Melting Glaciers

Melting glaciers. What is a glacier? How does a glacier form? Why do glaciers matter? Glaciers types. Mountain glaciers. Continental glaciers. How to reduce glacial melting? Sources. Quiz. Vocabulary. Thank you for your attention!

A glacier is a year-round mass of ice that originates on land. Its area is usually larger than about one tenth of a square kilometer. Many experts believe that a glacier must show some type of movement; others believe that a glacier can show evidence of past movement. Glaciers appear on every continent except Australia.

Glaciers form in very cold climates where new snow falling on top of old snow eventually makes the snow underneath compress into ice. They form over a period of a few hundred years, but some glaciers are many thousands of years old. Glaciers form on land and are not stagnant – they move. In order for this ice to be called a glacier, it should be twenty five acres or larger. Ten percent of earth is comprised of glaciers.

Glaciers provide drinking water for us. Just over 2% of the world’s fresh water is fit for human use. A lot of people realy on glacial melting to provide water for them. Glaciers store 75% of the world’s freshwater.

Glaciers help generate hydroelectric power. Scientists and engineers in Norway, Canada, New Zealand and the Alps have worked together to tap into glacial resources, using electricity that has been generated by damming glacial water.