Open AccessExamining Holocene stability of Antarctic Peninsula ice shelves
Author(s) -
Hodgson Dominic A.,
Bentley Michael J.,
Roberts Stephen J.,
Smith James A.,
Sugden David E.,
Domack Eugene W.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
eos, transactions american geophysical union
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.316
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 2324-9250
pISSN - 0096-3941
DOI - 10.1029/2006eo310001
Subject(s) - ice shelf , peninsula , geology , oceanography , antarctic sea ice , climatology , holocene , iceberg , ice sheet , physical geography , arctic ice pack , cryosphere , sea ice , geography , archaeology
Temperatures on the Antarctic Peninsula are increasing at a rate of 3.4°C per century, more than five times the global mean. At the same time, the region's ice shelves have retreated and collapsed, with an area of more than 14,000 square kilometers disappearing within the past two decades. Ice shelf retreat has followed the southward migration of the −9°C mean annual isotherm, referred to as the ‘climatic limit of ice shelf stability’ (Figure 1).Thus, present‐day ice shelf retreats on the Antarctic Peninsula have been linked to increased atmospheric temperature [ Vaughan et al ., 2003].