Frozen Planet Flashcards
(18 cards)
What is a cold environment
-Permenantly covered in ice
-Low temperatures (freezing)
Where are cold environments found?
In the northern and southern poles
(Anomolies may be found at high altitudes)
- Siberia
- Alaska
- Antartica
How does altitude, latitude and continentallity impact the location of cold environments
1.Air particals are more spread out, meaning less heat
100m uphill= -1 degress
2. Suns radiation must travel through more atmosphere at the poles, meaning heat is lost
3. Costal areas recieve extra warming from the sea, as it holds heat for longer
What is a glacier?
A large mass of ice that moves over land very slowly. It forms after snow build up over a long period of time.
What are the 2 zones glaciers are divided into?
- The Accumulation Zone - helps
- The Ablation Zone - doesnt help
True or False
The accumulation zone takes away from the glacial budget?
False
It adds to it
Inputs of the accumulation zone?
- Avalances
- Rocks from mountains
- Icebergs ( if glacier in sea )
- Snowfall
Inputs of the ablation zone?
- Heat from the sun
- Rocks that wash out of the glacier
- Evaporation
- Meltwater
How do glacial budgets impact rates of erosion and the movement of ice?
If the inputs ( accumulation zone ) is greater than the output ( ablation zone ) then the glacier will grow to be bigger and move further distances, and it will erode terrain more efficently
Same can be said again put with opposite outcomes
How does a glacier move?
Glaciers move by sliding over bedrock or underlying gravel and rock debris.
This is called basal slip or a galcier bed.
Another way a glacier can move?
Where the water between ice crystals is released due to the weight of the glacier, causing the glacier to ride on the water
This is called basal sliding
Summarise the formation of a corrie
- Snow get compressed at the top of a hill
- Due to gravity it moves down hill and plucks rocks with abrasion
- Floor gets deeper from erosion, and back walls steepen bc of freeze thaw weathering
- Glacier moves on, leaving ice in the bowl to melt, creating a tarn
What shape do glaciated valleys usually have?
U shaped valleys with steep sides and a wide valley floor
Process of erosion
Plucking: Melt water seeps into cracks and freezes, then bonds to the loose rock as the glacier moves.
Abrasion: As the rock breaks off, it gets pushed to the bottom due to the weight of the glacier, and scrapes the floor
What is moraine?
Moraine is rocks that were left behind by the glacier on the lip of the corrie
It acts as a block from the water escaping.
How to see steep areas on an OS map?
Try to find contour lines that are close together
Where is the majority (69%) of the worlds water found?
In ice
Glacial vally formation?
- A river carves out a v shaped valley due to eroding the base
- River flows again, not eroding, making it a misfit river
- Ice fills the whole valley, wearing away the sides, creating a U shaped valley
