covering the period September 1996 - August 1998
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This report covers the two-year period from the last meeting in August 1996 until the present (August 1998). During this period, the UK has continued to operate a significant glaciological programme in the Antarctic, mainly through the Ice and Climate Division of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), but with some participation from other groups. This report will summarise the work carried out; for a fuller description, information can be found in the BAS Annual Reports, and in the papers listed at the back of this report. The lead U.K. organisation for all the work described is BAS, except where explicitly stated.
Much of the work described here has been carried out as part of the BAS programme "Ice, Climate and Global Change". Among the work in this programme in the last two years have been:
1. Studies of the atmospheric conditions leading to sea ice anomalies, particularly in the Bellingshausen Sea. This work has included use of satellite data and sea ice modelling.
2. Estimates of trends in snow accumulation rates across the Antarctic Peninsula (using existing ice core data) have shown increases in some areas during the period of Antarctic Peninsula warming. Accumulations estimated from cores have been found to be significantly different to that found in models, and the reasons for this are under study.
3. BAS has continued to monitor the break-up of ice shelves and other ice bodies in the Antarctic Peninsula, and has studied the factors leading to stability or instability.
4. Chemical and isotopic analysis of the Berkner Island shallow cores (drilled in 1994-95 as a collaboration with the Alfred-Wegener-Institut) has continued.
5. BAS has played a full part in the 10-nation European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica (EPICA). BAS took part in the first year of drilling (1997-98) with the deep drill at Dome C. Dielectric Profiling (DEP) records of the top 360 m of core are available so far. In 1997-98, BAS also collected ten cores of lengths between 10 and 120 m in western Dronning Maud Land, as part of the site reconnaissance there. Samples of firn air were collected for the EU FIRETRACCproject (collaboration with University of East Anglia, and French, German, Swiss and other groups). New radar flight lines had been flown in Dronning Maud Land in 1996-97.
6. Studies of the glaciers flowing into the Ronne Ice Shelf (Evans and Rutford Ice Stream, and Carlson Inlet) have included collection of seismic data, ground penetrating radar (GPR) profiles, velocity data, and SAR interferometry. This has led to major advances in understanding the nature of the bed under Rutford Ice Stream.
7. BAS has played a leading role in setting up the BEDMAP project to complete a map of the bedrock topography of Antarctica (separate report presented).
8. BAS has continued to work on the development of models for ice sheets and for sub-glacial sediments. The coupling of ice, till and water flow produces unstable behaviour whichmay explain some aspects of ice-stream meso-scale variability.
9. On the Brunt Ice Shelf meteorological and snow data have been collected as part of a EU commissioned project to improve mathematical models of heat and mass transfer in snow. These have been complemented by a study of densification and 10m temperatures along a traverse in Ellsworth Land.
10. BAS has completed a reassessment of the surface mass balance of the continental ice sheet based on a new compilation of field measurements and satellite passive microwave data.
11. The ocean circulation under the Ronne Ice Shelf has been studied by observational and modelling experiments, while new oceanographic data have been collected near the southern ice front of George VI Ice Shelf.
12. The ROPEX cruise has collected oceanographic data from the Weddell Sea and the Ronne Ice Front.
13. Studies of aerosol chemistry and of air-snow transfer at Halley have continued within a collaboration with French and German scientists working at Neumayer and Dumont d'Urville stations. The work has posed some interesting new questions, for example, about the controls on sea salt concentrations in ice cores.
Other UK work in the last 2 years has included:
14. Laboratory and modelling studies of fracture mechanics on the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf (University College, London, collaborating with BAS and AWI).
15. Studies, using airborne radar data, of internal layering between Vostok and Dome C, and studies of subglacial lakes, including ice flow and basal conditions (University of Wales at Aberystwyth).
16. Estimates of iceberg flux using modelling, calculations and SAR imagery (University of East Anglia).
17. Glacial history, ice dynamics and landscape evolution (Prince Charles Mountains, Shackleton Glacier, Cape Roberts Drilling Project) (University of Wales at Aberystwyth).
18. Study of historic ice flow features on the Ross and Filchner-Ronne Ice shelves using satellite radar altimetry (University of Bristol).
