• ice formation

    TITLE: glacier: Mass balance
    SECTION: Mass balance
    ...and they primarily waste away by melting and runoff or by the breaking off of icebergs (calving). In order for a glacier to remain at a constant size, there must be a balance between income (accumulation) and outgo (ablation). If this mass balance is positive (more gain than loss), the glacier will grow; if it is negative, the glacier will shrink.
    TITLE: glacier: Accumulation
    SECTION: Accumulation
    The rate of precipitation on the Antarctic Ice Sheet is so low that it may be called a cold desert. Snow accumulation over much of the vast polar plateau is less than five centimetres (two inches) water equivalent per year. Only around the margin of the continent, where cyclonic storms penetrate frequently, does the accumulation rise to values of more than 30 centimetres. The mean for...
    TITLE: glacier: Surface features
    SECTION: Surface features
    ...than 50 metres (160 feet) are rare in temperate mountains, but crevasses to 100 metres or more in depth may occur in polar regions. Often the crevasses are concealed by a snow bridge, built by accumulations of windblown snow.