Micro-Scale isotopic analysis of ice facies frozen from supercooled water

Abstract

Subglacial glaciohydraulic supercooling can form basal ice and affect glacier dynamics, sediment transfer and geomorphology. Whilst isotopic analysis (d18O-dD) of basal ice has demonstrated the significance of supercooling, questions remain as to what extent the identification of supercooling depends on sampling resolution. We conducted laboratory experiments in which ice was frozen from supercooled water and sampled at a micro-scale (1.5 millilitre) to identify highly localized variations in isotopic compositions that might be lost in bulk-scale sampling. Three distinctive ice facies produced by the freezing process demonstrated diagnostic isotopic signatures that were distinguished when the facies were sampled independently. However, their respective isotopic signatures were lost when bulk-scale sampling combined the two facies, demonstrating the requirement of micro-scale sampling when identifying supercooling in basal ice facies. These findings indicate that sampling for isotopic compositions of ice facies frozen from supercooled water should be conducted at a scale that prevents the amalgamation of different facies to highlight a detailed isotopic signature. We conclude that micro-scale sampling is imperative to understanding and quantifying this subglacial process.