ALBERT

Description: The texture and physical properties of an ice core, recovered to 215 m depth from the Ronne Ice Shelf, Antarctica, have been studied with regard to formation and transformation of the ice. At a depth of 152.8 m, a sharp discontinuity marks the transition between meteoric ice accumulated from above and marine ice accreted from below, as testified by electrolytical conductivity and stable-isotope measurements as well as geophysical field surveys. Automated image analysis of thin sections indicates that the decrease in grain-boundary density and the increase in grain cross-sectional area with depth is commensurate with though not necessarily caused by thermodynamically driven grain growth down to 120 m depth, corresponding to a vertical strain of roughly 65% as computed with a simple temperature-history, particle-path model. The observed increase of grain-boundary density (i.e. a decrease of grain-size) with age in the marine ice is in part explained by the thermal history of this layer. Sediment inclusions at the top of the marine-ice layer affect the observed grain-boundary density profile by inhibiting grain growth and dynamic recrystallization. This may allow some conclusions on the role of temperature, particulate inclusions, stress and strain rate in controlling the grain-size evolution of deforming ice, supplementing earlier laboratory experiments conducted at much shorter time-scales. Salinities (0.026%), brine volumes (0.09–0.2%) and solid-salt concentrations have been computed from electrolytical conductivity measurements (mean of 51.0 × 10−6S cm−1) for the marine ice. An assessment of salt incorporation and desalination rates shows that these low salinities can at present only be explained by a unique densification mechanism of under-water ice crystals at the base of the ice shelf.

Description: The texture and physical properties of an ice core, recovered to 215 m depth from the Ronne Ice Shelf, Antarctica, have been studied with regard to formation and transformation of the ice. At a depth of 152.8 m, a sharp discontinuity marks the transition between meteoric ice accumulated from above and marine ice accreted from below, as testified by electrolytical conductivity and stable-isotope measurements as well as geophysical field surveys. Automated image analysis of thin sections indicates that the decrease in grain-boundary density and the increase in grain cross-sectional area with depth is commensurate with though not necessarily caused by thermodynamically driven grain growth down to 120 m depth, corresponding to a vertical strain of roughly 65% as computed with a simple temperature-history, particle-path model. The observed increase of grain-boundary density (i.e. a decrease of grain-size) with age in the marine ice is in part explained by the thermal history of this layer. Sediment inclusions at the top of the marine-ice layer affect the observed grain-boundary density profile by inhibiting grain growth and dynamic recrystallization. This may allow some conclusions on the role of temperature, particulate inclusions, stress and strain rate in controlling the grain-size evolution of deforming ice, supplementing earlier laboratory experiments conducted at much shorter time-scales. Salinities (0.026%), brine volumes (0.09–0.2%) and solid-salt concentrations have been computed from electrolytical conductivity measurements (mean of 51.0 × 10−6 S cm−1) for the marine ice. An assessment of salt incorporation and desalination rates shows that these low salinities can at present only be explained by a unique densification mechanism of under-water ice crystals at the base of the ice shelf.

Description: The chemical stratigraphy of the surface firn of the central Filchner- Ronne Ice Shelf was determined in conjunction with stable isotopes from shallow firn cores and snow-pit samples collected at 1.1 widely distributed sites, and covering a time period of at least 20 years. The chemical analysis included ECM profiling and the determination of chloride, non-sea-salt (nss) sulphate, methanesulphonate (MSA), nitrate and, partly, sodium and bromide. Throughout the investigated area, winter time nss sulphate levels are found to be substantially negative, indicating that the sulphate to sodium ratio in airborne sea-salt particles is depleted by a factor of 5, approximately, in relation to the bulk sea-water ratio. While winter firn layers appear to be marked by episodic events of large sea-salt inputs, pronounced annual cycles with maxima in summer firn layers are commonly observed for the ECM signal and for nss sulphate, nitrate and MSA at all sites. For MSA, however, this phase relation is almost reversed for depths greater than 3-4m.The mean impurity levels consistently are strongly depleted with increasing distance from the ice edge by about 30% / 100 km for sea salt, 25% / 100 km for MSA and only 10%/ 100 km for nss sulphate. However, no substantial trend is observed for nitrate. It is concluded, therefore, that the sea-salt and the biogenic sulphur compounds deposited on the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf mainly originate from the adjacent Weddell Sea.Further important implications of the continental effects are: (a) an atmospheric residence time of nss sulphate apparently exceeding that of MSA probably due to the supplementary sulphate production on the ice shelf from biogenic SO2, and (b) a substantial limitation of the potential of deep ice cores already drilled on the Filchner- Ronne Ice Shelf in extracting reliable net temporal changes of sea-salt and biogenic sulphur species.

