Single folds which enclose the marginal “inner moraines” of the dry-based Jeremy Sykes and Alberich Glaciers, Dry Valleys area, Antarctica, are deduced to have formed during an advance of the margins of these glaciers where the thin, stiff marginal ice has obstructed glacier flow and expansion.

It is suggested that the occurrence of this type of fold can be an indicator of an advance in many fully dry-based glaciers. On Alberich Glacier, the fold and associated margin forms suggest that a sequence of margin forms evolves when a small cirque glacier expands outward from a sloping ramp front to a tongue terminating in a calving ice cliff.

The changeable, variable and fragile nature of snow creates unique sampling challenges. In this paper, we present Star: an efficient, field-usable method for use in point-sampling spatial studies. We validate the accuracy of the Star method using a comparative Monte Carlo simulation of 1024 detailed samples of elevation data. As spatial snow studies generally attempt to find spatial continuity in layers and other properties, we use variogram ranges to compare the ability of four sampling methods to accurately reveal such spatial correlation. The three methods compared to Star represent gridded, gridded-random and pure-random methods; Star can be described as a linear-random method. The simulation shows Star’s accuracy to be comparable to both gridded and gridded-random methods. Following this comparative process we introduce a new measure of appropriateness for sampling methods: the correct convergence on a variogram model, which we call correct spatial correlation detection. This directly measures how many sampled areas become correctly classified with either spatially correlated or non-correlated variance for a given variogram model fit. In this measure, Star performs equivalently to the other methods, and in correct convergence it performs as well as pure-random sampling.

The zero isopleth of surface areal strain-rate is roughly parallel to, but below, the equilibrium line of the glacier. In the middle and lower parts of the ablation area, the basal temperature is either close to or at the melting point, whereas above and around the equilibrium line the glacier is frozen to its bed. The basal bulk ice is deforming continuously and inhomogeneously but, in the inner parts of the glacier, where the strain-rate is smaller, homogeneous deformation can only be assumed conditionally. In the ablation area, pure shear is predominant near the base of the glacier and simple shear becomes progressively more important from the inner parts of the glacier towards its margins.

Electromechanical cable-suspended drilling technology is considered one of the most feasible methods for subglacial bedrock drilling. The outstanding feature of this technology is that the bit load produced by the drill weight is usually within the range 1.5–4 kN while the recommended load for diamond drilling is 10–30 kN or even more. Therefore, searching for the diamond bits that can drill in extremely hard formations with minimal load and acceptable rates of penetration and torque is the necessary step to prove the feasibility of electromechanical subglacial drilling technology. A special test stand has been designed and constructed to examine the impregnated, surface-set, toothed and specially manufactured bionic drill bits. The results of experiments with ten types of drill bits show that the toothed diamond drill bit has the highest penetration rate of 3.18 m h−1 in very hard and abrasive granite under a 3 kN load. The torque (28.7 Nm) and power consumption (1.5 kW) of toothed drill bits are acceptable for cable-suspended drilling. The penetration rates of bionic drill bits may also be considered suitable and fall within the range 1.0–1.69 m h−1 under the lowest tested load.

Snow falling uniformly on a distribution of ice thicknesses results in a distribution of snow-cover thicknesses. These snow depths depend on the amount of snow-fall, the time of year at which it falls, and the thickness of the underlying ice. The effect of snowfall on snow-ice-thickness distribution is examined using a single-column ice ocean model. The time at which snow begins to accumulate, and melt ponds and leads freeze, affects the surface albedo. The rate of snowfall affects ice-growth rates and, as a result, the ice-thickness distribution. During the period of rapid ice growth between the autumn freeze and mid-winter, snow falling on newly formed ice is rapidly depleted due to sublimation. Snow falling on thicker ice remains throughout the winter to create a source of melt-water for ponds and runoff into the ocean.

Subglacial sediments have the potential to reveal information about the controls on glacier flow, changes in ice-sheet history and characterise life in those environments. Retrieving sediments from beneath the ice, through hot water drilled access holes at remote field locations, present many challenges. Motivated by the need to minimise weight, corer diameter and simplify assembly and operation, British Antarctic Survey, in collaboration with UWITEC, developed a simple mechanical percussion corer. At depths over 1000 m however, manual operation of the percussion hammer is compromised by the lack of clear operator feedback at the surface. To address this, we present a new auto-release-recovery percussion hammer mechanism that makes coring operations depth independent and improves hammer efficiency. Using a single rope tether for both the corer and hammer operation, this modified percussion corer is relatively simple to operate, easy to maintain, and has successfully operated at a depth of >2130 m.

A dynamic-thermodynamic sea-ice model (Hibler 1979) is used to simulate northern hemisphere sea ice for a 20-year period, 1961 to 1980. The model is driven by daily atmospheric grids of sea-level pressure (geo-strophic wind) and by temperatures derived from the Russian surface temperature data set. Among the modifications to earlier formulations are the inclusion of snow cover and a multilevel ice-thickness distribution in the thermodynamic computations.

