Glacier Processes, Climate Variation, and Wind-Related Landforms

Accumulation

The process in glaciers where snowfall and other inputs add ice and snow, increasing the mass of the glacier.

Ablation

The loss of ice and snow from a glacier through melting, sublimation, wind erosion, or calving.

Glacier Flow Processes

The movement of glacier ice downslope due to gravity through processes such as internal deformation of ice and sliding at the base of the glacier.

Climate Variation by Latitude

The pattern in which climate changes from the equator to the poles due to differences in the angle and intensity of incoming solar radiation.

Climate Impacts of Altitude

The influence of elevation on climate, where temperatures generally decrease and precipitation patterns change as altitude increases.

Till

Unsorted sediment deposited directly by glacial ice containing a mixture of particle sizes from clay to boulders.

Drumlins

Smooth, elongated hills composed mainly of glacial till that were shaped by the movement of a glacier.

Moraines

Ridges or accumulations of sediment deposited by glaciers along their edges or at their ends.

Wind-Blown Deposits

Sediments transported and deposited by wind, typically consisting of fine sand or silt in dry environments.

Dunes

Mounds or ridges of sand formed and shaped by wind as sand particles accumulate and migrate over time.

Loess

Fine-grained windblown silt deposits that can form thick, fertile soil layers.

Desert Pavement

A surface layer of closely packed rocks and pebbles left behind after wind removes finer sediments from the ground.

Adiabatic Heating and Cooling

Temperature changes in air that occur as it is compressed or expanded without gaining or losing heat to the surrounding environment.

Global Convection Cells

Large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns driven by uneven solar heating that move air and redistribute heat around the planet.