Mean annual air temperatures and precipitation on the Greenland Ice Sheet, as estimated from snow profile studies and long-term meteorological records at coastal stations, have been used to prepare mean annual air temperature and mean annual precipitation charts for the Greenland Ice Sheet. It is shown that melting of surface snow may occur at elevations of about 1,300 m. in north Greenland and up to 2,700 m. in south Greenland. The warming trend in the Arctic, as indicated by increases in mean annual air temperature, may have occurred to a lesser extent on the ice sheet than at sea-level coastal stations. Annual accumulation of precipitation is two or three times as great at 2,700 m. on the west side of the ice sheet as at the crest. South of lat. 66° N., precipitation may be about twice as great on the east side of the crest as on the west side.

The density of glacier ice containing a given amount of air can be computed if it is assumed that both ice and air are subjected to a pressure due to the weight of overlying material. In this way it is possible to deduce the form that a curve of density versus depth should have for ice of a constant air content. Reasons for the divergence of observed depth-density profiles from those predicted by this theory are discussed, in particular the effect of the plastic-viscous behaviour of ice, which results in an air pressure differing from the hydrostatic pressure of the ice above. The empirical power-law relation between depth and density is discussed in the light of this theory, and is also used to derive relations for useful parameters characterizing the densification process such as rate of subsidence and rate of densification in terms of the depth, accumulation, and the constants entering the power law.

In addition to field observations and quantitative analyses of natural phenomena, an opportunity exists for the application of glaciological knowledge. Major problems preventing the widespread use of ice and snow as structural materials are related to processing methods, properties of ice and snow, and deterioration during the melt season. These difficulties have been considered and an experimental program carried out to determine the feasibility of developing practical methods for using ice and snow as engineering materials. Results show that the development of improved processing methods for both ice and snow, the development of ice alloys with improved properties, and the extension of the use season provide real opportunities for applied glaciology.

More than 8,000 ice crystals have been oriented and measured for crystal fabric studies from widely separated temperate and polar glaciers, using a large universal stage and thin-section techniques. Very strong fabrics have been found and a number of laboratory experiments on deformation and recrystallization of ice were conducted in an attempt to solve some of the perplexing problems raised concerning glacier flow.

In polar glaciers the c or optic axes of the ice crystals tend to be perpendicular to the foliation plane (alternating planar structures of bubbly and clear ice). In areas of high shearing stress the preferred orientation of the axes reached 39 per cent in 1 per cent of the area when plotted on a Schmidt equal-area projection. In temperate glaciers the optic axes tend to form three or four strong maxima which also appear related to the foliation.

Patterns from ice deformed in the laboratory resemble some of the fabric patterns found in polar glaciers. During deformation of laboratory specimens, large crystals have been observed recrystallizing into many smaller ones, while fine-grained ice, after completion of deformation (both glacier ice and laboratory deformed ice), has been annealed at melting temperature into a few large crystals with different orientations from the original pattern.

The behaviour of a Norwegian glacier-dammed lake, before, during and after drainage in 1957 is described. The evidence of former shoreline terraces is interpreted and possible drainage mechanisms are discussed.

Glaciological research on the ice cap to the north of Lake Hazen in northern Ellesmere Island was one of the main objectives of the Canadian I.G.Y. expedition to this area in 1957–1958. The method of nourishment of this ice cap and of Gilman Glacier, one of its southward-flowing outlets, was studied in pit and bore hole profiles above and below the equilibrium line, which was found at an elevation of about 1,200 m. Between an elevation of about 1,450 and 2,000 m. accumulation is by firn formation, while between about 1,280 and 1,450 m. interfingering of firn and superimposed ice occurs. At 1,800 m. the mean annual accumulation over the past twenty years is estimated as 12.8 g. cm.–2. On Gilman Glacier below the equilibrium line variations in density and crystal structure in an ice core to a depth of 25 m. are seen to depend on the proportion of firn to superimposed ice formed during accumulation. These variations correspond to past changes in the position of the equilibrium line. Englacial temperature measurements indicate a mean annual temperature of about –18.5° C. at an elevation of 1 ,040 m. A budget deficit for Gilman Glacier during two years of observations may be related to the increased summer melting of the last 20 years, deduced from pit studies at 1,800 m.

Based on an observed temperature profile through the Ross Ice Shelf at Little America and partial profiles in the Maudheim Is-shelf and the Filchner Ice Shelf near the Ellsworth I.G.Y. station, various models of heating with and without melting from below are analysed to find the residence time of the respective ice shelves over the ocean. Estimated movements are compared with observed shelf movements seaward. 100 and 200 yr. melting rates for an ice shelf initially 20.5° C. below the freezing point of seawater are found as functions of the deviation of sea-water from its freezing point and the eddy conductivity of the ocean below the ice shelf. Steady-state solutions based on constant accumulation and sinking in an ice shelf of constant thickness are discussed.

The effect of heating of an ice shelf from above and below as it moves to a warmer atmospheric environment is described and it is concluded that the decreasing temperature with depth found only in the Ellsworth ice is a result of its rapid motion from the cold region to the south-east of the station (Coats Land).

The Gorge du Guil (Hautes-Alpes) might be regarded as a typical example of a post-glacial gorge. In fact, this is not the case. Systematic and very detailed observations based on maps of the scale of 1 : 5,000 have revealed that the greatest part of the excavation of the defiles, cut across the bands of massive rocks, was accomplished by subglacial melt waters. Remnants of glacial deposits containing well-rounded pebbles, but whose finer constituents have been largely removed, occur a few metres above the present valley floor in each of these defiles. The down-cutting was very powerful, being facilitated by the crevassing of the ice, which was at the most 300 m. thick, over the ridges and in the constricted sections of the valley, and by the load carried in the englacial melt water. The sheltered and sunny climate, and the situation of the area below the limit of permanent snow also favoured erosion by melt water. By comparison, post-glacial down-cutting has been slight, not exceeding some ten metres in the massive strata, and appears to have been far less rapid than the subglacial erosion.