Glacier is an extended mass of ice formed from snow falling and accumulating over the years
and moving very slowly, either descending from high mountains, or moving outward from centers of accumulation. Glaciers exist in high mountains throughout the temperate zones and cover most of Antarctica. Glaciers recede during warm periods and can expand during cold periods. A significant percentage of the water of the Earth is locked up in glaciers.
Today, glaciers contain nearly 75% of the world’s fresh water supply in ice that covers about
10% of land area. In contrast, ice covered as much as 30% of total land area during the most recent ice age. The largest concentration of ice today is the Antarctic ice sheet, up to 4,200 meters thick in some areas, and in the Greenland ice sheet. The remainder of glaciers is located in mountain regions and in ice caps in polar seas. If climate were to suddenly warm enough to melt all land ice, there would be a ecstatic sea level rise of about 70 meters. Sea level has risen about 100 meters since the last glacial maximum 20,000 years ago.
There are seven main ways that humans use glaciers (or their landscapes), these are: Tourism, Energy Production, Water Supply, Quarrying, Agriculture, Transport / Communication, Settlement.
and moving very slowly, either descending from high mountains, or moving outward from centers of accumulation. Glaciers exist in high mountains throughout the temperate zones and cover most of Antarctica. Glaciers recede during warm periods and can expand during cold periods. A significant percentage of the water of the Earth is locked up in glaciers.
Today, glaciers contain nearly 75% of the world’s fresh water supply in ice that covers about
10% of land area. In contrast, ice covered as much as 30% of total land area during the most recent ice age. The largest concentration of ice today is the Antarctic ice sheet, up to 4,200 meters thick in some areas, and in the Greenland ice sheet. The remainder of glaciers is located in mountain regions and in ice caps in polar seas. If climate were to suddenly warm enough to melt all land ice, there would be a ecstatic sea level rise of about 70 meters. Sea level has risen about 100 meters since the last glacial maximum 20,000 years ago.
There are seven main ways that humans use glaciers (or their landscapes), these are: Tourism, Energy Production, Water Supply, Quarrying, Agriculture, Transport / Communication, Settlement.
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| Glaciers |
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