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ESSOCP: Cryosphere > Introduction to Cryosphere > Flashcards

Introduction to Cryosphere Flashcards

1
Q

Does ice have a low or high surface albedo and how does its characteristics further allow increased albedo?

A

It has a very high surface albedo, however, the surface allows falling snow to settle on it much easier than other surfaces, which has an even higher albedo

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2
Q

What happens to precipitation as a glacier transforms in to an ice cap then in to an ice sheet?

A

It increases due to a higher altitude which promotes orographic rainfall

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3
Q

What happens to temperature as a glacier transforms in to an ice cap then in to an ice sheet?

A

It decreases as there is more ice to keep things cool

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4
Q

What happens to CO2 and ice when oceans are cool?

A

When oceans are cool they can absorb more CO2 which reduces the greenhouse effect creating a colder climate which allows ice to accumulate

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5
Q

What happens to sea level when ice transforms state?

A

When ice melts from a solid to a liquid it becomes much denser which causes the oceans to accumulate mass and thus their level increases.

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6
Q

What happens to sea heat transfer capacity when ice transforms state?

A

If sea level increases when ice melts this means there is a greater proportion of ocean relative to land which liquid has a higher heat transfer capacity meaning the oceans can retain there temperature for longer.

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7
Q

What can happen to the thermohaline circulation as ice from the Arctic expands?

A

As ice extends down towards the equator this can interfere with the oceanic thermohaline circulation flows which can cause it to not reach certain areas or slow down

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8
Q

What happens to vegetation and the terrestrial carbon cycle when ice expands?

A

If ice expands to cover a greater area of land then this can cover vegetation and its ability to interact with the atmosphere thereby limiting the terrestrial carbon cycle

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9
Q

What are three aspects of the cryosphere that are affected by seasons?

A

Permafrost, Snow Cover, Lake Ice

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10
Q

What are the two determinants of glacier distribution?

A

Temperature and Precipitation

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11
Q

What places would you expect to find glaciers based on their determinants?

A

High Latitudes: Low temperatures and lots of rainfall

High Altitudes: Low Temperatures and lots of rainfall

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12
Q

What is a glacier?

A

Individual separated body of ice

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13
Q

What are the three types of glacier?

A

Mountain: Confined to small section of catchment
Valley: Confined to a specific catchment usually located at the bottom
Icefields: Interconnected valley glaciers flowing independently

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14
Q

What are the two forms of a valley glacier?

A

Piedmont: When the glacier spills out from a valley on to land forming a lobe shape
Tidewater: When the glacier ends at a water source (lake or ocean)

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15
Q

What is the size of a catchment that a mountain glacier forms in?

A

> 0.01km2

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16
Q

Give an example of a valley glacier

A

Grosser Aletschgletscher or Franz Joseph

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17
Q

What is another word for a mountain glacier?

A

Niche glacier or glacieret

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18
Q

Give an example of a mountain glacier

A

Khumbu Himal

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19
Q

Give an example of a Piedmont glacier

A

Axel Heiberg

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20
Q

Give an example of a Tidewater glacier

A

Hubbard Glacier

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21
Q

What is an ice sheet?

A

Collection of glaciers that culminate to produce a large mass of ice

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22
Q

How big is an ice sheet?

A

> 50,000km2

23
Q

What are the only two ice sheets on earth and which is the biggest of them?

A

Antarctica>Arctic

24
Q

What is an ice cap?

A

Masses of ice that are larger than glaciers but are less than ice sheets?

25
Q

What is the cut off size between an ice sheet and ice cap?

A

Ice Sheet>50,000km2> Ice Cap

26
Q

Give an example of an ice cap

A

Agassiz Ice Cap in Canada

27
Q

What do both ice sheets and ice caps feature?

A

Ice Domes: Name given to shape of ice structure
Ice Divides: Line that divides between two ice flow directions
Ice Outlets: Where the ice ends up (e.g. ocean)
Ice Streams: Flows of ice

28
Q

What are the two types of ice sheet?

