Like most ice caps and glaciers worldwide, Icelandic glaciers are retreating in a warming climate. Here, the evolution of Vatnajökull ice cap, Iceland, from 1980 to 2300 is simulated by forcing the Parallel Ice Sheet Model (PISM) with output from Regional Climate Models (RCMs). For climate simulations of the recent past, HARMONIE-AROME reanalysis-forced simulations are used, while for future climate conditions, high-resolution (5.5 km) simulations from the RCM HIRHAM5 are used in addition to available CORDEX simulations (12 km). The glacier evolution is modelled using the RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 scenarios until 2100. To extend the time series, the 2081–2100 climate forcing is repeated until 2300. For RCP 4.5, the ice cap loses 31–64% of its volume and 13–37% of its area by 2300 depending on the used model forcing. For RCP 8.5, the volume decrease is 51–94% and the area decrease is 24–80% by 2300. In addition, the effect of elevation feedbacks is investigated by adding a precipitation and temperature lapse rate to the HIRHAM5 simulations. By 2300, the lapse rate runs have a 9–14% smaller volume and a 9–20% smaller area than the runs without a lapse rate correction.

Thwaites Glacier, Antarctica, is experiencing rapid change and its mass could, if disgorged into the ocean, lead to ∼1 m of global sea-level rise. Efforts to model flow for Thwaites Glacier are strongly dependent on an accurate model of bed topography. Airborne radar data collected in 2004/05 provide 35 000 line km of bed topography measurements sampled every 20 m along track. At ∼15 km track spacing, this extensive dataset nevertheless misses considerable important detail, particularly: (1) resolution of mesoscale channelized morphology that can guide glacier flow; and (2) resolution of small-scale roughness between the track lines that is critical for determining topographic resistance to flow. Both issues are addressed using a conditional simulation that merges a stochastic realization (an unconditional simulation) with a deterministic surface. A conditional simulation is a non-unique interpolation that reproduces observed statistical behavior without affecting data values. Channels are resolved in the deterministic surface using an interpolation algorithm designed for sinuous channels. Small-scale roughness is resolved using a statistical analysis that accounts for heterogeneity, including an abrupt transition between ‘lowland’ and ‘highland’ morphology. Multiple realizations of the unconditional simulation can be generated to sample the probability space and allow error characterization in flow modeling.

Ice thickness estimates using advanced nadir sounding and tomographic radar processing techniques are compared and combined in a study of Isunnguata Sermia glacier, Greenland. Using an ensemble of Operation IceBridge flight lines spaced at 500 m intervals and running approximately along the flow direction, we find there is a statistically excellent comparison between subglacial terrains derived from two-dimensional tomography and gridded nadir sounding. Analysis shows that tomographic data better capture short wavelength (1–2 km) patterns in basal terrain, but interpolated nadir sounding data yield more spatially extensive and continuous coverage across the glacier, especially in deep subglacial troughs. Using derived surface and basal topography maps, we find that driving stress and measured and modeled surface velocity comparisons indicate that basal sliding is an important component of the glacier motion, but is also only weakly coupled to the detailed bed topography save for the deepest troughs. As might be expected for this land-terminating, relatively slow-moving glacier, the subglacial and proglacial topography is similar, suggesting the erosional processes acting on the modern glacier bed once helped sculpt the now exposed land.

The different snow and ice types on a glacier may be subdivided according to the glacier-facies concept. The surficial expression of some facies may be detected at the end of the balance year by the use of visible and near-infrared image data from the Landsat multispectral scanner (MSS) and thematic mapper (TM) sensors. Ice and snow can be distinguished by reflectivity differences in individual or ratioed TM bands on Brúarjökull, an outlet glacier on the northern margin of the Vatnajökull ice cap, Iceland. The Landsat scene shows the upper limit of wet snow on 24 August 1986. Landsat-derived reflectance is lowest for exposed ice and increases markedly at the transient snow line. Above the slush zone is a gradual increase in near-infrared reflectance as a result of decreasing grain-size of the snow, which characterizes drier snow. Landsat data are useful in measuring the areal extent of the ice facies, the slush zone within the wet-snow facies, the snow facies (combined wet-snow, percolation and dry-snow facies), and the respective positions of the transient snow line and the slush limit. In addition, fresh snowfall and/or airborne contaminants, such as soot and tcphra, can limit the utility of Landsat data for delineation of the glacier facies in some cases.

