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is having some effect and that this ice sheet may have started to shrink slightly. Over the past 50 years, the west coast of the
Antarctic Peninsula has been – and still is – one of the most rapidly warming parts of the planet, and the coasts of the Peninsula are the only parts of West Antarctica
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221:(1957–1958) and explorations which disclosed that the Transantarctic Mountains provide a useful regional border between West Antarctica and
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283:-covered rocks are free of snow during the summer months, although the weather is still intensely cold and the growing season very short.
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Jordan, Tom A.; Riley, Teal R.; Siddoway, Christine S. (2020). "The geological history and evolution of West
Antarctica".
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West
Antarctica was named in the early 20th century. That usage became standard following the
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369:"WMO verifies one temperature record for Antarctic continent and rejects another"
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The geologic history of West
Antarctica was summarized in a 2020 publication.
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33:
20:
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West
Antarctica is mostly covered by a massive ice sheet referred to as the
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that can cope with the intense cold of winter and the short growing-season.
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211:
99:
59:
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and have the warmest climate in
Antarctica. The rocks are clad in
58:
50:
276:
139:
846:
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842:
63:
Labeled map of
Antarctica, with West Antarctica on the left.
48:
Part of
Antarctica that lies within the Western Hemisphere
134:
that become (in summer) ice-free. These constitute the
78:, is the part of that continent that lies within the
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The parts of West
Antarctica not covered with ice (
1180:Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs
293:Tectonic evolution of the Transantarctic Mountains
858:
507:
474:. National Geographic Society. Archived from
8:
407:"Antarctic ice sheet is an 'awakened giant'"
942:
865:
851:
843:
514:
500:
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125:West Antarctica is largely covered by the
336:
433:Nature Reviews Earth & Environment
263:region known as Marielandia Antarctic
227:Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names
7:
1371:
240:has shown signs of decreasing mass.
325:Geographic Names Information System
55:Almost blank map of West Antarctica
122:towards the tip of South America.
74:, one of the two major regions of
14:
466:World Wildlife Fund, ed. (2001).
129:, but there have been signs that
1370:
1361:
1360:
1120:
313: This article incorporates
308:
114:). It may be considered a giant
330:United States Geological Survey
255:), which are the coasts of the
468:"Marielandia Antarctic tundra"
219:International Geophysical Year
158:Geographical map of Antarctica
1:
271:). This area has the warmest
247:Marielandia Antarctic tundra
136:Marielandia Antarctic tundra
472:WildWorld Ecoregion Profile
345:"Impacts of climate change"
236:. In recent decades, this
229:approved the name in 1962.
190:, offshore islands such as
1435:
298:West Antarctic Rift System
1356:
1118:
445:10.1038/s43017-019-0013-6
1030:Antarctic/Southern Ocean
641:Filchner–Ronne Ice Shelf
234:West Antarctic Ice Sheet
200:Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf
150:Location and description
112:Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf
110:(largely covered by the
96:West Antarctic Ice Sheet
92:Transantarctic Mountains
1417:Geography of Antarctica
102:(partly covered by the
86:. It is separated from
670:Seas and major islands
349:Discovering Antarctica
315:public domain material
159:
118:, stretching from the
98:. It lies between the
94:and is covered by the
64:
56:
1407:Regions of Antarctica
273:climate in Antarctica
157:
62:
54:
661:Sulzberger Ice Shelf
620:Queen Elizabeth Land
576:King Edward VII Land
188:King Edward VII Land
1343:Robert Falcon Scott
1000:South magnetic pole
958:Antarctic Peninsula
953:Biogeographic realm
537:Antarctic Peninsula
257:Antarctic Peninsula
168:Antarctic Peninsula
127:Antarctic ice sheet
84:Antarctic Peninsula
82:, and includes the
30: /
1281:Telecommunications
1195:Territorial claims
803:King George Island
699:Bellingshausen Sea
160:
80:Western Hemisphere
65:
57:
1389:
1388:
1348:Ernest Shackleton
1276:Research stations
1221:Antarctic English
1190:National programs
1185:Military activity
1159:COVID-19 pandemic
1116:
1115:
985:Floristic Kingdom
890:Antarctic sea ice
840:
839:
825:James Ross Island
808:Livingston Island
783:Coronation Island
719:Rothschild Island
629:Major ice shelves
413:. 2 February 2005
320:"West Antarctica"
72:Lesser Antarctica
1424:
1374:
1373:
1364:
1363:
1338:James Clark Ross
1310:Famous explorers
1124:
943:
867:
860:
853:
844:
798:Joinville Island
788:D'Urville Island
709:Alexander Island
651:Larsen Ice Shelf
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1402:West Antarctica
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1391:
1390:
1385:
1352:
1322:Richard E. Byrd
1305:
1266:Protected areas
1204:
1168:
1125:
1112:
1069:
1023:Bodies of Water
1018:
1007:West Antarctica
963:East Antarctica
941:
876:
871:
841:
836:
793:Elephant Island
739:Thurston Island
704:Adelaide Island
665:
636:Abbot Ice Shelf
624:
588:Marie Byrd Land
525:
523:West Antarctica
520:
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289:
269:Marie Byrd Land
259:, constitute a
253:Antarctic oasis
249:
223:East Antarctica
192:Adelaide Island
184:Marie Byrd Land
152:
88:East Antarctica
68:West Antarctica
49:
38:
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1332:Ui-te-Rangiora
1329:
1327:Douglas Mawson
1324:
1319:
1317:Roald Amundsen
1313:
1311:
1307:
1306:
1304:
1303:
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1256:Gateway cities
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1223:
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1216:Antarctica Day
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1086:Microorganisms
1083:
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1068:
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1062:
1057:
1052:
1050:List of rivers
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1024:
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1017:
1016:
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1004:
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987:
982:
980:Extreme points
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900:Climate change
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778:Charcot Island
775:
773:Brabant Island
770:
763:Southern Ocean
760:
755:
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753:
743:
742:
741:
736:
731:
726:
724:Sherman Island
721:
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711:
706:
696:
695:
694:
689:
684:
673:
671:
667:
666:
664:
663:
658:
656:Ross Ice Shelf
653:
648:
646:Getz Ice Shelf
643:
638:
632:
630:
626:
625:
623:
622:
617:
616:
615:
613:Saunders Coast
610:
605:
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595:
593:Walgreen Coast
585:
584:
583:
573:
572:
571:
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561:
554:Ellsworth Land
551:
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439:(2): 117–133.
