Glaciers

A glacier forms when winter snowfall

in an area exceeds summer melt and
therefore accumulates year after year.
Snow is compacted and converted to
glacial ice, and when the ice is about
40 m thick, pressure causes it to flow.
 Glacier Types

1. Valley (Alpine)
Found in mountainous areas

Smaller than ice sheets

Lengths greater than widths

Only cover a small region

Transform V-shaped valleys into U

Alpine
Glaciers
 Glacier Types

2. Ice sheets (Continental glacier)
Large scale – cover 10% of Earth’s
land
Found in polar regions
Greenland – 1.7 million km2

Antarctica – 13.9 million km2

Continental
Glaciers
So where does glacial ice come
from?
Ice that makes up glaciers originally fell on its surface as snow. To
become ice, this snow underwent changes that caused it to become more
compact and dense. Glacial ice has a density of about 850 kilograms per
cubic meter. After the snow falls, the crystals can be reduced by the
effects of melting and sublimation. Scientists call this process ablation.
For most glaciers, ablation is a takes place in the summer months. The
snow also undergoes compaction through melting and refreezing.
At first, these processes cause the original snowflakes to be
transformed into small round crystals. This partly melted, compressed
snow is called névé.
Névé has a density exceeding 500 kilograms per cubic meter. If the névé
survives the ablation that occurs during the summer months it is called
firn.
When this process happens year after year, a number of layers of firn
can accumulate. Accumulation then causes a further increase in density,
changing the firn into glacier ice, as the lower layers of firn are
compressed by the weight of the layers above. On average, the
 The conversion of
freshly fallen snow
to firn and snow
ice .

Firnis a partially-
compacted type of snow
that has been left over
from past seasons and has
been recrystallised. It is
ice that is at an
intermediate stage
between snow and glacial
ice. Firn has the
appearance of wet sugar,
but has a hardness that
makes it extremely
resistant to shovelling.

Fig . 14 - 2a , p . 323
A sample of Firn in the
Alps

Fig . 14 - 2b , p . 323
 Glacier’s Budget

In - Zone of accumulation
§ Snow accumulates and forms ice
§ Outer limit of accumulation is called the
snowline

Out – Zone of wastage

ablation – general term for loss of ice or
snow from a glacier
1.Sublimation (Process where ice changes into water
vapour without first becoming liquid)
2.Melting
3.Evaporation
4.Calving - icebergs
Glacier as a system
 The glacier’s budget
•The behavior of a glacier depends
on its budget , which is the
relationship between accumulation
and wastage .
•If a glacier possesses a balanced
budget , its terminus ( end ) remains
stationary ; a positive or negative
budget results in advance or
retreat of the terminus ,
respectively .
 How a glacier changes in
response to inputs and
wastage.

Inputs=outputs=glacier remains
stationary

Inputs> outputs = glacier advances

Inputs< outputs = glacier retreats.