Glaciation Flashcards
What is a cold environment?
Areas of land permanently covered by ice. They are covered by glaciers, ice sheets and have frozen soil/rock. The temperature is constantly below freezing.
What is latitude?
The distance from the equator.
Why do temperatures drop the further away you are from the equator?
Due to the curvature of the earth.
Why are the geographical poles colder than other areas?
Sunlight has to pass through a greater distance of atmosphere. At the earth’s surface, the rays are further spread out resulting in a loss in energy and temperature.
What is altitude?
The height above sea level.
Why do locations at higher altitudes have colder temperatures?
At higher altitudes, the air is under less pressure which means heat is less well maintained.
How does the sun heat up the air?
Air is heated up into the atmosphere when sunlight heats up the land. The further you are away from land, the less warming it receives.
How much does the temperature decrease per 100m?
-1°C
What is continentality?
The distance from the ocean or sea.
Why can coastal areas become warmer in winter?
The world’s oceans and sea take a long time to warm up in comparison to land. But when the sea has warmed up, it retains its heats for much longer.
Why do places in the middle of continents become colder in winter?
They do not receive the warming affect of the sea and will be colder, but warmer in summer.
What is a glacier?
A glacier is a huge mass of ice that slowly moves over land.
How does a glacier form?
When there is a build up of snow over a number of years.
Where are glaciers found?
They can be found at altitude or sea level.
What happens in the input?
As the snow in the glacier becomes increasingly compacted, it turns from powder snow to dense, blue ice.
