Some measurements and observations of very old sea ice and brackish ice,Ward Hunt Ice Shelf,N.W.T.

Abstract

Using ¹⁸O/¹⁶O ratio measurements, sea ice and brackish ice have been identified in a 10‐m ice core from Ward Hunt Ice Shelf. Brackish ice constitutes 62% of the core, and sea ice the remainder. The sea ice and brackish ice occur in alternating layers of 2–4 m thickness. The mean salinity of brackish ice (0.22) is an order of magnitude lower than that of the sea ice (1.26). The discrete sea and brackish ice layers and their individual salinity populations have been maintained apparently while the ice has aged and been raised about 40–50 m from the bottom of the ice shelf to its surface, a process taking roughly 400–500 years. Thin sections of the brackish ice reveal variable textures and an almost complete absence of cellular substructure that is associated with brine inclusion and retention in modern sea ice. Thin sections of the old sea ice show evidence of the former cellular substructure that appears to have been altered from the original. The discrete salinity populations and variable textures are briefly discussed.