Enquiry Question One

Question 1

What is a glacier?

Answer 1

A large accumulation of snow, ice, rock, sediment and sometimes liquid which moves down slope under the influence of its own gravity

Question 2

What is climate change?

Answer 2

The global warming, driven by the human emissions of greenhouse gases, which causes a change in the average weather patterns

Question 3

What are the two climatic states?

Answer 3

Greenhouse and Icehouse

Question 4

What is the ‘Icehouse’ state referring to?

Answer 4

This is where the temperature at the poles were colder and ice cover was was more common globally

Question 5

What is the ‘greenhouse’ state referring to?

Answer 5

A time when the temperature was warmer and there was less ice cover globally

Question 6

What is a glacial period?

Answer 6

A period where ice cover was dominate globally

Question 7

What is an interglacial period?

Answer 7

A period of warmer temperatures and less ice cover globally

Question 8

What is an epoch?

Answer 8

A period of time

Question 9

What is the long term cause of climate change?

Answer 9

The Milankovitch Cycles

Question 10

How does the eccentricity of the Milankovitch cycles cause climate change?

Answer 10

The change of the Earth’s orbit from circular to elliptical every 96,000 years changes the distance of Earth from the sun, varying how much solar radiation hits the Earth’s surface

Question 11

How does the tilt of the Milankovitch cycles cause climate change?

Answer 11

When the Earth’s tilt changes from 21 degrees to 24 degrees every 41,000 years, the tropics receive more solar radiation, thus expanding

Question 12

How does the Axial Procession of the Milankovitch cycles cause climate change?

Answer 12

Every 22,000, the Earth’s seasons change

Question 13

What are two short term causes of climate change?

Answer 13

Variations in solar output and Volcanic eruptions

Question 14

How does solar output cause climate change?

Answer 14

Energy output from the sun is not constant. Sunspots occur by magnetic storms, forming a dark area on the sun, increasing its solar output.

Question 15

How do volcanic eruptions cause climate change?

Answer 15

The ash can block the sunlight, increasing global temperatures

Question 16

What is the cryosphere process?

Answer 16

The parts of the Earth’s crust and atmosphere subject to below 0 degrees per year

Question 17

What is periglaciation?

Answer 17

This describes how the thawing of snow in areas of permafrost (ice soil) runs off and refreezes into ice wedges and other structures.

Question 18

What are 5 processes of periglaciation?

Answer 18

Nivation, Frost Heave, Freze Thaw, Weathering and Solifluction

Question 19

What is Nivation?

Answer 19

Erosion of the ground around a slope of snow due to freeze and thaw

Question 20

What is Frost Heave?

Answer 20

The uplift of soil due to the expansion of ground water when its frozen

Question 21

What is Freeze Thaw?

Answer 21

Water falls through cracks in rocks, it freezes, expands and the rock breaks

Question 22

What is weathering?

Answer 22

Wearing away of material due to the long exposure to the climate

Question 23

What is Solifluction

Answer 23

The movement of wet soil/material down a slope

Question 24

What is a zone of accumulation?

Answer 24

This is the area of a sheet of snow, or ice, where more snow is added

Question 25

What is a glacial snout?

Answer 25

This is the lowest end of the glacier

Question 26

What is the zone of ablation?

Answer 26

This is where ice melts at the snout, causing a net loss of ice of a glacier

Question 27

How can we achieve equilibrium of a glacier?

Answer 27

The zone of accumulation and zone of ablation must be similar

Question 28

What is the difference between ablation and accumulation known as?

Answer 28

Surface mass balance

Question 29

What can affect surface mass balance?

Answer 29

Climate change. This can also alter rates of ablation and accumulation

Question 30

When does a positive mass balance occur?

Answer 30

This is when glaciers gain more mass than they lose.

Question 31

When does a negative mass balance occur?

Answer 31

This is when glaciers lose more than they gain

Question 32

How can accumulation occur?

Answer 32

Direct snowfall, sublimation (solid to gas), avalanches and wind deposition

Question 33

How can ablation occur?

Answer 33

Melting, evaporation, avalanches and calving (splitting of ice)