The Measurement of Temperature in the Margin of Ice Stream B, Antarctica, and its Interpretation

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This award is for support of a project to investigate the mechanics acting at the margins of Ice Stream B, Antarctica. An analysis of existing temperature data near the center of the ice stream and of surface shear strain rate at its margins indicates that strain heating in the margins should be easily measurable in holes of 300 to 400 m depth. Temperature will be measured in a line of hot water drilled holes bracketing one of the margins, and interpreted in terms of strain heating, possible strain softening of the marginal ice, the shear stress acting on the ice stream, the history of the ice stream, and the stability of the margins. A secondary objective is to confirm the existence of diurnal variation in the vertical straining of the ice, which was previously observed on Ice Stream B.