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ICE STREAMS OF THE ANTARCTIC

ICE STREAMS OF THE ANTARCTIC. The Antarctic Ice Sheets. The East Antarctic Ice Sheet Covers 1.0 x 10 7 km 2 Contains 2.6 x 10 7 km 3 of ice The West Antarctic Ice Sheet Covers 2.0 x 10 6 km 2 Contains 3.3 x 10 6 km 3 of ice. What is an Ice Stream?.

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ICE STREAMS OF THE ANTARCTIC

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  1. ICE STREAMS OF THE ANTARCTIC

  2. The Antarctic Ice Sheets • The East Antarctic Ice Sheet • Covers 1.0 x 107 km2 • Contains 2.6 x 107 km3 of ice • The West Antarctic Ice Sheet • Covers 2.0 x 106 km2 • Contains 3.3 x 106 km3 of ice

  3. What is an Ice Stream? • Ice Streams are channels of rapidly moving ice within a ice sheet. • Ice Streams dynamics can have a significant effect on glacial stability

  4. Where are Ice Streams found in Antarctica? • There are Ice streams within each of the two major Ice Sheets of Antarctica • The East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) • The West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) • The most critical of these are streams are those that flow into the Ross Ice Shelf (RIS) and the Ronne-Filchner Ice Shelf (RFIS)

  5. Siple Dome Ice Streams

  6. Ice Stream Flow • The Antarctic ice streams flow at rates ranging from 100s to 1000s of meters per year • Stoppages and slow downs have been documented to occur rapidly • These variations in velocity significantly affect the mass balance of the RIS

  7. Ice Stream Controls • There are a number of factors that can affect ice stream flow rates • Melt Water Availability • Geothermal Heat Availability • Underlying Topography

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