The first community workshop and science planning meeting for the Hercules Dome ice core project. The meeting will take place on May 10th-11th, 2021, held remotely. This is both a planning meeting and an open science meeting that will provide an opportunity to hear about some of the latest Antarctic ice core research, and to begin to develop new collaborations.

The Hercules Dome project is a major investment by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), and represents a community platform for research. Hercules Dome follows in the long tradition of deep ice core projects supported by the NSF, including the GISP2 project in Greenland, the WAIS Divide project in West Antarctica, and the recently-completed South Pole (SPICEcore) project, all of which have led to substantial scientific advances.

Drilling at Hercules Dome is not expected to begin until 2024. This means that there is time to develop novel ideas, and to find ways to get involved in the project, whether through measurements on the ice core, modeling related to the ice and climate dynamics, meteorological observations in the field, or innovative community engagement and education work. We encourage participation from a broad cross section of the scientific community.

In preparation for the meeting, the Hercules Dome lead team will be hosting two informational webinars on March 23 at 1:00 p.m and March 31 at 9:00 a.m. (both Pacific time) that will include Q&A sessions. The goal of these webinars is to provide more background on the project and answer questions that will enable participants to contribute more fully to the meeting in May. The two webinars will have the same content. To register for one of the webinars, use the following links:

Register for March 23 webinar
Register for March 31 webinar

On April 15th, we will have a special lecture given by Eric Wolff of Cambridge University, "New frontiers in Antarctic ice core research". Details will be provided via the Hercules Dome ice core mailing list.

The community workshop and science planning meeting in May will include a small number of invited speakers and substantial opportunities for participants to present their ideas and to network with others involved in Antarctic glaciological research, including, but not limited to, ice core science. Those working on the communication of polar science are also strongly encouraged to attend. Registration for the April 15th lecture and the May meeting will be on the Hercules Dome website soon.

If you are interested in these events, mark your calendars and subscribe to the Hercules Dome mailing list to stay informed.