SLE102 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Glacier Morphology, Mass Balance, Basal Sliding

• School: Deakin University
• Department: Science, Engineering and Built Environment
• Course: SLE102
• Professor: Nick Porch

Document Summary

Cryosphere: 8(cid:1004)% of (cid:449)orld"s fresh(cid:449)ater is i(cid:374) the cryosphere (cid:894)as ice(cid:895, makes up (cid:1005)/(cid:1007) of earth"s surface, remains perennially frozen. Includes glaciers, sea ice (floating ice in the oceans), permanently frozen ground (permafrost: polar ice: gives rise to cold dense water that drives deep ocean circulation. As water becomes cold -> becomes more dense -> sinks -> circulates as bottom water : frozen water is fresh (cid:449)ater; does(cid:374)"t retai(cid:374) salt, sea ice: free floating ice. Ice sheets: large areas of permanent snow and ice that cover large areas of land. Cryosphere includes: in polar and subpolar regions, greenland ice sheet, antarctic ice sheet, sea ice, permafrost. Snowline: lower boundary of snow during the annual snow season; the altitude at which the snow will melt or stay on the ground. Moves depending on seasons, temperature, altitude, available moisture. Found in temperate regions low and middle latitudes.