scholarly journals A new glacier inventory for 2009 reveals spatial and temporal variability in glacier response to atmospheric warming in the Northern Antarctic Peninsula, 1988–2009

2011 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
pp. 3541-3595 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. J. Davies ◽  
J. L. Carrivick ◽  
N. F. Glasser ◽  
M. J. Hambrey ◽  
J. L. Smellie
Keyword(s):  
Antarctic Peninsula ◽  
Slope Aspect ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Tidewater Glaciers ◽  
Eastern Side ◽  
Glacier Recession ◽  
Recession Rates ◽  
James Ross Island ◽  
The Antarctic

Abstract. The Northern Antarctic Peninsula has recently exhibited ice-shelf disintegration, glacier recession and acceleration. However, the dynamic response of land-terminating, ice-shelf tributary and tidewater glaciers has not yet been quantified or assessed for variability, and there are sparse published data for glacier classification, morphology, area, length or altitude. This paper firstly uses ASTER images from 2009 and a SPIRIT DEM from 2006 to classify the area, length, altitude, slope, aspect, geomorphology, type and hypsometry of 194 glaciers on Trinity Peninsula, Vega Island and James Ross Island. Secondly, this paper uses LANDSAT-4 and ASTER images from 1988 and 2001 and data from the Antarctic Digital Database (ADD) from 1997 to document glacier change 1988–2009. From 1988–2001, 90 % of glaciers receded, and from 2001–2009, 79 % receded. Glaciers on the western side of Trinity Peninsula retreated relatively little. On the eastern side of Trinity Peninsula, the rate of recession of ice-shelf tributary glaciers has slowed from 12.9 km2 a−1 (1988–2001) to 2.4 km2 a−1 (2001–2009). Tidewater glaciers on the drier, cooler Eastern Trinity Peninsula experienced fastest recession from 1988–2001, with limited frontal retreat after 2001. Land-terminating glaciers on James Ross Island also retreated fastest in the period 1988–2001. Large tidewater glaciers on James Ross Island are now declining in areal extent at rates of up to 0.04 km2 a−1. This east-west difference is largely a result of orographic temperature and precipitation gradients across the Antarctic Peninsula. Strong variability in tidewater glacier recession rates may result from the influence of glacier length, altitude, slope and hypsometry on glacier mass balance. High snowfall means that the glaciers on the Western Peninsula are not currently rapidly receding. Recession rates on the eastern side of Trinity Peninsula are slowing as the floating ice tongues retreat into the fjords and the glaciers reach a new dynamic equilibrium. The rapid glacier recession of tidewater glaciers on James Ross Island is likely to continue because of their low elevations and flat profiles. In contrast, the higher and steeper tidewater glaciers on the Eastern Antarctic Peninsula will attain more stable frontal positions after low-lying ablation areas are removed.

scholarly journals Variable glacier response to atmospheric warming, northern Antarctic Peninsula, 1988–2009

2012 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 1031-1048 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. J. Davies ◽  
J. L. Carrivick ◽  
N. F. Glasser ◽  
M. J. Hambrey ◽  
J. L. Smellie
Keyword(s):  
Antarctic Peninsula ◽  
Dynamic Equilibrium ◽  
Eastern Coast ◽  
Slope Aspect ◽  
Western Coast ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Tidewater Glaciers ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
Glacier Recession ◽  
James Ross Island

Abstract. The northern Antarctic Peninsula has recently exhibited ice-shelf disintegration, glacier recession and acceleration. However, the dynamic response of land-terminating, ice-shelf tributary and tidewater glaciers has not yet been quantified or assessed for variability, and there are sparse data for glacier classification, morphology, area, length or altitude. This paper firstly classifies the area, length, altitude, slope, aspect, geomorphology, type and hypsometry of 194 glaciers on Trinity Peninsula, Vega Island and James Ross Island in 2009 AD. Secondly, this paper documents glacier change 1988–2009. In 2009, the glacierised area was 8140±262 km2. From 1988–2001, 90% of glaciers receded, and from 2001–2009, 79% receded. This equates to an area change of −4.4% for Trinity Peninsula eastern coast glaciers, −0.6% for western coast glaciers, and −35.0% for ice-shelf tributary glaciers from 1988–2001. Tidewater glaciers on the drier, cooler eastern Trinity Peninsula experienced fastest shrinkage from 1988–2001, with limited frontal change after 2001. Glaciers on the western Trinity Peninsula shrank less than those on the east. Land-terminating glaciers on James Ross Island shrank fastest in the period 1988–2001. This east-west difference is largely a result of orographic temperature and precipitation gradients across the Antarctic Peninsula, with warming temperatures affecting the precipitation-starved glaciers on the eastern coast more than on the western coast. Reduced shrinkage on the western Peninsula may be a result of higher snowfall, perhaps in conjunction with the fact that these glaciers are mostly grounded. Rates of area loss on the eastern side of Trinity Peninsula are slowing, which we attribute to the floating ice tongues receding into the fjords and reaching a new dynamic equilibrium. The rapid shrinkage of tidewater glaciers on James Ross Island is likely to continue because of their low elevations and flat profiles. In contrast, the higher and steeper tidewater glaciers on the eastern Antarctic Peninsula will attain more stable frontal positions after low-lying ablation areas are removed, reaching equilibrium more quickly.

