Compton Glacier

Compton Glacier is a glacier, 3 nautical miles (6 km) long, flowing northeast from the lower slopes of the Big Ben massif to the northeast side of Heard Island in the southern Indian Ocean. Its terminus is located at Compton Lagoon, between Gilchrist Beach and Fairchild Beach.[6][7] To the northwest of Compton Glacier is Ealey Glacier, whose terminus is located close southeast of Cape Bidlingmaier. To the southeast of Compton Glacier is Brown Glacier, whose terminus is located at Brown Lagoon. Round Hill separates Compton Glacier from Brown Glacier.

Compton Glacier
Location of Heard Island and McDonald Islands on the globe
Type	cirque / tidewater
Location	Heard Island Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands Australia
Coordinates	53°3′S 73°37′E
Length	3 nautical miles (6 km)
Thickness	55 meters
Terminus	Compton Lagoon, between Gilchrist Beach and Fairchild Beach
Status	Retreating[1][2][3][4][5]

Discovery and naming

The lower reaches of this glacier were charted and named Morgan's Iceberg on an 1860 sketch map compiled by Captain H.C. Chester, American sealer operating in the area during this period. The feature was surveyed in 1948 by the Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions, who applied the name Compton Glacier for G.S. Compton, assistant surveyor with the expedition.[6][7]

References

1. Ian F. Allison; Peter L. Keage (1986). "Recent changes in the glaciers of Heard Island". Polar Record. 23 (144): 255–272. doi:10.1017/S0032247400007099.
2. Andrew Ruddell (25 May 2010). "Our subantarctic glaciers: why are they retreating?". Glaciology Program, Antarctic CRC and AAD. Archived from the original on 2 October 2009. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
3. Quilty, P.G.; Wheller, G. (2000). "Heard Island and the McDonald Islands: A window into the Kerguelen Plateau (Heard Island Papers)". Pap. Proc. R. Soc. Tasm. 133 (2): 1–12.
4. Budd, G.M. (2000). "Changes in Heard Island glaciers, king penguins and fur seals since 1947 (Heard Island Papers)". Pap. Proc. R. Soc. Tasm. 133 (2): 47–60.
5. Douglas E. Thost; Martin Truffer (February 2008). "Glacier Recession on Heard Island, Southern Indian Ocean". Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research. 40 (1): 199–214. doi:10.1657/1523-0430(06-084)[THOST]2.0.CO;2. Archived from the original on 4 December 2012. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
6. "Compton Glacier". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
7. "Compton Glacier". Australian Antarctic Data Centre. Retrieved 5 June 2010.

Further reading

• U. Radok; D. Watts (1975). "A synoptic background to glacier variations of Heard Island" (PDF). Snow and Ice (Proceedings of the Moscow Symposium, August 1971) (104 ed.). Wallingford, Oxfordshire, UK: International Association of Hydrological Sciences. pp. 42–56. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
• Truffer, M., Thost, D. and Ruddell, A. (2001). "The Brown Glacier, Heard Island: its morphology, dynamics, mass balance and climate setting". Antarctic CRC Research Report No. 24. Hobart, Tasmania: Cooperative Research Centre for the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Environment, University of Tasmania. pp. 1–27.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
• Kevin Kiernan; Anne McConnell (2002). "Glacier retreat and melt-lake expansion at Stephenson Glacier, Heard Island World Heritage Area" (PDF). Polar Record. 38 (207): 297–308. doi:10.1017/S0032247400017988. Retrieved 7 June 2010.

External links

• Click here to see a map of Heard Island and McDonald Islands, including all major topographical features
• Australian Antarctic Division
• Australian Antarctic Gazetteer
• Composite Gazetteer of Antarctica
• Australian Antarctic Names and Medals Committee (AANMC)
• United States Geological Survey, Geographic Names Information System (GNIS)
• Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR)

 This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Geological Survey document: "Compton Glacier". (content from the Geographic Names Information System)