The glacier, also known as a glacier, is an extensive mass of ice that forms over a long period and can take up to 30,000 years to form. They are more common in places where there is a large accumulation of snow, and this phenomenon must be superior to the melting process in the region. This snow is crystallized and compacted in layers, thus forming large blocks of ice.
There are large glaciers in flat areas near high latitudes, that is, in the polar regions. Antarctica, for example, is home to the largest glacier on the planet: 14 million square kilometers. This region is of paramount importance, as approximately 90% of the ice, which is a source of fresh water, is there. Another great glacier on Earth is Greenland, located in North America, however, it is a Danish territory.
Melting part of a glacier
Despite the need to preserve glaciers to maintain the planet's environmental balance, man, through his changes in nature, has caused the melting of several of them. Global warming has promoted a drastic reduction of the ice layer around the Arctic Ocean – experts say that this region has become about 40% thinner and its area has been reduced by 14%.
Antarctica, in turn, in a short period, registered a thaw of 3,000 square kilometers, a consequence of a 2.5 °C rise in temperature. This fact generates a series of disturbances: increase in the level of the oceans, change in the temperature of ocean waters, imbalance in the food chain, death of animals, etc.
Therefore, the maintenance of glaciers is a way to preserve the life of several species and in different regions of the Earth. This will only be achieved with a change in the way humans are produced and consumed, minimizing the release of greenhouse gases and contributing to the reduction of the earth's warming process.
See too:
the melt age
By Wagner de Cerqueira and Francisco
Graduated in Geography
Brazil School Team
Curiosities - geography - Brazil School