62-490: Shirase Coast ( 78°30′S 156°0′W / 78.500°S 156.000°W / -78.500; -156.000 ) is the north segment of the relatively ill-defined coast along the east side of Ross Ice Shelf and Ross Sea , lying between the north end of Siple Coast (about 80°10′S 151°00′W / 80.167°S 151.000°W / -80.167; -151.000 ) and Cape Colbeck . Named by NZ-APC in 1961 after Lieutenant Nobu Shirase (1861–1946), leader of
124-500: A campaign for donations to buy 170 acres (0.7 km ) of land atop Dover's cliffs when it was feared that they might be sold to developers; the campaign met its target after only three weeks. The National Trust, which owns the surrounding areas, plans to return the land to a natural state of chalk grassland and preserve existing military structures from the Second World War. In June 2021, a wildflower meadow on White Cliffs of Dover
186-443: A classroom and exhibition area. Staff and volunteers are available to answer questions and provide information about the wildlife in the reserve. The building's design incorporates eco-construction criteria. The nature reserve is named after the edible plant rock samphire , which grows on the cliffs and used to be gathered by hanging ropes over the cliff's edge. Shakespeare mentions rock samphire in his play King Lear and includes
248-667: A clear day the cliffs are visible from France, approximately 20 miles (32 km) away. A celebrated UK landmark, the cliffs have featured on commemorative postage stamps issued by the Royal Mail , including in their British coastline series in 2002 and UK A-Z series in 2012. The cliffs are part of the coastline of Kent in England between approximately 51°06′N 1°14′E / 51.100°N 1.233°E / 51.100; 1.233 and 51°12′N 1°24′E / 51.200°N 1.400°E / 51.200; 1.400 , at
310-484: A first exploration of the area by the Discovery Expedition in 1901–1904, Robert Falcon Scott made a significant study of the shelf and its surroundings from his expedition's base on Ross Island . By measurement of calved ice bergs and their buoyancy, he estimated the ice sheet to be on average 274 meters thick; the undisturbed morphology of the ice sheet and its inverted temperature profile led him to conclude it
372-541: A great sea. The sea bottom was covered with white mud formed from fragments of coccoliths , the skeletons of tiny algae that floated in the surface waters and sank to the bottom and, together with the remains of bottom-living creatures, formed muddy sediments. It is thought that the sediments were deposited very slowly, probably half a millimetre a year, equivalent to about 180 coccoliths piled one on top of another. Up to 500 metres (1,600 ft) of sediments were deposited in some areas. The weight of overlying sediments caused
434-489: A host plant. It has yellow, white, or blue snapdragon-like flowers and about 90 per cent of the UK's population is found on the cliffs. Viper's-bugloss , a showy plant in vivid shades of blue and purple with red stamens, also grows along the cliffs. The abundance of wildflowers provides homes for about thirty species of butterfly. The rare Adonis blue can be seen in spring and again in autumn. Males have vibrant blue wings lined with
496-503: A large southern portion of the Ross Sea and the entire Roosevelt Island located in the east of the Ross Sea. The ice shelf is named after Sir James Clark Ross , who discovered it on 28 January 1841. It was originally called "The Barrier", with various adjectives including " Great Ice Barrier ", as it prevented sailing further south. Ross mapped the ice front eastward to 160° W. In 1947,
558-451: A pair at Dover which helped shipping navigate the port. It is likely the area around the surviving lighthouse was inhabited in the early medieval period as archaeologists have found a Saxon cemetery here, and the church of St Mary in Castro was built next to the lighthouse in the 10th or 11th century. It is thought that the name Albion , an ancient or poetic term referring to Great Britain ,
620-400: A reference to this trade with the lines "Half-way down / Hangs one that gathers samphire; dreadful trade!" (Act IV, Scene VI Lines 14–15). This refers to the dangers involved in collecting rock samphire on sea cliffs. Shakespeare Cliff was named after the reference to this "dreadful trade". Fan Bay Deep Shelter is a series of tunnels constructed during World War II. The tunnels were opened to
682-549: A ridge that acted as a natural dam to hold back a large freshwater pro-glacial lake , now submerged under the North Sea . The land masses remained connected until between 450,000 and 180,000 years ago when at least two catastrophic glacial lake outburst floods breached the anticline and destroyed the ridge that connected Britain to Europe. A land connection across the southern North Sea existed intermittently at later times when periods of glaciation resulted in lower sea levels. At