A new vibration apparatus for measuring the shear strength of snow has been designed and fabricated. The force applied to a snow block is calculated using Newton’s second law. Results from this apparatus concerning the dependence of the shear strength on snow density, overburden load and strain rate are in reasonable agreement with those obtained from the work of previous researchers. Snow densities ranged from 160 to 320 kg m−3. The overburden load and strain rate ranged from 1.95 × 10−1 to 7.79 × 10−1 kPa and 2.9 × 10−4 to 9.1 × 10−3 s−1 respectively.

Techniques for making precise uniaxial tests for strength and deformability of ice are described. Results are given for tests made in uniaxial tension and uniaxial compression at constant displacement rate, using bubbly polycrystalline ice. These results include stress/strain curves, elastic moduli, rupture or yield strengths, and failure strains, all for a range of strain-rates. A few results for ice doped with hydrogen fluoride are also given. The fracture mechanism for ice is discussed, and the test results are compared with data reported by previous investigators.

Abstract. Avalance activity in Iceland for the last 860 years is briefly outlined and the present avalanche problems in Iceland are explained. Statistics are given for the number of deaths from avalanches by years, months and avalanche categories (for both residents and travellers).

Climatic conditions and terrain features are described for the main avalanche-hazard areas in Iceland. Data from meteorological stations for precipitation, wind, and air temperatures have been analysed for all the major avalanche cycles in the present century. Synoptic weather patterns that trigger avalanches are explained. A distinction is made between conditions that cause wet and dry avalanches. The results form the basis of an area-wide avalanche forecast in Iceland.

Triaxial experiments, at confining pressures in the range 0–13.79 MPa, have been performed on glacial ice collected from four icebergs and one glacier. Tests were conducted at strain rates in the range of 5 × 10−5 to 5 × 10−5s−1 and at four temperatures in the range of −1° to −16°C. Depending on test conditions, the ice failed by one of four possible modes ductile deformation, due to extensive non-interacting microcracks; fracture along a shear plane followed by continuous or stick-slip sliding; large-scale brittle fracture; and combined ductile and shear-plane fracture and slip The strength Increased with decreasing temperature, increasing strain rate up to 5 × 10−3s−1 and increasing confining pressure at the lower temperatures. The strength at 5 × 10−2s−1 was lower than at 5 × 10−3s−1 probably because extension and interaction of microcracks is enhanced at the higher rate. For higher confining pressures at −1°C, the strength decreased due to freezing-point depression. The ice from the different sources exhibited different mean uniaxial compressive strengths. The mean number of air bubbles per unit volume correlated with the mean uniaxial compressive strengths and this may be the dominant factor distinguishing the strengths of the various ice types.

We analyzed the profiles of ionic chemical species in three 500 mm sections of an ice core from Dome Fuji, Antarctica, dated 3.0, 8.9 and 13.3 kyr BP (before present), and compared the profiles to those in the surface snow. The 3.0 and 8.9 kyr sections are from the Holocene and the 13.3 kyr section slightly predates the Holocene. The analyses were done on 2 mm thick slices within each section. At each depth, the primary ionic species were Na+, H+, Cl– and SO42 A The SO42, Na+ and Mg2+ levels varied with depth in each section over distances ranging from several millimeters to several centimeters. Also, the correlation coefficients between Na+ and SO4 and between Mg2+ and SO42 for each depth were 0.90 or greater, in contrast to the value of 0.59 or less in the surface snow (defined here as 0–3.4 m from the surface). These results suggest that almost all Na+ and Mg2+ in the Holocene ice exists as Na2SO4 and MgSO4 salts, and the formation of these salts occurs not only in the atmosphere during transport, but also in the firn layer.

Optical remote-sensing derived end-of-summer snowline altitude (SLA) has long been employed on glaciers as an indicator of the equilibrium-line altitude (ELA). In the Tien Shan, northwest China, both accumulation and ablation of glaciers occur mainly in the warm season, making it difficult to obtain the representative snowline (highest snowline) in the area. The high spatio-temporal resolution of HJ-1 satellite images enables the highest snowline to be acquired. In this paper, we compare image-derived SLA and measured in situ ELA for two adjacent glaciers in the Tien Shan over the period 2009–10. Results indicate that (1) in 2009, there was a substantial difference between SLA and ELA on one glacier, suggesting inconsistent applicability in using SLA to identify ELA over a large area; and (2) in 2010, an intense ablation year, the field-data-derived ELA surpassed the glacier peak. In this situation, there is no theoretical relationship between SLA and ELA, and the image-derived snowline actually indicates the boundary between ice and firn from previous years. In summary, errors will arise from the discrepancies between individual glaciers and from intensive ablation when using SLA to identify ELA over a large area.

