Prince Gustav Channel
The Prince Gustav Channel was named in 1903 after Crown Prince Gustav of Sweden (later King Gustav V) by Otto Nordenskiöld of the Swedish Antarctic Expedition.
The channel is bounded on the west by the Antarctic Peninsula and on the east by James Ross Island. It is about 130 kilometres (81 mi) long and ranges from 6 to 24 kilometres (3.7–14.9 mi) wide.
On 27 February 1995, the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) reported that an ice shelf formerly blocking the channel had disintegrated. This ice shelf had spanned approximately 700 square kilometres (270 sq mi) prior to its disintegration.[1]
In the area previously covered by the shelf, the channel's water depth is between 600 to 800 metres (2,000 to 2,600 ft). Between February and March 2000, scientists collected sediment cores 5 to 6 m in length from the ocean floor.[citation needed] Carbon dating of organic material found in the sediment layers suggested that for a period between 2,000 and 5,000 years ago, much of the channel was seasonally open water. While icebergs were able to navigate the channel, ice rafted debris was deposited within the sediment.
Prince Gustav Ice Shelf retreated in the mid-Holocene period 5000 to 2000 years before present, [this] "corresponds to regional climate warming deduced from other paleoenvironmental records."[2]
It appears that before and after this period, the channel remained closed. The period when the channel was open coincides with a period of local warming supported by data gathered from land-based studies of lake sediments and ancient, abandoned penguin rookeries. With the return of colder conditions about 1900 years ago, the Prince Gustav Ice Shelf reformed until its recent retreat and collapse.[3]
Ice shelves are sensitive indicators of regional climatic change, therefore recent warming in the vicinity of the Prince Gustav Channel is exceptional for at least the past 1900 years.[citation needed]
San Nicolás Refuge
San Nicolás Refuge (63°39′20″S 57°49′46″W / 63.655666°S 57.829346°W) is an Argentine Antarctic refuge located on the north coast of the entrance to the Prince Gustav Channel, on the Trinity Peninsula, at the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. The refuge is administered by the Argentine Army and was inaugurated on September 12, 1963.
It is one of the 18 shelters that are under the responsibility of the Esperanza Base, which is responsible for the maintenance and the care. The Argentine Antarctic Program reports that the refuge is inactive.[4][circular reference]
See also
References
- ^ Correll, Robert C. (1998). Our Changing Planet, p. 90. DIANE Publishing.
- ^ Carol J. Pudsey, Jeffrey Evans; First survey of Antarctic sub–ice shelf sediments reveals mid-Holocene ice shelf retreat. Geology ; 29 (9): 787–790. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(2001)029<0787:FSOASI>2.0.CO;2
- ^ "Press Release - Antarctic ice shelf 'hangs by a thread'". National Environment Research Council. British Antarctic Survey. 2008-03-25. Retrieved 2009-03-20.
- ^ "Refugio San Nicolás". Wikipedia Espanol. Wikimedia Foundation Inc. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
