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Bonding Holtedahlfonna Records: Integrating Data Gaps and Evaluating oxygen Isotopic Composition Evolution (BRIDGE-ICE)
Call year: 2025
Status: active
IADC_id: 810
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Project description:
The BRIDGE-ICE project aims to avoid temporal and spatial discrepancies by making simultaneous shallow cores and snow pits collections where previous drillings were conducted. My Doctoral Research Project is centered around the chemical-physical analysis of an ice core drilled in spring 2023 on the Holtedahlfonna (HDF) ice field (79° 13’ N, 13° 27’ E; 1158 m a.s.l.) to understand the effects of climate change in the Svalbard region, a potential teleconnection with mid-latitudes climate anomalies. Previous ice core (79° 08' N, 13° 16' E; 1150 m a.s.l. - 2005 - Norwegian Polar Institute) and firn cores (79° 09' N, 13° 23' E; 1150 m a.s.l. - 2012, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021) from the same location revealed a significant decrease of the oxygen isotopic composition around 2005 where values collapse from -12 to -17 ‰. On the contrary, temperature data documented by meteorological stations on the HDF - which are notably positively correlated with oxygen isotopic composition values - highlight an intense warming. Climatically, the possible shift underlined by available data during 2005 may correspond to a decadal variability or to an unmitigated shift in the average climatological conditions. This pattern could potentially be identified also in the oxygen isotopic composition time series of the most recent ice core collected in 2023. Given the potential climate shift indicated by merging the oxygen isotopic composition data of the campaigns performed between 2005 and 2021, it is imperative to implement a holistic approach to enhance the robustness of these findings. To compare data from drilling campaigns conducted in different periods and to exclude the likely spatial dependence of the climate signal, simultaneous collection at the same three sites of both shallow cores and snow pits would certainly be beneficial. Particularly, the BRIDGE-ICE activities would be of primary importance in the development of my PhD project allowing me to gain a more robust understanding of whether the shift observed in 2005 can truly be considered a climate signal across the HDF ice field or if it is merely a spatial phenomenon. Indeed, by comparing shallow ice cores that have undergone summer melting and percolation with annual snowpack samples from undisturbed snow pits - where no melting events occurred during the winter - across the three study sites, it would be possible to discern whether the observed oxygen isotopic composition shift is linked to seasonal snow accumulation processes within HDF or if it is indicative of broader climatic conditions. The BRIDGE-ICE project will involve the simultaneous sampling at three strategically chosen sites on the HDF. These sites correspond to the location of the three campaigns conducted in this ice field: the deep drillings conducted in 2005 and 2023, along with the multi-year campaign carried out between 2012 and 2021. The three shallow cores will be collected using a 4 in. fiberglass Kovacs Mark II ice coring system powered by an electric drill reaching depths of 5-7 m into the firn; considering the mass balance values published by the NPI this depth will provide the climatic signal data of the last 3 to 5 years. The snow pits will be performed with a 5-centimeter resolution by digging a trench in the annual snowpack and the snow physical proprieties will be measured on site. All samples will be collected on the HDF, located approximately 80 kilometers northeast of the international research settlement of Ny-Ålesund. The journey to the Holtedahlfonna will be performed by snowmobile which is known to have a lower environmental impact compared to helicopters or planes, generating fewer emissions and less noise. Moreover, the BRIDGE-ICE project will be conducted in close collaboration with other research groups (Norwegian Polar Institute, Council of National Research - Institute of Polar Science, and French-German AWIPEV Research Base): this collaborative approach is designed to maximize the scientific outcomes and minimize travel complexities reducing the environmental footprint. The samples for the oxygen isotopic composition and other analysis will be processed in the laboratory of the Italian Research Station "Dirigibile Italia", melted at room temperature, and transferred into appropriate vials or test tubes. Subsequently, they will be carried to the Council of National Research - Institute of Polar Science (CNR-ISP) laboratories and analyzed by Cavity Ring Down Spectroscopy (CRD-S) and Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy (ICP-MS). In essence, the main aims of the BRIDGE-ICE project are to: • gain a more robust understanding of whether the shift observed in 2005 can truly be considered a climate signal across the HDF or if it is merely a spatial phenomenon indicative of broader climatic and meteorological conditions; • clarify the factors driving isotopic variations and improve the interpretation of oxygen isotopic composition as a proxy in the region.
National/International Cooperation:
The BRIDGE-ICE project works in partnership with the Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI), the National Research Council Institute of Polar Sciences (CNR-ISP), and the AWIPEV French-German Arctic Research Station and through the entire project, the staff from these institutes will assist in conducting the three campaigns.
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