ADVANCES IN POLAR SCIENCE ›› 2015, Vol. 27 ›› Issue (1): 115-124.DOI: 10.13679/j.jdyj.2015.1.115

Previous Articles    

RESEARCH PROGRESS ON ICE VELOCITY OF ANTARCTIC ICE SHEET

Chen Jun, Ke Changqing   

  1. School of Geographic and Oceanographic Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
  • Received:2013-09-09 Revised:2014-03-25 Online:2015-03-30 Published:2015-03-30

Abstract: The ice flow velocity of glaciers is important for estimating the Antarctic ice sheet mass balance, and it is of great significance for studies into rising sea level under the background of global warming. Traditional methods of monitoring Antarctic ice flow velocity, such as stake measurements and edge measurements based on optical instruments, have been replaced by GPS and remote sensing measurements. Thus, it has been established that the general characteristics of Antarctic ice flow velocity are that ice flow velocity in coastal zones is faster than inland, the ice flow velocity of the ice shelf is faster than that on the continent, and the ice flow velocity in western Antarctica is faster than in the east. Therefore, it is predicted that with increased monitoring of ice velocity over longer periods in data sparse regions, and the development of new approaches to the study of ice velocity, models of the interrelation between ice velocity and global climate change shall become a new hot topic of research.

Key words: Antarctic ice sheet, ice flow velocity, remote sensing monitoring, mass balance