Acidity Levels in Ice Sheets from Radio Echo-Sounding

Abstract

It has been suggested (Hammer 1977, Gudmandsen and Overgaard 1978, Millar 1981) that layers of acidic ice, formed after large volcanic eruptions, are a cause of radio echo layering. The power reflection coefficient (PRO of these reflecting layers may be related to their acid content and thickness. The present paper makes estimates of ice acidity from radio echo-sounding (RES) and compares them with measured values along Greenland ice cores. Dated Antarctic PRC/depth profiles are also presented, and acidity estimates made which give a crude indication of past volcanic activity in the southern hemisphere to ~150 ka BP.