Antarctic ice shelves
E522431
Antarctic ice shelves are vast, floating extensions of the Antarctic ice sheet that fringe the continent’s coastline and play a critical role in regulating global sea levels and climate.
Statements (44)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
floating ice shelf system
ⓘ
glaciological feature ⓘ |
| areaCoverage | over 1 million square kilometers ⓘ |
| border | Southern Ocean NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| climateRole |
affect formation of Antarctic Bottom Water
ⓘ
buffer global sea level by restraining grounded ice ⓘ influence Southern Ocean circulation ⓘ |
| composedOf |
compacted snow
ⓘ
firn ⓘ glacial ice ⓘ |
| consequenceOfCollapse |
acceleration of upstream glaciers
ⓘ
increased contribution to global sea level rise ⓘ |
| extendsFrom | Antarctic ice sheet interior ⓘ |
| floatOn | ocean water ⓘ |
| function |
buttress inland ice flow
ⓘ
influence global sea level rise ⓘ modulate ocean–atmosphere heat exchange around Antarctica ⓘ regulate discharge of Antarctic ice sheet into ocean ⓘ |
| governedBy | marine ice sheet instability processes ⓘ |
| importance |
critical for projections of future sea level rise
ⓘ
key indicator of climate change in polar regions ⓘ |
| largestExamples |
Amery Ice Shelf
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Filchner–Ronne Ice Shelf NERFINISHED ⓘ Larsen Ice Shelf system NERFINISHED ⓘ Ross Ice Shelf NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| legalContext | subject to Antarctic Treaty System ⓘ |
| locatedIn | Antarctica ⓘ |
| monitoredBy |
oceanographic measurements beneath ice shelves
ⓘ
remote sensing imagery ⓘ satellite altimetry ⓘ satellite gravimetry ⓘ |
| observedChange |
increased basal melt rates in Amundsen and Bellingshausen seas
ⓘ
partial and total collapses of Larsen A and Larsen B ⓘ widespread thinning in West Antarctica ⓘ |
| partOf | Antarctic ice sheet ⓘ |
| process |
fed by outlet glaciers and ice streams
ⓘ
lose mass by basal melting ⓘ lose mass by calving icebergs ⓘ lose mass by surface melting ⓘ |
| thicknessRange | tens to several hundreds of meters ⓘ |
| vulnerableTo |
atmospheric warming
ⓘ
hydrofracturing from surface meltwater ⓘ ocean warming ⓘ thinning from increased basal melt ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.