were key to advancing knowledge about
the natural variability of Fe isotopes. Mass dependent isotope variation
of the light stable isotopes (e.g., H, C, N, O, S) is a widely used tool
in nearly every branch of the physical sciences. This research
contribution, development of the Fe isotope system, adds a new element
to the list of potential tools that a scientist can use for tracing the
pathways and conditions as an element is cycled through different
reservoirs.[^51] *Ideas 1, 2*

**Ice Pre-Melting at Freezing Temperatures.** Pre-melting of ice is the
formation of a thin layer of liquid water at the interfaces between
individual ice crystals at temperatures colder than the nominal melting
point of ice. Interfacial pre-melting is important in many macroscopic
applications ranging from the migration of impurities through sea ice,
the sliding of glaciers on bedrock, and permafrost heaving, to the
uptake of particles on polar stratospheric clouds, and speed skating. A
newly developed theory of the effect of soluble impurities on the
magnitude of a pre-melted water layer has ordered the molecular
dispersion forces and short and long-range intermolecular forces, and
for the first time has provided a foundation for organizing the
microscale processes that give rise to the distinctive fabrics of fresh
water ice, sea ice, and permafrost. [^52] *Ideas 1, 2*

**Ultra-Violet Radiation and Photosynthesis.** A PI found that the
presence of humic materials (partially decomposed organic materials) in
arctic Norwegian coastal waters results in rapid attenuation of
ultra-violet radiation as compared to extinction coefficients obtained
in Antarctic waters. As this will minimize the loss of integrated
primary production due to ultra-violet radiation in the euphotic zone,
contributes to our understanding of the seasonal aspects of humic
materials in coastal waters, timing of atmospheric ozone depletion, and
the timing of the spring phytoplankton bloom which is important for fish
larvae.[^53] *Ideas 1, 2*

**Shelf/Basin Interactions (SBI) Program.** A new five-year
interdisciplinary effort has been developed to understand the
biogeochemical fluxes on the continental shelves of the western Arctic.
The competition was run in 2001 and fieldwork will begin in 2002. [^54]
*Ideas 2*

**New Model of Kinetic Theory.** As part of a project on dynamic
properties of plankton in polar lakes, PIs developed a new model of
kinetic theory that could replace the 90 year-old Michaelis Menten and
60 year-old Monod models to become the new standard for describing and
understanding nutrient flux and transport into microorganisms and other
cells. The new model predicts the various cellular components relevant
to transport and growth, such as permease distributions, metabolic pool
concentrations, and enzyme concentrations and ratios from first
principals according to kinetic theory. Thus, it provides a powerful
tool for designing experiments that may probe nutrient dynamics on both
a system and a cellular level.[^55] *Ideas 1, 2, Tools 3*

**Oceanic Crust Formation at Gakkel Ridge.** Four Principal
Investigators have been funded to sample basalts, peridotites, and
related rocks along 600 km of the Gakkel Ridge. Detailed geochemical
study of these rocks along with geophysical estimates of crustal and
lithospheric thickness will be combined to generate quantitative models
of oceanic crust formation under ultra-slow spreading conditions. A
hydrothermal survey is being done with a MAPR device, which measured the
temperature, pressure and optical properties of seawater. This is the
maiden scientific voyage of the USCGC *Healy* and a jointly operated
cruise with the Germans on the Polarstern icebreaker*.* The Gakkel Ridge
has been a prime target for sampling by scientists for many years, but
its inaccessibility due to the perennial Arctic ice cover has
discouraged a systematic study.[^56] *People 3, Ideas 1, 2*

**New Diatom Fossil Species.** A project analyzing drill cores recovered
by the Cape Roberts Project discovered a new diatom species in Antarctic
waters during the interval of 18-35 million years ago. Diatoms offer the
greatest potential for age resolution based on fossils for the Miocene
and Oligocene of the Antarctic continental shelf. The basic data of
biostratigraphic ranges of taxa will be used in the future to establish
a biostratigraphic scheme for correlation within and outside the
Antarctic realm. This is important for linking Antarctic events into a
global chronology of climate and paleoenvironmental change. In addition,
there is significance to the general study of diatom evolution,
classification and paleobiogeography. At the McMurdo Station, the PI was
in email contact with fifth grade students on a weekly basis. Upon
returning to Nebraska, the PI visited the school both in 2000 and again
in 2001.[^57] *People 1, Ideas 1, 2, 4, Tools 2*

**Ocean Productivity During the Last Ice Age.** Researchers estimate
that the productivity of Earth\'s biosphere during the last ice age was
15-25% less than today. If the productivity of the land biosphere is
known, it is possible to calculate ocean productivity. With existing
land biosphere productivity data, researchers have calculated that ocean
productivity during the last ice age was 70-160% of present. Although
this estimate includes a high level of uncertainty, once land
productivity data improve, it will be possible to calculate the
fertility of the ocean biosphere with useful accuracy. Eventually, this
data will help to characterize the nature of the ice age biosphere and
contribute to our understanding of its role in climate change. The
latter is fundamental because it is increasingly recognized that the
biosphere introduces climate feedbacks that play a major role in
glacial/interglacial climate change.[^58]

**Understanding How Life Survives in Glacial Ice.** Research on the
effects of impurities on the flow of polycrystalline ice may prove to be
important for future understanding of how life survives in glacial ice.
The PI is one of the few scientists studying impurity concentration
(sulfuric and nitric acid) in grain boundaries of ice. Filaments and an
extraordinary leaf-like structure (probably magnesium sulfate) were
observed in grain boundaries of Vostok accretion ice. A first year
undergraduate was supported by an REU supplement to this project.[^59]
*Ideas 2, 4*

**Stratospheric Cloud Composition.** Polar stratospheric clouds are
critical to understanding the details of ozone depletion, particularly
in the Arctic. Measurements completed this year provide the most
complete characterization of a polar stratospheric cloud yet obtained.
They are the first direct measurements of the size and concentration of
polar stratospheric cloud particles that are definitely composed of
nitric acid trihydrate. The measurements are being used to test our
understanding of the formation of polar stratospheric clouds, by
comparing these measurements with microphysical models.[^60] *Ideas 1,
2*