Planned work
Work will continue in many of the areas outlined above for the next 18 months. New programmes starting in the year 2000 will develop some new themes, but are not yet confirmed. Major field programmes for the next two years include:
1. Continued participation in the EPICA drilling to bedrock at Dome C
2. Hot Water Drilling south and west of Berkner Island to deploy oceanographic instruments.
3. Ice dynamics studies on the Brunt Ice shelf, and also on the ice streams feeding the Ronne Ice Shelf.
4. Radar sounding of the Pine Island and Thwaites Glacier regions.
5. Further study of the air/snow relationship at Halley, and of accumulation rates in western Dronning Maud Land.
6. Shallow ice core drilling on Thurston Island for assessment of precipitation variability.
Selected publications on Antarctic glaciology involving UK authors, mid-1996 to mid-1998
Alley, R.B., Mayewski, P., Peel, D.A. & Stauffer, B. 1996. Twin ice cores from Greenland reveal history of climate change. EOS Transactions, 77, 209-210.
Bamber, J.L. & Bindschadler, R.A. 1997. An improved elevation data set for climate and ice sheet modelling: validation with satellite imagery. Annals of Glaciology, vol 25, 439 - 444.
Bamber, J.L. & Huybrechts, P. 1996. Geometric boundary conditions for modelling the velocity field of the Antarctic ice sheet. Annals of Glaciology, vol 23, 364-373.
Bombosch, A. 1998. Interactions between floating ice platelets and ocean water in the southern Weddell Sea. Antarctic Research Series, 75, 257-266. [published by American Geophysical Union.]
Corr, H., Walden, M., Vaughan, D.G., Doake, C.S.M., Bombosch, A., Jenkins, A. & Frolich, R.M. 1996. Basal melt rates along the Rutford Ice Stream. Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf Programme Report, 10, 11-15.
Doake, C.S.M. 1996. Stain-rate trajectories and isotropic points on Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf, Antarctica. Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf Programme Report, 10, 16-22.
Doake, C.S.M. & Corr, H.F.J. 1997. Analysis of break-up of Larsen Ice Shelf, Antarctica. Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf Programme Report, No 11, 7-8.
Gerland, S., Oerter, H., Kipfstuhl, J., Wilhelms, F., Frenzel, A., Miners, W.D., Mulvaney,R. & Peel, D.A. 1996. Continuous density measurements on the ice core B25 from Berkner Island, Antarctica. Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf Programme Report, 10, 38-40.
Gerland, S., P.R. Sammonds & H.Oerter 1997. Indentation testing on ice from the Filchner Ronne Ice Shelf area, Antarctica: Preliminary results. Filchner Ronne Ice Shelf Programme Report, No. 11, 8-12.
Graf, W., Minikin, A., Oerter, H., Mulvaney, R. & Wagenbach, D. 1997. Preliminary results from isotopic and chemical investigations on the 182 m ice core B25 from the southern dome of Berkner Island. Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf Programme Report, No 11, 13-18.
Grosfeld, K., Hellmer, H.H., Jonas, M., Sandh„ger, H., Schulte, M. & Vaughan, D.G. 1998. Marine ice beneath Filchner Ice shelf: Evidence from a multi-disiplinary approach. Antarctic Research Series, 75, 319-339.
Harangozo, S.A. 1997. Atmospheric meridional circulation impacts on contrasting winter sea ice extent in two years in the Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean. Tellus, 49A, 388-400.
Harangozo, S.A. 1998. An intercomparison of Antarctic sea ice extent datasets from the US Joint Ice Centre (JIC) and satellite passive microwave observations for 1979-88. Antarctic Science, 10(2), 204-214.
Hindmarsh, R. 1996. Stochastic perturbation of divide position. Annals of Glaciology, 23, 105-115.
Hindmarsh, R.C.A. 1996. Stability of ice rises and uncoupled marine ice sheets. Annals of Glaciology, 23, 94-104.
Hindmarsh, R.C.A. 1996. Cavities and the effective pressure between abrading clasts and the bedrock. Annals of Glaciology, 22, 32-40.
Hindmarsh, R.C.A. 1996. Sliding till over bedrock: Scratching, polishing, comminution and kinematic wave theory. Annals of Glaciology, 22, 41-47.
