Glaciation

Question 1

What is the Cryosphere?

Answer 1

The cryosphere consists of places on Earth so cold that water is permanently frozen. It plays a vital role in climate regulation as snow and ice reflect heat from the sun (albedo effect), which regulates temperature.

Question 2

What are ice caps? + example

Answer 2

Smaller masses of ice found within mountains.
Example: Vatnajökull in Iceland, which is over 800 km² and about 1 km thick.
• Ice caps are unconfined, allowing them to flow and move freely.

Question 3

What are ice sheets? + example

Answer 3

Huge expanses of ice that are usually over 1 km thick and cover land.
• Example: Antarctica is the largest ice sheet, covering 14 million km² and storing 90% of Earth’s freshwater.
• Ice sheets are unconstrained and can move freely.

Question 4

What are ice shelves?

Answer 4

Extensions of ice sheets that stretch over water, creating cliffs into the sea.
• Seen in Antarctica.
• Ice shelves are unconstrained as they are part of ice sheets.

Question 5

Difference between polar and temperature glaciers.

Answer 5

Temperate: move 150m per year and have more erosion.

Polar: move 1-2m per year and have less erosion

Question 6

What are the main types of glacier movement?

Answer 6

1. Internal deformation - Movement of ice layers sliding over one another.
2. Basal sliding - Glacier slides over melted water, acting like a lubricant.
3. Extensional flow - Increased gradient causes stretching and speeds up.
4. Compressional flow - Decreased gradient causes compression and slows down.

Question 7

What are corrie glaciers?

Answer 7

Found in hollowed-out armchair shapes in mountains, often creating steep back walls and a tarn (lake).
example: Eel glacier in washington