A two-dimensional finite element computer program has been used to compute the elastic stress distribution in realistic multi-layered snow packs. Computations have been done on three-layered and five-layered snow packs intended to simulate conditions on the Lift Gully at Berthoud Pass, Colorado. Calculations have been performed to determine the effect of a layer of new snow and the effect of a weak sub-layer. Stress levels were obtained which are reasonable compared with available snow strength data.

A study of the movement of Rusty Glacier was undertaken and continued through four summers because it is believed to be a surging glacier in the last stages of the inactive phase preceding a surge. The entire glacier is very slow moving, essentially motionless in the lower third and most rapid in an area well above the firn line. Unusually steep flow-line emergence angles and higher than average longitudinal compression rates in the lower–middle part of the glacier indicate gradual thickening of the ice above the stagnant lower tongue. There is no clear correlation between local variations in flow rates and surface or bottom topography. The glacier is mostly colder than 0° C to the bottom, and in the one known area of 0° C bottom temperature, flow rates are not greater than elsewhere. Although the glacier is everywhere very thin, maximum flow rates seem clearly related only to variations in ice thickness. The nearby Trapridge Glacier is also a surging glacier and exhibits a strikingly similar flow pattern.

A melting probe system has been gerveloped which can be lowered down to 400 m in an ice bore hole of 135-165 mm diameter. At the gersired gerpth, a section of the bore hole is isolated and evacuated. Afterwards several tons of ice are melted under vacuum with an electrical heater. The inclusions which are principally gaseous, may be collected both during or after the melting procedure. The application of this system is mainly in the field of dating polar ice by radio-active isotope analysis.

In the summer of 1972, the amount of ice melt obtained by stake measurements on the McCall Glacier, Brooks Range, was compared with the discharge of a small controlled run-off site, and with heat balance calculations. For daily values the agreement was not always good; however, for the 11 d period for which the study was carried out, the agreement can be considered as excellent. The amount of ice melt calculated from run-off and heat balance gave 3.5 and 1.2% higher values, respectively, than the direct measurements. This is encouraging, insofar as it suggests that it may be possible to calculate the combined ice, water, and heat balance for the glacier as a whole.

The appearance of a diurnal hysteresis in snow albedo is a widely reported phenomenon. This note discusses the relative importance of two separate effects: surface morphosis and surface irregularities (sastrugi). It is concluded that surface morphosis is the more important effect of the two in the region of the marginal cryosphere. Surface irregularities probably are the dominant influence only on permanent cryospheric areas such as the Greenland and Antarctic plateaux.

An approximate analysis of (he processes of inciting and freezing of a drill hole, 500 m depth and 0.15 m m initial radius, through an ice shelf was made. Results are expressed in graphical form showing the time available for experimentation under the hole as a function of heating duration. It was also found that refreezing has a much slower rate than melting.

Wide-angle seismic reflections from a glacier bed are sensitive to the presence of subglacial water and to the mechanical strength of the basal zone. The phase of a compressional to shear (P-SV) converted wave is particularly sensitive to the shear coupling between the glacier and its bed. Both shear (SV) and compressional (P) reflections from the bottom of Variegated Glacier were obtained before the 1982–83 surge event using explosive sources, and the phases of these reflections (relative to the source) were positive as expected for an ice/bedrock interface. During surge, P-wave reflections from the deepest part of the glacier bed were phase reversed, while somewhat shallower P-wave reflections were not. SV reflections were not clearly observed during surge and cannot be interpreted with confidence, even though the experiments were designed to detect them using three-component geophones. The unexpected P-wave phase reversal might be explained by a thin, mechanically weak or fluidized basal debris layer during surge which acts as a strong seismic absorber and suppresses multiple reflections within the layer. However, the required amount of seismic attentuation in the layer seems unreasonably large. An alternative explanation requiring ∼4–8 m or more of water or water-saturated debris (without strong attenuation) is implausible.

Formulae for calculating temperature profiles in steady-state ice sheets are derived in terms of the horizontal and vertical velocities of the surface ice, and of the variation in surface temperature along the flow lines. Two models are considered: parallel flow and radial flow. In each case the result consists of a “stationary” term (equivalent to Robin's equation), a term dependent on the horizontal velocity, and a term arising from the temperature variations. This last term produces reversals in the temperature field such as are measured in practice.

A method is described for measuring the thermal conductivity of ice in the temperature range from 0.5 to 5.0 K using a 3He apparatus. The results from our first experiments are not too far from the theoretical law for the low-temperature thermal conductivity of ice . Measurements at still lower temperatures are necessary to confirm our results.

