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Geography - Miss Edmondson/Mr Ross > Glaciation > Flashcards

Glaciation Flashcards

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1
Q

How does the Milankovich cycle cause global climate change - eccentricity

A

Eccentricity - CIrcle maintains distance from sun, elliptical temp varies as distance does

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2
Q

How does the Milankovich cycle cause global climate change - wobble

A

Wobble - Earth wobbles on axis, effects earth’s seasonal pattern

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3
Q

How does the Milankovich cycle cause global climate change - tilt

A

Tilt - Changes how visible poles are to sun, temp differs

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4
Q

How does solar variation change global climate

A

‘Flares’ are on the sun, indicate suns radiation activity, Sunspots increase or decrease average temp

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5
Q

How do volcanic eruptions change global climate

A

Eruption produces ash and sulfur dioxide, spreads around stratosphere, temp on earth’s surface falls and cools

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6
Q

How do meteorological processes affect global climate

A

Intense cold leads to snow to accumulate in polar regions

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7
Q

What is the cyrosphere

A

Part of the earth’s crust and atmosphere which are subject to temp changes below 0 degrees

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8
Q

What is the hyrdological cycle

A

Process of water moving, being transfered and stored

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9
Q

How does ice affect the hydrological cycle

A

Ice is used as a substitute if there’s no percipitation

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10
Q

How might the cycle be affected by climate change

A

Temp rises, more glaciers melt, releasing more water. May disrupt ocean currents due to masses of fresh water released

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11
Q

What is an ice sheet

A

Masses of glacial ice, only 2 - Antartic ice sheet and Greenland ice sheet - unconstrained

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12
Q

What is an ice cap

A

A smaller ice sheet - unconstrained

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13
Q

Whats a valley glacier

A

Where the glacier was confined between the valley walls, formed by ice caps/sheets - constrained

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14
Q

What is a cirque glacier

A

A smaller glacier occupying a hollow on a mountain side - constrained

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15
Q

Whats an ice shelf

A

Large area of floating glacier ice - unconstrained

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16
Q

What affects present day ice cover

A

The altitude, latitude

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17
Q

What is periglacial

A

Areas at the edge of permanent ice, characterised by permafrost and tundra environment

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18
Q

What is permafrost

A

Where a layer of soil, sediment or rock below the surface remains permanently frozen

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19
Q

What is a warm based (temperate) glacier

A

Water present throughout the ice mass (lubricant), allows more movement - erosion, near the PMP (pressure melting point) so more melting

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20
Q

What is a cold based (polar) glacier

A

Occur in high latitudes, stay frozen so little movement - erosion, below PMP - so no meltwater/melting

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21
Q

What is the active layer

A

The top soil, freezes in winter and thaws in the summer

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22
Q

What is continuous permafrost

A

Affects (freezes) rock and soil up to 700m deep, temp ranges -5⁰c to -50⁰c

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23
Q

What is discontinuous permafrost

A

Affects rock and soil up to 20-30m deep, temp ranges -1.5⁰c to -5⁰c, there are breaks as the deep water doesn’t freeze

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24
Q

What is sporadic permafrost

A

Occurs in only isolated spots, temp ranges 0⁰c to -1.5⁰c

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25
Q

What is an ice lens

A

Moisture collects in the soil and freezes, expands and pushes land upwards

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26
Q

Whats a nivation hollow

A

Circular depressions in the ground. Created by a nivation, freeze thaw action and chemical weathering, these cause the rock to disintegrate. The weathered particles and snow moved downslope by meltwater, leads to formation of nivation hollow.

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27
Q

What are solifluction lobes

A

Tongue-shaped landforms. Created by solifluction, active layer thaws in summer, creates excessive lubricant, active layer moves downslope.

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28
Q

What is patterned ground

A

Symmetrical geometric shapes formed by ground material. Created by frost heave, active layer refreezes, causes upward expansion of soil - frost heave causes soil to expand unevenly, creates small domes on surface.

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29
Q

What’s a pingo

A

dome-shaped mound consisting of a layer of soil over a large core of ice. Created by groundwater freezing, in the core is an ice lens topped with soil.

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30
Q

What’s an open system pingo

A

Permafrost is discontinuous, water seeps in upper areas and freezes, groundwater seeps in and freezes creating a dome. Can break and becomes an ognip.

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31
Q

What’s a closed system pingo

A

Lakes from in depressions, water is trapped, sediment builds over top. Can break and becomes an ognip.

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32
Q

What’s an ice wedge

A

Crack in the ground formed by a narrow or thin piece of ice. Created by ground contraction, active layer refreezes, soil contracts, cracks open up, meltwater enters and process repeats. Process widens and deepens crack

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33
Q

What is mass balance

A

The net gain/loss of ice in a glacier

34
Q

What is dynamic equilibrium

A

When the outputs and inputs are balanced

35
Q

What is sublimation

A

Transition of a solid directly to a gas, doesn’t go to a liquid

36
Q

What is the accumulation zone

A

Area above firn line, snowfall accumulates and exceeds losses of ablation

37
Q

What is negative feedback

A

Regulates system to maintain equilibrium

38
Q

What is positive feedback

A

These speed up processes promoting rapid change

39
Q

What is altimetry

A

Provides repeated measurements of the ice sheet

40
Q

What is gravimetry

A

The gravitational attraction of ice sheets

41
Q

What is the mass budget method

A

Compares amount of snow on ice sheet and amount of meltwater

42
Q

What is internal deformation

A

Occurs in polar and temperate glaciers, movement within ice due to stress by gravity, ice crystals slide past each other, movements create crevasses.

