20th century behaviour of Drygalski Ice Tongue, Ross Sea, Antarctica

Drygalski Ice Tongue is the floating seaward extension of David Glacier, a large outlet glacier draining from Talos and Circe Domes of the East Antarctic ice sheet. Several explorers mapped and described Drygalski Ice Tongue in the early years of the 20th century and, although this information does not allow detailed interpretation of ice-tongue behaviour, it is clear that from 1900-12 it was a significant feature extending 65-75km from the coast. More detailed information has been compiled from aerial photographs and satellite images. In December 1956, the ice tongue was about 100km long. By December 1957, a major calving event had occurred and the outer 40km of the ice tongue had broken away. This is the only major 20th century calving event identified, and it may have occurred during a violent storm that affected the Ross Sea in mid-June 1957. By 1960, further minor ice loss had occucrred but, since that time, Drygalski Ice Tongue has maintained the same shape. -from Authors