Prepared in cooperation with the Scott Polar Research Institute, 

University of Cambridge, United Kingdom

Coastal-Change and Glaciological Map of the 

Amery Ice Shelf Area, Antarctica: 1961–2004

By Kevin M. Foley, Jane G. Ferrigno, Charles Swithinbank, 

Richard S. Williams, Jr., and Audrey L. Orndorff

Pamphlet to accompany

Geologic Investigations Series Map I–2600–Q

2013

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey
U.S. Department of the Interior

KEN SALAZAR, Secretary

U.S. Geological Survey

Suzette M. Kimball, Acting Director

U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2013

For more information on the USGS—the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living 

resources, natural hazards, and the environment, visit http://www.usgs.gov or call 1–888–ASK–USGS.

For an overview of USGS information products, including maps, imagery, and publications, 

visit http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod

To order this and other USGS information products, visit http://store.usgs.gov

Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the 

U.S. Government.

Although this information product, for the most part, is in the public domain, it also may contain copyrighted materials 

as noted in the text. Permission to reproduce copyrighted items must be secured from the copyright owner.

Suggested citation:

Foley, K.M., Ferrigno, J.G., Swithinbank, Charles, Williams, R.S., Jr., and Orndorff, A.L., 2013, Coastal-change and 

glaciological map of the Amery Ice Shelf area, Antarctica: 1961–2004: U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Investigations 

Series Map I–2600–Q, 1 map sheet, 8-p. text.

ISBN 978-1-4113-3505-9

Printed on recycled paper
iii

Contents

Introduction.....................................................................................................................................................1

Geographic Description.......................................................................................................................1

History of Discovery and Scientific Research ..........................................................................................2

Early Expeditions...................................................................................................................................2

Major Field Programs...........................................................................................................................2

Early Studies Using Satellite Data .....................................................................................................4

AMISOR Project....................................................................................................................................4

Other Studies.........................................................................................................................................4

Velocity Estimates..........................................................................................................................................5

Coastal Change ..............................................................................................................................................5

References Cited............................................................................................................................................6

Figures

1. Index map of the planned and published 1:1,000,000-scale coastal-change and 

glaciological maps of Antarctica ...............................................................................................1

Tables

1. Coastal-change and glaciological maps of Antarctica at 1:1,000,000 scale, 

published to date ..........................................................................................................................2

2. Inventory of named glaciological features on the Amery Ice Shelf area map ..................3

Conversion Factors

Multiply By To obtain

Length

meter (m) 3.281 foot (ft) 

kilometer (km) 0.6214 mile (mi)

Area

square kilometer (km2

) 0.3861 square mile (mi2)

Volume

cubic kilometer (km3

) 0.2399 cubic mile (mi3) 
Coastal-Change and Glaciological Map of the 

Amery Ice Shelf Area, Antarctica: 1961–2004

By Kevin M. Foley,1 Jane G. Ferrigno,1 Charles Swithinbank,2 Richard S. Williams, Jr.,3 and Audrey L. Orndorff1

Introduction

Measurement of change in area and mass balance of the 

Antarctic ice sheet is critically important during an interval 

of global warming, because of implications to rise in global 

sea level (Oerlemans, 1993; De Angelis and Skvarca, 2003; 

Zwally and others, 2005; Alley, 2007). For this reason, the 

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has utilized its extensive 

archive of satellite images to document changes in the cryospheric coastline of Antarctica (Ferrigno and Gould, 1987). 

Although changes in the areal extent of the Antarctic ice sheet 

are not directly related to changes in mass balance, the two 

are related, and the analysis of the changing coastline can 

yield important data (Williams and others, 2005; Cook and 

Vaughan, 2010). The results of the analysis are being used to 

produce a digital database and a number of Geologic Investigations Series Maps (I–2600), which are listed in table 1 and 

shown in figure 1.

This map portrays coastal change and glaciological 

features in the Amery Ice Shelf region. The 69 glaciological 

features shown on the map have all been named and authorized for use on U.S. Government publications, and they are 

listed in table 2. Ice fronts and coastal change have been 

delineated from (1) 1961 and 1984 maps from the U.S. Navy 

Topographic Office and the Defense Mapping Agency (DMA); 

(2) 1972 to 2003 Landsat imagery; (3) 1997 RADARSAT 

imagery; (4) the 1999–2004 Landsat Image Mosaic of Antarctica (LIMA); and (5) the 2005 Moderate Resolution Imaging 

Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Mosaic of Antarctica (MOA). 

The coastline from the DMA maps was scanned and digitized. 

The 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s Landsat imagery ice fronts and 

grounding lines were identified by Charles Swithinbank using 

1:500,000-scale black and white photographic prints, then 

scanned and digitized. The RADARSAT, LIMA, and MOA 

coastlines were incorporated digitally. It is possible to see 

some coastal change on the outlet glaciers along the coast, but 

most of the noticeable change occurs on the Amery Ice Shelf 

front.

