The 2083 m Vostok Antarctic ice core provides a unique opportunity for access to many paleoclimatic and paleo-environmental proxy data. This core, which has been dated by using a glaciological model, fully covers the last glacial-interglacial cycle, and goes back to the ice age which preceded the last interglaciai (−160 ka B P ).

A continuous deuterium record is now available and we have interpreted it in terms of local temperature changes. This record is dominated by the large 100 ka glacial-inter-glacial oscillation, with a maximum temperature amplitude of about 11°C; the long Last Glacial period is very well documented and it is confirmed that the warmest part of the Last Interglaciai period was about 2°C warmer than the Holocene. Comparison with the ice-volume marine record shows that the Vostok climate record is of relatively large geographical significance, which makes it possible to establish, over the last 160 ka, the link between worldwide climatic changes and the Vostok dust record that we present here.

This dust content corresponds to the non-soluble microparticles. It was obtained on a discontinuous basis (1 sample = about ∼10 m). Due to the very low concentration of some samples (down to 20 x 10−9gg−1) and cracks in the ice from the first 1000 m depth, we used stringent decontamination procedures. Size distribution and total concentration were measured, using a Coulter counter and an optical microscope; the results were tested against chemical measurements (aluminium concentration). In previous studies, it has been shown that the main proportion of insoluble microparticles is of terrigenous origin and represents the small-sized (radius <2 μm) dust produced on the continents.

The Vostok record displays an increase in dust concentration of up to 20 times during the coldest climatic periods, coupled with the presence of larger particles. It confirms, on a much longer time-scale, a characteristic previously noted in Antarctic and Greenland ice cores over the Last Glacial Maximum. This large increase is attributed to a greater areal extent of global tropical aridity during the cold periods, coupled with higher efficiency of atmospheric circulation in respect of dust production and transport. Beyond this, the relationship between the dust input and the successive stages during the Last Glacial is now very well documented and will be discussed with a view to correlating the Vostok climatic record with other marine and terrestrial paleodata.

In January 1986, a 133 m ice core, with an estimated age at the bottom of 300-350 years, was collected (using an electromechanical drill) on Dolleman Island (70° 35.2′S, 60°55.5′ W; 398 ma.s.l.; 10 m temperature −16.75°C). The site lies on the east coast of the Antarctic Peninsula and has a continental-type climate dominated by perennial sea ice in the Weddell Sea. The core is being analysed for a range of chemical impurities, in order to assess their potential as indicators of past climate.

High-resolution (10-15 samples a−1) continuous profiles of the anionic species Cl−1, NO3− and SO42−, together with the cation Na+, have been measured on a section of the core from 26 to 71 m depth. The core has previously been dated between 0 and 32 m depth using the δ18O profile (Peel and others 1988). Lack of δ18O data for the section 32-71 m forced us to seek an alternative method of dating.

Biogenic outgassing of sulphurous gases from the ocean and subsequent photochemical oxidation contribute an excess of sulphate over that derived from the marine aerosol. We show that excess sulphate, calculated as

(concentrations in Eq. 1−1 and assuming that all measured Na+ is derived from sea salt), is highly seasonal in character, and annual horizons are well preserved over the whole of the core. This enabled us to determine the chronology to 71 m depth, and date the bottom of this section as 1844 ± 5 years.

Cl− is derived mainly from sea salt. Its profile in the core is also seasonal in character, with peaks that tend to occur in late summer, reflecting the period of minimum sea-ice extent in the Weddell Sea, and therefore maximum source area for the uptake of sea salt. From instrumental meteorological records, Limbert (1974) showed that there were three extended periods of warm or cold weather in the Antarctic Peninsula between 1903 and 1944. During the two 4 year cold periods, when the summer break-up of sea ice in the Weddell Sea is likely to have been reduced, we found that the annual flux of Cl− to the Dolleman Island snow-pack was lower than the average. Conversely, the 3 year warm period showed a peak in the values of annual flux of Cl−. We therefore propose that Cl− can be used as a palaeoclimatic indicator for sea-ice extent.

