The available methods for dating of ice cores are based on radioactive decay, ice-flow calculations, or stratigraphic observations. The two former categories are broadly outlined, and special emphasis is given to stratigraphic methods. Reference horizons are established back to A.D. 1783, in the form of elevated electrical conductivities due to fallout of soluble volcanic debris. Seasonal variations in the concentrations of insoluble microparticles and/or stable isotopes are measured over the entire 400 m lengths of three ice cores, recovered by Greenland Ice Sheet Program (GISP). The resulting absolute time scales are probably accurate within a few years per thousand. Techniques are outlined for re-establishing the approximate, original shape of heavy-isotope profiles that have been more or less smoothed by diffusion in firn and ice. Annual-layer thickness measurements on 24 increments down to 1130 m depth in the Camp Century ice core determine a flow pattern, consistent with that suggested by Dansgaard and Johnsen (1969), and a Camp Century time scale with an estimated uncertainty better than 3% back to 10000 years B.P.

Stresses occur in the uppermost 10 m of a glacier as a result of temperature fluctuations at the surface. A model is set up of a typical year's surface temperature variation, and the progress of temperature waves through the glacier is calculated using Fourier theory of heat conduction. Short-period fluctuations are rapidly attenuated, and at 10 m depth the annual cycle is reduced to 5% of its surface amplitude. As the temperature of the ice varies it undergoes small volume changes; stresses are calculated on the assumption that any tendency of the ice to expand or contract laterally results in the creation of just enough stress to cause the ice to remain unstrained. It is found that in the top 2 or 3 m stresses of thermal origin are generally in excess of those due to gross deformation or overburden pressure. For the case of high-density ice Glen's flow law is used, and conditions are found to be favourable for the formation of surface rumples of wavelength about 10 m. For the case of firm or snow a Newtonian flow law is assumed, and it is found that under cold conditions fracture under tension can occur. Cracks of thermal origin may be responsible for the initial formation of crevasses, and they also provide an explanation for background noise encountered when seismic shooting at low temperatures. Calculations are made of the strain-rate field surrounding a crack and it is found that thermal effects can lead to appreciable Strain-rate anomalies for strain-rate measurements near cracks. The magnitude of the effect is easily sufficient to account for anomalous fluctuating strain-rates found by workers using wire strainmeters on the Barnes Ice Cap.

Bore-hole photography demonstrates that the glacier bed was reached by cable-tool drilling in five bore holes in Blue Glacier, Washington. Basal sliding velocities measured by bore-hole photography, and confirmed by inclinometry, range from 0.3 to 3.0 cm/d and average 1.0 cm/d, much less than half the surface velocity of 15 cm/d. Sliding directions deviate up to 30° from the surface flow direction. Marked lateral and time variations in sliding velocity occur. The glacier bed consists of bedrock overlain by a ≈ 10 cm layer of active subsole drift, which intervenes between bedrock and ice sole and is actively involved in the sliding process. It forms a mechanically and visibly distinct layer, partially to completely ice-free, beneath the zone of debris-laden ice at the base of the glacier. Internal motions in the subsole drift include rolling of clasts caught between bedrock and moving ice. The largest sliding velocities occur in places where a basal gap, of width up to a few centimeters, intervenes between ice sole and subsole drift. The gap may result from ice—bed separation due to pressurization of the bed by bore-hole water. Water levels in bore holes reaching the bed drop to the bottom when good hydraulic connection is established with sub-glacial conduits; the water pressure in the conduits is essentially atmospheric. Factors responsible for the generally low sliding velocities are high bed roughness due to subsole drift, partial support of basal shear stress by rock friction, and minimal basal cavitation because of low water pressure in subglacial conduits. The observed basal conditions do not closely correspond to those assumed in existing theories of sliding.

Laboratory studies suggest that neither bubbles nor dirt particles migrate rapidly enough in glacier ice to be responsible for the alternating layers of bubbly and clear ice or dirty and clean ice which constitute foliation. We therefore suggest that these variations in bubble or dirt content are inherited from primary inhomogeneities such as may occur in sedimentary stratification in the accumulation region, in crevasse fillings, or during debris entrainment at the base of the glacier: the appearance of these inhomo-geneities is later modified by strain during flow to produce foliation. We consider six types of inhomogeneity, or components of foliation, and show that, at the very large total strains expected in glaciers, all are eventually flattened, stretched out, and rotated to form a layered structure roughly perpendicular to the direction of maximum total shortening. Most characteristics of observed foliation can be explained by this hypothesis. For example, in the marginal zones of polar ice sheets the rapid decrease in dip of foliation with depth and with distance up-glacier from the margin can he explained by a model in which the foliation is assumed to be nearly parallel to the base of the glacier some distance from the margin, and is deformed passively with the ice thereafter. However, some observations of cross-cutting foliations may require localized inhomogeneous shear parallel to the "new" foliation.