Geographic Description

Amery Ice Shelf, lying between 67.5° and 75° East longitude and 68.5° and 73.3° South latitude, is the largest ice shelf 

in East Antarctica. The latest measurements of the area of the 

ice shelf are 71,260 square kilometers (km2) (Fricker, Allison, and others, 2002) and 62, 620 km2

 (Scambos and others, 

2007). The ice shelf is fed primarily by Lambert, Mellor, and 

Fisher Glaciers; its thickness ranges from 3,000 meters (m) 

in the center of the grounding line (Rignot, 2002) to less than 

300 m at the ice front. Lambert Glacier is considered to be the 

largest glacier in the world (Allison, 1979), and streaming flow 

Figure 1. Index map of the planned and published 1:1,000,000-

scale coastal-change and glaciological maps of Antarctica. 

Amery Ice Shelf area map is shaded. Maps published to date are 

indicated by letter and described in table 1. They are available 

printed and online; see table 1 for more information.

1

 U.S. Geological Survey, National Center, Reston, VA 20192–0002.

2

 Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, 

Cambridge CB2 1ER, United Kingdom.

3

 U.S. Geological Survey, 384 Woods Hole Road, Woods Hole, MA 

02543–1598.
2 Coastal-Change and Glaciological Map of the Amery Ice Shelf Area, Antarctica: 1961–2004

Table 1. Coastal-change and glaciological maps of Antarctica at 1:1,000,000 scale, published to date.

[Information on ordering published maps can be obtained by calling the U.S. Geological Survey at 1–888–ASK–USGS or by visiting the USGS online at 

http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod]

As shown on 

index map 

Map number Map name Reference (see References Cited) URL for online access

A I–2600–A Trinity Peninsula and South 

Shetland Islands

Ferrigno and others (2006) http://pubs.usgs.gov/imap/2600/A

B I–2600–B Larsen Ice Shelf Ferrigno and others (2008) http://pubs.usgs.gov/imap/2600/B

C I–2600–C Palmer Land Ferrigno and others (2009) http://pubs.usgs.gov/imap/2600/C

D I–2600–D Ronne Ice Shelf Ferrigno and others (2005) http://pubs.usgs.gov/imap/2600/D

E I–2600–E Eights Coast Swithinbank and others (2004) http://pubs.usgs.gov/imap/2600/E

F I–2600–F 

(2d ed.)

Bakutis Coast Swithinbank and others (2003b) http://pubs.usgs.gov/imap/2600/F

G I–2600–G Saunders Coast Swithinbank and others (2003a) http://pubs.usgs.gov/imap/2600/G

H I–2600–H Northern Ross Ice Shelf Ferrigno and others (2007) http://pubs.usgs.gov/imap/i-2600-h

I I–2600–I Ross Island Ferrigno and others (2010) http://pubs.usgs.gov/imap/2600/I

Q I–2600–Q Amery Ice Shelf This report http://pubs.usgs.gov/imap/2600/Q

can be detected for about 1,000 km upglacier using satellite 

data (Bamber and others, 2000; Fricker, Warner, and Allison, 

2000). The Lambert Glacier drainage system drains ice from 

more than 1 x 106 km2 of the Antarctic interior (Allison, 1991).

Amery Ice Shelf is named after William B. Amery, 

who represented the Government of the United Kingdom in 

Australia from 1925 to 1928. The name Cape Amery was 

originally applied to a coastal feature mapped in 1931 by the 

British-Australian-New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition (BANZARE) under the Australian geologist and explorer 

Douglas Mawson. By 1947, the feature was recognized to 

be part of an ice shelf and the name was applied to the entire 

shelf (Alberts, 1995).

History of Discovery and Scientific 

Research

The following discussion is a brief overview of the 

history of discovery and scientific research in the Amery Ice 

Shelf area. For more details, please refer to publications listed 

in the References Cited.

Early Expeditions

The area was sighted by expeditions of a Norwegian 

whaling fleet owned by Lars Christensen that sailed along 

the coast beginning in 1926 (Stonehouse, 2002). In 1936 

and 1937, the fleet acquired aerial photographs of the ice 

front (Law, 1967). Lincoln Ellsworth, an American explorer, 

flew over the area and discovered and named the American 

Highland on 11 January 1939 (Alberts, 1995). In February 

and March 1947, the U.S. Navy took aerial photographs of the 

eastern ice-front margins as part of Operation Highjump (Robert Allen, USGS, oral commun., 2009). John Roscoe (1952) 

used these reconnaissance aerial photographs to do the first 

photogeographical study of the Ingrid Christensen Coast.

Soviet scientists carried out investigations in the Antarctic from whaling fleets beginning in 1947 (Nudel’man, 1968). 

Regular scientific work was begun in 1956 as part of the 

International Geophysical Year (IGY). Shipboard observations 

were made of the Amery ice front, and a landing was made in 

February 1957 as part of the Second Soviet Antarctic Expedition (Nudel’man, 1966a). During the Fifth Soviet Antarctic 

Expedition (1959–61), Amery Ice Shelf was observed extensively from the air (Nudel’man, 1966b). Flights in the area of 

the ice front continued in the 1960s and helped pinpoint the 

date of the last major calving event between late 1963 and 

early 1964.

