A Pressure-sintering Model for the Densification of Polar Firn and Glacier Ice Journal Articles

abstract

• Abstract A comprehensive multi-mechanism theory of pressure sintering has been applied to the densification of two polar ice sheets. The comparison, which is made using pressure-sintering mechanism maps, indicates that power-law creep is the controlling mechanism between 50% and 98% theoretical density. Lattice diffusion becomes dominant at low porosities. The densification rates predicted by the theory are in good agreement with the data, and suggest that a reasonable estimation of the densification behaviour of a polar ice sheet can be made using the theory, based on information obtained from a relatively shallow core.

authors

• Wilkinson, David S

status

• published 

publication date

• 1988

has subject area

• 0406 Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience (FoR)
• Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences (Science Metrix)

published in

• Journal of Glaciology  Journal

keywords

• Geography, Physical
• Geology
• Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
• Physical Geography
• Physical Sciences
• Science & Technology

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

• 10.1017/s0022143000009047

start page

• 40

end page

• 45

volume

• 34

issue

• 116