Ice Coring and Drilling Services for the Office of Polar Programs

The Office of Polar Programs (OPP) at the National Science Foundation (NSF) requests proposals from interested groups to support current and future ice core drilling activities. Current NSF ice coring programs include development of drill systems that can obtain ice-cores, embed instruments in the ice, carry out geophysical borehole logging, and provide access to the ice-sheet bed.

Specifically, proposals are requested for the establishment of a Scientific Drilling Support Office, which will provide scientific leadership and oversight of ice coring and drilling activities funded by NSF, and for an Ice Drilling Design and Operations Group, which will provide the engineering design support for new drilling systems as well as the operation and maintenance of existing systems. Interested parties can propose to manage the Scientific Drilling Support Office, to manage the Ice Drilling Design and Operations Group (which includes operation of the Deep Ice Sheet Coring (DISC) Drill) or both. The Scientific Drilling Support Office will play a proactive role in the community to encourage innovation in ice core drilling technologies in response to community needs and will help guide the Ice Drilling Design and Operations Group to develop new drilling technologies as requested by the research community and funded by NSF. These entities will be expected to work closely together and to partner, as appropriate, with research groups in the submission of research proposals.

Through a close collaboration, the successful proponent(s) will be expected to successfully manage and carry out drilling activities in varying mixtures of ice, rock, and sediment. Requirements for drilling activities will be derived from research proposals funded by the NSF, as well as collaborations with international partners. The ice-drilling support awardee(s) from this solicitation will be integral to the planning and execution of all aspects of the drilling activities that OPP supports.