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is having some effect and that this ice sheet may have started to shrink slightly. Over the past 50 years, the west coast of the
Antarctic Peninsula has been – and still is – one of the most rapidly warming parts of the planet, and the coasts of the Peninsula are the only parts of West Antarctica
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221:(1957–1958) and explorations which disclosed that the Transantarctic Mountains provide a useful regional border between West Antarctica and
283:-covered rocks are free of snow during the summer months, although the weather is still intensely cold and the growing season very short.
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Jordan, Tom A.; Riley, Teal R.; Siddoway, Christine S. (2020). "The geological history and evolution of West
Antarctica".
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West
Antarctica was named in the early 20th century. That usage became standard following the
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369:"WMO verifies one temperature record for Antarctic continent and rejects another"
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The geologic history of West
Antarctica was summarized in a 2020 publication.
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West
Antarctica is mostly covered by a massive ice sheet referred to as the
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that can cope with the intense cold of winter and the short growing-season.
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and have the warmest climate in
Antarctica. The rocks are clad in
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59:
63:
Labeled map of
Antarctica, with West Antarctica on the left.
276:
139:
48:
Part of
Antarctica that lies within the Western Hemisphere
134:
that become (in summer) ice-free. These constitute the
78:, is the part of that continent that lies within the
465:
430:
251:
The parts of West
Antarctica not covered with ice (
1180:Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs
293:Tectonic evolution of the Transantarctic Mountains
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246:
858:
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474:. National Geographic Society. Archived from
407:"Antarctic ice sheet is an 'awakened giant'"
149:
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125:West Antarctica is largely covered by the
153:
58:
50:
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433:Nature Reviews Earth & Environment
263:region known as Marielandia Antarctic
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227:Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names
1371:
240:has shown signs of decreasing mass.
521:
325:Geographic Names Information System
55:Almost blank map of West Antarctica
13:
122:towards the tip of South America.
74:, one of the two major regions of
14:
1428:
466:World Wildlife Fund, ed. (2001).
129:, but there have been signs that
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313: This article incorporates
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114:). It may be considered a giant
330:United States Geological Survey
255:), which are the coasts of the
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468:"Marielandia Antarctic tundra"
459:
424:
399:
386:
361:
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219:International Geophysical Year
158:Geographical map of Antarctica
1:
303:
271:). This area has the warmest
247:Marielandia Antarctic tundra
136:Marielandia Antarctic tundra
7:
472:WildWorld Ecoregion Profile
345:"Impacts of climate change"
286:
236:. In recent decades, this
229:approved the name in 1962.
190:, offshore islands such as
10:
1433:
298:West Antarctic Rift System
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445:10.1038/s43017-019-0013-6
1030:Antarctic/Southern Ocean
641:Filchner–Ronne Ice Shelf
234:West Antarctic Ice Sheet
200:Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf
150:Location and description
112:Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf
110:(largely covered by the
96:West Antarctic Ice Sheet
92:Transantarctic Mountains
1417:Geography of Antarctica
102:(partly covered by the
86:. It is separated from
670:Seas and major islands
349:Discovering Antarctica
315:public domain material
159:
118:, stretching from the
98:. It lies between the
94:and is covered by the
64:
56:
1407:Regions of Antarctica
273:climate in Antarctica
157:
62:
54:
661:Sulzberger Ice Shelf
620:Queen Elizabeth Land
576:King Edward VII Land
188:King Edward VII Land
1343:Robert Falcon Scott
1000:South magnetic pole
958:Antarctic Peninsula
953:Biogeographic realm
537:Antarctic Peninsula
257:Antarctic Peninsula
168:Antarctic Peninsula
127:Antarctic ice sheet
84:Antarctic Peninsula
82:, and includes the
30: /
1281:Telecommunications
1195:Territorial claims
803:King George Island
699:Bellingshausen Sea
160:
80:Western Hemisphere
65:
57:
1389:
1388:
1348:Ernest Shackleton
1276:Research stations
1221:Antarctic English
1190:National programs
1185:Military activity
1159:COVID-19 pandemic
1116:
1115:
985:Floristic Kingdom
890:Antarctic sea ice
840:
839:
825:James Ross Island
808:Livingston Island
783:Coronation Island
719:Rothschild Island
629:Major ice shelves
413:. 2 February 2005
320:"West Antarctica"
72:Lesser Antarctica
1424:
1374:
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1364:
1363:
1338:James Clark Ross
1310:Famous explorers
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798:Joinville Island
788:D'Urville Island
709:Alexander Island
651:Larsen Ice Shelf
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1322:Richard E. Byrd
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1266:Protected areas
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1023:Bodies of Water
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1007:West Antarctica
963:East Antarctica
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793:Elephant Island
739:Thurston Island
704:Adelaide Island
665:
636:Abbot Ice Shelf
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588:Marie Byrd Land
525:
523:West Antarctica
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269:Marie Byrd Land
259:, constitute a
253:Antarctic oasis
249:
223:East Antarctica
192:Adelaide Island
184:Marie Byrd Land
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88:East Antarctica
68:West Antarctica
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1332:Ui-te-Rangiora
1329:
1327:Douglas Mawson
1324:
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1317:Roald Amundsen
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1256:Gateway cities
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1216:Antarctica Day
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1086:Microorganisms
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1050:List of rivers
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980:Extreme points
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773:Brabant Island
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763:Southern Ocean
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724:Sherman Island
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656:Ross Ice Shelf
653:
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646:Getz Ice Shelf
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613:Saunders Coast
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554:Ellsworth Land
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439:(2): 117–133.