scholarly journals State of Balance of the Ice Sheet in the Antarctic Peninsula

1982 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 77-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher S. M. Doake
Keyword(s):  
Antarctic Peninsula ◽  
East Coast ◽  
Accumulation Rate ◽  
Level Line ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
High Accumulation ◽  
Glacier Recession ◽  
Valley Glacier ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
Small Valley

Data from ice rises on the east coast of the Antarctic Peninsula can be interpreted as showing that the ice is thinning at rates of up 0.5 m a−1. However, a level line between two nunataks in Palmer Land showed no change in surface elevation over a period of 5 a. Melt rates on George VI Ice Shelf vary with position and may indicate that parts of the ice shelf are thickening at the rate of several m a−1, presumably in response to a higher accumulation rate over the peninsula a few hundred years ago. A small valley glacier, Spartan Glacier, is wasting away at about 0.27 m a−1. Ice fronts on both east and west coasts of the peninsula have been retreating for the last 30 a. It seems that there is general glacier recession in response to a wanner climate and decreased snowfall for at least the last 30 a, while parts of the peninsula are still thickening in response to a high accumulation rate several hundred years ago.

State of Balance of the Ice Sheet in the Antarctic Peninsula

1982 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 77-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher S. M. Doake
Keyword(s):  
Antarctic Peninsula ◽  
East Coast ◽  
Accumulation Rate ◽  
Level Line ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
High Accumulation ◽  
Glacier Recession ◽  
Valley Glacier ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
Small Valley

Data from ice rises on the east coast of the Antarctic Peninsula can be interpreted as showing that the ice is thinning at rates of up 0.5 m a−1. However, a level line between two nunataks in Palmer Land showed no change in surface elevation over a period of 5 a. Melt rates on George VI Ice Shelf vary with position and may indicate that parts of the ice shelf are thickening at the rate of several m a−1, presumably in response to a higher accumulation rate over the peninsula a few hundred years ago. A small valley glacier, Spartan Glacier, is wasting away at about 0.27 m a−1. Ice fronts on both east and west coasts of the peninsula have been retreating for the last 30 a. It seems that there is general glacier recession in response to a wanner climate and decreased snowfall for at least the last 30 a, while parts of the peninsula are still thickening in response to a high accumulation rate several hundred years ago.

scholarly journals Variations of glacier frontal positions on the northern Antarctic Peninsula

2004 ◽  
Vol 39 ◽  
pp. 525-530 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Rau ◽  
Fabian Mauz ◽  
Hernán De Angelis ◽  
Ricardo Jaña ◽  
Jorge Arigony Neto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antarctic Peninsula ◽  
Thermal Emission ◽  
General Trend ◽  
Glacier Recession ◽  
Research Initiative ◽  
Glacier Front ◽  
James Ross Island ◽  
Investigation Period ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
Local Accumulation

AbstractChanges in the ice fronts on the Antarctic Peninsula north of 70˚ S are currently being investigated through a comprehensive analysis of Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) and Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) data as part of the international research initiative ‘Global land Ice Measurements from Space’ (GLIMS). Regional case studies are presented that cover a variety of glacial systems distributed over the northern Antarctic Peninsula and provide data on glacier front variations during the period 1986–2002. The results confirm a general trend of regional glacier front recession, but a range of different glacier variations are observed throughout the study area. Areas of predominant retreat are located in the northeastern and southwestern sectors, while stationary ice fronts characterize glacial behaviour on the northwestern coast of the peninsula. In addition, a significant increase in glacier recession is identified on James Ross Island, where retreat rates doubled during the period 1988–2001 compared to the previous investigation period, 1975–88. These observations are interpreted as being direct consequences of the rapidly changing climate in the region, which differentially affects the local accumulation and ablation patterns of the glacial systems.

