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Glaciology Unit

Dpartement des Sciences de la Terre et de l'Environnement



Main Research Subjects



The Glaciology Unit is specialised in the study of ice at the interfaces ice-bedrock and ice-ocean. A majority of the research activities are performed in collaboration with other laboratories or are included in great international research programs. Our actual research activities are :

  • great international research programs :

    • participation to the European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica EPICA (1996-2000)
    • participation to Greenland Ice core Project GRIP (1989-1992). This project is now completed by the North-GRIP drilling program (1993-....).


  • ice-bedrock interactions :

    • study of the processes occuring at the base of glaciers which are below the melting point temperature in the "Dry Valleys" (Victoria Land - Antarctic).
    • multi-parametric analyses of buried ice in Beacon Valley (Victoria Land - Antarctique) and implications on the Antarctic ice sheet stability.


  • ice-ocean interactions :

    • study of the chemical and isotopic compositions of Antarctic ice shelf and implications on the mass balance.
    • multi-parametric study of annual sea ice in the Ross sea (Antarctic) in relation with biological processes.


  • Alpine ice :

    • clear ice facies formation : implications on subglacial water chemistry.
    • study of interactions water-carbonates in ice



Recent Publications



You will find below all the publications realised by the unit members (1995, 1996, 1997). The abstracts of these publications are also available

  • Publications 1995 (see abstracts)


    • Flow-induced mixing in the GRIP basal ice deduced from the CO2 and CH4 records. R. Souchez, M. Lemmens and J. Chappellaz. Geophysical Research Letters, 1995, vol.22, n1, p.41-44.

    • Investigating processes of marine ice formation in a floating ice tongue by a high resolution isotopic study. R. Souchez, J.-L. Tison, R. Lorrain, C. Flhoc, M. Stivenard, J. Jouzel, V. Maggi. Journal of Geophysical Research, 1995, vol.100, nC4, p.7019-7025.

    • Very low oxygen concentration in basal ice from Summit, Central Greenland. R. Souchez, L. Janssens and M. Lemmens, B. Stauffer. Geophysical Research Letters, 1995, vol.22, n15, p.2001-2004.

    • Preservation of Miocene glacier ice in East Antarctica. D. Sugden, D. Marchant, N. Potter, R. Souchez, G. Denton, C. Swischer, and J.-L. Tison. Nature, 1995, vol.376, p.412-414.


  • Publications 1996 (see abstracts)

    • Isotopic signature of debris-rich ice formed by regelation into a subglacial sediment bed. N.R. Iverson and R. Souchez. Geophysical Research Letters, 1996, vol.23, n10, p.1151-1154.

    • Peistocene ice at the bottom of Vavilov Ice Cap (Severnaya Zemlya Archipelago). Michel Stievenard, Vladimir Nikolav, Dmitry Yu. Bolshiyanov, Christine Flhoc, Jean Jouzel, Oleg L. Klementyev and Roland Souchez. Journal of Glaciology, 1996, Vol.42, n142, p.403-406.

    • Climate and Ozone at the Dawn of the Third Millenium. A. Berger, Ph. Bourdeau, A. Ghazi, E. Lambin, M. Maslin, E.G. Nisbet, E. Raschke, C. Senior and J.-L. Tison. EGS Newsletter, Dec. 1996, nr. 61, p. 4-10.


  • Publications 1997 (see abstracts)

    • Ice sheet development in Central Greenland: implications from the Nd, Sr and Pb isotopic compositions of basal material. D. Weis, D. Demaiffe, R. Souchez, A. J. Gow and D. A. Meese. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 1997, Vol.150, p.161-169.

    • Ice shelf/Ocean interactions at the front of Hells Gate Ice Shelf (Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica). J.-L. Tison, C. Barbante, A. Bondesan, R. Lorrain and A. Capra. Terra Antartica Reports, 1997, Vol. 1, p. 29-32.

    • Preliminary results from 60 shallow cores and from one 45-m deep marine ice core at Hells Gate Ice Shelf, Victoria Land, Antarctica. R. Lorrain, J.-L. Tison, A. Bondesan, D. Ronveaux and M. Meneghel. Terra Antartica Reports, 1997, Vol. 1, p. 19-24.

    • A dynamical approach to explain ice structures and complex morainic genesis on a partially grounded ice shelf (Hells Gate Ice Shelf - Victoria Land, Antarctica). J.-L. Tison, A. Bondesan, G. Delisle, A. Lozej, F. Merlanti and L. Janssens. Terra Antartica Reports, 1997, Vol. 1, p. 33-38.

    • The glaciological map of Hells Gate Ice Shelf (Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica). A. Bondesan and J.-L. Tison. Terra Antartica Reports, 1997, Vol. 1, p. .

    • Recording vertical movement of a small antarctic ice shelf by static GPS measurements (Hells Gate Ice Shelf - Victoria Land). A. Bondesan, A. Capra, A. Gubellini and J.-L. Tison. Terra Antartica reports, 1997, Vol. 1, p. .

    • Linking landfast sea ice variability to marine ice accretion at Hells Gate Ice Shelf, Ross Sea. J.-L. Tison, R. Lorrain, A. Bouzette, A. Bondesan, M. Dini & M. Stivenard. In Antarctic Research Series, "Antarctic Sea Ice Physical Properties and Processes", Ed. M. O. Jeffries, AGU, Washington, in press.

    • The build up of the ice sheet in Central Greenland. R. Souchez. Journal of Geophysical Research, in press.



Equipments available in the laboratory



    • Ice storage facilities

      • 2 cold rooms with regulation of temperatures to -30C
      • 8 ultra-insulated freezers with rescue powersupply
      • Very large storage facilities in a cold warehouse in Brussel

    • Equipments to prepare ice samples

      • Precision band saws to cut ice samples
      • Diamond wire saw to cut debris rich ice samples and to prepare thin sections in this type of ice (photo)
      • Microtomes to prepare thin sections (photo)
      • Gas extraction equipements by ice crushing at very low temperatures and by melting-refreezing

    • Equipments to measure chemical and physical ice properties

      • Appareillage pour analyses cristallographiques des glaces
      • Gas chromatographs to analyse the gases in the ice. The studied gases are : oxygene, nitrogene, carbon dioxyde and methane (Varian GC3300 et Chrompack CP9001)
      • Liquid phase chromatograph equiped with a fully automated sampler (Dionex DX 100)
      • Atomic adsorption spectrometer equiped with an automated sampler and an intelligent diluter (Varian SpectrAA 300 with SPS5 and SIPS 10)
      • Computer controled system who allowed freezing experiments with constant freezing rate
      • Gas trap (by condensation at very low temperatures) to obtain better resolution in the gas analyses
      • Vaccuum lines equiped with Toepler pump to determine the total gas content of ice
      • Conductimetre with controled temperature bath
      • Appareil de distillation sous-vide
      • Sedimentation balance to study the ... of the mineral particules contain in basal ice

    • Equipments for field work

      • Ice coring engine (max. depth 50 meters) (photo)
      • Hot water drilling engine
      • Electrical generators
      • Field ice storage freezers
      • Insulated containers to carry ice samples




Scientific collaborations.



The unit is currently involved in international collaboration with laboratories from the following countries :
  • Canada
  • Danemark
  • France
  • Germany
  • Great-Britain
  • Italy
  • New-Zealand
  • Switzerland
  • United State of America




Students informations (in french)



Secrtariat :
Ouvert de 8 12 h et de 13 17 h. Local DC 4.117
Tel. : 02/ 650 22 27 Fax. : 02/ 650 22 26 E-mail : glaciol@ulb.ac.be

Access restricted to ULB students and staff



How to arrive to the laboratory





Attention the laboratory address is different than the postal address (see table)
Postal address : Laboratoire de glaciologie CP 160/03

Universit Libre de Bruxelles

50, Av Fr. Roosevelt

1050 Bruxelles
Laboratory address : Laboratoire de glaciologie CP 160/03

Btiment D 4me Niveau

Campus du Solbosch

Universit Libre de Bruxelles

30, Av Depage

1050 Bruxelles


  • If you arrive by plane :

    you take the train which drive you directly from the airport to Bruxelles Central Station. At this station, you go out by the main entry and you find on your right (rue de la ) Putterie Street. There, you take a bus number 71 in the direction "Delta". Be carefull, in Brussel you have always to ask the stop of a bus by a sign with your hand or, if you are on the bus, you use the blue bell buttons. After more or less 15 minutes, you will arrive to the Solbosch University Campus (great ULB roadsigns indicate the entry). The bus stop is on the corner of the University street and of the Buyl street. To find the laboratory , please consult the following map.

  • If you arrive by train

    you stop at Bruxelles Central station. If you arrive by an Eurostar (London) or a Thalys (Paris or Amsterdam), your train stop at Bruxelles Midi station. You have to continue your travel to Bruxelles Central station by taking another train. You find in the station special TV screens with the timetables (departures each 5 or 10 minutes) for the trains passing through "Jonction Nord-Midi" and thus stopping at Bruxelles Central station. At this station, you go out by the main entry and you find on your right (rue de la ) Putterie Street. There, you take a bus number 71 in the direction "Delta". Be carefull, in Brussel you have always to ask the stop of a bus by a sign with your hand or, if you are on the bus, you use the blue bell buttons. After more or less 15 minutes, you will arrive to the Solbosch University Campus (great ULB roadsigns indicate the entry). The bus stop is on the corner of the University street and of the Buyl street. To find the laboratory , please consult the following map.

  • If you arrive by car


    		 you arrive on Brussel ring road (R 0) where ever your are coming from. If you arrive from Gent (Gand), Antwerpen (Anvers) or Lige (Luik), it is better to follow the road signs Namur (Namen) to turn around Brussel by the East. If you arrive from Mons (Bergen) or Paris after passing Nivelles you follow the road signs Waterloo- East ring (ring est). You follow your road on the ring to penetrate in the city by the motorway E 411 coming from Namur (Namen). You follow the road signs "Centre" until you arrive to the crossroad "Delta" (1st crossroad after the tunnel). You turn around University "Campus de la Plaine" by taking the left road. At the first traffic lights (Renault Bruxelles) take again on the left, you continue to arrive to University Solbosch Campus. You arrive to the campus following University Street. To find the laboratory, please consult the following map.

  • Solbosch University Campus Map







Laboratory staff


  • Prof. Roland SOUCHEZ
  • Prof. Reginald LORRAIN
  • Dr. Michèle LEMMENS
  • Dr. Jean-Louis TISON
  • Dr. Laurent JANSSENS
  • Mme Ariane BOUZETTE
  • M. Ala KHAZENDAR
  • Mme Jacqueline HAREN
  • Mme Elmy DEVOS



A few photographic documents






Interesting links







Page created by L. Janssens