World of Glaciers

Glaciers are large bodies

of ice that form when snow
accumulates and exceeds its
ablation over many years.
A glacier will deform over
time due to its weight.
Glaciers are formed on land
where as sea ice is formed on
bodies of water. Glaciers are
found in mountain regions all
over the world except Australia. Glacial ice is largest reservoir
of fresh water found on earth and supports one third of earth’s
population. Glaciers store water during one season and release melt
water, which is important for plants, animals and human uses.

Glaciers are categorised in many ways including

their morphology, thermal characteristics and
their behaviour. Alpine glaciers form on crests
and slopes of mountains and are also known as
“mountain glaciers”. Valley glaciers fill small
valleys. Large glaciers that cover an entire
mountain or volcano are known as ice caps or
ice fields.
 The largest
glacial bodies
cover more
than
50,000 km²
(20,000 mile²)
and are several
kilometres
deep. Only
tops protrude
from the
surface.

Volumes of ice are so large that if the Greenland ice sheet melted it
would cause sea levels to rise 20 feet around the world.

Arctic
North
America
Antarctic
Ice shelves are thinner and have smaller slopes and reduced
velocities. Ice streams are fast-moving sections of an ice sheet and
can be several hundred kilometres long.