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KAJ Geography AS > Cold KQ1 > Flashcards

Cold KQ1 Flashcards

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1
Q

State some characteristics of a cold environment?

A

Ice
Ice streams
Little sunlight

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2
Q

State some landforms/plants/animals present in a cold environment?

A 
Glaciers
Ice caps
Sea ice
Iceberg
Arctic meadow
Musk Ox
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3
Q

Describe the climatic characteristics of a Glacial environment?

A 
Snow and ice 
Very cold and dry
Winter -70C 
Summer -40C
Katabatic winds(cold mountain winds) form as dense air cools over central plateau drains into valleys
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4
Q

Describe the climatic characteristics of a Periglacial environment?

A

Lots of snow cover in high latitude/altitude
Winter -50C
Summer - 20C
Cold because of high latitude - small amount of insolation
High altitude
Albedo level high

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5
Q

What is Albedo?

A

Reflecting of solar radiation

40% reflected dark soils
90% reflected in snow or ice

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6
Q

Describe the climatic characteristics of a Mountain environment?

A

Once had snow and ice but not anymore
ONLY some…
Contain glaciers and ice caps

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7
Q

Why are HIGH LATITUDES cold?

A

Incoming solar radiation is spread out over a larger distance meaning that heating is less intense

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8
Q

Why are HIGH ALTITUDES cold?

A

As you go higher up in the atmosphere the pressure decreases

Less molecules and more space between them = less kinetic energy = colder temperatures

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9
Q

Why do WINDS cause cold?

A

Differences in air pressure cause wind

They happen in valleys and the wind cause a decrease in the temperature

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10
Q

How does ALBEDO reduce the suns heating?

A

High Albedo = high levels of reflection
Fresh snow = 0.9 meaning only 0.1 of radiation is absorbed
Surfaces with low albedos absorb radiation and heat up

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11
Q

Why do mountains experience high levels of PRECIPITATION?

A

2 types of air that mix and then this generates uplift = rain
Orographic rainfall - relief rainfall

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12
Q

Explain what a Ice Cap is?

A

Located in Antarctica and the Alps

Big sheets of ice - Antarctica is the biggest one on earth at 26.5 million cubic km

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13
Q

Explain what a Ice Stream is?

A

Rivers that flow into the ocean

Fast flowing corridor of ice

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14
Q

Explain what a Outlet Glacier (ice sheet) is?

A

Greenland - Jakobsharn Outlet - 2km deep - 65m long

River of ice flowing out of a glacier

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15
Q

Explain what a Valley Glacier is?

A

Switzerland
Glacier in a valley
Tributaries flowing into valleys, material from freeze thaw carried down the glacier leave lateral moraines
Crevasses help the glacier to move

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16
Q

Explain what a Cirque/Corrie Glacier is?

A

Small masses if ice found high up in the mountains

Piedmont Glaciers = look like elephants feet

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17
Q

Explain what mass balance is?

A

When ice masses are fed by snowfall in the winter and melt in the summer

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18
Q

Explain the mass balance diagram?

A

Accumulation (input) of snowfall + condensing of the snow with freezing then ablation (output) from solar radiation causes calving of icebergs, snow blowing off and evaporation

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19
Q

What is PLUCKING?

A

Ripping out of material from bed rock
Increased freeze thaw = increased plucking
Mainly downward pressure caused by the weight of the ice an down hill drag
Once prised it is used for abrasion

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20
Q

What is ABRASION?

A

“sandpaper effect”
Erosion caused by debris carried by the glacier
Larger and more angular rocks cause more damage
Chatter Marks - discontinuous scratch marks
Finer material just smooth’s the rocks

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21
Q

What is FREEZE THAW?

A

Pressure release, exfoliation and dilation
Release occurs during and after deglaciation
Starts with the removal of overglacier - decrease in weigh = expansion = cracks
Causes the expansion in the joints - dilation
Fractured rocks = more likely for freeze thaw weathering

22
Q

What is CHEMICAL WEATHERING?

A

CO2 is very soluble at low temps = melt water streams - hold CO2 and become worse at weathering
Depends of the geology (fractures and joints) velocity of glacier (fast - more erosion) and amount of load (coarse load - more erosion)
Ice can actually protect the rock

23
Q

What are the inputs in a glacier system?

A 
Energy
Precipitation
Moraine
Gravity 
Geothermal
24
Q

What are the processes in a glacier system?

A

Ice movements
Erosion
Transportation
Deposition

25
Q

What are the outputs in a glacier system?

A

Ablation - vapour
Calving - ice
Sediment - rock
Latent heat

26
Q

What is the Mass Balance equation?

A

Balance (b) = accumulation (c) + ablation (a)

27
Q

What does a positive mass balance mean?

A

More inputs than outputs = advancement

28
Q

What does negative mass balance mean?

