Temporal Variations in Ice Cap of Antarctica and Greenland

Abstract

The Antarctic and Greenland polar ice caps are the largest mass of ice in world. Globally the climate system is considerably affected by these ice sheets. Several natural and anthropogenic activities have affected the balance of mass of ice sheets. Ice sheets mass loss is a consequence of changes of patterns of precipitation, changing wind patterns, increasing global temperature and increased glacial flow. Nearly 75% of the ice mass loss has been observed in these regions since last ten years. A sharp increase in ice mass loss in Antarctic and Greenland regions are detected through 0.3mm increase in sea level per year. In this research paper Satellite remote sensing techniques including Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) is used to monitor and reveal the patterns of ice melt and glacier flow in these regions.