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373:public.wmo.int
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208:Ross Ice Shelf
198:, notably the
180:Ellsworth Land
151:
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131:climate change
104:Ross Ice Shelf
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1261:Midwinter Day
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1200:Treaty System
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1055:McMurdo Sound
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1038:
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849:
848:
845:
831:
830:Hearst Island
828:
826:
823:
822:
821:
818:
814:
813:Renaud Island
811:
809:
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799:
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784:
781:
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769:
768:Anvers Island
766:
765:
764:
761:
759:
756:
752:
749:
748:
747:
744:
740:
737:
735:
734:Spaatz Island
732:
730:
729:Smyley Island
727:
725:
722:
720:
717:
715:
714:Latady Island
712:
710:
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705:
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633:
631:
627:
621:
618:
614:
611:
609:
608:Ruppert Coast
606:
604:
601:
599:
598:Bakutis Coast
596:
594:
591:
590:
589:
586:
582:
581:Shirase Coast
579:
578:
577:
574:
570:
567:
565:
562:
560:
559:English Coast
557:
556:
555:
552:
548:
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478:on 2010-03-08
477:
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427:
412:
411:New Scientist
408:
402:
395:
392:Balch, 1902;
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173:
169:
165:
164:Pacific Ocean
162:Lying on the
156:
147:
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73:
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61:
53:
46:
43:
1246:Firefighting
1231:Demographics
1154:Colonization
1149:World War II
1006:
692:Siple Island
687:Grant Island
677:Amundsen Sea
569:Eights Coast
522:
480:. Retrieved
476:the original
471:
461:
436:
432:
426:
415:. Retrieved
401:
394:Nordenskiöld
388:
377:. Retrieved
375:. 2021-06-30
372:
363:
352:. Retrieved
348:
339:
323:
307:
261:biodiversity
250:
242:
231:
216:
161:
124:
71:
67:
66:
15:
1334:(legendary)
1241:Field camps
1139:Expeditions
1065:Weddell Sea
1045:Lake Vostok
1040:Lake Mercer
912:Ice shelves
820:Weddell Sea
751:Ross Island
682:Dean Island
603:Hobbs Coast
564:Bryan Coast
547:Palmer Land
542:Graham Land
204:Weddell Sea
196:ice shelves
176:Palmer Land
172:Graham Land
108:Weddell Sea
106:), and the
37: /
1396:Categories
1144:Heroic Age
995:South Pole
905:Heat waves
874:Antarctica
758:Scotia Sea
482:2008-01-26
417:2008-01-26
379:2021-11-20
354:2021-11-20
304:References
206:, and the
120:South Pole
76:Antarctica
34:79°S 100°W
1296:Transport
1035:Lake CECs
1012:ice sheet
968:ice sheet
937:Volcanoes
927:Mountains
882:Geography
453:2662-138X
238:ice sheet
116:peninsula
39:-79; -100
1366:Category
1271:Religion
1173:Politics
1091:Wildlife
1060:Ross Sea
922:Glaciers
746:Ross Sea
287:See also
275:and the
212:Ross Sea
100:Ross Sea
1376:Commons
1291:Tourism
1236:Economy
1209:Society
1131:History
1101:Mammals
990:Islands
946:Regions
917:Geology
895:Climate
396:, 1905)
267:(after
210:on the
202:on the
144:lichens
90:by the
1412:Tundra
973:shield
932:Tundra
451:
281:lichen
265:tundra
225:. The
194:, and
178:) and
170:(with
140:mosses
1381:Index
1301:Women
1251:Flags
1226:Crime
1164:Years
1106:Krill
1096:Birds
1081:Flora
530:Areas
317:from
70:, or
25:100°W
1286:Time
1074:Life
449:ISSN
279:and
277:moss
186:and
174:and
142:and
22:79°S
441:doi
1398::
470:.
447:.
435:.
409:.
371:.
347:.
328:.
322:.
214:.
182:,
866:e
859:t
852:v
515:e
508:t
501:v
485:.
455:.
443::
437:1
420:.
382:.
357:.
332:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.