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#1733085326792744-531: A sustainable National Trust visitor centre was built in the area. The Gateway building, designed by van Heyningen and Haward Architects , houses a restaurant, an information centre on the work of the National Trust, and details of local archaeology, history and landscape. During the Late Cretaceous , between 100 million and 66 million years ago, Great Britain and much of Europe were submerged under
806-466: A white margin, whereas the females are a rich chocolate brown. This species' sole larval food plant is the horseshoe vetch and it has a symbiotic relationship with red or black ants. The eggs are laid singly on very small foodplants growing in short turf. This provides a warm microclimate, suitable for larval development, which is also favoured by ants. The caterpillar has green and yellow stripes to provide camouflage while it feeds on vetch. The ants milk
868-534: A year, and that the erosion is caused by the loss of beach underneath the cliffs exacerbated by stronger storms and human activity such as gravel extraction. Despite this, the cliffs are expected to survive for tens of thousands of years more. In 2001, a large chunk of the cliff edge, as large as a football pitch , fell into the Channel. Further large sections collapsed on 15 March 2012, 4 February 2020, and on 3 February 2021. The chalk grassland environment above
930-588: Is a 10-mile-long (16 km) sandbank at the southern end of the North Sea lying six miles (10 km) off the Deal coast. The area consists of a layer of fine sand approximately 82 ft (25 m) deep resting on a chalk platform belonging to the same geological feature that incorporates the White Cliffs of Dover. More than 2,000 ships are believed to have been wrecked on the Goodwin Sands because they lie close to
992-472: The 2022 Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha'apai eruption and tsunami . Cliffs of Dover The White Cliffs of Dover are the region of English coastline facing the Strait of Dover and France. The cliff face, which reaches a height of 350 feet (110 m), owes its striking appearance to its composition of chalk accented by streaks of black flint , deposited during the Late Cretaceous . The cliffs, on both sides of
1054-536: The National Trust , Natural England , and County Wildlife Trusts to maintain vegetation on nature reserves. The cliffs are the first landing point for many migratory birds flying inland from across the English Channel. After a 120-year absence, in 2009 it was reported that ravens had returned to the cliffs. Similar in appearance but smaller, the jackdaw is abundant. The rarest of the birds that live along
1116-623: The Queen Alexandra Range . [REDACTED] This article incorporates public domain material from "Shirase Coast" . Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey . [REDACTED] This Ross Dependency location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Ross Ice Shelf The Ross Ice Shelf is the largest ice shelf of Antarctica (as of 2013 , an area of roughly 500,809 square kilometres (193,363 sq mi) and about 800 kilometres (500 mi) across: about
1178-579: The cliffs of Dover ". Ross, who in 1831 had located the North Magnetic Pole , spent the next two years vainly searching for a sea passage to the South Pole; later, his name was given to the ice shelf and the sea surrounding it. Two volcanoes in the region were named by Ross for his vessels. For later Antarctic explorers seeking to reach the South Pole, the Ross Ice Shelf became a starting area. In
1240-540: The little ships in the Dunkirk evacuation saw the welcoming sight of the cliffs. In the summer of 1940, reporters gathered at Shakespeare Cliff to watch aerial dogfights between German and British aircraft during the Battle of Britain . Vera Lynn , known as "The Forces' Sweetheart" for her 1942 wartime classic " (There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover " celebrated her 100th birthday in 2017. That year she led
1302-488: The silver-spotted skipper and straw belle . The well-known red admiral can be seen from February until November. The marbled white , black and white with a white wing border, can be seen from June to August. A possible Iron Age hillfort has been discovered at Dover, on the site of the later castle. The area was also inhabited during the Roman period when Dover was used as a port. A lighthouse survives from this era, one of
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#17330853267921364-571: The town of Dover in Kent , stretch for eight miles (13 km). The White Cliffs of Dover form part of the North Downs . A section of coastline encompassing the cliffs was purchased by the National Trust in 2016. The cliffs are part of the Dover to Kingsdown Cliffs Site of Special Scientific Interest and Special Area of Conservation . The point where Great Britain is closest to continental Europe , on
1426-411: The English Channel at least twice a year. Among the wildflowers are several varieties of orchids, the rarest of which is the early spider orchid , which has yellow-green to brownish green petals and looks like the body of a large spider. Rock samphire is an edible, salt tolerant succulent plant that grows on the cliff's slopes. The oxtongue broomrape is an unusual plant that lives on the roots of
1488-553: The Japanese expedition, whose ship Kainan Maru sailed near this coast in January 1912. Landings were made at Kainan Bay and at the Bay of Whales , the origin of a 160-mile journey southeast on Ross Ice Shelf. From 76°56′S 155°55′W / 76.933°S 155.917°W / -76.933; -155.917 (off Edward VII Peninsula ), another party landed for a sledge trip to the edge of
1550-639: The Napoleonic Wars, in particular, the defences were remodelled and a series of tunnels were dug into the cliff to act as barracks, adding space for an extra 2,000 soldiers. The tunnels mostly lay abandoned until the Second World War. South Foreland Lighthouse is a Victorian-era lighthouse on the South Foreland in St. Margaret's Bay , which was once used to warn ships approaching the nearby Goodwin Sands . Goodwin Sands
1612-474: The Ross Ice Shelf Project was launched with a plan of drilling into the shelf to sample the biomass in the area and make other determinations about the shelf and its relationship to the sea floor. This is believed to be the first oceanographic ice shelf borehole. The project included surface glaciological observations as well as drilling, and the glaciological portion started during the planning phase of
1674-563: The U.S. Board on Geographic Names applied the name "Ross Shelf Ice" to this feature and published it in the original U.S. Antarctic Gazetteer. In January 1953, the name was changed to "Ross Ice Shelf"; that name was published in 1956. On 5 January 1841, the British Admiralty's Ross expedition in the Erebus and the Terror , three- masted ships with specially strengthened wooden hulls ,
1736-501: The analyses have resulted in some interesting theories being posited and publicized. One such opinion, given in 2006 based on a geological survey, suggested that the ice shelf had collapsed previously, perhaps suddenly, which could well happen again. A science team from New Zealand installed a camp in the centre of the shelf in late 2017. The expedition was led by glaciologist Christina Hulbe and brought together oceanographers, glaciologists, biologists and sedimentologists to examine
1798-591: The castle to its current size, taking its curtain walls to the edge of the cliffs. During the First Barons' War the castle was held by King John's soldiers and besieged by the French between May 1216 and May 1217. The castle was also besieged in 1265 during the Second Barons' War . In the 16th century, cannons were installed at the castle, but it became less important militarily as Henry VIII had built artillery forts along
1860-405: The cliffs form a symbolic guard. The National Trust calls the cliffs "an icon of Britain", with "the white chalk face a symbol of home and wartime defence." Because crossing at Dover was the primary route to the continent before the advent of air travel, the white line of cliffs also formed the first or last sight of Britain for travellers. During the Second World War, thousands of allied troops on
1922-463: The cliffs is excellent for many species of wild flowers, butterflies and birds, and has been designated a Special Area of Conservation and a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Rangers and volunteers work to clear invasive plants that threaten the native flora. A grazing programme involving Exmoor ponies has been established to help to clear faster-growing invasive plants, allowing smaller, less robust native plants to survive. The ponies are managed by
