Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 4.1. Characteristics of the Greenland and Antarctica ice sheets (Oard, 2005).
Property
Greenland
Antarctica
Area (10
6
km
2
)
1.8
13.9
Volume (10
6
km
3
)
2.9
29
Average depth (m)
1,600
1,900
Maximum depth (m)
3,370
4,200
Current average precipitation (cm water per year)
32
19
Increase in height of oceans if completely melted (m)
7
68
Figure 4.1. Greenland topographical map showing the locations of several major ice core sites.
Numbers are elevations in meters (adapted from Oard, 2005).
ice core recovered in the world at the time. Data are available at
GISP2 was located at the highest point on the Greenland ice sheet (3,208m
above sea level) on the ice divide of central Greenland. Here the ice extends
almost vertically down to the bottom. This is the optimal place for drilling.
The similarity of the GISP2 and GRIP records is compelling evidence that the
stratigraphy of the ice is reliable and unaffected by extensive folding, intrusion, or
hiatuses from the surface to great depths. This agreement provides strong support
for a climatic origin of even the minor features of the records (see
Figure 3.17
).
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