This award is for support of a one year program to perfect a method for measuring the vertical strain rate at depth in glaciers and ice sheets. The motivation is to produce a sensitive and accurate method for measuring the vertical strain rate, as part of the ice dynamics studies for the West Antarctic ice sheet program and the eventual deep ice core drilling to take place in West Antarctica. Vertical strain rate is important because it is closely related to vertical velocity, and the age-depth relationship of the ice. The age-depth relationship of the ice must be known for proper under- standing and interpretation of the results obtained from ice cores.
