<scp>A</scp> ntarctica

• Main Author: Rémy, Frédérique
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: unknown
• Published: Wiley 2016
• Subjects: Antarctic; South Pole; The Antarctic; Antarc*; Antarctica; Ice Sheet; South pole
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/9781118786352.wbieg0356; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2F9781118786352.wbieg0356; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/9781118786352.wbieg0356; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1002/9781118786352.wbieg0356

Abstract Antarctica is the southernmost continent, centered around the South Pole and almost entirely covered by a thick layer of ice. If melted, this ice sheet would cause a rise in sea level of almost 60 m. The shape and volume of the ice sheet are determined by the difference between gain by snow fall and loss by ice flow. Both mechanisms are climate sensitive and have different response times. For several decades, the Antarctic ice sheet has been surveyed by remote sensing which is essential for modeling the ice sheet and understanding the mechanisms at work. In particular, laser and radar altimetry provide elevation changes with time while gravimetry provides mass changes. These sensors show that even if the large eastern part seems to be in equilibrium, the western part displays a worrying behavior with a clear acceleration in the discharge of several outlet glaciers.