How can snow accumulate year after year at high elevations and in polar regions?
How can snow accumulate year after year at high elevations and in polar regions? When the ice melts faster than ice and snow melt, the glacier gets bigger. When the ice melts faster than snow is added, the glacier gets smaller.
What is the name of the area of the glacier where the snow falls and accumulates?
accumulation zone
A glacier can be divided into two regions. At the high end of the glacier, more snow (mass) accumulates than is lost every year. This region is called the accumulation zone. As new snow falls, it buries snow remaining from prior years.
What are the two main types of glaciers?
Glaciers fall into two groups: alpine glaciers and ice sheets. Alpine glaciers form on mountainsides and move downward through valleys. Sometimes, alpine glaciers create or deepen valleys by pushing dirt, soil, and other materials out of their way.
Where is most accumulation of glacial ice found?
Most of the world’s glacial ice is found in Antarctica and Greenland, but glaciers are found on nearly every continent, even Africa.
Is it possible for glaciers to be found in locations during the summer months when annual temperatures are at their highest?
Is it possible for glaciers to be found in locations during the summer months, when annual temperatures are at their highest? Yes; glaciers remain throughout the year.
Which two regions currently contains the world’s last remaining ice sheets?
Today, there are only two ice sheets in the world: the Antarctic ice sheet and the Greenland ice sheet. During the last glacial period, however, much of the Earth was covered by ice sheets. Ice sheets formed like other glaciers. Snow accumulates year after year, then melts.
What are the two basic types of glaciers where is each type found?
The two basic types of glaciers are Valley Glaciers (found in valleys that were once streams) and Ice Sheets (found on large regions of land).
Where is the zone of accumulation of an ice sheet located?
On a glacier, the accumulation zone is the area above the firn line, where snowfall accumulates and exceeds the losses from ablation, (melting, evaporation, and sublimation). The annual equilibrium line separates the accumulation and ablation zone annually.
How many glaciers were there in 1900?
eighteen glaciers
According to research compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), there were eighteen glaciers atop Mount Kenya in 1900, and by 1986 only eleven remained. The total area covered by glaciers was 1.6 km² (0.62 miles²) in 1900; however.