an average of weather conditions (e.g. rain, sun, wind) in a place taken over a long period of time (usually 30 years or more)

a large mass of ice covering an area of over 50 000 square kilometres

a period of time during which thick ice sheets covered vast areas of land

Ice change over time

Geography

Glacier formation

Glacial processes

Glacial landforms

Evidence of glaciation in the UK

The Mer De Glace

Antarctica: A frozen wilderness

Antarctic food webs

Protecting Antarctica

Countries in the Arctic

The Arctic Tundra

Climate change in polar regions

This unit teaches pupils about the physical processes that influence cold places around the world and how areas of ice have changed over time due to climatic variations. Pupils will learn about the impact of global warming on glaciated areas and what this means for the future of our planet.

Ice and glaciers: How are cold places affected by a warming planet?

a huge accumulation of ice and snow that moves slowly over land down slope under the force of gravity

the force by which a planet, or other large body, draws objects to its centre

when meltwater at a glacier's base refreezes to bedrock, loosened rocks will be torn away as the glacier moves forwards, here rocks freeze to a glacier and are pulled from the ground as it moves

where rocks carried beneath the ice scratch and sandpaper the bedrock

a ridge or mound of debris deposited by a glacier

a steep-sided hollow at the head of a valley or on a mountainside

a ridge that ends in a steep cliff face where an interlocking spur formed by rivers has been cut off by a glacier

a narrow ridge of rock between two valleys

a valley with steep, straight sides and a flat bottom, formed by the movement and scouring action of a glacier

a region of high elevation, typically featuring mountains, hills, and valleys

a large boulder transported and deposited by glacial ice; out of place, as its rock type differs from the rocks around it

a huge accumulation of ice and snow that moves slowly over land

long-term changes in temperature and weather patterns

a natural area largely untouched by humans

an organism that makes its own food using sunlight

an organism that eats other organisms for energy

an organism at the top of the food chain, with no natural enemies

an international agreement to protect Antarctica

resources or areas that belong to all humanity

measures taken to preserve natural ecosystems

an imaginary line at latitude 66°33'N, marking the boundary of the Arctic region

materials available in the environment that support our wants and needs

a vast, flat, treeless region; a large-scale, global ecosystem

any ground that remains completely frozen

a process of change over time; a feature of a living thing that enables it to exist in a particular environment

ground that remains frozen for at least two consecutive years, typically found in polar regions

sea ice cover of the Arctic Ocean; it has a regular seasonal cycle of spring and summer melt and accumulation in autumn and winter

the decline of natural environments that support wildlife, often due to climate change

a continental glacier; a mass of ice that is greater than 50 000 km²

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Ice and glaciers: How are cold places affected by a warming planet?

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