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The West Antarctic Ice Sheet: The Need to Understand Its Dynamics

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Dynamics of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet

Part of the book series: Glaciology and Quaternary Geology ((GQGE,volume 4))

Abstract

The cryosphere accomodates about 1.6% of the earth’s water, the bulk of which is stored in the world oceans (93.6%; groundwater is the third important water reservoir). Nevertheless, small changes in ice volume can have large effects on sea level. For instance, a 1% change in ice volume results in a sea-level rise or drop of some 70 cm. So although the large ice caps are located in remote areas of the world, their evolution leaves a clear mark upon the regions in which we live.

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© 1987 D. Reidel Publishing Company

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van der Veen, C.J. (1987). The West Antarctic Ice Sheet: The Need to Understand Its Dynamics. In: Van der Veen, C.J., Oerlemans, J. (eds) Dynamics of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. Glaciology and Quaternary Geology, vol 4. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-3745-1_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-3745-1_1

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-8171-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-009-3745-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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