Misplaced Pages

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76-516: The Boomerang Range (at 78°27′S 158°45′E  /  78.45°S 158.75°E  / -78.45; 158.75 ) is a narrow mountain range on the western side of the Skelton Glacier and Skelton Névé , Antarctica . The range is curved like a boomerang , and extends generally north–south for about 25 km. It was mapped and named in 1957 by geologists in the New Zealand party of

152-562: A median of 1.46 m (4 ft 9 in) ( confidence interval between 60 cm (2.0 ft) and 2.89 m (9 ft 6 in)) by 2300, which would involve some loss from the EAIS in addition to the erosion of the WAIS. This Antarctica-only sea level rise would be in addition to ice losses from the Greenland ice sheet and mountain glaciers , as well as the thermal expansion of ocean water. If

228-505: A black background of the intruded sediments. The descriptive name was given in 1957 by the New Zealand party of the CTAE, 1956–58. Not: Red Dyke Bluff. 78°52′S 162°39′E  /  78.867°S 162.650°E  / -78.867; 162.650 . A bold, mainly ice-covered peninsula, 10 nautical miles (19 km; 12 mi) long and 5 nautical miles (9.3 km; 5.8 mi) wide, at

304-579: A considerable area south of the mountain, and entering the Skelton Glacier opposite the Delta Glacier. Surveyed in 1957 by the New Zealand reconnaissance party to the CTAE (1956–58), and named after Mount Cocks. 78°46′S 162°12′E  /  78.767°S 162.200°E  / -78.767; 162.200 . A bluff, 930 metres (3,050 ft) high, on the east side of the Skelton Glacier, lying north of Red Dike Bluff. Surveyed and named in 1957 by

380-704: A fuel cache deposited on the edge of the Victoria Land plateau by planes of the United States Navy and Air Force. From there they travelled more than 600 miles (970 km) to the end station of the French 1958–59 traverse, then east toward the head of Tucker Glacier . The Skelton Glacier flows from the high plateau of Victoria Land down to the west edge of the Ross Ice Shelf. It separates the Worcester Range and

456-472: A member of the satellite surveying team at South Pole Station, winter party, 1991. 78°15′S 161°00′E  /  78.250°S 161.000°E  / -78.250; 161.000 . The upper eastern portion of Skelton Glacier, just north of The Landing, which merges into the Skelton Névé. Surveyed in 1957 by the New Zealand party of the CTAE (1956–58) and so named because of its staircase effect in being

532-529: A portion (sometimes overlapping) as their own territory. While relatively small glaciers and ice caps are known to have been present in Antarctica since at least the time of Late Palaeocene , 60 million years ago , a proper ice sheet did not begin to form until the Eocene–Oligocene extinction event about 34 million years ago, when the atmospheric CO 2 levels fell to below 750 parts per million . It

608-526: A range between 5 °C (9.0 °F) and 10 °C (18 °F), and a minimum of 10,000 years for the entire ice sheet to be lost. East Antarctic Ice Sheet is located directly above the East Antarctic Shield – a craton (stable area of the Earth's crust ) with the area of 10,200,000 km (3,900,000 sq mi), which accounts for around 73% of the entire Antarctic landmass. East Antarctica

684-499: A whole has low sensitivity to climate change because it is surrounded by the Southern Ocean , which is more effective at absorbing heat than any other ocean due to the currents of the Southern Ocean overturning circulation , very low amounts of water vapor (which conducts heat through the atmosphere) and because of the high albedo (reflectivity) of its icy surface and of the surrounding sea ice . These factors make Antarctica

760-469: Is also fed by short and steep glaciers from the Worcester Range and Royal Society Range. Across the mouth, on a line from Teall Island to Fishtail Point, ice thickness varies from 490 to 600 metres (1,610 to 1,970 ft), with very little of the ice grounded. The ocean floor depth along this line varies from 837 to 1,592 metres (2,746 to 5,223 ft) below sea level. Based on 1958–59 measurements of

