HR: 11:20h
AN: C42A-05    [Abstracts]
TI: Glacier Flow in a Rapidly Changing Climate: the Antarctic Peninsula West Coast
AU: * Pritchard, H
EM: H.Pritchard@bas.ac.uk
AF: British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ET United Kingdom
AU: Vaughan, D G
EM: D.G.Vaughan@bas.ac.uk
AF: British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ET United Kingdom
AB: The most dynamic Antarctic glacial regime is that of the mountainous Antarctic Peninsula that covers only 3% of the continental area but receives 18% of its snowfall. Over the last few decades, the peninsula has been the fastest warming region on Earth and this is linked to the virtual loss of seven ice shelves, retreat of 87% of its tidewater glacier fronts, a 74% increase in annual positive degree-days (PDDs) and a consequent rise in summer meltwater runoff. In addition, precipitation has increased by 20%. All of these factors can be expected to increase the flux of ice through the glacial system, and possibly to drive it out of balance. The flow of most glaciers on the peninsula has, however, never been measured and very little is known about the dynamic response to these forcings. We present repeated radar remote sensing measurements of flow on 337 glaciers on the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula through 4 summers and 75 glaciers through 8 summers between 1992 and 2005. We find interannual changes in flow rate that are both widespread and significant. This demonstrates the high sensitivity of the peninsula glacial regime to its changing environment and allows us to requantify the region's contribution to sea level rise.
DE: 0720 Glaciers
DE: 0758 Remote sensing
DE: 0774 Dynamics
DE: 0776 Glaciology (1621, 1827, 1863)
SC: Cryosphere [C]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005