Many authors have used propagation of ultrasonic waves in ice for glaciological studies. This propagation is characterized by the velocity of sound and by the attenuation of stress waves. In crystalline materials, these two characteristics depend on structural slate. In particular plastic deformation gives velocity and attenuation variations.

We have measured the sound velocity and attenuation of ultrasonic waves in strained specimens of ice (single crystals and polycrystals). These measurements done between 100 and 273 K at a frequency of 5 MHz show that plastic deformation leads to an increase of attenuation arid an increase of velocity. Annealing treatments at 271 K cause recovery of propagation characteristics. The variation in attenuation can be interpreted by the theory of dislocations and this interpretation is supported by our data on the influence of frequency on this increase of attenuation induced by plastic deformation, but the theory of dislocations implies a decrease of modulus, i.e. of velocity, hence we must postulate that an added phenomenon screens the effect of dislocations. That phenomenon could be connected with ageing effects observed on different physical properties of ire and may be due to modification of protonic arrangement or creation of interstitials during plastic deformation. Thus our experiments show that it is necessary to be careful in using results determined from the propagation of ultrasonic waves in ice.

Assessing snow stability requires a holistic approach, relying on avalanche, snowpack and weather observations. Part of this assessment utilizes stability tests, but these tests can be unreliable due in part to the spatial variability of test results. Conducting more than one test can help to mitigate this uncertainty, though it is unclear how far apart to space tests to optimize our assessments. To address this issue we analyze the probability of sampling two relatively strong test results over 25 spatial datasets collected using a variety of stability tests. Our results show that the optimal distance for spacing stability tests varies by dataset, even when taking the sampling scheme and stability-test type into account. This suggests that no clear rule currently exists for spacing stability tests. Our work further emphasizes the spatial complexity of snow stability measurements, and the need for holistic stability assessments where stability tests are only one part of a multifaceted puzzle.

Observations remain sparse for peripheral glaciers and ice caps in Greenland. Here, we present the results of a multi-frequency radar survey of Lyngmarksbræen Ice Cap in West Greenland conducted in April 2017. Radar measurements show thick ice of up to ~120 m in subglacial valleys associated with the largest outlet glaciers, while relatively thin ice cover the upper plateau ice divides, suggesting future vulnerability to ice cap fragmentation. At the time of the radar survey, Lyngmarksbræen Ice Cap had a total volume of 0.82 ± 0.1 km3. Measurements show a 1.5–2 m thick end-of-winter snowpack, and that firn is largely absent, signifying a prolonged period of negative mass balance for most of the ice cap. The thermal regime of Lyngmarksbræen Ice Cap is investigated through analysis of scattering observed along radar profiles. Results show that the ice cap is largely below the pressure melting point, but that temperate ice exists both in deep basal pockets and in shallow zones that some places extend from ~15 m depth and to the ice base. The distribution of shallow temperate ice appears unrelated to variations in ice thickness; instead we find a strong correlation to the presence of nearby surface crevasses.

On aerial photographs of the Patagonian ice fields several types of bands can be identified; (1) fine ogives similar to Lüder’s lines in metals; (2) dirt bands which are both the outcrop of the annual debris strata of the névé and melt borders (the Schmelzrände of von Klebelsberg); (3) annual wave ogives below some ice falls; (4) annual ogives in regenerated glaciers, the formation of which is studied; (5) large melt borders which occur at longer intervals as a result of volcanic eruptions. These latter give evidence on the volcanic activity in the middle of the Patagonian ice fields.

32Si dating of glacier ice has hitherto been complicated by the poor knowledge of the half life. Furthermore, fall-out of bomb-produced 32Si impedes the determination of the specific activity of cosmic-ray produced 32Si in recent precipitation. Measurements on well-dated pre-bomb samples from the Greenland ice sheet establish a calibration for 32Si dating of up to 1 000 year old polar ice samples of the magnitude of 1 metric ton. If the technique is used on temperate glaciers, samples of pre-bomb deposits (or from after 1970) must be collected for comparison with samples of old ice, using an apparent half life of 295±25 years. Due to secular cosmic-ray flux variations, the true half life of 32Si is estimated at the slightly higher value of 330±40 years.

