The largest ice in the world. Glaciers of the planet

12.02.2022

American researchers from the Defense Agency environment(The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) calculated that for a century (since 1913) average temperature on Earth rose by half a degree Celsius. As a result, some ice in the Arctic and Antarctic melted. And because of this, the level of the world's oceans rose by almost 20 centimeters.

Ice now covers 10 percent of the Earth's surface.

Its volume, according to rough estimates, is 9 million cubic kilometers. What happens if all this frozen water melts? What will our planet look like after the flood?

The land after the flood is shown on maps National Geographic; The white line indicates the boundaries of the land before the flood.

Antarctica

Australia

North America

South America

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In glaciology, there has long been a tendency to distinguish between the concepts of cover and mountain glaciations, cover and mountain glaciers [Koryakin, 1981] and even to distinguish sections of cover and mountain glaciology. However, the cover glaciers of Antarctica and Greenland cannot be spoken of as anything other than mountainous, since they form highly elevated ice plateaus up to 4000 m (with individual peaks up to 5140 m) in Antarctica and 3700 m in Greenland, where the ice covers the plateaus and mountain ranges. The ice cover of Antarctica reaches a thickness of more than 4300 m (average 1720 m), Greenland 3400 m (average 2300 m). True, in a significant part of Antarctica there is no real mountainous terrain with its deep dissection; an ideal, highly elevated ice plain spreads over vast areas. But the point is not only that certain sections of this plain on geographical maps are called plateaus (Polar Plateau, Sovetskoye Plateau and a number of others). In accordance with the criterion for separating mountain landscapes from flat ones, the nival-glacial landscapes of Antarctica cannot be classified as flat: there is no latitudinal-zonal change in landscape types, which would be at lower absolute altitudes, and it actually exists on the Antarctic coast, where in the free seas In ice areas, oases are located with non-glacial landscapes of polar (Antarctic) deserts, and not with a nival-glacial landscape. E. S. Korotkevich especially emphasizes the disturbance of the latitudinal zonality of Antarctica by altitudinal zonation (zonation), which is especially pronounced here, and considers this continent as a glacial massif with a single vertical zonality. The same applies to Greenland, where the coastal landscapes in the middle and southern parts of the island are even polar and subpolar (subarctic). Undoubtedly, the cover glaciers of Novaya Zemlya, as well as the ice sheets of the Arctic lowlands, also belong to the mountain range in the physiographic sense. Severnaya Zemlya. Where the ice covers mountain ranges with sharp peaks or plateaus with outliers rising above the main plateau-like surface, in places, mainly along the outskirts of the ice sheet, lonely rocks called nunataks protrude from under the ice onto the day surface. Parts of the ice sheet, identified as outlet glaciers, flow down depressions of the subglacial surface towards the seas and oceans. Most of them received their own geographical names. They reach the coasts, break off there and give rise to floating ice islands - icebergs.

In Greenland and Novaya Zemlya, individual glacial streams descend from ice sheets into deep fjords and form fjord glaciers. In previous classifications of glaciers, ice sheets were identified as continental ice sheets or Greenland-type glaciers [Kalesnik, 1939]. In general, we are against the use of our own geographical names to designate types in classifications of geographical phenomena according to their properties (typological classifications). But since such names are in some cases firmly rooted in the literature (or the corresponding types actually have local specifics), in some cases they will have to be used. Glaciers like the Antarctic, Greenland, Novaya Zemlya, etc., are now distinguished under the name of ice sheets, separating ice sheets from them (in mountainous areas), when the subglacial relief is reflected in a softened form in the surface of the glacier. An intermediate link between mountain and cover glaciation is reticulated glaciation (related to mountain cover glaciation), which occurs when there is very abundant nutrition, when ice, having filled the valleys, begins to flow through depressions in individual ridges. Sometimes this glaciation is called the Svalbard-type glacier, which was identified by Nordenskiöld. However, it is more correct to talk about the Svalbard glaciation, which includes a wide variety of types of individual glaciers. The specific features of the morphology of glaciation in the Spitsbergen archipelago are determined by the degree of its development at the stage between mountain and cover. Glaciation of this kind is common only in polar regions. mountain ranges, except Spitsbergen in Alaska, Novaya Zemlya, southern Patagonia. Among the mountain glaciers themselves, closely associated with mountainous terrain, which predetermines the shape and direction of their movement, is distinguished by glaciers of peaks, slopes and valleys. In the series of valley glaciers, in addition to simple valley glaciers, complex valley and dendritic glaciers are distinguished.

