The Significance of air Bubbles in Glacier Ice

Abstract

Abstract The study of air bubbles in glacier ice can give valuable information on the evolution of the ice. An analysis of the relation between an air bubble and the water associated with it shows that it may be possible to determine the maximum depth from which the ice containing the bubble has emerged. The shapes of the cavities containing water and air bubbles are described. They are found to reflect the anisotropism of ice crystals and reveal that the main crystallographic axis is polar. The question of the mechanism of elimination of air bubbles from glacier ice is raised. The investigations were made on the very old and coarse-grained ice from the foot of the Malaspina Piedmont Glacier in Alaska, which is a temperate glacier.