Fast Recession of a West Antarctic Glacier

• Published in: Science
• Main Author: Rignot, E. J.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 1998
• Subjects: Antarc*; Antarctic; Antarctica; Ice Sheet; Pine Island; Pine Island Glacier; West Antarctica
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.281.5376.549; https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/science.281.5376.549

Satellite radar interferometry observations of Pine Island Glacier, West Antarctica, reveal that the glacier hinge-line position retreated 1.2 ± 0.3 kilometers per year between 1992 and 1996, which in turn implies that the ice thinned by 3.5 ± 0.9 meters per year. The fast recession of Pine Island Glacier, predicted to be a possible trigger for the disintegration of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, is attributed to enhanced basal melting of the glacier floating tongue by warm ocean waters.