A Sub-Arctic Glacier Cap

T' ^HE glaciological research of the Oxford University Arctic Expedition 1935?36 was mainly concentrated on the West Ice of North East Land, but subsidiary observations were also made on other glacier caps. Part of the results have already been published. The object of this paper is to bring together the whole and to give a detailed description of the West Ice alone. In this way a picture can be given of what is believed to be a characteristic glacier cap. A tribute must be paid to the value of the previous work in this area, in 1924 by Dr. K. S. Sandford and in 1931 by Professor Ahlmann. Without the knowledge which was derived from their work, the 1935-36 programme could not have been carried out. The studies of Mr. Gerald Seligman on Alpine Glaciers have also been of the utmost value, and to each one of the above the 1935-36 expedition is greatly indebted for his unstinting assistance. The greater part of the physical research in North East Land was done at the central West Ice station by Mr. Moss, but useful information on marginal conditions, on glacial drainage, and on the geomorphology of the area was collected by Mr. J. W. Wright, and by Mr. A. Dunlop-Mackenzie. So many glacier classifications have been put forward during late years that the primary need would now seem to be the adoption of one system as a standard. Professor Ahlmann in 1933 suggested a dual system of classifica? tion, Physical and Morphological, which will be followed in this paper.1 His classification of physical types, Temperate, High-Arctic, arid glaciers, will be amended in one particular. Ahlmann makes no mention of ice bands in his description of glaciers, therefore it is suggested that: Sub-Arctic glaciers consist, at least in their accumulation areas, of crystalline firn, with intermittent ice bands, down to some considerable

Antarctic sea ice · Arctic · Arctic ice pack · Climatology · Cryosphere · Geography · Glacier · Glacier morphology · Ice caps · Physical geography · Sea ice · Climate change and permafrost · Cryospheric studies and observations · Geology · Geology and Paleoclimatology Research · Oceanography

• Glaciers in the Arctic

  Open Access•Robert P Sharp•ARCTIC•1956

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• Oxford Expeditions to Nordaustlandet (North East Land), Spitsbergen

  Open Access•H R Thompson•ARCTIC•1953

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• The Swedish-Norwegian Arctic Expedition, 1931

  Hans W:son Ahlmann, Hans W Son Ahlmann•Geographical Journal•1934

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