The time series of the simulated anomalies show relatively large amounts of ice during the early 1960s and middle 1970s, and relatively small amounts during the late 1960s and early 1970s. The fluctuations of ice mass, both in the entire domain and in individual regions, are more persistent than are the fluctuations of ice-covered area. The ice dynamics tend to introduce more high-frequency variability into the regional (and total) amounts of ice mass. The simulated annual ice export from the Arctic Basin into the East Greenland Sea varies interannually by factors of 3 to 4.

The micro-fabric of frozen sediment was studied using a triaxial deformation machine with computerized tomography (CT) to describe a quantitative relationship between microstructure and mechanical behaviour at different temperatures and confining pressures. Micro-fabric changes were described by CT images and CTvalues. Relationships between CT values and the stress–strain curves were analyzed. It was shown that CTvalues can describe the deformation quantitatively.

Seymour (Marambio) and Vega Islands occur within the continuous permafrost zone of the northeastern Antarctic Peninsula. Results are presented of investigations on the occurrence, distribution, morphology and genesis of ground ice, a key aspect of permafrost research in this region. According to its morphology, ice content, buried ice type and possible upper Quaternary conditions, permafrost is divided into two cryoformations: epigenetic and syngenetic. Based on field and remote-sensing data, 76.6 km2 of Seymour Island and 81.0 km2 of Vega Island are characterized by permafrost, with estimated ice contents of 0.06 and 1.41 km3, respectively. Different genetic ground-ice types are distinguished and a regional morphogenetic classification of ground ice is proposed.

Bidirectional radiance measurements of various snow-covered surfaces have been acquired using the Advanced Solid-State Array Spectro-radiometer (ASAS) which was flown on the NASA C-130 aricraft over Glacier National Park, Montana on 14 March 1991. A frozen lake, a snow-covered meadow, a mixed coniferous/deciduous forest and a dense coniferous forest were studied. Knowledge of the bidirectional reflectance characteristics of various snow-covered surfaces is key to calculation of albedo from satellite sensors in the future. While the reflectance characteristics of pure snow targets have been measured from the ground, aircraft and satellites, very few bidirectional reflectance data exist for surface covers of mixed snow and vegetation. Analysis of the 14 March 1991 ASAS data show that the anisotropic reflectance of snow was strong over the snow-covered frozen lake but slightly dampened over the meadow because of the presence of low vegetation. Over the dense coniferous forest, strong backscatter was observed while higher radiances in both the forward and aftward sensor view zenith directions was measured over the mixed forest. Snow that was known to be beneath the coniferous forest canopy was not detected in our data.

Three ice-drainage basins on western Vatnajökull have been delineated with the aid of the first available, accurate ice-surface maps. These basins drain ice towards the major river systems: Tungnaá, Sylgja, and Kaldakvísl, There seems to be an important difference in the location of ice-drainage basins and melt water-drainage basins for the rivers Tungnaá and Sylgja. This is due to the influence of the bedrock topography on the flow of basal water.

An observed ocean-drift data set is used as the basis of a wind-driven coupled ocean-sea-ice-atmosphere model including interaction and feedback. The observed characteristics of the Antarctic sea ice are described including the ice thickness, ice concentration and horizontal advection. The atmospheric model computes heat fiuxes, sea-ice growth, changes in concentration and advection. Sensitivity studies show reasonable and stable simulations of the observed sea-ice characteristics for the present mean Antarctic winter climate. The response times and feedbacks of the ice-atmosphere system as represented by the model appear to allow scope for the development of some persistence of anomalies.

Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper observations are used to derive the horizontal distribution of reflectance over Hintereisferner in Austria. To analyze temporal evolution of surface reflectance, three different dates are considered. The retrieval method adopts the linear relation between the planetary and surface reflectance, which follows directly from the principles of invariance. Constants in this linear relation are determined using a simple two-stream radiation model for each of the three days under consideration. From a comparison with observations the retrieved albedo is shown to compare favorably with ground observations.

A transverse bedrock ridge, or riegel, in the bedrock topography under Storglaciären, northern Sweden, induces a drastic change in flow regime. The part of the glacier located downstream of the riegel exhibits velocity variations correlated to water-pressure variations under this part of the glacier. Similar velocity variations are also observed up-glacier from the riegel despite a lack of significant water-pressure variations there. Field data and a numerical model suggest that the variations in surface velocity observed on the glacier upstream of the riegel are a result of pulling from down-glacier through longitudinal coupling across the riegel.

