Physical Properties of the Siple Dome Deep Ice Core

该奖项是对将从西南极西普穹顶取回的浅冰芯和深冰芯的物理和可见性研究计划的支持。对冰芯的肉眼观察已被证明是测定年代和解释古气候的一项强有力的技术。最近对Siple Dome的一个浅岩心的检查表明，年度分层测年是可能的，而且这种可见的检查将对Siple Dome的测年工作做出重大贡献。一旦获得年龄，在对密度变化和冰流变薄进行校正后，各层之间的距离就会提供积雪。对岩心的薄片检查将有助于理解可见地层，并将揭示与过去冰川变形有关的c轴组构。这项研究的结果应包括更好地了解南极的快速气候变化，并应有助于了解南极西部冰盖的稳定性。

This award is for support for a program of physical and visible studies on the shallow and deep ice cores to be retrieved from Siple Dome, West Antarctica. Visible examination of ice cores has proven to be a powerful technique for dating and paleoclimatic interpretation. Recent examination of a shallow core from Siple Dome indicates that annual-layer dating is possible and that visible examination will contribute significantly to the dating effort at Siple Dome. Once ages are obtained, distances between layers provide snow accumulation after correction for density variations and ice flow thinning. Thin- section examination of the core will contribute to understanding the visible stratigraphy, and will reveal c-axis fabrics which are related to past ice deformation. The results of this study should include a better understanding of rapid climate change in the Antarctic and should contribute to knowledge of the stability of the West Antarctic ice sheet.