Shapes and distribution of air bubbles in an ice core from Asgardfonna, Spitsbergen

• Main Authors: KAMEDA, Takao, KAWAMURA, Toshiyuki, FUJII, Yoshiyuki, ENOMOTO, Hiroyuki
• Language: English
• Published: 日本雪氷学会 1989
• Subjects: ice core; Spitsbergen
• Online Access: https://kitami-it.repo.nii.ac.jp/record/6921/files/5054.pdf

Air bubbles were observed in an ice core form Asgardfonna, Spitsbergen. These were classified into four types by their shape and distribution pattern (uniform distribution type, bubble layer type, cylindrical type and cobwebbed type). Also parts which contained few air bubbles (clear type) were observed in the ice core. On the basis of this classification, distribution of each pattern of air bubbles was investigated through the entire ice core (85.5m). Inhomogeneous distribution of each pattern with depth was observed, and was probably a result of differences of formation process or of stress condition in the ice body. From the observation of air bubbles and grains, it was found that clear parts which contain few air bubbles are composed of grains 2 to 4 times larger than those of the neighboring parts, and that “cobwebbed air bubble type” was observed only at grain boundaries. If this type of air bubbles was affected by solar radiation during the formation process, they probably reflect that a bare ice field existed at that time. application/pdf journal article