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Glaciers.
A glacier is a mountain of ice made up of a continuous accumulation of snow in the same position. After many years, the snow is compressed into thick and large masses of ice, the glaciers. Glacial ice is mostly found in mountain ranges where it flows slowly like rivers, even though it is difficult to notice (Benn 45). The movement is constant. The glacial movement is slow such that the glacier can move a distance ranging from a few centimeters to a couple of meters per day. Some of the glaciers are small, while others grow to cover a stretch of hundreds or even thousands of kilometers. About 10 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by glaciers which are mostly found in the polar regions of the world such as Greenland, Antarctica, and the Canadian Arctic region.
For a non-scientist, glaciers do indeed move. They cover a few centimeters or even meters per day in their movement. The mass accumulation of snow forms some huge and enormous glaciers. This builds up a lot of pressure on the ice underneath, causing the ice to melt, after bowing down to the deforming pressure exerted from the top. The meltwater at the bottom of the glacier acts as a lubricant to the glacier hence forming a perfect glide over the landscape on which the glacier is formed. Because the landscape is not always flat, the glacier therefore drifts, that is how a glacier moves. However, glaciers not only move slowly, but at times, they do speed up, a process called surging.
Glacial ice is evident in two of the Earth’s cycles, the water cycle, and photosynthesis. Rainwater collects hydrogen in the air while photosynthesis provides oxygen. Hydrogen and oxygen are essential in water formation. Earth’s cycles happen after thousands of years, where planet Earth balances and regulates itself through the cycles. Once the planet changes, glacier ice does not vanish but is present even after the Earth’s cycles, this is how that happens. Glacier ice is formed out of snow, which is mainly water. Water itself is a component that forms out of naturally occurring elements such as hydrogen and water. These water forming elements are naturally found in the atmosphere. Once the Earth cycles occur, the atmosphere remains the same, so do the water forming elements (Fountain). After the cycles, the water forming elements from water, and out of the conditions necessary for ice formation, ice is again formed. The ice again accumulates over a long period and glacial ice formation continues.
In the event of a new Ice age, I would choose to live in warm places in the world. Tropical countries would make a better and comfortable home for me for they are warm. Ice prone areas have extremely low temperatures with seasons such as Winter experiencing even negative temperatures. Such low temperatures have health hazards such as frostbite, and in extreme cases, human beings often report complexities in their nervous systems and the heart, which easily can cause a state of shock. The fact that a year is divided into Winter, cold season, and Summer, warm season, does not author well with me. It is my wish, just like anybody else, to enjoy the full year without temperature limitations. I would therefore choose to live in tropical countries.
Works Cited
Benn, Douglas, and David JA Evans. Glaciers and glaciation. 2. Routledge, 2014. 05 August 2020. <https://www.amazon.com/Glaciers-Glaciation-Hodder-Arnold-Publication/dp/0340905794>.
Fountain, Henry. Glaciers Are Retreating. Millions Rely on Their Water. 16 January 2019. 05 August 2020. <https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/04/17/climate/melting-glaciers-globally.html>.