Tourism is shown in other forms for example people coming from other countries to ski.
Ice factories are found around the globe an example of these is Disko Bay in North Greenland it is 300km north of the Arctic Circle, and contains one of the most productive ice floes in the Northern hemisphere. Averaging 20million tonnes of ice per day, icebergs are towed from there into harbours to be chipped into ice cubes.
What is a glacier and how does it form?
A glacier forms when snow accumulates over time, turns to ice, and begins to flow outwards and downwards under the pressure of the glacier’s weight.
In polar and high-altitude regions, glaciers generally accumulate more snow in the winter than they lose in the summer from melting. If the accumulated snow survives one melt season, it is considered to be . The snow and firn are compressed by the overlying snow, and the buried layers slowly grow together to form a thickened mass of ice.
The pressure created from the overlying snow compacts the underlying layers, and the snow grains become larger ice crystals randomly oriented in connected air spaces.
Under the pressure of its own weight and the forces of gravity, a glacier will begin to move, or flow, outwards and downwards. flow down valleys, and continental glaciers () flow outward in all directions from a central point.
Glaciers move by internal deformation and/or by sliding at the base. Internal deformation occurs when the weight and mass of a glacier causes it to spread out due to gravity.
occurs when the glacier slides on a thin layer of water at the bottom of the glacier. This water may come from glacial melting due to the pressure of the overlying ice, or from water that has worked its way through cracks in the glacier. Glaciers can also readily slide on a soft sediment bed that has some water in it. Basal slip may account for most of the movement of thin, cold glaciers on steep slopes, or only 10 to 20 percent of the movement of warm, thick glaciers lying on gentle slopes.
Glacier melt and ablation resulting from increasing temperature, evaporation and wind scouring. Ablation is a natural and seasonal part of a glacier's life. As long as snow accumulation equals or is greater than melt and ablation, glacier health is maintained.
Ice –
At any one time almost 4/5 of all fresh water is frozen solid as ice examples of these landforms: Mountain Glaciers, Polar ice sheets, icebergs etc
Melt water –
Rising temperatures in spring melt ice and snow on higher ground, producing a serge of water into rivers. Tips of glaciers also release melt water
Climatical effect
Most of the world's glaciers are found near the Poles, but glaciers exist on all of the world's continents, even Africa. Australia doesn't have any glaciers; however, it is considered part of Oceania, which includes several Pacific island chains and the large islands of Papua New Guinea and New Zealand. Both of these islands have glaciers.
Glaciers require very specific climatic conditions. Most are found in regions of high snowfall in winter and cool temperatures in summer. These conditions ensure that the snow that accumulates in the winter isn't lost (by melt, evaporation, or calving) during the summer. Such conditions typically prevail in polar and high alpine regions. There are two main types of glaciers: valley glaciers and continental glaciers (known as ice sheets).
The amount of precipitation (whether in the form of snowfall, freezing rain, avalanches, or wind-drifted snow) is important to glacier survival. In areas such as Antarctica, where the low temperatures are ideal for glacier growth, very low annual precipitation causes the glaciers to grow very slowly.
But due to changing global climate it has been estimated that one fifth of all sea ice could disappear by 2050. As sea ice is used by Polar bears when they hunt, its decline threatens their survival.
Problems clearly exist as <10% of the world’s freshwater resources are used but neither water resources or demands are evenly distributed.
Thus, some countries experience critical water shortages.
Key problems in water resource management are: Space – the resources are not where they are needed
Time – some ice melt and rain occurs in most countries at the same time so it is harder to harness all the resources together so some are lost it’s not when you want it
Quality – some water is not suitable for human use and humans polluting the water with waste and chemicals can decrease the water quality.
Conclusion
Global warming in the future will have one of two effects on the Earth according to scientist and geographers
Either the ozone layer will reduce even more due to greenhouse gases that are produced on the Earth meaning more radiation will be able to reach the Earth. This will enable to Earth to warm as the Earth will absorb more radiation and the sea will heat up. The heating up of the Earth will eventually melt snow and glaciers, which will run into rivers and turn into under ground flow. This will decrease the albedo effect as less of the Earth’s surface will be covered with reflective areas (as they would have melted) more radiation will be absorbed by the Earth and everywhere will heat up.
Or
This effect will happen and cause the ozone layer to deplete due to CFC’s that are still around and green houses gases building up more and more as we use more of the reducing resources of coal and oil and allow more short wave radiation to hit the Earth. But instead of heating the Earth the radiation will be reflected straight back out into space, as we now have no blanket or net to catch the radiation which gives Earth its unique atmosphere. This effect will cool the Earth and more ice and snow and glaciers will occur.
This is mainly due to the fact it will become so cold another ice age will occur and the human race will decrease.
Bibliography
- Geography- An integrated approach, second edition 1990
- Global Geomorphology – Michael A Summerfield-published 1991
- Contemporary Climatology – Peter J. Robinson and Ann Henderson – Sellers – published Pearson Education Limited 1999 – Second edition - 303 pages
- Environmental Change and Human Development – C.J Barrow – published Arnold 2002 – 253 pages
- Antarctic Environments and Resources – James D. Hansom and John E. Gordon- published Longman 1998 – 402 pages