Double and complex valley glaciers are composed of two or more branches. Dendritic, or tree-shaped, glaciers resemble a branched tree in plan. In the latter case, abundant snow feeding leads to the fact that the glaciers of the side valleys (tributaries) connect with the glacier located in the main valley. This type includes large valley glaciers of the mountains of Central and Central Asia, in particular the Karakoram and the Himalayas, as well as mountains of high latitudes. With a large influx of solid atmospheric precipitation into the feeding area of a valley glacier, an increase in its thickness leads to the fact that the glacier does not fit in the mountain valley and moves out onto the foothill (or intermountain) plain.

Then a foothill glacier of the Malaspina type is formed. Flat-top glaciers appear on highly elevated, leveled surfaces. Two subtypes can be distinguished here: glaciers with tongues spreading in different directions along steep-walled deep valleys (Scandinavian subtype) and flat-top glaciers themselves without significant ice tongues, often completely devoid of them (Tien Shan subtype). Cone glaciers are formed on conical mountain elevations, most often of volcanic origin. The ice and firn covering the cone create a kind of cap, from which the tongues of individual glaciers, known as their own, descend radially geographical names. This type includes the Caucasian glaciers of Elbrus, Kazbek and glaciers of many other volcanoes. The glaciers of the tops of young volcanic cones, not dissected by valleys and cirques, are called star-shaped. Caldera glaciers are found in the craters of volcanoes [Kalesnik, 1939]. Often in the mountains there are hanging glaciers, which come in two subtypes: cirque-valley, located in a cirque, but beginning to slide from the cirque into the valley, and hanging glaciers, which are not associated with any clearly defined depressions, but use only the gentle concavity of the slope. Hanging glaciers themselves usually end high on the slope, as if glued to it with their entire mass [ibid., p. 216]. Apparently, glaciers that cover the wide and gentle slopes of the mountains in the eastern part of the Gissar-Alai (Surkhob basin) and in the Eastern Pamirs with a thin (several tens of meters) layer are close to this subtype. V. M. Kotlyakov called them slope glaciers. There are very numerous cirque glaciers in the mountains, small ones that form in bowl-shaped depressions (cirques) on the slope of a ridge or in the upper reaches of a valley. They are deprived or almost deprived of the glacial tongue as such, which is common in the valleys. Wind-blown glaciers form in negative relief forms and on the leeward side of elevations from wind-blown snow, which in polar and subpolar latitudes does not have time to melt during the summer. They arise at the bottom of rocky ledges of terraces, at the back walls of ravines, in narrow shaded gorges and consist of firn and firn ice. For a long time believed that the ice of moving glaciers very actively erodes the underground bed (this process is called glacial erosion or gouging) and as one of the evidence they cited the presence of piles of stone blocks (moraines) in front of the front of the moving glacier. In the late 1940s and 1950s, it was believed that the bulk of the clastic material forming modern moraine deposits came from the surfaces of the slopes rising above the glacier.

