[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 181 (Thursday, September 18, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54743-54745]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-23856]


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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION


Notice of Intent to Prepare a Comprehensive Environmental 
Evaluation (CEE) for the Construction and Operation of a High-Energy 
Neutrino Telescope (Project IceCube) at the South Pole

AGENCY: National Science Foundation.
SUMMARY: The National Science Foundation proposes to construct and 
operate a high-energy neutrino telescope at the South Pole. The 
telescope is designed to detect subatomic particles (i.e., neutrinos) 
from distant astrophysical sources in the universe. The proposed 
telescope is a second-generation instrument based on the successful 
evolution of a smaller neutrino telescope at the South Pole. The 
proposed telescope will consist of an array of optical modules arranged 
on the surface and to a depth of 2,400 meters covering a cubic 
kilometer of ice in the polar ice sheet. The new instrument would be 
the largest telescope of its type ever built. The telescope would be 
installed in the ice sheet over a 6-year period and would have a design 
life of 25 years. The project would be supported by a combination of 
resources dedicated to the project as well as resources provided by the 
Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. Operation of the telescope would 
facilitate discoveries in astronomy, astrophysics, cosmology and 
particle physics, and would be consistent with the National Science 
Foundation's mission to support scientific investigations in Antarctica 
(Presidential Memorandum 6646, February 5, 1982).
    The Director of the Office of Polar Programs of the National 
Science Foundation intends to prepare a comprehensive environmental 
evaluation (CEE) within the procedures of the Protocol on Environmental 
Protection to the Antarctic Treaty and consistent with implementing 
regulations for the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for the 
decision to construct and operate a high-energy neutrino telescope at 
the South Pole.

DATES: The draft comprehensive environmental evaluation is expected to 
be available to the public approximately January 2004. Comments on this 
notice of intent will be of most use if they are received before 
December 10, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be submitted to Dr. Polly A. 
Penhale, Program Manager, Office of Polar Programs, Room 755, National 
Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22230.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Polly A. Penhale at the address 
above or tel: (703) 292-8030, fax: (703) 292-9081, e-mail: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Science Foundation (NSF) 
manages and funds United States activities in Antarctica. The NSF is 
responsible for the U.S. Antarctic

[[Page 54744]]

Research Program as well as operation of three active U.S. research 
stations in Antarctica, including the Amundsen-Scott South Pole 
Station. The South Pole is a geophysically unique site for important 
research in astronomy and astrophysics. The clear ice and location on 
the earth's axis provide one of the best sites to search for distant 
phenomena such as the formation of stars and galaxies, and the growth 
and structure of the universe.
    Neutrinos are high-energy subatomic particles produced by the 
nuclear reactions such as decay of radioactive elements, and are relics 
of high energy events that occur in the universe. Unlike photons of 
other charged particles, neutrinos can travel long distances unaffected 
by interference from magnetic fields or matter. These characteristics 
make neutrinos a valuable tool for the study of the universe. Searches 
for neutrinos from Supernova, dark matter, point sources of muon 
neutrinos and diffuse sources of high energy electron and muon 
neutrinos have demonstrated the physics potential of a deep ice 
neutrino detector.
    In the late 1980's, the National Science Foundation funded a R&D 
proposal for construction and operation of the first high-energy 
neutrino telescope in the ice sheet at the South Pole, known as the 
Antarctic Muon and Neutrino Array and Detector (AMANDA). AMANDA is a 
prototype neutrino telescope which serves as a large volume detector to 
study very high energy cosmic ray neutrinos using a system of optical 
modules (i.e., photomultiplier detectors) installed in the thick ice 
sheet at the South Pole. The AMANDA project was conducted in several 
phases (AMANDA-A, AMANDA-B10, AMANDA-II), and included the installation 
of over 900 optical modules at depths up to 2,350 meters in the ice 
sheet. During the AMANDA project, techniques were developed and later 
refined for drilling holes and deploying strings of optical modules 
deep into the ice sheet. The scientific results that are available from 
the AMANDA project have verified the function of the detector at the 
required level of sensitivity over several energy ranges, and have 
enabled the reconstruction of more than one hundred atmospheric 
neutrino events, thereby demonstrating the ``proof of concept''.
    The successful deployment and operation of the AMANDA detector has 
shown that the Antarctic Ice sheet is an ideal medium and location for 
a large neutrino telescope and that a proven technology is available. 
However, results from the AMANDA detector has shown that a much larger 
detector is needed to provide optimum angular and energy resolution and 
achieve the sensitivity required to detect a wide diversity of possible 
signals from distant sources. Based on AMANDA's performance, 
researchers have calculated that a telescope of one cubic kilometer in 
volume would be needed to achieve these scientific goals and meet the 
required level of performance. Project IceCube represents the neutrino 
telescope system designed to meet these objectives.
    Project IceCube would feature the design, installation and 
operation of a second-generation high-energy neutrino telescope at the 
South Pole. The telescope would be located approximately 0.5 kilometers 
from the Amundsen-Scott Station and adjacent to the existing aircraft 
skyway. Project IceCube would capitalize upon the technologies 
developed in the AMANDA project and would consist of a deep and surface 
array of systematically-placed optical modules within a cubic kilometer 
of ice at the South Pole. The deep portion of the array would consist 
of 4,800 digital optical modules arranged in 80 vertical strings and 
placed at a depth up to 2,400 meters. The surface portion of the array 
would serve as an air shower detector for calibration purposes and 
would comprise 320 digital optical modules placed at a depth of 1 meter 
at locations adjacent to the vertical strings. Each component of the 
array would be connected to a data processing facility centrally 
located within the array pattern. Project IceCube would also encompass 
the existing AMANDA neutrino detector and the SPASE-2 air shower 
detector.
    It is anticipated that the deep and surface components of the array 
will be installed over six summer seasons, beginning during the 2004/05 
season. Deployment of the array strings will involve the use of a 
series of dedicated facilities and equipment (i.e., Drilling Camp). The 
Drilling Camp will contain the infrastructure needed to support 
drilling and array deployment operations, including the power 
generation, water heating, fuel distribution and management. The 
Drilling Camp will be mobilized for operation each austral summer, and 
would operate 24-hours a day for approximately 59 days each year with 
dedicated Project staff. Penetrations into the ice sheet would be 
created using a Enhanced Hot Water Drill (EHWD) system which heats 
water to high temperature and pumps it under high pressure through a 
drill nozzle to create a precise hole in the ice. The EHWD design 
represents an evolution of the AMANDA drill optimized to more 
efficiently drill and deploy detector strings in the ice sheet thereby 
meeting Project IceCube requirements. Consistent with the experience 
gained through AMANDA, each hole will be filled with hot water as it is 
drilled and the deep array string of detectors will be lowered to its 
target depth and allowed to freeze, securing the string in the ice 
sheet.
    Supplementing the resources dedicated to Project IceCube (e.g, 
personnel, equipment), additional resources would be shared with the 
Amundsen-Scott Station including personnel support facilities and 
services (e.g., berthing, food), cargo, fuel, waste handling 
facilities, and communications services to facilitate data upload. 
Logistical support for the transportation of Project materials and 
personnel from McMurdo Station, Antarctica, to the South Pole would be 
provided by the existing fleet of LC-130 aircraft. Most materials and 
equipment would be expected to be transported to McMurdo Station by 
ship. Because the South Pole Station Modernization Project (SPSM) will 
be ongoing through 2007, careful planning of shared resources, 
particularly personnel support facilities and services, would be needed 
to ensure that the requirements of ongoing station operations, SPSM, 
and Project IceCube can be met without significant compromise. Selected 
resources from the old station scheduled to be decommissioned during 
SPSM (e.g., Summer Camp) may be made available to Project IceCube as 
they become available.
    The proposed action to initiate installation of the Project IceCube 
detectors in 2004/05 austral summer season using supplemental support 
from the Amundsen-Scott Station represents the preferred alternative 
(Alternative A). Other alternatives that have been considered in the 
CEE include the installation of Project IceCube using supplemental 
support from the Amundsen-Scott Station resources but following 
completion of SPSM in 2007 (Alternative B), the installation of Project 
IceCube as an independently operated facility with minimal support from 
the Amundsen-Scott Station (Alternative C), and the No Action 
Alternative, that is not proceeding with Project IceCube (Alternative 
D). Several additional alternatives were identified but were eliminated 
from consideration because they either failed to meet the scientific 
objectives of the Project or were not logistically feasible.

[[Page 54745]]

    The potential environmental impacts of the proposed action that 
will be identified and evaluated in detail in the comprehensive 
environmental evaluation include:
    [sbull] Physical disturbance to the snow and ice environment
    [sbull] Air emissions
    [sbull] Releases to the snow and environment
    [sbull] Impacts to Amundsen-Scott Station operations
    [sbull] Impacts to other science at the South Pole or in other 
areas of the USAP
    Selected mitigating measures, representing specific actions or 
options that would be taken to reduce or avoid impacts to the 
environment, have already been incorporated into the design of the 
proposed Project. These mitigating measures will be identified in the 
comprehensive environmental evaluation, as well as additional measures 
that will be under consideration during the implementation of the 
Project activities.
    The public is invited to comment on any aspect of the proposal. The 
comment period on the draft comprehensive environmental evaluation will 
be a minimum of 90 days from the date the Environmental Protection 
Agency publishes the notice of availability in the Federal Register.

Polly A. Penhale,
Program Manager.
[FR Doc. 03-23856 Filed 9-17-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-M