When did continental glaciers cover Antarctica?

When did continental glaciers cover Antarctica?

Today, continental glaciers cover most of Antarctica and the island of Greenland. Massive ice sheets covered much of North America and Europe during the Pleistocene time period. This was the last glacial period, also known as the Ice Age. Ice sheets reached their greatest size about 18,000 years ago.

What is the relationship between glaciers and global climate change?

Freshwater runoff from glaciers also influences ocean ecosystems. Glaciers are important as an indicator of climate change because physical changes in glaciers—whether they are growing or shrinking, advancing or receding—provide visible evidence of changes in temperature and precipitation.

What is the relationship between the amount of snowfall and the movement and thickness of glaciers?

The relationship between snowfall amount and glacier size is that higher snowfall amounts lead to larger glaciers.

Is Antarctica a continental glacier?

Continental Glaciers are extremely slow moving thick ice sheets that cover part of a continent, for example in Antarctica. In Antarctica ice forms a dome in the centre of the continent and extremely slowly moves down towards the edges of the ice sheet.

Why do continental glaciers cover Antarctica and most of Greenland?

Relate the movement of continental glaciers to why they cover Antarctica and most of Greenland. Continental glaciers cover Antarctica and most of Greenland because they flow in all directions like pancake batter. List two processes by which glaciers erode the land.

When does gravity begin to pull glaciers downhill?

Gravity begins to pull a glacier downhill once the depth of snow and ice reaches more than 30 to 40 meters. Relate the movement of continental glaciers to why they cover Antarctica and most of Greenland. Continental glaciers cover Antarctica and most of Greenland because they flow in all directions like pancake batter.

What happens when a glacier moves through the middle?

The flowing ice in the middle of the glacier moves faster than the base, which grinds slowly along its rocky bed. The different speeds at which the glacier moves causes tension to build within the brittle, upper part of the ice. The top of the glacier fractures, forming cracks called crevasses.

Is there any evidence of glacier recession around the Antarctic Peninsula?

There is evidence of widespread glacier recession around the northern Antarctic Peninsula 21,30.