Glacier surge after ice shelf collapse.

Autor: De Angelis H; Instituto Antártico Argentino, Cerrito 1248, C1010AAZ Buenos Aires, Argentina. glacio@dna.gov.ar, Skvarca P
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Science (New York, N.Y.) [Science] 2003 Mar 07; Vol. 299 (5612), pp. 1560-2.
DOI: 10.1126/science.1077987
Abstrakt: The possibility that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet will collapse as a consequence of ice shelf disintegration has been debated for many years. This matter is of concern because such an event would imply a sudden increase in sea level. Evidence is presented here showing drastic dynamic perturbations on former tributary glaciers that fed sections of the Larsen Ice Shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula before its collapse in 1995. Satellite images and airborne surveys allowed unambiguous identification of active surging phases of Boydell, Sjögren, Edgeworth, Bombardier, and Drygalski glaciers. This discovery calls for a reconsideration of former hypotheses about the stabilizing role of ice shelves.
Databáze: MEDLINE