The speed of changes to the West Antarctic ice sheet, where Pine Island Glacier flows into the sea at Pine Island Bay, has taken scientists by surprise. This vast river of ice carries as much water as the River Rhine in frozen form. The last 60 km of the glacier floats on the waters of Pine Island Bay, and the bottom melts so intensely that half of the ice carried in the glacier is lost within the space of 30 years. Pine Island Bay is geographically the far south of the Pacific Ocean, and the image of warmth that this conjures up is not entirely misplaced. The air temperatures rarely rise above freezing, but beneath the cold surface of the sea, water temperatures rise as high as 1 degree Celsius – well above the freezing point.
iSTAR-A
iSTAR-B
iSTAR-C
iSTAR-D
Our research goal
Our research mission is to understand what “warm” and “rapid” really mean for Pine Island Glacier. We want to understand what might cause the ocean temperature to change and if it does, by even a small amount, how this will affect the melt-rate change.
To find the answers to those questions we must make measurements of the water temperature beneath the glacier, and simultaneous measurements of the rate at which the base of the glacier is melting into the ocean, but to do so is enormously challenging. The glacier is between 300 m and 1 km thick and difficult to access its base. To achieve our goal we will use cutting-edge technology.
Local weather plays an important part in the retreat of the ice shelves in West Antarctica, according to new research published in the journal Nature Communications today (Friday 17 February). …
One of the world's most advanced polar research vessels
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're okay with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.AcceptRead more
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.