This series of radar images shows the Pine Island Glacier, a major ice stream of West Antarctica, that is considered to be vulnerable to climate change and a possible trigger for the disintegration of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. Radar interferometry data collected between 1992 and 1996 show that the glacier is shrinking. During this time the glacier thinned by about 13 meters (42.9 feet). This is illustrated by the change in location of the black curvy line (called the hinge line), which is the area of transition between grounded ice (magenta) and floating ice (blue). The changing location of the hinge line (black curvy line) between 1992 and 1996 is shown on images B through F. Along the glacier center, the hinge line retreated 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) in 3.8 years. The recession is attributed to excess melting of the glacier's underside by warm ocean waters coming from the southern Pacific Ocean. Scientists theorize that the disintegration of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet would raise sea level by several meters (yards) causing major coastal flooding worldwide. Radar interferometry is a technique pioneered by JPL that combines two radar images of the same area taken from slightly different locations. When the image are taken a few days or years apart and compared to each other, subtle changes on the ground are revealed. Dark green indicates areas of no interferometry data. Color brightness is modulated by the radar brightness of the scene. The research was conducted at JPL using data collected by the European Space Agency's Earth Remote Sensing Satellites (ERS-1 and 2). This study was reported in the July 24, 1998, edition of the journal Science. More information about radar interferometry is available at the JPL Imaging Radar home page, http://southport.jp…. #####
Description
This series of radar images shows the Pine Island Glacier, a major ice stream of West Antarctica, that is considered to be vulnerable to climate change and a possible trigger for the disintegration of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. Radar interferometry data collected between 1992 and 1996 show that the glacier is shrinking. During this time the glacier thinned by about 13 meters (42.9 feet). This is illustrated by the change in location of the black curvy line (called the hinge line), which is the area of transition between grounded ice (magenta) and floating ice (blue). The changing location of the hinge line (black curvy line) between 1992 and 1996 is shown on images B through F. Along the glacier center, the hinge line retreated 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) in 3.8 years. The recession is attributed to excess melting of the glacier's underside by warm ocean waters coming from the southern Pacific Ocean. Scientists theorize that the disintegration of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet would raise sea level by several meters (yards) causing major coastal flooding worldwide. Radar interferometry is a technique pioneered by JPL that combines two radar images of the same area taken from slightly different locations. When the image are taken a few days or years apart and compared to each other, subtle changes on the ground are revealed. Dark green indicates areas of no interferometry data. Color brightness is modulated by the radar brightness of the scene. The research was conducted at JPL using data collected by the European Space Agency's Earth Remote Sensing Satellites (ERS-1 and 2). This study was reported in the July 24, 1998, edition of the journal Science. More information about radar interferometry is available at the JPL Imaging Radar home page, http://southport.jp…. #####
