{"685484":{"#nid":"685484","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Winnie Chu Awarded NSF CAREER Grant to Create First-Ever Map of Antarctic Ice Sheet Base Temperatures","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003ECovering 98% of the continent and spanning more than 5.4 million square miles, the Antarctic ice sheet is the largest single mass on Earth. Georgia Tech\u2019s\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EWinnie Chu\u003C\/strong\u003E is going to map it.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EChu\u003Cstrong\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003Ean assistant professor in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/eas.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E has been awarded a\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nsf.gov\/awardsearch\/showAward?AWD_ID=2442200\u0022\u003E$770,000 CAREER grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF)\u003C\/a\u003E to\u0026nbsp;create the first-ever comprehensive map of temperatures at the bottom of the ice sheet\u0026nbsp;\u2014 a map that will span the entire Antarctic continent.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThe NSF Faculty Early Career Development Program is a five-year grant designed to help promising researchers establish a foundation for a lifetime of leadership in their field. Known as CAREER awards, the grants are NSF\u2019s most prestigious funding for early-career faculty.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EIn total, the Antarctic ice sheet holds enough water to raise global sea levels by over 200 feet \u2014 more than 50 feet higher than the top of Tech Tower. Climate models help predict how much of this ice may melt in the coming years, providing critical safety and planning information for coastal communities.\u0026nbsp;However, researchers have limited knowledge of temperatures at the base of the ice sheet \u2014 miles beneath the surface\u0026nbsp;\u2014 and these temperatures play a critical role in melting.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cOur research addresses this critical gap in Antarctic ice sheet modeling,\u201d Chu explains. \u201cIf\u0026nbsp;temperatures at the base are warm enough, the ice can melt and lubricate the interface.\u201d The result? The surface acts like a slip-and-slide, carrying ice toward the ocean and accelerating melt.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cIt is crucial that we can accurately predict this behavior,\u201d Chu says. \u201cThis map will be an essential step forward in refining our climate models for the safety of coastal communities, for infrastructure planning, and for climate adaptation worldwide.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMapping miles-thick ice\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThe process isn\u2019t as simple as measuring the temperature with a thermometer though. The Antarctic ice sheet is, on average, over a mile thick and can range up to three miles thick.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EChu, who leads the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/glacier-geophys.eas.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EPolar Geophysical Simulation Lab\u003C\/a\u003E at Georgia Tech, will combine 20 years of radar data\u0026nbsp;\u2014 the result of multiple international polar programs\u0026nbsp;\u2014 and leverage a technique called \u201cradar sounding,\u201d which analyzes the echoes of airborne radar measurements. The brightness and shape of the echoes can reveal clues about subglacial meltwater and\u0026nbsp;temperatures. To complete the picture, Chu will use cutting-edge generative\u0026nbsp;artificial intelligence (AI) models.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cInnovations in generative AI are part of what makes this research possible,\u201d says Chu, \u201cbut the driving force is the data collected by these long-term research studies. AI can help complete the picture\u0026nbsp;\u2014 but only because that data exists.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPreparing for the future\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EChu aims for the temperature map to improve the parameterization of climate models and ice sheet projections. This will enable better predictions of future melt and help scientists assess areas that may be particularly vulnerable.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EShe hopes that the map will drive further advances in polar science. \u201cOur datasets and radar observations will be open access, meaning they\u2019ll be available for all researchers to use,\u201d Chu shares. \u201cWe\u2019ll also be sharing the AI processing codes that we develop and the enhanced ice sheet model outputs.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EAdditionally, the research will train the next generation of climate scientists through developing educational programs for high schoolers, empowering and engaging students nationwide with hands-on polar science and AI applications.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cThis research is about more than just mapping Antarctica \u2014 it\u2019s about building tools that help us prepare for the future,\u201d Chu says. \u201cBy making our data and models openly available, and by engaging students in the science behind climate change, we\u2019re not only advancing polar research \u2014 we\u2019re empowering the next generation to carry it forward.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe grant will support Chu as she uses radar data and generative AI to map temperatures beneath the Antarctica ice sheet, aiming to improve climate predictions, support coastal planning, and train future scientists through open-access tools and education.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The grant will support Chu as she uses radar data and generative AI to map temperatures beneath the Antarctica ice sheet, aiming to improve climate predictions, support coastal planning, and train future scientists through open-access tools and education."}],"uid":"35599","created_gmt":"2025-10-03 15:31:46","changed_gmt":"2025-10-08 15:03:02","author":"sperrin6","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-10-08T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2025-10-08T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"678302":{"id":"678302","type":"image","title":"Winnie Chu","body":"\u003Cp\u003EWinnie Chu\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1759935741","gmt_created":"2025-10-08 15:02:21","changed":"1759935741","gmt_changed":"2025-10-08 15:02:21","alt":"Winnie Chu","file":{"fid":"262312","name":"WinnieChu.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/10\/08\/WinnieChu.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/10\/08\/WinnieChu.png","mime":"image\/png","size":934158,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/10\/08\/WinnieChu.png?itok=Dffly_oC"}},"678254":{"id":"678254","type":"image","title":"The Ross Archipelago near the McMurdo Station in Antarctica. (Credit: USGS)","body":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Ross Archipelago near the McMurdo Station in Antarctica. (Credit: USGS)\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1759505805","gmt_created":"2025-10-03 15:36:45","changed":"1759505805","gmt_changed":"2025-10-03 15:36:45","alt":"The Ross Archipelago near the McMurdo Station in Antarctica. (Credit: USGS)","file":{"fid":"262254","name":"Ross-Archipelago.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/10\/03\/Ross-Archipelago.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/10\/03\/Ross-Archipelago.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":385248,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/10\/03\/Ross-Archipelago.jpg?itok=XPFe_yWv"}}},"media_ids":["678302","678254"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"364801","name":"School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (EAS)"}],"categories":[{"id":"154","name":"Environment"},{"id":"150","name":"Physics and Physical Sciences"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"192252","name":"cos-planetary"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"},{"id":"192249","name":"cos-community"},{"id":"192258","name":"cos-data"},{"id":"192863","name":"go-ai"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"193653","name":"Georgia Tech Research Institute"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWritten by \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:sperrin6@gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESelena Langner\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}