Penny Ice Cap facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Penny Ice Cap |
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The Penny Ice Cap
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 Location in Nunavut
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| Type | Ice cap |
| Coordinates | 67°17′N 66°13′W / 67.283°N 66.217°W |
| Terminus | outflow glaciers |
The Penny Ice Cap is a huge sheet of ice found in Nunavut, Canada. It covers about 6,000 square kilometers (2,300 square miles). This makes it one of the largest ice caps in the Arctic.
It is located in Auyuittuq National Park on Baffin Island. The ice cap creates a high wall, about 2,000 meters (6,500 feet) tall. This wall is part of the Cumberland Peninsula. This area is known for its deep fjords and valleys shaped by glaciers. The Penny Ice Cap is a leftover from the last big ice age.
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Studying the Ice Cap
Scientists have been studying the Penny Ice Cap for many years. In the mid-1990s, Canadian researchers drilled deep into the ice. They took out long tubes of ice, called ice core samples.
What Ice Cores Tell Us
These ice cores are like a history book of the climate. By studying the layers in the ice, scientists can learn about past temperatures. They can also see how much snow fell over hundreds of years. This helps them understand how the ice cap has frozen and thawed over time.
How Climate Change Affects the Ice Cap
The Penny Ice Cap is changing because of warmer temperatures. In recent years, the ice cap has been getting thinner. Its valley glaciers, which are rivers of ice flowing from the main cap, are also shrinking.
Warming in the Arctic
This shrinking is happening because summer and winter air temperatures are rising. This warming trend is seen across the eastern Arctic region. It shows how climate change is affecting our planet's ice.
Who Was William Penny?
The Penny Ice Cap is named after Captain William Penny. He was a whaling captain from Scotland. He was known for staying with the native Inuit people in Cumberland Sound during winter. This allowed him to start whaling much earlier in the spring.
A Search for Explorers
Captain Penny also helped search for Franklin's lost expedition. This was a group led by Sir John Franklin. They got lost while trying to find the Northwest Passage. Lady Franklin, Sir John's wife, asked Captain Penny for his help.
See also
In Spanish: Penny Ice Cap para niños