**Oceanic Carbon Sequestration.** Synthesis of oceanographic data
obtained in the Southern Ocean Experiment of the Joint Global Ocean Flux
Study has given us a much more precise understanding of the temporal and
spatial variation in the effectiveness of the Southern Ocean as a sink
for atmospheric carbon dioxide. Quantitative data using an undulating
towed vehicle to continuously sample sea water on nine cruises of the
research vessels *Nathaniel B. Palmer* and *Roger Revelle* shows that
the uptake of atmospheric CO~2~ is regulated by mesoscale eddies of
ocean water. For the first time, coupling of the distribution of
biogeochemical properties with flow dynamics of the ocean water has been
demonstrated, and for the first time a complete seasonal cycle of
sea-air carbon dioxide transfer has been documented across the Southern
Ocean. The new data show that this region accounts for nearly a quarter
of the global oceanic sequestering of atmospheric carbon dioxide. [^61]
*Ideas 1, 2*

**Small Grants for Exploratory Research (SGER).** NSF supports
small-scale, high risk exploratory work through the SGER program. OPP
has sponsored many of these cutting-edge projects. This year, they
included:

-   **Ione Hunt von Herbing,** University of Maine -- a study of
    hemoglobin gelation and fish adaptation to cold water. [^62]

-   **Gerald Kooyman,** University of California, San Diego --
    high-resolution satellite imagery to census Emperor penguin
    colonies.[^63]

-   **Peter Michael,** University of Tulsa --developing new sampling and
    measurement methods and tools that can be deployed under the Arctic
    Ocean ice cap on the Gakkel Ridge.[^64]

-   **Tad Pfeffer,** University of Colorado -- study to document the
    continuing retreat of the Columbia Glacier, Alaska, which is
    presently retreating at a rate of approximately 1.67 km year. This
    rapid retreat has been accompanied by flow speeds up to 34 m/day*,*
    making it the world\'s fastest-moving glacier.[^65]

-   **Rudolf Scheltema,** Woods Hole Institution -- survey to determine
    whether or not larvae of benthic invertebrates can be found in
    Antarctic plankton during the early winter months.[^66]

*Ideas 1, 2*

### [Ideas Indicator 3]{.underline}---partnerships connecting discovery to innovation, learning and societal advancement

**Stream Size and Nutrient Transport.** In a finding that could have
important consequences for land-use policies in watersheds from the
Chesapeake Bay to Puget Sound, researchers have discovered that small
streams contribute more to removing nutrients such as nitrogen from
water than do their larger counterparts. There is a very strong
correlation between the size of a stream and how rapidly that stream
removes nutrients: the smaller the stream, the more quickly nitrogen can
be removed and the less distance it will be transported down the stream.
The findings are based on data collected initially from streams in
NSF\'s Arctic Tundra Long-Term Ecological Research site in Alaska and
subsequently from 12 sites across the country.[^67] *Ideas 1, 2, 3*

**Fisheries and Climate Change.** The social impacts of climate change
have been demonstrated in historical and geological records from Iceland
and Greenland. The geologic and early Norse record indicate large
incursions of sea ice into the North Atlantic that have had a major
influence on climate feedbacks affecting ocean currents and productivity
that, in turn, affect fisheries.[^68] The human consequences of climate
variability are seen in the effect of sea ice concentration on cod
fisheries even in the twentieth century, as dynamic changes between
fishing practices and climate change resulted in increased resource use
and dwindling supplies.[^69] *Ideas 1, 2, 3*

**Space Weather Disturbances to Earth's Magnetic Field.** The Antarctic
network of surface magnetometers has produced new insights into the
triggering of plasma instabilities by ultra-low frequency waves in the
Earth's magnetic field. Disturbances in the solar wind that arrive at
the Earth within minutes to days after a violent event on the Sun are
referred to as space weather. The largest space weather disturbances are
produced by coronal mass ejections and fast solar wind streams emanating
from coronal holes, which distort the Earth's magnetic field and inject
energy into the magnetosphere. This produces the aurora but also
relativistic electrons, a source of radio and television interference,
hazards to orbiting spacecraft, and current surges in power lines. [^70]
*Ideas 1, 2, 3*

**Implementation Plan for the Interagency Study of Environmental Arctic
Change Program (SEARCH).** Working with the Science Steering Committee
and its Science Plan, OPP developed the interagency implementation plan
for SEARCH and received approval from the agency principals at the
Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC). [^71] *Ideas 3*

### Ideas Indicator 4---research and education processes that are synergistic.

**Reconstructing the Retreat History of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.**
Researchers are working with students to reconstruct the retreat history
of the West Antarctic ice sheet along a flowline through the Ford Ranges
in Marie Byrd Land, from the last ice age to the present. The research
results will contribute to our understanding of the history and dynamics
of the West Antarctic ice sheet and will help forecast its future
stability. Several undergraduate students have worked as lab assistants
on samples connected with the project, learning techniques of analytical
chemistry. Another undergraduate is using research results for a senior
thesis, while a graduate student is conducting research for his PhD
thesis. PIs have visited four elementary schools in Seattle to teach
children about research and life in Antarctica, and plan to visit more
schools next year.[^72]

**El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO).** Isotopic measurements on the
West Antarctic Ice Sheet/Siple Dome ice cores have shown that stable
isotopes in ice cores can be used to reconstruct past behavior of the
ENSO system that dominates climate variability in the Pacific as well as
many other parts of the world. ENSO affects food production and
hurricane frequency and intensity, two of the socially relevant impacts
of ENSO. Ice cores can be dated annually, and contain thousands of years
of record. Comparing core records of ENSO with those from tree rings and
corals, as well as with modern observations, should improve our
understanding of this key feature of the climate system. The project has
involved four undergraduate students (two are women). Two of the
technicians (including one woman) who have worked on the project were
inspired to go on to graduate school. Results have been incorporated
into undergraduate courses and are being used in an undergraduate honors
thesis. They will also be used in a PhD. thesis. At the University of
Colorado, several political science faculty have discussed climate
change policy with the PI.[^73] *People 2, 4, Ideas 2, 3, 4*

