In 1979 ice-core drilling was carried out in the accumulation area of the temperate Alpine glacier Vernagtferner (Ötztaler Alpen, Austria). The cores are among the few cores from temperate glaciers in the eastern Alps. Encouraged by the results of the isotope analysis (2H, 18O, 3H) of this core, which proved that it was possible to detect the annual layering in the firn, a second drilling operation was undertaken in 1983. One core (IV) was drilled near the 1979 drilling site, in order to check the results from the first core. A second one (VI) was drilled near the equilibrium line, in order to obtain information on the isotope content of the ice body near the ablation area. In addition, the electrical conductivity was also measured. The paper presents the measurements of the 80 m core VI of 1983: 18O and 2H profile, together with the calculated deuterium excess d, as well as the 3H profile, which gives evidence of the 1952-63 nuclear-bomb tests already at a depth of between approximately 4.5 and 7 m below the surface. There is a discrepancy of about 0.5 m between the maximum 3H peak and the peak of an in-situ gamma-ray log. The latter would coincide better with the 18O layering, so that there remains an uncertainty of 3 years in dating the upper 20 years of accumulation. The annual variations in the isotope content remain recognizable, especially with the aid of the deuterium excess. Thus it is possible to compare the thickness of the annual layers of the earlier core I (in the accumulation area) with that of the later core VI (which is located at a lower elevation) and see how the layers become thinner. Comparing cores I and IV, possible sources of changes in the isotope content, such as melt-water flow, are discussed.