U of M Duluth gets Antarctica research grant
The University of Minnesota Duluth has received a nearly $9 million federal grant to conduct research in Antarctica.
WDIO-TV reports the $8.97 million grant from the National Science Foundation will fund the construction of an ice-drilling platform. University scientists say it will be the first system of its kind to be used in Antarctica.
The university says the research will provide a new perspective on major ice caps and their surrounding geology.
The project's lead scientist says researchers will use the drill to make a borehole in the Antarctic ice sheet and the bedrock below. Crews will take samples of ice in about 10 days before moving to a new drill site.
Construction will start next June. The research program is expected to begin in late 2017.
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