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Westarctica (talk | contribs) (Created page with "The '''Backer Islands''' are a chain of small islands at the south side of Cranton Bay. The islands trend northwest for 22 kilometers (12 nmi) from the ice shelf which...") |
Westarctica (talk | contribs) (added picture and more info about the islands) |
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[[File:Backer Islands GPS.jpg|350px|thumb|GPS monitoring site at the Backer Islands]] | |||
The '''Backer Islands''' are a chain of small islands at the south side of [[Cranton Bay]]. The islands trend northwest for 22 kilometers (12 nmi) from the [[ice shelf]] which forms the southern limit of the bay. | The '''Backer Islands''' are a chain of small islands at the south side of [[Cranton Bay]]. The islands trend northwest for 22 kilometers (12 nmi) from the [[ice shelf]] which forms the southern limit of the bay. | ||
==Discovery and name== | ==Discovery and name== | ||
They were mapped by the United States Geological Survey from surveys and from [[U.S. Navy]] air photos, 1960–66, and named by the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names for Walter K. Backer, a U.S. Navy chief construction mechanic at [[Byrd Station]] in 1967. | They were mapped by the United States Geological Survey from surveys and from [[U.S. Navy]] air photos, 1960–66, and named by the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names for Walter K. Backer, a U.S. Navy chief construction mechanic at [[Byrd Station]] in 1967. | ||
==POLENET site== | |||
In 2011, scientists from the POLar Earth-observing NETwork (POLENET) traveled to the Backer Islands via a Twin Otter aircraft and installed a GPS monitoring site. This equipment is used to remotely monitor GPS and seismic data that will help scientists determine trends in ice sheet movement and other geophysical phenomena. | |||
[[Category:Islands]] | [[Category:Islands]] |