An ice shelf is a seaward extension of the ice sheet covering the land in the region. Changes in shelves are governed by a combination of variables, including temperature and precipitation. Ice shelves can be fed by snow falling directly on the shelves or snow accumulating inland and pushed seaward. Scientists believe that one cause of the recent break-ups is a 2.5 C increase in mean annual Antarctic air temperatures. What we are seeing now are changes only just working through to glaciers and ice sheets.
Greater snowfalls are likely, tending to increase the amount of ice.
Additional Information British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 OET, United Kingdom. Copyright 1995 by the Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment, and Security .