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1984-554: The cliffs is the peregrine falcon . In recent decline, the skylark also makes its home on the cliffs. The cliffs are home to fulmars and to colonies of black-legged kittiwake , a species of gull. Since bluebirds are not indigenous to the UK, some believe that bluebirds, as mentioned in the classic World War II song " (There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover ", composed by American artists, may actually refer to swallows and/or to house martins , which make an annual migration to continental Europe, many of them crossing
2046-468: The coast. Dover Castle was captured in 1642 during the Civil War when the townspeople climbed the cliffs and surprised the royalist garrison, giving a symbolic victory against royal control. Towards the end of the war many castles were slighted , but Dover was spared. The castle had renewed importance in the 1740s as the development of heavy artillery made capturing ports an important part of warfare. During
2108-629: The deposits to become consolidated into chalk . British chalk deposits are considered stratigraphically to belong in the Chalk Group . Due to the Alpine orogeny , a major mountain building event during the Cenozoic , the sea-floor deposits were raised above sea level. Until the end of the last glacial period , the British Isles were part of continental Europe, linked by the unbroken Weald-Artois Anticline ,
2170-427: The drilling. The drilling portion of the project was to have begun during 1974, but the actual drilling was delayed until 1976. Finally, in 1977, the scientists were able to drill successfully through the ice, making a hole that could be sampled every few days for three weeks. The team was able to map the sea floor, study the tides, and assess the fish and various other forms of life in the waters. The team also examined
2232-443: The end of the last glacial period, around 10,000 years ago, rising sea levels finally severed the last land connection. The cliffs' chalk face shows horizontal bands of dark-coloured flint which is composed of the remains of sea sponges and siliceous planktonic micro-organisms that hardened into the microscopic quartz crystals. Quartz silica filled cavities left by dead marine creatures which are found as flint fossils, especially
2294-765: The first humans to cross the Ice Shelf during its failed attempt to reach the South Pole . Both Roald Amundsen and Scott crossed the shelf to reach the Pole in 1911. Amundsen wrote: "Along its outer edge the Barrier shows an even, flat surface; but here, inside the bay, the conditions were entirely different. Even from the deck of the Fram we were able to observe great disturbances of the surface in every direction; huge ridges with hollows between them extended on all sides. The greatest elevation lay to
2356-553: The glaciers and others the valleys on the ice shelf. From 1967 to 1972 the Scott Polar Research Institute reported extensive observations using radio echo sounding . The technique allowed measurements to be taken from the air; allowing a criss cross track of 35,000 km to be covered; compared with a 3,000 km track from previous seismic sounding on the ground. More detailed surveys were executed between 1973 and 1978. A significant scientific endeavor called
2418-506: The glaciers' surfaces. Once their ice shelves are removed, the glaciers increase in speed due to meltwater percolation and/or a reduction of braking forces, and they may begin to dump more ice into the ocean than they gather as snow in their catchments. Glacier ice speed increases are already observed in Peninsula areas where ice shelves disintegrated in prior years." The Ross Ice Shelf is one of many such shelves. It reaches into Antarctica from
2480-545: The grounding line region of the Kamb Ice Stream . The hot water drill borehole at this site penetrated through over 500 m of snow and ice to an ocean cavity only 30 m deep at this location. As well as sampling the ocean and sediment, it was the first deployment beneath the Ross Ice Shelf of the Remotely operated underwater vehicle Icefin developed at Georgia Tech , a vehicle designed around parameters suitable for exploration of
2542-442: The help of tackles? Or a great and dangerous fissure, which we should not be able to cross without going a long way round? We naturally expected something of the sort. This mighty and terrible monster would, of course, offer resistance in some form or other," he wrote. "The mystic Barrier! All accounts without exception, from the days of Ross to the present time, had spoken of this remarkable natural formation with apprehensive awe. It