**Biology Training Course In Antarctica (third year).** An international
graduate-level training course, \"Integrative Biology and Adaptation of
Antarctic Marine Organisms\", was taught in Antarctica for one month
during the austral summer. There were 22 participants from six countries
(18 graduate students and 4 post-doctoral researchers). The goals for
the course were to introduce students to the diversity of biological
organisms in Antarctica, to study the unique aspects of biology that
permit life in such an extreme environment, and to give students
firsthand experience in dealing with the unique problems inherent in
Antarctic field sampling. The research emphasis of the course was on
experimental Antarctic biology and a number of aspects of evolution,
physiology and ecology were considered. These included investigations on
bacteria, algae, invertebrates and fish to study molecular phylogeny,
ultraviolet radiation effects, energy metabolism and biochemical
adapations to cold temperature. The course attracted an extremely
competitive group of young scientists, introduced new researchers to
Antarctica, and provided participants the opportunity to use the most
modern research methods to study the mechanisms that are unique to
Antarctic biology. A number of course participants attended the 2001
SCAR Biology Symposium in Amsterdam to present results from course
projects. The course also fostered collaborations between participants
that will further influence their future research activities. *People 3,
Ideas 1, 2, 3, 4*

**Influence of Seasonal Ice Cover on Pelagic and Benthic Communities.**
These long time-series studies focused on the distribution and abundance
of macrozooplankton and micronekton in the water column and benthos with
respect to seasonal ice cover over an annual cycle at Deception Island,
Antarctic Peninsula region. Three graduate students were supported on
this award and REU support allowed 16 undergraduates from universities
in the San Diego area to participate on the five cruises to Deception
Island. Additionally, a writer/photographer participated in one cruise
and published an article in the Scripps publication *Explorations* (vol.
6. No. 4, 2000). A website describing the study and findings can be
found at [http://smithlab.ucsd.edu[^74]](http://smithlab.ucsd.edu/)
*People 4, Ideas 4, Tools 2*

**Marine Sediment Records of Global Change.** Results from this project
provided new information that allowed ice core records to be tied to
paleoenvironmental signals in marine sediments, which can be used to
help constrain global climate change models. This research has
significantly advanced our knowledge of paleoenvironmental conditions in
the Antarctic Peninsula and offers promise of correlating records
between high southern and high northern latitude sites. In addition,
researchers discovered a new type of glacial marine deposit - a sediment
drift on the continental shelf region. Predominantly current controlled,
it represents a possible sedimentary organic carbon sink for the area.
Seven undergraduate students participated in the project, and many have
gone on to environmental positions, teaching posts, marine technical
positions, and post-graduate research in earth sciences. Many of these
students were supported with REU funds. The research results were also
used to develop two courses at Hamilton College, "Wilderness and Global
Environmental Change" (an introductory course) and "Antarctica and
Global Change" (an upper level elective). [^75] *Ideas 1, 2, 4*

**Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU).** OPP encourages
undergraduate students from underrepresented groups to participate in
scientific research projects. This year, OPP supported students from
over thirty universities through the REU program. In addition, OPP
supported two REU sites:

-   Augustana College administers an REU site on the Matanuska Glacier,
    a large valley glacier in south central Alaska. For six weeks,
    students stay at the Matanuska Glacier Research Camp, about two
    kilometers from the glacier's terminus. They engage in research and
    fieldwork that involves collecting water samples, maintaining
    equipment, downloading data, filtering water for suspended sediment,
    and tabulating data. Students complete their undergraduate thesis
    projects at their home institutions and are encouraged to present
    the results at a national meeting.[^76]

-   The City University of New York collaborates with the Archaeological
    Institute of Iceland, Edinburgh University, Stirling University, and
    the University of Oslo in an interdisciplinary, international field
    school on human settlement and environmental impact in Northern
    Iceland. The REU site is one of the most important Viking age
    settlements in the North Atlantic region. Students learn about the
    geology, settlement history, and traditional agriculture of the
    area. They are required to take related courses before and after the
    field season and to complete a research project incorporating the
    fieldwork and laboratory methods.[^77]

> *Ideas 4*

## Tools---Providing "broadly accessible, state-of-the-art information-bases and shared research and education tools."

### [Tools Indicator 1]{.underline}---Shared-use platforms, facilities, instruments and databases that enable discovery and enhance the productivity and effectiveness of the science and engineering workforce.

**Acquisition of Core Logging Equipment for the Antarctic Marine Geology
Research Facility.** The Multi-Sensor Core Logger has been used to
analyze high-resolution mineralogical variations in marine sediment
cores collected from four USAP cruises. The high-resolution MSCL data,
among the first high-resolution core data from the USAP, contributes to
interdisciplinary environmental change research. The instrument has also
been used to analyze cores that have been raised from lakes in Guatemala
and Peru, which has been instrumental in helping decipher the climate
history of the region. Students from a variety of colleges and
universities have been trained to use the MSCL. They come from
institutions such as Rice University, Ohio State University, Hamilton
College, Colgate University, and Middlebury College.[^78] *People 3,
Ideas 4, Tools 1*

**The APOGEE vehicle.** An Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) has been
designed to work under ice-covered water, particularly in the Arctic
Ocean Basin. A PI is developing a cost-effective experimental platform
that can access all portions of the Arctic Ocean Basin. The first stage
was completed in the summer of 2001. A critical aspect was the
development of an acoustic homing system that allows the vehicle to find
and latch itself to a trawl wire lowered through a hole in the ice. The
payload section can be reconfigured in a few hours, allowing researchers
to respond to discoveries in real-time and the science mission to evolve
during the course of a single expedition. Potential sensor types include
acoustic imaging (e.g., sidescan sonar, multibeam bathymetry),
hydrographic (e.g., Conductivity-Temperature-Depth, Acoustic Doppler
Current Profiler), optical (e.g., nephelometer), and chemical (e.g.,
methane snifter, etc.). This program adds a new dimension to AUV
operations by remaining motionless on the sea bottom for long periods of
time, during which a data acquisition system will be running to acquire
seismological data.[^79] *Tools 1*

