Cryosphere glossary
the major subdivision of a permafrost region in which permafrost occurs in some areas beneath the exposed land surface, whereas other areas are free of permafrost.
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.
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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.