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Jump to navigationJump to searchCreated page with 'File:lighterstill.jpgright|frame ==Origin== French, from Middle French dialect (Franco-Provençal), from ''glace'' ice, from Latin ''gl...'
[[File:lighterstill.jpg]][[File:Melting-glacier1.jpg|right|frame]]
==Origin==
French, from Middle French [[dialect]] (Franco-Provençal), from ''glace'' ice, from [[Latin]] ''glacies''; akin to Latin ''gelu'' frost
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/18th_century 1744]
The processes and features caused by ''glaciers'' and related to them are referred to as ''glacial''. The [[process]] of glacier establishment, [[growth]] and [[flow]] is called ''glaciation''. The corresponding area of [[study]] is called [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glaciology glaciology]. Glaciers are important components of the global [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryosphere cryosphere].
==Definitions==
*1: a large body of ice moving slowly down a slope or [[valley]] or spreading outward on a [[land]] surface
==Description==
A '''glacier''' is a large [[persistent]] body of [[ice]] that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ablation ablation] (melting and sublimation) over many years, often centuries. Glaciers slowly deform and flow due to [[stresses]] induced by their weight, creating [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crevasse crevasses], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serac seracs], and other distinguishing features. They also abrade rock and debris from their substrate to create landforms such as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cirque cirques] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moraine moraines]. Glaciers form only on land and are distinct from the much thinner [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_ice sea ice] and lake ice that form on the surface of bodies of [[water]].
On [[Earth]], 99% of glacial ice is contained within vast ice sheets in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_region polar regions], but glaciers may be found in [[mountain]] ranges of every [[continent]] except Australia, and on a few high-latitude [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oceanic_island oceanic islands]. Between 35°N and 35°S, glaciers occur only in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himalayas Himalayas], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andes Andes], a few high mountains in East Africa, Mexico, New Guinea and on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zard_Kuh Zard Kuh in Iran].
Glacial ice is the largest reservoir of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freshwater freshwater] on Earth, supporting one third of the world's [[population]]. Many glaciers store water during one [[season]] and release it later as meltwater, a water source that is especially important for [[plants]], [[animals]] and [[human]] uses when other sources may be scant.
Because glacial mass is affected by long-term [[climate]] changes, e.g., precipitation, mean temperature, and cloud cover, glacial mass [[changes]] are considered among the most [[sensitive]] indicators of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_change climate change] and are a major source of variations in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Current_sea_level_rise sea level].[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glacier]
[[Category: Earth Science]]
==Origin==
French, from Middle French [[dialect]] (Franco-Provençal), from ''glace'' ice, from [[Latin]] ''glacies''; akin to Latin ''gelu'' frost
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/18th_century 1744]
The processes and features caused by ''glaciers'' and related to them are referred to as ''glacial''. The [[process]] of glacier establishment, [[growth]] and [[flow]] is called ''glaciation''. The corresponding area of [[study]] is called [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glaciology glaciology]. Glaciers are important components of the global [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryosphere cryosphere].
==Definitions==
*1: a large body of ice moving slowly down a slope or [[valley]] or spreading outward on a [[land]] surface
==Description==
A '''glacier''' is a large [[persistent]] body of [[ice]] that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ablation ablation] (melting and sublimation) over many years, often centuries. Glaciers slowly deform and flow due to [[stresses]] induced by their weight, creating [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crevasse crevasses], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serac seracs], and other distinguishing features. They also abrade rock and debris from their substrate to create landforms such as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cirque cirques] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moraine moraines]. Glaciers form only on land and are distinct from the much thinner [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_ice sea ice] and lake ice that form on the surface of bodies of [[water]].
On [[Earth]], 99% of glacial ice is contained within vast ice sheets in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_region polar regions], but glaciers may be found in [[mountain]] ranges of every [[continent]] except Australia, and on a few high-latitude [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oceanic_island oceanic islands]. Between 35°N and 35°S, glaciers occur only in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himalayas Himalayas], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andes Andes], a few high mountains in East Africa, Mexico, New Guinea and on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zard_Kuh Zard Kuh in Iran].
Glacial ice is the largest reservoir of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freshwater freshwater] on Earth, supporting one third of the world's [[population]]. Many glaciers store water during one [[season]] and release it later as meltwater, a water source that is especially important for [[plants]], [[animals]] and [[human]] uses when other sources may be scant.
Because glacial mass is affected by long-term [[climate]] changes, e.g., precipitation, mean temperature, and cloud cover, glacial mass [[changes]] are considered among the most [[sensitive]] indicators of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_change climate change] and are a major source of variations in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Current_sea_level_rise sea level].[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glacier]
[[Category: Earth Science]]
