Pine Island, Antarctica, is a remote paradise for the adventurous traveler. This icy expanse offers breathtaking landscapes, with colossal glaciers and pristine snowfields stretching as far as the eye can see. Known for its rapidly changing ice dynamics, the island is a focal point for climate research, attracting scientists and explorers alike. Wildlife enthusiasts can marvel at the resilient seals and penguins that call this icy haven home. Although not a typical tourist destination, Pine Island’s stark beauty and scientific significance make it an unforgettable journey for those daring enough to visit.
Despite this interest, Pine Island Glacier is difficult to access. It is remote from any research bases, so flying there means making multiple short flights, and making fuel depots to allow scientists to hop to the location. Low lying cloud often makes flying hazardous. The ice stream is heavily crevassed and dangerous, so walking on it is difficult. Sea ice keeps ships away, making it difficult to access the ice stream from the ocean.
However, scientists have several ingenious ways in which they can observe changes to this fragile, important ice stream. They can measure changes in ice extent and thinning from satellites, and they have fired javelins loaded with sensors onto the ice surface, into places with too many crevasses for people to travel.
Pine Island Glacier drains much of the marine-based West Antarctic Ice Sheet, and it has a configuration susceptible to rapid disintegration and recession. The ice sheet in this area is grounded up to 2000 m below sea level, making it intrinsically unstable and susceptible to rapid melting at its base, and to rapid migration of the grounding line up the ice stream.