Extending our chloride data into the latter half of the nineteenth century (before the earliest continuous instrumental records for the Antarctic), we found three distinct peaks in the values of annual flux of Cl−. We suggest that the period 1850-60 was marked by a decrease in Weddell Sea ice extent (due perhaps to a warm period), followed by an extended period of increased sea ice. There were then two periods of much-reduced sea ice during (approximately) 1885-1890 and 1895-1900, with an intervening period of greatly increased ice coverage. These events are in good agreement with the warm and cold periods which Aristarain and others (1986) identified in the deuterium profile from James Ross Island.

A programme of systematic iceberg observations was initiated in 1981 by Norsk Polarinstitutt through the SCAR Working Group on Glaciology. Icebergs are recorded every 6 h and in five length groups: 10-50, 50-200, 200-500 and 500-1000 m, and those over 1000 m, which are described individually. Data on more than 100 000 icebergs are now on file at Norsk Polarinstitutt, and practically all ships travelling to and from Antarctica participate in the collection of data.

This paper presents the first comprehensive analysis of the iceberg data. The quality of the data set is discussed, with consideration of potential errors in and limitations of the data, and various statistical evaluations. Representative distribution data are presented, and used to determine iceberg production, disintegration and mean residence times, and regional and total Antarctic calving rates.

The incidence of large-scale calving in particular is evaluated, including the remarkably large break-offs in recent years. These exceed both the total annual accumulation on the Antarctic continent and the mean annual calving rate as determined from ship observations.

The results show further: (1) that there are more than 200 000 icebergs south of the Antarctic Convergence, (2) that there are large regional differences in iceberg calving rates and iceberg sizes, and (3) that the calving rate from Antarctica is higher than that given in most previous estimates, which implies (4) that the mass balance of the Antarctic ice sheet is not positive as suggested by most recent estimates.

New data on the thermal regime of George VI Ice Shelf have been obtained by thermistor chains installed through the use of a hot-water drill. Twenty thermistors are used at each site, spaced close together at sea-level and at the base of the ice shelf, and farther apart elsewhere in the ice shelf and in the sea beneath. Based on earlier observations (Bishop and Walton 1981, fig. 7) that the 10 m temperature warms from around −10°C in the central melt-lake area of the ice shelf (from 70°45′ to 71°45′S) to around −2°C near the northern ice front (70°00′S), the thermistor chains were deployed at three sites (70°00′, 70°15′ and 70°30′S) along a presumed flow line.

The observations show that as ice flows towards the northern ice front of George VI Ice Shelf, it becomes more temperate in character. Heat from the sea and from the percolation of melt water at the upper surface progressively warms the ice shelf. At mid-depth (the coldest level in the ice shelf) the recorded temperatures were −6°C off Moore Point (70°30′S), −4°C off Carse Point (70°15′S) and, near the northern ice front (70°00′S), between −1.6° and −1.8°C depending on the time of year.

The ice-shelf temperatures near the ice front, warmer in mid-summer than the freezing point of fully saline sea-water, are most unusual. The only explanation of the high, fluctuating temperatures found 1 year after drilling is that the hole through the ice shelf was open, allowing unimpeded water movement. This implies that the ice shelf is also warmed by the percolation of sea-water, whose presence was confirmed by ice-core drilling to below sea-level. Confirmation of the presence of brine below sea-level in the ice shelf comes from geo-electrical investigations. A Schlumberger georesistivity array modelled the ice shelf as a simple two-layer structure, with ordinary glacier overlying highly conductive ice. This is consistent with the fact that no radio echoes have been received from the bottom of George VI Ice Shelf to the north of 70°09′S.

A detailed analysis of the ice-shelf / ocean-temperature profiles was undertaken. This included an analysis of the fluctuation observed in mid-summer at the warmest site and the subsequent transition to a stable isothermal profile through the submerged part of the ice shelf.

Trends in climate affecting the West Antarctic ice sheet may be detected first in the Antarctic Peninsula region. Although the area contains the most comprehensive weather records for any part of Antarctica, reliable snow-accumulation data are lacking.

