cryosphere and different ice masses

Question 1

the cryosphere includes

Answer 1

includes all the parts of Earth wherer water is frozen. it stores roughly 69% of the worlds freshwater but only covers around 15% of the earths surface/

Question 2

what does the cryosphere do

Answer 2

• plays a key role in the **hydroglacial cycle **
• removes water from the atmosphere through the precipitation of snow
• regulates climate systems

Question 3

the albedo effect

Answer 3

the surface of ice reflects solar radiation away from earth. this keeps polar regionds reletevly cold. through indirect processes itkeeps the rest of the world at moderate tempretures.

Question 4

what does permifrost store

Answer 4

permifrost is frozen ground that store carbom. it reduces the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere

Question 5

ice sheets

Answer 5

• domes of ice covering huge areas of land and sea
• more than 50,000km^2
• topography doesnt ususally affect the flow onf an ice sheet

Question 6

ice shelf

Answer 6

where ice sheets extend from the land to the sea and form a body of floating ice
ice sheets can be vulnerable to accelerated ablation

Question 7

ablation

Answer 7

the loss of snow or ice from an ice mass

Question 8

ice caps

Answer 8

ice caps are smaller dome shaped ice masses that covers large areas of land in polar regions or mountain ranges
- the flow is unaffected by the topology
- covers less than 50,000km^2

Vatnajokull

Question 9

valley glaciers

Answer 9

a vally glacier fills valleys and may flow into the sea
- between several km to over 100km

Franz Josef Glacier in NZ

Question 10

cirque glaciers

Answer 10

form bowl-shaped hollows high up in mountains and can sometimes flow into valley glaciers
- can vary in size but usually arounf 1km^2

Lower Curtis Glaxier, USA