The Glaciological Studies of The Baffin Island Expedition, 1950: Part V: On The Variation of The Shear Stress on The Bed of An Ice Cap

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Abstract
Some recent work by Dr. J. F. Nye on the calculation of the thickness of ice sheets has prompted the author to apply Nye’s formula to the Barnes Ice Cap in Baffin Island. A gravimetric survey of the southern lobe was carried out in 1950, and the data from four of the traverses have been used to calculate the variation of the shear stress on the bed. Some of the values obtained are exceptionally low, possibly explained by the fact that the lines of travel over the surface do not necessarily correspond to the lines of greatest slope or lines of flow. Only in one direction are the values relatively high, and it is concluded that there is a considerably greater movement of the ice in this direction. This conclusion is in agreement with observations on the ground.