Ice Shelf Collapse Increases Glacier Flow

© 2003 Eugene S. Takle

Ice moving down off the high altitude Antarctic continent extents out over the water as floating ice shelves. The grounding line is the transition zone between floating and grounded ice. When an ice shelf breaks off (as did a part of the Larsen ice shelf in 1995) the rate of movement of ice further inland might be affected. Angelis and Skvarca (2003) reported observations of ice movement at inland locations after break-off of an ice shelf that indicate this flow might be accelerated toward the sea after the buttressing effect of the ice shelf is removed. This could have implications for calculations of future sea-level rise.

Reference

De Angelis, H, and P. Skvarca, 2003: Glacier surge after ice shelf collapse. Science, 299, 1560-1562.