**Continued Development of Robotic Vehicles.** Through sponsorship of
efforts at Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute and tests to be
conducted on the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter *Healy* in October 2001, OPP
continued efforts to obtain better all-season ocean data (while reducing
cost and "footprint") by developing the first autonomous underwater
vehicle with the endurance to work under ice in the Arctic.
Strategically related efforts continued to develop robotic samplers for
the atmosphere (aerosondes) at the University of Colorado and to develop
an autonomous, under-ice ocean bottom seismometer (the APOGEE vehicle)
at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.[^80] *Tools 1*

**U.S. Coast Guard Cutter *Healy*.** Based on 5 years of planning and
cooperation with the science community and the Coast Guard (primarily
through the Arctic Icebreaker Coordinating Committee of the
University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System), OPP worked with
the Coast Guard to have the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter *Healy* modified
while under construction so that it could more effectively support
science, conducted the first known use of science trials as part of a
Navy ship-acceptance procedure and is now completing the first year of
operation of the *Healy*. [^81] *Tools 1*

**Support Office for Aerogeophysical Research (SOAR).** Many
experimental techniques for acquiring, managing, and analyzing high
quality aerogeophysical data over ice sheets were developed over the
course of this project. The data collected by SOAR provide an
unprecedented view of the ice sheet and the underlying continental crust
that allow crustal boundaries to be identified and geological controls
of ice stream locations to be understood. This project employed and
provided research experience to a range of personnel from high school
seniors and college undergraduates through senior scientists. The SOAR
project was an excellent mechanism for training a large number of people
in airborne remote sensing research - from data collection through
interpretation of data. Almost all SOAR personnel deployed to
Antarctica, many of them for the first time. There, they gained
experience with remote field operations and acquisition of high quality
geophysics data under such conditions. The major technical skills
developed by SOAR personnel were operation of geophysical
instrumentation, use of computer based data acquisition systems and
airborne research platforms.[^82] *People 1, Ideas 1, 2, 3, 4, Tools 1*

**Upgrading Ice Core Processing and Analytical Equipment.**
Paleoclimatology, ice core goechemistry, and analytical chemistry have
all been aided by the acquisition of new equipment and upgrades of old
equipment that are used to process and analyze ice cores. This has been
accomplished in three major areas: the design and construction of an ice
core lathe, development of a continuous melting system, and new ion
chromatographs. The lathe is a unique ice core processing tool that
operates similar to a wood lathe. The lathe will reduce or eliminate the
need for the cores to be hand scraped, the first cleaning step of core
preparation. The continuous melting system has been modified to allow
analysis of discrete samples of both cations and anions. The new ion
chromatographs are state of the art with conductivity detectors that
provide high sensitivity and associated autosamplers that support high
sample throughput. Graduate and undergraduate courses, graduate research
projects, and teacher workshops all benefit from the new equipment.[^83]
*Tools 1, Ideas 3, 4*

**U.S. Antarctic Stations.** In addition to the above, OPP is
responsible for managing and operating the three U.S. stations in
Antarctica. These stations provide the necessary facilities for any U.S.
scientist, including those from other federal agencies, to do research
in Antarctica in widely divergent disciplines.

### [Tools Indicator 2]{.underline}---Networking and connectivity that take full advantage of the internet and make science, mathematics, engineering and technology information available to all citizens.

**The Antarctic Glaciological Data Center (AGDC).** The AGDC provides
data management for the U.S. Antarctic Glaciological Program and related
cryospheric science investigations. The AGDC is tasked with the
development and implementation of a web-based archival and distribution
capability for well documented physical and geochemical data derived
from ice cores, ice surface elevations, ice thickness, and bedrock
topography, snow accumulation data and 10-meter temperatures, ice
velocity measurements from remote sensing imagery and field survey data.
This award provides a mechanism to help the Antarctic Glaciology Program
implement and enforce the OPP Data Policy.[^84] *Tools 1, 2*

**Improving the Antarctic Geologic Database**. Efforts are underway to
refine and support the Antarctic Geologic Database, an on-line database
for geologic specimens collected in Antarctica by members of the U.S.
geologic community. The database allows search, retrieval and loading of
collection and analytic data via the Internet. Some of the most
important refinements and improvements to this database completed or in
progress are: the addition of an Antarctic map to aid in geographic
searches, capability for users to edit and add to their database
entries, and the capability for users to directly input their own
database/spreadsheet information. These improvements will greatly
expedite research opportunities, proposal preparation, and additional
analyses on previously collected material as new ideas, research
directions and technologies become available. Another objective is to
continue with the rescue of at-risk Antarctic geologic collections and
data, which includes entering all pertinent information into the
database. A prototype of the Antarctic Geologic Database was designed as
part of a Small Grant for Exploratory Research.[^85] *Tools 1, 2*

**New Instrumentation for Antarctic Borehole Research.** Several new
instruments have been developed that contribute valuable physical
resources for glaciology: hot water ice-drilling equipment, ice-coring
equipment, and borehole video equipment and methodology. The ice
borehole video probe, built by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory with
guidance from this project, is an instrument that enables visual
observation of ice rock material at depth in glaciers and ice sheets,
accessed in water-filled boreholes drilled by the hot-water-jet ice
drilling method. Borehole video will probably be of much importance in
the exploration of Lake Vostok. Data recovered by these instruments has
improved understanding of mechanisms of ice stream formation,
implications for possible collapse of the West Antarctic ice sheet, and
potential effects on sea level. The data is shared with the public on a
web site. Funds for this project came from the SGER program.[^86]
*People 4, Tools 1, 2*

### [Tools Indicator 3]{.underline}---Information and policy analyses that contribute to the effective use of science and engineering resources. 

**Review of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report.**
Two members of the OPP staff participated in the U.S. government review
of the IPCC Working Group 2 Report. One staff member was invited by the
Department of State to be part of the U.S. delegation in Geneva that
negotiated final language for the Summary for Policymakers. *Tools 3*

# F. FY 2001 Areas of Emphasis

NSF has identified specific areas of emphasis for FY 2001. Some of these
areas are clearly outside the purview of OPP and when that is the case
it has been indicated below. We have been asked to address our
activities in each area -- identifying those that are not relevant for
OPP.