The generalized Glen’s law έ = έ0Tn exp (kθ ) is used to calculate die horizontal and vertical velocity profiles and from these the temperature and age profiles of cold ice sheets. It is shown that, by substituting for θ a function increasing linearly with height, velocity profiles for all ice sheets are obtained which represent excellent approximations to the true ones, since, above a critical height he where the deviation from linearity becomes large, the influence of temperature on ice flow becomes negligible. In a comparison of the present theory with Robin’s (1955) treatment a larger temperature difference ΔT of up to 30% is obtained. Furthermore the present theory yields an age considerably increased compared with Nye’s model; e.g. more than 50% at a relative height of h\H = 0·1.

The relationship of glacier response due to mass-balance changes is of fundamental importance when climate variations are to be understood. In this paper, two aspects of the problem are analyzed from field data: (1) advance/retreat of the glacier terminus due to changes in mass balance, and (2) cross-correlation of mass-balance data from two glaciers in the same climate zone. The results show: (1) the terminus can respond quickly in accordance with expected minimum time-scale, and (2) two glaciers in the same general climate zone may have very different yearly mass balance and advance/retreat behaviour. This latter result indicates the importance of local climate variations.

The Antarctic ice sheet has been reconstructed at 18000 years b.p. by Hughes and others (in press) using an ice-flow model. The volume of the portion of this reconstruction which contributed to a rise of post-glacial eustatic sea-level has been calculated and found to be (9.8±1.5) × 106 km3. This volume is equivalent to 25±4 m of eustatic sea-level rise, defined as the volume of water added to the ocean divided by ocean area. The total volume of the reconstructed Antarctic ice sheet was found to be (37±6) × 106 km3. If the results of Hughes and others are correct, Antarctica was the second largest contributor to post-glacial eustatic sea-level rise after the Laurentide ice sheet. The Farrell and Clark (1976) model for computation of the relative sea-level changes caused by changes in ice and water loading on a visco-elastic Earth has been applied to the ice-sheet reconstruction, and the results have been combined with the changes in relative sea-level caused by Northern Hemisphere deglaciation as previously calculated by Clark and others (1978). Three families of curves have been compiled, showing calculated relative sea-level change at different times near the margin of the possibly unstable West Antarctic ice sheet in the Ross Sea, Pine Island Bay, and the Weddell Sea. The curves suggest that the West Antarctic ice sheet remained grounded to the edge of the continental shelf until c. 13000 years b.p., when the rate of sea-level rise due to northern ice disintegration became sufficient to dominate emergence near the margin predicted otherwise to have been caused by shrinkage of the Antarctic ice mass. In addition, the curves suggest that falling relative sea-levels played a significant role in slowing and, perhaps, reversing retreat when grounding lines approached their present positions in the Ross and Weddell Seas. A predicted fall of relative sea-level beneath the central Ross Ice Shelf of as much as 23 m during the past 2000 years is found to be compatible with recent field evidence that the ice shelf is thickening in the south-east quadrant.

A method for the determination of the three-dimensional velocity field in a glacier is described, Measurements in three or more bore holes arranged in an appropriate array are needed for its application. Surface motion measured by triangulation and tape measure, bore-hole profiles given by inclinometry, and the geometry of the bed are all considered simultaneously in order to determine the velocity field. The basic assumption is that velocity between the bore holes can be represented by suitable interpolation based on the measurements in the holes. Ice displacement parallel to bore holes is calculated indirectly from incompressibility and the constraint that velocity normal to the bed be zero. As an example, the method is applied to an array of 9 bore holes in Athabasca Glacier.

A new extraction system has been designed and constructed which allows the extraction of gases from air bubbles in ice without melting it. The ice sample of about 500 g is crushed an evacuated container by a milling cutter, and the gas escaping from the opened bubbles is collected by condensation at 15K. Results of CO2 analyses of extracted gases are discussed with respect to possible contamination risks by the system.

For flat external ice shelves, expanding freely in all directions, the problem of thermodynamics is one-dimensional. In the affine dimensionless system of coordinates, equations of the dynamics together with the rheological equation lead to the non-linear integro-differential equation involving the reduced temperature. In the quasi-steady case the boundary problem for this equation is solved by means of the method of combining asymptotic expansions. It is shown that if ice is coming from the upper and lower surfaces in the opposite directions the regime is unsteady because of the internal heat accumulation.

The integro-differential equation for the temperature in the case of thinning internal ice shelves is more complicated, but it can be solved by a method analogous to the one mentioned above.

