T he Harvard glacier in Alaska, located to the east of Anchorage, is just one of many in the state which move from the mountains southwards to the sea. It ends in College Fjord at the head of Prince William Sound in a 2 km-wide face. As the photograph shows, this is a popular destination for cruise ships in the summer when it is warmer and there is little ice.
A glacier is a system of inputs and outputs. The main input is the accumulation of snow, which collects in hollows in the mountains. Through a process of thaw and refreeze the snowflakes form a whitish grain-like snow called firn. As more snow falls the firn granules compact and turn into glacier ice, which slowly move down the mountainside.
Your organisation does not have access to this article.
Sign up today to give your students the edge they need to achieve their best grades with subject expertise
Subscribe
