ice sheet
Vast frozen expanse
An ice sheet is a massive layer of glacial ice covering a large land area, typically defined as exceeding 50,000 square kilometers.
Earth currently has two: the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets.
Unlike glaciers, which flow through valleys, ice sheets spread outward from their center under their own weight, burying entire landscapes beneath miles of ice.
Deep glacial fissure
- moraineGlacier-deposited debris pile
- calvingIce mass separation
- ablationRemoval by cutting, melting
- accumulationCollected mass over time
firn · mass balance · outwash · bedrock · isostasy · subglacial · stratigraphy · deformation
Largest island on Earth
- AntarcticaSouthernmost continental landmass
- continentalOf a continent
- ArcticEarth's northernmost zone
- plateauFlat highland area
icefield · shelf · Ross · drainage basin · fjord · coastline · topography · elevation
Increasing in temperature
- meltingSolid-to-liquid transition
- sea-levelOcean surface benchmark
- greenhouseClimate-controlled plant enclosure
- carbonSixth element, atomic symbol C
methane · albedo · interglacial · Holocene · Pleistocene · anthropogenic · paleoclimate · thermohaline
Frigid treeless biome
- permafrostPerpetually frozen earth layer
- penguinsFlightless aquatic seabirds
- polar bearsWhite Arctic marine mammals
- sealsAquatic whiskered mammals
krill · whales · Inuit · blizzards · aurora borealis · midnight sun · polar night · research station
crevasse
Deep glacial fissure
accumulation · firn · mass balance · outwash · bedrock · isostasy · subglacial · stratigraphy · deformation · thickness
Greenland
Largest island on Earth
- AntarcticaSouthernmost continental landmass
- continentalOf a continent
- ArcticEarth's northernmost zone
plateau · icefield · shelf · Ross · drainage basin · fjord · coastline · topography · elevation · extent
warming
Increasing in temperature
- meltingSolid-to-liquid transition
- sea-levelOcean surface benchmark
- greenhouseClimate-controlled plant enclosure
carbon · methane · albedo · interglacial · Holocene · Pleistocene · anthropogenic · paleoclimate · thermohaline · climatology
tundra
Frigid treeless biome
- permafrostPerpetually frozen earth layer
- penguinsFlightless aquatic seabirds
- polar bearsWhite Arctic marine mammals
seals · krill · whales · Inuit · blizzards · aurora borealis · midnight sun · polar night · research station · icebreaker
- obstaclesbarriers, block, obstacles, barrier, blockers
- AntarcticaSouth Pole, Amundsen, Scott, penguins, glaciology
- ArcticArctic Circle, Arctic Ocean, Arctic wildlife, Arctic exploration, Arctic research
- climateclimate change, climate, weather, global warming, temperature
- Ice Agemammoths, saber-tooth cat, mammoth, woolly mammoth, Pleistocene
- ice and snowiceberg, icicle, glacier, hail, sleet
ice sheetdesert
To leave behind completely
molten lava · lava field · volcanic field · magma · lava flow
ice sheetdesert
To leave behind completely
tropical rainforest · Sahara Desert · jungle · savanna · Amazon rainforest