Exploration of subsurface Antarctica : uncovering past changes and modern processes.

The Antarctic continent, which contains enough ice to raise sea level globally by around 60 m, is the last major scientific frontier on our planet. We know far more about the surfaces of the Moon, Mars and around half of Pluto than we do about the underside of the Antarctic ice sheet. Geophysical ex...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geological Society, London, Special Publications
Main Authors: Siegert, M.J., Jamieson, S.S.R., White, D.
Format: Book Part
Language:unknown
Published: Geological Society of London 2018
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dro.dur.ac.uk/22211/
http://dro.dur.ac.uk/22211/1/22211.pdf
http://dro.dur.ac.uk/22211/2/22211.pdf
http://dro.dur.ac.uk/22211/3/22211.pdf
https://doi.org/10.1144/SP461.15
Description
Summary:The Antarctic continent, which contains enough ice to raise sea level globally by around 60 m, is the last major scientific frontier on our planet. We know far more about the surfaces of the Moon, Mars and around half of Pluto than we do about the underside of the Antarctic ice sheet. Geophysical exploration is the key route to measuring the ice sheet's internal structure and the land on which the ice rests. From such measurements, we are able to reveal how the ice sheet flows, and how it responds to atmospheric and ocean warming. By examining landscapes that have been moulded by former ice flow, we are able to identify how the ice sheet behaved in the past. Geophysics is therefore critical to understanding change in Antarctica.