The role of the bottom moraine is negligible, and there is no reason to talk about the glacier as a factor that effectively erodes. However, now the essential excavation work of moving ice has been restored again. New studies based on modern methods indicate that the plowing activity of mountain glaciers is comparable in intensity to water erosion, and the main moraine material enters the glaciers not only from the surrounding mountain slopes, but to a large extent also from the glacial bed. At the beginning of the previous section, the chionosphere is mentioned. This is a part of the troposphere within which, given favorable terrain features, accumulations of snow, firn and ice can form, i.e., glaciers can form [Kotlyakov, 1968]. Many mountains protrude beyond the lower boundary of the chionosphere, and that is why glaciers originate on them. The thickness of the chionosphere, apparently, lies within 3–5 km and varies relatively little over different parts of the earth’s surface [ibid., p. 137]. Even the highest mountains probably do not reach the upper boundary of the chionosphere. In any case, they cannot reach it in low latitudes, where the highest mountain elevations of the Earth are located (the Himalayas and Karakoram, the Andes), since there the lower boundary of the chionosphere, indicated by the snow line, is raised very high. It is believed that the line of intersection of the lower boundary of the chionosphere with the mountain slopes is the climatic snow line [Shchukin, Shchukina, 1959, p. 66]. However, the snow line does not completely coincide with the boundary of the chionosphere. The snow line is the most important glacioclimatic indicator, reflecting the connection between glaciation and climatic conditions. Its height, which largely determines the intensity of glaciation in the region (the relationship here is inverse), is associated with geographical latitude(and, therefore, with the thermal resource), as well as the degree of continental climate. In polar latitudes, the snow line is located within the low-mountain layer (Svalbard altitude 200,370 m on the windward slopes, 250,800 m on the leeward). Under the tropics it rises to 6000 m or more: in the Andes of South America near the tropic in the south of Puna and in the Pampinsky Sierras it exceeds 6500 m (the highest position in the world). At the equator, its height is 5300-5400 m. At the same high altitude there is a snow line on the most continental highlands of the subtropical zone, for example in the Eastern Pamirs (up to 5200 m). It turned out, however, that in the Eastern Pamirs, the dry climate of which was judged by data from weather stations located on the flat bottoms of valleys and basins with a height close to 4000 m, and showing an annual rainfall of only 100 mm, in the uppermost tier of the mountains, in their glacial zone, 800-1000 mm of precipitation falls per year, which is very much for such a generally dry area.

Speaking about the largest glaciers in the World, it is worth mentioning that there are several types of them: cirques, valleys, cover glaciers, etc. The vast majority of glaciation on Earth belongs to ice caps Antarctica and Greenland, that is, to cover glaciers. I would just like to note that the thickness of the ice there reaches enormous levels - more than 4 km.

Large ice caps are found on the islands Canadian Arctic Archipelago. They amount to tens of thousands of square kilometers. Huge ice fields follow them Spitsbergen.

Approximately 50 percent of the total area North Island archipelago New Earth majestic glaciers have been reclaimed. On an area of almost 20,000 km2 there is a continuous ice shell, which has a length of 400 kilometers and a width of 70-75 kilometers. At the same time, the thickness of the ice is more than 300 meters. In some places the ice goes into the fjords or breaks into the sea, forming icebergs.

Vatnajökull(oh, those Scandinavian names!) is the largest glacier on the island of Iceland. It is located in the southwestern part of the island and occupies 8% of its territory, or 8,133 km2.

Jostedalsbreen Glacier is the largest continental glacier in mainland Europe, covering an area of 487 km2. Located in Norway. It has more than 50 branches, including the famous glaciers Briksdalsbreen and Nigardsbreen.

South America

Now let's move from northern Europe to South America. Patagonian Ice Plateau is no less amazing. It consists of two parts: the North, spread over an area of 7,600 km2, and the South, over an area of 12,000 km2. The prevailing surface heights are about 1500 m. Rocky peaks and mountains rise among the ice ( highest point– Bertrand town, 3270 m). At the level of the glacial plateau, 7000–8000 mm of precipitation falls per year. Outfall glaciers flow from the plateau, many on the eastern side ending in fjords, and on the west - in lakes. The largest of them Perito Moreno and Uppsala. The first has an area of 250 km2. The width of the tongue is 5 km, average height- 60 m above the water surface. The speed of its movement is 2 m per day. However, the mass loss is approximately the same, so the glacier tongue has not retreated or advanced for 90 years. The length of the Uppsala glacier is 60 km, width up to 8 km, area 250 km2. Descends into the northern arm of Lake Lago Argentino.

North America

Now it's North America again. We have already spoken about the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Another place where large glaciers accumulate is Alaska. Bering Glacier- the largest mountain (tree-like) glacier North America. It originates from the ice fields on the Chugach (4116 m) and St. Elias (5489 m) mountains in Alaska (USA). Length (from the most distant source) 203 km, area about 5800 km2. It emerges on the low-lying coast of the Gulf of Alaska, where it forms a foothill ice blade about 80 km long and 43 km wide.

