PhD Student Duanne White "Skating on thin Ice"?
For the past three years PhD student Duanne White has been studying the Lambert Glacier-Amery Ice Shelf system in the Mac.Robertson Land region of East Antarctica. Duanne writes the following about his project...
"Our research aims to reconstruct the height of the Lambert Glacier-Amery Ice Shelf system in the Mac.Robertson Land region of East Antarctica. This feature currently drains approximately 15% of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, and has significant potential to influence global sea level in both the past and under a potential greenhouse climate. Fortunately for us, the Prince Charles Mountains (PCMs) protrude from the ice along the western flank of this drainage system, and can behave as "dipstics", providing valuable records of the extent of these glaciers in the past.
With the help of the Australian Antarctic Division, we carried expeditions to the PCMs during the last two Antarctic summers. Temporary field camps were established, some of which were up to 1500 km from Davis, the nearest permanent Australian base. While the camps were set up with the help of helicopters and light aircraft, day to day fieldwork was undertaken by hiking and/or quad bike riding to the many locations of interest. We experienced the usual weather conditions for the area which ranged from comfortable (+5oC, sunny, no wind), to not so pleasant (-15oC and blizzarding).
Our investigations into the moraines and glacially scoured bedrock present on these mountains has produced evidence for at least three periods of past glacial high stand. Laboratory analysis of the 3 tonnes of sediment and rock collected during the expeditions, including Cosmogenic Exposure Age dating of bedrock and glacial erratics is expected to reveal insights into how this part of the ice sheet responds to, and interacts with global climate and sea level."
For further information on postgraduate study in the Department of Physical Geography please contact the Department's Administrative Officer at
pg_admin@els.mq.edu.au .