The case for a stable East Antarctic Ice Sheet: the background
The case for a stable East Antarctic Ice Sheet
Antarctica ; Climatic variation ; Glacial features ; Global change ; Ice sheet ; Sea level ; Tectonics ; Volcanism
There are two primary views concerning the stability of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. After summarising the status of the two hypotheses, the AA. explain the rationale for this volume. Building on the Vega Symposium of April 1993, it presents
the case for the stability of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet and includes new work on terrestrial geomorphology and geology, marine cores and ice-sheet modelling.
Glaciological modelling of the Late Cenozoic East Antarctic ice sheet: stability or dynamism?
The case for a stable East Antarctic Ice Sheet
Antarctica ; Cenozoic ; Climatic variation ; Glacial features ; Glacier mass balance ; Ice sheet ; Model
Two widely different hypotheses have been proposed for the late Tertiary glacial history of East Antarctica. These invoke ice sheet reconstructions ranging from severe glaciation completely burying the Transantarctic Mountains to a situation
, in which an unstable East Antarctic Ice Sheet repeatedly collapses to produce ice-free conditions over interior basins. Experiments were performed with a 3-D model of the Antarctic Ice Sheet to determine the ice sheet geometries to be expected under various
East Antarctic Ice Sheet sensitivity to Pliocene climatic change from a dry valleys perspective
The case for a stable East Antarctic Ice Sheet
Antarctica ; Cenozoic ; Deglaciation ; Glacial features ; Global change ; Ice sheet ; Palaeoclimate ; Pliocene ; Tectonics
The AA. examine the proposition that the East Antartic Ice Sheet collapsed during intervals of excess Pliocene warmth. They start by reviewing the hypothesis of Pliocene deglaciation. This hypothesis yields certain prediction concerning Pliocene
paleoclimate and ice sheet history. Then they test these predictions from an examination of landscape development and surficial sediments in the Dry Valleys sector of the Transantarctic Mountains.
Late Tertiary Antarctic paleoclimate and ice-sheet dynamics inferred from surficial deposits in Wright Valley
The case for a stable East Antarctic Ice Sheet
Antarctica ; Cenozoic ; Deglaciation ; Glacial features ; Glacier mass balance ; Ice sheet ; Palaeoclimatology
The evidence of persistent cold paleoclimate contradicts the postulated Pliocene deglaciation of East Antarctica, which requires atmospheric temperatures 20°C warmer than present to produce melting ablation surfaces on the East Antarctic Ice Sheet
. Furthermore, an East Antarctic outlet glacier has not expanded into east-central Wright Valley in at least the last 3.8 Ma, thus precluding ice-sheet overriding of the Dry Valleys region during this interval. Overall, Wright Valley data imply that the adjacent
East Antarctic Ice Sheet has been stable for at least the last 3.8 Ma.
The aim of this paper is to produce a detailed geologic record of late Cenozoic glacial and non-glacial sedimentation and paleoclimate change. The Quatermain Mountains are ideal for recording ice-sheet fluctuations and paleoclimate change because
they are adjacent to the East Antarctic Ice Sheet and exhibit a suite of glacial erosional features, semi-arid landforms, and widespread drift and colluvium.
The purpose of this paper is to assess the degree of stability/instability of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet during the Pliocene by dating and mapping surficial deposits in middle Taylor Valley in the Dry Valleys region of southern Victoria Land.