## People Goals

-   **K-12 systemic activities**

> (see section on People Indicator 1 in this report)

-   **Enhancing Instructional Workforce**

    -   Centers for Learning and Teaching -- N/A (EHR program)

    -   Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Education

> OPP supports Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Education (GK-12)
> (Lead: DGE/EHR): OPP co-funds one GK-12 award: San Diego State
> University, Nancy Taylor and Walt Oechel, in collaboration with Barrow
> schools.

-   **Broadening Participation**

    -   Tribal Colleges

> OPP helped coordinate and encourage grants by the EHR tribal college
> program to two Alaska Native groups, \--

-   the College of Rural Alaska for a 5-year project to increase Alaska
    Native participation and success in science, mathematics,
    engineering and technology (SMET), including developing SMET
    knowledgeable Alaska Native engineers and develop SMET knowledgeable
    Alaska Native leaders who will participate in making decisions about
    tribal lands; and

-   Ilisagvik College for a planning grant for assessment and
    improvement of the college's Science, Mathematics, Engineering and
    Technology Programs.

```{=html}
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-   Partnerships for Innovation -- N/A (EHR program)

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```
-   **Addressing near-term workforce needs**

    -   Advanced Technological Education -- N/A (EHR program)

## Ideas Goals

-   **Appropriate balance of high risk, multidisciplinary or innovative
    research across all NSF programs.**

> Because OPP supports research on the "cutting edge," investments are
> made which are risky -- either because the technology used is new or
> the research situation presents risk. There is an inherent risk in
> funding field programs in the polar regions -- weather and field
> conditions can be hard to predict and even in optimum conditions the
> extreme cold makes work, both for people and instruments, challenging.
> Examples of field locations which present an element of risk \-- which
> is mitigated to the extent possible by extensive planning -- include
> Summit, Greenland; North Pole; South Pole; and remote Antarctic field
> camps. In addition, examples of awards considered high risk include
> the following activities:
>
> *Cape Roberts Project.* The international Antarctic earth science
> community has collected over 1700 meters of drill core with sediment
> of Pleistocene, Pliocene, Miocene and Oligocene age. These records
> have significance for all areas of Antarctic geosciences, including
> glacial, tectonic, stratigraphic, paleobiologic and paleoceanographic
> disciplines.[^87]
>
> *Iron Isotopes as Biological Markers***.** This project, from
> MarsRock, developed a chemical method for fingerprinting biological
> activity in meteorites using the isotopic composition of iron (Fe).
> Meanwhile, it has triggered new research in a field crossing
> geochemistry and biology and has attracted several other research
> groups.[^88]
>
> *Modeling Paleozoic Glaciations.* Coupled modeling of the oceans and
> atmosphere is simulating paleoenvironmental conditions that are
> derived from geological records and is demonstrating the value of
> plate tectonic reconstructions to paleoclimate models. The research an
> outstanding contribution toward understanding glacial intervals in
> Earth\'s early history and thus understanding of Earth's evolution as
> a whole.[^89]
>
> *Oceanic Crust Formation at Gakkel Ridge.* Basalts, peridotites, and
> related rocks are being collected along 600 km of the Gakkel Ridge,
> which for many years has been inaccesible due to Arctic ice cover.
> Data will be combined to generate quantitative models of oceanic crust
> formation under ultra-slow spreading conditions.[^90]
>
> *Small Grants for Exploratory Research (SGER).* NSF supports
> small-scale, high risk exploratory work through the SGER program. OPP
> has sponsored many of these cutting-edge projects. This year, they
> included:

-   *Gerald Kooyman,* University of California, San Diego -- high
    resolution satellite imagery to census Emperor penguin
    colonies.[^91]

-   *Peter Michael,* University of Tulsa --developing new sampling and
    measurement methods and tools to be deployed under the Arctic Ocean
    ice cap on the Gakkel Ridge.[^92]

> *Snowball Earth.* The "snowball earth" hypothesis postulates that a
> stratigraphic record of global glaciations should be apparent in
> well-preserved Neoproterozoic sections worldwide, even where no
> glacial deposits are preserved. Researchers are studying stratigraphic
> cores along with two glacial deposits in Svalbard to better understand
> how these extreme ice ages began.[^93]

-   **Investments in NSF's Three Initiatives:**

    -   Information Technology Research (ITR)

> *Intelligent Radar Sensors Conducting Glaciological Investigations.*
> OPP supported one ITR award for the development and deployment of
> intelligent radar sensors for measuring key glaciological parameters.
> Radar instrumentation will consist of a synthetic aperture radar (SAR)
> that can operate in bistatic or monostatic mode. A tracked vehicle and
> an automated snowmobile will be used to test and demonstrate the
> utility of an intelligent radar in glaciological investigations. The
> system will be developed to collect, process and analyze data in real
> time and in conjunction with *a priori* information derived from
> archived sources. The combined real time and archived information will
> be used onboard the vehicles to select and generate an optimum sensor
> configuration. This project involves innovative research in
> intelligent systems, sounding radars and ice sheet modeling. In
> addition it has a very strong public outreach and education program,
> which includes near-real-time image broadcasts via the world wide web.

-   Nanoscale Science and Engineering -- **N/A**

-   Biocomplexity in the Environment

> OPP contributed \$1.41 million to the Biocomplexity in the Environment
> initiative in FY 2001. Awards made in FY 2001 competition included:
