What is meant by the equilibrium line?
The line that separates the accumulation and ablation areas is called the equilibrium line. The elevation of the equilibrium line depends on temperature, precipitation and the surrounding landscape. If the climate conditions remained constant, neither the equilibrium line nor the glacier margin would change.
What happens to the equilibrium line and what happens to the glacier?
Equilibrium line altitude
Accumulation usually occurs over the entire glacier, but may change with altitude. Warmer air temperatures at lower elevations may also result in more precipitation falling as rain. The zone where there is net accumulation (where there is more mass gained than lost) is the accumulation zone.Dec 30, 2020
What is the equilibrium line and why is it important?
Glacier equilibrium lines are very important because they represent the lowest boundary of the climatic glacierization. The climates which prevail at glacier equilibrium lines are considered to be just sufficient to maintain the existence of glaciers.Jan 20, 2017
Where can one find glaciers equilibrium line?
The equilibrium-line altitude (ELA) marks the area or zone on a glacier separating the accumulation zone from the ablation zone and represents where annual accumulation and ablation are equal.Aug 26, 2014
What is the end of a glacier?
The terminus is the end of a glacier, usually the lowest end, and is also often called a glacier toe or snout.
How does a glacier flow?
Glaciers move by a combination of (1) deformation of the ice itself and (2) motion at the glacier base. ... This means a glacier can flow up hills beneath the ice as long as the ice surface is still sloping downward. Because of this, glaciers are able to flow out of bowl-like cirques and overdeepenings in the landscape.Feb 9, 2018
What is a pulsating glacier?
Pulsating glaciers are unable to move fast enough to dispose of the excess snow. Some of the upper parts of these glaciers become a few tens of metres higher before starting to spread. When they have become heavy enough, the enormous weight will result in the glacier sliding faster and advancing.Feb 1, 2016
How would a snow line on a glacier move as a glacial front is advancing?
How would a snow line on a glacier move as a glacial front is advancing? The snow line would move downslope. … The glacier's front would move forward, backward, and then forward again.
Where does a glacier move the fastest?
The ice in the middle of a glacier flows faster than the ice along the sides of the glacier.
What is the zone of equilibrium?
The line or zone on a glacier's surface where a year's ablation balances a year's accumulation (cf. Firn line). It is determined at the end of the ablation season, and commonly occurs at the boundary between superimposed ice (q.v.) and glacier ice.Jun 19, 2017
Related questions
Related
What does the equilibrium line altitude Ela signify on a glacier and explain why it is important in terms of ice mass balance?
The equilibrium line altitude (ELA) is the boundary between the ablation area and the accumulation area, the elevation at which mass balance is equal, where accumulation of snow is exactly balanced by ablation over a period of a year (Hoinkes 1970).Sep 8, 2021
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What are glacial mass balance and snow line?
Mass balance of a glacier (also referred to as "surface mass balance") is the difference between the snow accumulated in the winter and the snow and ice melted over the summer. If the mass of snow accumulated on a glacier exceeds the mass of snow and ice lost during summer months, the mass balance is positive.
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Which of the following terms refers to glacial melting below the snow line?
Valley glaciers. What term refers to glacial melting below the snow line? Ablation.
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What is operating line in mass transfer?
Operating lines define the mass balance relationships between the liquid and vapour phases in the column. There is one operating line for the bottom (stripping) section of the column, and on for the top (rectification or enriching) section of the column.
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Can you see the equilibrium line on a glacier?
- Unfortunately, you cannot see the equilibrium line on a glacier—its is something that must be computed. Late in the summer a climber can see at least two distinct lines on the glacier: the snow line, and also, a few meters down slope and a little darker in color, the previous year’s snow line known as the firn line.
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What is the equilibrium line altitude (ELA)?
- The equilibrium line altitude (ELA) is the boundary between the ablation area and the accumulation area, the elevation at which mass balance is equal, where accumulation of snow is exactly balanced by ablation over a period of a year (Hoinkes 1970).
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What is the ELA of a glacier?
- The equilibrium-line altitude (ELA) marks the area or zone on a glacier where accumulation is balanced by ablation over a 1-year period. The ELA is sensitive to several meteorological factors, such as variations in winter precipitation, summer temperature, and wind transport of dry snow.
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What are the two zones of a glacier?
- Thus a glacier has two zones: the area of accumulation where snow is retained, and the ablation area where more ice melts than accumulates. The boundary between these two zones is called the equilibrium line and is usually measured in altitude.
