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This detailed image of the Shirase Glacier from the 2000 Antarctic Mapping Mission shows how the glacier has been retreating. The 1997 coastline appears in blue, the 1962 coastline in green and the mid-1970s coastline in yellow. The Shirase was at its furthest extent in 1962, then it retreated about 60 kilometers (38 miles) in the mid-1970s to a position that nearly matches the 2000 position. In fact, previous in-situ measurements indicate that the Shirase was at one time one of the fastest advancing glaciers in Antarctica. In comparison, adjacent areas to the northwest show current positions similar to both 1962 and 1997 coastlines, with significant retreat periods in the mid-1970s. The Antarctic Mapping Mission is a joint project between NASA and the Canadian Space Agency. The project is led by Ohio State University in Columbus in partnership with the Alaska Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Facility at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., and the Vexcel Corporation, Boulder, Colo. The Canadian Space Agency's RADARSAT-1 satellite carries a synthetic aperture radar, an imaging radar sensor that operates at C-band (5.3 GHz frequency) with horizontal transmit-horizontal receive polarization from an orbital altitude of about 800 kilometers (500 miles). The 1997 Antarctic Mapping Mission took place between Sept. 19 and Oct. 14 and mapped the entire Antarctic continent. The 2000 Antarctic Mapping Mission lasted from Sept. 3 to Nov. 4 and obtained complete coverage of Antarctica north of 82 degrees south latitude. Photo Credit: Canadian Space Agency/NASA/Ohio State University, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Alaska SAR facility # # # # #
Description
This detailed image of the Shirase Glacier from the 2000 Antarctic Mapping Mission shows how the glacier has been retreating. The 1997 coastline appears in blue, the 1962 coastline in green and the mid-1970s coastline in yellow. The Shirase was at its furthest extent in 1962, then it retreated about 60 kilometers (38 miles) in the mid-1970s to a position that nearly matches the 2000 position. In fact, previous in-situ measurements indicate that the Shirase was at one time one of the fastest advancing glaciers in Antarctica. In comparison, adjacent areas to the northwest show current positions similar to both 1962 and 1997 coastlines, with significant retreat periods in the mid-1970s. The Antarctic Mapping Mission is a joint project between NASA and the Canadian Space Agency. The project is led by Ohio State University in Columbus in partnership with the Alaska Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Facility at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., and the Vexcel Corporation, Boulder, Colo. The Canadian Space Agency's RADARSAT-1 satellite carries a synthetic aperture radar, an imaging radar sensor that operates at C-band (5.3 GHz frequency) with horizontal transmit-horizontal receive polarization from an orbital altitude of about 800 kilometers (500 miles). The 1997 Antarctic Mapping Mission took place between Sept. 19 and Oct. 14 and mapped the entire Antarctic continent. The 2000 Antarctic Mapping Mission lasted from Sept. 3 to Nov. 4 and obtained complete coverage of Antarctica north of 82 degrees south latitude. Photo Credit: Canadian Space Agency/NASA/Ohio State University, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Alaska SAR facility # # # # #
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