GPHY 102 Lecture 21: L21

• School: Queen's University
• Department: Geography
• Course: GPHY 102
• Professor: Ryan K Danby

Document Summary

Form when snowfall exceeds melt over successive years (accumulation exceeds ablation: accumulation precipitation itself (build-up of snow, ablation melting of snow to reduce its quantity. Snow compacts and compresses into ice with a density of ~ 850 kg/m3 (compare to snow at 50- Thick layers of ice behave in a plastic fashion, and movement / flow occurs when significant mass accumulates. Same precipitation process as snowfall just long-term storage of snowfall. Occurs at high elevation around the world less dense than liquid water (of course) snow from snowflakes transforms to more compact forms where it becomes increasingly solid ice. Warmer climates: equilibrium line moves upslope to increase ablation colder climates: equilibrium line moves downslope to increase accumulation. Pattern of glacier movement varies depending on quantity of ice and terrain environment. Variations best understood by considering two basic types of glaciers: 1. mountain/ alpine glaciers, 2.