George VI Ice Shelf: lakes and ponds

Our field area is characterized by a large "epi-shelf" lake, Ablation Lake. An epishelf lake is constrained by floating ice of the ice shelf, so it has a hydraulic connection with the open sea. The lake is thus saline, and rises and falls with the tides. The ice shelf is also well known for its abundant supraglacial (surface) lakes. By late summer parts of the ice shelf are covered by up to 40% of water in late summer, mostly in the form of elongated lakes parallel to ice structures. These are especially well seen in satellite imagery. These lakes and the surrounding saturated snow restrict fieldwork to spring and early summer. During our visit in November and early December (early summer), lakes were mostly frozen adjacent to Alexander Island, but by late November they were beginning to thaw. Some lakes had drained the previous summer, leaving stranded ice blocks.