Refreezing of Interstitial Water in a Subglacial Cavity of an Alpine Glacier as Indicated By The Chemical Composition Of Ice

Abstract

With the aid of an atomic absorption spectrophotometer (Perkin Elmer 303), chemical analyses were performed on different types of ice collected in an enclosed natural subglacial cavity of the Glacier d’Argentière (French Alps). Contamination was reduced to background noise level of the instrument at each step of the procedure which was developed. One of the main problems encountered during the processing was the desorption of cations adsorbed on the surface of particles dispersed in the ice. The mean composition in Na, K, Ca and Mg was established for glacier ice and for ice accretions hanging from the ceiling of the cavity or at the bedrock–glacier contact. The mean composition and the ratio (Na+K)/(Ca + Mg) of the ice accretions are higher than those of the glacier ice. This implies a refreezing of interstitial water which was enriched by desorption when, before refreezing, it was forced through the mud layer plastered at the base of the glacier.