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Retreating Glacier Fronts on the Antarctic Peninsula over the Past Half-Century

A. J. Cook, A. J. Fox, D. G. Vaughan, and J. G. Ferrigno
Science • 22 Apr 2005 • Vol 308, Issue 5721 • pp. 541-544 • DOI: 10.1126/science.1104235
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Abstract

The continued retreat of ice shelves on the Antarctic Peninsula has been widely attributed to recent atmospheric warming, but there is little published work describing changes in glacier margin positions. We present trends in 244 marine glacier fronts on the peninsula and associated islands over the past 61 years. Of these glaciers, 87% have retreated and a clear boundary between mean advance and retreat has migrated progressively southward. The pattern is broadly compatible with retreat driven by atmospheric warming, but the rapidity of the migration suggests that this may not be the sole driver of glacier retreat in this region.
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We thank R.S. Williams Jr., J.W. Thomson, K.M. Foley, C. Swithinbank, and C. Hallam for their valuable input and collaboration throughout the Coastal Change and Glaciological Maps of the Antarctic Peninsula project. We thank the U.S. Geological Survey for providing the funding to carry out this research.

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Published In

Science
Volume 308 | Issue 5721
22 April 2005

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American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Submission history

Received: 18 August 2004
Accepted: 9 March 2005
Published in print: 22 April 2005

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Authors

Affiliations

A. J. Cook*
British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK.
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A. J. Fox
British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK.
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D. G. Vaughan
British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK.
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J. G. Ferrigno
U.S. Geological Survey, 926A National Center, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, VA 20192–0002, USA.
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Notes

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: [email protected]

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