Chinese Journal of Polar Research

Chinese Journal of Polar Research ›› 2020, Vol. 32 ›› Issue (4): 435-451.DOI: 10. 13679/j.jdyj.20200010

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Monitoring ice front changes of the Pine Island Glacier, West Antarctica, during 1947–2020

Chien Yide1,2, Zhou Chunxia1,2, Chen Yiming1,2, Zeng Tao3, Liu Jianqiang3   

  1. 1.Chinese Antarctic Center of Surveying and Mapping, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, China;
    2.Key Laboratory of Polar Surveying and Mapping, Ministry of Natural Resources of the People's Republic of China, Wuhan 430079, China;
    3.National Satellite Ocean Application Service, Beijing 100081, China
  • Received:2020-03-04 Revised:2020-05-16 Online:2020-12-30 Published:2020-12-24

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Abstract:

The Pine Island Glacier (PIG), West Antarctica, has been an area of frequent calving and frontal changes in recent years. We present a comprehensive history of ice front changes of the PIG during 1947–2020 derived from optical satellites (Landsat and HY-1C), Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) (ERS-1 and RADARSAT), and aerial images. The open-ended box method was also adopted in this study. There were at least 17 large calving events at the PIG in the past 73 years. The calving cycle was approximately 6 years during 1995–2013 and about 1~2 years from 2013 to the present. The velocity near the calving front calculated by the open-box method increased over the past 73 years. Based on our results combined with studies of calving events between 1947 and 2020, we concluded that El Niño, Circumpolar Deep Water, basal melt rates, basal crevasses, ice mélange, and back stress caused by intermittent contact between the ice shelf and the ridge were possible factors resulting in ice shelf calving events.