Developing a hot-water drill system for the WISSARD project: 1. Basic drill system components and design. Issue 68 (2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Rack, Frank R.; Duling, Dennis; Blythe, Daren; Burnett, Justin; Gibson, Dar; Roberts, Graham; Carpenter, Chad; Lemery, Jeff; Fischbein, Steve
• Is Part Of: Annals of glaciology. Volume 55:Issue 68(2014)
• Page Start: 285
• Page End: 297
• Publication Date: 2014
• Subjects: Antarctic glaciology, -- glaciological instruments and methods, -- subglacial lakes, -- subglacial processes, -- subglacial sediments; Glaciology -- Periodicals; 551.3105 qA613
• DOI: 10.3189/2014AoG68A031
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0260-3055

Abstract

Abstract: A new, clean, hot-water drill system (HWDS) was developed by the Science Management Office, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, for use in the Whillans Ice Stream Subglacial Access Research Drilling (WISSARD) project to gain access to Subglacial Lake Whillans beneath ∼800 m of ice in West Antarctica. One primary borehole was drilled into the basal ice environment of Subglacial Lake Whillans during the initial field season in 2012/13. This paper describes the process of designing, fabricating, assembling, shipping, testing, commissioning and traversing the WISSARD HWDS leading up to the first scientific use of the system.