836-453: Is believed that once the warming reaches around 3 °C (5.4 °F), then they would start to collapse over a period of around 2,000 years, This collapse would ultimately add between 1.4 m (4 ft 7 in) and 6.4 m (21 ft 0 in) to sea levels, depending on the ice sheet model used. The EAIS as a whole holds enough ice to raise global sea levels by 53.3 m (175 ft). However, it would take global warming in

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912-433: Is joined from the east by Baronick Glacier and Cocks Glacier. Skelton Glacier flows south along the west side of the Worcester Range , from which it is joined by Delta Glacier below Delta Bluff, Dilemma Glacier, Ant Hill Glacier below Ant Hill, and Mason Glacier below Bareface Bluff. Between Moraine Bluff and Red Dike Bluff to the east it is joined by Trepidation Glacier. It flows south past Alpha Bluff on Shults Peninsula to

988-456: Is lost to katabatic winds , it would seem that little or none of the ice delivered to the Ross Ice Shelf comes from the high Antarctic Plateau . A study of ice-surface lowering in the upper Skelton Glacier was published in 2020. It concluded that ice surface lowering of the glacier was caused by the retreat of grounded ice in the Ross Sea, which reduced buttressing and drew down the glacier into

1064-517: Is separate from West Antarctica due to the presence of Transantarctic Mountains , which span nearly 3,500 km (2,200 mi) from the Weddell Sea to the Ross Sea , and have a width of 100–300 km (62–186 mi). The ice sheet has an average thickness of around 2.2 km (1.4 mi). The thickest ice in Antarctica is located near Adélie Land close to the ice sheet's southeast coast, at

1140-588: Is too little annual precipitation to form an ice layer, which is the case in the so-called McMurdo Dry Valleys of the Southern Victoria Land . Another exception are the subglacial lakes , which occur so deep beneath the ice that the pressure melting point is well below 0 °C (32 °F). Many countries have made territorial claims in Antarctica . Within EAIS, the United Kingdom , France , Norway , Australia , Chile and Argentina all claim

1216-538: The Astrolabe Subglacial Basin , where it measured 4,897 m (16,066 ft) around 2013. Much of the ice sheet is already located at a high elevation: in particular, Dome Argus Plateau has an average height of around 4 km (2.5 mi), and yet it is underlain by the Gamburtsev Mountain Range , which has the average height of 2.7 km (1.7 mi) and is about equivalent in size to

1292-538: The Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition (CTAE), 1956–1958. This Oates Land location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Skelton Glacier Skelton Glacier was named after the Skelton Inlet by the New Zealand party of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition (CTAE), 1956–58. The glacier was chosen in 1957 as the New Zealand party's route from

1368-728: The Fimbulisen ice shelf in the Queen Maud Land . If global warming were to reach higher levels, then the EAIS would play an increasingly larger role in sea level rise occurring after 2100. According to the most recent reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ( SROCC and the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report ), the most intense climate change scenario , where the anthropogenic emissions increase continuously, RCP8.5 , would result in Antarctica alone losing

1444-616: The Lashly Mountains and Portal Mountain , through which the main stream of the Skelton Glacier enters the Skelton névé from the polar plateau. The descriptive name was given in January 1958 by a New Zealand party of the CTAE, 1956–58. 78°14′S 158°19′E  /  78.233°S 158.317°E  / -78.233; 158.317 . Prominent icefalls extending in an arc some 15 nautical miles (28 km; 17 mi) from Portal Mountain to

1520-626: The Ross Ice Shelf to the Antarctic Plateau . The Arctic Institute of North America organized two ground traverses in the antarctic summer of 1959–60 sponsored by the United States Antarctic Research Program. The first left New Zealand's Scott Base on 16 October 1959, crossed part of the Ross Ice Shelf, and on 27 October 1959 reached the foot of the Skelton Glacier. They traversed up the heavily crevassed glacier to

1596-595: The Royal Society Range of the Great Antarctic Horst (Transantarctic Mountains). The elevation in the upper névé field is over 2,300 metres (7,500 ft), falling to 84 metres (276 ft) above sea level near Teall Island at its mouth on the Ross Ice Shelf. The west and east sections of the upper glacier are fed by névé fields separated by the Névé Nunatak, Halfway Nunatak and Clinker Bluff. The glacier

