Glaciation

Question 1

What is negative feedback?

Answer 1

The process that occurs is counteracted by an opposing process, causing the effects to cancel each other out and nothing changes

Question 2

What is accumulation? (Systems and processes)

Answer 2

The addition of mass to the glacier
Mainly occurs at higher altitudes at the source

Question 3

What is internal deformation? (Ice movement)

Answer 3

Stress builds up within the glacier, allowing the ice to behave with plasticity and flow.
Involves ice crystals moving in the same direction of the glacier movement and slides past each other.

Question 4

What is basal sliding ? (Ice movement)

Answer 4

Lower levels of ice are under a great deal of pressure and combined with friction, it results in melting.
Meltwater acts as a lubricant which causes it to flow rapidly

Question 5

What is albedo?

Answer 5

How reflective different parts of the planet are

Question 6

What is a corrie? (Glaciation formation)

Answer 6

An armchair shaped rock hollow with a steep back wall and an over-deepened basin with a rock tip.

With water, it would be called a Tarn

Question 7

What is compressional flow? (Ice movement)

Answer 7

Occurs when there is a reduction in the gradient of the valley floor

This leads to the deceleration & a thickening of the ice mass
Ice erosion is at its maximum at such point

Question 8

What does ‘feedback’ mean?

Answer 8

When one of the elements in the system changes and the equilibrium is upset

Question 9

What factors impact the ice flow ?

Answer 9

Gravity
Temp
Thickness
Bedrock

Question 10

How does snow get into a glacier system ?

Answer 10

Direct snowfall
Blown snow
Avalanches from slopes surrounding the glacier

These inputs are known as accumulation

Question 11

How is mass lost from the glacier ?

Answer 11

Either by melting and evaporation, or carving of ice blocks or icebergs
These are known as ablation.

Question 12

What is ablation? (Systems and processes)

Answer 12

The loss of mass from the glacier

This includes meltwater, avalanches, sublimation and other processes

Question 13

What is the glacial budget ? (Systems and processes)

Answer 13

The mass balance of a glacier e.g. the difference between accumulation and ablation

Question 14

What is a positive glacial budget ? (Systems and processes)

Answer 14

When accumulation exceeds ablation so the glacier is advancing

Question 15

What is a negative glacial budget? (Systems and processes )

Answer 15

Ablation exceeds the accumulation so the glacier is retreating

Question 16

What is a feedback loop?

Answer 16

Type of chain reaction. One process leads to another process and so on.
There is two feedback loops: positive and negative.

Question 17

What is a positive feedback?

Answer 17

When a process occurs and another one occurs. This starts a chain reaction which heightens the first process.

Question 18

Give an example of positive feedback

Answer 18

Temp rise
Permafrost melts
Carbon dioxide is released
Greenhouse effect

Question 19

Give an example of negative feedback

Answer 19

Temp rise
Permafrost melts
More plants to take in C02
Greenhouse effects lessens
Temp fall
-

Question 20

Where are polar environments located? (nature and distribution)

Answer 20

Located at the poles (high latitudes) within the Arctic circle (66°N) and the Antarctic (66°S)

Question 21

How much of the earth is covered by ice?

Answer 21

10%

Question 22

What is the polar climate like ? (Nature)

Answer 22

Long winters with temps below freezing
Often windy, little precipitation (average 100mm)
Scarce vegetation and there’s no soil as it’s made up if vegetation

Question 23

What is frost shattering?

Answer 23

When water goes into the cracks and expands (by 9%)

Question 24

What is the climate like in glacial environments?

Answer 24

Soil is present but they are usually covered in snow/ice
Some vegetation is present e.g. small shrubs
There is high snowfall in winter, as a result it accumulates more than what melts in the summer

Question 25

What is niviation?

Answer 25

When snow creates a hollow and weathers it

Question 26

What are two ways that ice erodes ?

Answer 26

Plucking
Abrasion

Question 27

What is ablation till?

Answer 27

Till from when the glacier has melted

Question 28

What is lodgement Till?

Answer 28

Till from underneath the glacier

Question 29

How does the glacier transport material?

Answer 29

Supraglacial - top
Englacial - in
Subglacial - bottom

Question 30

What are the 5 ways in which ice moves ?

Answer 30

Rotational
Extensional
Compressional
Basal sliding
Internal deformation

Question 31

What is terminal moraine?

Answer 31

Where the snout was previously

Question 32

What is lateral moraine?

Answer 32

It marks the point where the side of the glacier used to be

Question 33

What landscapes does erosion create?

Answer 33

Corries, Arêtes, pyramid peaks and U shaped valleys

Question 34

What is medial moraine ?

Answer 34

When two laterals have came together

Question 35

What landscapes does depostion create?

Answer 35

Till plains, moraine (ablation till)
drumlins (lodgement till)
and erractics

Question 36

You won’t get deposition without erosion
True or false?

Answer 36

True

Question 37

What landscapes does water (fluvioglacial ) create ?

Answer 37

Eskers, kames, outwash plains
These are usually at the bottom of the glacier in low altitudes and the till is sorted

Question 38

What landscapes does ice create ?

Answer 38

Drumlins lodgement till
Moraine ablation till