NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Glaciology

Glaciology is the study of glaciers, or more generally ice and natural phenomena that involve ice. The word glacier is derived from the Latin glaciees, meaning ice or frost. Lateral moraine on a glacier joining the Gorner Glacier, Zermatt, Switzerland. ... Lateral moraine on a glacier joining the Gorner Glacier, Zermatt, Switzerland. ... Glacial and Glaciation redirect here. ... Snowflakes by Wilson Bentley, 1902 Ice is the name given to any one of the 14 known solid phases of water. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ...

Glaciology is an interdisciplinary earth science that integrates geophysics, geology, physical geography, geomorphology, climatology, meteorology, hydrology, biology, and ecology. The impact of glaciers on humans adds the fields of human geography and anthropology. The presence of ice on Mars and Europa brings in an extraterrestrial component to the field. Earth science (also known as geoscience, the geosciences or the Earth Sciences), is an all-embracing term for the sciences related to the planet Earth. ... â€¹ The template below has been proposed for deletion. ... This article includes a list of works cited but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... True-color image of the Earths surface and atmosphere Physical geography (also know as geosystems or physiography) is a subfield of geography that focuses on the systematic study of patterns and processes within the hydrosphere, biosphere, atmosphere, and lithosphere. ... Surface of the Earth Geomorphology is the study of landforms, including their origin and evolution, and the processes that shape them. ... Climatology is the study of climate, scientifically defined as weather conditions averaged over a period of time,[1] and is a branch of the atmospheric sciences. ... Satellite image of Hurricane Hugo with a polar low visible at the top of the image. ... Water covers 70% of the Earths surface. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Population density by country, 2006 Human geography is a branch of geography that focuses on the study of patterns and processes that shape human interaction with the environment, with particular reference to the causes and consequences of the spatial distribution of human activity on the Earths surface. ... Anthropology (from Greek: á¼€Î½Î¸ÏÏ‰Ï€Î¿Ï‚, anthropos, human being; and Î»ÏŒÎ³Î¿Ï‚, logos, knowledge) is the comparative study of the physical and social characteristics of humanity through the examination of historical and present geographical distribution, cultural history, acculturation, and cultural relationships. ... Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the solar system, named after the Roman god of war (the counterpart of the Greek Ares), on account of its blood red color as viewed in the night sky. ... Apparent magnitude: 5. ...

Overview

Areas of study within glaciology include glacial history and the reconstruction of past glaciation patterns, effects of glaciers on climate and vice versa, the dynamics of ice movement, the contributions of glaciers to erosion and geomorphology, and lifeforms that live in the ice. A Glaciologist is a person who studies glaciers. Glaciology is one of the key areas of polar research.

Types

There are two general categories of glaciation which glaciologists distinguish: alpine glaciation, accumulations or "rivers of ice" confined to valleys; and continental glaciation, unrestricted accumulations which once covered much of the northern continents.

Zones of glaciers

Movement

Ablation is defined as the removal of material from the surface of an object by vaporization, chipping, or other erosive processes. ... This article is about a glacial landform. ... A Bergshrund is the geological term given to a split or crevasse occupying the firn layer of a glacier. ... A cirque is an amphitheatre-like valley of glacial origin, formed by glacial erosion at the head of the glacier. ... Iceberg Cirque in Glacier National Park, USA The Lower Curtis Glacier, North Cascades National Park, is a well developed cirque glacier. ... Block quote In materials science, creep is the term used to describe the tendency of a material to move or to deform permanently to relieve stresses. ... Stress is the internal distribution of force per unit area that balances and reacts to external loads applied to a body. ... In science, a molecule is a group of atoms in a definite arrangement held together by chemical bonds. ... Fluid mechanics is the subdiscipline of continuum mechanics that studies fluids, that is, liquids and gases. ... For fractures in geologic formations, see Rock fracture. ... The Matterhorn, a classic peak A pyramidal peak, or sometimes in its most extreme form called a glacial horn, is a mountaintop that has been modified by the action of ice during glaciation and frost weathering. ... This article needs to be wikified. ... Plucking, in the sense relating to glaciers, is when a glacier erodes away chunks of bedrock to be later deposited as erratics. ... Dew drops adhering to a spider web Adhesion is the molecular attraction exerted between bodies in contact. ... Cohesion may mean: Cohesion (chemistry): the intermolecular attraction between like-molecules. ... Triad Lake in Glacier Peak Wilderness View of Tarn Hows, Cumbria A tarn (or corrie loch) is a mountain lake or pool, formed in a corrie excavated by a glacier. ... A tunnel valley is a deep but narrow valley with a U shaped cross-section and frequently a U shaped plan which is usually found filled with glacial till. ...

