Difference between revisions of "Nickerson Ice Shelf"
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==Discovery and name== | ==Discovery and name== | ||
The Nickerson Ice Shelf was first observed and roughly mapped by the [[Richard E. Byrd|Byrd]] Antarctic Expedition (1928-30). It was named by Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names for Commander H.J. Nickerson, U.S. Navy, administrative officer on the staff of the Commander, Task Force 43, during Operation Deep Freeze 1966. | The Nickerson Ice Shelf was first observed and roughly mapped by the [[Richard E. Byrd|Byrd]] Antarctic Expedition (1928-30). It was named by Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names for Commander H.J. Nickerson, U.S. Navy, administrative officer on the staff of the Commander, Task Force 43, during Operation Deep Freeze 1966. | ||
==Emperor penguin breeding colony== | |||
In January 2014, satellite imagery and aerial surveys revealed a new breeding behavior among [[emperor penguin|emperor penguins]] in Antarctica, with four colonies found to be rearing their chicks on ice shelves. Emperor penguins were previously thought to breed mainly on sea ice attached to the continent, putting them at risk from climate-related changes to sea ice thickness, extent and duration. However, scientists from the British Antarctic Survey, Australian Antarctic Division and the University of California, confirmed their breeding activity on the Nickerson Ice Shelf in the journal '''PLoS ONE'''. | |||
[[Category:Ice Shelves]] | [[Category:Ice Shelves]] | ||
[[Category:Geography of Westarctica]] | [[Category:Geography of Westarctica]] | ||
Revision as of 00:31, 4 April 2018
Nickerson Ice Shelf (75°45′S 145°00′W), is an ice shelf about 35 miles wide, lying north of Siemiatkowski Glacier and the western part of Ruppert Coast on the coast of Westarctica.
Discovery and name
The Nickerson Ice Shelf was first observed and roughly mapped by the Byrd Antarctic Expedition (1928-30). It was named by Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names for Commander H.J. Nickerson, U.S. Navy, administrative officer on the staff of the Commander, Task Force 43, during Operation Deep Freeze 1966.
Emperor penguin breeding colony
In January 2014, satellite imagery and aerial surveys revealed a new breeding behavior among emperor penguins in Antarctica, with four colonies found to be rearing their chicks on ice shelves. Emperor penguins were previously thought to breed mainly on sea ice attached to the continent, putting them at risk from climate-related changes to sea ice thickness, extent and duration. However, scientists from the British Antarctic Survey, Australian Antarctic Division and the University of California, confirmed their breeding activity on the Nickerson Ice Shelf in the journal PLoS ONE.