The literature search was conducted in order to determine the amount and type of reliable antarctic ice data available and to tabulate the distribution and characteristics of these data. In this search, approximately 900 bibliography cards were examined. Of these 900 cards, about 400 sources were evaluated, and some 45 were tabulated. In addition, a list of supplementary sources is presented. (Author).
Antarctic Climate Evolution is the first book dedicated to furthering knowledge on the evolution of the world's largest ice sheet over its ~34 million year history. This volume provides the latest information on subjects ranging from terrestrial and marine geology to sedimentology and glacier geophysics. - An overview of Antarctic climate change, analyzing historical, present-day and future developments - Contributions from leading experts and scholars from around the world - Informs and updates climate change scientists and experts in related areas of study
The sea ice surrounding Antarctica has increased in extent and concentration from the late 1970s, when satellite-based measurements began, until 2015. Although this increasing trend is modest, it is surprising given the overall warming of the global climate and the region. Indeed, climate models, which incorporate our best understanding of the processes affecting the region, generally simulate a decrease in sea ice. Moreover, sea ice in the Arctic has exhibited pronounced declines over the same period, consistent with global climate model simulations. For these reasons, the behavior of Antarctic sea ice has presented a conundrum for global climate change science. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine held a workshop in January 2016, to bring together scientists with different sets of expertise and perspectives to further explore potential mechanisms driving the evolution of recent Antarctic sea ice variability and to discuss ways to advance understanding of Antarctic sea ice and its relationship to the broader ocean-climate system. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.
Antarctica is the center from which all surrounding continental bodies separated millions of years ago. Antarctica: A Keystone in a Changing World, reinforces the importance of continual changes in the country's history and the impact of these changes on global systems. The book also places emphasis on deciphering the climate records in ice cores, geologic cores, rock outcrops and those inferred from climate models. New technologies for the coming decades of geoscience data collection are also highlighted. Antarctica: A Keystone in a Changing World is a collection of papers that were presented by keynote speakers at the 10th International Symposium on Antarctic Earth Sciences. It is of interest to policy makers, researchers and scientific institutions.
The high latitudes of the Arctic and Antarctic, together with some mountainous areas with glaciers and long-lasting snow, are sometimes called the cryosphere-defined as that portion of the planet where water is perennially or seasonally frozen as sea ice, snow cover, permafrost, ice sheets, and glaciers. Variations in the extent and characteristics of surface ice and snow in the high latitudes are of fundamental importance to global climate because of the amount of the sun's radiation that is reflected from these often white surfaces. Thus, the cryosphere is an important frontier for scientists seeking to understand past climate events, current weather, and climate variability. Obtaining the data necessary for such research requires the capability to observe and measure a variety of characteristics and processes exhibited by major ice sheets and large-scale patterns of snow and sea ice extent, and much of these data are gathered using satellites. As part of its efforts to better support the researchers studying the cryosphere and climate, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)-using sophisticated satellite technology-measures a range of variables from atmospheric temperature, cloud properties, and aerosol concentration to ice sheet elevation, snow cover on land, and ocean salinity. These raw data are compiled and processed into products, or data sets, useful to scientists. These so-called "polar geophysical data sets" can then be studied and interpreted to answer questions related to atmosphere and climate, ice sheets, terrestrial systems, sea ice, ocean processes, and many other phenomena in the cryosphere. The goal of this report is to provide a brief review of the strategy, scope, and quality of existing polar geophysical data sets and help NASA find ways to make these products and future polar data sets more useful to researchers, especially those working on the global change questions that lie at the heart of NASA's Earth Science Enterprise.
Published by the American Geophysical Union as part of the Antarctic Research Series, Volume 74. In a 1971 Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research report that reviewed polar contrasts in sea ice, Lyn Lewis and Willy Weeks made the following observation: "People who study sea ice in the Arctic Basin are commonly asked if they have ever studied ice in Antarctica, and they answer 'why bother, it's the same old stuff." Noting this was "fortunately true to a considerable extent," they added "It is clear that future work will depend critically on the logistics facilities available to allow surface observations beyond the fast ice edge at all seasons of the year. Of almost equal importance will be the development of instruments and recording equipment suited for use in the polar environment" (Lewis, E. L., and W. F. Weeks, Sea Ice: Some Polar Contrasts, in, Antarctic Ice and Water Masses, edited by G. Deacon, Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, Cambridge, 23-34, 1971). Lewis and Weeks made no specific mention of Earth-orbiting satellites, on which the first passive microwave sensor became operational in December 1972. Less than a year later the giant Weddell Polynya was observed for the first time. Perhaps more than any other development, this unexpected feature illustrated the potential to greatly expand our knowledge of sea ice through the application of spaceborne remote sensing. Simultaneously, it acted as a catalyst for a significant increase in the level of research.