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2604-422: The ice, ocean and sediment in the central shelf region. One of the key findings was that the ice in the region was re-freezing. This re-freezing and growth of an ice shelf is not uncommon but the Ross Ice Shelf situation appeared to be very variable as there was no evidence of long-term freezing. A recent study attribute this variability in-part to tidal mixing. A second New Zealand expedition in 2019 traveled to
2666-411: The internal moulds of Micraster echinoids. Several different ocean floor species such as brachiopods , bivalves , crinoids , and sponges can be found in the chalk deposits, as can sharks' teeth. In some areas, layers of soft, grey chalk known as a hardground complex can be seen. Hardgrounds are thought to reflect disruptions in the steady accumulation of sediment when sedimentation ceased and/or
2728-509: The liquid cavities of places like Europa . The same New Zealand team returned to another site along the Kamb coast in December 2021, this time drilling through an under-ice river that proved to be essentially oceanic. The team were able to melt through the ice to discover the 250 m deep river had formed a relatively narrow channel beneath the ice. They also recorded evidence of the tsunami generated by
2790-461: The loose surface sediments were stripped away by currents or slumping, exposing the older hardened chalk sediment. A single hardground may have been exhumed 16 or more times before the sediments were compacted and hardened ( lithified ) to form chalk. Thousands of years ago, the cliffs were eroding at 20–60 mm (0.75–2.3 in) a year. Research shows that the erosion rate over the last 150 years has increased to 220–320 mm (8.7–12.6 in)
2852-600: The major shipping lanes through the Straits of Dover . It went out of service in 1988 and is now owned by the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty . The cliffs have great symbolic value in Britain because they face towards continental Europe across the narrowest part of the English Channel (approximately 20 miles (32 km) between coasts), where invasions have historically threatened and against which
2914-448: The north, and covers an area of about 520,000 km (200,000 sq mi), nearly the size of France. The ice mass is about 800 km (500 mi) wide and 970 km (600 mi) long. In some places, namely its southern areas, the ice shelf can be almost 750 m (2,450 ft) thick. The Ross Ice Shelf pushes out into the sea at between 1.5 and 3 m (5 and 10 ft) a day. Other glaciers gradually add bulk to it. At
2976-411: The oceanographic and geological conditions as well as the temperature of the ice. They estimated that the base of the shelf was −2.16 °C (27.3 °F). They also made other calculations about the fluctuations of the temperatures. The results of these various projects were published in a series of reports in the 2 February 1979 issue of Science . During the 1980s, a network of weather stations
3038-573: The point where Great Britain is closest to continental Europe – the Strait of Dover is approximately 20 miles (32 km) across. On a clear day the cliffs are visible from the French coast. The chalk cliffs of the Alabaster Coast of Normandy in France are part of the same geological system. The White Cliffs are at one end of the Kent Downs designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty . In 1999
3100-473: The same time, the freezing of seawater below the ice mass increases the thickness of the ice from 40 to 50 cm (16 to 20 in) . Sometimes, fissures and cracks may cause part of the shelf to break off; the largest known is about 31,000 km (12,000 sq mi), that is, slightly larger than Belgium. Iceberg B-15 , the world's largest recorded iceberg , was calved from the Ross Ice Shelf during March 2000. Scientists have long been intrigued by
3162-466: The shelf and its composition. Many scientific teams researching the Antarctic have made camps on or adjacent to the Ross Ice Shelf. This includes McMurdo Station , built next to the Ross Ice Shelf on volcanic rock. One major effort was a series of studies conducted in 1957 and 1958, which were continued during the 1960–61 season. The efforts involved an international team of scientists. Some parties explored
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#17330853267923224-572: The shelf is "only a few degrees too cool in summer presently to undergo the same kind of retreat process. The Ross Ice Shelf is the main outlet for several major glaciers draining the West Antarctic Ice Sheet , which contains the equivalent of 5 m of sea level rise in its above-sea-level ice." The report added that observations of "iceberg calving " on the Ross Ice Shelf are, in their opinion, unrelated to its stability. Scientific exploration continues to uncover interesting information and