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1672-569: The Royal Society Range , descending southwest from Johns Hopkins Ridge and Mount Rucker to enter the Skelton Glacier. Mapped by the USGS from ground surveys and Navy air photos. Named by US-ACAN after Rutgers University–New Brunswick , New Jersey, which has sent researchers to Antarctica, and in association with Johns Hopkins Ridge and Carleton Glacier. 78°15′22″S 161°53′42″E  /  78.25611°S 161.89500°E  / -78.25611; 161.89500 . An ice-covered spur which separates

1748-484: The atmosphere is typically warmest near the surface and becomes cooler at greater elevation, atmosphere during the Antarctic winter is cooler at the surface than in its middle layers. Consequently, greenhouse gases actually trap heat in the middle atmosphere and reduce its flow towards the surface while the temperature inversion lasts. Due to these factors, East Antarctica had experienced slight cooling for decades while

1824-432: The ice sheet model used. Isostatic rebound of the newly ice-free land would also add 8 cm (3.1 in) and 57 cm (1 ft 10 in), respectively. The entire East Antarctic Ice Sheet holds enough ice to raise global sea levels by 53.3 m (175 ft). Its complete melting is also possible, but it would require very high warming and a lot of time: In 2022, an extensive assessment of tipping points in

1900-407: The Antarctic winter results in middle layers of the atmosphere being warmer than the surface. This leads to the negative greenhouse effect on a local scale, where greenhouse gases trap heat in the middle atmosphere and reduce its flow towards the surface and towards space, while normally, they prevent the flow of heat from the lower atmosphere and towards space. This effect lasts until the end of

1976-508: The Antarctic winter. Consequently, East Antarctica had experienced cooling in the 1980s and 1990s, even as the rest of the Earth was warming. For instance, between 1986 and 2006 there had been a cooling of 0.7 °C (1.3 °F) per decade at Lake Hoare station in the McMurdo Dry Valleys . A 2002 paper by Peter Doran suggested that the cooling over East Antarctica outweighed warming of

2052-604: The British Antarctic Expedition, 1901–04. It was first mapped as an island by the New Zealand party of the CTAE (1956–58) and named in association with nearby Cape Teall. Not: Teale Island. 79°00′S 161°51′E  /  79.000°S 161.850°E  / -79.000; 161.850 . A prominent black rock peak which surmounts the northwest end of Teall Island, just south of the mouth of Skelton Glacier. Sighted and given this descriptive name in February 1957 by

2128-409: The CTAE (1956–58) and refers to a 1957 attempt by an aircraft to land on the exceedingly broken ice at the foot of the glacier. 78°48′S 162°19′E  /  78.800°S 162.317°E  / -78.800; 162.317 . A prominent bluff immediately south of Trepidation Glacier on the east side of the Skelton Glacier. The bluff is distinguished by a dike consisting of igneous rock against

2204-528: The European Alps . Consequently, the ice thickness over these mountains ranges from around 1 km (0.62 mi) over their peaks to about 3 km (1.9 mi) over the valleys. These high elevations are an important reason for why the ice sheet is the driest, windiest, and coldest place on Earth. Dome A in particular sets reported cold temperature records of nearly −100 °C (−148 °F). The only ice-free areas of East Antarctica are where there

2280-558: The New Zealand party of the CTAE (1956–58). 78°57′S 162°36′E  /  78.950°S 162.600°E  / -78.950; 162.600 . The southernmost point of Shults Peninsula, at the east side of the mouth of Skelton Glacier. Surveyed and given this descriptive name in 1957 by the New Zealand party of the CTAE (1956–58). East Antarctic Ice Sheet 80°S 60°E  /  80°S 60°E  / -80; 60 The East Antarctic Ice Sheet ( EAIS ) lies between 45° west and 168° east longitudinally. It

2356-404: The New Zealand party of the CTAE (1956–58). So named because a long morainic strip extends from the foot of the bluff on to the Skelton Glacier. 78°46′S 162°21′E  /  78.767°S 162.350°E  / -78.767; 162.350 . Small glacier entering the east side of Skelton Glacier between Moraine Bluff and Red Dike Bluff. The name was applied by the New Zealand party of

