Transformation process observations of polar firn to ice

Open Access
Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The transformation of snow to ice under compressive stress is a very slow process unless meltwater is present. A qualitative measure of permeability variation with depth was continuously determined for various shallow-ice cores from the dry-snow zones in both Greenland and Antarctica to investigate this transformation process. Results of the study provide insight into snow densification mechanisms and generally characterize the pore close-off phenomena. Measurements show that bulk densities may be expressed as a function of overburden; pore close-off takes place when the overburden is approximately 3.0–4.5 bar.