Experimental studies are reported concerning the thermal behaviour of the water-vein system in ice grown in the laboratory from dilute solutions. The temperature versus vein-size behaviour of these samples is determined. The measurements show that the solute, which is concentrated in the veins, remains in the liquid phase during a temperature change. The mass of the solute per unit length of vein M is found to be of the order of M ≈ 10−8 mol m−1 for samples grown from singly-distilled water. M is seen to vary with temperature only because of the volume expansion (contraction) on freezing (melting) which causes the liquid to flow along the veins. The effect of these flows on the sample is studied. They are found to provide a mechanism for the transport of impurities along the veins and to and from the sample surface. Samples grown from doubly-distilled water doped with small amounts of NaCl or H2SO4 are studied and are found to display the same general behaviour. However, M is an order of magnitude higher in the H2SO4-doped samples than in either the NaCl-doped samples or the samples grown from singly-distilled water. The approach to equilibrium of distortions in the vein-system geometry is studied. It is suggested that these distortions are due to variations in M along the length of the veins and that equilibration is therefore governed by diffusion of the solutes.

A large part of the ice flux within ice caps occurs through spatially limited fast-flowing units. Some of them permanently maintain fast flow, whereas others operate in an oscillatory mode, characterized by short-lived active phases followed by long quiescent phases. This surge-type behaviour results from intrinsic rather than external factors, thus complicating estimates of glacier response to climate change. Here we present numerical model results from Austfonna, an ice cap on Svalbard that comprises several surge-type basins. Previous studies have suggested a thermally controlled soft-bed surge mechanism for Svalbard. We systematically change the parameters that govern the nature of basal motion and thereby control the transition between permanent and oscillatory fast flow. Surge-type behaviour is realized by a relatively abrupt onset of basal sliding when basal temperatures approach the pressure-melting point and enhanced sliding of marine grounded ice. Irrespective of the dynamic regime, the absence of considerable volumes of temperate ice, both in the observed and simulated ice cap, indicates that fast flow is accomplished by basal motion over a temperate bed. Given an idealized present-day climate, the equilibrium ice-cap size varies significantly, depending on the chosen parameters.

Snow pits sampled during two consecutive years (2001, 2002) at the summit of Lomonosovfonna ice cap in central Spitsbergen, Svalbard, showed that ion concentrations were spatially homogeneous. The snowpack on Lomonosovfonna shows no evidence of aerosol deposition from Arctic haze, in contrast to Holtedahlfonna (a glacier at a similar altitude in northern Spitsbergen) where there is a clear signature. In common with many other ice caps in the Arctic, Lomonosovfonna experiences periodic melting, and the deepest of the snow pits contained a record of one exceptionally warm (2001) and one long summer (2000). The most easily eluted species are nitrate and the divalent ions. Very low ion concentrations and high values of a melt indicator log([Na+]/[Mg2+]) were a result of either deep percolation or runoff of ions during melting. Comparing the snow-pit record with the ion record of more than 800 years from an ice core drilled on Lomonosovfonna in 1997 reveals some layers with similar composition to those that suffered significant melting in the snowpack: a few years in the 20th century and around AD 1750, and all of the core from before AD 1200 show unusually heavy melting.

The ice-cored Galena Creek Rock Glacier, Wyoming, USA, has been the subject of a number of studies that sought to determine the origin of its ice. We present new observations of the rock glacier's internal structure from ground-penetrating radar to constrain ice and debris distribution and accumulation. We imaged dipping reflectors in the center of the glacier that are weak and discontinuous, in contrast to strong reflectors toward the edge of the cirque beneath large debris-avalanche chutes. These reflectors form a network of concave-up, up-glacier dipping layers. We interpret these as englacial debris bands formed by large debris falls buried by subsequent ice and snow accumulation. They are discontinuous where ice outpaces debris accumulation, but with sufficient debris accumulation an interleaved pattern of ice and debris layers can form. We propose a model in which the ice in these interleaved layers is snowfall preserved by debris-facilitated accumulation. Large debris falls that occur in early spring bury sections of the snowpack, which are then preserved through summer and incorporated into the rock glacier body over time. This study highlights the importance of sequential accumulation of ice and debris for understanding the dynamics of rock glaciers and debris-covered glaciers.