Boomerang Range - Misplaced Pages Continue

2432-465: The New Zealand party of the CTAE, 1956–58. 78°18′S 161°25′E  /  78.300°S 161.417°E  / -78.300; 161.417 . Prominent spur, 1,750 metres (5,740 ft) high, at the east side of Upper Staircase and the Skelton Glacier. Surveyed and named in 1957 by the New Zealand party of the CTAE, 1956–58. 78°14′S 161°55′E  /  78.233°S 161.917°E  / -78.233; 161.917 . A steep glacier in

2508-425: The New Zealand party of the CTAE, 1956–58. 78°21′S 161°05′E  /  78.350°S 161.083°E  / -78.350; 161.083 . A rock summit at c.1,235 metres (4,052 ft) being the northeastern part of Halfway Nunatak, near the centre of the upper Skelton Glacier. Named by Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (US-ACAN) (1994) after William L. Norton, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) cartographer,

2584-458: The New Zealand party of the CTAE, 1956–58. 78°25′S 161°41′E  /  78.417°S 161.683°E  / -78.417; 161.683 . Twin rock bluffs in the Lower Staircase of Skelton Glacier, about 6 nautical miles (11 km; 6.9 mi) east of Halfway Nunatak, in Victoria Land. The rocks are an important reference point on the route up the glacier. Descriptively named by

2660-412: The New Zealand party of the CTAE, 1956–58. So named because of difficulties encountered by the geological party in an attempted descent of this glacier. 78°49′S 161°30′E  /  78.817°S 161.500°E  / -78.817; 161.500 . Glacier between Ant Hill and Bareface Bluff, rising in the Worcester Range and flowing northeast into Skelton Glacier. Surveyed and named in 1957 by

2736-408: The New Zealand party of the CTAE, 1956–58. As this name is a duplication, they renamed the glacier after nearby Delta Bluff. Not: Cascade Glacier. 78°45′S 161°25′E  /  78.750°S 161.417°E  / -78.750; 161.417 . A steep, broken glacier descending from the Worcester Range into the west side of Skelton Glacier to the north of Ant Hill. Mapped and named in 1957 by

2812-444: The New Zealand party of the CTAE, 1956–58. Named in association with Ant Hill. 78°53′S 161°41′E  /  78.883°S 161.683°E  / -78.883; 161.683 . Glacier draining the east slopes of Worcester Range, immediately south of Bareface Bluff, and flowing east into Skelton Glacier. Named by US-ACAN in 1964 for David T. Mason, biologist at McMurdo Station, 1961–62 and 1962–63. Tributaries and features on

2888-618: The New Zealand party, of the CTAE (1956–58), and named in association with Clinker Bluff and Mount Tricouni. 78°36′S 161°50′E  /  78.600°S 161.833°E  / -78.600; 161.833 . A glacier 6 nautical miles (11 km; 6.9 mi) southwest of Mount Cocks , in the Royal Society Range, draining into the Skelton Glacier to the west. Named by US-ACAN in 1963 for Chief Aviation Ordnanceman Michael P. Baronick, of U.S. Navy Squadron VX-6, who wintered at Williams Air Operating Facility at McMurdo Sound in 1956 and

2964-593: The Ross Sea. Most of the lowering since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) occurred between 15,000 and 6,000 years ago. At Escalade Peak in the upper Skelton valley, far from the mouth, the ice surface was at least 50 metres (160 ft) and possibly more than 120 metres (390 ft) higher in LGM than today. These ice elevation changes in a slow-flowing upvalley glacier are several hundred meters less than previous models predicted, which mainly focussed on elevation changes at

3040-567: The Royal Society Range and flows west into Skelton Glacier. First visited by Brooke and Gunn of the New Zealand party of the CTAE, 1956–58. Named by US-ACAN in 1963 for Lt. Cdr. Robert L. Dale , USN, officer in charge of the Squadron VX-6 winteringover detachment at McMurdo Station in 1960. 78°23′S 162°12′E  /  78.383°S 162.200°E  / -78.383; 162.200 . A glacier about 12 nautical miles (22 km; 14 mi) long, between Mounts Huggins and Mount Kempe in

