Under what conditions will a glacier terminus to advance?
If more snow and ice are added than are lost through melting, calving, or evaporation, glaciers will advance. If less snow and ice are added than are lost, glaciers will retreat.
What does it mean when a glacier is stationary?
Glaciers that are neither advancing nor receding are stationary. The snout (or terminus) of a glacier may be stationary but the ice itself isn't. The terminus of a glacier is stationary when accumulation (snow) at the top of the glacier is equal to ablation (melt) at the bottom of the glacier.
What does it mean when a glacier advances?
What does it mean when a glacier "advances"? The terminus of the glacier is shifting forward; the glacier is growing longer.
What type of glacial movement will be responsible for the greatest amount of glacial flow?
28 Cards in this Set
| Compared with the amount of ice that existed during the last glacial maximum, how much exists today? | 1/3 as much |
|---|---|
| Which type of glacial movement is circled | basal sliding |
| Which type of glacial movement will be responsible for the greatest amount of glacial flow? | Internal Flow |
What factors control glacial advance and retreat?
The factors that control glacial advance and retreat is the rate precipitation, melting and sublimation. If there is more snow accumulation than what is lost calving then the glacier advances. If the opposite is true then it begins to retreat.
How can you predict if a glacier will advance or retreat?
With the exception of glaciers that terminate in the ocean, and glaciers in the polar regions or at extreme high altitudes where the temperature is always below freezing, essentially just two things determine whether a glacier is advancing or retreating: how much snow falls in the winter, and how warm it is during the …
How do you tell if a glacier is advancing or retreating?
The easiest way is to look a the glacier margins. If the ice is in contact with vegetation or rock covered in lichens or moss, it means it is most likely advancing. If you see a band of life-less rock in between the ice and the first plants/lichens/moss, it means it is retreating.
What causes glaciers to advance retreat?
Glaciers periodically retreat or advance, depending on the amount of snow accumulation or evaporation or melt that occurs. This retreat and advance refers only to the position of the terminus, or snout, of the glacier. Even as it retreats, the glacier still deforms and moves downslope, like a conveyor belt.
What happens when glaciers retreat?
Glacial retreat leaves boulders and masses of scraped-together rocky debris and soil called glacial moraines. Large temporary lakes of glacial meltwater may rupture, causing catastrophic floods and even shifting global climate by dumping freshwater into the oceans and so altering their circulation.
What happens if the glacier stops for a while then retreats?
As the average global temperature increases, glaciers melt and retreat back up the valleys they flowed down. When glaciers disappear, the landscape stops being eroded by tons of ice and starts to be reclaimed by plant and animal life. With enough glacial melt, sea levels and landmasses can rise and fall.
What causes a glacier to recede?
Glaciers may retreat when their ice melts or ablates more quickly than snowfall can accumulate and form new glacial ice. Higher temperatures and less snowfall have been causing many glaciers around the world to retreat recently.
What happens during the retreat of a glacier?
Glacial retreat leaves boulders and masses of scraped-together rocky debris and soil called glacial moraines. Large temporary lakes of glacial meltwater may rupture, causing catastrophic floods and even shifting global climate by dumping freshwater into the oceans and so altering their circulation.
How do glaciers retreat and advance?
Glaciers periodically retreat or advance, depending on the amount of snow accumulation or evaporation or melt that occurs. This retreat and advance refers only to the position of the terminus, or snout, of the glacier. Even as it retreats, the glacier still deforms and moves downslope, like a conveyor belt.