Articles | Volume 11, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-427-2017
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-427-2017
Research article
 | 
08 Feb 2017
Research article |  | 08 Feb 2017

Simultaneous disintegration of outlet glaciers in Porpoise Bay (Wilkes Land), East Antarctica, driven by sea ice break-up

Bertie W. J. Miles, Chris R. Stokes, and Stewart S. R. Jamieson

Data sets

Bootstrap Sea Ice Concentrations from Nimbus-7 SMMR and DMSP SSM/I-SSMIS, Version 2. J. C. Comiso https://doi.org/10.5067/J6JQLS9EJ5HU

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Short summary
We observe a large simultaneous calving event in Porpoise Bay, East Antarctica, where ~ 2900 km2 of ice was removed from floating glacier tongues between January and April 2007. This event was caused by the break-up of the multi-year sea ice usually occupies the bay, which we link to climatic forcing. We also observe a similar large calving event in March 2016 (~ 2200 km2), which we link to the long-term calving cycle of Holmes (West) Glacier.