1998/01/01 by Gordon S. Hamilton, G. S. Hamilton, Ian M. Whillans +3 · 1 citation
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Environmental Science · Medicine · #Cryospheric studies and observations #Landslides and related hazards #Winter Sports Injuries and Performance
paper · pdf · doi:10.3189/1998aog27-1-125-129
openalex publication_date 1998/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Ice-sheet thickening or thinning rates in Antarctica are measured using the “coffee-can” or “submergence velocity” method. in this, repeated measurements of the positions of firn anchors are obtained using the global positioning system (GPS). The thickness change is (lie difference between vertical velocity so obtained and long-term rate of snow accumulation. Minor corrections for firn settling and downslopc motion are made. The technique avoids difficulties of short-term fluctuations in snowfall or snow den-sification. The result for Byrd Station is near balance, -0.004 (0.022) ma −1 , and for the Dragon, just outboard of Ice Stream B, thinning at -0.096 (0.044) ma −1 . Uncertainties with these first results are mainly due to the short occupation times during the first GPS surveys.