  Using the South Pole Acoustic Test Setup (SPATS) and a retrievable
transmitter deployed in holes drilled for the IceCube experiment, we have
measured the attenuation of acoustic signals by South Pole ice at depths
between 190 m and 500 m. Three data sets, using different acoustic sources,
have been analyzed and give consistent results. The method with the smallest
systematic uncertainties yields an amplitude attenuation coefficient alpha =
3.20 \pm 0.57 km^(-1) between 10 and 30 kHz, considerably larger than previous
theoretical estimates. Expressed as an attenuation length, the analyses give a
consistent result for lambda = 1/alpha of ~1/300 m with 20% uncertainty. No
significant depth or frequency dependence has been found.
