Cryosphere

Imaggeo on Mondays: Tongue of a small giant

Antonello Provenzale July 10, 2017

Tongue of a small giant . Credit: Antonello Provenzale (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu).

In a world where climate change causes many mountain glaciers to shrink away, bucking the ‘melting’ trend is not easy. In today’s post, Antonello Provenzale, a researcher in Italy, tells us of one glacier in the Alps which is doing just that. Mountain glaciers are retreating worldwide, with the possible exception of the Karakoram area. For most glaciers, ablation (ice melt) durin ...[Read More]

Imaggeo on Mondays: Sneaking up from above

Jan Blöthe May 8, 2017

Sneaking up from above . Credit: Jan Blöthe (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

Take some ice, mix in some rock, snow and maybe a little mud and the result is a rock glacier. Unlike ice glaciers (the ones we are most familiar with), rock glaciers have very little ice at the surface. Looking at today’s featured image, you’d be forgiven for thinking the Morenas Coloradas rock glacier wasn’t a glacier at all. But appearances can be misleading; as Jan Blöthe (a researcher at the ...[Read More]

Imaggeo on Mondays: Why does a Norwegian glacier look blue?

Kay Helfricht October 24, 2016

Blue Svartisen . Credit: Kay Helfricht (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

This picture shows the outlet glacier Engabreen running down from the plateau of Svartisen in Norway. Svartisen ice cap comprises two glacier systems of which the Vestre (western) Svartisen is Norway’s second largest glacier. Located right at the polar circle, Svartisen covers a total of 369 km² of the Nordland region. These coastal mountains accumulate a snowpack of 5-7 m depth through the winter ...[Read More]

Imaggeo on Mondays: Glacier de la Pilatte

Alexis Merlaud August 8, 2016

Glacier de la Pilatte. Credit: Alexis Merlaud (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

The relentless retreat of glaciers, globally, is widely studied and reported. The causes for the loss of these precious landforms are complex and the dynamics which govern them difficult to unravel. So are the consequences and impacts of reduced glacial extent atop the world’s high peaks, as Alexis Merlaud, explains in this week’s edition of Imaggeo on Mondays. This picture was taken on 20 August ...[Read More]