3116-937: The Royal Society Range, flowing generally southwest into the Skelton Glacier. Mapped by USGS from ground surveys and Navy air photos. Named by US-ACAN in 1963 for Lt. Cdr. Edgar A. Potter, USN, helicopter pilot at McMurdo Station in 1960. 78°25′S 162°02′E  /  78.417°S 162.033°E  / -78.417; 162.033 . Glacier which drains the west slopes of the Royal Society Range between Mount Moxley and Mount Lisicky and flows west into Skelton Glacier. Mapped by USGS from ground surveys and air photos. Named by US-ACAN for Squadron Leader K.A.C. Wirdnam, RAF pilot stationed at McMurdo Station in 1960 as an observer, who.also flew missions for U.S. Navy Squadron VX-6. 78°28′00″S 161°53′00″E  /  78.4666667°S 161.8833333°E  / -78.4666667; 161.8833333 . Bold ice-covered cliffs that extend north–south between Wirdman Glacier and Mount Tricouni on

Boomerang Range - Misplaced Pages Continue

3192-514: The Skelton Glacier, due west of Mount Tricouni. Surveyed in 1957 by the New Zealand party of the CTAE (1956–58) and so named because it resembles the shape of a clinker, a rectangular nail used in alpine boots, and because of its association with nearby Mount Tricouni. 78°30′S 161°57′E  /  78.500°S 161.950°E  / -78.500; 161.950 . Prominent peak, 1,630 metres (5,350 ft) high, rising steeply 2 nautical miles (3.7 km; 2.3 mi) north of Hobnail Peak on

3268-468: The Skelton Glacier, lying on the west side of the Royal Society Range . Almost circular in outline, it is about 40 nautical miles (74 km; 46 mi) in diameter and has an area of about 1,300 square miles (3,400 km ). Surveyed by New Zealand parties of the CTAE (1956–58), who named it for its relationship to the Skelton Glacier. 78°02′S 159°45′E  /  78.033°S 159.750°E  / -78.033; 159.750 . The gap between

3344-625: The Skelton Icefalls. Mapped by the USGS from ground surveys and Navy air photos. Named by US-ACAN for Cdr. John J. Metschel, USN, commander of the icebreaker USS Staten Island in the Antarctic and the Arctic in 1962 and 1963. Metschel was killed in the Arctic, Oct. 15, 1963, while engaged in ice reconnaissance in a helicopter from his ship- 78°17′S 160°54′E  /  78.283°S 160.900°E  / -78.283; 160.900 . An isolated nunatak just north of Halfway Nunatak, between

3420-573: The Upper Staircase and the east side of Skelton Névé. Surveyed in 1957 by the New Zealand Northern Survey party of the CTAE (1956–58) and named for its association with Skelton Neve. 78°23′S 161°06′E  /  78.383°S 161.100°E  / -78.383; 161.100 . An isolated nunatak on the west side of The Landing, and almost in the center of the upper Skelton Glacier. Surveyed and descriptively named in 1957 by

3496-605: The book's claims. In 2009, it was demonstrated that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet has warmed by more than 0.1 °C/decade since the 1950s, resulting in a statistically significant warming trend across Antarctica of >0.05 °C/decade since 1957. Later research found that after 2000, the warming of West Antarctica locations slowed or partially reversed between 2000 and 2020, while the East Antarctica interior had demonstrated clear warming. This happened due to

3572-543: The climate system published in Science Magazine concluded that the ice sheet would take a minimum of 10,000 years to fully melt. It would most likely be committed to complete disappearance only once the global warming reaches about 7.5 °C (13.5 °F), with the minimum and the maximum range between 5 °C (9.0 °F) and 10 °C (18 °F). Another estimate suggested that at least 6 °C (11 °F) would be needed to melt two thirds of its volume. If

3648-459: The coldest continent, and East Antarctica is additionally cooler than the West Antarctica, because it is located at a substantially greater elevation. Thus, it is the only place on Earth cold enough for atmospheric temperature inversion to occur every winter. While the atmosphere on Earth is at its warmest near the surface and becomes cooler as elevation increases, temperature inversion during