Using frequency-modulated continuous wave radar data from the 32nd Chinese Antarctic Research Expedition in 2015/16, subsurface profiles were obtained along an East Antarctic inland traverse from Zhongshan station to Dome A, and four distinct regions were selected to analyze the spatiotemporal variability in historical surface mass balance (SMB). Based on depth, density, and age data from ice cores along the traverse, the radar data were calibrated to yield average SMB data. The zone 49–195 km from the coast has the highest SMB (235 kg m−2 a−1). The 780–892 km zone was most affected by the Medieval Warm Period and the Little Ice Age, and the SMB during ad 1454–1836 (71 kg m−2 a−1) was only one-quarter of that in the 20th century. The SMB in the 1080–1157 km zone fluctuates the most, possibly due to erosion or irregular deposition of snow by katabatic winds in low SMB areas with surface elevation fluctuations. Dome A (1157–1236 km) has the lowest SMB (29 kg m−2 a−1) and did not decrease during Little Ice Age. Understanding the spatiotemporal variability of SMB in a larger space can help us understand the complex climate history of Antarctica.

A rough comparison between thermal and mechanical methods of de-icing indicates that mechanical methods could potentially de-ice with an order-of-magnitude less energy than that required to melt an ice accretion. Two applications of mechanical de-icing using pneumatically driven inflatable de-icers are described in this report. The first of these was the de-icing of a small cylindrical radome used for air navigational purposes. Two seasons of testing were conducted with a de-icer consisting of an inflatable-deflatable flexible plastic covering. The de-icer was driven by tanks with pressure and vacuum reservoirs that were recharged by an on-site air compressor in response to a pressure sensor. The de-icing cycle was activated by an ice detector so the system responded to icing events on a demand basis driven by the ice detector. The system proved successful in keeping the radome free of ice without manned operation and with small energy consumption in a mountain icing environment. The second application was an attempt to de-ice the walls of locks used in river navigational facilities. Ice usually formed at the high-water-mark by the freezing of the water exposed to low air temperatures or by the pressing of ice against the walls by ships using the locks. The de-icers consisted of air-driven hoses mounted on the wall covered by a thick flexible rubber mat and protected from ship damage by steel outer plates. This method was successful in removing ice accumulations up to 2 m long by 0.3 m thick over the area covered by the de-icer. Installation costs and the necessity for protection of the de-icer against abrasion by ships may make this de-icing method prohibitively expensive compared with methods which are not as susceptible to damage by ships (e.g. chemical coatings and electrical heating cables buried in the walls).

Tasman Glacier, a temperate maritime glacier in the New Zealand Southern Alps, is rapidly receding. Climate warming is resulting in lengthening of the ablation season, meaning crevasses in the accumulation area are becoming exposed at the surface for longer. We combine measurements of air temperature and wind speed from inside crevasses with surface meteorological data, finding that during summer, in-crevasse air temperature is frequently positive, and can at times exceed surface air temperature. Greatest warming occurred in the widest crevasses during clear-sky conditions, but full depth warming of crevasses also occurred at night. Net shortwave radiation contributes to heating of air in the upper regions of crevasses, but turbulent sensible heat transfer was responsible for driving warm air deeper into crevasses. Crevasses orientated to maximise radiation retrieval, and running parallel to wind flow, have the greatest potential for warming and heat storage. We hypothesise a positive feedback loop in the surface energy-balance system, where crevasses entrain and trap heat, which enhances melting, that in turn enlarges the crevasses, enabling greater heat storage and further melting. Energy-balance models that treat accumulation areas of alpine glaciers as homogeneous surfaces will therefore underestimate snow melt and overestimate mass balance.

Glacier surges are opportunities to study large amplitude changes in ice velocities and accompanying links to subglacial hydrology. Although the surge phase is generally explained as a disruption in the glacier's ability to drain water from the bed, the extent and duration of this disruption remain difficult to observe. Here we present a combination of in situ and remotely sensed observations of subglacial water discharge and evacuation during the latter half of an active surge and subsequent quiescent period. Our data reveal intermittently efficient subglacial drainage prior to surge termination, showing that glacier surges can persist in the presence of channel-like subglacial drainage and that successive changes in subglacial drainage efficiency can modulate active phase ice dynamics at timescales shorter than the surge cycle. Our observations favor an explanation of fast ice flow sustained through an out-of-equilibrium drainage system and a basal water surplus rather than binary switching between states in drainage efficiency.