Dynamics of the Antarctic Ice Sheets

The elevation of the present ice sheet in East Antarctica in Fig. 17.1 rises from sea level along the coast to more than 4,(X)0 m in the interior at Dome Argus (18°00 S and 77°00 E). The ice moves under the influence of gravity from the interior of Antarctica toward the coast where it either forms icebergs or coastal ice shelves at the outflows of outlet glaciers and ice streams (e.g., the Ross, Renne, Filchner, Amery and other ice shelves). 

Faure and T.M. Mensing, The TransantarcticMountains Rocks, Ice, Meteorites and Water, DOI 10.1007/978-90-481-9390-5 17, Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2010 

The potential use of large icebergs as a source of freshwater has been considered but was found to be impractical because icebergs are difficult to tow. The reason is that only about 15% of the thickness of an iceberg extends above the surface of the 

The profile of the East Antarctic ice sheet in Fig. 17.2 is a sensitive function of several factors that maintain its shape and thickness. The ice in the interior 

The average regional slope (s) between Dome Argus, (4,000 m) and the coast of East Antarctica located at a distance of 1,425 km is  

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