>
> *Microbes and Biomolecules in Glacial Ice.* PIs are constructing a
> biospectrologger, which will enable them to study microbes and
> biomolecules in an ice borehole in Antarctica. This is the first time
> that scientists will be able to search for living bacteria in liquid
> veins of polar ice. Chemical, physical and biological arguments
> indicate that as many as 103 microbes/cm3 can extract enough energy
> from acids confined in narrow liquid veins in otherwise solid ice to
> survive for a few thousand years (or a smaller population for a
> correspondingly longer time).[^94]
>
> *Workshop: Human Dimensions of the Arctic System.* The Arctic offers a
> unique opportunity to study close linkages between people and the
> environment, the great variability in both human and natural systems,
> and the impacts of global change in polar regions. For this reason, a
> PI has organized a workshop that will bring together researchers,
> graduate students, junior faculty and indigenous groups to study the
> dynamics of coupled natural and human systems.[^95]

In addition, OPP supports a wide range of research that is BE-related
although it is not part of the formal BE competition.

-   **Investments in NSF"s High Priority Non-Initiative Fundamental
    Research:**

    -   Mathematical Sciences Research -- N/A. Although not currently
        involved in this activity, OPP out-year planning will likely
        include activities associated with this area -- specifically,
        modeling for polar research.

    -   Functional Genomics

> Examples of OPP-supported research in functional genomics include the
> following:
>
> *Antifreeze Proteins in Antarctic Fishes***.** The Southern Ocean
> represents the world\'s coldest marine environment and its near-shore
> waters are perennially at the freezing point of seawater and replete
> with ice crystals. A number of polar and subpolar fish evolved special
> biological antifreeze proteins to avoid freezing in their frigid
> habitats. The impact of the evolution of the antifreeze function on
> organismal success is particularly clear in the Antarctic
> notothenioids. PIs are now studying the role of antifreeze
> glycopeptides, antifreeze proteins involved in freezing avoidance of
> Antarctic fishes. Research specific to antifreeze glycopeptides
> includes determining the specific location of the gene family on
> chromosomes, and its protease progenitor gene, calibration of the rate
> of evolution of nuclear protein coding sequences and the temporal
> aspects of antifreeze glycopeptides during embryogenesis and early
> larval stages. The multidisciplinary approach will lead to major
> advances in the molecular biology and evolution of the antifreeze
> systems and will be applicable to a wide range of disciplines.[^96]
>
> *Adapted Cellular Functions of Antarctic Fishes.* As the Southern
> Ocean cooled during the past 25 million years, the fishes of Antarctic
> coastal waters evolved biochemical and physiological adaptations that
> maintain essential cellular processes such as cytoskeletal function
> and gene transcription at low temperatures. Their microtubules, for
> example, assemble and function at body temperatures (-1.8 to +1 degree
> C) well below those of warm-blooded and temperate cold-blooded
> organisms. Over the long-term, researchers will seek to to determine,
> at the molecular level, the adaptations that enhance the assembly and
> movement of microtubules, and the expression of related genes. In the
> broadest sense, this research program should advance the molecular
> understanding of the survival of cold-blooded organisms.[^97]
>
> *Genomic Study of Antarctic Microorganisms.* One of the most
> interesting aspects of life in extreme environments is understanding
> the unique adaptations required for survival. The Antarctic marine
> psychrophiles (organisms that like the cold) provide an excellent
> model group of extreme microorganisms, since very little is known
> about their biological and functional diversity, or specific metabolic
> adaptations to life at -1.8 degree C. PIs expect to develop genomic
> approaches for studying microorganisms sampled directly from extreme
> environments and thus, circumventing the requirement for cultivation.
> The application of DNA microarray technology to studies of life in
> extreme environments offers an outstanding opportunity for identifying
> new genes for biotechnological use. Discovering specific adaptations
> to extreme environments by detecting genes that are uniquely expressed
> in the natural environment is an ultimate goal of this research.[^98]

-   Cognitive Neuroscience -- **N/A**

## Tools Goals

-   **Investments in Major Research Equipment**

> OPP has two MRE projects currently ongoing -- South Pole Station
> Modernization and Polar Support Aircraft (LC-130) Upgrades.
>
> One MRE project, jointly proposed by OPP and the Directorate for
> Mathematics and Physical Sciences, which is under consideration by NSF
> for future funding requests is IceCube. IceCube is a device to detect
> high energy neutrinos using the 2-mile deep ice cap at the South Pole
> as the detector medium. The project builds on the success of the
> recently completed Antarctic Muon and Neutrino Detector (AMANDA),
> which the same team initiated in 1994. With AMANDA, the investigators
> have demonstrated the requisite detector and drilling technologies and
> have installed detector modules up to 2500 meters deep in the ice. The
> ice itself has proven to be an excellent detector medium.

-   **Continue investments in:**

    -   Terascale Computing System -- N/A

    -   Major Research Instrumentation

> Two MRI awards in FY 2001 were in polar research:

-   An award to University of Arizona (Bales)[^99] to develop a
    state-of-the-art continuous flow analysis system that will be used
    for measuring concentrations of eight soluble chemical species
    (calcium, hydrogen peroxide, ammonium, formaldehyde, nitrate,
    sodium, chloride, and sulfate) plus electrical conductivity in polar
    ice cores. This system, which will be designed for use in either the