Mainly as a result of the large snow-accumulation rate in the region (typically in the range 4.0–10.0 kg m−2 a−1), stratigraphie evidence of climate derived from ice cores can be resolved in much greater detail than is possible over most of the continent. Ice cores have been drilled at two sites, representing the extremes of climate type encountered in the region. A 133 m core has been obtained from Dolleman Island (70°35.2′S, 60°55.5′W) to represent the continental-type climate of the Weddell coast region, and an 87 m core has been obtained from the Palmer Land plateau (74°01′S, 70°38′W) to represent the more maritime regime of the west coast and central areas. Replicated cores were obtained at both sites in order to assess the contribution of local noise factors to the climatic signal preserved in the cores. Climatic trends during the period 1938–86 have been assessed on the basis of stable-isotope analysis of the top 47 m of the Palmer Land core and of the top 32 m of the Dolleman Island core.

A statistical analysis of derived profiles of mean annual δ18O and accumulation rate indicates that the local noise factors at these sites are sufficiently small that data averaged over periods as short as 5 years should reveal climatic shifts at the level of 0.2% and 5% respectively. These changes are much smaller than trends that have actually occurred during the past 50 years.

The most notable trend over the past 30 years is an increase of more than 30% in the snow-accumulation rate that has occurred in parallel with an overall temperature increase of 0.06°C/a during the same period. Increases of similar magnitude can be inferred from studies in East Antarctica, and may be related to a significant increase in precipitation rate that has been documented recently at mid-to high-latitude stations in the Northern Hemisphere. The finding may have relevance to studies of the possible consequences of a CO2-induced climate change. More extensive accumulation time series are now required from Antarctica, if satisfactory models of the long-term balance of the ice sheet are to be derived.

Following international recommendations (UNESCO / IASH 1969), the decision was made to determine the surface profile of a number of glaciers in Palmer Land and Alexander Island. By comparison with the ice sheet elsewhere on the continent, the chosen glaciers were small and hence more sensitive to the effect of climate over the last few decades. Six profiles were established between 1972 and 1976 and they were re-levelled in the 1985-86 summer. The profiles are between 0.5 and 4.5 km long and are terminated, at one end at least, by a bench mark established on rock. The profiles were re-measured close to the calendar date of the original survey so that recent trends would not be masked by the annual cycle of accumulation, densification and ablation. Five of the six profiles show that the ice sheet has thickened in the last 10-15 years, albeit at a slow rate. Changes in four profiles on Alexander Island within 300 m of sea-level range from a thickening of 66 mm a−1 to a thinning of 83 mm a−1; on average the sites show a thickening of just 6 mm a year. This is similar to the thickening rate of 5 mm a−1 which was found for a cold site on the spine of the Antarctic Peninsula at 1600 m above sea-level. The greatest change was found at an intermediate elevation (500 m). In a snow-field between two parallel mountain groups in the Batterbee Mountains of Palmer Land, thickening averaged 165 mm a−1. To put these values into perspective, in the absence of glacier flow and summer melting, the glaciers would thicken by up to about 500 mm each year as a result of the accumulation of snow.

Except in the Batterbee Mountains, we find that glacier flow is in close balance with present climate, despite the general warming trend that has occurred in the Antarctic Peninsula region over the past 30 years.

The stable-isotope content of precipitation (δD and δ18O) is governed by the successive fractionation processes which occur during the atmospheric water cycle. As a result there is, in polar areas, a well-obeyed and theoretically well-understood linear relationship between the mean istopic content of snow and its mean temperature of formation. This relationship is well documented on a spatial scale but poorly known for a given site on a temporal basis, the main reason being that relatively long-term and sufficiently detailed meteorological data are only available for a few polar sites. The South Pole appears to be a suitable place for such a study because: (i) snow accumulation is high enough (∼20 cm of snow per year), thus reducing the possibility that annual layers will be lost as a result of wind; (ii) seasonal variation in isotope content is still preserved in snow up to 50 years old; (iii) meteorological data are available from the time the station was opened in 1957.

Our previous studies of surface and recently deposited snow at the South Pole were very encouraging in this respect; they have been extended with a two-fold purpose: (i) to test the geographical representativity of the isotope record by comparing results from various cores taken within a 10 km radius of the station. The cores are dated by various techniques, such as stratigraphy, seasonal variation in isotopic content, beta-radioactivity fall-out layers, and detection by solid conductivity measurements of the high “spike” which is thought to correspond to the 1815 Tambora eruption; (ii) to discuss the South Pole isotope record over the last 1000 years as recovered from a 127 m deep ice core.

