Cryosphere glossary
permafrost that is not in thermal equilibrium with the existing mean annual surface or sea-bottom temperature and the geothermal heat flux.
the thickness of sea ice extending below the water level. Draft and freeboard comprise total sea ice thickness.
a semipermanent mass of firn formed by drifted snow behind obstructions or in the ground; also called a catchment glacier or a snowdrift glacier.
displacement of a sea ice field from its place of origin under the effect of ocean currents and winds.
floating (or drifting on ice) ocean buoy equipped with meteorological and/or oceanographic sensing instruments linked to transmitting equipment for sending the observed data to collecting centers.
snow raised from the surface of the earth by the wind to a height of less than 1.5 to 2.0 meters (5 to 6.6 feet) above the surface; it dose not restrict horizontal visibility at 2 meters (6.6 feet) or more above the surface.
very small, uniformly distributed water drops that appear to float while following air currents; unlike fog droplets, drizzle falls to the ground.
remnant elongated hills formed by historical glacial action; it is not clear exactly how they are formed and why they form only in some glaciated regions.
Image
Drumlin field. Manitoba, Canada.
frozen ground with a very low total water content consisting almost completely of interfacial water, and not cemented by ice.
a mound or layer of moraine formed along the edge of a glacier by rock that falls off the ice; sometimes called a ground moraine.
the ratio of stress to strain for a material under dynamic loading conditions.
the absolute value of the ratio between the linear strain changes, perpendicular to and in the direction of a given uniaxial stress change, respectively, under dynamic loading conditions.
a hummock having a core of silty and clayey mineral soil which may show evidence of cryoturbation.
the total infrared radiation emitted from the earth's surface; to be carefully distinguished from effective terrestrial radiation, atmospheric radiation, and insolation.