scholarly journals From ice-shelf tributary to tidewater glacier: continued rapid recession, acceleration and thinning of Röhss Glacier following the 1995 collapse of the Prince Gustav Ice Shelf, Antarctic Peninsula

2011 ◽  
Vol 57 (203) ◽  
pp. 397-406 ◽  
Author(s):  
N.F. Glasser ◽  
T.A. Scambos ◽  
J. Bohlander ◽  
M. Truffer ◽  
E. Pettit ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antarctic Peninsula ◽  
Satellite Image ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Tidewater Glaciers ◽  
Speed Increase ◽  
Glacier System ◽  
Digital Elevation ◽  
Tidewater Glacier ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Antarctic

AbstractWe use optical (ASTER and Landsat) and radar (ERS-1 and ERS-2) satellite imagery to document changes in the Prince Gustav Ice Shelf, Antarctic Peninsula, and its tributary glaciers before and after its January 1995 collapse. The satellite image record captures the transition from an ice-shelf glacier system to a tidewater glacial system and the subsequent rapid retreat and inferred ‘fatal’ negative mass balances that occur as lower glacier elevations lead to higher ablation and tidewater-style calving collapse. Pre-1995 images show that the central ice shelf was fed primarily by Sjögren Glacier flowing from the Antarctic Peninsula and by Röhss Glacier flowing from James Ross Island. Numerous structural discontinuities (rifts and crevasses) and melt ponds were present on the ice shelf before the collapse. After the ice shelf collapsed, Röhss Glacier retreated rapidly, becoming a tidewater glacier in 2002 and receding a total of ∼15 km between January 2001 and March 2009, losing >70% of its area. Topographic profiles of Röhss Glacier from ASTER-derived digital elevation models show a thinning of up to ∼150 m, and surface speeds increased up to ninefold (0.1–0.9 m d−1) over the same period. The rates of speed increase and elevation loss, however, are not monotonic; both rates slowed between late 2002 and 2005, accelerated in 2006 and slowed again in 2008–09. We conclude that tributary glaciers react to ice-shelf removal by rapid (if discontinuous) recession, and that the response of tidewater glaciers on the Antarctic Peninsula to ice-shelf removal occurs over timescales ranging from sub-annual to decadal.

Historical observations of Prince Gustav Ice Shelf

Polar Record ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 33 (187) ◽  
pp. 285-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.P.R. Cooper
Keyword(s):  
Antarctic Peninsula ◽  
West Antarctica ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
James Ross Island ◽  
Historical Accounts ◽  
The Antarctic

AbstractPrince Gustav Ice Shelf, situated between James Ross Island and Trinity Peninsula at the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, West Antarctica, has retreated rapidly between 1989 and 1995. This paper re-examines historical accounts of the area and plots the position of the ice shelf at various times, from 1843 onwards. These results show that an episode of rapid retreat between 1957 and 1959 preceded the recent rapid retreat, and that the ice shelf has been retreating for most of the period since 1843. The mechanisms underlying the two periods of rapid retreat are considered.

scholarly journals VARIATIONS IN SURFACE VELOCITIES OF TIDEWATER GLACIERS OF THE ANTARCTIC PENINSULA BETWEEN THE PERIODS 1988-1991 AND 2000-2003

2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aline B. Silva ◽  
Jorge Arigony Neto ◽  
Cláudio W. Mendes Júnior ◽  
Adriano G. Lemos
Keyword(s):  
Antarctic Peninsula ◽  
Landsat Tm ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Mean Velocity ◽  
Ice Flow ◽  
Tidewater Glaciers ◽  
Marguerite Bay ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Glacier Velocity ◽  
The Antarctic