In 1955, the Australian National Antarctic Research 

Expedition (ANARE) first charted the ice front from a ship 

(Law, 1967). Aerial photographs and astrofixes determined the 

eastern, southern, and western margins of the ice front in 1956, 

1957, and 1958, respectively (Law, 1967). Surface observations were started in 1962 (Budd and others, 1967).

Major Field Programs

In 1963, the first major field program on Amery Ice Shelf 

was begun to collect data on elevation, slope, strain rate, surface temperature, snow accumulation, and ice velocity (Budd, 

1966). Detailed measurements were continued in 1964. In 

order to obtain more complete data, a year-long field program 

was planned by ANARE to start in 1968; it included ice-core 

drilling, ice-thickness sounding, and snow-accumulation 

measurements, in addition to oversnow traverses. Among the 

results was the discovery of the presence of a large amount of 
History of Discovery and Scientific Research 3

Table 2. Inventory of named glaciological features on the 

coastal-change and glaciological map of the Amery Ice Shelf 

area.—Continued

Glaciological feature Coordinates

Allison Dome 73° 33′ S. 70° 36′ E.

Amery Ice Shelf 69° 45′ S. 71° 00′ E.

Arriens Glacier 73° 28′ S. 68° 24′ E.

Battye Glacier 70° 52′ S. 67° 46′ E.

Browns Glacier 68° 56′ S. 78° 00′ E.

Brunvoll Glacier 67° 48′ S. 66° 48′ E.

Budd Ice Rumples 71° 29′ S. 68° 46′ E.

Chaos Glacier 69° 01′ S. 78° 00′ E.

Charybdis Glacier 70° 25′ S. 67° 30′ E.

Collins Glacier 73° 40′ S. 65° 40′ E.

Cosgrove Glacier 67° 29′ S. 59° 10′ E.

Dålk Glacier 69° 26′ S. 76° 27′ E.

Dingsør Dome 68° 01′ S. 67° 43′ E.

Dolinnyy Glacier 73° 01′ S. 68° 14′ E.

England Glacier 73° 30′ S. 68° 23′ E.

Fisher Glacier 73° 15′ S. 66° 00′ E.

Flatnes Ice Tongue 69° 16′ S. 76° 44′ E.

Forbes Glacier 67° 39′ S. 62° 22′ E.

Frustration Dome 68° 00′ S. 64° 33′ E.

Geysen Glacier 73° 28′ S. 64° 33′ E.

Glukhoy Glacier 70° 48′ S. 67° 46′ E.

Greenall Glacier 73° 13′ S. 68° 18′ E.

Hargreaves Glacier 69° 48′ S. 74° 20′ E.

Helmore Glacier 73° 04′ S. 68° 19′ E.

Hoseason Glacier 67° 12′ S. 58° 07′ E.

Hovde Glacier 69° 15′ S. 76° 55′ E.

Il Polo Glacier 69° 53′ S. 74° 45′ E.

Korotkiy Glacier 72° 51′ S. 68° 09′ E.

Kreitzer Glacier 70° 22′ S. 72° 36′ E.

Kronshtadtskiy Glacier 71° 43′ S. 71° 35′ E.

Lambert Glacier 73° 30′ S. 67° 35′ E.

Lepekhin Glacier 72° 27′ S. 69° 40′ E.

Manning Glacier 73° 10′ S. 68° 14′ E.

McKinnon Glacier 70° 38′ S. 67° 45′ E.

Mellor Glacier 73° 30′ S. 66° 30′ E.

Table 2. Inventory of named glaciological features on the 

coastal-change and glaciological map of the Amery Ice Shelf 

area.—Continued

Glaciological feature Coordinates

Morgan Glacier 73° 17′ S. 68° 17′ E.

Mulebreen 67° 25′ S. 59° 21′ E. 

Nemesis Glacier 70° 32′ S. 67° 30′ E.

Peterson Icefalls 70° 05′ S. 72° 44′ E.

Petkovic Glacier 72° 58′ S. 68° 14′ E.

Pionerskiy Dome 73° 59′ S. 73° 08′ E.

Polarårboken Glacier 69° 35′ S. 75° 50′ E.

Polarforschung Glacier 69° 53′ S. 75° 07′ E.

Polar Record Glacier 69° 48′ S. 75° 35′ E.

Polar Times Glacier 69° 53′ S. 74° 35′ E.

Publications Ice Shelf 69° 38′ S. 75° 20′ E.

Ranvik Glacier 69° 10′ S. 77° 40′ E.

Razdelyayushchiy Glacier 73° 32′ S. 66° 47′ E.

Robert Glacier 67° 14′ S. 56° 18′ E.

Rofe Glacier 72° 52′ S. 68° 19′ E.

Rogers Glacier 69° 55′ S. 73° 07′ E.

Scoble Glacier 67° 23′ S. 60° 22′ E.

Scylla Glacier 70° 20′ S. 67° 00′ E.

Shennong Glacier 69° 30′ S. 76° 02′ E.

Sheraton Glacier 73° 27′ S. 68° 24′ E.

Sørsdal Glacier 68° 41′ S. 78° 25′ E.

Sørsdal Glacier Tongue 68° 42′ S. 78° 00′ E.

Stevenson Glacier 70° 06′ S. 72° 48′ E.