Hindmarsh, R.C.A. 1997. Normal modes of an ice sheet. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 335, 393-413.
Hindmarsh, R.C.A. 1997. Use of ice sheet normal modes for initialisation and modelling small changes. Annals of Glaciology, 25, 85-96.
Hindmarsh, R.C.A. & Payne, A.J. 1996. Time step limits for stable solutions of the ice sheet equation. Annals of Glaciology, 23, 74-85.
Hindmarsh, R.C.A. 1997. Deforming beds: Viscous and plastic scales of deformation. Quarternary Science Reviews, 16, 1039-1056.
Huybrechts, P., Payne, A.J. & Eismint Intercomparison Group (including RCA Hindmarsh) 1996. The EISMINT benchmark tests for testing ice-sheet models. Annals of Glaciology, 23, 1-12.
Jacobs, S.S., Hellmer, H.H. & Jenkins, A. 1996. WAIS underbelly melting at Pine Island Glacier. Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf Programme Report, 10, 38-40.
Jacobs, S.S., Jenkins, A. & Hellmer, H.H. 1996. On the mass balance of West Antarctica's Pine Island Glacier. CRREL Special Report, 96-27, 52-56. [In: Glaciers, Ice Sheets and Volcanoes; a Tribute to Mark F.Meier.]
Jenkins, A. 1996. Glaciological fieldwork on Rutford Ice Stream, Carlson Inlet and Evans Ice Stream. Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf Programme Report, 10, 41-42.
Jenkins, A. & Holland, D.M. 1997. Ocean circulation beneath ice shelves: first results from an isopycnic coordinate ocean general circulation model. Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf Programme Report, No 11, 19-24.
Jenkins, A., Vaughan, D.G., Jacobs, S., Hellmer, H. & Keys, J.R. 1997. Glaciological and oceanographic evidence of high melt rates beneath Pine Island Glacier, West Antarctica. Journal of Glaciology, 43, 114-121.
Johnson, M.R. & Jenkins, A. 1997. Oceanic environment of Ronne Entrance. Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf Programme Report, No 11, 25-29.
Johnson, M.R. & Smith, A.M. 1997. Seabed topography under the southern and western Ronne ice shelf derived from seismic surveys. Antarctic Science, 9, 201-208.
Johnson, M.R. & Jenkins, A. 1996. Oceanographical observations in Ronne Entrance. Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf Programme Report, 10, 43-46.
Jonas, M. & Vaughan, D.G. 1996. ERS-1 SAR mosaic of Filchner-Ronne-Schelfeis. Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf Programme Report, 10, 47-49.
Jouzel, J., Alley, R.B., Cuffey, K.M., Dansgaard, W., Grootes, P., Hoffman, G., Johnsen,S.J., Koster, R.D., Peel, D., Shuman, C.A., Stievenard, M., Stuiver, M. & White, J. 1997. Validity of the temperature reconstruction from water isotopes in ice cores. Journal of Geophysical Research, 102 No C12, 26,471-26,487.
King, J.C., Anderson, P.S., Smith, M.C. & Mobbs, S.D. 1996. The surface energy and mass balance at Halley, Antarctica during Winter. Journal of Geophysical Research, 101, 19, 119-128.
Knight, B. & Mulvaney, R. 1997. The Berkner Island Traverse: initial results. Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf Programme Report, No 11, 30-35.
Makinson, K. 1997. Residual tidal currents along Filchner Ronne Ice Front. Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf Programme Report, No 11, 36-41.
Makinson, K. & Nicholls, K.W. 1996. Modelling tidal currents beneath Filchner Ronne Ice Shelf. Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf Programme Report, 10, 58-67.
Makinson, K. 1996. Hot water drilling on Ronne Ice Shelf 1995/96. Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf Programme Report, 10, 55-57.
Miners, W.D., Peel, D.A. & Mulvaney, R. 1996. Using DEP and ECM to produce a chronology at Berkner. Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf Programme Report, 10, 68-71.
Miners, W.D. 1997. Using ice core data to model the radio echo at Thyssenh”he, Berkner Island. Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf Programme Report, No 11, 47.