423:
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373:public.wmo.int
360:
335:
305:
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301:
300:
295:
288:
285:
248:
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208:Ross Ice Shelf
198:, notably the
180:Ellsworth Land
151:
148:
131:climate change
104:Ross Ice Shelf
47:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
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1261:Midwinter Day
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1234:
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1200:Treaty System
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1177:
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1058:
1056:
1055:McMurdo Sound
1053:
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1043:
1041:
1038:
1036:
1033:
1031:
1028:
1027:
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1021:
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875:
868:
863:
861:
856:
854:
849:
848:
845:
831:
830:Hearst Island
828:
826:
823:
822:
821:
818:
814:
813:Renaud Island
811:
809:
806:
804:
801:
799:
796:
794:
791:
789:
786:
784:
781:
779:
776:
774:
771:
769:
768:Anvers Island
766:
765:
764:
761:
759:
756:
752:
749:
748:
747:
744:
740:
737:
735:
734:Spaatz Island
732:
730:
729:Smyley Island
727:
725:
722:
720:
717:
715:
714:Latady Island
712:
710:
707:
705:
702:
701:
700:
697:
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688:
685:
683:
680:
679:
678:
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668:
662:
659:
657:
654:
652:
649:
647:
644:
642:
639:
637:
634:
633:
631:
627:
621:
618:
614:
611:
609:
608:Ruppert Coast
606:
604:
601:
599:
598:Bakutis Coast
596:
594:
591:
590:
589:
586:
582:
581:Shirase Coast
579:
578:
577:
574:
570:
567:
565:
562:
560:
559:English Coast
557:
556:
555:
552:
548:
545:
543:
540:
539:
538:
535:
534:
532:
528:
524:
517:
512:
510:
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497:
494:
478:on 2010-03-08
477:
473:
469:
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454:
450:
446:
442:
438:
434:
427:
424:
412:
411:New Scientist
408:
402:
399:
395:
392:Balch, 1902;
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193:
189:
185:
181:
177:
173:
169:
165:
164:Pacific Ocean
162:Lying on the
156:
149:
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132:
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121:
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113:
109:
105:
101:
97:
93:
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85:
81:
77:
73:
69:
61:
53:
46:
43:
1246:Firefighting
1231:Demographics
1154:Colonization
1149:World War II
1006:
692:Siple Island
687:Grant Island
677:Amundsen Sea
569:Eights Coast
522:
480:. Retrieved
476:the original
471:
461:
436:
432:
426:
415:. Retrieved
401:
394:Nordenskiöld
388:
377:. Retrieved
375:. 2021-06-30
372:
363:
352:. Retrieved
348:
339:
323:
307:
261:biodiversity
250:
242:
231:
216:
161:
124:
71:
67:
66:
15:
1334:(legendary)
1241:Field camps
1139:Expeditions
1065:Weddell Sea
1045:Lake Vostok
1040:Lake Mercer
912:Ice shelves
820:Weddell Sea
751:Ross Island
682:Dean Island
603:Hobbs Coast
564:Bryan Coast
547:Palmer Land
542:Graham Land
204:Weddell Sea
196:ice shelves
176:Palmer Land
172:Graham Land
108:Weddell Sea
106:), and the
37: /
1396:Categories
1144:Heroic Age
995:South Pole
905:Heat waves
874:Antarctica
758:Scotia Sea
482:2008-01-26
417:2008-01-26
379:2021-11-20
354:2021-11-20
304:References
206:, and the
120:South Pole
76:Antarctica
34:79°S 100°W
1296:Transport
1035:Lake CECs
1012:ice sheet
968:ice sheet
937:Volcanoes
927:Mountains
882:Geography
453:2662-138X
238:ice sheet
116:peninsula
39:-79; -100
1366:Category
1271:Religion
1173:Politics
1091:Wildlife
1060:Ross Sea
922:Glaciers
746:Ross Sea
287:See also
275:and the
212:Ross Sea
100:Ross Sea
1376:Commons
1291:Tourism
1236:Economy
1209:Society
1131:History
1101:Mammals
990:Islands
946:Regions
917:Geology
895:Climate
396:, 1905)
267:(after
210:on the
202:on the
144:lichens
90:by the
1412:Tundra
973:shield
932:Tundra
451:
281:lichen
265:tundra
225:. The
194:, and
178:) and
170:(with
140:mosses
1381:Index
1301:Women
1251:Flags
1226:Crime
1164:Years
1106:Krill
1096:Birds
1081:Flora
530:Areas
317:from
70:, or
25:100°W
1286:Time
1074:Life
449:ISSN
279:and
277:moss
186:and
174:and
142:and
22:79°S
441:doi
1398::
470:.
447:.
435:.
409:.
371:.
347:.
328:.
322:.
214:.
182:,
866:e
859:t
852:v
515:e
508:t
501:v
485:.
455:.
443::
437:1
420:.
382:.
357:.
332:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