Fourteen shallow snow/firn cores were drilled with the Polar Ice Coring Office light-weight hand-coring auger in Wilkes Land, along a line approximately long. 111°E between lat. 66° and 74°S. Five of these cores, all between 20 and 30 m deep, are studied in detail in this paper: LJ, BJ, GC30, GC40 and GC46. The physical geographical conditions differ at these five stations, but the general trend is for mean annual accumulation rate and mean annual temperature to decrease farther south, with increasing elevation. At the southernmost station, GC46, the mean annual temperature is –52.5°C, and accumulation rate is 52 kg m−2 a−1.

The density measurements of the snow/firn were made in a cold-room at temperatures from –14− to –18−C, by taking consecutive samples from the core and measuring the mass of each sample of known volume. The characteristics of the initial densification (to a density of 550 kg m−3) – variation in snow/firn density with depth, the densification rate of snow/firn, and the compactive viscosity coefficient of snow/firn – are studied, and the factors affecting this initial densification process are discussed.

The following observations were made and conclusions reached:

1. 1. Plots of all the measurements, from each core, of density against depth showed three different patterns. The first type, typical of the coastal areas, shows a very great variability of density at shallow depth, reducing with an increase in depth. The second, typical of the high inland stations, shows a smaller scatter of densities at shallow depth, again reducing with an increase in depth. The third type is a pattern intermediate between these two. So, the range of density fluctuation with a depth range in any core is greater at the top of the core than at the bottom, and at the same depth in different cores the variation in density is greater where the mean annual temperature is higher.

2. 2. The snow/firn density increases with an increase in depth at all stations, and the densification rate is higher at stations with higher mean annual temperature.

3. 3. The mean density of snow/firn in the top 1 m decreases farther inland, and this decrease appears to be closely related to the decrease in temperature.

4. 4. The mean densification rate is compared with the mean annual temperature and the mean annual accumulation rate over the past 40 years in the most southerly cores. The mean annual temperature is found to be the more important factor affecting the densification rate in the surface snow/firn on the cold ice sheet.

5. 5. At each station, for ρ = 550 kg m−3, a linear relationship is found between log compactive-viscosity coefficient of snow/firn and mean annual temperature for a constant density. If only stations with a mean annual temperature below –25°C (i.e. no melt features are present in the stratigraphy) are considered, then these results from Wilkes Land are very similar to the results obtained by Nishimura and others (1983) from Mizuho Plateau, East Antarctica.

Seismic-reflection profiling has previously shown that, at least at one location. Ice Stream Β in West Antarctica rests on a layer of till a few meters thick (Blankenship and others 1986). Analyses of both compressional- and shear-wave seismic reflections from the ice–till boundary confirm the results of those earlier studies, which showed that the till is water-saturated and has a high porosity and low differential pressure. We conclude that this till is basically homogeneous, at least on a scale of tens of kilometers, though some evidence that its properties vary laterally can be discerned in these data. We propose that the till is widespread beneath Ice Stream Β and probably also beneath the other West Antarctic ice streams.

Our seismic profiling shows that the till is essentially continuous beneath Ice Stream Β over at least 12 km parallel to ice flow and 8 km transverse to flow. Beneath these profiles the till averages about 6.5 m thick and is present everywhere except possibly on isolated bedrock ridges parallel to ice flow. The till thickness on these bedrock ridges falls to less than 2 m, the limit of our seismic resolution, but there is evidence that the ridges do not impede ice flow substantially. The bedrock beneath the till is fluted parallel to flow, with flutes that are 10–13 m deep by 200–1000 m wide; we believe these flutes are formed by erosion beneath a deforming till. We also observe an angular unconformity at the base of the till, which is consistent with the idea that erosion is occurring there. The sedimentary record in the Ross Embayment looks very similar to that beneath Ice Stream B, i.e. a few meters of till resting unconformably (the Ross Sea unconformity) on lithified sedimentary rock, and we postulate that the Ross Sea unconformity was generated by erosion beneath a grounded ice sheet by a deforming till.

