Melt Season Changes in Arctic Ice

The changes in the properties of ice during the summer melt season were investigated at a camp established for acoustic studies on the shore-fast ice northeast of Pt. Barrow in 1977. The investigation consisted of synoptic measurements of ablation, under-ice depletion, ice core properties, ice column temperature, and visible light absorption. The rate of surface ablation was found to be dominated by insolation. The rate of under-ice depletion was most affected by the difference in temperature between the sea water and the freezing point of the ice.