3724-461: The east side of Skelton Glacier, in Victoria Land. Surveyed and named in 1957 by the New Zealand party of the CTAE, 1956–58. So named because it resembles a tricouni, a saw-toothed nail used on soles of alpine boots. 78°32′S 161°53′E  /  78.533°S 161.883°E  / -78.533; 161.883 . Triangular rock bluff immediately south of Mount Tricouni, on the east side of Skelton Glacier in Victoria Land. Explored in 1957 by

3800-454: The east side of Skelton Glacier. Surveyed and named in 1957 by the New Zealand party of the CTAE (1956–58). Named after the first letter of the Greek alphabet because it is the most southerly of all bluffs on the Skelton Glacier. Features at the mouth of the glacier are: 78°54′S 162°15′E  /  78.900°S 162.250°E  / -78.900; 162.250 . An ice-filled inlet at

3876-483: The east side of the Lower Staircase of Skelton Glacier. The cliffs are 4 nautical miles (7.4 km; 4.6 mi) long and rise to over 1,000 metres (3,300 ft). Pari Haupapa, a Maori name meaning ice cliffs, was applied by the New Zealand Geographic Board (NZGB) in 1994. 78°31′S 161°35′E  /  78.517°S 161.583°E  / -78.517; 161.583 . A detached bluff within

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3952-470: The east side of the mouth of Skelton Glacier in Victoria Land. Mapped by the USGS from ground surveys and Navy air photos. Named by US-ACAN for Capt. Roy G. Shults, USN, Chief of Staff to the Commander, U.S. Naval Support Force, Antarctica, 1962 and 1963. 78°52′S 162°29′E  /  78.867°S 162.483°E  / -78.867; 162.483 . A high bluff on the west side of Shults Peninsula, at

4028-425: The east. It enters the Ross Ice Shelf to the east of Evteev Glacier . Cape Timberlake and Teall Island are to the west of the mouth. Fishtail Point at the end of Shults Peninsula lies to the east of the mouth. Features of the névé that forms the head of the glacier, and its surroundings: 78°20′S 160°00′E  /  78.333°S 160.000°E  / -78.333; 160.000 . The immense névé of

4104-568: The geographic South Pole , South Magnetic Pole and the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station . The surface of the EAIS is the driest, windiest, and coldest place on Earth. Lack of moisture in the air, high albedo from the snow as well as the surface's consistently high elevation results in the reported cold temperature records of nearly −100 °C (−148 °F). It is the only place on Earth cold enough for atmospheric temperature inversion to occur consistently. That is, while

4180-564: The glacier mouths. Skelton Glacier rises in the Skelton Névé, which is fed by The Portal and the Skelton Icefalls from the East Antarctic Ice Sheet . The névé lies to the east of the Boomerang Range , north of Escalade Peak and south of Portal Mountain . Scattered nunataks in the névé include Icefall Nunatak, Mount Metschel, Névé Nunatak, Halfway Nunatak, Swartz Nunataks and Clem Nunatak. The Skelton Glacier flows south from

4256-448: The global warming reaches 3 °C (5.4 °F) - the plausible temperature range is between 2 °C (3.6 °F) and 6 °C (11 °F). Then, the subglacial basins would gradually collapse over a period of around 2,000 years, although it may be as fast as 500 years or as slow as 10,000 years. Their loss would ultimately add between 1.4 m (4 ft 7 in) and 6.4 m (21 ft 0 in) to sea levels, depending on

4332-427: The ice profile and velocity on this line, an estimated equivalent of 712,000,000 cubic metres (2.51 × 10  cu ft) of water is delivered to the Ross Ice Shelf. A 1961 study of ice movement on the Skelton Glacier estimated that the Skelton névé field and the small cirque glaciers accumulate equivalent of 1,018,000,000 cubic metres (3.60 × 10  cu ft) of water per year, but assuming no more than 30% of this

