HotRod: Prototype for Rapid Sampling of Ice-Sheet Basal Temperatures

At present, no drilling systems allows easy sampling of ice temperatures at the base of the Greenland Ice Sheet. This project will design, build and deploy and electric melt-tip drill – HOTROD – as a prototype for rapid sampling of temperatures at the ice-bed interface. The prototype will be capable of inserting temperature sensors at ice depths of up to 500 m within a few days. This prototype will serve as an urgently needed proof-of-concept for achieving 3000 m depth capability. The advent of rapid basal temperature sampling will potentially shift our understanding of ice-sheet sensitivity to climate change.