3286-469: The size of France). It is several hundred metres thick. The nearly vertical ice front to the open sea is more than 600 kilometres (370 mi) long, and between 15 and 50 metres (50 and 160 ft) high above the water surface. Ninety percent of the floating ice, however, is below the water surface. Most of the Ross Ice Shelf is in the Ross Dependency claimed by New Zealand. It floats in, and covers,
3348-562: The south in the form of a lofty, arched ridge, which we took to be about 500 feet [150 m] high on the horizon. But it might be assumed that this ridge continued to rise beyond the range of vision". The next day, the party made its first steps on the Barrier. "After half an hour's march we were already at the first important point—the connection between the sea-ice and the Barrier. This connection had always haunted our brains. What would it be like? A high, perpendicular face of ice, up which we should have to haul our things laboriously with
3410-526: The sugary secretions from the larval "honey glands" and, in return, protect the larvae from predators and parasitoids, even going so far as to bury them at night. The larvae pupate in the upper soil, and continue to be protected by the ants, often in their nests, until the adults emerge in the spring or autumn. Similar in appearance, but more abundant, is the chalkhill blue , a chalk grassland specialist that can be seen in July and August. Threatened species include
3472-427: Was as though one could always read between the lines the same sentence: 'Hush, be quiet! the mystic Barrier!' "One, two, three, and a little jump, and the Barrier was surmounted!" Ice shelves are thick plates of ice, formed continuously by glaciers, that float atop an ocean. The shelves act as "brakes" for the glaciers. These shelves serve another important purpose—"they moderate the amount of melting that occurs on
3534-507: Was derived from the Latin albus (meaning 'white') as an allusion to the white cliffs. Dover Castle , the largest castle in England, was founded in the 11th century. It has been described as the "Key to England" owing to its defensive significance throughout history. The castle was founded by William the Conqueror in 1066 and rebuilt for Henry II , King John , and Henry III . This expanded
3596-490: Was floating on water; and measurements in 1902–1903 showed it had advanced 555 meters northwards in 13.5 months. The findings were presented at a lecture entitled "Universitas Antarctica!" given 7 June 1911 and were published in the account of Scott's second expedition (the Terra Nova Expedition of 1910–1913). Ernest Shackleton 's southern party (Shackleton, Adams, Marshal, Wild) of the 1908 Nimrod expedition were
3658-669: Was going through the pack ice of the Pacific near Antarctica in an attempt to determine the position of the South Magnetic Pole. Four days later, they found their way into open water and were hoping that they would have a clear passage to their destination. But on 11 January, the men were faced with an enormous mass of ice. Sir James Clark Ross , the expedition's commander, remarked: "It was an obstruction of such character as to leave no doubt upon my mind as to our future proceedings, for we might with equal chance of success try to sail through
3720-401: Was installed to record temperatures on the shelf and throughout the more remote parts of the continent. University of Colorado's National Snow and Ice Data Center has been studying ice shelves and, in 2002, announced that, based on several breakups of ice shelves, including Larsen B, has begun to reassess their stability. Their scientists stated that the temperature of the warmest portion of
3782-446: Was named in honour of Dame Vera Lynn. Dover Museum was founded in 1836. Shelled from France in 1942 during the Second World War, the museum lost much of its collections, including nearly all its natural history collections. Much of the surviving material was left neglected in caves and other stores until 1946. In 1948 a temporary museum was opened and in 1991 a new museum of three storeys, built behind its original Victorian façade,
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#17330853267923844-523: Was opened. In 1999, a new gallery on the second floor centred on the Dover Bronze Age Boat was opened. Samphire Hoe Country Park is a nature reserve on a new piece of land created from the rock excavated during the construction of the Channel Tunnel . It covers a 74-acre (30 ha) site at the foot of Shakespeare Cliff , between Dover and Folkestone . There is an education shelter with
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