ABSTRACT. In the Antarctic Peninsula, recent events of glacier retreat, disintegration and break-up of ice shelves indicated that ice masses in this region are reactingrapidly to the increasing trend in oceanic and surface air temperatures. This study aimed to define variations in ice flow velocity of tidewater glaciers between theperiods of 1988-1991 and 2000-2003, in northeastern, northwestern and midwestern Marguerite Bay and Larsen C ice shelf sectors. Glacier velocities were estimatedby the application of a cross-correlation algorithm of IMCORR software in multitemporal LANDSAT TM/ETM+ images. Moreover, we used monthly mean oceanic andair temperature data from OCCAM and ERA-Interim models, respectively. Ice flow velocities on the northeastern sector was 0.24 ± 0.12 md–1 in the period 1988-1991, while in 2000-2002 it was 0.06 ± 0.02 md–1. In the northwestern part of the peninsula, the mean glacier velocity was 0.10 ± 0.005 md–1 between 1989 and1990, and 0.22 ± 0.13 md–1 between 2000 and 2001. In the Midwestern sector, the mean velocity of glaciers was 1.06 ± 0.86 md–1 in the period 1989-1991, and0.84 ± 0.78 md–1 in the period 2000-2001. In Marguerite Bay, the velocity was 1.28 ± 0.77 md–1 in the period 1988-1989, characterized by temperatures near0◦C in the Bellingshausen Sea, while in the period 2000-2001, with mean ocean temperatures close to –2◦C, the mean glacier velocity was significantly lower, of0.23± 0.12 md–1. Finally, in Larsen C ice shelf, the mean velocity ranged from 0.80± 0.20 md–1, between 1988 and 1989, to 0.15 ±0.10 md–1, between 2000 and2003. The higher speed of flow of tidewater glaciers between 1988 and 1991 occurred in a period when the mean surface air and sea temperatures also were higher.Keywords: Antarctic Peninsula, remote sensing, glacier dynamics. RESUMO. Na Península Antártica, recentes eventos de retração de frentes de geleiras, desintegração e fragmentação de plataformas de gelo indicam que asmassas de gelo dessa região estão reagindo rapidamente à tendência de aumento nas temperaturas oceânicas e do ar superficial. O objetivo deste estudo foi determinarvariações na velocidade superficial de fluxo de geleiras de maré dessa península entre os períodos 1988-1991 e 2000-2003, nos setores nordeste, noroeste,centro-oeste, baía Marguerite e plataforma de gelo Larsen C. Essas variações foram estimadas pela aplicação do algoritmo de correlação cruzada do programaIMCORR em imagens multitemporais LANDSAT TM/ETM+. Além disso, foram utilizados dados de temperatura média mensal oceânica e do ar superficial dosmodelos OCCAM e ERA-Interim, respectivamente. No setor nordeste a velocidade média das geleiras foi de 0,24 ± 0,12 md–1 no período 1988-1991, e em2000-2002 foi de 0,06 ± 0,02 md–1. No setor noroeste a velocidade de fluxo encontrada foi de 0,10 ± 0,005 md–1, entre 1989 e 1990, e de 0,22 ± 0,13 md–1,entre 2000 e 2001. No setor centro-oeste, a velocidade foi de 1,06 ± 0,86 md–1 entre 1989 e 1991, e de 0,84 ± 0,78 md–1 entre 2000 e 2001. Na Baía Marguerite,a velocidade superficial das geleiras foi de 1,28 ± 0,77 md–1 no período 1988-1989, com temperaturas médias próximas a 0◦C no mar de Bellingshausen, enquantoque no período 2000-2001, com temperaturas médias próximas a -2◦C foi estimada uma velocidade média de 0,23±0,12 md–1. Nas geleiras tributárias da plataformade gelo Larsen C, a velocidade oscilou de 0,80 ± 0,20 md–1, em 1988-1989, para 0,15 ± 0,10 md–1, em 2000-2003. A maior velocidade de fluxo das geleirasde maré entre 1988 a 1991 ocorreu em um período em que as médias de temperatura do ar superficial e oceânica também estavam mais elevadas.Palavras-chave: Península Antártica, sensoriamento remoto, dinâmica glacial.

scholarly journals Macrobenthic Mollusca of the Prince Gustav Channel, Eastern Antarctic Peninsula: An Area Undergoing Colonisation

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madeline P. B. C. Anderson ◽  
Phillip B. Fenberg ◽  
Huw J. Griffiths ◽  
Katrin Linse
Keyword(s):  
Antarctic Peninsula ◽  
Eastern Coast ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Ice Shelves ◽  
Weddell Gyre ◽  
Epibenthic Sledge ◽  
Faunal Succession ◽  
Species Abundances ◽  
James Ross Island ◽  
The Antarctic