Using the partitioning of full stresses into resistive and lithostatic parts, force balance for plane flow is expressed in terms of strain-rates and a vertical coordinate scaled to the ice thickness. The balance equation and constitutive relation can then be used to calculate stresses through a vertical section of a glacier. Because the flow law is highly non-linear, these calculations are done numerically. Starting at the surface, the force-balance equation is solved by using measured surface velocities to calculate vertical shearing, and this yields velocities at a depth just below the surface. These velocities are used to compute vertical shearing at that depth, from which velocities at the next deeper layer follow. In this way, going progressively downward, velocities and stresses are calculated throughout a section of a glacier.

The theory for calculating resistive stresses and velocities in a glacier is applied to the Byrd Station Strain Network. Large longitudinal variations in basal drag and in sliding velocity occur and this result is little affected by errors in the input data or by uncertainties in the constitutive relation for ice. The basal drag is usually equal to the driving stress to within 10–20%, and both vary by a factor of about 2 along the strain network. Sites of high drag and little sliding are not always correlated with basal highs, indicating that some process (for example, complex bed drainage) is controlling the friction at the bed of the West Antarctic ice sheet.

Crevasses are subject to rotation and bending according to the velocity field through which they travel. The objective of this study is to determine to what extent the velocity field can be inferred from measurements of the resulting shapes of crevasses.

A quantitative model of crevasse deformation is developed, based on the following assumptions: (1) each crevasse is assumed to open perpendicularly to the principal extensional regional strain-rate, (2) the crevasse forms when the principal extensional strain-rate exceeds some specified critical value, and (3) velocity gradients are constant over the area of interest. The first two assumptions are reasonable and the third is necessary for an analytic solution of flow trajectories. The crevasse is carried along, rotated, and bent, and may continue to increase in length. Calculations are made for different velocity fields, and velocity fields are sought that produce crevasses similar to those found in three different areas of Ice Stream B.

Hook-shaped crevasses occur just outside the chaotic zone at the ice-stream margin. These are similar to the curved marginal crevasses often found in the accumulation zone of valley glaciers. They are successfully modelled by combining strong lateral shear with slow flow of ice from the ice ridge into the ice stream. The curvature at the most sharply bent part of the crevasse is found to be a useful measure and, together with measurements of ice flow from the ridge, can be used to infer the rate of lateral shear. This rate compares favorably with the single measurement obtained so far (Bindschadler and others 1987).

A pattern of splaying crevasses develops on the ice stream down-glacier of its narrowest part. These crevasses are similar to longitudinal crevasses found in the ablation zone of many valley glaciers. Models with linear variation in velocity cannot reproduce the observed pattern. However, we have been able to simulate higher-order variations by joining together successive linear models. The observed crevasse pattern is successfully produced if the side shearing varies as the third power of distance from the center of symmetry of the crevasse pattern. Such a variation is expected for a linear gradient in side-drag stress and a third-power constitutive relation for ice. The observed crevasse pattern is thus consistent with side drag varying linearly across the ice stream.

The third example is the rotation of transverse crevasses, which occur in trains on the main part of the ice stream. This rotation is due to side shearing but its magnitude is also affected by turning of the flow line and by normal strain-rates. It is therefore possible to reproduce the observed pattern for a wide range of velocity fields, and so measurements of the orientation of transverse crevasses provide only an upper limit on side shearing within the main body of the ice stream.

There are many other examples of crevasse patterns on Ice Stream Β and on other glaciers that can be studied in this way. We propose that important constraints can be placed on velocity gradients and on the flow dynamics by using quantitative modelling of crevasse shapes.

Stresses at the surface and at depth are calculated for a stretch of Byrd Glacier, Antarctica. The calculations are based on photogrammetrically determined velocities and elevations (Brecher 1986) and on radio-echo-determined ice thicknesses. The results take the form of maps of drags from each valley wall, of normal forces laterally and longitudinally, and of basal drag. Special challenges in the calculation are the numerical gridding of velocity (ensuring that unreasonable short-wavelength features do not develop in the calculation) and inference of ice thicknesses where there are no data.

The results show important variations in basal drag. For the floating part, basal drag is near zero, as expected. Within the grounded part, longitudinal components of basal drag are very variable, reaching 300 kPa, with a dominant wavelength of 10 km. Generally these drag maxima correlate with maxima in driving stress, and the across-glacier component of basal drag is usually small. An important exception occurs in the center of the grounded part of the glacier, where the flow shows major deviations from the axis of the valley.

