Retreat of glaciers since 1850 doing so due to transient local weather conditions, which have brought more precipitation and cloudier, cooler summers since 2002. Tropical glaciers are located between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, in the region that lies 23° 26′ 22″ north or south of the equator. Strictly, a tropical glacier is located within the astronomical tropics; the area where the annual temperature variation is less than the daily variation, and is within the oscillation area of the Intertropical Convergence Zone. Tropical glaciers are the most uncommon of all glaciers for a variety of reasons. Firstly, the regions are the
Equator snow lies on the ground. At the Equator the snow line is around "lower" than on Mount Everest and as much as lower than the highest snow line in the world, near the Tropic of Capricorn on Llullaillaco. Certain navies, such as the Royal Navy, Russian Navy, and US Navy, have a tradition of holding ceremonies aboard ships to mark sailors' first crossing of the Equator. These ceremonial events have in the past been notorious for their brutality. Milder line-crossing ceremonies, typically featuring King Neptune, are also held for passengers' entertainment on some civilian ocean liners and cruise ships. Equator