Satellite Remote Sensing Investigations into Changing Ice-shelf Extents in the Eastern Weddell Sea Sector of Antarctica
Satellite observations of ice-shelf collapse and related ice-mass drawdown from the Antarctic Peninsula over the past > 3 decades have been unambiguously linked to changes in atmospheric and oceanic processes as a result of anthropogenic climate change. Therefore, contemporary glaciological resea...
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ftunivcam:oai:www.repository.cam.ac.uk:1810/323108 2023-07-30T03:57:04+02:00 Satellite Remote Sensing Investigations into Changing Ice-shelf Extents in the Eastern Weddell Sea Sector of Antarctica Homer, Nicholas 2020-09-22 application/pdf https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.70560 https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/323108 en eng Scott Polar Research Institute University of Cambridge doi:10.17863/CAM.70560 https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/323108 All Rights Reserved https://www.rioxx.net/licenses/all-rights-reserved/ Satellite remote sensing Ice shelves Weddell Sea Sector East Antarctica Thesis Masters MPhil 2020 ftunivcam https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.70560 2023-07-10T21:43:32Z Satellite observations of ice-shelf collapse and related ice-mass drawdown from the Antarctic Peninsula over the past > 3 decades have been unambiguously linked to changes in atmospheric and oceanic processes as a result of anthropogenic climate change. Therefore, contemporary glaciological research is increasingly focussed on the long-term future stability of the vast West and East Antarctic Ice Sheets under different climate change scenarios, where similar changes to atmospheric and oceanic processes to those found in the Antarctic Peninsula are forecast. The floating ice shelves which extend from the ice sheet in these regions are of particular research interest because, by their very nature, they exert considerable control over the flow of the inland ice-sheet as well as respond relatively rapidly to external forcing mechanisms. Here, new ice-shelf extent mapping is undertaken by mapping the calving front locations in the eastern Weddell Sea Sector of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, where four of Antarctica’s ten largest ice shelves are located. Calving fronts and other lengths of coastline were mapped using an adapted edge-extraction coastline delineation method, entirely within a GIS computing environment, from a variety of remotely-sensed satellite optical and radar imagery. Combined with pre-existing coastline products form the region a timeseries of ice-shelf areas is presented and discussed in the context of known and theorised ice-ocean-atmosphere interactions occurring in the region. In contrast to what is occurring in other regions of the Antarctic Ice Sheet, ice shelves are broadly found to have been synchronously advancing since the 1960s, with only the occasional detachment of large, tabular icebergs causing ice-shelf retreat on sub-decadal timescales. Most recently, total ice-shelf area along the eastern Weddell Sea coastline from Filchner to Fimbul ice shelves, inclusive, has been increasing by c. 550 km2 yr-1 between 2009 and 2019. Analysis of meteorological and sea-ice data suggests that ... Master Thesis Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Antarctica East Antarctica Ice Sheet Ice Shelf Ice Shelves Iceberg* Sea ice Weddell Sea Apollo - University of Cambridge Repository Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula East Antarctic Ice Sheet East Antarctica The Antarctic Weddell Weddell Sea |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Apollo - University of Cambridge Repository |
op_collection_id |
ftunivcam |
language |
English |
topic |
Satellite remote sensing Ice shelves Weddell Sea Sector East Antarctica |
spellingShingle |
Satellite remote sensing Ice shelves Weddell Sea Sector East Antarctica Homer, Nicholas Satellite Remote Sensing Investigations into Changing Ice-shelf Extents in the Eastern Weddell Sea Sector of Antarctica |
topic_facet |
Satellite remote sensing Ice shelves Weddell Sea Sector East Antarctica |
description |
Satellite observations of ice-shelf collapse and related ice-mass drawdown from the Antarctic Peninsula over the past > 3 decades have been unambiguously linked to changes in atmospheric and oceanic processes as a result of anthropogenic climate change. Therefore, contemporary glaciological research is increasingly focussed on the long-term future stability of the vast West and East Antarctic Ice Sheets under different climate change scenarios, where similar changes to atmospheric and oceanic processes to those found in the Antarctic Peninsula are forecast. The floating ice shelves which extend from the ice sheet in these regions are of particular research interest because, by their very nature, they exert considerable control over the flow of the inland ice-sheet as well as respond relatively rapidly to external forcing mechanisms. Here, new ice-shelf extent mapping is undertaken by mapping the calving front locations in the eastern Weddell Sea Sector of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, where four of Antarctica’s ten largest ice shelves are located. Calving fronts and other lengths of coastline were mapped using an adapted edge-extraction coastline delineation method, entirely within a GIS computing environment, from a variety of remotely-sensed satellite optical and radar imagery. Combined with pre-existing coastline products form the region a timeseries of ice-shelf areas is presented and discussed in the context of known and theorised ice-ocean-atmosphere interactions occurring in the region. In contrast to what is occurring in other regions of the Antarctic Ice Sheet, ice shelves are broadly found to have been synchronously advancing since the 1960s, with only the occasional detachment of large, tabular icebergs causing ice-shelf retreat on sub-decadal timescales. Most recently, total ice-shelf area along the eastern Weddell Sea coastline from Filchner to Fimbul ice shelves, inclusive, has been increasing by c. 550 km2 yr-1 between 2009 and 2019. Analysis of meteorological and sea-ice data suggests that ... |
format |
Master Thesis |
author |
Homer, Nicholas |
author_facet |
Homer, Nicholas |
author_sort |
Homer, Nicholas |
title |
Satellite Remote Sensing Investigations into Changing Ice-shelf Extents in the Eastern Weddell Sea Sector of Antarctica |
title_short |
Satellite Remote Sensing Investigations into Changing Ice-shelf Extents in the Eastern Weddell Sea Sector of Antarctica |
title_full |
Satellite Remote Sensing Investigations into Changing Ice-shelf Extents in the Eastern Weddell Sea Sector of Antarctica |
title_fullStr |
Satellite Remote Sensing Investigations into Changing Ice-shelf Extents in the Eastern Weddell Sea Sector of Antarctica |
title_full_unstemmed |
Satellite Remote Sensing Investigations into Changing Ice-shelf Extents in the Eastern Weddell Sea Sector of Antarctica |
title_sort |
satellite remote sensing investigations into changing ice-shelf extents in the eastern weddell sea sector of antarctica |
publisher |
Scott Polar Research Institute |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.70560 https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/323108 |
geographic |
Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula East Antarctic Ice Sheet East Antarctica The Antarctic Weddell Weddell Sea |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula East Antarctic Ice Sheet East Antarctica The Antarctic Weddell Weddell Sea |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Antarctica East Antarctica Ice Sheet Ice Shelf Ice Shelves Iceberg* Sea ice Weddell Sea |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Antarctica East Antarctica Ice Sheet Ice Shelf Ice Shelves Iceberg* Sea ice Weddell Sea |
op_relation |
doi:10.17863/CAM.70560 https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/323108 |
op_rights |
All Rights Reserved https://www.rioxx.net/licenses/all-rights-reserved/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.70560 |
_version_ |
1772815772733669376 |