The University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) was awarded a $906,025 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Polar Programs (CFDA 47.078) to conduct collaborative research on the role of the Bellingshausen Sea in Antarctic ice sheet mass loss and ocean carbon uptake. The project, titled "BEACON: The Bellingshausen Sea, A Carbon and Overturning Nexus", will collect physical and biogeochemical measurements in the Bellingshausen Sea to assess its influence on heat, meltwater, nutrient, and biological productivity distributions in the West Antarctic region. The research team will utilize ships, towed underwater vehicles, and autonomous underwater platforms to capture detailed ocean mixing processes and their impacts on ice shelf melt, nutrient supply, and carbon dioxide uptake. The findings will help reduce uncertainty in global sea level rise estimates driven by Antarctic ice sheet dynamics. This award runs from January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2027.
Generated 2/25/25, 3:44 AM