Strahan Glacier 67° 38′ S. 64° 37′ E.

Styles Glacier 72° 38′ S. 68° 19′ E.

Tekuchiy Glacier 69° 52′ S. 68° 12′ E.

Tingey Glacier 73° 34′ S. 68° 25′ E.

Trail Glacier 73° 28′ S. 61° 54′ E.

Turk Glacier 73° 21′ S. 68° 24′ E.

Utstikkar Glacier 67° 33′ S. 61° 20′ E.

Utstikkar Glacier Tongue 67° 30′ S. 61° 22′ E.

Venture Dome 68° 36′ S. 62° 13′ E.

Vrana Dome 69° 53′ S. 73° 28′ E.

Wilma Glacier 67° 12′ S. 55° 52′ E.
4 Coastal-Change and Glaciological Map of the Amery Ice Shelf Area, Antarctica: 1961–2004

basal ice under the ice shelf and the location of the grounding 

line at about lat 71.2° S., based on changes in the surficial ice 

slope (Budd and others, 1982).

From 1988 to 1995, the Australian Antarctic Division 

carried out an extensive glaciology program on the ice shelf 

and in the vast interior of the Amery Ice Shelf drainage basin, 

using both ground and aerial surveys to provide data on all 

parts of the drainage system, with emphasis on determining 

the mass balance of the system and the long-term response 

of the basin to global climate change. Measurements showed 

no change in the long-term average velocity of the ice shelf 

or in its surface elevation. Gravity measurements revealed a 

uniform depth to bedrock of 1,000 m beneath the centerline 

of the ice shelf, which is consistent with bathymetric and icethickness observations (Kiernan, 2001). An excellent overview 

of Australian scientific activities on Amery Ice Shelf during 

the last 50 years is given by Janssen and Hurd (2008).

Early Studies Using Satellite Data

An early use of Landsat to study the Amery Ice Shelf 

area was the combination of Seasat radar altimetry data with 

an uncontrolled Landsat Multispectral Scanner (MSS) mosaic 

(Brooks and others, 1983). The result showed contoured 

topography, flow lines of glaciers feeding the ice shelf, and 

transverse fractures caused by the obstruction of ice flow. It 

was the first presentation of surface elevations and topographic 

detail that covered most of Amery Ice Shelf.

Hambrey and Dowdeswell (1994) used digital MSS 

Landsat imagery to analyze ice structure on Lambert Glacier 

and Amery Ice Shelf to determine flow patterns and flow 

regime. They concluded that (1) the absence of surge-type 

patterns indicates the system has had a constant flow regime, 

even though the ice thickness and mass balance may have 

changed, and that (2) constant flow has been maintained 

throughout the thousand-year history suggested by velocity 

data for ice along the centerline of the drainage basin.

AMISOR Project

Recognizing the importance of the interaction between 

Amery Ice Shelf and the adjacent and sub-ice-shelf ocean 

waters, as well as the effect on both the Antarctic ice-sheet 

mass budget and the ocean circulation as a result of changes 

in either the ice or the ocean, the Australian Antarctic Division in 2000 started a multidisciplinary project to study these 

topics—AMISOR, the Amery Ice Shelf Ocean Research 

Project (Allison, 2006). Among the studies undertaken, hotwater drilling through the ice enabled scientists to measure 

the cavity (the area between the bottom of the ice shelf and 

the sea-floor sediments) and to estimate the amount of melting and refreezing occurring at the bottom of the ice shelf, in 

order to validate ocean-circulation models. Seismic surveys 

also were conducted to define the shape of the cavity. Other 

studies included investigations of sub-ice-shelf sediments and 

sediment dynamics; oceanographic measurements in Prydz 

Bay; glaciological measurements of ice-shelf velocity, strain, 

and thickness; remote sensing; and numerical modeling of iceshelf dynamics and ice-shelf and ocean interaction.

Other Studies

In the 1990s, a digital elevation model (DEM) of the 

Amery Ice Shelf and Lambert Glacier basin was derived 

using satellite radar altimetry data from the European Space 

Agency Remote Sensing Satellite ERS–1 (Fricker, Hyland, 

and others, 2000). Fricker and others (2001) were able to map 

the marine ice accreted to the base of Amery Ice Shelf by 

subtracting a radio-echo-sounding (RES) ice-thickness map 

that mapped only the freshwater ice, from a total ice-thickness 

map obtained by converting their DEM of the ice shelf. The 

marine ice ranged in thickness from a maximum of 190 m in 

the northwestern part of the ice shelf to 0 m in the southeastern 

part. Further detailed study of the marine ice was reported by 

Craven and others (2009).

King and others (2009) looked at long-term surface 

elevation changes of the central part of the ice shelf by 

comparing records from 1968 to 2007 that had been acquired 

by optical leveling, ERS radar altimetry, global positioning 

system (GPS), and Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite 

(ICESat) laser altimetry. They emphasized the importance of 

multidecadal observations and cautioned that emphasis on 

short-term changes can be misleading.

