Antarctic Ice Shelves Trivia Quiz

Answer: Bach Ice Shelf

It is named after Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), the best-known of the large family of musicians. It lies adjacent to the Beethoven and Monteverdi Peninsulas, close to Berlioz Point, Rossini Point, Weber Inlet, and Boccherini Inlet. You may spot a pattern emerging here.

Answer: Edward VIII Ice Shelf

Edward VIII became King on 20 January 1936 on the death of his father, King George V, and reigned until the date of his formal abdication on 11 December that year, when he was succeeded by his brother, who then became King George VI. Edward VIII Bay and its associated ice shelf are located within Kemp Land, which is part of the Australian Antarctic Territory.

Answer: False

You may be surprised to discover that the Cook Ice Shelf is named after Joseph Cook, Prime Minister of Australia from 1913-14, and was named by the Australasian Antarctic Expedition of 1911-14. It was originally named Cook Bay, but was renamed because the ice shelf permanently fills the bay. It is part of George V Land, in the Australian Antarctic Territory.

Answer: Shackleton Ice Shelf

The man in question is Sir Ernest Shackleton (1874-1922). His attempted crossing of Antarctica came to an early end when his ship, the ironically-named "Endurance", became trapped in pack ice and subsequently sank. After many months, and very largely due to Shackleton's leadership skills, the whole team was eventually rescued.

The ice shelf that bears his name is located off the coast of Queen Mary Land, part of the Australian Antarctic Territory.

Answer: Moscow University Ice Shelf

The Moskovskogo Universiteta Shel'fovyy Lednik (Moscow University Ice Shelf) is located off the eastern edge of Antarctica in Wilkes Land, part of the Australian Antarctic Territory. It was so named because a number of personnel on the Soviet Antarctic Expedition belonged to the university.

Answer: Captain H W Swinburne, Jr (American naval officer)

The Swinburne Ice Shelf is located just off the Edward VII Peninsula, in the New Zealand Antarctic Territory. Captain Swinburne was the Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff of the US Naval Support Force, Antarctica, from 1970-71, and is now immortalised in the name of a 20-mile long Antarctic ice shelf.

Answer: Ross

The Ross Ice Shelf takes its name from the English Antarctic explorer Sir James Clark Ross (1800-62). It is Antarctica's largest ice shelf, with an area of over 450,000 kilometers squared. Most of it is within the Ross Dependency, part of the New Zealand Antarctic Territory.

Jonathan Ross has presented numerous TV and radio shows in the UK since 1987. Ross Geller was one of the main characters in "Friends" throughout its ten seasons.

Answer: Publications Ice Shelf

The Publications Ice Shelf is located in Princess Elizabeth Land, part of the Australian Antarctic Territory. In the area can be found glaciers named after the Polar Record (published by the Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge, UK); the Polar Times (published by the American Polar Society of New York); Il Polo (published by the Italian Istituto Geografico); the Polarforschung (published by the Deutschen Gesellschaft fur Polarforschung, Germany); and the Polararboken (published by the Norsk Polarklubb, Oslo, Norway).

Answer: He died during the expedition

Leslie Quar, a British electrician and radio mechanic, was one of three Expedition members who died when the tracked vehicle in which they were riding drove off the edge of this ice shelf in February 1951. One of the four men on board, Stig Hallgren, managed to escape and was rescued from an ice floe.

The other two men who died, Bertil Ekstrom and John Jelbert, were likewise honoured by having ice shelves named after them. They were also each posthumously awarded the British "Polar Medal" and the Norwegian "Kongens Fortjensmedalje", or "King's Medal of Merit".

Answer: They no longer exist

These three fairly minor ice shelves have now completely broken up and their constituent icebergs drifted into the ocean. The Wordie Ice Shelf broke up during 2008 and 2009. Muller finally collapsed in 2008, while Jones disintegrated slowly between the 1970s and 2003. The disintegration of several of the Antarctic ice shelves is generally blamed on "global warming".