ABSTRACTIn a pilot study to identify the annual layers in superimposed ice a 6.8 m long ice core has been investigated. The ice core was recovered from the summit of Storöyjökulen, a small ice cap in northeastern Svalbard that is entirely nourished by superimposed ice.Large variations in ice texture (crystal size and shape), ice structure (bubbliness), microparticle content, and solid electrical conductivity have been found and interpreted as representing seasonal cycles as they normally vary in phase. The combination of many ice core parameters has also allowed the clarification of many ambigious features. Thick layers of coarse, sometimes elongated ice crystals which have a high microparticle content as well as high solid electrical conductivity, have been used as indicators of late summer conditions. Dating the ice core has thus been accomplished by equating the upper surfaces of these coarse-grained layers with summer surfaces. Using these summer surfaces the net balance at the summit of Storöyjökulen has been calculated and found to be 27 cm of ice between 1954 and 1979.A good correlation has been found between the net balance at the summit of Storöyjökulen and the mean temperature at Hopen in southeastern Svalbard, if the temperatures are calculated per mass balance year. This correlation also indicates that there are no missing years in the record, that is, no years with negative mass balance at the summit of the ice cap.Oxygen isotopes were also measured in the core, but were of no use for dating purposes. However, when averageδ18O values were calculated for the different mass balance years (identified by the methods mentioned above) and plotted against the net balance values, two parallel curves resulted. This, of course, gives further support for the dating method described above.