Dear authors,

While improvements brought to the revised version are acknowledged, Referee #2 points out remaining unclear issues concerning in particular data quality and typical uncertainties associated to your measurements. These issues are all the more crucial since you intend to measure two effects which basically counteract each other. According to the Referee, additional explanations and comments could be sufficient to address these points. Please carefully address all comments of Referee #2, providing an adequately amended manuscript as well as a detailed response letter.

Two additional technical comments related to changes made to the initial version:

1/ l. 47-48: The sentence starting with "A deposition rate..." still remains unclear to me. Consider the following possible reformulation: "A flow rate dependence of the deposition rate of water vapor on the ice matrix was observed, the deposition rate reaching asymptotically..." However, the unit of the asymptotic value provided (kg.m-3.s-1) does not seem to correspond to a deposition rate? The meaning of "asymptotically" here should also be clarified.

2/ l. 106: Do DPLS simulations used to compute the thermal conductivity really solve momentum equations? (for which phase?)


Best regards,
G. Chambon / TC Topical Editor

Dear authors,

I am happy to announce that your manuscript is accepted for publication in The Cryosphere. Reviewer #2 went once again through your revised manuscript and pointed out a few last typos and unclear statements: see attached file. Please address these - mainly technical - issues upon preparing the final version of your paper.

Best regards,
G. Chambon.