Desarrollo de la Antártica

EL DESARROLLO DE LA ANTÁRTICA the Antarctic continent. A part of the outer edge of ice-sheet is ex– tended into the sea water area, such as, for examp1e, Ross sea, thus formíng the ice-Slhell. In addition, the surface parts of sea water su– rrounding rile Amtarctic are frozen and form sea ices} which cover the sea area near the Antarctic coast line o·f about 2 x 10 7 km 2 at maxi– mum. Thus, t::he Antarctic continent can be called by aH means the "",hite continent. a) Progresses 01 Antarctic Glacíolof!:Y Results of classical descriptive ¡glaciological researches were reported even by the Scott expedition team ir. 1910-12. It may be considered however that systematic glaciological researches of Antarctica by means of modern instrumental techniques were initiated by the Nor– weg:an-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition (1949-52) in Western Dronning !M ,audland. Their main glaciological research item are: l. the energy exchange between ice and vhe atmosphere, 2. mass balan– ce of ice and snow, 3. ice movements and 4. determinations of ice– sheet thickness with the aid of seismic method. During the IGY and the followi.ng period, the traverse surveys to carry out similar ¡glaciological researches were conducted along varÍous traverse routes as illustrated in Fig. 12. For measuring the thickness of ice-sheet, the radio echo sounder which is a sort of ice-radar was developed in addition to tThe classical seismic reflection method. Fig. 3 illustrates an example of the ice-sheet profile thus abserved. This figure shows not only the ice-sheet profile but also the bed rock sur– face topography along a meridian plant from 90 0 E to 90 0 W through the Sout:h Poleo Namely, the ice-sheet thickness measurements como bined with the determinations of ice-sheet surface altitude have re– sulted1in the geomorphological knowledge of he íb~ed rock surface to– pography in Antarctica. On those days of lGY} the ice core drilling programs were started. The physical a,nd chemical properties of ice core of about 300 m long obtaíned by such a drilling program at Byrd Station was anal)"Zed in fair detail. Namely, the variations of density, ice crystal structure, contents of rare chemical elements, etc. as dependent on the deptih of ice from the surface were determined. At the same time, systema:· tic glaciologícal studies in the ice shelves also were started. Tthe deep core drilling project at Little America V Station on the Ross ice sheIf carried out in 1958, (e. g. Gow, 1963), would be a typical example af such glaciological researches of the ice shelves. The ice core of