American Highland

The American Highland is a large, high area of land in East Antarctica. It is mostly covered by ice and is part of the Antarctic Plateau. The region is very cold and dry, with strong winds and almost no life.

 Location 
The American Highland is located in Wilkes Land, in the eastern part of Antarctica. It lies near other icy regions such as:
 Prince Charles Mountains
 Aurora Subglacial Basin
 Wilkes Subglacial Basin

Its exact borders are not clearly marked because the land is buried under thick ice sheets.

 Name 
The area was named "American Highland" by early explorers and scientists because it was mapped using U.S. satellite and aerial surveys during the Cold War era. The name reflects the involvement of the United States in Antarctic research.

 History 
The American Highland has been studied mainly through remote sensing, because it is covered by thick ice and very hard to reach. It was first mapped during the Cold War, when the United States and other countries were exploring Antarctica using aerial photography and satellite images.

In the 1950s and 1960s, U.S. aircraft from missions like Operation Highjump and Operation Deep Freeze flew over East Antarctica. These missions helped create the first detailed maps of the ice-covered land, including the area now called the American Highland.

The name "American Highland" was given by scientists using U.S. mapping data to describe this high, icy region in Wilkes Land. It was not named because the U.S. claimed the land (all territorial claims are frozen under the Antarctic Treaty System), but to recognize America's role in its discovery and study.

Later, during the 1970s to the 2000s, international programs like RADARSAT (a Canadian satellite radar mission), NASA's Operation IceBridge, and the BEDMAP and BEDMAP2 projects helped improve our knowledge of the land beneath the ice, including the height, shape, and ice thickness of the American Highland.

Today, scientists continue to study the region using ice-penetrating radar, satellite altimetry, and climate models to learn more about how this part of Antarctica is changing over time.

 Geography 
The American Highland is part of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, one of the two major ice sheets covering the continent. It is a highland, meaning the land underneath the ice is higher than surrounding areas. The ice in this region is very thick—often more than 3,000 meters (9,800 feet).

 Exploration and Research 
Most of what we know about the American Highland comes from:
 Satellite images
 Ice-penetrating radar
 International scientific surveys

No research stations are directly on the American Highland, but nearby bases like Dome C (France/Italy) and Wilkes Station (Australia) help with studying the region.

 Climate 
The climate in the American Highland is:
 Ice cap climate (EF) – temperatures never rise above freezing
 Extremely cold – winter temperatures can go below −60°C (−76°F)
 Low snowfall – it is a type of polar desert

References

Category:Antarctica