Instruments and Methods Snow Density Profiling by Nuclear Means

• Published in: Journal of Glaciology
• Main Author: Leighty, Robert D.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1966
• Subjects: Earth-Surface Processes; Greenland; Journal of Glaciology
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022143000019158; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143000019158

Abstract During the period 8–19 May 1963 a preliminary field investigation was conducted in Greenland to determine the feasibility of using a nuclear technique to determine snow and ice density profiles. A standard nuclear soil-moisture depth probe was used with two modes of processing and recording the nuclear pulses. Example data are compared with snow densities obtained by the standard weighing technique. The nuclear method was found to be feasible; however, deficiencies related to poor resolution render the probe unusable for detailed profiling of snow stratigraphy in its present form, but expected progress in nucleonics should enable improved resolution and accuracy to be achieved by improvement of nuclear detectors.