Glaciological studies during the Sheffield University Expeditions to Kilimanjaro in 1953 and 1957 included a survey of the glaciers and a close examination of the Penck Glacier and the stagnant remnants of the ice cap on the summit. The Penck Glacier has done little downcutting although it rests on friable rock. The glaciers and summit remnants are rapidly retreating, the Penck Glacier having retreated 3 m. in 3 months in 1957, and nearly 300 m. since 1912. The main accumulation zone appears to be at about 4,500–5,000 m. with a local “low level” firn line and an upper firn line above the top of the mountain. Maps of the glaciers, their recent fluctuations and moraines are being prepared. The glaciological and meteorological observations in 1957 form part of the I.G.Y. programme for East Africa.

The accumulation of snow in terrain depressions was studied in an alpine basin in central Colorado. Snow fences and a jet roof were built up-wind of several natural catchments to see if such barriers could be used in combination with terrain features to produce snow fields that would persist until late summer. At three of the six test sites, fences increased snow depths appreciably and the snow fields persisted longer than usual. At the other test sites snow depths were increased close behind the fences but were decreased farther down-wind with no net increase in the amount of snow caught.

A 198.8 m deep borehole was drilled through ice to subglacial bedrock in the northwestern marginal part of Princess Elizabeth Land, ~12 km south of Zhongshan Station, in January–February 2019. Three years later, in February 2022, the borehole temperature profile was measured, and the geothermal heat flow (GHF) was estimated using a 1-D time-dependent energy-balance equation. For a depth corresponding to the base of the ice sheet, the GHF was calculated as 72.6 ± 2.3 mW m−2 and temperature −4.53 ± 0.27°C. The regional averages estimated for this area based, generally, on tectonic setting vary from 55 to 66 mW m−2. A higher GHF is interpreted to originate mostly from the occurrence of metamorphic complexes intruded by heat-producing elements in the subglacial bedrock below the drill site.

The force F required to separate two ice spheres was measured as a function of environmental temperature T, relative humidity H and the strength E of the external electric field in which the spheres were situated. It was found that over the entire attainable range of T and H, F increased rapidly with increasing E. The increased adhesion was not accompanied by an increase in the rate of growth of the ice bridge between the two spheres and is explicable in terms of Davis’s (1964) calculations of the purely electrostatic forces between two spheres situated in an electric field. The experiments indicate that the rate of growth of snowflakes in a cloud by means of ice crystal aggregation will be markedly enhanced if the cloud is highly electrified.

Khovsgol Lake, a seasonal ice-covered lake located in boreal Siberia, plays important economic, transportation and agricultural roles for local residents. On 11 January 2021, an Mw 6.7 earthquake struck the center of this lake, providing a unique opportunity to better understand lake ice movement, ridge distribution, and hydraulic and hydrodynamic processes, as a result of the mainshock. We use a pixel-tracking method on both Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar and Sentinel-2 optical remote-sensing data covering this lake before, during and after the mainshock to obtain lake-ice displacement. Combining these measurements with different viewing geometries, we determine the locations of pressure ridges in each period and derive their relative 3D displacement maps with a precision of <2.2 m. Our results indicate a large E-W displacement of up to 10.3 m and a vertical displacement of up to 4.6 m during the coseismic period, which has a distinctly different magnitude and pattern of displacement compared to the pre- and post-event periods. Given the ice motion pattern and magnitude, we speculate that the unique ice displacement of Khovsgol Lake may have been caused by a rare seismic seiche after the mainshock.

Changes in iceberg calving fluxes and oceanographic conditions around Antarctica have likely influenced the spatial and temporal distribution of iceberg fresh water fluxes to the surrounding ocean basins. However, Antarctic iceberg melt rate estimates have been limited to very large icebergs in the open ocean. Here we use a remote-sensing approach to estimate iceberg melt rates from 2011 to 2022 for 15 study sites around Antarctica. Melt rates generally increase with iceberg draft and follow large-scale variations in ocean temperature: maximum melt rates for the western peninsula, western ice sheet, eastern ice sheet and eastern peninsula are ~50, ~40, ~5 and ~5 m a−1, respectively. Iceberg melt sensitivity to thermal forcing varies widely, with a best-estimate increase in melting of ~24 m a−1°C−1 and range from near-zero to ~100 m a−1°C−1. Variations in water shear likely contribute to the apparent spread in thermal forcing sensitivity across sites. Although the sensitivity of iceberg melt rates to water shear prevents the use of melt rates as a proxy to infer coastal water mass temperature variability, additional coastal iceberg melt observations will likely improve models of Southern Ocean fresh water fluxes and have potential for subglacial discharge plume mapping.