Cold Environments Flashcards
Define Glacier
A slowly moving mass or river of ice formed by the accumulation and compaction of snow on mountains or near the poles.
Definition: a slowly moving mass or river of ice formed by the accumulation and compaction of snow on mountains or near the poles.
Glacier
Define Ice age
a glacial episode during a past geological period.
Definition: a glacial episode during a past geological period.
Ice Age
Define Ice sheet
A body of ice covering an area of at least 50’000 km squared, The ice sheets are dome - shaped and the ice flows outward from the center.
Definition: A body of ice covering an area of at least 50’000 km squared, The ice sheets are dome - shaped and the ice flows outward from the center.
Ice Sheet
Define Periglacial
An area at the fringe or near to an ice sheet or glacier, they are often subject to repeated freezing and thawing.
Definition : An area at the fringe or near to an ice sheet or glacier, they are often subject to repeated freezing and thawing.
Periglacial
Define Tundra
A vast, flat, treeless Arctic region of Europe, Asia, and North America in which the subsoil is permanently frozen.
Definition : A vast, flat, treeless Arctic region of Europe, Asia, and North America in which the subsoil is permanently frozen.
Tundra
continuous permaforst?
frozen all the time
Discontinuous permafrost?
not frozen to such depths
sporadic permafrost?
found where average tempratures are just below freezing
