Density measurements in ice boreholes using neutron scattering
- 1 January 2003
- journal article
- Published by International Glaciological Society in Journal of Glaciology
- Vol. 49 (167), 599-604
- https://doi.org/10.3189/172756503781830403
Abstract
This paper describes the use of a neutron probe to measure detailed stratigraphy in ice and snow. The Wallingford neutron probe, developed for measurement of soil moisture, consists of an annular radioactive source of fast neutrons around the centre of a cylindrical detector for slow (thermal) neutrons. In snow and ice, the fast neutrons lose energy by scattering from hydrogen atoms, and the number of slow neutrons arriving at the detector (the count rate) is related to the density of the medium. Calibration equations for count rate as a function of snow density and borehole diameter have been derived. Snow-density profiles from boreholes obtained using the probe show that, despite the smoothing produced by the neutron-scattering process, annual variations in density can be resolved. The potential contribution of the neutron probe to improvements in mass-balance monitoring is discussed.This publication has 3 references indexed in Scilit:
- Density log of a 181 m long ice core from Berkner Island, AntarcticaAnnals of Glaciology, 1999
- Some comments on climatic reconstructions from ice cores drilled in areas of high meltJournal of Glaciology, 1997
- A NEW DESIGN PRINCIPLE FOR NEUTRON SOIL MOISTURE GAGESSoil Science, 1969