    laboratory of the field, will enable U.S. ice core scientists to
    remain at the forefront of technology and will increase the quality
    and rate at which new ice core records can be produced. This in turn
    could 4esult in a better understanding of climate and atmospheric
    chemistry.

-   An award to New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
    (Kyle)[^100] for development of an integrated instrument package for
    surveillance of volcanic gas, seismic activity, and elevation
    change. Seismic and geodetic methods are the principal tools used to
    monitor volcanoes, as these have been shown to be the most useful
    means of forecasting volcanic eruptions through the remote sensing
    of deviatoric stress release and intruding and withdrawing mass
    fluxes of magma. This collaborative project involving NM Tech
    researchers, staff from UNAVCO, and Guralp Systems will develop and
    deploy a low-power cost-effective real-time integrated instrument
    package of seismic, geodetic and environmental sensors primarily for
    monitoring the activity at active volcanoes and in tectonically
    active areas. The instrumentation developed should have wide
    application in both applied and basic earth science projects with
    the potential to contribute significantly to societal goals of
    better predicting volcanic and seismic natural hazards.

The most recent MRI COV (June 2000) made the following observation: "The
real excitement of the program seems to arise from the development
proposals; therefore, program staff should devise methods to attract
greater numbers of such proposals." It is worth noting that OPP has a
high percentage of development (versus acquisition) proposals.

> The same COV gave the following -- an OPP MRI proposal \-- as its
> first example of results that lead to "discovery across the frontier
> of science and engineering":
>
> *The detection of neutrinos through a large volume of natural ice in
> Antarctica as a Chernkov detection medium. Fifteen institutions and
> several countries use it. It has public interest because of the
> Antarctic environment and astronomy outcomes that boost the interest
> of the public in science. It has fostered the development of remote
> distance analysis and reporting of data as well as the development of
> power supplies that are highly reliable (Polar Programs 9512578). The
> AMANDA project is an excellent example.*
>
> The AMANDA project continues to yield results and publications. A
> recent article in Nature[^101] reported the detection of upwardly
> propagating atmospheric neutrinos by AMANDA. The results establish a
> technology with which to build a kilometer-scale neutrino observatory
> necessary for astrophysical observations. As the authors conclude,
> "the observation of neutrinos by a neutrino telescope deep in the
> Antarctic ice cap, a goal that was once thought difficult if not
> impossible, represents an important step toward establishing the field
> of high-energy neutrino astronomy first envisioned over 40 years ago."

-   S&E information/reports/databases -- N/A

-   New types of scientific databases & tools for using them -- N/A

[^1]: OPP-9910305, Jamie Morrison

[^2]: OPP-9910319, Lee Cooper

[^3]: OPP-0001041, [www.veco.com/vpr]{.underline}

[^4]: OPP-0004401, Glenn Sheehan,
    [http://www.sfos.uaf.edu/basc/]{.underline}

[^5]: OPP-9981914, Brian Barnes,
    [http://www.uaf.edu/toolik/]{.underline}

[^6]: OPP-9910305, Jamie Morrison

[^7]: For a complete list of participants and their activities, see
    http://tea.rice.edu/tea_meetteachers.html

[^8]: OPP-9725820, http://tea.rice.edu/tea_kryslfrontpage.html

[^9]: OPP-0002473, http://tea.rice.edu/tea_leppikfrontpage.html

[^10]: OPP-9812973; http://tea.rice.edu/tea_rschlichtingfrontpage.html

[^11]: OPP-9813311; http://tea.rice.edu/tea_youngmanfrontpage.html

[^12]: OPP-9815808,
    www.utmsi.utexas.edu/staff/dunton/k12/mywebs/index.htm

[^13]: OPP-0096338, Paul Mayewski, University of Maine []{.mark}

[^14]: OPP-9817937, Wayne

[^15]: OPP-0003072, Caulfield; OPP-9906692, Webber; OPP-9818837, Elias;
    OPP-9910319, Cooper; OPP-9909945, John

[^16]: [http://www.ram.uni-bremen.de](http://www.ram.uni-bremen.de/),
    funded by the EU; Klaus Kuenzi, Institute of Environmental Physics,
    Institute of Remote Sensing, University of Bremen/FB1

[^17]: Atsumo Ohmura, Institute of Climate Change Research, Swiss
    Federal Institute of Technology. Funded by the Swiss Science
    Foundation.

[^18]: www.hwr.arizona.edu/GEOsummit/

[^19]: OPP-0003804, OPP-0196481Rogers and Castello

[^20]: OPP-0003072, Caulfield; [Northern Communities and the Global
    Economy]{.underline}, edited by Richard A. Caulfield and Mie Kojima
    (Department of Alaska Native & Rural Development, College of Rural
    Alaska, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2001).

[^21]: OPP-0000515, Bindschadler; http://igloo.gsfc.nasa.gov/wais

[^22]: OPP-0111665, Dunbar and Cooper

[^23]: OPP-0118665, Harwood.

[^24]: OPP-9614129, Andrews, University of Colorado. []{.mark}

[^25]: <http://www.fss.ulaval.ca/iassa/icass4.HTML>

[^26]: OPP-9979689, Allen-Gil; OPP-9979695, Ford

[^27]: DEB-9810222; DEB-9211775; OPP-9911278; OPP-9400722, Hobbie

[^28]: OPP-9817937, Wayne

[^29]: OPP-9807051, McCartney; OPP-9908682, Norton

[^30]: OPP-9725305, Jeffrey P Severinghaus, U of Cal SD Scripps Inst ,
    California.

[^31]: OPP-9809971, Hollibaugh

[^32]: OPP-9615011, Crowley (CF "Snowball Earth", OPP-9817244)

[^33]: OPP-9529350, Gifford Miller, University of Colorado

[^34]: OPP-9524740 (Peterson), OPP-0041225 (Vorosmarty) - Lammers et
    al., J. Geophys. Res., 2001

[^35]: OPP-9806759; Hammer, M.F., et al. (2001) "Hierarchical Patterns
    of Global Human Y-chromosome Diversity." [Molecular Biology and
    Evolution]{.underline} 18: 189-203; Karafet, T.M. et al. (2001)
    "Paternal population history of East Asia: Sources, patterns and
    microevolutionary processes." [American Journal of Human
    Genetics]{.underline} 69: 615-628; Karafet, T.M. et al (2001) "A
