Eastern Ice Sheet

Eastern Ice Sheet

 

a glacial shield on Severo-Vostochnaia Zemlia Island (Spitzbergen Archipelago). Area, 5,650 sq km. In the south it flows into the Southern Ice Sheet, and on the north and east it falls into the sea, producing icebergs. The central part of the shield reaches altitudes of 600-720 m above sea level; the ice thickness is approximately 560 m. Glacier alimentation is up to the elevations of 300-400 m. The regions of accumulation and ablation are almost equal in area, so the equilibrium of the glacial shield is almost balanced.