The Glacial System

The Glacial System

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What is the glacier system? The glacier system consists of inputs, transfers (flows), stores and outputs in the same way as a river. Inputs come from Over time snow accumulates and avalanches along the sides is compressed into ice. The water of the glacier but mainly held in storage is the glacier. from precipitation as snow.

Under the force

Meltwater is the main









How does the glacier operate as a system?









Growth of Glaciers

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Glaciers grow or recede as a function of the balance between accumulation and ablation of snow and ice. The accumulation zone is a region where snowpack or superimposed ice accumulation persists. The ablation zone is the region where all of the snow has melted away









The Glacial Budget









The glacial budget or net balance

Describe the shape of the











Accumulation The process of building-up of a pack of snow, refrozen slush, meltwater and firn. Net accumulation for one year is the material left over at the end of the melt-season.









Accumulation area That part of a glacier’s surface, usually at higher elevations, on which there is net accumulation of snow, which subsequently turns into firn and then glacier ice.









Ablation The process of wastage of snow or ice by melting, sublimation









Ablation area/zone That part of a glacier’s surface, usually at lower elevations, elevations, over which ablation exceeds accumulation accumulation..









Glacier table A boulder perched on a pedestal of ice. The boulder protects the ice from ablation during sunny weather. Around the boulder the ice surface ablates and, therefore, is lowered, whereas the boulder remains at the original level.











Equilibrium line/zone The line or zone on a glacier’s









Calving The process of detachment of icebergs and smaller blocks of ice from a glacier into water.









Glacier advance The forward movement of the snout snout of a glacier glacier following following









Glacier recession The shrinking of the snout of a glacier following successive years of negative mass balance. Also









Glacier terminus Lowest end of a glacier















The Glacial System

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