43
Q

What is basal slippage

A

Occurs in temperate, glacier moves and raises temp of base ice, basal ice melts and acts as lubricant.

44
Q

What is regelation

A

Occurs in temperate, occurs due to basal slip, PMP is passed so it melts, film of water formed so ice moves, water refreezes when pressure reduces.

45
Q

What is extensional and compressional flow

A

Occur in temperate, Extensional - (above firn line) velocity increases in accumulation zone due to down valley ice consistently pulling away from up valley ice.
Compressional - (below firn line) velocity falls as upper valley consistently pushing against down valley ice.

46
Q

What is a crevasse

A

A deep v-shaped cleft formed in upper part of glacier, due to fracture of ice

47
Q

What’s a longitudinal crevasse

A

Crevasse oriented parallel to long axis of a glacier, open when glacier becomes wider

48
Q

What affects rate of glacial movement

A

Altitude, lithology (rock characteristics), size, slope gradient and ice temp

49
Q

What is abrasion

A

Where rocks carried by glacier collide with bedrock on floor

50
Q

What is plucking

A

The pulling away of loose rocks or ice

51
Q

What and how is an Arete formed

A

It is a narrow ridge of rock that separates 2 mountains, formed when 2 corries are back to back

52
Q

What and how is a corrie/cirque formed

A

Its a hollow in a mountain with a large backwall, snow accumulates in hollow, freeze thaw weathering and plucking occur on backwall, moraine falls, abrasion deepens hollow, moraine gathers opposite backwall, river lake (tarn) may form in hollow

53
Q

What and how is a Roches Moutonnees formed

A

Goes direction of glacier flow, stoss side is ramp like, lee side is cliff like. Glacier went over top, striations left due to abrasion, lee side vulnerable to plucking

54
Q

What are knock and lochan

A

Knocks - small hills. Lochans - small lakes

55
Q

What and how are crag and tails formed

A

The opposite of a Roches Moutonnees, glacier flow goes into hard volcanic rock, creates cliff like side where glacier hit first (crag), descending ramp on other side where softer rock is found (tail)

56
Q

What is till

A

Mixed materials deposited by ice e.g. drumlins, moraines and erratic

57
Q

What and how are drumlins formed

A

Like a small hill, glacier dropped debris, as it went past it deposited sediment, was then narrowed and straightened by glacier.

58
Q

What is medial moraine

A

Ridge of rocks that form in middle of glacier, created by 2 lateral moraines

59
Q

What is terminal moraine

A

The end of the moraine, where the glacier stopped/the furthest it got

60
Q

What is lateral moraine

A

Forms on the sides of the glacier, due to glacier going past rocks and soil they drop to the side

61
Q

What is recessional moraine

A

These are secondary terminal moraine, deposited when a temporary glacier standstill occurred

62
Q

What is an erratic

A

A rock or boulder of different material than surrounding rocks, brought by glacier

63
Q

What is lodgement till

A

Rounded clasts, due to grinding on ice bed, not within matrix of clay or silt size particles

64
Q

What is ablation till

A

Angular clasts, not grounded down, matrix is of larger sized material and less compact

65
Q

What’s an outwash plain

A

A plain formed of glacial sediments that is found at the snout of the glacier

66
Q

What are braided meltwater streams

A

Streams that criss-cross the outwash plain

67
Q

What are varves

A

Layers of sediments found in the bottom of lakes at the front of the glacier

68
Q

What are kettle holes

A

basins found on the outwash plain, circular and filled with water

69
Q

What are eskers

A

Long ridges of material, going in direction of ice advance

70
Q

What are kames

A

Small hills of fluvioglacial deposits

71
Q

What are some uses of a glacial environment

A

Sheep farming, scientific research, to live, vegetation, tourists

72
Q

When was the Antarctic treaty signed

A

In 1959

73
Q

What was the purpose of the Antarctic treaty

A

To establish a zone free of military testing and waste, peaceful purpose only and to promote international scientific cooperation

74
Q

How many countries signed the Antarctic treaty

A

56

75
Q

Why is a wilderness valuable

A

It’s a habitat for many animals, contains many plants and animals, clean water

76
Q

Name some scientific research programmes going on in Antarctica

A

Understanding global change, Life on the edge, understanding how the ice is melting

77
Q

What is legislation

A

Agreed rules/regulations, involves international agreements

78
Q

How are the footpaths affected by tourism in the lakes

A

Landscape becoming increasingly more damaged due to increased tourism, footpath erosion one of the biggest challenges

79
Q

What is the water storage in Thirlmere

A

Man made reservoir, built to supply Manchester with water due to their growing pop in industrial revolution

80
Q

Why is the reservoir in Thirlmere good

A

Helped supply Manchester’s growing pop with water, takes water to other places enroute to Manchester, filled by rain and streams

81
Q

Why is the reservoir in Thirlmere bad

A

United utilities have to keep watch constantly, people rely heavily on it, constant lorryloads of wood to stop soil erosion in reservoir

Geography - Miss Edmondson/Mr Ross (3 decks)

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