Validation of the Antarctic Snow Accumulation and Ice Discharge basal stress boundary of the southeastern region of the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica

The largest ice shelf in Antarctic, Ross Ice Shelf, was investigated over the years of 1988–2014. Near the basal stress boundary between the ice shelf and the West Antarctic ice sheet, ice velocity ranges from a few meters per year to several hundred meters per year in ice streams. Ice velocity increases as the ice moves seaward, reaching more than 1 km yr−1 in the central portions of the ice front. Most of the drainage from West Antarctica into the Ross Ice Shelf flows down two major ice streams, each of which discharges more than 20 km3 of ice each year.