A test program undertaken in April 1981 on the uniaxial compressive strength of freshly recovered first-year columnar-grained sea ice at a portable field laboratory floating on top of the ice cover in Eclipse Sound, Baffin Island, Canadian Arctic, is reported. Using a small battery-operated test machine, both vertical and horizontal samples were tested so that the load could be applied either parallel or perpendicular to the axis of the columns. Rate sensitivity of the observed strength is discussed in terms of measured average strain-rate and average stress-rate to upper yield or failure. Strain and time aspects of the test results are considered as well. Although vertical samples showed considerably greater strength than horizontal samples, no significant differences were detected in the failure strains. Examination of the interdependence of failure stress and failure time revealed certain anomalies in the results for vertical samples that could be linked to the performance characteristics of the test machine. As such problems could be common to any test system, methods of analysis are proposed for rational examination of the results.

The annual rate of net mass accumulation at the surface in the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets is determined from firn emissivity based on Nimbus-5 ESMR and Nimbus-7 THIR data. In this study the determinations are limited to the areas of dry-snow facies and are based on a hyperbolic function of emissivity. Two coefficients of the function are selected for particular regions of each ice sheet after a comparison with field data selected for their reliability (82 stations in East Antarctica, 69 stations in West Antarctica and 89 stations in Greenland). Derived accumulation values are produced for grid-point locations 100 km apart which cover 56–94% of the dry-snow areas and 32–58% of the accumulation areas of each ice sheet. These values are compared with interpolated values obtained from the latest contoured compilations of field data. The means of derived values for East and West Antarctica are 12% and 39% larger, respectively, than the mean obtained from interpolated values, suggesting that the isopleth patterns as drawn in the compilation of field data lead to underestimates. The mean of derived values for Greenland is 5% smaller than the mean obtained from interpolated values, suggesting that the compilation of field data may lead to small overestimates that are within the error of determination and the variability of accumulation. Improving facies zonation and the determination of coefficients for the areas of upper percolation facies should improve these preliminary assessments.

This paper describes characteristic features of brine channels observed both macroscopically and microscopically using samples of natural sea ice. Systematic observations of brine channels, including the effects of ice growth rate and ice thickness, provide knowledge of their spatial distribution in young sea ice.

Channels incised into bedrock, or Nye channels, often form an important component of subglacial drainage at temperate glaciers, and their structure exerts control over patterns and rates of (a) channel erosion, (b) water flow-velocity and (c) water pressure. The latter, in turn, exerts a strong control over basal traction and, thus, ice dynamics. In order to investigate these controls, it is necessary to quantify detailed flow processes in subglacial Nye channels. However, it is effectively impossible to acquire such measurements from fully pressurized, subglacial channels. To solve this problem, we here apply a three-dimensional, finite-volume solution of the Reynolds averaged Navier– Stokes (RANS) equations with a one-equation mixing-length turbulence closure to simulate flow in a 3 m long section of an active Nye channel located in the immediate foreground of Glacier de Tsanfleuron, Switzerland. Numerical model output permits high-resolution visualization of water flow through the channel reach, and enables evaluation of the experimental manipulation of the pressure field adopted across the overlying ice lid. This yields an increased theoretical understanding of the hydraulic behaviour of Nye channels, and, in the future, of their effect on glacier drainage, geomorphology and ice dynamics.

We report on the development of depth hoar and its relation to stable oxygen isotopic content in snow–firn stratigraphy in the percolation zone of Ürümqi glacier No. 1, eastern Tien Shan, China, during the period September 2004–August 2006. The essential condition for the development of depth hoar in the snow–firn pack is the temperature gradient. When the temperature gradient of the snow–firn pack reaches a maximum value of 13.0˚Cm–1 in mid-October, depth hoar begins to develop. By the end of March, the depth hoar might account for 25% of the total snow–firn pack depth. From April to June, as the weather becomes warm, the transport of water vapor diminishes and melting– regelation metamorphism replaces metamorphism caused by the temperature gradient. As a result, the depth hoar turns into coarse-grained firn. Fractionation of the oxygen isotopic content also occurs during formation of the depth hoar. The bottom 15 cm of the depth-hoar δ18O values were depleted in the lighter isotopic species as the snow sublimated from the lower to the upper crystals, and the δ values increased from –9.4% to –7.0% from 8 September 2004 to 25 January 2005. The upper 10 cm of the depth-hoar δ18O values were enriched in the lighter isotopic species and the δ values decreased from –6.8% to –9.3% during the same period.

An apparatus is described for measuring the thermal conductivity of ice by the transient hot-wire method. Thermal conductivity A, is determined by tracking the thermal pulse induced in the sample by a heating source consisting of a platinum resistor. A central segment of the same platinum heating resistor acts also as a thermal sensor. A heat pulse transferred to the ice for a period of 40s gives a maximum temperature increment of about 7-14°C. In good experimental conditions, the expected reproducibility of the measurements is within ±3%. The accuracy of the method depends on whether the instrument has been calibrated by reliable standard samples, certified by absolute methods.