Wilkes Subglacial Basin

The Wilkes Subglacial Basin (WSB) is a large subglacial basin situated generally southward of George V Coast and westward of Prince Albert Mountains in East Antarctica. The feature is approximately 1400 km long and 400 km wide.

It was discovered by the United States Victoria Land Traverse 1959-1960.[1] It was named by Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (US-ACAN) (1961) for the proximity of the western portion of this feature to Wilkes Land, and for the explorations along George V Coast by the United States Exploring Expedition (1838–42) under Lieutenant Charles Wilkes, USN.

A study reported in Nature Climate Change on May 5, 2014[2] says the marine ice trapped in the basin is at risk of melting over the next 200 years. If unstopped, the East Antarctica ice would then move out into the sea over the next 5,000 to 10,000 years and could raise sea levels worldwide by 300–400 cm over that span of time.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Weihaupt, J., 1961,Geophysical Studies in Victoria Land, Antarctica,Report No. 1, Geophysical and Polar Research Center, University of Wisconsin Madison, 123 pages
  2. ↑ http://www.nature.com/nclimate/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nclimate2226.html
  3. ↑ http://news.discovery.com/earth/global-warming/uncorking-east-antarctica-could-mean-10-foot-sea-level-rise-140504.htm

 This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Geological Survey document "Wilkes Subglacial Basin" (content from the Geographic Names Information System).

Coordinates: 75°0′S 145°0′E / 75.000°S 145.000°E