Malaspina- foothill glacier on south coast Alaska, between Yakutat Bay and Ice Bay. Area 2200 km2. Formed by several glacial streams descending from the St. Elias Mountains. The feeding area is the Seward glacial basin, located at an altitude of 1500-2000 m. Since the 30s of the 20th century, the glacier has been shrinking, retreating from the ocean coast, leaving a shaft of the terminal moraine, gradually overgrown with coniferous forest.

Alaska's glaciers are no less impressive Hubbard(length 122 km) and Colombia(length 66 km, area 1370 km2). The vast firn fields of the latter lie at altitudes of about 3600 m, and the main trunk of the glacier, 4 km wide, reaches Pacific Ocean in Prince William Sound.

High mountain valley glaciers

Previously, we talked about glaciers at high latitudes that feed at relatively low altitudes. Now let's turn our attention to the glaciers located in the highest mountain systems ah peace. These are typical mountain-valley glaciers. Although most of them have a complex tree-like structure and many tributaries, they are distinguished primarily by their long valley tongue.

Oddly enough, the highest mountain range on earth has relatively small glaciers. Glaciers of the Himalayas c do not exceed a length of 30 km (Gangotri glacier - 26 km, Zemu glacier - 25, Rongbuk glacier - 19 km).

The largest number of large glaciers is located in the Karakoram mountain system. These include Baltoro, Siachen, Biafo. We will turn to them a little later, but now we will turn our attention to one of the most interesting and largest glaciers in the world - Fedchenko.

Pamir

Fedchenko Glacier, the first largest in the CIS and one of the largest glaciers in the world: its length is 77 km, width - from 1700 to 3100 m. It is located in Tajikistan, in the Pamirs. The glacier originates at the foot of Revolution Peak on the northern slope of the Yazgulem ridge and flows along the eastern slope of the Academy of Sciences ridge. The ice thickness in the middle part of the glacier reaches 1000 m, the total area of glaciation and snowfields is 992 km2. The upper end of the glacier is at an altitude of 6280 m, and the lower end is at 2900 m, the height of the snow line is 4650 m. The Seldara River flows out of the glacier.

The history of the discovery of the glacier goes back to the end of the 19th century. In 1871, the first Russian expedition, led by A.P., arrived in the Pamirs. Fedchenko (famous naturalist and explorer of Turkestan). The expedition outlined the general outline of the Pamir ridges, exploring the Trans-Alai ridge in more detail and discovering the highest peak of this ridge (now Lenin Peak - 7134 m). At the same time, the expedition also discovered a huge glacier, now bearing the name Fedchenko. In the basin of this glacier there are highest peaks The Pamirs, with their celestial heights and inaccessibility, attract the attention of domestic and foreign climbers. In the upper reaches of the glacier, Revolution Peak (6974 m) is located; the highest mountain peak can be seen almost anywhere on the glacier former USSR and the second in the Pamirs - Communism Peak (7495 m). Near Communism Peak are Russia Peak (6852 m) and Garmo Peak (6595 m). Currently, the highest hydrometeorological observatory in the world (more than 4200 m) is located on the Fedchenko glacier.

Karakoram

As already mentioned, the largest number of large high-mountain glaciers are located in the Karakoram mountain system. These include: Siachen, Baltoro, Biafo. Baltoro is located in the Central Karakoram southeast of the city of Chogori (K2) - the second highest peak in the world (8611). The length of the glacier is 62 km, area 750 km2. According to some data, the glacier's area is 1227 km2 and if these figures are correct, then they are larger than that of the Fedchenko glacier (992 km2). Siachen- valley tree-like glacier in Karakoram (India). Length 76 km, area about 750 km2. It flows from the eastern slope of the Konduz ridge at the junction with the Karakoram watershed ridge at altitudes of up to 7000 m. The glacier flows to the east, and over a long distance is partially (in some places completely) covered with a cover of rock fragments; ends at an altitude of 3550 m. Biafo Glacier located on the southern slope of the Karakoram. Length about 68 km, area 620 km2.

