Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Ice-Core Dating And Chemistry By Direct-Current Electrical Conductivity, Kenorick Taylor, Richard Alley, Joe Fiacco, Pieter Grootes, Gregg Lamorey, Paul Andrew Mayewski, Mary Jo Spencer

Earth Science Faculty Scholarship

Although quantitative interpretation of the low-frequency electrical conductivity of ice cores from central Greenland is complicated by temperature variations of the measured core, annual layers can be recognized in sections of the core that are not impacted by non-seasonal features. Ambiguities in counting of annual layers can be minimized by comparing the electrical conductivity measurements to measurements of dust concentration and visual stratigraphy. A non-linear relationship between applied voltage and the current measured across two electrodes complicates the quantitative comparison of measurements made with different equipment, but does not affect the overall shape of the observed features .