Asked by MessiHe A great question! When we look at most glaciers and ice sheets, the velocity is higher at the marine-terminating snout. So what is going on? There are several factors at play here. Firstly, if the glacier is floating at its terminus, then there is zero friction or basal drag to slow down … Read more
Asked by Andrea Well Andrea, this really got a lot of attention when I surveyed a group of my glaciology colleagues. There is no ‘official’ term, but there are some commonly used phrases,often taken from nautical terms, like ‘armada‘ or ‘flotilla‘. Armada is more often used for a very large group of icebergs (such as … Read more
Question: regarding Thwaites: I note that tectonic sources create warm water currents that are increasing the melt rate of the shelf and glacier, moving the grounding line inland. It seems that this is a “natural” occurrence, not related to climate change. If we are using Thwaites as an example of climate change, how do we … Read more
Hi John, Great question! A 2021 study on the Thwaites glacier by Wild et al. suggests that the Thwaites pinning point will detach from the sea bed and reach floatation within the next decade, which has some serious implications for the Eastern Ice Shelf, and in turn, the whole Thwaites Glacier. They suggest that the … Read more
Question: I read somewhere that lead deposits from Roman times (approx 2,000 years ago) have been discovered in ice cores approx 400 metres below the current ice surface in Greenland. As a non-scientific person, I am asking a very basic question: if the above information is correct, then that suggests that around 400 metres of … Read more
Question: My name is Alexander Chladzynski, I am 11 and curious about many things. For a school project I am doing it on how Antarctica is melting. It would be awesome if you could give me some facts about Antarctica. Great question Alexander, the majority of ice melt in Antarctica is around the edges of … Read more
Question: I’m teaching A-level Glaciation, and we have to talk about Ice Sheets and the landforms that they create and the one that is talked about often is an Ellipsoidal Basins especially related to the Laurentide Ice Sheet and Minnesota . I was wondering if you have any diagrams or simple explanation to explain the … Read more
Hi Dennis, This is a really good question and it is not always clear in articles when they mention different amounts of warming. Typically, when articles say this, they refer to warming since the industrial period. The IPCC quantify amounts of warming relative to the period between 1850-1900 as this is when we saw the … Read more
Hi Oliva, Great question! Staircase corries are also known as staircase cirques, this is when there are more than two cirques, where one is sat above another. Staircase cirques form with the same process as a stand alone cirque, beginning with a small hollow which overtime expands due to both physical and chemical weathering. You … Read more
Asked by Edward Hello Edward! Great question. Fossils can be very useful in understanding past environmental change; this can be linked to past glacier fluctuations so that we can understand what the environment or climate was like when glaciers in the past grew larger or smaller. For example, fossil pollen from plants can be found … Read more
