V. Mechanisms responsible for formation and maintenance of glaciers: a change of ~ 6˚ below…
This most influential glacier also created extremely steep valley walls and hanging valleys. When this glacier retreated, it most likely left waterfalls and a large lake that provided the sediments that cover up the U-shaped valley. After that glacier there were about two more but they were not as large. The last glaciation of Yosemite occurred only about 20,000 years ago and was not very big. When this last glacier retreated, it left moraines, Lake Yosemite, and waterfalls such as Yosemite Falls, Bridalveil Fall, Vernal Fall, and Nevada Fall. All of these landforms remain except for Lake Yosemite which was filled with sediment to cover the U-shaped valley even more. Currently, the Merced River runs through the valley. During all of this glacial…
The Great Lakes of North America are the result of a combination of erosion and deposition by continental ice sheets. ¬¬¬¬¬_______…
~ Glaciers are formed when snow builds up for several years from snowfall that exceeds snow melt. Over time, as new snow compresses the existing snow, the weight causes the snow underneath to turn to ice. The hardening effect is similar to what happens when you pack a snowball in your hand. The pressure from additional layers of snow builds for up to thousands of years. Glaciers can grow and shrink as a result of changes in the amount of snowfall or changes in the amount of melting because of warming. Changes in snowfall can result because of changes in the overall annual precipitation, or changes in the timing of the precipitation. Changes in melting can occur as a result of increased average annual air temperatures, and/or changes in the solar radiation. Melting will be affected if the glacier is covered by moraine, dust, or soot particles (increases heating, or an insulator).…
When James White said “this is one of those pivotal moments in human history, it is too important for us to continue to ignore it”, he was referring to something bad occurring and us humans not realizing it until it’s too late. Just like many other moments in history we don’t care about certain things unless it impacts us directly. Well global warming and climate change is real and that’s what he’s trying to get across. The climate of the planet is rising as well as the sea level and this means trouble for everyone across the world. However, White did mention one part of the world that would be impacted the most and that would be Asia because the people over there rely heavily on water from Himalayan…
When listening to a political debate, you will usually hear the words “global warming”. Hearing those words, most think of droughts, temperature or weather changes. Glacier calving is rarely thought of, but after watching this video I cannot think of global warming without seeing the video of the Ilulissat Glacier calving. The monstrous force of nature is shown in full effect during the video. The powerful image is plenty to convince anyone of the strengths of…
Antarctica consists of mostly frozen ice particles and may very well vary huge chunks of ice burgs. Sea ice keeps the Polar Regions levelheaded and helps adequate global climate. Sea ice has a bright surface; that contains eighty percent of the sunlight that strikes it is revealed back into space. As sea ice melts in the summer, it exposes the dark ocean surface. Instead of reflecting eighty percent of the sunlight, the ocean only absorbs ninety percent of the sunlight. The oceans eventually heat up, and the temperatures rise further.…
Within the article "Glaciers Disappear in Before & after Photos" from the live science website, and "The Effects of Melting Ice Glaciers" from the buzzle website, they express the important role glaciers play as one of earth’s natural resources. Glaciers not only provide for about 75% of the world's fresh water. They are also a source of electricity and a replenishing source of water to the oceans as they are continuously evaporating. The article on the live science website pointed out that the clear ice does not absorb and retain heat as rapidly as the ice that is darker, imprinted with dust and soot from the burning of fossil fuels, forest fires and volcanic ash. This plays a significant role in the rapidly melting of the glaciers. The most significant and saddening elements are the effects on the human and animal well being when the glaciers disappear faster than nature had intended them to. With the glaciers melting, humans that depend on the glaciers for water consumption and an agricultural water source as well as their electricity source will and are beginning to suffer. As the glaciers disappear, the polar bears are losing their source of travel as the ice bergs no longer cover the sea between one land source and another for them to travel on. The oceans are rising making them deeper, effecting all marine life and the birds that depend on it for their food source. The rising ocean will reform the coastlines making it difficult for animals as well as humans to access to their food and travel source. I’ve just looked at the beauty of the glaciers, never thinking of the hardship they will produce as they…
In the past, there have been atleast five ice age periods: Huronian, Cryogenian, Andean-Saharan, Karoo Ice Age and the Quaternary glaciation. From the earliest Ice Age, no one really knows the actual reason of how it all began or why it happened. There are many different theories according to scientists and geologists.…
Many strategies have been put in place to manage the impact of glacial processes. The types of glacial processes they would be managing range from erosional processes…
The Hollywood blockbuster The Day After Tomorrow recently hammered home the potential impact of global warming, public awareness of dramatic predictions has been raised again but how do we know what's fact and what's fiction?…
Climate changes occur naturally over long periods of time on Earth, and it has been this way throughout Earth’s history. Currently, anthropological influences on earth have triggered a quickening rise in global temperatures and this in turn is causing a rapid change in earth’s climate. One of the major changes currently happening on earth is the melting of the polar ice caps. Major impacts relating to the melting of the polar ice caps include changes in ocean temperature, changes in ocean salinity, sea level rise/ flooding, changes in ocean circulations, loss of biodiversity, and loss of ecosystems as well as their services. All of these impacts could lead to devastating consequences for many…
Some may argue that ice and glaciers have been growing and receding for hundreds of years, but they will always grow back again. However, for the past 100 years though, arctic ice and glaciers have been decreasing at an alarmingly fast rate. Glaciers have slowly been getting smaller and smaller since the 1960s and has been decreasing at a faster speed over the past 10 years. The rising ocean level has been a major consequent of the ice melting (Climate Change Indicators: Snow and Ice). NASA stated recently, “September Arctic sea ice is now declining at a rate of 13.3 percent per decade, relative to the 1981 to 2010 average” (Global Climate Change). The constantly warming atmosphere is causing ice to melt and bringing…
We are all familiar with rivers. Rivers collect water and allow it to flow downhill. A glacier is like a river, but it a large slow-moving river of ice, formed from compacted layers of snow that has basically accumulated for more that a year, which slowly deforms and flows in response to gravity and high pressure. The first year of snow fall is called a neve, then after the snow stay for more that one winter it’s called a firn. (Grabianowski). Extensive glaciers can be found in the Antarctica, Greenland, Iceland, Canada, Russia and Alaska.…
This article explains how climate change has been rapidly melting the Arctic over the course of a few years. As a result, the faster the arctic melts the more damage will be done to the ecosystem, planet, and humans. A few examples of how drastically climate change has shaped the North are that the sea ice covering the Arctic Ocean began to decrease in size when it should have been increasing in size. Also, temperatures at the North Pole rose more than 20 degrees Celsius. These changes are causing polar bears to randomly stroll the shorelines of Hudson Bay in order to wait for the water to freeze. Researchers predicted by the year 2030 the Arctic may lose all of the ice. As a result, no ice in the arctic means ecosystems will be affected badly,…