Those interested in accessing samples from NICL should also
familiarize themselves with the Ice Core Sample and Sample Information
Distribution Policy on the NICL-SMO web page at
http://www.nicl-smo.sr.unh.edu/NICL/NICL_DIST_POL1.html
Availability of Vostok Ice Core and Accretion Ice and Other Deaccessed
Ice Cores
The Russian, American and French international effort to drill an ice
core at Vostok Station was completed in 1998 and achieved both a
technical and scientific success by reaching a depth of 3623 m below
the surface at the Russian Vostok Station in East Antarctica (lat. 78 S,
long. 106 E; elevation 3,488 m; mean temperature -55 C). In addition to
being the deepest ice core ever drilled, the Vostok core is now
believed to cover the past four glacial-interglacial cycles (over
400,000 years) and contains a wealth of information.
Samples from the Vostok ice core afford unusual opportunities for
scientists from all disciplines. Until recently, samples assigned to
the US from the Vostok ice core were limited to NSF investigators
funded specifically to work on the Vostok core. At this time samples
from the U.S. Vostok ice core are available to any investigator with a
funded research project that could benefit by having access to these
samples. Un-funded investigators may obtain small quantities for
pilot studies only. Please contact the National Ice Core
Laboratory-Science Management Office (NICL-SMO)
http://www.nicl-smo.sr.unh.edu/NICL/ for information on sample
availability and how to apply for access to samples.
"Accreted" Vostok Ice
Ice core drilling at Vostok Station was suspended at a depth of 3623
m, 120 m above the ice-water interface of Lake Vostok, a subglacial
freshwater lake, similar in size to Lake Ontario (roughly 200 km by 50
km). The depth of the water in the lake is believed to range from
about 10 m to as much as 500 m in the vicinity of Vostok
Station. Beneath the lake, there are believed to be sediments which
are up to 300 m thick (possibly thicker elsewhere in the area).
Modeling efforts suggest that both melting and freezing occurs at the
base of the ice sheet as it passes over the lake.
Preliminary studies of the lowest 85 m of the core (3538 - 3626 m)
suggest that the bottom ice has been frozen on ("accreted") either as
the ice sheet flowed over the lake or upslope. Furthermore, it is
thought that this ice is likely disturbed by ice flow and therefore
the climate signals preserved in the upper part of the core are
probably no longer interpretable in the deepest ice.
Preliminary chemical analyses and studies of the physical properties
of the ice (large ice crystals and some debris (rock fragments, dust
or clay)) suggest that this accreted ice may contain useful
information about the underlying lake and sediments. Studies of this
ice are therefore warranted before any further investigations of the
actual lake are undertaken. In addition, studies of ice samples from
other deep cores have resulted in the discovery of a variety of
microorganisms, which represent taxa that are endemic to polar
regions, as well as exotics from temperate and tropical regions. This
suggests that glacial ice is a natural air-sampling mechanism. Studies
of microbes in ancient ice could present a view of both contemporary
and ancient fungal, bacterial and viral diversity.
Scientists who are interested in obtaining access to samples of this
Vostok "accreted" ice (3538 m - 3610 m) should send a message to the
NICL-SMO at the University of New Hampshire (nicl.smo [at] unh.edu). The
request will be sent to a special Sample Allocation Committee
consisting of members of the Ice Core Working Group and pertinent
researchers outside the ice coring community for review and
recommendations. Accreted ice sample list can be found at:
http://www.nicl-smo.sr.unh.edu/NICL/vostok-accession.html
Deaccession Ice
The National Ice Core Laboratory (NICL), with the assistance of the
Ice Core Working Group, has placed several ice cores archived at the
NICL facility on a deaccession list. These cores are available to any
investigator for scientific studies (see Eos Transaction, AGU, vol 79,
No. 19, 12 May 1998). List of core samples currently available on the
NICL deaccession list can be found at:
http://www.nicl-smo.sr.unh.edu/NICL/deaccess.html
How to Request Ice Core Samples from NICL.
To obtain ice core samples from the archives at the National Ice Core
Laboratory, Denver Federal Center send a request to nicl.smo [at] unh.edu.
The request should be a complete and concise statement describing the
study for which samples are needed, methods and procedures to be used,
the specific problem or objective of the study, samples required,
source of funding (if any) and names and addresses of collaborating
investigators. The NICL-SMO will review the request and send it out
to the Sample Allocation Committee for comments and final approval
from NSF.