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| Nimitz Glacier | |
|---|---|
| Name | Nimitz Glacier |
| Location | Ellsworth Mountains, West Antarctica |
| Coordinates | 85°S 80°W |
| Length | 40 nmi (approx.) |
| Thickness | unknown |
| Terminus | Ronne Ice Shelf |
| Status | changing |
Nimitz Glacier is a major Antarctic glacier flowing from the Sentinel Range of the Ellsworth Mountains to the Ronne Ice Shelf, situated in West Antarctica. It drains ice from the high Sentinel Range peaks and connects with ice streams that influence the mass balance of the Weddell Sea region. The glacier has been the subject of aerial reconnaissance by United States Navy operations, mapped by the United States Geological Survey, and studied by international teams from institutions such as the British Antarctic Survey and the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research.
Nimitz Glacier originates near the crest of the Sentinel Range of the Ellsworth Mountains and flows generally northwest toward the Ronne Ice Shelf, skirting the eastern flank of features including Mount Vinson, Mount Tyree, Sullivan Heights, and Bowers Peak. Its catchment abuts basins mapped by the United States Geological Survey and bounded by features surveyed during Operation Deep Freeze flights. The glacier interfaces with ice shelves adjacent to the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf system and contributes ice to embayments near the Weddell Sea, affecting connectivity with the Southern Ocean and proximity to research stations such as Rothera Research Station and Halley Research Station in the greater sector. Topographically, its flow drains troughs carved in the Ellsworth Mountains bedrock, with tributaries and confluences documented on maps produced by the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research and the Polar Geospatial Center.
Flow rates along the glacier vary with elevation and gradient, influenced by basal conditions inferred from airborne radar by teams from the British Antarctic Survey and the National Science Foundation. Ice dynamics relate to upstream accumulation on the Sentinel Range and downstream interactions with the Ronne Ice Shelf, mediated by processes examined by the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration and modeled by groups at Columbia University and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Basal sliding, internal deformation, and crevassing near steep icefalls have been observed during expeditions led by members of the British Antarctic Survey, the United States Antarctic Program, and researchers affiliated with Universidad de Buenos Aires and University of Texas at Austin. Satellite altimetry from ICESat and ICESat-2 along with gravimetry from GRACE missions have been used by investigators at University of Colorado Boulder and Jet Propulsion Laboratory to monitor mass changes.
The glacier was photographed and partially delineated during aerial missions by the United States Navy and subsequently charted by the United States Geological Survey in coordination with the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names. Early reconnaissance in the region built on exploration efforts associated with the International Geophysical Year and follow-up surveys by parties linked to institutions such as the Scott Polar Research Institute and the Byrd Polar Research Center. Naming conventions in the area reflect recognition of figures from United States Navy history and polar logistics, following practices established by the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names and paralleled in toponymy work by the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research.
Scientists from organizations including the British Antarctic Survey, the United States Antarctic Program, the National Science Foundation, and the Alfred Wegener Institute have undertaken geophysical surveys, ice-penetrating radar campaigns, and remote-sensing analyses over the glacier and its tributaries. Research topics have included ice thickness mapping by the Polar Geospatial Center, surface velocity fields analyzed with data from Copernicus Programme satellites and Landsat missions managed by the United States Geological Survey and NASA, and modeling studies performed by teams at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Bristol, and Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. Collaborative projects have integrated results from GRACE, CryoSat-2, and ICESat to assess mass balance, and paleoclimate reconstructions have been attempted using isotope studies and ice-core stratigraphy informed by experts at the British Antarctic Survey and University of Cambridge.
Nimitz Glacier’s contribution to regional ice mass balance is relevant to assessments of sea-level rise conducted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and modeled by climate centers such as the Met Office Hadley Centre and the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Observational programs from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and the European Space Agency have tracked surface elevation change, velocity variations, and calving behavior where the glacier feeds the Ronne Ice Shelf system. Studies by the University of Gothenburg and University of Tasmania have investigated sensitivity to ocean-driven melting in the adjacent Weddell Sea and potential feedbacks examined by multicenter consortia including the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration. Results feed into projections used by policy-informing bodies like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and research coordination through the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research.
Surrounding geography includes the Sentinel Range, Heritage Range, Mount Vinson, Mount Tyree, Sullivan Heights, and glaciological neighbors such as Minnesota Glacier and Minnesota-Gambrell Ice Stream systems mapped by the United States Geological Survey. The glacier drains into the Ronne Ice Shelf at margins adjoining the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf complex, near seaward expanses of the Weddell Sea and within sectors charted during expeditions supported by the United States Antarctic Program and Operation Deep Freeze. Proximal research sites and logistic hubs in the wider region include installations and staging areas associated with the British Antarctic Survey and other national Antarctic programs.
Category:Glaciers of Ellsworth Land