GLOSSARY
A · B · C ·
D · E · F ·
G · H · I ·
J · K · L ·
M · N · O ·
P · Q · R ·
S · T · U ·
V · W · X ·
Y · Z
Ice Stream: definition.
As ice sheets flow downhill, sometimes portions
of them accelerate to flow much faster than the surrounding ice. These fast-flowing
rivers of ice are called “ice streams”.
Who cares? Ice streams are responsible for a large fraction of the total
ice flowing off Antarctica, yet they occupy only a small fraction of the total
area of the continent. By learning more about ice streams, scientists hope to
be able to improve models of how the Antarctic ice mass will change as climate
changes due to natural or anthropogenic variability. Present climate models which
ignore ice streams produce a wide range of predictions for a warming climate:
Antarctic ice mass might increase (thus, global sea level falls), because of increased
snowfall over the continent, or; ice mass might decrease, because changes in the
ocean might accelerate the offshore flow of ice (see “Ice shelf”).
Perhaps the key to which process wins will depend on designing better numerical
models of ice streams.