July 23, 2019

Why is the ice so hard?

Steven and David in the PP cabin

It is a riddle why the ice is so hard at the present depth that the drillers barely can break the ice cores. The PP (Physical Properties)-team has started to look at samples from ice cores right at the hard breaks. It is very challenging as there are small fractures in the ice which makes it extremely hard to make thin sections that allows us to see the ice crystals through polarized light. We are all looking very much forward to hear about their findings. Steven and David are looking at a computer image of a thin section in the PP-cabin in the science trench.

What we did during the day:

1. CFA measurements of 17 bags, last bag 3716.
2. PP measurements of bags 3260, 3273 and 3681 where the superbanger was used to break the cores.
3. Station for atmospheric moisture sampling and isotopic measurement is active.
4. Recovery of the seismic stations (dataloggers and cubes)
5. Connecting cables on the EGRIP radar.
6. Measurements with the VHF radar
7. Drilling at the S4 site (50 km upstream core). Depth 61.63 m
8. Cleaned floor in mechanic garage
9. Organized core troughs in ice core buffer trench

EGRIP population is 23

Weather: Wind from 2kts to 13 kts during the day. Wind from W. Overcast becoming more sunny in the afternoon. Temperatures between -12 °C and -9 °C.

FL, Dorthe Dahl-Jensen