Miners, W.D., Hildebrand, A., Gerland, S., Blindow, N., Steinhage, D. & Wolff, E.W. 1997. Forward modellling of the internal layers in radio echo sounding using electrical and density measurements from ice cores. Journal Physical Chemistry, 101, 6201-6204.
Minikin, A., Legrand, M., Hall, J.S., Wagenbach, D., Kleefeld, C., Wolff, E.W., Pasteur,E.C. & Ducroz, F. 1998. Sulfur-containing species "(sulfate and MSA)" in coastal Antarctic aerosol and precipitation. Journal of Geophysical Research, 103 (D9), 10975.
Morris, E.M., Bader, H.-P. & Weilenmann, P. 1997. Modelling temperature variations in polar snow using DAISY. Journal of Glaciology, 43, 180-191.
Mulvaney, R., Pasteur, E.C., Graf, W., Minikin, A., Arrowsmith, C., Oerter, H., Peel, D.A., Miners, W.D. & Holman, N. 1996. The Berkner Island Project: isotope and chemistry trends. Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf Programme Report, No 10, 72-77.
Mulvaney, R., Wagenbach, D. & Wolff, E.W. 1998. Post-depositional change in snowpack nitrate from observation of year-round near-surface snow in coastal Antarctica. Journal of Geophysical Research, 103 (D9), 11021.
Nicholls, K.W. & Makinson, K. 1998. Ocean circulation beneath the western Ronne ice shelf, as derived from in situ measurements of water currents and properties. Antarctic Research Series, 75, 301-318. [Publisher, AGU.]
Nicholls, K.W., Makinson, K. & Johnson, M.R. 1996. Oceanographic measurements made at Site 3: preliminary results. Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf Programme Report, 10, 86-93.
Nicholls, K.W. 1997. Predicted reduction in basal melt rates for an Antarctic ice shelf in a warmer climate. Nature, 388, 460-462.
Nicholls, K.W., Makinson, K. & Johnson, M.R. 1997. New oceanographic data from beneath Ronne Ice Shelf, Antarctica. Geophysical Research Letters, 24, 167-170.
Nishimura, K., Nemoto, M., King, J.C., Mobbs, S.D. & Hunt, J.C.R. (1996): Blowing snow experiment at Halley Station, Antarctica. Proceedings of the NIPR Symposium on Polar Meteorology and Glaciology, No 10, 156.
Pasteur, E.C. 1996. Biogenic sulphur in Antarctic ice cores. Ph.D., University of East Anglia, 209 pp. [Unpublished.]
Raymond, C., Weertman, B., Thompson, L., Mosley-Thompson, E., Peel, D. & Mulvaney,R. 1996. Geometry, motion and mass balance of Dyer Plateau, Antarctica. Journal of Glaciology, 42, 510-518.
Rist, M. A. 1997. High stress ice fracture and friction. J. Phys. Chem. B, 101 (32),6263-6266.
Rist, M.A. 1996. Fracture mechanics of ice shelves. Filchner Ronne Ice Shelf Programme Report, No. 10, 102-106.
Rist, M.A., Sammonds, P.R., Murrell, S.A.F., Meredith, P.G., Oerter, H. & Doake, C.S.M.1996. Experimental fracture and mechanics of Antarctic ice: preliminary results. Annals of Glaciology, No 23, 284-292.
Robinson, A.V. 1996. Modelling the tides of the southern Weddell Sea. M Phil, OpenUniversity, 84 pp. [Unpublished.]
Siegert, M.J., Hodgkins, R. & Dowdeswell, J.A. 1998. A chronology for the Dome C deep ice-core site through radio-echo layer correlation with the Vostok ice core, Antarctica. Geophysical Research Letters, 25, 1019-1022.
Siegert, M.J. & Ridley, J.K. 1998. An analysis of the ice-sheet surface and subsurface topography above the Vostok Station sub-glacial lake, central East Antarctica. Journal of Geophysical Research., 103, 10195-10208.
Siegert, M.J. & Ridley, J.K. 1998. Determining basal ice sheet conditions at Dome C, central East Antarctica, using satellite radar altimetry and airborne radio-echo sounding information. Journal of Glaciology, 44, 1-8.
Siegert, M.J. & Glasser, N.F. 1997. Convergent flow of ice through the Astrolabe sub-glacial trough, Terre Adelie, East Antarctica: an hypothesis derived from numerical modelling experiments. Polar Research, 16, 63-72.
