Law Dome is a large ice dome which rises to 1,395 metres (4,580 ft) directly south of Cape Poinsett , Antarctica . The feature was roughly mapped by the United States Geological Survey from aerial photographs taken by U.S. Navy Operation Highjump , 1946–47, and has been the subject of intensive glaciological and geophysical surveys by Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions between 1962 and 1965. It was named by the Antarctic Names Committee of Australia for Phillip Law , Director of the Australian Antarctic Division from 1949 to 1966.
16-710: The dome is bounded by the Totten Glacier to the east and the Vanderford Glacier to the west. The dome itself is host to the Williamson Glacier and several other much smaller glaciers on its northern face. [REDACTED] This article incorporates public domain material from "Law Dome" . Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey . 66°44′S 112°50′E / 66.733°S 112.833°E / -66.733; 112.833 This Wilkes Land location article
32-562: A significant contribution to sea level rise. Surface altimetry measurements from Interferometric synthetic-aperture radar suggest that Totten Glacier lost mass from 1992 to 2006 and gravity measurements obtained by the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment satellite indicate mass loss has continued through at least 2016. The ICESat laser altimeter measured surface lowering of the grounded and floating portions of Totten Glacier from 2003 to 2009; however, longer term observations of
48-607: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Totten Glacier Totten Glacier is a large glacier draining a major portion of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet , through the Budd Coast of Wilkes Land in the Australian Antarctic Territory. The catchment drained by the glacier is estimated at 538,000 km (208,000 sq mi), extending approximately 1,100 km (680 mi) into
64-494: Is a small glacier tongue extending seaward from Totten Glacier. Delineated from air photos taken by U.S. Navy Operation Highjump (1946–47) and named by US-ACAN in association with Totten Glacier. Totten Glacier drains the Aurora Subglacial Basin , which is largely grounded below sea level and is subject to marine ice sheet instability , meaning melt near the grounding line could lead to runaway glacier retreat and
80-914: The Sabrina Coast have been linked to variability in Totten Ice Shelf basal melt and calving rates. A study in 2019 (published 2023) at the outfall of the Totten Glacier in East Antarctica showed that water at depth, above freezing temperature, was melting the under-side of the glacier. [REDACTED] This article incorporates public domain material from "Totten Glacier" . Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey . [REDACTED] 67°00′S 116°20′E / 67.000°S 116.333°E / -67.000; 116.333 ICESat ICESat ( Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite )
96-584: The United States Exploring Expedition (1838–42), who assisted Lieutenant Charles Wilkes with correction of the survey data obtained by the expedition. Totten Ice Shelf is a 6,200 km (2,400 sq mi) floating portion of Totten Glacier, laterally bounded by the Aurora Subglacial Basin to the south and Law Dome to the north. The ice shelf exists at the confluence of the two main grounded tributaries of Totten Glacier, its base lies 2,500 m (8,200 ft) below sea level near
112-472: The GLAS instrument was expected to be as little as less than a year as a result. After the two months of full operation in the fall of 2003, the operational plan for GLAS was changed, and it was operated for one-month periods out of every three to six months in order to extend the time series of measurements, particularly for the ice sheets. The last laser failed on 11 October 2009, and following attempts to restart it,
128-472: The floating ice shelf show interannual variability of thickness and velocity. Totten Glacier loses mass primarily through melt at its ice shelf base, and melt is influenced by the availability of ocean heat entering the cavity below the ice shelf. Warm, modified Circumpolar deep water enters the Totten Ice Shelf cavity through submarine canyons, driven by wind processes at the nearby continental shelf break. Wind processes and sea ice formation along
144-438: The grounding line of the western tributary, and the ice shelf surface is characterized by longitudinal channels and transverse fractures. Totten Ice Shelf is of glaciological interest because it buttresses the flow of grounded ice while coupling the ice basin to ocean processes such as ocean warming . Totten Glacier Tongue ( 66°35′S 116°5′E / 66.583°S 116.083°E / -66.583; 116.083 )
160-473: The interior and holds the potential to raise sea level by at least 3.5 m (11 ft). Totten drains northeastward from the continental ice but turns northwestward at the coast where it terminates in a prominent tongue close east of Cape Waldron . It was first delineated from aerial photographs taken by USN Operation Highjump (1946–47), and named by Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (US-ACAN) for George M. Totten, midshipman on USS Vincennes of
176-429: The nominal mission length. During the initial on orbit test operation, a pump diode module on the first GLAS laser failed prematurely on 29 March 2003. A subsequent investigation indicated that a corrosive degradation of the pump diodes, due to an unexpected but known reaction between indium solder and gold bonding wires, had possibly reduced the reliability of the lasers. Consequentially, the total operational life for
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#1732855655048192-486: The satellite was retired in February 2010. Between 23 June 2010 and 14 July 2010, the spacecraft was maneuvered into a lower orbit in order to speed up orbital decay . On 14 August 2010, it was decommissioned, and at 08:49 UTC on 30 August 2010 it reentered the atmosphere . A follow-on mission, ICESat-2 , was developed by NASA to continue studying polar ice changes, and the biomass and carbon in vegetation. The satellite
208-537: The spacecraft's ground track . During the commissioning phase of the mission, the ICESat was placed into an orbit which allowed the ground track to repeat every 8 days. During August and September 2004, the satellite was maneuvered into a 91-day repeating ground track for the main portion of the mission. ICESat was designed to operate for three to five years. Testing indicated that each GLAS laser should last for two years, requiring GLAS to carry three lasers in order to fulfill
224-668: Was a NASA satellite mission for measuring ice sheet mass balance , cloud and aerosol heights, as well as land topography and vegetation characteristics. It operated as part of NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS). ICESat was launched 13 January 2003 on a Delta II launch vehicle from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California into a near-circular, near-polar orbit with an altitude of approximately 600 km (370 mi). It operated for seven years before being retired in February 2010, after its scientific payload shut down and scientists were unable to restart it. The ICESat mission
240-524: Was designed to provide elevation data needed to determine ice sheet mass balance as well as cloud property information, especially for stratospheric clouds common over polar areas. It provides topography and vegetation data around the globe, in addition to the polar-specific coverage over the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets . The satellite was found useful in assessing important forest characteristics, including tree density . The sole instrument on ICESat
256-499: Was the Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS), a space-based lidar . GLAS combined a precision surface lidar with a sensitive dual-wavelength cloud and aerosol lidar. The GLAS lasers emit infrared and visible laser pulses at 1064- and 532-nm wavelengths. As ICESat orbited, GLAS produced a series of approximately 70 m (230 ft) diameter laser spots that were separated by nearly 170 m (560 ft) along
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