A

More outputs than inputs = retreat

29
Q

Explain the transformation of snow to ice?

A

Snow is hexagonal
Weight of snow builds up and pressure causes compaction = snow to ice = neve
Deeper it is the more compression - forming a icy blue colour and forming solid interlocking grains - all the air is squeezed out

30
Q

How is the Gorner Glacier in Switzerland changing?

A

Ice is still accumulating at the highest parts of the glacier
It is in negative mass balance
The spur of the valley has been abraded by ice to form the truncated spur
It is in retreat and the 2007-2008 ice melt meant that it retreated by 280 metres

31
Q

What is the distribution of Ice caps and sheets?

A

Near mountain ranges
Arctic circle
Dispersed

32
Q

Explain the reasons for the distribution of ice caps/sheets?

A 
High latitude and altitude locations 
Minimal hours of sunlight
Tilt of the earth 
Seasons
Equator is closer - less distance to the sun
Albedo
33
Q

What is a cold based glacier?

A

Polar latitudes where temp of snow fall is below 0

So it remains frozen and has little movement or erosion

34
Q

What is a warm based glacier?

A

Outside Antarctica and Greenland and water is present and acts as a lubricant
20-200m of movement a year
Greatly increasing the capacity of the glacier to erode the bedrock

35
Q

What is the pressure melting point?

A

Temp at which ice is on the verge of melting

36
Q

What is internal flow?

A

The movement within a glacier

37
Q

What is basal slippage?

A

Sliding effect of a glacier over bed rock by a slip or creeps - caused by localised melting in the regelation layer

38
Q

What is extensional flow?

A

Extension and related thinning of glacier ice and velocity increases

39
Q

What is compression flow?

A

Reduction in the velocity and leads to an increase in thickness of the glacier

40
Q

What makes a glacier move fast?

A

High accumulation of snow
Snow and ice thickness is above 60 metres
Steep glaciers flow faster
Impermeable surfaces - meaning melt water is retained - slippage
Amount of precipitation

41
Q

What is the Firn line?

A

The equilibrium line

42
Q

What are the factors that affect the amount of abrasion?

A 
Speed of glacier
Supply of debris 
Shape of debris
Ice thickness
Sub glacial melt water 
Debris removal
Hardness of debris or bed rock
43
Q

How are corries formed?

A

Frost shattering above glacier provides moronic debris
Abrasion by angular material - if pressure melting point is reached extra supply of water will reduce this
Plucking steepens the back wall and adds supply of debris
Rock lip where plucking also takes place
Widening of joints by pressure release - exaggerates the shape
Melt water flows down bergschrund and crevasses to the base of the glacier
Rotational movement occurs

44
Q

What do cirques, glacial valleys and arêtes look like on a map?

A

Cirque - u-shaped close contour lines high up with an opening one side
Glacial Valleys - close contour lines representing the steep sides but spaced apart meaning a gentle slop in middle - sometimes have a river running through the middle
Arête - very closely packed contour line, high up with height increasing on both sides to a shaped central line

45
Q

State some landforms in the Lake District?

A

Striding Edge - arête - think, knife edge ridge of rock - separates 2 valleys formed as a result of cirque glaciers cutting back - sharpened by freeze thaw
Gillercomb - hanging valley formed by a tributary valley it was a small glacier off a main one so less erosion
Langdale - u-shaped valley carved out by a glacier and its erosional processes of abrasion and plucking

46
Q

What are till plains?

A

Unstratified, angular or sub angular fragments in clay matrix
Formed below a vast ice sheet covering Norfolk - Tills were deposited during and after the glacier melted
Found in North Norfolk - Overstrand

47
Q

What are Drumlins?

A

A small hill in the shape of a spoon
During glaciation Lake district it happened many times and boulder clay was deposited
Found at Kendal Drumlins

48
Q

What are Erratics?

A

An isolated crop of rock lying on top of a different type
Granite rocks were transported from Isle of Arran
Lake District

49
Q

What are Moraines?

A

Deposits of angular rock fragments left after deglaciation
Lateral and medial moraines
Freeze thaw plucks the valley sides leading to the falling rock and then when the glacier melts it causes moraines to form
Found in Findel Glacier in Zermatt, Switzerland

50
Q

What are Varves?

A

Laminated layers found in pro glacial lakes on ice margins
Deposits of thick sediment from glacier melts
Lakes in Sweden

51
Q

What is an Esker?

A

Ridge of stratified deposits
Deposited in melt water
Blakeney Esker in Cromer

52
Q

What is a Kame?

A

Umbrella term for all sorts and sizes of stratified melt water deposits including kettle holes
Irregular mounds of bedded sands and gravels
Talkin Tarn, Carlisle - deposits around a lake

KAJ Geography AS (11 decks)

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