The aim of deep ice drilling on Law Dome, Antarctica, has been to exploit the special characteristics of Law Dome summit, i.e. low temperature and high accumulation near an ice divide, to obtain a high-resolution ice core for climatic/environmental studies of the Holocene and the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Drilling was completed in February 1993, when basal ice containing small fragments of rock was reached at a depth of 1196 m. Accurate ice dating, obtained by counting annual layers revealed by fine-detail δ18О, peroxide and electrical-conductivity measurements, is continuous down to 399 m, corresponding to a date of AD 1304. Sulphate concentration measurements, made around depths where conductivity tracing indicates volcanic fallout, allow confirmation of the dating (for Agung in 1963 and Tambora in 1815) or estimates of the eruption date from the ice dating (for the Kuwae, Vanuatu, eruption ~1457). The lower part of the core is dated by extrapolating the layer-counting using a simple model of the ice flow. At the LGM, ice-fabric measurements show a large decrease (250 to 14 mm2) in crystal size and a narrow maximum in c-axis vertically. The main zone of strong single-pole fabrics however, is located higher up in a broad zone around 900 m. Oxygen-isotope (δ18O) measurements show Holocene ice down to 1113 m, the LGM at 1133 m and warm (δ18O) about the same as Holocene) ice near the base of the ice sheet. The LGM/Holocene δ18O shift of 7.0‰, only ~1‰ larger than for Vostok, indicates that Law Dome remained an independent ice cap and was not overridden by the inland ice sheet in the Glacial.

The basal shear stress of an ice stream may be supported disproportionately on localized regions or “sticky spots”. The drag induced by large bedrock bumps sticking into the base of an ice stream is the most likely cause of sticky spots. Discontinuity of lubricating till can cause sticky spots, but they will collect lubricating water and therefore are unlikely to support a shear stress of more than a few tenths of a bar unless they contain abundant large bumps. Raised regions on the ice-air surface can also cause moderate increases in the shear stress supported on the bed beneath. Surveys of large-scale bed roughness would identify sticky spots caused by bedrock bumps, water-pressure measurements in regions of thin or zero till might reveal whether they were sticky spots, and strain grids across the margins of ice-surface highs would show whether the highs were causing sticky spots. Sticky spots probably are not dominant in controlling Ice Stream Β near the Upstream Β camp, West Antarctica.

Experiments on progressive unidirectional freezing are conducted to determine the evolution in δD and δ18O of successive water samples and ice layers taken during the course of freezing. Results indicate that this evolution takes place, in a δD–δ18O diagram, along a straight line with a characteristic slope. This slope, different from that due to the precipitation effect, gives a finger-print of the occurrence of a freezing or of a melting–refreezing process in the studied reservoir.

In the past, two-dimensional images of internal snow structure have been obtained through plane surface sections or thin sections. These techniques are time-consuming and necessarily destroy the snow specimen. Computed tomography (CT) allows similar images to be obtained, but in a more efficient and non-destructive manner. To demonstrate the methodology, a CT scanner was used to obtain cross-sectional images over time of a snow sample undergoing kinetic-growth metamorphism. Densities calculated from the CT images correlated well to density measured using a traditional method. A procedure was developed that allows the CT image to be converted to binary in an objective manner. Employing innovative stereological software, the microstructural properties (grain diameter, bond diameter, neck length and intercept length) of the snow were then measured from the two-dimensional CT images. The presented methodology provides significant improvements over previous techniques, requiring less time and labor to obtain high-quality microstructural data.

Donjek Glacier has an unusually short and regular surge cycle, with eight surges identified since 1935 from aerial photographs and satellite imagery with a ~12 year repeat interval and ~2 year active phase. Recent surges occurred during a period of long-term negative mass balance and cumulative terminus retreat of 2.5 km since 1874. In contrast to previous work, we find that the constriction where the valley narrows and bedrock lithology changes, 21 km from the terminus, represents the upper limit of surging, with negligible surface speed or elevation change up-glacier from this location. This positions the entire surge-type portion of the glacier in the ablation zone. The constriction geometry does not act as the dynamic balance line, which we consistently find at 8 km from the glacier terminus. During the 2012–2014 surge event, the average lowering rate in the lowest 21 km of the glacier was 9.6 m a−1, while during quiescence it was 1.0 m a−1. Due to reservoir zone refilling, the ablation zone has a positive geodetic balance in years immediately following a surge event. An active surge phase can result in a strongly negative geodetic mass balance over the surge-type portion of the glacier.