Antarctica’s main natural attraction, the glaciers, like steadfast soldiers, guard the approaches to the southernmost continent of the planet. Situated on the continent’s shelf, they have for centuries blocked the way to the interior of Antarctica, graciously agreeing to let only the most worthy into the heart of the continent: the brave, the hardy and those who honor its vast expanse of ice. About 50 thousand tourists from all over the planet arrive annually to see the glaciers of Antarctica. On board the expedition ship they follow along the shores of the continent, admiring their majestic hulks, sheer walls up to 180 meters high, precipitating to the calm ocean. Some Antarctic glaciers are as large as entire European countries! They are also the site of icebergs. Glaciers are studied by a special branch of science – glaciology.
Ross Shelf Glacier
The Ross Shelf Glacier is the hallmark of Antarctica. For many years, it was the reason why explorers could not go deep into the continent – it stood as an impregnable rock in the way of ships that broke through the Antarctic pack ice, invariably forcing the pioneers to turn back. It is not surprising that it was called no other name than “barrier”. And the first to do it was the Englishman James Ross, after whom the “barrier” was later named. The honor of crossing the Ross Ice Shelf belongs to Scott and Amundsen: the former thoroughly explored the shelf and its surroundings, and the latter founded here a stationary base for the expedition to the South Pole.
Today one can see the Ross Ice Shelf within the framework of Antarctic cruises starting from New Zealand – it is the closest to this archipelago where the glacier is located. The journey across East Antarctica lasts about a month, the ice shelf glacier is reached approximately on the 15th day of the journey. A helicopter flight to the glacier is offered from the ship. The sheer wall of clear-blue ice plunging into the sea from 30-50 meters height is really a magnificent and fantastic sight!
Ronne-Filchner Shelf Glacier
The second largest ice shelf glacier in Antarctica, bearing the complex and proud name of Ronne-Filchner, is only slightly less picturesque than its counterpart, named in honor of James Ross. The Ronne-Filchner Shelf Glacier is located in West Antarctica and rises as a formidable giant above the Weddell Sea. Its impressive size – 200 by 450 km and 30 meters above sea level – make the surrounding scenery one of the most desirable for contemplation in Antarctica.
The closest “big land” to the glacier is Argentina, so Ronne-Filchner is home to Argentina’s Belgrano Polar Research Station, currently Argentina’s southernmost station on Earth with a population of 21. Soviet, American and British stations once operated nearby. By the way, it was the Soviet station on a giant iceberg that “broke away” from the Ronne-Filchner glacier in 1986 and was carried into the ocean. You can see the glacier as part of an Antarctic cruise starting from Ushuaia.
Larsen Shelf Glacier
The closest glacier to “civilization” and accessible for sightseeing, the Larsen Ice Shelf, is located almost at the very end of the Antarctic Peninsula. Its vicinity is one of the indispensable points of the route of expedition ships in Antarctic cruises. Alas, the Larsen ice shelf cannot boast of crazy views (it cannot compete with Ross and Ronne-Filchner), but even here there is something to see. Its main “feature” is the visible result of global warming of the Earth’s climate. Once the Larsen Ice Shelf consisted of three large glaciers, but with the increase in temperature it began to lose significant masses of ice. Amazingly, the process of destruction took just over a month, despite the fact that the glacier had been growing for the past ten thousand years – an unfortunate testament to the fragility of nature. The nearby Weddell Sea immediately acquired an extra thousand icebergs, and tourists got an opportunity to see a considerable number of weighty fragments of blue-blue ice floating in the ocean.
McMurdo Shelf Glacier
The McMurdo Shelf Glacier is actually a part of its neighbor and “big brother”. the Ross Ice Shelf. Among Antarctic explorers and enthusiastic travelers it is known first of all not for its landscapes (although they should not be underestimated), but for the fact that it is home to the “capital of Antarctica” – the largest research station McMurdo, owned by the United States, with more than a hundred buildings.
The McMurdo Glacier is only 12 geographical degrees away from the South Pole; it is about 3500 km to the nearest “big land” – New Zealand. Despite the thick ice “bedding”, the climate here is very mild for Antarctica: about -3 … -5 ° C in summer and, as a rule, not lower than -30 ° C in winter. Tourists visit the McMurdo Glacier during their cruises in East Antarctica, usually in January-February, when the coastal waters are free of ice. By the way, according to scientists’ research, there is life in the thickness of the shelf glacier – some almost invisible crustacean worms were found there.
Shackleton Shelf Glacier
Named after the famous British polar explorer Ernest Shackleton, a participant of four Antarctic expeditions, the Shackleton Ice Shelf is inaccessible for tourists traveling to Antarctica on board a ship. It lies in one of the most inaccessible areas of Antarctica – at its extreme eastern point, on the coast of Queen Mary Land. Its impressive length – about 440 km – and remarkable width of almost 170 km make it one of the most picturesque on the icy continent, but only scientists and professional polar explorers have an opportunity to admire this natural beauty. Pale blue ice, rising above the sea to a height of up to 35 meters, and giant 300-meter ice domes crowning its surface, together with icebergs periodically breaking off with a dry crack – this is the portrait of the Shackleton Ice Shelf. And the total thickness of its ice, including the underwater part, is approaching 200 meters.