East Antarctic Ice Sheet

The East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) is one of two large ice sheets in Antarctica, and the largest in the entire world. It rests upon a large land mass, contrary to that of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS), which rests on frozen water. The larger of the two, the EAIS lies between 45 ^o West and 168 ^o East longitudinally. The EAIS is separated from the WAIS by the Transantarctic Mountains.

The East Antarctica Ranges are a group of mountain ranges situated on the EAIS. The East Antarctic two-thousanders is a list of the 29 known peaks within these ranges whose summits reach or exceed 2000 meters above sea level.

The EAIS is also home to the thickest point on the Antarctic continent, at 15,700 ft (4,800 m). Most well known, however, is that the EAIS is home to the South Pole (commonly mistaken for the Magnetic South Pole.)

Scientific controversy

Current international focus on global warming issues has drawn attention to the melting of the polar ice caps. According to researchers at the University of Michigan, satellite radar altimeter data indicate that the EAIS "interior" area is actually "gaining" mass at a rate of 45 billion tonnes per year [ [http://www.physorg.com/news4180.html East Antarctic Ice Sheet Gains Mass and Slows Sea Level Rise, Study Finds ] ] , while a GRACE-based study found that the "total" Antarctic ice sheet (including WAIS, and EAIS coastal areas) is losing mass at a rate of 152 cubic kilometers (ca 139 billion tonnes) per year [Velicogna, Isabella; Wahr, John & Scott, Jim (2006-03-02), Antarctic ice sheet losing mass, says University of Colorado study, University of Colorado at Boulder, . Retrieved on 2007-04-21] .

Political controversy

In spite of the Antarctic Treaty, many countries hold a claim on portions of Antarctica. Within EAIS, the United Kingdom, France, Norway, Australia, Chile and Argentina all claim a portion (sometimes overlapping) as their own territory.

References