Stable isotope studies on the Greenland ice-sheet margin

Abstract

Stable isotope analysis has been used intensively in the investigation of snow and ice-cores retrieved from the central region of the Greenland ice sheet. The d 18O records from the deep ice cores drilled at Camp Century and Dye 3, for example, provided detailed climatic information for the past maybe more than 100 000 years (Dansgaard et al., 1985). However, although the marginal zone of the ice sheet is readily accessibie compared with the central region, little attention has been given to stable isotope studies in the marginal zone (the ablation zone).