Results also show that side drag is roughly constant at 250 kPa along both margins of the glacier, tension from the ice shelf is about 100 kPa, and tension in the grounded part cycles between 250 and 150kPa. Calculated deep velocities are too large and this is attributed to deficiencies in the conventional isotropic flow law used.

An expression for force balance is derived for the general case of gradients in longitudinal and lateral normal stresses and lateral shear stress. In order to consider horizontal glacial mechanics in Newton’s style of actions and reactions, the full stresses are partitioned into lithostatic and resistive, Rij, components. The lithostatic stress is the weight of ice above, and the horizontal gradient in lithostatic force on a vertical column is the familiar driving stress, which accounts for the horizontal effect of body or action forces. The horizontal resistive-stress components describe the reactions to this horizontal action of gravity. Force balance is

with horizontal coordinates x1, x2 and vertical z. The upper and bottom elevations are h and b, and τdi and τbi are driving stress and basal drag respectively. This describes net reaction due to normal resistance, lateral shear resistance, and basal drag resistance, and finally the action or driving stress. This equation is exact. Resistive stresses are simply linked to deviatoric stresses, and hence to strain-rates, through the flow law.

Ice-sheet surface topography is the principal ice parameter obtainable from satellite radar altimetry. Surface-elevation maps of the East Antarctic ice sheet north of 72°S from Seasat data, collected between July and October 1978, and preliminary maps from Geosat data, collected between March 1985 and September 1986, are described. The Geosat data, obtained from the U.S. Navy as an unclassified data set, have greatly increased the density of elevation measurements. A principal correction to the altimeter measurements is obtained by applying a computer curve-fitting procedure to each radar waveform to correct for errors in the automatic range-tracking circuitry of the altimeter. The errors are caused by slow response to range variations due to undulations of the ice surface between successive measurements made at intervals of 662 m along track. The retracking correction for Geosat data has a standard deviation of 2.4 m and a mean value of 1.1m, values which are about 20% smaller than the corresponding values for Seasat. The positive mean correction indicates a common tendency of the altimeters' automatic tracking to give an excessive range to the surface. The precision of the measurements, given by the standard deviation of the range differences at cross-over points, is about 1.6 m before adjustment for errors in the radial position of the satellite orbit. The preliminary surface-elevation maps from Geosat data are improved over those produced from Seasat, mainly due to optimal spacing of successive ground tracks. The locations of ice divides and drainage basins along the East Antarctic coast are delineated by several methods, including vector plots of surface slope.

A glaciological research project in east Queen Maud Land, Antarctica, has been carried out by the Japanese Antarctic Research Expeditions between 1982 and 1986 (JARE-23 – JARE-27).

In this paper, we deal with the area traversed by JARE-25 and JARE-26, a representative inland plateau in Antarctica. In 1984, a team from JARE-25 extended a route from Mizuho Station (MS) to an advanced camp (AC; 74°12′S, 34°59′E; 3200 m a.s.l.) and returned to MS via the Yamato Mountains region. In the following year, 1985, a team from JARE-26 reached the summit (77°22′S, 39°37′Έ; 3810 m a.s.l.) of an ice dome on the plateau behind AC and continued to Asuka camp, north of Sør-Rondane Mountains. Investigations were carried out along the routes as follows:

Geomorphological observations: the altitude along the routes was measured, together with the depth of the bedrock, which was obtained by radio echo-sounding. The shape of the dome and the position of ice divides were revealed. Gravity soundings were also carried out along the routes.

Depositional and erosional environments of the snow surface: the net accumulation rate was obtained along the routes by the stake method. Sastrugi orientations were recorded in order to gain information on the prevailing wind. At several points, vertical profiles of snow stratigraphy and snow hardness were obtained, together with snow temperatures at 10 m depth. The glaciological characteristics of the plateau are described with reference to these results.

Snow chemistry: the values of the electro-conductivity and pH of melted snow along the routes were obtained, and the results show high conductivity and low pH values around the dome region. Quantitative studies on the chemical composition of the samples are continuing.

