Glaciers

What are glaciers? Where do they occur? Why are they of interest? Want to find out?


The Upper Grindelwald Glacier and the Schreckhorn


First stop is an up-to-date site by the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) . What is a glacier? Quoting from the site: "...Glaciers are made up of fallen snow that, over many years, compresses into large, thickened ice masses. Glaciers form when snow remains in one location long enough to transform into ice”…. How do they form or why do they move? You are going to have to visit the site to find out. The pictures on this site are in black and white. But don't let that bother you. Some are historical photos dating back to the 1880's. If you find a glacier-related term that you are unfamiliar with, look it up in the glossary. In a hurry? Take the glacier tour for a quick look at the life of a glacier. Phew! That's a lot for one web site. Hope you are not tired. Are you ready to move on?


Formation of glacier ice.

Glacier Power is a site you will enjoy. Your guides are the ice worms Joe, Lady Loo, Gene the Bean, Nick the Nerd, Little Joe, Dr. Daisy, Grammy Lynn. Ice worms live on glaciers eating a diet of algae and pollen. Glacier Power is a learning site for students aged 5 to 12. The pages center on Miner Ed who accidentally falls into a glacial crevice. Poor Ed. Now, it's up to you to determine if and when Miner Ed will emerge from the terminus of the glacier. How do you do that? Well first, read through the site to learn about glaciers. Then, using this information and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Satellite Images of glaciers, work out if and when Ed will pop out of the glacier. Good thing they help you read the images, otherwise I would have been stuck. And don't worry, Ed gets out. This site is a great educational resource.


Now that you know something about glaciers, how about visiting one? Let's surf on up to Glacier Bay in Alaska which boasts over 200 separate glaciers. This is an unbelievable site. Of course, all NASA sites are unreal. To enjoy it properly you will need a program that plays QuickTime movies. The tour is a long one, so be prepared to stay awhile. First stop, pictures of the spectacular glaciers of Glacier Bay, maps of the area, historical photographs, and satellite images of various glaciers. Don't linger too long. On to the movies where two features are playing: spectacular fly-bys over glaciers and the special effects theatre. The fly-bys were made using satellite images and computer techniques. The tour then continues on to discuss how satellite data can be combined with historical records to track glacier movement and possibly show how climate change affects glaciers and how glaciers might be able to be used as indicators of climate change.

If you would like to visit a glacier in person, try The Inquisitive Traveler . It provides information about accessible glaciers in North America. Glaciers can be found in Alaska, Western Canada, Montana, Oregon and Washington State. If you want to know about glaciers in other parts of the world, visit the World Glacier Inventory by the University of Colorado. It lists over 67,000 glaciers.