Stable Isotope Analysis of a Submarine Ice Cliff at Explorers Cove, McMurdo Sound, Antarctica

Stable isotope ratios and salinities of ice samples obtained from a submarine ice cliff at Explorers Cove demonstrate that the upper parts of the ice cliff have frozen directly from sea-water and are an underwater expression of permafrost, whereas the lower parts appear to be partially glacial in origin. These results indicate that there may be ice cores in the moraines of Explorers Cove, in which case the coastline of McMurdo Sound is more extensively ice-cored than previously known.