Glacial deposits

Stratified

A kettle is a landform feature in glaciated terrain. ... A part of the Mason Esker Esker in Sims Corner Eskers and Kames National Natural Landmark, Washington state. ... A kame among the glacial drift on the terminal morraine of the Okanagon Lobe of the Cordilerion Glacier on the Waterville Plateau of the Columbia Plateau in Washington, United States. ... A varve is an annual layer of sediment or sedimentary rock. ... In geology, a proglacial lake is a lake formed either by the damming action of a moraine or ice dam during the retreat of a melting glacier, or one formed by meltwater trapped against a ice sheet due to isostatic depression of the crust around the ice. ...

Unstratified

Glacial till with tufts of grass Till is an unsorted glacial sediment. ... Moraine at Mono Lake, California, United States Moraines clearly seen on a side glacier of the Gorner Glacier, Zermatt, Switzerland. ... Drumlin in Cato, New York Drowned drumlin in Clew Bay Drumlin at Withrow Moraine and Jameson Lake Drumlin Field National Natural Landmark A drumlin (Irish droimnÃn, a little hill ridge) is an elongated whale-shaped hill formed by glacial action. ...

References

The headquarters of the Cambridge University Press, in Trumpington Street, Cambridge. ... shelby was here 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... For the parliamentary constituency, see Cheltenham (UK Parliament constituency). ... Year 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar). ...

See also

This is a list of glaciers: Adams Glacier Vatnajokull Iceland Agassiz Icecap - Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada Aletsch Glacier - Swiss Alps, largest in Alps Angel Glacier - Cavell Meadows, Jasper National Park, Canada Antarctica -Continental glacier Athabasca Glacier - Canadian Rockies Aurora Glacier - Glacier Bay, Alaska Austfonna - Nordaustlandet, Svalbard Barnard Glacier - Alaska Beardmore...

External links

Categories: Earth sciences | Glaciology | Physical geography Earth science (also known as geoscience, the geosciences or the Earth Sciences), is an all-embracing term for the sciences related to the planet Earth. ... Atmospheric sciences is an umbrella term for the study of the atmosphere, its processes, the effects other systems have on the atmosphere, and the effects of the atmosphere on these other systems. ... It has been suggested that geodetic system be merged into this article or section. ... This article includes a list of works cited but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... â€¹ The template below has been proposed for deletion. ... Water covers 70% of the Earths surface. ... Thermohaline circulation Oceanography (from Ocean + Greek Î³ÏÎ¬Ï†ÎµÎ¹Î½ = write), also called oceanology or marine science, is the branch of Earth Sciences that studies the Earths oceans and seas. ... Soil science deals with soil as a natural resource on the surface of the earth including soil formation, classification and mapping; physical, chemical, biological, and fertility properties of soils per se; and these properties in relation to the use and management of soils. ... True-color image of the Earths surface and atmosphere Physical geography (also know as geosystems or physiography) is a subfield of geography that focuses on the systematic study of patterns and processes within the hydrosphere, biosphere, atmosphere, and lithosphere. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (8192x4096, 10000 KB) Land surface, ocean color, sea ice and clouds. ... Biogeography is the science which deals with patterns of species distribution and the processes that result in such patterns. ... Climatology is the study of climate, scientifically defined as weather conditions averaged over a period of time,[1] and is a branch of the atmospheric sciences. ... Paleoclimatology is the study of climate change taken on the scale of the entire history of the Earth. ... Coastal geography is the study of the dynamic interface between the ocean and the land, incorporating both the physical geography(i. ... It has been suggested that geodetic system be merged into this article or section. ... Surface of the Earth Geomorphology is the study of landforms, including their origin and evolution, and the processes that shape them. ... Water covers 70% of the Earths surface. ... Hydrography focuses on the measurement of physical characteristics of waters and marginal land. ... Landscape ecology is a sub-discipline of ecology and geography that address how spatial variation in the landscape affects ecological processes such as the distribution and flow of energy, materials and individuals in the environment (which, in turn, may influence the distribution of landscape elements themselves such as hedgerows). ... Limnology is a discipline that concerns the study of inland waters (both saline and fresh), specifically lakes, ponds and rivers (both natural and manmade), including their biological, physical, chemical, and hydrological aspects. ... Thermohaline circulation Oceanography (from Ocean + Greek Î³ÏÎ¬Ï†ÎµÎ¹Î½ = write), also called oceanology or marine science, is the branch of Earth Sciences that studies the Earths oceans and seas. ... Paleogeography (sometimes spelled palaeogeography) is the study of the ancient geologic environments of the Earths surface as preserved in the stratigraphic record. ... Pedology (pÄ›dÇ’lÅgy), (from Russian: pedologiya, from the Greek pedon = soil, earth), is the study of soils and soil formation. ... The Quaternary Period is the geologic time period from the end of the Pliocene Epoch roughly 1. ...

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