Dome Concordia ice microstructure: impurities effects on grain growth
Résumé
We present a detailed analysis of the microstructure in the shallow part (100-580 m) of the European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica (EPICA) ice core at Dome Concordia. In the Holocene ice, the average grain-size increases with depth. This is the normal grain-growth process driven by a reduction of the total grain-boundary energy. Deeper, associated with the Holocene-Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) climatic transition, a sharp decrease of the average grain-size is observed.