subglacial
Below the ice
Subglacial means beneath a glacier or ice sheet.
The term appears in geology and climate science to describe features, lakes, or processes occurring under massive ice formations: subglacial lakes, subglacial erosion, subglacial volcanic activity.
Scientists study subglacial environments to understand ice dynamics and search for ancient life forms.
Solid stone underground
- tillRegister drawer for money
- sedimentParticles settling in liquid
- moraineGlacier-deposited debris pile
- erosionGradual wearing away
deposition · stratigraphy · tectonics · geomorphology · isostasy · drumlins · eskers · striations
Interconnected organisms and surroundings
- microbesMicroscopic living organisms
- bacteriaNucleus-free single-celled organisms
- extremophileLife in harsh conditions
- AntarcticaSouthernmost continental landmass
Greenland · dark · anoxic · isolated · ancient · pristine · habitat · life
Water from melted ice
- drainageLiquid removal system
- lakeEnclosed body of freshwater
- streamSteady continuous flow
- channelPassage for transmission
aquifer · outburst · flood · jökulhlaup · conduit · water pressure · discharge · groundwater
bedrock
Solid stone underground
- tillRegister drawer for money
- sedimentParticles settling in liquid
- moraineGlacier-deposited debris pile
erosion · deposition · stratigraphy · tectonics · geomorphology · isostasy · drumlins · eskers · striations · quarrying
ecosystem
Interconnected organisms and surroundings
- microbesMicroscopic living organisms
- bacteriaNucleus-free single-celled organisms
- extremophileLife in harsh conditions
Antarctica · Greenland · dark · anoxic · isolated · ancient · pristine · habitat · life · biosignature
meltwater
Water from melted ice
channel · aquifer · outburst · flood · jökulhlaup · conduit · water pressure · discharge · groundwater · runoff
eruption
Violent sudden release
- geothermalRelating to underground heat
- heatTransferred thermal energy
- jökulhlaupCatastrophic glacial meltwater release
basalt · Iceland · magma · hotspot · melting · steam · crater · tephra · subaerial · fissure
expedition
Organized exploratory journey
- researchSystematic fact-finding effort
- drillingHole-making by rotation
- radarRadio-wave object detection
sonar · mapping · survey · discovery · remote sensing · ice core · borehole · probe · sampling · subsurface
glacial, glacier, glaciofluvial, glaciation, glaciate, glaciology, glaciologist, interglacial