The Walgreen Coast () is a portion of the coast of
Antarctica
Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest cont ...
between
Cape Herlacher and
Cape Waite, or between
Eights Coast
Eights Coast is a portion of the coast of West Antarctica, between Cape Waite and Pfrogner Point. To the west is the Walgreen Coast, and to the east is the Bryan Coast. It is part of Ellsworth Land and stretches between 103°24'W and 89°35'W. ...
on the east and
Bakutis Coast in the west. It is part of
Marie Byrd Land
Marie Byrd Land (MBL) is an unclaimed region of Antarctica. With an area of , it is the largest unclaimed territory on Earth. It was named after the wife of American naval officer Richard E. Byrd, who explored the region in the early 20th centu ...
. It extends from 103°24'W to 114°12'W. It was discovered by
Richard E. Byrd and members of the
US Antarctic Service
The United States Antarctic Program (or USAP; formerly known as the United States Antarctic Research Program or USARP and the United States Antarctic Service or USAS) is an organization of the United States government which has presence in the A ...
(USAS) by flights from the
USS ''Bear'' during February 1940.
The Walgreen Coast was named by Byrd after
Charles R. Walgreen, president of the retail company
Walgreens
Walgreen Company, d/b/a Walgreens, is an American company that operates the second-largest pharmacy store chain in the United States behind CVS Health. It specializes in filling prescriptions, health and wellness products, health information, a ...
at the time, who was a funder of the
Byrd Antarctic Expedition, 1933–1935, and assisted in equipping the ''Bear'' for the USAS, 1939–1941. This coast was mapped in detail by the
United States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...
from ground surveys and
U.S. Navy air photographs, 1959–66.
It contains
Thwaites Glacier, also known as the "Doomsday Glacier", for its major contributions to
sea level rise
Globally, sea levels are rising due to human-caused climate change. Between 1901 and 2018, the globally averaged sea level rose by , or 1–2 mm per year on average.IPCC, 2019Summary for Policymakers InIPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cr ...
as a result of
climate change
In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...
.
See also
*
Wright Pass
Wright Pass () is a snow pass to the west of Jones Bluffs, running north–south for 3 nautical miles (6 km) between the terminus of Holt Glacier and the vicinity of Mayo Peak, Bear Peninsula on the Walgreen Coast, Marie Byrd Land. M ...
References
Coasts of Antarctica
Landforms of Marie Byrd Land
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