Cryosphere glossary
subglacial permafrost
permafrost beneath a glacier.
subglacial talik
a layer or body of unfrozen ground beneath a glacier in an area with permafrost.
sublimation
the transition of a substance from the solid phase directly to the vapor phase, or vice versa, without passing through an intermediate liquid phase.
sublimation ice
ice formed by reverse sublimation of water vapour on cold surfaces.
subpermafrost water
water occurring in the noncryotic ground below the permafrost.
subpolar glacier
a glacier whose temperature regime is between polar and temperate; usually predominantly below freezing, but could experience extensive summer melt.
subsea permafrost
permafrost occurring beneath the sea bottom.
subsea talik
a layer or body of unfrozen ground beneath the seabottom, and forming part of the subsea permafrost.
subsetting
Provides the ability to narrow your search by providing specific temporal ranges and or spatial coordinates.
summer minimum extent
the permanent ice zone that remains in summer after all melting has occurred.
sun cups
ablation hollows that develop during intense sunshine.
sunspot
dark spot on the sun, with cooler-than-average temperatures and strong magnetic activity
supercooled
the condition when a liquid remains in the liquid state even through its temperature is below its freezing point.
supercooling
cooling of a liquid to a temperature below its freezing point, without causing solidification.
supersaturation
the condition which occurs in the atmosphere when the relative humidity is greater than 100%.
supraglacial moraine
dust and/or rock that rides the surface of a glacier.
suprapermafrost water
water occurring in unfrozen ground above perennially frozen ground.
surface cryogenic fabric
a distinct soil micromorphology, resulting from the effects of freezing and thawing processes, in which coarser soil particles have vertical or near-vertical orientation.
surface freezing index
the cumulative number of degree-days below 0 degrees Celsius for the surface temperature (of the ground, pavement, etc.) during a given time period.
surface hoar
the deposition (sublimation) of ice crystals on a surface which occurs when the temperature of the surface is colder than the air above and colder than the frost point of that air.