East Antarctic Ice Sheet

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The East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) is one of two large ice sheets in Antarctica, and the largest in the entire world. It rests upon a large land mass, contrary to that of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, which rests on frozen water. The larger of the two, the EAIS lies between 45 ^o West and 168 ^o East longitudinally. They are divided by the Transarctic Mountains. It is also home to the thickest point on the Antarctic continent, at 15,700 ft (4,800 m). Most well known, however, is that the EAIS is home to the South Pole (commonly mistaken for the Magnetic South Pole.)

[edit] Scientific controversy

With the modern controversy regarding global warming and the melting of the polar ice caps, the EAIS is a mystery. The claim that Antarctica is losing mass^[1] is only partially true. According to researchers at the University of Michigan, EAIS is actually gaining mass at a rate of 45 billion tonnes a year. ^[2] This, however, has not stopped the overall rise of sea level over .12 millimetres a year.

[edit] Political controversy

Main article: Antarctic territorial claims

In spite of the Antarctic Treaty, many countries hold a claim on portions of Antarctica. Within EAIS, the United Kingdom, France, Norway, Australia, Chile and Argentina all claim a portion (sometimes overlapping) as their own territory.