Measurements of ice thickness, velocity, snow accumulation rates, and surface strain-rates are used to examine the state of equilibrium of three flow bands of the Ross Ice Shelf. The analysis gives the rate of thickening of the ice shelf in terms of the basal freezing rate, which is unknown. However, indirect evidence suggests that the basal flux ranges from a small value of freezing in the south to a melting rate of about one meter of ice per year at the ice front. If these values are correct then the flow band in the south-east corner of the ice shelf appears to be thickening at an average value of (34 ± 15) cm of ice per year. Persistent thickening at this rate must lead to grounding of large areas of the ice shelf. This would restrict drainage from West Antarctic ice streams which feed this part of the ice shelf and these would tend to thicken and advance their grounding lines into the ice shelf. Further north, near the RISP bore-hole site, the ice shelf is probably in equilibrium. The largest flow band is to the south and east of Roosevelt Island, and this also may be in equilibrium if there is significant bottom melting from ice shelf that is more than 100 km from the ice front.

The annual layer thickness profiles along three 400 m ice cores are transferred into accumulation-rate records. A linear decrease of 3±2% per millenium is found in mid-Greenland. Intermediate-term (periods longer than 120 years) deviations from the linear trend lines are less than 5% in mid-Greenland but reach 11% at Dye 3 around A.D. 1700 and 1400. Short-term (periods between 120 and 30 years) oscillations are generally in phase at Milcent and Crête.

The environmental conditions in the southern Beaufort Sea are described with special emphasis on pressure ridges and ice islands. Techniques for determining the geometric configurations and the physical and mechanical properties of sea-ice structures and ice islands are described. Profiles of pressure ridges were determined by surface surveys, drill-hole probes and side-looking sonar scanning. Multi-year pressure ridges with thicknesses up to 20 m and widths up to 120 m were examined in detail. The first-year ridge of 22 m thickness and 100 m width was studied. Results are given for several multi-year and the first-year ridges. Information obtained from dives under the ice is also given. Corresponding data are given for grounded ice islands with particular attention being given to contact between the ice and sea bed. A 20 m thick ice-island fragment grounded in 15 m of water was one of several investigated. Measurements of temperature, salinity, tensile strength, and compressive strength are given for ice taken from old pressure ridges and factors influencing the interpretation of test data were discussed. The data obtained in this study will be used in engineering design studies for offshore structures for drilling and production of hydrocarbons from the Beaufort Sea area. Exploratory drilling in shallow water has already been carried out and offshore drilling from drillships is scheduled to commence in the study area during the open water season of 1976.

The local variability in surface mass balance (net snow accumulation) up-glacier from "Byrd" station, Antarctica, is due to the combined effects of year-to-year "climate" variations and of the surface microrelief clue to snow drifts and sastrugi. These variabilities are consistent with the variability in surface mass balance obtained from core stratigraphy (Gow, 1968), and are used in a discussion of the difficulties encountered with the deep "Byrd" station core in detecting annual layering by the stable oxygen-isotope ratio and the microparticle concentration techniques. The recognition of annual layers by these techniques requires that the snows of certain seasons be present in the measured section, but near "Byrd" station the microrclief is such that summer snow layers are not horizontally continuous and may be absent from a given section. At other sites on ice sheets, where the microrelief is less (less wind activity) or where the surface mass balance is larger, or both, less difficulty is anticipated in using the stable oxygen-isotope ratio and micro-particle-concentration techniques to identify annual layers.

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.