Fricker, Allison, and others (2002) used many data 

sources to redefine the location of the grounding zone of 

Amery Ice Shelf. They combined a DEM created from ERS–1 

satellite radar altimetry with measured ice thicknesses and a 

simple density model in a buoyancy calculation to determine 

the extent of the floating ice. The calculation showed that the 

ice is floating as far south as lat 73.2° S., about 240 km farther 

south than originally thought. The result was confirmed by 

static GPS height measurements, analysis of Landsat imagery, 

mass-flux calculations, and ice-radar data. Fricker and others 

(2009) remapped the grounding zone using interferometric 

synthetic aperture radar (InSAR), MOA, and ICESat data. 

The new mapping reveals several ice rises and other areas of 

grounding that had been undocumented, and it will increase 

the accuracy of models of the ice shelf and models of iceocean interactions.

Studies relating to potential melting in the Amery Ice 

Shelf area include those by Rignot and Jacobs (2002) and Williams and others (2002). Rignot and Jacobs (2002) calculated 

the bottom melt rate of large ice streams just seaward of their 

grounding lines, where melting is correlated with thermal 

forcing of the ocean water, and determined that melt rates 

are far higher than generally assumed. The melt rate at the 

Lambert Glacier grounding line was the third highest calculated for Antarctica—31±5 meters per year (m a-1

), exceeded 

only by Pine Island and Thwaites Glaciers. These results may 

have major ramifications because of the potential impact on 
Coastal Change 5

ice-sheet stability. Williams and others (2002) showed with 

modeling that ocean warming would increase ice-shelf melting and significantly impact the dynamics of the Antarctic ice 

sheet.

Velocity Estimates

Budd and others (1967) calculated ice velocities of 400 

m a-1 at the southern end of Amery Ice Shelf and 800 m a-1 at a 

point 66 km from the ice front. By comparing an astrofix at the 

front of the ice shelf taken by the Soviet expedition in 1957 

with one taken by ANARE in 1963, they estimated the velocity at the front to be 1,500±300 m a-1

.

Manson and others (2000) collected five seasons of GPS 

data between 1988 and 1995 to provide ice-surface velocity 

information at the 2,500-m topographic contour around the 

Amery Ice Shelf basin. The velocities varied between 0.5 m a-1

and 63 m a-1, with the higher values on outlet glaciers and at 

locations near the coast.

Since 2002, the Chinese National Antarctica Research 

Expedition (CHINARE) has been working on Amery Ice 

Shelf. In the 2002–03 and 2003–04 seasons, they used static 

GPS to determine ice velocities at five sites near the front of 

the ice shelf (Zhang and others, 2006). The velocity values 

ranged from 900 m a-1 to more than 1,500 m a-1, with the 

higher values in the center of the ice shelf, increasing toward 

the ice front, as would be expected. Some of the CHINARE 

field measurements, in addition to remote sensing data, were 

used by Wen and others (2007) in their calculation that the 

mass budgets of the Lambert, Mellor, and Fisher Glaciers are 

overall close to balance.

Young and Hyland (2002) used two sets of RADARSAT synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data acquired 24 days 

apart in September and October 1997 to generate ice-velocity 

estimates, using interferometric analysis (InSAR) of most of 

Amery Ice Shelf and adjoining grounded ice. Their results 

showed maximum values of 1,300 to 1,350 m a-1 at the center 

of the ice front. Inland, the velocity decreased toward the 

central area of the ice shelf, where it was 300 to 350 m a-1; but 

continuing south the velocity increased, reaching a maximum 

about 550 km from the ice front. Here the velocity was about 

800 m a-1 on Mellor Glacier and 930 m a-1 on Lambert Glacier. 

Young and Hyland (2002) concluded the transit time of ice 

from the grounding zone to the ice front was 1,100 years. The 

strain-rate field derived from the velocity estimates delineated the shear margins along the boundaries between the 

flow bands of the different ice streams that converge to form 

Amery Ice Shelf. Joughin (2002) used a combined InSAR 

and speckle-tracking method to analyze the same RADARSAT data to produce a velocity mosaic of Amery Ice Shelf. 

His results showed a similar pattern but somewhat slower 

velocities.

King and others (2007) compared geodetic-quality icevelocity measurements in the northern part of Amery Ice Shelf 

made in the 1960s with GPS studies made during the 1990s 

to determine if there had been any multidecadal change. They 

found general agreement at similar geographic locations, but 

with the possibility of a small (~2.2 m a-1) slowdown in overall 

velocity of the ice shelf.

The vectors representing ice velocity on this map are a 

subset of the velocity data compiled from various sources by 

the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) VELMAP 

project (see the Information Sources section on the map). 

These data were acquired in the field by repeat geodetic surveys using a combination of standard surveying techniques, 

electronic distance measurement, and GPS and, in the laboratory, by analysis of satellite-acquired remote sensing data. 

The data were collected between 1968 and 1995. The velocity 

vectors represent data collected from a traverse of the drainage 

basin perimeter at approximately the 2,500-m elevation level. 

The data were collected between 1989 and 1995 by the Australian Antarctic Division, and they were combined with icethickness data to estimate the ice flow across the line defined 

by the traverse. Approximately 47 gigatonnes per year (Gt a-1) 

of ice flows across the traverse line, of which approximately 

44 Gt a-1 discharges through Amery Ice Shelf (Kiernan, 2001).

Coastal Change

Between the Lars Christenson Expedition of 1936 and 

an ANARE astrofix made in 1963, the Amery Ice Shelf front 

advanced steadily at a rate of approximately 1,500 m a-1. 

