George VI Ice Shelf: past history, present behaviour and potential mechanisms for future collapse
George VI Ice Shelf is the largest ice shelf on the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula, covering a total area of 25 000 km2. The northern ice front of George VI Ice Shelf presently marks the southernmost occurrence of recent ice-shelf retreat on the Antarctic Peninsula and according to some predi...
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2007
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Online Access: | http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/1234/ https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954102007000193 |
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ftnerc:oai:nora.nerc.ac.uk:1234 2024-06-09T07:40:07+00:00 George VI Ice Shelf: past history, present behaviour and potential mechanisms for future collapse Smith, James A. Bentley, Michael J. Hodgson, Dominic A. Cook, Alison J. 2007 http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/1234/ https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954102007000193 unknown Cambridge University Press Smith, James A. orcid:0000-0002-1333-2544 Bentley, Michael J.; Hodgson, Dominic A. orcid:0000-0002-3841-3746 Cook, Alison J. 2007 George VI Ice Shelf: past history, present behaviour and potential mechanisms for future collapse. Antarctic Science, 19 (1). 131-142. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954102007000193 <https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954102007000193> Glaciology Earth Sciences Publication - Article PeerReviewed 2007 ftnerc https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954102007000193 2024-05-15T08:39:04Z George VI Ice Shelf is the largest ice shelf on the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula, covering a total area of 25 000 km2. The northern ice front of George VI Ice Shelf presently marks the southernmost occurrence of recent ice-shelf retreat on the Antarctic Peninsula and according to some predictions the ice shelf is close to its thermal limit of stability. If these predictions are accurate and we are witnessing the first stages of retreat then it is critical that we take the opportunity to examine the ice shelf in its pre-collapse phase. This paper provides a review of the geological evolution, glaciology and interactions between the ocean and the atmosphere. We also discuss the present behaviour of the ice shelf, in the context of recent retreat of its northern and southern ice fronts, and outline several possible mechanisms for future ice shelf collapse. What emerges from this review is that the stability of George VI Ice Shelf is sensitive not only to the recent rapid regional atmospheric warming on the Antarctic Peninsula which has led to the gradual retreat of the northern and southern ice shelf fronts, but also to changes in ocean circulation, particularly intrusions of warm Upper Circumpolar Deep Water onto the continental shelf. It is likely that any future change in the stability of George VI Ice Shelf will involve a combined atmospheric and oceanic forcing. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Antarctic Science George VI Ice Shelf Ice Shelf Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula George VI Ice Shelf ENVELOPE(-67.840,-67.840,-71.692,-71.692) The Antarctic Antarctic Science 19 1 131 142 |
institution |
Open Polar |
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Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive |
op_collection_id |
ftnerc |
language |
unknown |
topic |
Glaciology Earth Sciences |
spellingShingle |
Glaciology Earth Sciences Smith, James A. Bentley, Michael J. Hodgson, Dominic A. Cook, Alison J. George VI Ice Shelf: past history, present behaviour and potential mechanisms for future collapse |
topic_facet |
Glaciology Earth Sciences |
description |
George VI Ice Shelf is the largest ice shelf on the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula, covering a total area of 25 000 km2. The northern ice front of George VI Ice Shelf presently marks the southernmost occurrence of recent ice-shelf retreat on the Antarctic Peninsula and according to some predictions the ice shelf is close to its thermal limit of stability. If these predictions are accurate and we are witnessing the first stages of retreat then it is critical that we take the opportunity to examine the ice shelf in its pre-collapse phase. This paper provides a review of the geological evolution, glaciology and interactions between the ocean and the atmosphere. We also discuss the present behaviour of the ice shelf, in the context of recent retreat of its northern and southern ice fronts, and outline several possible mechanisms for future ice shelf collapse. What emerges from this review is that the stability of George VI Ice Shelf is sensitive not only to the recent rapid regional atmospheric warming on the Antarctic Peninsula which has led to the gradual retreat of the northern and southern ice shelf fronts, but also to changes in ocean circulation, particularly intrusions of warm Upper Circumpolar Deep Water onto the continental shelf. It is likely that any future change in the stability of George VI Ice Shelf will involve a combined atmospheric and oceanic forcing. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Smith, James A. Bentley, Michael J. Hodgson, Dominic A. Cook, Alison J. |
author_facet |
Smith, James A. Bentley, Michael J. Hodgson, Dominic A. Cook, Alison J. |
author_sort |
Smith, James A. |
title |
George VI Ice Shelf: past history, present behaviour and potential mechanisms for future collapse |
title_short |
George VI Ice Shelf: past history, present behaviour and potential mechanisms for future collapse |
title_full |
George VI Ice Shelf: past history, present behaviour and potential mechanisms for future collapse |
title_fullStr |
George VI Ice Shelf: past history, present behaviour and potential mechanisms for future collapse |
title_full_unstemmed |
George VI Ice Shelf: past history, present behaviour and potential mechanisms for future collapse |
title_sort |
george vi ice shelf: past history, present behaviour and potential mechanisms for future collapse |
publisher |
Cambridge University Press |
publishDate |
2007 |
url |
http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/1234/ https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954102007000193 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-67.840,-67.840,-71.692,-71.692) |
geographic |
Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula George VI Ice Shelf The Antarctic |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula George VI Ice Shelf The Antarctic |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Antarctic Science George VI Ice Shelf Ice Shelf |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Antarctic Science George VI Ice Shelf Ice Shelf |
op_relation |
Smith, James A. orcid:0000-0002-1333-2544 Bentley, Michael J.; Hodgson, Dominic A. orcid:0000-0002-3841-3746 Cook, Alison J. 2007 George VI Ice Shelf: past history, present behaviour and potential mechanisms for future collapse. Antarctic Science, 19 (1). 131-142. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954102007000193 <https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954102007000193> |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954102007000193 |
container_title |
Antarctic Science |
container_volume |
19 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
131 |
op_container_end_page |
142 |
_version_ |
1801383609323487232 |