Cryosphere glossary
a physical quantity characterizing the mean random motion of molecules in a physical body; in other words, it is a measure of the degree of hotness or coldness of a substance.
the graphic or analytical expression of the variation in ground temperature with depth.
snow metamorphism that occurs when there are strong differences in temperature between the bottom and top of a snow layer.
a zone of thawed ground below or surrounding a man-made structure placed on or in permafrost and maintained at temperatures above 0 degrees Celsius.
time-dependent compression resulting from thawing of frozen ground and subsequent draining of excess water.
a dimensionless ratio describing the relationship between the rate of thaw and the rate of consolidation of a thawing soil, which is considered to be a measure of the relative rates of generation and expulsion of excess water during thaw.
a slope failure mechanism characterized by the melting of ground ice, and downslope sliding and flowing of the resulting debris.
a boundary sometimes identified in perennially frozen ground, representing the base of a relict active layer, as well as the corresponding earlier permafrost table.
the reduction in shear strength due to the decrease in effective stresses resulting from the generation and slow dissipation of excess pore pressures when frozen soils containing ice are thawing.
perennially frozen ground which, upon thawing, will experience significant thaw settlement and suffer loss of strength to a value significantly lower than that for similar material in an unfrozen condition.