1 Rapid Draw Down of a Portion of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet During the Last Deglaciation

Most of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet rests on a bed below sea level, making it the least stable of the world’s three large ice sheets (Overpeck et al., 2006). Analysis of the Siple Dome ice core suggests two episodes during the last deglaciation of large and abrupt decreases in the ice surface ele...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Taylor, Kendrick C., Alley, Richard B., Conway, Howard, Holland, David, Mayewski, Paul Andrew, Severinghaus, Jeffrey P., Shuman, Christopher A.
Format: Text
Language:unknown
Published: DigitalCommons@UMaine 2011
Subjects:
Antarctic
climate change
Siple Dome ice core
Ross Ice Shelf
Glaciology
Antarc*
ice core
Ice Sheet
Ice Shelf
Online Access:https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/ers_facpub/280
http://efdl.cims.nyu.edu/publications/refereed/jglaciology_siple_08.pdf
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Summary:Most of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet rests on a bed below sea level, making it the least stable of the world’s three large ice sheets (Overpeck et al., 2006). Analysis of the Siple Dome ice core suggests two episodes during the last deglaciation of large and abrupt decreases in the ice surface elevation along the Siple Coast, suggesting that portions of large ice sheets can respond rapidly to a gradual climate change. These events may provide an analogy for the response of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet to human-induced climate change, and draw attention to a small portion of the Ross Ice Shelf where future changes may originate.

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