Procesos visibles de la transición del hielo superficial con burbujas a hielo profundo con clatratos en el testigo EDML de Antártida

The study analyzes the EDML ice core to understand how air bubbles transition into clathrates under hydrostatic pressure. By using digital image processing and pseudocolor transformations, the researchers identified distinct zones of ice: a bubble-only region (80–700 m), a transition region (700–1250 m), and a clathrate-only region (1250–2774 m). The findings demonstrate that 'cloudy bands' (CB), associated with higher atmospheric dust concentrations from summer precipitation, exhibit greater porosity variations and a faster transition to clathrates than 'clear ice' (CI) from winter precipitation. In the deepest sections, 'white dots' (clathrate aggregates) maintain a spatial distribution and concentration proportional to the original bubbles, confirming a continuity in the evolution of the ice structure.

• The EDML ice core is divided into three distinct structural zones based on depth: a bubble-only region from approximately 80 to 700 m, a bubble/clathrate transition region from 700 to 1250 m, and a clathrate-only region from 1250 to 2774 m.
• Cloudy bands (CB), which are linked to summer precipitation and higher concentrations of wind-blown mineral dust, show more intense porosity variations and a faster compression of bubbles compared to clear ice (CI) from winter precipitation.
• In the transition zone between 700 and 1000 m, the highest peaks of atmospheric dust concentration and porosity coincide with sharp decreases in bubble concentration within the cloudy bands.
• Between 1000 and 1250 m, 'bubble-free bands' appear independently and unpredictably, a phenomenon that seems to be triggered by the catalytic effect of wind-borne impurities.
• In the deep ice region (1250–1554 m), where bubbles have been completely replaced by clathrates, 'white dots' (aggregates of smaller clathrates) are visible and maintain a concentration proportional to the original bubble distribution.
• The study establishes a visual continuity in the evolution from bubbles to clathrates, noting that cloudy bands consistently exhibit a higher concentration of clathrates in the bubble-free ice than clear bands.

APA

Morcillo, G., & Faria, S. H. (2021). Procesos visibles de la transición del hielo superficial con burbujas a hielo profundo con clatratos en el testigo EDML de Antártida. Basque Centre for Climate Change. https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/202202010818411842889230.pdf

Chicago

Morcillo, Gonzalo, and Sérgio Henrique Faria. Procesos visibles de la transición del hielo superficial con burbujas a hielo profundo con clatratos en el testigo EDML de Antártida. Basque Centre for Climate Change, 2021. https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/202202010818411842889230.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Morcillo |first1=Gonzalo |last2=Faria |first2=Sérgio Henrique |title=Procesos visibles de la transición del hielo superficial con burbujas a hielo profundo con clatratos en el testigo EDML de Antártida |publisher=Basque Centre for Climate Change |date=September 2021 |url=https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/202202010818411842889230.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{morcillo2021procesos, author = {Morcillo, Gonzalo and Faria, Sérgio Henrique}, title = {{Procesos visibles de la transición del hielo superficial con burbujas a hielo profundo con clatratos en el testigo EDML de Antártida}}, institution = {Basque Centre for Climate Change}, year = {2021}, month = sep, url = {https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/202202010818411842889230.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }