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The accumulation zone is found at the highest altitude of the glacier, where accumulation of material is greater than ablation. On a glacier , the accumulation zone is the area above the firn line, where snowfall accumulates and exceeds the losses from ablation , ( melting , evaporation , and sublimation ).
Snow Depth-This is a measurement from the snow surface to the ground in meters. It is commonly does over a large time span using immobile graduated stakes. Snow Water Equivalency- A measuring tool which represents the vertical depth of water that would accumulate in an area, if all the snow and ice were melted in that given area.
Snowpack is an accumulation of snow that compresses with time and melts seasonally, often at high elevation or high latitude. [1] [2] Snowpacks are an important water resource that feed streams and rivers as they melt, sometimes leading to flooding. Snowpacks provide water to down-slope communities for drinking and agriculture. [3]
Accumulation zone – where the formation of ice is faster than its removal. Ablation (or wastage) zone – when the sum of melting, calving, and evaporation (sublimation) is greater than the amount of snow added each year.
When it comes to measuring snow cover on the ground, typically three variables are measured: the snow cover extent (SCE) — the land area covered by snow, snow cover duration (SD) — how long a particular area is covered by snow, and the snow accumulation, often expressed as snow water equivalent (SWE), which expresses how much water the snow ...
Snow pit on the surface of a glacier, profiling snow properties, which become increasingly dense as it metamorphoses towards ice. Snow science addresses how snow forms, its distribution, and processes affecting how snowpacks change over time. Scientists improve storm forecasting, study global snow cover and its effect on climate, glaciers, and ...
Snow accumulation on ground and in tree branches in Germany Snow blowing across a highway in Canada Spring snow on a mountain in France. Classifications of snow describe and categorize the attributes of snow-generating weather events, including the individual crystals both in the air and on the ground, and the deposited snow pack as it changes over time.
If the accumulation is less than the ablation, the glacier will retreat. Glaciers in retreat will have negative mass balances. They will eventually disappear if they do not reach an equilibrium between accumulation and ablation. Mid-latitude mountain ranges show some of the largest proportionate glacial losses.