9321624 Gow This award is for support for a three year project to complete physical properties work (analysis of visual stratigraphy, density variations, and c-axis fabric measurements) on the Greenland Ice Sheet Project Two (GISP2) ice core. The objectives of this project are to: 1) complete the dating of the core, providing as highly accurate a depth/age scale as is possible using all available parameters; 2) determine the accumulation history at Summit to the maximum possible depth; 3) use ice crystal c-axis fabrics and related structural parameters to assess the extent and nature of the distortion which has been observed in the bottom 200-300 m of ice; 4) continue monitoring relaxation characteristics of the ice through repeated measurements of ice sample density and ultrasonic velocities; 5) carry out detailed examination of the basal debris layer to determine its compositional and structural characteristics and to delineate the origin and mechanics of incorporation of the debris-rich ice. ***