However, between late 1963 and early 1964, a large piece of 

the ice shelf, about 9,600 km2, calved and floated to the west. 

This iceberg represented about 40 years’ worth of ice advance 

and approximately 20 percent of the ice shelf area (Budd and 

others, 1967). From 1965 to 2004, the ice front advanced with 

minimal calving, reflected in the ice-front observations shown 

on the map for 1969, 1974, 1988, 1997, 2003, and 2004. However, a rift noticeable in 1997 expanded in 2003 and 2004; 

typically an expanding rift signals the location of the next 

calving event. A cooperative U.S.-Australian project to monitor the propagating rift and the potential iceberg (30 km by 

30 km, colloquially called the “loose tooth”) was carried out 

during three field seasons from 2002 to 2006, examining seven 

episodes of rift propagation. The purpose was to determine if 

rift propagation and calving occur in response to short-term 

climate forcing through changes in winds, tides, and swell 

or changes in air or water temperature (Bassis and others, 

2005, 2007, 2008; Fricker and others, 2005). Bassis and others (2008) concluded that the rifting process is insensitive to 

short-term climatic events and is driven primarily by internal 

glaciological stress. As of March 2010, the “loose tooth” was 

still attached. Fricker, Young, and others (2002) investigated 

the iceberg-calving cycle of Amery Ice Shelf from 1963 to the 

2000s and concluded that the calving behavior follows a regular pattern in which ice-shelf advance is punctuated by calving 

every 60 to 70 years.
6 Coastal-Change and Glaciological Map of the Amery Ice Shelf Area, Antarctica: 1961–2004

In order to help understand the mechanism of calving 

from ice shelves, Alley and others (2008) proposed a simple 

law for ice-shelf calving. They hypothesized that alongflow ice-shelf spreading is the dominant control on calving. 

Preliminary comparisons of various ice shelves using their 

hypothesis are supportive of the concept.

References Cited

Alberts, F.G., comp. and ed., 1995, Geographic names of the 

Antarctic, second edition, 1995—Names approved by the 

United States Board on Geographic Names: Arlington, Va., 

National Science Foundation [Report] NSF 95–157, 834 p. 

Antarctic place-names can also be found at http://geonames.

usgs.gov/antarctic/index.html

Alley, Richard, 2007, Sea-level riddle; determining how fast 

ice sheets are melting is critical to future policy decisions: 

Technology Review, v. 110, no. 6, p. 25.

Alley, R.B., Horgan, H.J., Joughin, Ian, Cuffey, K.M., Dupont, 

T.K., Parizek, B.R., Anandakrishnan, Sridar, and Bassis, 

Jeremy, 2008, A simple law for ice-shelf calving: Science, v. 

322, no. 5906, p. 1344.

Allison, Ian, 1979, The mass budget of the Lambert Glacier 

drainage basin, Antarctica: Journal of Glaciology, v. 22, no. 

87, p. 223–235.

Allison, Ian, 1991, The Lambert Glacier/Amery Ice Shelf 

study, 1988–1991: Aurora, v. 10, no. 4, p. 22–25.

Allison, Ian, 2006, The AMISOR project: ice shelf dynamics 

and ice-ocean interaction of the Amery Ice Shelf: Forum for 

Research into Ice Shelf Processes (FRISP) Report No. 14, 

p. 74–82.

Bamber, J.L., Vaughan, D.G., and Joughin, Ian, 2000, Widespread complex flow in the interior of the Antarctic Ice 

Sheet: Science, v. 287, no. 5456, p. 1248–1250.

Bassis, J.N., Coleman, Richard, Fricker, H.A., and Minster, 

J.-B., 2005, Episodic propagation of a rift on the Amery Ice 

Shelf, East Antarctica: Geophysical Research Letters, v. 32, 

L06502. (Digital Object Identifier 10.1029/2004GL022048.)

Bassis, J.N., Fricker, H.A., Coleman, Richard, Bock, Yehuda, 

Behrens, James, Darnell, Dennis, Okal, Marianne, and 

Minster, J.-B., 2007, Seismicity and deformation associated 

with ice-shelf rift propagation: Journal of Glaciology, v, 53, 

no. 183, p. 523–536.

Bassis, J.N., Fricker, H.A., Coleman, Richard, and Minster, 

J.-B., 2008, An investigation into the forces that drive iceshelf rift propagation on the Amery Ice Shelf, East Antarctica: Journal of Glaciology, v. 54, no. 184, p. 17–27.

Brooks, R.L., Williams, R.S., Jr., Ferrigno, J.G., and Krabill, 

W.B., 1983, Amery Ice Shelf topography from satellite 

radar altimetry, in Oliver, R.L., James, P.R., and Jago, J.B., 

Antarctic Earth Science, Fourth International Symposium: 

Cambridge, United Kingdom, Cambridge University Press, 

p. 441–445.

Budd, W., 1966, The dynamics of the Amery Ice Shelf: Journal 

of Glaciology, v. 6, no. 45, p. 335–358.

