View source for Princess Astrid Coast

[[File:Antarctica.A2010286.0735.250m.jpg|300px|thumb|Princesses Astrid and Ragnhild Coasts, Antarctica]]
{{short description|Area in Antarctica}}
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'''Princess Astrid Coast''' ({{langx|no|Prinsesse Astrid Kyst}}) is a portion of the coast of [[Queen Maud Land]], [[Antarctica]], lying between 5° and 20° E. The entire coast is bordered by ice shelves. The region was discovered by Capt. H. Halvorsen of the Sevilla (ship) in March 1931 and in 1932 was named for [[Princess Astrid of Norway]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://data.aad.gov.au/aadc/gaz/display_name.cfm?gaz_id=130376|title=Princess Astrid Coast|publisher=Australian Antarctic Data Centre|access-date=2019-05-19}}</ref> The ice of the continental [[glacier]] is up to 4,000 meters thick in the interior. These thick glaciers are held in place by coastal mountain ranges.  On the Princess Astrid Coast, some of the ice does flow through the mountains, spilling onto the relatively flat land on the Princess Astrid Coast. Also, the cold air spills over the mountains, creating very strong and persistent winds, which makes the snow scour off the tops of the glaciers leaving pale blue patches of bare ice. On top of the coastal line is the [[ice shelf]], which is much smoother. The [[Glacial period|glacial]] ice floats on the sea surface which is beyond the chaotic surface of the sea ice which has been solidifying all winter long.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/1798/princess-astrid-coast-antarctica|title=Princess Astrid Coast, Antarctica|date=2001-09-29|publisher=NASA Earth Observatory|language=en|access-date=2019-05-19}} {{PD-notice}}</ref>

Off the Princess Astrid Coast are the [[Lazarev Sea]] and [[Riiser-Larsen Sea]], both [[marginal sea]]s of the [[Southern Ocean]]. According to the [[Norway|Norwegian]] point of view, [[King Haakon VII Sea]] stretches in that place and along the entire coast of [[Queen Maud Land|Queen Maud land]]. The central part of Princess Astrid Coast lies the [[Schirmacher Oasis|Schiermacher Oasis]], where the Soviet Novolazarevskaia scientific station has been operating since 1961 and the Indian [[Maitri (research station)]] has been operating since 1989. Previously (1959–1961) the Soviet Lazarev Station operated in the Princess Astrid Coast region. The Coast was discovered in 1931 by Norwegian whalers and was named after a Norwegian princess who was called Princess Astrid. Since 1959 the Princess Astrid Coast has been a region of systematic research by the [[Soviet Antarctic Expedition|Soviet antarctic expeditions]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Princess+Astrid+Coast|title=Princess Astrid Coast|website=TheFreeDictionary.com|access-date=2019-05-19}}</ref>

== Further reading ==
* Syed Ainul Hussain, Ajai Saxena, ''[https://www.researchgate.net/publication/242110065_Distribution_and_status_of_Antarctic_seals_and_penguins_along_the_Princess_Astrid_Coast_East_Antarctica Distribution and status of Antarctic seals and penguins along the Princess Astrid Coast, East Antarctica]'', Indian Journal of Marine Sciences Vol. 37(4), December 2008, pp.&nbsp;455–461

==References==
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[[Category:Princess Astrid Coast| ]]
[[Category:Regions of Queen Maud Land]]
[[Category:Coasts of Queen Maud Land]]
[[Category:Lazarev Sea]]


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