4408-464: The key for the approach to the polar plateau. Tributaries and features on the right (west) side include, from north to south: 78°42′S 161°20′E  /  78.700°S 161.333°E  / -78.700; 161.333 . A glacier descending steeply from the Worcester Range between Northcliffe Peak and Delta Bluff to enter the west side of Skelton Glacier. It was provisionally named "Cascade Glacier" because of its broken lower icefalls by

4484-627: The left (east) side include, from north to south: 78°22′S 161°25′E  /  78.367°S 161.417°E  / -78.367; 161.417 . A large flat snowfield in the upper Skelton Glacier, between the Upper and Lower Staircases. Mapped and named in February 1957 by the New Zealand party of the CTAE, 1956–58. 78°25′S 161°45′E  /  78.417°S 161.750°E  / -78.417; 161.750 . The lower, eastern portion of Skelton Glacier, between The Landing and Clinker Bluff. Surveyed and given this descriptive name in 1957 by

4560-646: The local changes in Southern Annular Mode the dominant climate variability pattern over the Antarctica. Some of those changes were caused by the ozone layer beginning to recover following the Montreal Protocol . The limited warming and already low temperatures over East Antarctica mean that as of early 2020s, the majority of observational evidence shows it continuing to gain mass. Some analyses have suggested it already began to lose mass in 2000s, but they over-extrapolated some observed losses onto

4636-464: The lower ends of Rutgers Glacier and Allison Glacier on the west side of Royal Society Range. Named by US-ACAN (1994) after Robin R. Abbott, ASA, Helicopter Field Operations Coordinator at McMurdo Station, active in coordination and planning of science support in Antarctica from 1984. 78°16′S 161°55′E  /  78.267°S 161.917°E  / -78.267; 161.917 . Glacier with its head just north of Mount Huggins , descending from

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4712-803: The north end of Warren Range . Named by the United States Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (US-ACAN) in 1964 in association with Skelton Névé and Skelton Glacier. 78°18′S 158°38′E  /  78.300°S 158.633°E  / -78.300; 158.633 . Prominent ice-free nunatak , 1,760 metres (5,770 ft) high, lying close south of the main flow of Skelton Icefalls. Named by US-ACAN in 1964 for its proximity to Skelton Icefalls. 78°17′S 159°00′E  /  78.283°S 159.000°E  / -78.283; 159.000 . A prominent ice-free mountain, 1,845 metres (6,053 ft) high, standing 4 nautical miles (7.4 km; 4.6 mi) southeast of Angino Buttress and

4788-551: The past 8 million years. While it had still thinned by at least 500 m (1,600 ft) during the Pleistocene period, and by less than 50 m (160 ft) since Last Glacial Maximum , the land area covered by ice in East Antarctica remained largely the same. Contrastingly, the smaller West Antarctic ice sheet is thought to have largely collapsed as recently as during the Eemian period, about 125,000 years ago. Antarctica as

4864-415: The poorly-observed areas, and a more complete observational record shows continued mass gain. Because it is currently gaining mass, East Antarctic Ice Sheet is not expected to play a role in the 21st century sea level rise . However, it is still subject to adverse change, such as the retreat of Denman Glacier , or the flow of warmer ocean current into ice cavities beneath the stabilizing ice shelves like

4940-426: The rest of the continent. While the paper estimated that about 42% of the Antarctic area had been warming, it was wrongly described by many media outlets as a proof that there was no warming in Antarctica. In 2004, author Michael Crichton used that cooling as one of his arguments for denying climate change in his novel State of Fear . First other scientists, and then Peter Doran himself eventually had to debunk

5016-510: The rest of the world warmed as the result of climate change . Clear warming over East Antarctica only started to occur since the year 2000, and was not conclusively detected until the 2020s. In the early 2000s, cooling over East Antarctica seemingly outweighing warming over the rest of the continent was frequently misinterpreted by the media and occasionally used as an argument for climate change denial . After 2009, improvements in Antarctica's instrumental temperature record have proven that

5092-534: The sea level. Evidence from the Pleistocene shows that Wilkes Basin had likely lost enough ice to add 0.5 m (1 ft 8 in) to sea levels between 115,000 and 129,000 years ago, during the Eemian , and about 0.9 m (2 ft 11 in) between 318,000 and 339,000 years ago, during the Marine Isotope Stage 9 . Neither Wilkes nor the other subglacial basins were lost entirely, but estimates suggest that they would be committed to disappearance once