Budd, W., Landon Smith, I.H., and Wishart, E., 1967, The 

Amery Ice Shelf, in Ôura, Hirobumi, ed., Physics of snow 

and ice: Hokkaido University, The Institute of Low Temperature Science, Proceedings of the International Conference on Low Temperature Science, August 14–19, 1966, 

Sapporo, Japan, v. 1, pt. 1, p. 447–467.

Budd, W.F., Corry, M.J., and Jacka, T.H., 1982, Results from 

the Amery Ice Shelf Project: Annals of Glaciology, v. 3, p. 

36–41.

Cook, A.J., and Vaughan, D.G., 2010, Overview of areal 

changes of the ice shelves on the Antarctic Peninsula over 

the past 50 years: The Cryosphere , v. 4, no. 1, p. 77–98.

Craven, Mike, Allison, Ian, Fricker, H.A., and Warner, Roland, 

2009, Properties of a marine ice layer under the Amery Ice 

Shelf, East Antarctica: Journal of Glaciology, v. 55, no. 192, 

p. 717–728.

De Angelis, Hernán, and Skvarca, Pedro, 2003, Glacier 

surge after ice shelf collapse: Science, v. 299, no. 5612, p. 

1560–1562.

Ferrigno, J.G., and Gould, W.G., 1987, Substantial changes 

in the coastline of Antarctica revealed by satellite imagery: 

Polar Record, v. 23, no. 146, p. 577–583.

Fricker, H.A., Hyland, Glenn, Coleman, Richard, and Young, 

N.W., 2000, Digital elevation models for the Lambert Glacier–Amery Ice Shelf system, East Antarctica, from ERS–1 

satellite radar altimetry: Journal of Glaciology, v. 46, no. 

155, p. 553–560.

Fricker, H.A., Warner, R.C., and Allison, Ian, 2000, Mass balance of the Lambert Glacier–Amery Ice Shelf system, East 

Antarctica: a comparison of computed balance fluxes and 

measured fluxes: Journal of Glaciology, v. 46, no. 155, p. 

561–570.

Fricker, H.A., Popov, Sergey, Allison, Ian, and Young, Neal, 

2001, Distribution of marine ice beneath the Amery Ice 

Shelf: Geophysical Research Letters, v. 28, no. 11, p. 

2241–2244.

Fricker, H.A., Allison, Ian, Craven, Mike, Hyland, Glenn, 

Ruddell, Andrew, Young, Neal, Coleman, Richard, King, 

Matt, Krebs, Kim, and Popov, Sergey, 2002, Redefinition of 

the Amery Ice Shelf, East Antarctica, grounding zone: Jour­
References Cited 7

nal of Geophysical Research, v. 107, no. 2092, 9 p. (Digital 

Object Identifier 10.1029/2001JB000383.)

Fricker, H.A., Young, N.W., Allison, Ian, and Coleman, Richard, 2002, Iceberg calving from the Amery Ice Shelf, East 

Antarctica: Annals of Glaciology, v. 34, p. 241–246.

Fricker, H.A., Young, N.W., Coleman, Richard, Bassis, J.N., 

and Minster, J-B., 2005, Multi-year monitoring of rift 

propagation on the Amery Ice Shelf, East Antarctica: Geophysical Research Letters, v. 32, L02502. (Digital Object 

Identifier 10.1029/2004GL021036.)

Fricker, H.A., Coleman, Richard, Padman, Laurie, Scambos, 

T.A., Bohlander, Jennifer, and Brunt, K.M., 2009, Mapping 

the grounding zone of the Amery Ice Shelf, East Antarctica, 

using InSAR, MODIS, and ICESat: Antarctic Science, v. 

21, no. 5 , p. 515–532.

Hambrey, M.J., and Dowdeswell, J.A., 1994, Flow regime of 

the Lambert Glacier–Amery Ice Shelf system, Antarctica: 

structural evidence from Landsat imagery: Annals of Glaciology, v. 20, p. 401–406.

Janssen, Volker, and Hurd, Rachael, 2008, Spatial sciences 

on ice: 50 years of Australian activities on the Amery Ice 

Shelf, East Antarctica: Australian Geographer, v. 39, iss. 4, 

p. 389–408.

Joughin, Ian, 2002, Ice-sheet velocity mapping: a combined 

interferometric and speckle-tracking approach: Annals of 

Glaciology, v. 34, p. 195–201.

Kiernan, Rob, 2001, Ice sheet surface velocities along the 

Lambert Glacier basin traverse route: Antarctic CRC [Cooperative Research Centre] Research Report, v. 23, p. 1–76.

King, M.A., Coleman, Richard, Morgan, P.J., and Hurd, R.S., 

2007, Velocity change of the Amery Ice Shelf, East Antarctica, during the period 1968–1999: Journal of Geophysical 

Research, v. 112, F01013, 11 p. (Digital Object Identifier 

10.1029/2006JF000609.)

