Recovery Glacier
Encyclopedia
The Recovery Glacier is a glacier
flowing west along the southern side of the Shackleton Range
in Antarctica. First seen from the air and examined from the ground by the CTAF in 1957, it was so named because of the recovery of the expedition's vehicles which repeatedly broke into bridged crevasse
s on this glacier during the early stages of the crossing of Antarctica. It is at least 100 km (60 mi) long and 64 km (40 mi) wide at its mouth.
Dana Floricioiu and Irena Hajnsek of the German Aerospace Centre spoke on the radar data showing the interior of the Recovery Glacier at the IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium in Cape Town, South Africa, in July 2009. The data comes from the German public-private satellite Terrasar-X and when combined with Radarsat-1 shows the changes in the glacier over 11 years.
The Recovery Ice Stream that drains part of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet
into the glacier is nearly 800 km (497.1 mi) long and feeds the Filchner Ice Shelf over the Weddell Sea
. The area contains four subglacial lake
s, causing the ice flow rate to vary dramatically, ranging between 2 and 50 meters per year. The ice stream drains about 35 billion ton
s of water and ice into the ocean each year, while the entire East Antarctic ice sheet releases about 57 tonne a year.
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
flowing west along the southern side of the Shackleton Range
Shackleton Range
The Shackleton Range is a mountain range in Antarctica. Rising to , it extends in an east-west direction for about between the Slessor and Recovery glaciers....
in Antarctica. First seen from the air and examined from the ground by the CTAF in 1957, it was so named because of the recovery of the expedition's vehicles which repeatedly broke into bridged crevasse
Crevasse
A crevasse is a deep crack in an ice sheet rhys glacier . Crevasses form as a result of the movement and resulting stress associated with the sheer stress generated when two semi-rigid pieces above a plastic substrate have different rates of movement...
s on this glacier during the early stages of the crossing of Antarctica. It is at least 100 km (60 mi) long and 64 km (40 mi) wide at its mouth.
Dana Floricioiu and Irena Hajnsek of the German Aerospace Centre spoke on the radar data showing the interior of the Recovery Glacier at the IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium in Cape Town, South Africa, in July 2009. The data comes from the German public-private satellite Terrasar-X and when combined with Radarsat-1 shows the changes in the glacier over 11 years.
The Recovery Ice Stream that drains part of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet
East Antarctic Ice Sheet
The East Antarctic Ice Sheet is one of two large ice sheets in Antarctica, and the largest on the entire planet. The EAIS lies between 45° West and 168° East longitudinally....
into the glacier is nearly 800 km (497.1 mi) long and feeds the Filchner Ice Shelf over the Weddell Sea
Weddell Sea
The Weddell Sea is part of the Southern Ocean and contains the Weddell Gyre. Its land boundaries are defined by the bay formed from the coasts of Coats Land and the Antarctic Peninsula. The easternmost point is Cape Norvegia at Princess Martha Coast, Queen Maud Land. To the east of Cape Norvegia is...
. The area contains four subglacial lake
Subglacial lake
A subglacial lake is a lake under a glacier, typically an ice cap or ice sheet. There are many such lakes, with Lake Vostok in Antarctica being by far the largest known at present.-Characteristics:...
s, causing the ice flow rate to vary dramatically, ranging between 2 and 50 meters per year. The ice stream drains about 35 billion ton
Ton
The ton is a unit of measure. It has a long history and has acquired a number of meanings and uses over the years. It is used principally as a unit of weight, and as a unit of volume. It can also be used as a measure of energy, for truck classification, or as a colloquial term.It is derived from...
s of water and ice into the ocean each year, while the entire East Antarctic ice sheet releases about 57 tonne a year.
See also
- Ice streamIce streamAn ice stream is a region of an ice sheet that moves significantly faster than the surrounding ice. Ice streams are a type of glacier. They are significant features of the Antarctic where they account for 10% of the volume of the ice...
- List of glaciers in the Antarctic
- List of Antarctic ice streams