A Review of the Remote Sensing Techniques used in the Monitoring of Ice Calving in Antarctica

• Main Author: Rowan, Errin
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: English
• Published: 2014
• Subjects: Antarctic; The Antarctic; Antarc*; Antarctica; Ice Sheet; Ice Shelves; Iceberg*
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10092/14138

Antarctica Ice sheets drain to the coast where the ice flows into ice shelves and glacier tongues therefore the stability of the Antarctic ice sheet is closely connected with the mass balance of the ice shelves. Climatic predictions from IPCC 2013 expect global surface temperatures to continue to warm. As a consequence the Antarctic continent will experience increasing air and ocean temperatures which affect the stability of glacial systems and the rate of calving of ice bergs. This paper reviews the use of high altitude remote sensing techniques in monitoring ice berg calving and drift in Antarctica. Recent literature was used to consider advantages and limitations in remote sensing techniques and the satellite, software and hardware used in the monitoring of iceberg processes in Antarctica. The results showed that the main limitation of remote sensing is the time between ground tracking and the repeat cycle. This means that the system is not responsive enough to track small or complex iceberg situations.