    history of Siberian Native people from the perspective of male
    lineages." [American Journal of Physical Anthropology]{.underline}
    32 (suppl): 88 (abstract). []{.mark}

[^36]: OPP-9980654, Ruhl

[^37]: OPP-0083108, Martinson; OPP-0082770, Steele. Invited lecture
    \'Arctic Change\' at the Washington Science Teachers Association
    annual meeting in Vancouver, WA, October, 2000; Invited lecture
    \'Big Changes in the Polar Oceans\' to an undergraduate class at the
    Univ. of WA, \'Forestry and Society\' taught by Prof. R. Gara,
    November, 2000; Ongoing talks to elementary school classes around
    Seattle about the arctic and sea ice; \'How The Ocean Freezes\', an
    installment of the \'Ask the Wizard\' column for Discover Magazine,
    expected publication date in fall, 2001; \'The Cold Halocline\' and
    \'Thermohaline Circulation,\' two chapters in the upcoming
    [Encyclopedia of the Arctic]{.underline}, Fitzroy Dearborn
    Publishers.

[^38]: OPP-9527481, Powell; 9527013, Askin; 9527075 Wrenn; OPP-9527329;
    OPP-9317979; OPP-9527394; OPP-9527008; OPP-9420062; OPP-9418429;
    OPP-9419770; OPP-9422893; OPP-9526889; OPP-9527070; OPP-9420475

[^39]: OPP-9911333,Wingfield

[^40]: OPP-9820698; OPP-9815381; OPP-9632763; OPP-9019812; OPP-9420678;
    OPP-9529569; OPP-9632733; OPP-9908856; OPP-9413295; OPP-9901076;
    OPP-9814538; OPP-9528241; OPP-9814794.

[^41]: OPP-9420803; *Science* 291: 1950-1952. Adam G. Marsh, Robert E.
    Maxson Jr., and Donal T. Manahan.

[^42]: OPP-9978143, Sveinbjornsson

[^43]: OPP-9615347, Howard Conway, University of Washington

[^44]: OPP-9527067, Rea

[^45]: OPP-9817244, Paul Hoffman, Harvard University. (CF "Modeling
    Paleozoic Glaciations", OPP-9615011, Crowley)

[^46]: OPP-9979684, Cochran

[^47]: OPP-9806296, (Johnson) - Polyakov and Johnson, Geophys. Res.
    Ltrs, December, 2000; OPP-9634513 (Tucker) - Tucker et al., Geophys.
    Res. Ltrs., July, 2001

[^48]: OPP-9703127, Curry

[^49]: OPP-0084345, Sturm; Sturm et al., *Nature*, 2001

[^50]: OPP-9984901, Taylor

[^51]: OPP-9713968, Beard and Johnson []{.mark}

[^52]: OPP- 9908945, Wettlaufer and Dash

[^53]: OPP-9907692, Holm-Hansen

[^54]: NSF 01-78; http://utk-biogw.bio.utk.edu/SBI.nsf

[^55]: OPP-9907776, Button, et.al.

[^56]: OPP-9911795, Peter Michael, Chief Scientist, University of Tulsa;
    OPP-0000389, Charles Langmuir, Lamont; OPP-9912162, Henry Dick,
    Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; OPP-9912156, David Graham,
    Oregon State

[^57]: OPP-9420062, Harwood

[^58]: OPP-9814634, Michael Bender, Princeton University

[^59]: OPP-9980379, Ian Baker, Dartmouth College.

[^60]: OPP-9707520, Deshler; Voigt, C., J. et al. December, 2000. Nitric
    acid trihydrate (NAT) in polar stratospheric cloud particles,
    *Science*, 290, 1756-1758*.*

[^61]: OPP-9530609, Goyet and Peltzer; OPP-9530677, Nelson; OPP-9531982,
    Brzezinski

[^62]: OPP-0118372

[^63]: OPP-0001450

[^64]: OPP-9911795

[^65]: OPP-9614493

[^66]: OPP-9910164

[^67]: OPP-9911278, Hobbie et al; NSF press release on Peterson et al
    *Science*, vol 292, 6 April, 2001.

[^68]: ATM-9809795 (Miller) - EOS, Trans. American Geophysical Union,
    February, 2001; OPP-9726510 (Ogilvie) - Andrews et al., J.
    Quaternary Sci., 2001.

[^69]: OPP-9515380 (Hamilton) - Hamilton et al., Climatic Change, 2000

[^70]: OPP-9909212, Engebretson and Arnoldy

[^71]: OPP-0076298; http://psc.apl.washington.edu/search/

[^72]: OPP-9909778, John Stone, University of Washington

[^73]: OPP-9526979, James W White, U of Colorado Boulder, Colorado.

[^74]: OPP-9727077, Kenneth Smith, Scripps Institution of Oceanography,
    UC San Diego.

[^75]: OPP-9615053, Domack; OPP-9615670, Manley; OPP-9714371, Leventer;
    OPP-9615695, Banerjee; OPP-9615669, Ishman

[^76]: OPP-9802446, Jeffrey Strasser

[^77]: OPP-9912332, Perdikaris and McGovern

[^78]: OPP-9871166, Janecek

[^79]: OPP-9910290, Bellingham

[^80]: OPP-9910290, Bellingham; OPP-9910297, Curry, See also
    [www.aerosonde.com/]{.underline}barrow_2000.htm; OPP-0001392, Sohn

[^81]: OCE-9988593, Prince

[^82]: OPP-Blankenship

[^83]: OPP-0096291, Paul Mayewski, University of Maine

[^84]: NSF 98-2, OPP-9814550, Gregory R Scharfen, University of Colorado
    Boulder, Colorado. The Office of Polar Programs, in conformance with
    NSF policy (see Grant Proposal Guide - GPG, Section VII-H), expects
    investigators to share with other researchers, at no more than
    incremental cost and within a reasonable time, the data, derived
    data products, samples, physical collections and other supported
    materials gathered or created in the course of the research project.
    The purpose of this policy is to facilitate full and open access to
    data and materials for polar research from projects supported by
    OPP.

[^85]: OPP-9727155, Rosemary Askin, Ohio State University; The database
    can be accessed at URL agd.mps.ohio-state.edu, or via the Byrd Polar
    Research Center homepage at www-bprc.mps.ohio-state.edu.

[^86]: NSF 99-2, OPP-9910838, Barclay Kamb, California Institute of
    Technology

[^87]: OPP-9527481, Powell; 9527013, Askin; 9527075 Wrenn; OPP-9527329;
    OPP-9317979; OPP-9527394; OPP-9527008; OPP-9420062; OPP-9418429;
    OPP-9419770; OPP-9422893; OPP-9526889; OPP-9527070; OPP-9420475

[^88]: OPP-9713968, Beard and Johnson []{.mark}

[^89]: OPP-9615011, Crowley (CF "Snowball Earth", OPP-9817244)

[^90]: OPP-9911795, Peter Michael, Chief Scientist, University of Tulsa;
    OPP-0000389, Charles Langmuir, Lamont; OPP-9912162, Henry Dick,
    Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; OPP-9912156, David Graham,
    Oregon State

[^91]: OPP-0001450

[^92]: OPP-9911795

[^93]: OPP-9817244, Paul Hoffman, Harvard University. (CF "Modeling
    Paleozoic Glaciations", OPP-9615011, Crowley)

[^94]: OPP-0119988, Price

[^95]: OPP-0119798, Huntington

[^96]: OPP-9909841, DeVries and Cheng, University of Illinois,
    Urbana-Champaign

[^97]: OPP-0089451, Detrich, Northeastern University

[^98]: OPP-0085435, Murray, University of Nevada

[^99]: OPP-0116674

[^100]: OPP-0116577

[^101]: *Nature*, Vol. 410, 3/22/01