Glaciers and Glaciation

Glacier

A large mass of ice that flows.

Alpine Glacier

Smaller glaciers that are found in mountainous regions.

Continental Glacier

A large glacier that covers a large area of land mass or an entire continent.

Ice Caps / Ice Sheets

Another name for continental glaciers. Massive ice fields extending for hundreds or thousands of kilometers.

Famous Ice Sheets

Antarctica, Greenland, and the Wisconsin Ice Sheet (~11,000 years ago).

Zone of Accumulation

Where the amount of snow added is more than the amount melted.

Zone of Ablation

Where snow melting occurs on a glacier.

Melt Water

Water from melting glaciers or snow.

Land-based Ice Melting

Ice over landmasses (like Greenland/Antarctica) that directly contributes to sea level rise if melted.

Icebergs

Floating sea-based ice. Melting of icebergs does not affect sea level rise.

Glacial Retreat

The melting and shrinking of glaciers worldwide caused by global warming, leading to rapid ice loss and shrinking mountain ice fields.

Freshwater Supply

Glaciers are the second largest supply of freshwater in the world.

Himalayan Glaciers Threat

Melting at an alarming rate, threatening water supplies for hundreds of millions of people in China and the Indian subcontinent.

Impact of Himalayan Melt

Causes immediate flooding risks downstream followed by severe, long-term freshwater shortages for agriculture and drinking water.

Glaciologist Concerns

International scientists are rapidly raising alarms and planning surveys to map out the fast-melting ice fields before critical water sources disappear.

Moraine

Ridges of till (glacial soil) that are deposited by a retreating glacier.

Esker

A long ridge of material deposited by a meltwater stream flowing beneath a glacier.

Drumlin

An egg-shaped hill with a steep side at the wide end and, gentle slope at the other.