icecaps
Frozen pole covers
Icecaps are thick, permanent sheets of ice covering land masses, smaller than ice sheets but still vast—typically found atop mountains or polar regions.
Greenland and Antarctica hold the world's largest.
The term often appears in climate discussions: Melting icecaps are raising sea levels.
Also spelled as two words: ice caps.
Solid-to-liquid transition
- global warmingRising planetary temperatures
- sea level riseIncreasing ocean surface height
- climate changePlanetary atmospheric transformation
- albedoSurface reflection coefficient
feedback loops · glacial retreat · thermal expansion · carbon emissions · environmental impact · shrinking · thinning · mass loss
Slow-moving ice mass
- crevasseDeep glacial fissure
- firnYear-old compacting snow
- moraineGlacier-deposited debris pile
- calvingIce mass separation
ablation · accumulation · serac · compaction · snowpack · stratigraphy · meltwater · glaciologist
Solidified by extreme cold
- vastExtremely great in size
- immenseExtremely large in scope
- frigidExtremely and intensely cold
- permanentFixed without end
ancient · thick · massive · reflective · white · crystalline · solid · cold
Earth's northernmost zone
- AntarcticSouthern polar region
- GreenlandLargest island on Earth
- North PoleEarth's northern axis point
- South PoleSouthernmost point on Earth
Svalbard · polar regions · icefield · high latitude · frozen continent · polar circle · polar desert
White Arctic marine mammals
- penguinsFlightless aquatic seabirds
- sealsAquatic whiskered mammals
- walrusesLarge tusked marine mammals
- krillSmall marine crustaceans
narwhals · belugas · snowy owls · ptarmigan · phytoplankton · breeding grounds · migration · adaptation
melting
Solid-to-liquid transition
- global warmingRising planetary temperatures
- sea level riseIncreasing ocean surface height
- climate changePlanetary atmospheric transformation
albedo · feedback loops · glacial retreat · thermal expansion · carbon emissions · environmental impact · shrinking · thinning · mass loss · warming trend
glacier
Slow-moving ice mass
calving · ablation · accumulation · serac · compaction · snowpack · stratigraphy · meltwater · glaciologist
frozen
Solidified by extreme cold
permanent · ancient · thick · massive · reflective · white · crystalline · solid · cold · expansive
Arctic
Earth's northernmost zone
- AntarcticSouthern polar region
- GreenlandLargest island on Earth
- North PoleEarth's northern axis point
South Pole · Svalbard · polar regions · icefield · high latitude · frozen continent · polar circle · polar desert
polar bears
White Arctic marine mammals
- penguinsFlightless aquatic seabirds
- sealsAquatic whiskered mammals
- walrusesLarge tusked marine mammals
krill · narwhals · belugas · snowy owls · ptarmigan · phytoplankton · breeding grounds · migration · adaptation · food chain
icecapsdeserts
Abandons or barren lands
tropics · equatorial regions · Sahara · hot springs · volcanic regions