glacier
Slow frozen river
A glacier is a massive body of ice that forms over centuries as accumulated snow compresses and recrystallizes.
Glaciers move slowly under their own weight, carving valleys and shaping landscapes: The glacier has retreated significantly over the past decade.
At a glacial pace means extremely slowly.
Glacial as an adjective also describes cold or unfriendly demeanor: She gave him a glacial stare.
Year-old compacting snow
- snowfallPrecipitation of frozen crystals
- accumulationCollected mass over time
- crystallizationForming ordered solid structure
- compactionReducing volume through pressure
sintering · freezing · nucleation · supercooling · icecap · ice sheet · recrystallization · densification
Increasing in temperature
- meltingSolid-to-liquid transition
- albedoSurface reflection coefficient
- cryosphereEarth's frozen water systems
- permafrostPerpetually frozen earth layer
sea level rise · meltwater · ice loss · retreat · mass balance · ice core · paleoclimate · climatology
Stealthy, slow movement
- flowUnbroken forward movement
- surgeSudden powerful increase
- advanceMove or progress forward
- retreatSanctuary or withdrawal
deformation · calving · ablation · velocity · icefall · terminus · snout · crevasse
Glacier-deposited debris pile
- cirqueGlacier-carved mountain basin
- arêteSharp mountain ridge
- hornPointed animal headgear
- fjordGlacially carved coastal inlet
drumlin · esker · kettle · erratic · till · outwash · tarn · hanging valley
Era of massive glaciation
- PleistoceneAncient glacial geological period
- HoloceneCurrent geological epoch
- QuaternaryLast 2.6 million years
- megafaunaSpecies over 44 kilograms
mammoths · deglaciation · stratigraphy · geochronology · Little Ice Age · paleoecology
Water from melted ice
- algaePrimitive aquatic photosynthesizers
- tardigradeMicroscopic resilient eight-legged animal
- extremophileLife in harsh conditions
- habitatOrganism's natural environment
refugia · biodiversity · ecosystem · water source · hydropower · salmon runs · endemic species
firn
Year-old compacting snow
- snowfallPrecipitation of frozen crystals
- accumulationCollected mass over time
- crystallizationForming ordered solid structure
compaction · sintering · freezing · nucleation · supercooling · icecap · ice sheet · recrystallization · densification · snowpack
warming
Increasing in temperature
- meltingSolid-to-liquid transition
- albedoSurface reflection coefficient
- cryosphereEarth's frozen water systems
permafrost · sea level rise · meltwater · ice loss · retreat · mass balance · ice core · paleoclimate · climatology · greenhouse effect
creep
Stealthy, slow movement
retreat · deformation · calving · ablation · velocity · icefall · terminus · snout · crevasse · serac
moraine
Glacier-deposited debris pile
fjord · drumlin · esker · kettle · erratic · till · outwash · tarn · hanging valley · striations
ice age
Era of massive glaciation
- PleistoceneAncient glacial geological period
- HoloceneCurrent geological epoch
- QuaternaryLast 2.6 million years
megafauna · mammoths · deglaciation · stratigraphy · geochronology · Little Ice Age · paleoecology
meltwater
Water from melted ice
- algaePrimitive aquatic photosynthesizers
- tardigradeMicroscopic resilient eight-legged animal
- extremophileLife in harsh conditions
habitat · refugia · biodiversity · ecosystem · water source · hydropower · salmon runs · endemic species
- scenic viewsviewpoints, mountain views, sunset, vistas, vista
- AlaskaFairbanks, Juneau, Denali, Sitka, Kodiak
- earth scienceatmosphere, earthquake, geology, volcano, crust
- Ice Ageice age, mammoths, saber-tooth cat, mammoth, woolly mammoth
- ice and snowiceberg, ice floe, icicle, sea ice, pack ice
- landformsmountain, cliff, valley, volcano, mountain ridge
- glacial lakesMeltwater-filled eroded basins
- melting glaciersIce fields shrinking from warmth
- glacial riversWaterways sourced from ice
- glacial meltFrozen mass becoming water
- glacier meltFrozen river becoming water
- glacial meltingWarming-induced ice loss
glacial, glacial erratic, glaciofluvial, glaciers, glaciation, glaciate, glacially, glaciology, glaciated