Ice - Structure Of Ice, Physical Properties Of Ice, Natural Ice Occurrence, Current Glaciology Research
water earth amount regions
Ice is the solid state of water. The great abundance of water on the surface of Earth includes a great quantity of ice in the Polar Regions and high elevations. The relative proportion of each of the three states of water on Earth is a delicately balanced equilibrium controlled by the amount of incoming solar energy and the amount of reflection, known as Aledo, from clouds, water, ice caps, etc. The amount of ice at any one location on Earth varies seasonally, over the long term with climatic change, and even with movements of tectonic plates. One of the most abundant of Earth's substances, ice is especially familiar to residents of high-latitude and alpine regions, and manifests itself in a variety of forms including snow, hail, glaciers, icebergs, and sea ice, along with the artificially produced ice cube. Despite being so familiar, ice and water are anomalous in a variety of respects and behave differently from other materials in a number of important ways. The study of ice, in all forms, and its related processes is known as glaciology.
Additional Topics
Under artificial laboratory conditions of very high pressures and low temperatures, ice can be forced to crystallize in a number of allotropic forms that are stable only under those particular conditions. Crystallization can occur in these laboratory situations in one of several non-hexagonal forms. This is similar to the way that carbon atoms may crystallize to form graphite or, under more extrem…
The freezing point of water containing dissolved solids is proportionately reduced below 32°F (0°C) depending on the quantity of solutes. As the salinity of the water increases, the freezing temperature is lowered. This is the principle behind the practice of road salting. The salt causes the freezing point of the water to be lowered, hopefully below the ambient temperature, and the …
The vast majority of the natural ice on Earth is situated at the extreme latitudes; the Greenland ice sheet and sea ice at the North Pole, the Antarctic ice sheet in the South. Sea ice, massive ice sheets, valley and mountain glaciers all combine to form the polar ice caps. Enormous areas of the polar and subpolar regions are underlain by permafrost. Polar ice caps and glaciers contain a large pro…
Much of the research currently being conducted in glaciology is focused on reducing the impact that ice has on modern society. Ice causes damage to pipes in homes, damages crops, restricts ability to travel, breaks power lines and other property, interferes with the function of airplanes and ships, along with other human considerations, such as contributing to accidental injuries. Engineers study …
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User Comments
almost 2 years ago
M. Weller
The amount of reflection is known as "albedo", not "Aledo".