Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Ice Shelf

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Snow, Ice and Glaciers

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series ((EESS))

  • 130 Accesses

Definition

Ice shelf.Part of anice sheetthat floats on the ocean while remaining attached to grounded ice.

General characteristics

Ice shelves form at the margins of anice sheet, where the ice becomes thin enough to float free of a bed that lies below sea level. Ice shelf-like features also form in the interior of ice sheets where the ice floats on subglacial lakes. Most of the ice shelves that currently exist on Earth are found inAntarctica. In particular, ice shelves almost completely surround themarine ice sheetof West Antarctica. The larger ice shelves are fed by multiple glaciers, the outflows from which coalesce to form a distinct glaciological feature, but the smaller ones are generally the floating termini of singletidewater glaciers. Although any ice that exists between the grounding line and the calving front of a tidewater glacier is formally an ice shelf, these features are often not accorded an identity distinct from their parent glaciers.

Ice shelves range in thickness...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

Bibliography

  • Doake, C. S. M., Corr, H. F. J., Rott, H., Skvarca, P., and Young, N. W., 1998. Breakup and conditions for stability of the northern Larsen Ice Shelf, Antarctica.Nature,391, 778–780.

    Google Scholar 

  • Foldvik, A., and Gammelsrød, T., 1988. Notes on Southern Ocean hydrography, sea-ice and bottom water formation.Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology,67, 3–17.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hellmer, H. H., Jacobs, S. S., and Jenkins, A., 1998. Oceanic erosion of a floating Antarctic glacier in the Amundsen Sea. InOcean, Ice and Atmosphere: Interactions at the Antarctic Continental Margin. Antarctic Research Series, 75. Washington: American Geophysical Union, pp. 83–99.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jacobs, S. S., Hellmer, H. H., Doake, C. S. M., Jenkins, A., and Frolich, R. M., 1992. Melting of ice shelves and the mass balance of Antarctica.Journal of Glaciology,38, 375–387.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jenkins, A., and Holland, D., 2007. Melting of floating ice and sea level rise.Geophysical Research Letters,34, L16609.

    Google Scholar 

  • Paterson, W. S. B., 1994.The Physics of Glaciers, 3rd edn. Oxford: Elsevier Science.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rignot, E., 2008. Changes in West Antarctic ice stream dynamics observed with ALOS PALSAR data.Geophysical Research Letters,35, L12505.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rignot, E., Casassa, G., Gogineni, P., Krabill, W., Rivera, A., and Thomas, R., 2004. Accelerated ice discharge from the Antarctic Peninsula following the collapse of Larsen B ice shelf.Geophysical Research Letters,31, L18401.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scambos, T., Hulbe, C., Fahnestock, M., and Bohlander, J., 2000. The link between climate warming and break-up of ice shelves in the Antarctic Peninsula.Journal of Glaciology,46, 516–530.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shepherd, A., Wingham, D., and Rignot, E., 2004. Warm ocean is eroding West Antarctic ice sheet.Geophysical Research Letters,31, L23402.

    Google Scholar 

  • Steig, E. J., Schneider, D. P., Rutherford, S. D., Mann, M. E., Comiso, J. C., and Shindell, D. T., 2009. Warming of the Antarctic ice-sheet surface since the 1957 international geophysical year.Nature,457, 459–462.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thoma, M., Jenkins, A., Holland, D., and Jacobs, S., 2008. Modelling Circumpolar Deep Water intrusions on the Amundsen Sea continental shelf, Antarctica.Geophysical Research Letters,35, L18602.

    Google Scholar 

  • Turner, J., Colwell, S. R., Marshall, G. J., Lachlan-Cope, T. A., Carleton, A. M., Jones, P. D., Lagun, V., Reid, P. A., and Iagovkina, S., 2005. Antarctic climate change during the last 50 years.International Journal of Climatology,25, 279–294.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vaughan, D. G., and Doake, C. S. M., 1996. Recent atmospheric warming and retreat of ice shelves on the Antarctic Peninsula.Nature,379, 328–331.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vaughan, D. G., Bamber, J. L., Giovinetto, M., Russell, J., and Cooper, A. P. R., 1999. Reassessment of net surface mass balance in Antarctica.Journal of Climate,12, 933–946.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, M. J. M., Jenkins, A., and Determann, J., 1998. Physical controls on ocean circulation beneath ice shelves revealed by numerical models. InOcean, Ice and Atmosphere: Interactions at the Antarctic Continental Margin. Antarctic Research Series, 75. Washington: American Geophysical Union, pp. 285–299.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ET, UK

    Adrian Jenkins

Authors
  1. Adrian Jenkins
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Adrian Jenkins .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA

    Vijay P. Singh

  2. New Delhi, India

    Pratap Singh

  3. University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio, USA

    Umesh K. Haritashya

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

About this entry

Cite this entry

Jenkins, A. (2011). Ice Shelf. In: Singh, V.P., Singh, P., Haritashya, U.K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Snow, Ice and Glaciers. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2642-2_278

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation