Glacial Flashcards
What is a cold environment?
Areas of land permantly covered in ice. They are covered by glaciers, ice sheets and have frozen soil/rock. The temperature is constantly below freezing
Name 4 cold environments:
Africa- Glacier of mount Kilamanjaro
The edge of the India/ Pakistan border -The Himalayas
Ecuador- Catopaxi Glacier, Catopaxi volcan
East Antarctica- Lambert glacier, Mount Sidley
If a location is at a higher altitude how does this affect the temperature?
The location has a colder temperature
How much does temperature decrease by for every 100 metres in altitude?
Temperature usually decreases by 1°C for every 100 metres in altitude.
What is altitude?
Height above sea level
Why does it get colder when a location is a higher altitude?
Air is heated up in our atmosphere when sunlight heats up the land. The land then heats the air above it. The further you are away from land, the less warming it receives. At higher altitudes the air is under less pressure which means heat is less well maintained.
What is a good example of altitude?
Catopaxi glacier with an altitude of 5897m in height
What is continentality?
Distance from the ocean or sea
What is the lowest temperature ever recorded outside Antarctica? What country was it? And how far is it from the nearest ocean?
The lowest temperature ever recorded outside of Antarctica is -71.20C ! This record was set in Siberia, Russia. It is over 4000km from the nearest ocean.
Why is it colder in the middle of continents than to the rest of the countries that are closer to the oceans?
The world’s oceans and sea (because they are so deep and constantly moving) takes a long time to warm up in comparison to land which warms quickly. BUT, once the sea has warmed up, it keeps it heat for much longer (far longer than land) and warms up coastal places. This means that places in the middle of continents in winter, will not receive the warming effect of the sea and will be colder, but warmer in summer.
What is latitude?
Distance from the equator
Why is it cooler near the poles?
Temperatures drop the further an area is from the equator due to the curvature of the earth. In areas closer to the North and South pole, sunlight has to pass through a greater distance of atmosphere to reach the earth. At the earth’s surface the rays are spread out over a larger area than at the equator. As a result, more energy is lost and temperatures are cooler near the poles.
In addition, the presence of ice and snow nearer the poles causes a higher albedo, meaning that more solar energy is reflected, also contributing to the cold.
Why do temperatures drop the further an area is from the equator?
Temperatures drop the further an area is from the equator due to the curvature of the earth.
Facts about latitude lines
Tropic of Cancer 23.5 degrees north
Tropic of Capricorn is 23.5 degrees south
Arctic circle is 66.5 degrees north
What is a glacier?
A glacier is a huge mass of ice that moves slowly over land. It forms when there is a build up of snow over a number of years. They can be found at altitude or sea level. They are known as rivers of ice.
What is the input of the glacier system?
The main input is snow. Over time, the weight of the snow compacts it from powdery into glacial ice. Avalanches from surrounding mountain sides can also provide inputs to the glacial system.
What is the process in the glacier system?
The weight of the compacted ice then combines with gravity to make the glacier move slowly downhill. As it does so, it moves sediment that has dropped onto it - and also erodes its valley (processes in the system).
What is the output in the glacier system?
The main outputs from the system include ice and meltwater - together with lots of sediment.
What two zones is a glacier divided into?
The accumulation zone
The ablation zone
What is the accumulation zone?
The accumulation zone is where there are inputs into the glacial budget.
What is the ablation zone?
The ablation zone is where there are outputs from the glacial budget.
What does ablation cause glaciers to do?
Ablation causes glaciers to retreat in the summer
What does accumulation cause glaciers to do?
Accumulation causes glaciers to advance in the winter
Why does the glacial budget vary?
The glacial budget varies during the course of a year. In the summer, ablation will be at its highest, because of rapid melting of ice. During the winter, higher amounts of snowfall and limited melting will result in accumulation being greater than ablation.