Siegert, M.J., and Dowdeswell, J.A. 1996. Spatial variations in heat at the base of theAntarctic Ice Sheet from analysis of the thermal regime above sub-glacial lakes. Journal of Glaciology, 42, 501-509.
Siegert, M.J., Dowdeswell, J.A., Gorman, M.R. & McIntyre, N.F. 1996. An inventory of Antarctic sub-glacial lakes. Antarctic Science, 8, 281-286.
Smith, A.M. 1997. Variations in basal conditions on Rutford Ice Stream, West Antarctica. Journal of Glaciology, 43, 245-255.
Smith, A.M. 1996. Ice shelf basal melting at the grounding line, measured from seismic observations. Journal of Geophysical Research, 101, 22,749-22,755.
Smith, A.M. 1997. Basal conditions on Rutford Ice Stream, West Antarctica from seismic observations. Journal of Geophysical Research, 102, 543-552.
Smith, A.M., 1997. Seismic Investigations on Rutford Ice Stream, West Antarctica. PhD.,Open University. [Unpublished.]
Smithson, M.J., Robinson, A.V. & Flather, R.A. 1996. Ocean tides under the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf, Antarctica. Annals of Glaciology, 23, 217-225.
Turner, J., Colwell, S.R. & Harangozo, S.A. 1997. Variability of precipitation over the coastal western Antarctic peninsula from synoptic observations. Journal of Geophysical Research, 102, 13,999-14,007.
Vaughan, D.G. & Jonas, M. 1996. Measurements of velocity of Filchner Ronne Ice Shelf. Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf Programme Report, 10, 111-116.
Vaughan, D.G. 1997. A new classification scheme for ice shelves based on mechanisms of mass gain and loss. Polar Record, 34, 56-58.
Vaughan, D.G. 1996. Dynamic and climatic influences on Antarctic ice shelves. Ph.D., Open University. [Unpublished.]
Vaughan, D.G. 1997. Low profile ice sheets around Filchner-Ronne ice shelf. Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf Programme Report, No 11, 67.
Wagenbach, D., Ducroz, F., Mulvaney, R., Keck, L., Minikin, A., Legrand, M., Hall, J.S. & Wolff, E.W. 1998. Seasalt aerosol in coastal Antarctic regions. Journal of Geophysical Research, 103 (D9), 10961.
Walden, M.C. & Corr, H.F.J. 1997. Review of the British Antarctic Survey EPICA 96/97 radio echo survey season. Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf Programme Report, No 11, 68-70.
Walden, M.C. & Corr, H.F.J. 1996. Digitally generated and compressed chirp for use in an airborne radar system in Antarctica. Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf Programme Report, 10, 117-121.
Weidick, A. & Morris, E.M. 1998. Local glaciers surrounding continental ice sheets. In Haeberli, W., ed. Into the second century of world glacier monitoring: prospects and strategies. Paris: UNESCO, 197-207.
Wolff, E.W., Hall, J.S., Mulvaney, R., Pasteur, E.C., Wagenbach, D. & Legrand, M. 1998. Relationship between the chemistry of air, fresh snow and firn cores for aerosol species in coastal Antarctica. Journal of Geophysical Research, 103 (D9), 11057.
Wolff, E.W., Miners, W.D., Moore, J.C. & Paren, J.G. 1997. Factors controlling the electrical conductivity of ice from the polar regions - a summary. Journal Physical Chemistry, 101, 6090-6094.
Wolff, E.W., Moore, J.C., Clausen, H.B. & Hammer, C.U. 1997. Climatic implications of background acidity and other chemistry derived from electrical studies of the GRIP ice core. Journal of Geophysical Research, 102, 26,325-26,336.
Wolff, E.W. 1996. Comment on "Electrical resistivity sounding of the East Antarctic ice sheet" by Sion Shabtaie and Charles R Bentley. Journal of Geophysical Research, 101,27,735-27,737.
Wolff, E.W., Legrand, M. & Wagenbach, D. 1998. Coastal Antarctic aerosol and snowfall chemistry. Journal of Geophysical Research, 103 (D9), 11033.