Ice coring: at the dome camp (DC; 77°00′S, 35°00′E; 3760 m a.s.l.), coring was carried out to a depth of 40 m. In the samples, we have been studying the vertical distribution of δ18O and the products of nuclear fission, in order to determine the accumulation rate and the atmospheric environment.

On the basis of the results described above, the relationship between meteorological and glaciological conditions in the inland plateau are discussed.

The British Antarctic Survey has developed a hot-water drilling system used chiefly for installing temperature sensors through ice shelves and for retrieving oceanographic equipment tethered through thick fast ice. The specification, design and operation of the drill for these two activities will be discussed and practical field problems will be highlighted.

A novel aspect of the design is the use of reaming nozzles to enlarge a pilot hole. These nozzles eject water upwards along the surface of the nozzle cone, and drill most efficiently when they hang free and unsupported by the sides of the pilot hole. The nozzles incorporate a nozzle-mounted valve, activated when the nozzle cone contacts the ice, thus increasing the back pressure of the water flow. The pressure increase is monitored at the surface and the winch speed is reduced accordingly in order to ensure an efficient drilling operation.

Surface features were classified morphologically and described along oversnow traverse routes from the coast to the inland high plateau of east Queen Maud Land, Antarctica, during the 1984 and 1985 summer seasons. The distribution of surface features reveals regional characteristics which reflect differences in the regional deposition-erosion process.

On the basis of observation of surface features and measurements of surface mass balance, the ice-sheet surface of east Queen Maud Land is sub-divided according to different environmental zones:

1. (1) Ablation zone (below 700 m a.s.l.): melting of snow occurs. Dry snow line approximates the altitude where the maximum air temperature is 0°C.

2. (2) Coastal continuous accumulation zone (700–1800 m a.s.l.): snow accumulation occurs continuously and the surface is flat because of high snow precipitation and a slight katabatic wind.

3. (3) Discontinuous accumulation zone (1800–2500 m a.s.l.): a rough surface of sastrugi dominates this zone. Snow accumulation is discontinuous in space and time because of low snow precipitation and strong katabatic wind. Negative annual snow accumulation was observed at 20–30% of the stakes set every 2 km along the traverse route. Mizuho Station is located in this zone.

4. (4) Long-term accumulation-free zone (2500–3400 m a.s.l.): long-term absence of snow accumulation occurs at the glazed surface, which consists of a multi-layered ice crust several millimetres thick. A glazed surface develops over a distance of 1–20 km when the surface undulation is steeper, and covers 30–50% of the area in this zone. A hiatus sequence of snow accumulation is thought to continue for about 10–100 years over the glazed surface region.

5. (5) Inland continuous accumulation zone (above 3400 m a.s.l.): a flat surface dominates in this zone. Snow accumulation occurs continuously because there is a weak katabatic wind in the central high plateau in spite of a very small amount of precipitation.

This paper presents the results of a detailed study on the geomorphic and diagenetic processes of surface-layer formation and its subsequent preservation in the stratigraphic record. The study supplemented stratigraphic studies carried out along a 750 km ANARE traverse route along the 69 °S parallel between 112° and 131 °E (which approximately follows the 2000 m contour) in the katabatic wind zone of eastern Wilkes Land.

A 100 cane farm was established at GD03 (69 °S, 115°E; 1835 m a.s.l.), adjacent to a 30 m deep firn-core drill site. The cane farm was used to monitor seasonal changes in snow accumulation and the type, size, distribution and orientation of the surface micro-relief.

The annual snow accumulation at GD03 is equivalent to 300 kg m−2 of water. This annual layer is visibly marked by a multi-layered ice crust, typically 1–2 mm thick, which is formed in autumn during a hiatus in snow supply. Within the annual layer, single-layered thin ice crusts were observed. These correspond to short hiatus periods, of the order of 2–3 weeks, during late winter–early spring, and radiation glazes formed during summer.

Density and oxygen-isotope–depth profiles display annual cyclicity within the snow-pack. Considerable horizontal variation was found in a single annual-layer thickness, with respect to ice-crust thickness, snow-density and oxygen-isotope values, and depth-hoar development, when traced in 21 2 m cores drilled at 5 m horizontal spacing.

The observed changes in surface micro-relief distributions over the cane farm have enabled a greater understanding of vertical variations between annual layers observed in the 30 m firn core.