Tien Shan

South Inylchek- the largest glacier in the Tien Shan and the second largest mountain glacier in the CIS countries after the Fedchenko glacier in the Pamirs. It is located between the Tengritag and Kokshaaltau ridges. Its length is 58.9 km, area 567.2 km2. The glacier originates in the Khan Tengri region, and its tongue drops to 2800 m. Southern Inylchek flows several kilometers to the north, and then turns sharply to the west. The thickness of the ice in the lower parts of the tongue is 150-200 m. The powerful left tributaries of the glacier, located in the northern spurs of the Kokshaaltau ridge, have their own names: Zvezdochka, Dikiy, Proletarsky tourist, Komsomolets (from east to west). If you look at the glacier from above, it looks like a blue-white tree with longitudinal dark stripes of median moraines on its main trunk and a series of light branches of varying lengths and thicknesses. The largest of the tributary glaciers are the Zvezdochka and Dikiy glaciers.

Alps

Great Aletsch Glacier, located on the southern slope of the Bernese Alps in Switzerland, is the largest glacier in the Alps, covering an area of 87 km2, and taking into account the area of the four firn basins that feed it, about 117 km2. The total length of the Aletsch glacier is about 24 kilometers. Thickness up to 900 m.

Caucasus

Bezengi- a complex valley glacier, the largest in the Caucasus. Located on the northern slope of the Main Range at the foot of the Bezengi Wall. It descends from the peaks of Shkhara and Dzhangitau to a height of 2080 m and serves as the main source of the Cherek-Bezengisky River. Length 17.6 km, sq. 36.2 km2. Firn line at an altitude of 3600 m. The lower 5 km of the glacial tongue are covered with melted debris. From 1888 to 1966, the tongue retreated by 1115 m, and currently continues to retreat. More than 10 of its former tributaries have turned into independent glaciers. Bezengi is followed by the Dykh-Su glaciers (length 13.3 km, area 34.0 km2) and Karaug (length 13.3 km, area 26.6 km2).

Altai

The entire Altai glaciation taken together is nothing more than one of the largest valley glaciers in the world. Although the same can be said about the Caucasus. But even so, the largest glaciers in Altai are impressive. Potanin Glacier(Potanin-Musen-Gol) has an area of 38.5 km2 and a length of 11.5 km. Its vast snow field is surrounded by five peaks arranged in a horseshoe shape. On the right, the Potanin glacier receives 2 glacial tributaries - the upper smaller and lower larger Alexandra glacier (A.V. Potanina). On the left side of the glacier there is a single small tributary. The tongue of the Potanin glacier has a slight slope; There are cracks only in the middle reaches. It descends to an altitude of 2900 m, the lower part is covered with moraine. Melt water flows into the Tsagan-Gol river basin. Glacier V.V. discovered Sapozhnikov in 1905 and named by him in honor of G.N. Potanin.

Taldurinsky glacier (Big Taldurinsky) lies on the elephants of the South Chuya ridge. Length 7.5 km, area 28.2 km2. The height of the end of the glacier is 2450 m. The thickness of the ice reaches 175 m. It is the largest glacier in the Russian Altai. It originates in the circus, framed by peaks about 4000 m high (Iiktu and others). It has a narrow exit to the northeast, into the valley of the Taltura River.

Sapozhnikov Glacier (Mensu)- the largest in the Katunsky ridge of Altai (descends from the slopes of Belukha) its length is 10.5 km, area - 13.2 km2.

Glaciers play an important role in replenishing all the world's rivers. 16 million sq. km is their total area, this is about 11% of the entire landmass. They contain huge reserves fresh water. There are a huge number of them in Russia, with an area of about 60 thousand square meters. km. Glaciers in Russia are divided into two types, according to the method of their formation:

Integumentary. This is the vast majority of all glacial systems in the country. These include the ice of Franz Josef Land, Novaya Zemlya, Severnaya Zemlya and other Arctic islands. The average thickness on the islands in the Arctic Ocean is from 100 to 300 meters. They store huge reserves of fresh water.
Mountain glaciers of Russia. Their share in the total area is only 5%. These are glacial accumulations of the mountain ranges of the Caucasus, Urals, and Kamchatka. For their formation, two conditions must be met: negative air and precipitation temperatures. Often, if it rains frequently in the mountains, it is accompanied by warm weather.