In 2018 RRS James Clark Ross investigated the marine benthic biodiversity of the Prince Gustav Channel area which separates the eastern coast of the Antarctic Peninsula from James Ross Island. The southern end of this channel had been covered by the Prince Gustav Ice Shelf until its collapse in 1995. Benthic samples were collected by an epibenthic sledge at six stations (200–1,200 m depth) in the channel and adjacent Duse Bay. In total 20,307 live collected mollusc specimens belonging to 50 species and 4 classes (Solenogastres, Bivalvia, Gastropoda, and Scaphopoda) were identified. The area may be characterised by it’s low species richness (ranging from 7 to 39 species per station) but high abundances (specifically of the Scaphopods with 11,331 specimens). The functional traits of the community were dominated by motile development and mobility type. Assemblage analyses of the molluscan species abundances within the Prince Gustav Channel stations sit distinct, with no pattern by depth or location. However, when bivalve assemblages were analysed with reference to the wider Weddell Gyre region (15 stations from 300 to 2,000 m depth), the Prince Gustav Channel sits distinct from the other Weddell Gyre stations with a higher dissimilarity between the deeper or more geographically distant areas. The Prince Gustav Channel is undergoing colonisation following the recent ice shelf collapse. With many Antarctic ice shelves threatened under climate warming, this area, with future monitoring, may serve as a case study of benthic faunal succession.

Miocene glaciomarine sedimentation in the northern Antarctic Peninsula region: the stratigraphy and sedimentology of the Hobbs Glacier Formation, James Ross Island

1997 ◽  
Vol 134 (6) ◽  
pp. 745-762 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. PIRRIE ◽  
J. A. CRAME ◽  
J. B. RIDING ◽  
A. R. BUTCHER ◽  
P. D. TAYLOR
Keyword(s):  
Antarctic Peninsula ◽  
South Shetland Islands ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Delta Front ◽  
Volcanic Group ◽  
Island Area ◽  
Glacial Chronology ◽  
James Ross Island ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
Marine Basin

The onshore record of Cenozoic glaciation in the Antarctic Peninsula region is limited to a number of isolated localities on Alexander Island, the South Shetland Islands and in the James Ross Island area. In the James Ross Island area, Late Cretaceous sedimentary rocks are unconformably overlain by a unit of diamictites and tuffs, which occur at the base of the James Ross Island Volcanic Group. These rocks are here defined as the Hobbs Glacier Formation, and on the basis of palynological studies are assigned to a Miocene (?late Miocene) age. The diamictites are interpreted as representing glaciomarine sedimentation close to the grounding line of either a floating ice shelf or a grounded tidewater glacier in a marine basin. Provenance studies indicate that the glacier was flowing from the Antarctic Peninsula towards the southeast. Volcanic tuffs conformably overlie the diamictites and are interpreted as representing deposition in a periglacial delta front setting in either a marine or non-marine basin, away from direct glacial influence. The Hobbs Glacier Formation and overlying James Ross Island Volcanic Group help to enhance our understanding of the Neogene glacial chronology of West Antarctica.

High-concentration sediment plumes, Horseshoe Island, western Antarctic Peninsula

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
CRISTIAN RODRIGO ◽  
ANDRÉS VARAS-GÓMEZ ◽  
ADRIÁN BUSTAMANTE-MAINO ◽  
EMILIO MENA-HODGES
Keyword(s):  
Antarctic Peninsula ◽  
Short Note ◽  
Sediment Concentration ◽  
Change Scenario ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Tidewater Glaciers ◽  
Marguerite Bay ◽  
Southern Side ◽  
Reported Data ◽  
The Antarctic

The variability in sediment concentration and spatial distribution of meltwater discharges from tidewater glaciers can be used to elucidate climatic evolution and glacier behaviour due to the association between sediment yield and glacier retreat (e.g. Domack & McClennen 1996). In an accelerated deglaciation environment, higher sediment concentrations in the water column can change the glacimarine costal dynamics and affect productivity and sea floor ecosystems (e.g. Marín et al. 2013). In the Antarctic Peninsula Region, meltwater or turbid plumes were previously believed to be rare or without an important role in the sedimentary glacimarine environment (e.g. Griffith & Anderson 1989), but recent studies have shown that this is a common phenomenon in subpolar and transition polar climates (Yoo et al. 2015, Rodrigo et al. 2016). In the current climate change scenario, accelerated glacier retreats and mass losses can produce an increasing input of glacial meltwater into the fjord regions, a situation that is not yet well evaluated in the Antarctic Peninsula. In this short note, after in situ observation of an unusual waterfall from the southern side of the main western tidewater glacier (Shoesmith Glacier) of Horseshoe Island (Lystad Bay), Marguerite Bay (Fig. 1), we report high turbidity values associated with plumes from the glacier, whose values were higher than reported data from subpolar/transition polar Antarctic climates.

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