Modelling the thermodynamics of a large ice sheet is in essence a problem of the deformation of a non-isothermal and relatively thin viscous layer. Reasons for forecasting the behaviour of a large ice sheet are: (a) to specify the relationship between the existence and development of the ice sheet and regional climatic and tectonic conditions; (b) to study the influence of variations in surface temperature, mass balance, and geothermal flux (as functions of coordinates and time) on the evolution of the thickness of the ice sheet. Hence the principal requirements for modelling are:

1. 1. The model must be evolutionary; in particular, various stationary stages should be derived from it (rather than postulated).

2. 2. The model must be non-isothermal because temperature variations amount to some tens of degrees.

3. 3. Two-dimensionality of the model is essential if we are to use it for making realistic forecasts.

4. 4. Conditions at the boundary between land ice and the sea, which are the basic factors controlling the location of the margin of the ice sheet, should be taken into account.

5. 5. Finally, the model must be acceptable for digital analysis by computer.

Contemporary mathematical models of the dynamics of the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets are too simplified and do not fulfil these requirements. Our mathematical model of the evolution of the Antarctic ice sheet is based on temperature parameterization. The parameterization correctly describes the distribution of temperature and its dependence on surface temperature, advection of ice, geothermal flux, and heat losses. The problem reduces to Cauchy’s problem for a non-linear parabolic partial differential equation with three-step dependence of ice temperature on depth. A linear viscous flow law is assumed. Tests treat the whole problem of the thermo-hydromechanics of the ice sheet. The ice sheet is assumed to be bounded by a grounding line or ice wall where the ice is in hydrostatic equilibrium with the sea. In this case, the problem reduces to a non-linear parabolic partial differential equation with a complicated boundary condition at the moving edge. A digital representation of the model is presented first. Tests demonstrated the possibility of using an explicit three-layered scheme. Calculations for the East Antarctic ice sheet indicated that the ice margin should retreat slightly under contemporary climatic conditions (which corresponds to the field evidence). In future the boundary should tend towards a stationary state. A forecast of the behaviour of the ice sheet is derived. The East Antarctic ice sheet is found to be stable during various changes in climatic factors. The calculated hydromechanical characteristics of the ice sheet agree with the observed field data.

Since 1978 scientists from the German Democratic Republic, in collaboration with members of Soviet Antarctic Expeditions, have been studying the isotopic composition of ice and snow, as well as the trapped gas content of glacier ice from northern Queen Maud Land near 12 °E, in order to decipher recent structures and Holocene evolution of this part of the margin of the East Antarctic ice sheet.

Along a 180 km north-south profile three large bodies could be distinguished: (1) Novolazarevskaya Ice Shelf (100 km wide, ≲700 m thick); (2) the ice cover (30 km wide, ≲300 m thick) of the Skaly Instituta Geologii Arktiki nunataks [“Skaly IGA”], with a scarp to the Schirmacher oasis; and (3) a firn glacier (50 km wide, c. 1000 m thick), filling the depression between “lskaly IGA” and the Wohlthat massif.

The ice-flow conditions of the surface layer are known. On the basis of isotope profiles from Soviet drilling sites on the ice shelf (447 m core) and on the firn glacier (809 m core), from the scarp and slope of the inland ice to the south of the Schirmacher oasis (ablation zone), and from numerous pits through the surface layer, a preliminary stratigraphic model has been developed.

On the basis of recent flow conditions, the basal layer of Novolazarevskaya Ice Shelf and that of the inland ice of the “Skaly IGA” region were identified as relics of late Pleistocene ice cover by their mean deuterium content of −390 and −330% respectively. The old ice is covered by Holocene layers of regional origin (δD = −230 to −150%); in the ice shelf there are also layers derived from the interior of Antarctica (δD = −350 to −280%).

The isotope profile of the firn glacier (range of δ18O variations −32.3 to −18.1%, identifiable annual layers of about 20 cm of ice to a depth of 500 m) represents a unique record of the last 7–8 ka for this region. It is also supported by measurements of the total air content trapped in ice samples (V = 107–127 cm3/kg) taken from the 809 m core. Details will be published elsewhere.

More information is expected to be provided by isotope studies of extended blue-ice fields and ice-cored moraines.