Collaborative Research: Cloud-Radiative Feedback as the Coupling Mechanism of the Madden-Julian Oscillation and Quasi-Biennial Oscillation

DESCRIPTION: This project will include a field campaign on Flask Glacier, an Antarctic Peninsula outlet glacier, and a continent-wide remote sensing survey. These activities will allow the team to test three hypotheses related to the Antarctic Ice Sheet?s dynamic response to surface meltwater: (1) short-term changes in ice velocity indicated by satellite data result from surface meltwater reaching the bed, (2) this is widespread in Antarctica today, and (3) this results in a measurable increase in mean annual ice discharge. The project is a collaboration between US- and UK-based researchers and will be supported logistically by the British Antarctic Survey. The project aims to provide insights into both the drivers and implications of short-term changes in ice flow velocity caused by surface melting. For example, showing conclusively that meltwater directly influences Antarctic ice dynamics would have significant implications for understanding the response of Antarctica to atmospheric warming, as it did in Greenland when the phenomenon was first detected there twenty years ago. This work will also potentially influence other fields, as surface meltwater reaching the bed of the Antarctic Ice Sheet may affect ice rheology, subglacial hydrology, submarine melting, calving, ocean circulation, and ocean biogeochemistry. The project aims to have broader impacts on science and society by supporting early-career scientists, UK-US collaboration, education and outreach, and adoption of open data science approaches within the glaciological community.

BROADER IMPACTS: The project will contribute to improving S2S prediction skills that are important for risk management for industries such as agriculture, water, and health. The project will engage with a broader community through the organization of a scientific webinar and educational outreach. The purpose of the scientific webinar is to 1) identiFY20 the state of knowledge in MJO-QBO coupling, 2) facilitate further collaborations, and 3) develop unified techniques for diagnosing QBO-MJO coupling processes in numerical models. The background and new findings of this project will also be communicated through an ongoing outreach program of the PI in Spanish. This effort will help increase STEM education and interest within an underrepresented community of STEM. The project also supports full participation of PIs from underrepresented groups in STEM.