A

Marine: When the base lies below the sea level
Terrestrial: When the base lies above sea level

29
Q

Which type of ice sheet is more responsive to climate change and why?

A

Marine: the oceans circulation means that the impact of warming upon it is distributed to all parts of the ocean so that it achieves uniform temperature, this includes the parts in the high latitudes. This means ice sheets located in the ocean are also in direct contact with the changes in temperature

30
Q

What are outlet glaciers?

A

Parts of an ice cap or sheet that are shaped as a channel due to the topographical constraints which flows down in to a lake or ocean.

31
Q

What are ice streams?

A

Parts of an ice mass that flows significantly faster than the surrounding body of ice. Its like a river of ice

32
Q

What can cause an ice stream?

A

Topography or lubrication

33
Q

What are ice shelves?

A

An extension of the ice in to an water body (ocean or freshwater)

34
Q

What are ice shelves particularly susceptible towards and why?

A

Climate change because they lie in water which exposes them to changes the same way that marine ice sheets are as well as currents and tides

35
Q

What can happen to sea ice as a result of changes in the water body it is situated in?

A

Thinning or it can break off

36
Q

What is the common misconception about the size of ice sheets relating to sea ice?

A

Growth and decline of sea ice is seasonal and is much more of a rapid process compared to that of ice sheets. However sea ice is usually attached to ice sheets that gives the indication that the ice sheet is growing or declining when it isn’t.

37
Q

What are icebergs?

A

Parts of sea ice that have broken off and travelled towards the equator where they then become much smaller and break off due to warmer temperatures.

38
Q

What is a recent ice shelf that has broken off from Antarctica and is now an ice berg?

A

Larsen C

39
Q

What is a potential threat posed by the Larsen C ice shelf?

A

It could flow towards the equator via the Southern Antarctic which may be a significant sea obstacle for shipping

40
Q

How can an icebergs erosive capability change?

A

Without material in them, icebergs are not very erosive. However, once you incorporate material in to their body they become essentially a file and are much more erosive

41
Q

How did ice sheets accumulate material from millions of years ago?

A

They formed on a land which consisted of material. Over time this material was accumulated by the ice as it flowed out in to the oceans

42
Q

What is Ice Rafter Debris?

A

debris that is gathered from ice sheets that have flowed out in to the oceans

43
Q

What does Ice Rafted Debris enable?

A

Dating of events such as calving

44
Q

Who was the first to use Ice Rafted Debris and what did he use it for?

A

Heinrich used it to determine the Heinrich periods

45
Q

What is sea ice?

A

Frozen sea water that can either be formed over long periods or seasonally

46
Q

When does sea ice extent reach a minimum or maximum?

A

Minimum: September
Maximum: March

47
Q

Why is the sea ice extent extremes not at the peak seasonal times?

A

Because there is a lag effect caused by the low heat transfer capacity of liquids (oceans) which is then not distributed to the high latitude regions immediately.

48
Q

What are the recent events in sea ice extent in the Arctic and Antarctic?

A

Arctic reached an all time low whereas the Antarctic reached an all time high

49
Q

What are the reasons for the recent events of sea ice extent in Arctic and Antarctic?

A

Unknown

50
Q

What event happened in the early 21st century and what was it reported as?

A

Larsen B ice shelf broke off due to the sea getting on top of it and breaking it. This was wrongly reported as the Antarctic Ice Shelf breaking.

51
Q

What will happen to sea level if a terrestrial glacier melts in to the ocean?

A

It is not already in the sea so it will cause the ocean volume to increase a lot as all of the mass was previously not in the ocean and now is

52
Q

What will happen to sea level if a marine glaciers/ sea ice/ ice shelves melts in to the ocean?

A

It will only increase a small amount because all of the ice mass is already in the sea and so there will only be an incremental increase due to the different densities of a liquid compared to a solid

53
Q

What will happen to sea level if an ice sheet melts in to the ocean?

A

Great increase in sea level because the ice sheets are huge and furthermore extend to the bottom of the ocean

ESSOCP: Cryosphere (7 decks)

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