HR: 09:30h
AN: C41A-07    [PDF]
TI: Velocity change and ice discharge from Antarctic Peninsula Glaciers
AU: * Rignot, E
EM: eric.rignot@jpl.nasa.gov
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, MS 300-227 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, ca 91109-8099 United States
AU: Pritchard, H
EM: hprit@bas.ac.uk
AF: British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Cambridge, B430 United Kingdom
AU: Vaughan, D
EM: dgv@bas.ac.uk
AF: British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Cambridge, B430 United Kingdom
AU: Rivera, A
EM: andres.rivera@bris.ac.uk
AF: Centro Estudios Cientificos, Pratt, Valdivia, 91214 Chile
AU: Rivera, A
EM: andres.rivera@bris.ac.uk
AF: University of Bristol, Glaciology Centre, Bristol, 91214 United Kingdom
AU: Kanagaratnam, P
EM: pkanagar@ittc.ku.edu
AF: University of Kansas, RSL, Lawrence, KS 91214 United States
AU: Casassa, G
EM: gcasassa@blackhole.cecs.cl
AF: Centro Estudios Cientificos, Pratt, Valdivia, 91214 Chile
AU: Thomas, R
EM: thomas@hotmail.com
AF: EG&G, Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops, VA 8900 United States
AB: Satellite radar interferometry data from ERS-1/2 acquired in 1996 were employed to map the ice velocity of the outlet glaciers discharging ice along the eastern flank of the Peninsula from 64 south to 71 south, and along the former Wordie Ice Shelf in the west. Differential radar interferometry was employed to map the position of the glacier grounding lines. Estimates of ice thickness at the grounding line were obtained from hydrostatic equilibrium using existing topographic maps, or from direct measurement from radio echo sounding by BAS in 1994-2000 and CECS/NASA in 2002. The resulting glacier fluxes were compared to snow accumulation compiled by Turner et al. (2002) to deduce first-order estimates of the glacier mass balance. In places where ice shelves are known to have been retreating, we compared the 1996 velocities with older measurements as well as more recent estimates from ERS-1/2 (2000), Radarsat (2000-2003) and Aster (2002). On Fleming Glacier, we find a large increase in flow speed from 1972 to 1996, with no further increase after 1996, which suggests that the glacier did respond to the collapse of Wordie Ice Shelf several decades ago. On Drygakski glacier in the east, we confirm a large acceleration of the glacier following the collapse of Larsen B, as revealed by Rott et al. (2002), which is continuing to this date. We conclude on the effect of retreating ice shelves on the evolution of inland ice in this sector of Antarctica and on its impact on sea level rise.
DE: 1827 Glaciology (1863)
DE: 6924 Interferometry
DE: 9310 Antarctica
SC: Cryosphere [C]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting