Cryosphere glossary
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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P R S T U V W Y Z
valley glacier
a mountain glacier whose flow is confined by valley walls.
vane
instrument used to measure wind direction; also called wind vane.
vapor pressure
the pressure exerted by water vapor molecules in a given volume of air.
vein ice
a comprehensive term for ice of any origin occupying cracks in permafrost.
very close pack ice
pack ice in which the floes are tightly packed but not frozen together, with very little, if any, sea water visible; ice cover practically 10/10th.
very open pack ice
pack ice composed of loose, widely spaced floes; ice cover 1/10th to 3/10th.
virga
precipitation that evaporates before reaching the ground.
viscosity
a measure of a fluid’s resistance to flow; can be thought of as a measure of fluid friction.
visibility
the greatest distance that prominent objects can be seen and identified by unaided, normal eyes.
visualization
Tools that provide visual images of data on-the-fly.
volumetric (total) water content
the ratio of the volume of the water and ice in a sample to the volume of the whole sample, expressed as a fraction (or, less commonly, as a percentage).
volumetric heat capacity
the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of a unit volume of a substance by one degree.
volumetric latent heat of fusion
the amount of heat required to melt all the ice (or freeze all the pore water) in a unit volume of soil or rock.