Correction Of Air-content Measurements In Polar Ice For The Effect Of Cut Bubbles At The Surface Of The Sample

Abstract Air content (V) of polar ice has been used as an indicator of the past elevation of the ice sheets. A calculation is presented to correct V measurements performed on ice samples for the effect of cut bubbles at their surface. The results indicate a correction ranging from 1 to 10% for cubic ice samples with about 3 cm length. The correction depends mainly on the size of the bubbles. The theoretical calculation is experimentally verified. The statistical noise linked with the presence of a finite number of bubbles in the ice samples is evaluated. The influence of such a correction on the V profiles measured on polar ice cores is discussed. The method in this paper can also be used for correction of ice-density data obtained by the hydrostatic method.