Cryospheric Sciences

Imaggeo on Mondays: Refuge in a cloudscape

Olivia Trani April 23, 2018

Refuge in a cloudscape. Credit: Julien Seguinot (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu )

The action of glaciers combined with the structure of the rock to form this little platform, probably once a small lake enclosed between a moraine at the mountain side and the ice in the valley. Now it has become a green haven in the mountain landscape, a perfect place for an alp. In the Alps, stratus clouds opening up on autumn mornings often create gorgeous light display. That day, some of the f ...[Read More]

Imaggeo on Mondays: Iceberg viewing in Cape Spear, Newfoundland, Canada

Simon Massé April 2, 2018

Iceberg viewing in Cape Spear, Newfoundland, Canada. Credit: Simon Massé (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

Cape Spear in Newfoundland, Canada is the easternmost location in North America and one of the few places in the world where you can contemplate icebergs from the shore. Every year, about 400 to 800 bergs journey down to this particular point. These 10,000-year-old ice giants drift along the northern shore of Newfoundland with the Labrador Current. About 90 percent of these icebergs come from west ...[Read More]

Geosciences Column: The science behind snow farming

Olivia Trani March 9, 2018

A layer of sawdust and wood chips hides a massive pile of snow in South Tyrol. The thick cover protects the snow from the summer heat. Winter sport destinations have been 'farming' snow as a way to guarantee white winters. Credit: Grünewald et al.

For roughly the last decade, some ski resorts and other winter sport facilities have been using a pretty unusual method to ensure white slopes in winter. It’s called snow farming. The practice involves collecting natural or artificially made snow towards the end of winter, then storing the frozen mass in bulk over the summer under a thick layer of sawdust, woodchips, mulch, or other insulating mat ...[Read More]

Geosciences Column: How fast are Greenland’s glaciers melting into the sea?

Jon Fuhrmann February 9, 2018

The Greenland ice sheet is undergoing rapid change, and nowhere more so than at its margins, where large outlet glaciers reach sea level. Because these glaciers are fed by very large reservoirs of ice, they don’t just flow to the coast, but can extend many kilometres out into the ocean. Here, the ice – being lighter than water – will float, but remain connected to the ice on the mainland. This phe ...[Read More]