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Difference between revisions of "Dotson Ice Shelf"
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We can see that this canyon is deepening by about 7 m a year and that the ice above is heavily crevassed. Melt from Dotson ice shelf results in 40 billion tonnes of freshwater being poured into the Southern Ocean every year, and this canyon alone is responsible for the release of four billion tonnes – a significant proportion. The strength of an ice shelf depends on how thick it is. Since shelves are already suffering from thinning, these deepening canyons mean that fractures are likely to develop and the grounded ice upstream will flow faster than would be the case otherwise. | We can see that this canyon is deepening by about 7 m a year and that the ice above is heavily crevassed. Melt from Dotson ice shelf results in 40 billion tonnes of freshwater being poured into the Southern Ocean every year, and this canyon alone is responsible for the release of four billion tonnes – a significant proportion. The strength of an ice shelf depends on how thick it is. Since shelves are already suffering from thinning, these deepening canyons mean that fractures are likely to develop and the grounded ice upstream will flow faster than would be the case otherwise. | ||
</blockquote> | </blockquote> | ||
[[File:Dotson edge.jpg|thumb|400px | [[File:Dotson edge.jpg|thumb|400px|Edge of the Dotson Ice Shelf]] | ||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||