Monitoring the Amery Ice Shelf front during 2004--2012 using ENVISAT ASAR data

Abstract

The Amery Ice Shelf is the largest ice shelf in East Antarctica. It drains continental ice from an area of more than one million square kilometres through a section of coastline that represents approximately 2% of the total circumference of the Antarctic continent. In this study, we used a time series of ENVISAT ASAR images from 2004–2012 and flow lines derived from surface velocity data to monitor the changes in 12 tributaries of the Amery Ice Shelf front. The results show that the Amery Ice Shelf has been expanding and that the rates of expansion differ across the shelf. The highest average annual rate of advance from 2004–2012 was 3.36 m·d -1 and the lowest rate was 1.65 m·d -1 . The rates in 2009 and 2010 were generally lower than those in other years. There was a low correlation between the rate of expansion and the atmospheric temperature recorded at a nearby research station, however the mechanism of the relationship was complex. This study shows that the expansion of the Amery Ice Shelf is slowing down, reflecting a changing trend in climate and ice conditions in East Antarctica.