Variety of glaciers

There are many classifications of glaciers, including mountain ones. What varieties of them can be found in our country?

Snow spots. Snow accumulation in gentle valleys and slopes.
Glaciers of step-like slopes. The snow mass collects at the shady foot of the mountain and is fed by avalanches.
Hanging glaciers. They are located on steep slopes, as if hanging over it. They are small in size, but pose a danger as they can fall down.
Tar glaciers. Snow masses in armchair-shaped valleys, with a steep back wall.
Glaciers of volcanic peaks. They occupy the tops of mountains.
Subsurface glaciers. They have a common beginning - the top of the ridge, but the rates are in the opposite directions from it.
Norwegian type. This type of glaciers is transitional from mountain to cover glaciers. Ice caps plateau-like peaks spread down. Having reached the edge, they go down in separate pockets.
Valley ones are located in mountain valleys.

Mountain glaciers in Russia do not remain the same in area. Some shrink, others increase, and there are those that change their location by moving. What are the largest glaciers in Russia? List of 5 largest mountain systems with multi-year ice as follows.

Caucasus

This is the largest center of accumulation of mountain glaciers. On the Russian part, i.e. On its northern slope, huge masses are concentrated, with a total area of 1400 sq. km. This is more than 2000 glaciers. Mostly they are small in size, up to 1 square. km in diameter. The largest glacier in Russia is a complex in Kabardino-Balkaria, with an area of over 120 square meters. km. Another large snowy peak in the Caucasus is the peak extinct volcano Kazbek. It is here that more than 60% of all ice in the Caucasus is concentrated. A special feature is their alpine character. Russian part of the snowy peaks Greater Caucasus located on its northern slope, it is smoother and more extended, unlike the southern one. There is more than 70% of the ice in the Greater Caucasus. The southern slope is steep and steep, there is 30% snow on it Caucasus Mountains. The glaciation of this ridge is important for feeding the rivers that originate here. These are Belaya, Zelenchuk, Laba - and - Ardon, Urukh, Baksan. The glaciers of the Caucasus Mountains are retreating and their area is shrinking. Although this decrease is insignificant, river nutrition is affected by it. Over the century, the level of the snow line has risen by 70-75 cm. Sometimes there is a short-term advance of ice in some areas.

Altai

In second place on the list of the largest mountain glaciers in the country are the snows of Altai. Here, in the south of Siberia, there are about 1,500 outbreaks that occupy an area of more than 900 square meters. km. The largest glaciations are on the Katunsky, South Chuysky and North Chuysky ridges. Large masses are concentrated on Mount Belukha, where the great Altai river Katun and its tributaries originate. These places have become the most beloved and popular among climbers throughout Altai. The Akkem glacier is located here. Some believe that it has a special energy and charges its visitors with it. Another snowy peak of Altai is Aktru. The mountain is famous for its colossal temperature difference. In summer there is unbearable heat, and in winter there is severe cold. For this reason, Aktru is considered a local cold spot. The temperature here drops to minus 62ºС. But even despite such difficult climatic conditions, there are a lot of people who want to see these glaciers of Russia. The pictures of their landscapes are simply mesmerizing.

Kamchatka

The modern glaciation of the peninsula is significant. The snow masses here are larger than in the Caucasus. There are about 450 of them, with a total area of over 900 square meters. km. Their main concentration is on the Sredinny Ridge and the Klyuchevskaya group. The glaciers of Russia in Kamchatka have interesting feature. They are classified as so-called caldera, due to the method of formation. They are formed in calderas and craters of volcanoes and hills, of which there are a huge number on the peninsula. In Kamchatka, the warm season is short, and the snow that falls on the tops of the hills does not have time to melt. Another feature of the snows of Kamchatka is their low location. Glaciers descend from the peaks to a height of 1600 meters. Volcanic eruptions are of great importance in the life of snow. During an eruption, glaciers actively melt and fill rivers with meltwater.

Koryak ridge

It is also called Located on Far East, captures the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug and the Kamchatka Territory. The total number of glaciers here is 1330, and their area is more than 250 square meters. km. The Koryak Highland consists of short ridges and ridges that stretch from northeast to southwest. The glaciers of Russia in the Far East are elongated, up to 4 km long. They are located very low, much below the snow line, at a level of 700-1000 meters. This is explained by climatic conditions and the proximity of the cold sea. Another glacier on the territory of Russia - its highest point is at 2562 meters.

Mountains of Suntar-Khayata

These glaciers of Russia are located on the territory of Yakutia and Khabarovsk Territory. There are 208 of them here, with a total area of over 200 sq km. The ridge stretches for 450 km, and its highest point - Mount Khaya Cape - is at a level of almost 3000 meters. In addition to mountain glaciers, there are about 800 square meters. km Tyrynov. This is the name given to large, perennial ice that forms when groundwater freezes.

The thickness of such ice is usually about 8 meters. Suntar-Khayata is a watershed of such large rivers Siberia, like Indigirka, Aldan, and rivers of the Sea of Okhotsk basin.

Glaciers are an extraordinary miracle of nature that slowly moves across the surface of the Earth. This cluster eternal ice on its way it captures and transports rocks, forming unique landscapes such as moraines and cirques. Sometimes the glacier stops moving and the so-called dead ice forms.

Some glaciers, moving a short distance in big lakes or seas, form a zone where splitting occurs and, as a result, drifting icebergs.

Geographical feature (meaning)

Glaciers appear in places where the accumulated mass of snow and ice significantly exceeds the mass of melting snow. And after many years, a glacier will form in such a region.

Glaciers are the largest reservoirs of fresh water on Earth. Most glaciers accumulate water during the winter season and release it as meltwater. Such waters are especially useful in mountainous regions of the planet, where such water is used by people who live in areas where there is little precipitation. Glacier meltwater is also a source for the existence of flora and fauna.

Characteristics and types of glaciers

According to the method of movement and visual outlines, glaciers are classified into two types: cover (continental) and mountain. Ice sheet glaciers occupy 98% of the total area of planetary glaciation, and mountain glaciers occupy almost 1.5%

Continental glaciers are giant ice sheets located in Antarctica and Greenland. Glaciers of this type have flat-convex outlines that do not depend on the typical topography. Snow accumulates in the center of the glacier, and consumption occurs mainly on the outskirts. Ice cover glacier moves in a radial direction - from the center to the periphery, where the ice that is afloat breaks off.

Mountain-type glaciers are small in size, but of different shapes, which depend on their content. All glaciers of this type have clearly defined areas of feeding, transportation and melting. Nutrition is carried out with the help of snow, avalanches, a little sublimation of water vapor and snow transfer by the wind.

The largest glaciers

The largest glacier in the world is the Lambert Glacier, which is located in Antarctica. The length is 515 kilometers, and the width ranges from 30 to 120 kilometers, the depth of the glacier is 2.5 km. The entire surface of the glacier is rugged big amount cracks The glacier was discovered in the 50s of the twentieth century by the Australian cartographer Lambert.

In Norway (Svalbard archipelago) there is the Austfonna glacier, which leads the list of the largest glaciers in the Old Continent by area (8200 km2).

(Vatnajökull Glacier and Grimsuod Volcano)

In Iceland there is the Vatnajökull glacier, which ranks second in Europe in terms of area (8100 km2). The largest in mainland Europe is the Jostedalsbreen glacier (1230 km2), which is a wide plateau with numerous ice branches.

Melting glaciers - causes and consequences

The most dangerous of all modern natural processes is the melting of glaciers. Why is this happening? Currently, the planet is heating up - this is the result of the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere that are produced by humanity. As a result, the average temperature on Earth also rises. Since ice is the repository of fresh water on the planet, its reserves will sooner or later run out with intense global warming. Glaciers are also climate stabilizers on the planet. Due to the amount of ice that has melted, salt water is evenly diluted with fresh water, which has a special impact on the level of air humidity, precipitation, and temperature indicators in both the summer and winter seasons.