King, M.A., Coleman, Richard, Freemantle, A-J., Fricker, 

H.A., Hurd, R.S., Legrésy, Benoit, Padman, Laurie, and 

Warner, Roland, 2009, A 4-decade record of elevation 

change of the Amery Ice Shelf, East Antarctica: Journal of 

Geophysical Research, v. 114, F01010, 13 p. (Digital Object 

Identifier 10.1029/2008JF001094.)

Law, Phillip, 1967, Movement of the Amery Ice Shelf: Polar 

Record, v. 13, no. 85, p. 430–441.

Manson, Rachael, Coleman, Richard, Morgan, Peter, and 

King, Matt, 2000, Ice velocities of the Lambert Glacier 

from static GPS observations: Earth, Planets, and Space, v. 

52, no. 11, p. 1031–1036.

Nudel’man, A.V., 1966a, Soviet Antarctic Expeditions 

1955–1959: Jerusalem, Israel, Program for Scientific Translations, 138 p. (Translated from Russian: [no author] 1959, 

Sovetskie ekspeditsii v Antarktiku 1955–1959 gg.: Moskva, 

Izdatel’stvo Akademii Nauk SSSR.)

Nudel’man, A.V., 1966b, Soviet Antarctic Expeditions 1959–

1961: Jerusalem, Israel, Program for Scientific Translations, 

220 p. (Translated from Russian: Silkin, B.I., ed., 1962, 

Sovetskie ekspeditsii v Antarktiku 1959–1961 gg.: Moskva, 

Izdatel’stvo Akademii Nauk SSSR.)

Nudel’man, A.V., 1968, Soviet Antarctic Expeditions 1961–

1963: Jerusalem, Israel, Program for Scientific Translations, 

156 p. (Translated from Russian: Silkin, B.I., ed., 1965, 

Sovetskie ekspeditsii v Antarktiku 1961–1963 gg.: Moskva, 

Izdatel’stvo Nauka.)

Oerlemans, J., 1993, Possible changes in the mass balance 

of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets and their effects 

on sea level, in Warrick, R.A., Barrow, E.M., and Wigley, 

T.M.L., eds., Climate and sea level change: observations, 

projections and implications: New York, Cambridge University Press, p. 144–161.

Rignot, Eric, 2002, Mass balance of East Antarctic glaciers 

and ice shelves from satellite data: Annals of Glaciology, v. 

34, p. 217–227.

Rignot, Eric, and Jacobs, S.S., 2002, Rapid bottom melting 

widespread near Antarctic ice sheet grounding lines: Science, v. 296, no. 5575, p. 2020–2023.

Roscoe, J.H., 1952, Contribution to the study of Antarctic 

surface features by photogeographical methods: University 

of Maryland, Ph.D. dissertation, 442 p.

Scambos, T.A., Haran, T.M., Fahnestock, M.A., Painter, T.H., 

and Bohlander, Jennifer, 2007, MODIS-based Mosaic of 

Antarctica (MOA) data sets: continent-wide surface morphology and snow grain size: Remote Sensing of Environment, v. 111, no. 2-3, p. 242–257.

Sievers, Jörn, and Bennat, Heinz, 1989, Reference systems of 

maps and geographic information systems of Antarctica: 

Antarctic Science, v. 1, no. 4, p. 351–362.

Stonehouse, Bernard, ed., 2002, Encyclopedia of Antarctica 

and the southern oceans: John Wiley and Sons, 391 p. (Digital Object Identifier 10.1002/joc.987.)

Wen JiaHong, Jezek, K.C., Csatho, B.M., Herzfeld, U.C., Farness, K.L., and Huybrechts, Philippe, 2007, Mass budgets 

of the Lambert, Mellor, and Fisher Glaciers and basal fluxes 

beneath their flowbands on Amery Ice Shelf: Science in 

China, Series D, Earth Science, v. 50, no. 11, p. 1693–1706.

Williams, M.J.M., Warner, R.C., and Budd, W.F., 2002, Sensitivity of the Amery Ice Shelf, Antarctica, to changes in the 

climate of the Southern Ocean: Journal of Climate, v. 15, 

iss. 19, p. 2740–2757.
8 Coastal-Change and Glaciological Map of the Amery Ice Shelf Area, Antarctica: 1961–2004

Williams, R.S., Jr., Ferrigno, J.G., and Foley, K.M., 2005, rev. 

2011, Coastal-change and glaciological maps of Antarctica: 

U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2005–3055, 2 p.

Young, N.W., and Hyland, G., 2002, Velocity and strain rates 

derived from InSAR analysis over the Amery Ice Shelf, East 

Antarctica: Annals of Glaciology, v. 34, p. 228–234.

Zhang Shengkai, E Dongchen, and Wang Zemin, 2006, Ice 

velocities on the front of Amery Ice Shelf, East Antarctica, 

from static GPS observations in Geoinformatics 2006: Proceedings of SPIE, v. 6418, 64180Q. (Digital Object Identifier 10.1117/12.712643.)

Zwally, H.J., Giovinetto, M.B., Jun Li, Cornejo, H.G., Beckley, M.A., Brenner, A.C., Saba, J.L., and Donghui Yi, 2005, 

Mass changes of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets 

and shelves and contributions to sea-level rise, 1992–2002: 

Journal of Glaciology, v. 51, no. 175, p. 509–527.