Glaciers
Monday, February 18th, 2008Glaciers are large, slow-moving rivers of ice. They are the second largest reservoir of water next to the oceans. Glaciers are threatened to melt because of global warming. If the Greenland ice sheet melted, the sea level would rise 20 feet. If the Antarctic ice sheet melted, the sea level would rise 210 feet.
Most glaciers move very slowly but not all. Byrd Glacier moves six feet every day. That’s pretty fast for a glacier! When a glacier reduces its size by a pretty big amount, it stops moving. Friction makes the lower part of the glacier move slower than the top part.
There are two main types of glaciers, continental and alpine. Alpine glaciers live in mountains. Continental glaciers are found at lower elevations. Every type of glacier is either alpine or continental. For example, tidewater Glaciers flow into the sea. They are continental glaciers. When tidewater glaciers hit the sea, they become icebergs. Sometimes tidewater glaciers drop down a tall cliff, resulting in a big splash. Continental ice sheets are thin glaciers only found in Antarctica and Greenland. Plateau glaciers are glaciers on plateaus in high altitude places. There are many types of glaciers.
