Jump to content

Schmidt Glacier (Heard Island and McDonald Islands)

Coordinates: 53°3′S 73°24′E / 53.050°S 73.400°E / -53.050; 73.400
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by DiverDave (talk | contribs) at 04:09, 7 June 2010 (piped link). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Typecirque/tidewater
LocationHeard Island, Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Australia
Coordinates53°3′S 73°24′E / 53.050°S 73.400°E / -53.050; 73.400
Length0.7 nautical miles (1.3 km)
Thicknessapproximately 55 meters
Terminusbetween Mount Drygalski and North West Cornice
StatusRetreating[1][2][3][4]

Schmidt Glacier (53°3′S 73°24′E / 53.050°S 73.400°E / -53.050; 73.400) is a glacier, 0.7 nautical miles (1.3 km) long, flowing west from Baudissin Glacier between Mount Drygalski and North West Cornice, on the west side of Heard Island.[5][6] To the north of Schmidt Glacier is Baudissin Glacier, whose terminus is located at the western side of Corinthian Bay, near Sealers Cove. Kildalkey Head is west of Schmidt Glacier. To the south of Schmidt Glacier is Vahsel Glacier, whose terminus is at South West Bay, between Erratic Point and Cape Gazert. Immediately south of Vahsel Glacier is Allison Glacier.

Discovery and naming

Schmidt Glacier was roughly charted in 1902 by the 1st German Antarctic Expedition under Erich von Drygalski. He named it for Dr. J. Schmidt of the Royal Prussian Ministry, who assisted in obtaining government support for the expedition.[5][6]

Retreat of Heard Island glaciers

Heard Island is a heavily glacierized volcanic island in the Southern Ocean. 80% of the island is covered in ice, with glaciers descending from 2400 meters to sea level.[1] Due to the steep topography of Heard Island, most of its glaciers are relatively thin (averaging only about 55 meters in depth).[2]

Retreat of glacier fronts across Heard Island is evident when comparing aerial photographs taken in December 1947 with those taken on a return visit in early 1980.[1] During the time period between 1947 and 1988, the area of Heard Island's glaciers decreased by 11%, from 288 km² (roughly 79% of the total area of Heard Island) to only 257 km².[2] A Spring 2000 visit to the island found that the Stephenson, Brown and Baudissin glaciers, among others, had retreated even further. [2] Retreat of Heard Island glaciers is most dramatic on the eastern section of the island, where the termini of former tidewater glaciers are now located inland.[1] Glaciers on the northern and western coasts have narrowed significantly, while the area of glaciers and ice caps on Laurens Peninsula have shrunk by 30% - 65%.[2][1] The retreat of Heard Island's glaciers is expected to continue for the forseeable future.[1]

Flora and fauna

To date, no flora or fauna have been observed within 1.0 degrees of Schmidt Glacier.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Ian F. Allison and Peter L. Keage (1986). "Recent changes in the glaciers of Heard Island". Polar Record. 23: 255–272. doi:10.1017/S0032247400007099. Retrieved 05 June 2010. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  2. ^ a b c d e Andrew Ruddell (25/05/2010). "Our subantarctic glaciers: why are they retreating?". Glaciology Program, Antarctic CRC and AAD. Retrieved 05 June 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  3. ^ Quilty, P.G. and Wheller, G. (2000). "Heard Island and the McDonald Islands: A window into the Kerguelen Plateau (Heard Island Papers)". Pap. Proc. R. Soc. Tasm. 133 (2): 1–12. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ Budd, G.M. (2000). "Changes in Heard Island glaciers, king penguins and fur seals since 1947 (Heard Island Papers)". Pap. Proc. R. Soc. Tasm. 133 (2): 47–60. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  5. ^ a b "Schmidt Glacier". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 05 June 2010. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  6. ^ a b c "Schmidt Glacier". Australian Antarctic Data Centre. Retrieved 05 June 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |access-date= (help)

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from "Schmidt Glacier (Heard Island and McDonald Islands)". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.  Edit this at Wikidata 53°3′S 73°24′E / 53.050°S 73.400°E / -53.050; 73.400

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Schmidt_Glacier_(Heard_Island_and_McDonald_Islands)&oldid=366494150"