Attenuation of Sound in Glacier Ice from 2 kHz to 35 kHz

The acoustic damping of sound waves in natural glaciers is a largely unexplored physical property that has relevance for various applications. We present measurements of the attenuation of sound in ice with a dedicated measurement setup in situ on the Italian glacier Langenferner. The tested frequency ranges from 2 kHz to 35 kHz and probed distances between 5 meter and 90 meter. The attenuation length has been determined by two different methods and detailed investigations of systematic uncertainties. The attenuation length decreases slowly with increasing frequencies. Observed values range between 13 meter for low frequencies and 5 meter for high frequencies.The here presented results strongly improve in accuracy with respect to previous measurements. However, quantitatively the found attenuation is remarkably similar to observations at very different locations.