The towing of unprotected icebergs from the Antarctic continent (66° S.) to latitude 38° S. has been simulated using an explicit hydrodynamic model and an extended two-dimensional melting model. It was found that nominal towing accelerations in excess of 2 × 10-5 m s-2 were required to deliver ice over this route in most circumstances, and minimum energy consumptions were obtained at accelerations around 10-4 m s-2. Unprotected icebergs could be delivered with about 50% yield to latitude 38° S., but the rate of deterioration in the warm waters indicates that protection would be required for longer journeys. The towing simulation was most sensitive to north-south current components, the total towing distance and the rate of iceberg deterioration. Efforts directed towards locating suitable icebergs in the region 50° S. to 60° S., and towards increasing knowledge of the changing current patterns in the Southern Ocean would be most valuable, as would a knowledge of the mechanisms and rates of deterioration of icebergs in warm seas.

Temperatures from 10 m bore holes have been analysed to determine the spatial variation of mean annual surface temperature over the Antarctic Peninsula. In general there is a decrease in temperature of 0.84 deg per degree latitude southwards combined with an altitude lapse rate of 0.68 deg per 100 m. There is a sharp divide between the continental type climate of the east coast and a maritime climate of the central and western regions. Temperatures are approximately 7 deg lower along the east coast compared with those at sites of a similar altitude and latitude on the west.

The major structures in the long, narrow tongue of a sub-polar valley glacier are described: namely, longitudinal foliation, crevasses, clear-ice layers related to crevasses, debris-rich layers (frequently referred to as thrust or shear planes in the past), and folds. The foliation is vertical, is as well-developed in the centre of the glacier as at the margins, and does not, apparently, form perpendicular to the principal compressive strain-rate axis, nor exactly parallel to a line of maximum shearing strain-rate, although it sometimes approximately coincides with the latter. The intensity of foliation development is not related to the magnitude of the strain-rates, but the structure consistently lies parallel to flow lines through the glacier. There is no critical extending strain-rate, as such, associated with the development of new crevasses. Some crevasses have formed where the principal extending strain-rate is as low as 0.004 a-1 while, in other areas, extending strain-rates of 0.163 a-1 have not always resulted in fracturing. Prominent clear-ice layers, referred to as crevasse traces as displayed at the glacier surface, have formed in crevasse belts parallel to the main fracture directions. These are interpreted either as tensional veins or as the result of the freezing of water in crevasses. Extension parallel to the layering occurs during flow and, near the snout, the surface dip decreases rapidly. The fact that the crevasse traces can be followed to the snout implies that fracture occurs almost to the bottom of the glacier in the source area of the traces. Near the snout, debris-rich layers have developed parallel to the crevasse traces; frequently these are marked by prominent ridge-like ice-cored moraines. It is suggested that these structures are formed by a combination of basal freezing and thrusting. Isoclinal and tight similar folds on all scales are present. Some may be formed by the passive deformation of clear-ice layers as a result of differential flow; others may arise from the lateral compression of the original stratification in areas where ice flow becomes constricted by the narrowing of the valley. An axial plane foliation sometimes is associated with these folds.

A direct determination of the upper limit for the electric charge density along dislocations in ice has been carried out by measuring the simultaneous effects of an electric field and a mechanical stress on the movement of a low-angle tilt boundary in an ice single crystal. The determination is independent of the geometry of the dislocations or the distribution of the charge along them. No measurable effects of the electric field on boundary motion were found, requiring that the charge density be less than one unit of charge for every 300 atomic lengths of dislocation. This estimate is less than large previous estimates, but is consistent with smaller proposed values.

Mass, water, and energy balances were measured lit the Ivory Glacier, South Island, New Zealand from 1969 to 1975 as part of an I.H.D. programme of representative basin studies. Ivory Glacier is a small cirque glacier within the high-precipitation maritime environment of Westland and was chosen initially for convenience of study rather than representativeness. Mass-balance investigations included a detailed study of the sampling efficiency of a pole network. Annual mass balance was consistently negative during the study period. The run-off pattern was dominated by rain. The estimated annual mean precipitation is 9630 mm for 1971-75. Snow represents about 25% of annual precipitation. Melt contributed 21% of run-off including 9% contributed by melt of perennial snow and ice. The relative contributions of different fluxes to the energy balance during summer are: net radiation 52%, sensible heat 29%, and latent heat 17%. Heat content of precipitation contributes significantly to the energy balance during individual rain-storms and is probably significant during periods of high precipitation in spring and autumn. Climatic characteristics and behaviour of Ivory Glacier appear to follow regional trends in the Southern Alps and the glacier is considered to be reasonably representative.

The basal ice layer of Alpine glaciers, the thickness of which can reach more than one metre, generally appears as a sequence composed of layers of bubble-poor ice 0.5-3 cm thick and dirt layers containing dispersed rock fragments. Locally, debris-free bubbly ice is also present in the sequence. This basal layer exists on the lee side of rock protuberances or along the marginal part of the glacier. Three geochemical characteristics shed some light on its origin:

• (a) The high calcium content of basal ice sliding over limestones from the north side of Glacier do Tsanfleuron can be successfully predicted from considerations of the phase relations in regelating subglacial solutions in approximate equilibrium with subglacial calcite deposits.

• (b) The (Na + K)/(Ca+Mg) ratio of bubble-poor basal ice from Glacier de Tsijiore Nouve which flows over gneissic rocks is significantly higher than this ratio in other samples taken in the same environment (glacier ice, melt water). This may be explained by refreezing of squeezed water, the ionic composition of which is governed by selective diffusion of ions during squeezing and/or by the water being forced through mud layers as demonstrated by us at the base of Glacier d'Argentière (Souchez and Lorrain. 1975).

• (c) The Lead-210 activity per kg of basal ice from the south side of Glacier de Tsanfleuron is greater than that of the glacier ice immediately above, which indicates that it is younger despite percolation effects. This can be explained if recent ice accretion has occurred at the base of relatively old glacier ice. Accretion of blowing snow has been found to occur under the southern margin of the glacier.

A theoretical density distribution of the Dumber of bonds per grain as a function of the mean number of bonds per grain is derived from the assumption of randomness and isotropy of grain and grain-bond location and orientation. The knowledge of the theoretical density distribution allows the determination of the effective distribution parameters from section planes or thin sections. The concept of the fundamental unit to describe the strength of snow is introduced. Structural parameters developed on the basis of the fundamental units show improved correlations with the tensile strength.

During the June-August 1976 Quelccaya ice cap expedition, global, SW↓, and net long-wave radiation, LW↑↓, were measured through several complete day-night cycles, and for a wide range of cloudiness conditions. Field work further included albedo measurements along representative transects across the ice cap and lysimeter-type estimates of ablation. Automatic stations recording wind, temperature and sunshine duration were also installed.

Daily totals of SW↓ and LW↑↓ representative of completely clear and overcast days are derived. On this basis, empirical relationships allow the computation of monthly totals of radiation fluxes for an entire year from records of sunshine duration and temperature expected from the automatic stations.

The larger part of the plateau is situated above 5400 m and has an albedo mostly in excess of 80%. Sub-freezing temperatures essentially limit ablation to the energetically expensive sublimation. For clear sky, daily totals of SW↓and LW↑↓ are of the order of 312 and 53 W m–2, respectively. With the albedo found, net short-wave radiation SW↑↓ becomes of the same general magnitude as LW↑↓, and the energy left for ablation is near to nil. Cloudiness would reduce both SW↑↓ and LW↑↓, thus largely compensating the effect on the residual net radiation, SWLW↑↓. This is consistent with ablation measurements. Over the larger area of the ice plateau, ablation may be close to zero in a first approximation; some ablation, including melting, takes place near the lower-lying rim of the ice cap, and calving off steep cliffs seems to provide a major mechanism for the disposal of the ice mass.

The basic features of the statistical models to describe brittle and ductile strength of snow are outlined and discussed. The concept of the "fundamental unit" is introduced. The models are applied to estimate the development of slab stability during heavy snowfalls and to simulate measurements of the tensile strength of snow using the centrifugal method as a function of the load rate. The models developed in this paper are compared with Sommerfeld’s applications of statistical methods to estimate the strength of snow in the starting zone of a slab avalanche.

Petrologic analysis was performed on ice-wedge ice in order to investigate changes in fabric across wedges in relation to the growth mechanism. Crystal size increased from the centre outward and strongly preferred dimensional orientations developed parallel to the sides of wedges. c-axis orientations changed from a horizontal girdle at the wedge centre to a point maximum normal to the foliation at the boundary. These changes are related to recrystallization and grain growth associated with the horizontal stress field. In massive ice penetrated by an ice wedge, crystal size and complexity of crystal shape decreased toward the wedge, dimensional orientations tended to become parallel to the wedge, and c-axes formed a point maximum normal to the wedge boundary.