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serac

an isolated block of ice that is formed where the glacier surface is fractured.
Topic: 
glaciers

shear strength

in geology, describes the compressive strength (ability to withstand pushing forces) of soils; results from two internal mechanisms: cohesion between soil particles, and friction caused by contact between particles; variable among different soils.
Topic: 
frozen ground or permafrost

shield

a screen to shield a rain-gauge from the influence of the wind, or to shield a thermometer against insolation.
Topic: 
climatology and meteorology

shore lead

a stretch of navigable water between pack ice and the shore.
Topic: 
sea ice

short-term strength

the failure strength of a material under a short-term loading (e.g. up to about 10 minutes in a uniaxial compression test).
Topic: 
frozen ground or permafrost

shortwave radiation

in meteorology, a term used loosely to distinguish radiation in the visible and near-visible portions of the electromagnetic spectrum (roughly 0.4 to 4.0 microns in wavelength) from longwave (terrestrial) radiation.
Topic: 
climatology and meteorology

shuga

a form of new ice, composed of spongy, white lumps a few cm across, that tend to form in rough seas; they resemble slushy snow balls.
(Photo courtesy of the Antarctic Sea-Ice Processes and Climate program (ASPeCt).)
Topic: 
sea ice

Siberian high

an area of high pressure which forms over Siberia in winter, and which is particularly apparent on mean charts of sea-level pressure.
Topic: 
climatology and meteorology

sikussak

very old, thick sea ice that forms in fjords; it often resembles glacial ice, because snow can pile up on the ice over many years.
Topic: 
sea ice

single-phase thermosyphon

a passive heat transfer device, filled with either a liquid or a gas, installed to remove heat from the ground.
Topic: 
frozen ground or permafrost

sintering

the bonding together of ice crystals.
Topic: 
glaciers

sleet

(1) (United States) frozen raindrops that bind on impact with the ground (2) (elsewhere) a mix of rain and snow, a mix of rain and hail, or melting snow.
Topic: 
climatology and meteorology

slope failure

mass movement of earth material down a slope; includes landslides, mudslides, debris flows, avalanches, etc; speed of movement can be sudden and catastrophic or slow.
Topic: 
frozen ground or permafrost

slush

a mixture of snow and grease ice.
Topic: 
sea ice
snow
glaciers

slush zone

common near the snow line on a relatively flat portion of a glacier where melting snow forms slush.
Topic: 
glaciers
snow

smog

currently used as a synonym for general air pollution; it was originally created by combining the words smoke and fog.
Topic: 
climatology and meteorology

snow

(1) an ice particle formed by sublimation of vapor in the atmosphere (2) a collection of loosely bonded ice crystals deposited from the atmosphere; high density snow (greater than 550 kilograms per cubic meter; 34 pounds per cubic foot) is called firn if it is older than one year.
Topic: 
snow

snow barchan

horseshoe-shaped snowdrift, with the ends pointing down-wind.
Topic: 
snow

snow board

a specially constructed board used to identify the surface of snow that has been recently covered by snowfall.
Topic: 
snow

snow bridge

an arch formed by snow which has drifted aross a crevasse, forming first a cornice, and ultimately a covering which may completely obscure the opening.
Topic: 
snow

snow core

a sample of snow, either just the freshly fallen snow or the combined old and new snow on the ground, obtained by pushing a cylinder down through the snow layer and extracting it.
Topic: 
snow

snow cover

(1) in general, the accumulation of snow on the ground surface (2) the areal extent of snow-covered ground, usually expressed as percent of total area in a given region.
Topic: 
climatology and meteorology
snow
frozen ground or permafrost

snow density

the mass of snow per unit volume which is equal to the water content of snow divided by its depth.
Topic: 
snow

snow depth

the combined total depth of both old and new snow on the ground.
Topic: 
snow

snow extent

the total land area covered by some amount of snow; typically reported in square kilometers.
Topic: 
snow

snow flurry

snow that falls for short durations and which often changes in intensity; flurries usually produce little accumulation.
Topic: 
snow

snow grains

precipitation in the form of very small, white opaque ice particles; they resemble snow pellets but are more flattened and elongated, with a diameter less than 1 mm; the solid equivalent of drizzle.
Topic: 
climatology and meteorology
snow

snow layer

a layer of ice crystals with similar size and shape.
Topic: 
snow

snow line

the minimum elevation of snow lying on the ground or glacier surface; the snow line at the end of an ablation season marks a glacier's current equilibrium line.
Topic: 
snow

snow load

the downward force on an object or structure caused by the weight of accumulated snow.
Topic: 
snow

snow patch

relatively small area of snow cover remaining after the main snowmelt period.
Topic: 
frozen ground or permafrost
snow

snow pellets

precipitation in the form of small, white opaque ice particles; resemble ice grains, but are round (sometimes conical) and about 2-5 mm in diameter.
Topic: 
climatology and meteorology
snow

snow roller

roll-like snow formation, caused by a unique combination of snow, wind, temperature and moisture

snow squall

a brief, but intense fall of snow that greatly reduces visibility and which is often accompanied by strong winds.
Topic: 
snow

snow water equivalent

the water content obtained from melting.
Topic: 
snow

snow worm

an oligochaete worm that lives on temperate glaciers or perennial snow; there are several species that range in color from yellowish-brown to reddish-brown or black; they are usually less than 1 millimeter (0.04 inch) in diameter and average about 3 millimeters (0.1 inch) in length; some feed off red algae.
Topic: 
snow
glaciers

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