5168-545: The southeast of the névé. The east of the névé feeds the Upper Staircase, The Landing and the Lower Staircase. Lower Staircase flows past Twin Rocks and is fed from the north past Stepaside Spur by Rutgers Glacier, Allison Glacier and Dale Glacier. Further south it is fed from the east from the Royal Society Range by Potter Glacier and Wirdnam Glacier. The Lower Staircase joins Skelton Glacier past Clinker Bluff, flowing past Mount Tricouni and Hobnail Peak, below which Skelton Glacier

5244-564: The terminus of Skelton Glacier, along the western edge of Ross Ice Shelf. The feature is about 10 nautical miles (19 km; 12 mi) wide at the entry points between Cape Timberlake and Fishtail Point. Discovered by the British Antarctic Expedition, 1901–04 , which named this feature for Lt. Reginald W. Skelton, RN, chief engineer of the expedition ship Discovery. 78°58′S 161°37′E  /  78.967°S 161.617°E  / -78.967; 161.617 . Bold cape at

5320-621: The warming over West Antarctica resulted in consistent net warming across the continent since the 1957. Because the East Antarctic ice sheet has barely warmed, it is still gaining ice on average. for instance, GRACE satellite data indicated East Antarctica mass gain of 60 ± 13 billion tons per year between 2002 and 2010. It is most likely to first see sustained losses of ice at its most vulnerable locations such as Totten Glacier and Wilkes Basin . Those areas are sometimes collectively described as East Antarctica's subglacial basins, and it

5396-493: The warming were to remain at elevated levels for a long time, then the East Antarctic Ice Sheet would eventually become the dominant contributor to sea level rise, simply because it contains the largest amount of ice. Sustained ice loss from the EAIS would begin with the significant erosion of the so-called subglacial basins, such as Totten Glacier and Wilkes Basin , which are located in vulnerable locations below

5472-441: The west side of the mouth of Skelton Glacier. Named by US-ACAN in 1964 for Lt. Cdr. Lewis G. Timberlake, USN, public works officer at McMurdo Station, 1962. 79°03′S 161°54′E  /  79.050°S 161.900°E  / -79.050; 161.900 . A high ridgelike island which rises above the Ross Ice Shelf at the west side of the mouth of Skelton Inlet. This may be the feature actually sighted and named Cape Teall by

5548-405: The west slopes of Royal Society Range into Skelton Glacier. Named by US-ACAN in 1963 for Lt. Cdr. John K. Allison, USN, officer in charge of the wintering-over detachment of Navy Squadron VX-6 at McMurdo Station, 1959. 78°17′S 162°02′E  /  78.283°S 162.033°E  / -78.283; 162.033 . A trenchlike glacier which drains the southwest slopes of Mount Huggins in

5624-540: Was first formed around 34 million years ago, and it is the largest ice sheet on the entire planet, with far greater volume than the Greenland ice sheet or the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS), from which it is separated by the Transantarctic Mountains . The ice sheet is around 2.2 km (1.4 mi) thick on average and is 4,897 m (16,066 ft) at its thickest point. It is also home to

5700-510: Was in Antarctica several summer seasons. Baronick, with a party of three, was in command of the Beardmore Air Operating Facility established on Oct. 28, 1956, at 84°56′S 166°00′W  /  84.933°S 166.000°W  / -84.933; -166.000 . 78°41′S 162°00′E  /  78.683°S 162.000°E  / -78.683; 162.000 . The glacier draining the southwest face of Mount Cocks and

5776-580: Was initially unstable, and did not grow to consistently cover the entire continent until 32.8 million years ago, when the CO 2 levels had further declined to below 600 ppm. Afterwards, the East Antarctic Ice Sheet declined substantially during the Middle Miocene Climatic Optimum 15 million years ago, yet started to recover about 13.96 million years ago. Since then, it had been largely stable, experiencing "minimal" change in its surface extent over

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