Description: The chemical stratigraphy of the surface firn of the central Filchner- Ronne Ice Shelf was determined in conjunction with stable isotopes from shallow firn cores and snow-pit samples collected at 1.1 widely distributed sites, and covering a time period of at least 20 years. The chemical analysis included ECM profiling and the determination of chloride, non-sea-salt (nss) sulphate, methanesulphonate (MSA), nitrate and, partly, sodium and bromide. Throughout the investigated area, winter time nss sulphate levels are found to be substantially negative, indicating that the sulphate to sodium ratio in airborne sea-salt particles is depleted by a factor of 5, approximately, in relation to the bulk sea-water ratio. While winter firn layers appear to be marked by episodic events of large sea-salt inputs, pronounced annual cycles with maxima in summer firn layers are commonly observed for the ECM signal and for nss sulphate, nitrate and MSA at all sites. For MSA, however, this phase relation is almost reversed for depths greater than 3-4m.The mean impurity levels consistently are strongly depleted with increasing distance from the ice edge by about 30% / 100 km for sea salt, 25% / 100 km for MSA and only 10%/ 100 km for nss sulphate. However, no substantial trend is observed for nitrate. It is concluded, therefore, that the sea-salt and the biogenic sulphur compounds deposited on the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf mainly originate from the adjacent Weddell Sea.Further important implications of the continental effects are: (a) an atmospheric residence time of nss sulphate apparently exceeding that of MSA probably due to the supplementary sulphate production on the ice shelf from biogenic SO2, and (b) a substantial limitation of the potential of deep ice cores already drilled on the Filchner- Ronne Ice Shelf in extracting reliable net temporal changes of sea-salt and biogenic sulphur species.

Description: The chemical stratigraphy of the surface firn of the central Filchner- Ronne Ice Shelf was determined in conjunction with stable isotopes from shallow firn cores and snow-pit samples collected at 1.1 widely distributed sites, and covering a time period of at least 20 years. The chemical analysis included ECM profiling and the determination of chloride, non-sea-salt (nss) sulphate, methanesulphonate (MSA), nitrate and, partly, sodium and bromide. Throughout the investigated area, winter time nss sulphate levels are found to be substantially negative, indicating that the sulphate to sodium ratio in airborne sea-salt particles is depleted by a factor of 5, approximately, in relation to the bulk sea-water ratio. While winter firn layers appear to be marked by episodic events of large sea-salt inputs, pronounced annual cycles with maxima in summer firn layers are commonly observed for the ECM signal and for nss sulphate, nitrate and MSA at all sites. For MSA, however, this phase relation is almost reversed for depths greater than 3-4m. The mean impurity levels consistently are strongly depleted with increasing distance from the ice edge by about 30% / 100 km for sea salt, 25% / 100 km for MSA and only 10%/ 100 km for nss sulphate. However, no substantial trend is observed for nitrate. It is concluded, therefore, that the sea-salt and the biogenic sulphur compounds deposited on the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf mainly originate from the adjacent Weddell Sea. Further important implications of the continental effects are: (a) an atmospheric residence time of nss sulphate apparently exceeding that of MSA probably due to the supplementary sulphate production on the ice shelf from biogenic SO2, and (b) a substantial limitation of the potential of deep ice cores already drilled on the Filchner- Ronne Ice Shelf in extracting reliable net temporal changes of sea-salt and biogenic sulphur species.