Physical Properties of the Greenland Ice Sheet Project II (GISP II) Core

This award supports one aspect of the second Greenland Ice Sheet Project (GISPII). The goal of GISP II is the retrieval and paleoclimatic interpretation of a deep core to be drilled near Summit, Greenland. These studies will characterize the core and verify its stratigraphic continuity (or identify discontinuities), prerequisites to any paleoclimatic analyses. These studies also will lead to a better understanding of the deformation of ice and its dependence on fabric, impurity concentrations, grain size, andother factors. Data to be collected include: visual stratification, density, texture (size, shape and arrangement of grains and pores) and fabric (c-axis orientations).