Progress report on the Antarctic ice sheet

• Published in: Polar Record
• Main Author: Robin, G. de Q.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1960
• Subjects: General Earth and Planetary Sciences; Ecology; Geography, Planning and Development; Antarctic; The Antarctic; East Antarctica; Ross Sea; Antarc*; Antarctica; Ice Sheet; Polar Record
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0032247400050531; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0032247400050531

The art, science and sport of conducting scientific traverses across the Antarctic continent has advanced so rapidly during the past decade that we are making considerable progress towards understanding the main characteristics of that continent and its ice mantle. Many reports of recent work are provisional, so some changes of detail in the following account may eventually prove necessary. Nevertheless, some major features are now well established, such as the great depth of the subglacial floor to the east of the Ross Sea, and the observations that show considerable sections of the rock of East Antarctica† to be above sea level. On the other hand, the past glaciological history of the continent and the state of the present mass balance of the ice sheet still need much more investigation before we can be satisfied with the answers. The continued activity in Antarctica should result in our knowledge of the continent advancing much further during the coming decade.