View source for Prince Gustav Channel

{{county|British Antarctic Territory}}
The '''Prince Gustav Channel''' separates the [[Trinity Peninsula]] from [[James Ross Island]], at the northern tip of the [[British Antarctic Territory]].  It was explored in 1903 by the Swedish Antarctic Expedition commanded by Otto Nordenskiöld, and named by Nordensiöld after Crown Prince Gustav of Sweden (who later became King Gustav V).

The channel is bounded on the west by [[Graham Land]] and on the east by [[James Ross Island]]. It is about {{convert|130|km|nm}} long and ranges from {{convert|6|km|nmi|0|x}} to {{convert|24|km|nm|0|x}} wide.

The channel was later surveyed, in 1945, by the Falkland Islands Dependency Survey, which named the features of the channel and the islands within it.

On 27 February 1995, the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) reported that an ice shelf formerly blocking the channel had disintegrated. This ice shelf had spanned approximately {{convert|700|km2|mi2|-1|x}} before its disintegration.<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=JHnw4eqAFRcC&pg=PA90 Correll, Robert C. (1998). ''Our Changing Planet'', p. 90.  DIANE Publishing.]</ref>

==Climactic survey==
In the area previously covered by the shelf, the channel's water depth is between {{convert|600|m|ft|-2|x}} to {{convert|800|m|ft|-2|x}}. Between February and March 2000, scientists collected sediment cores {{convert|5|m|ft|0|x}} to {{convert|6|m|ft|0|x}} in length from the ocean floor:  carbon dating of organic material found in the sediment layers suggested that for a period between 2,000 and 5,000 years ago, much of the channel was seasonally open water.  While icebergs were able to navigate the channel, ice rafted debris was deposited within the sediment.

It appears that before and after this period, the channel remained closed by ice. The period when the channel was open coincides with a period of local warming supported by data gathered from land-based studies of lake sediments and ancient, abandoned penguin rookeries. With the return of colder conditions about 1900 years ago, the [[Prince Gustav Ice Shelf]] formed, until its recent retreat and collapse.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/press/press_releases/press_release.php?id=376|title=Press Release - Antarctic ice shelf 'hangs by a thread'|date=2008-03-25|work=National Environment Research Council|publisher=British Antarctic Survey|accessdate=2009-03-20}}</ref>

==Outside links==
*Location map: {{wmap|-58.4372|-63.9488}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Sea channels of Graham Land]]