glaciology

Definition

The study of ice and its effect on the landscape, especially the study of glaciers.

Etymology

From Latin glaciēs (“ice”) + -ology (“study of a particular subject”).

Example Sentences

• "From this high position in latitude, explorations (furthered for a time by the effective aid of their Esquimaux dogs) were perseveringly made, and rewarded by results of the most interesting nature in geography, hydrography, and glaciology."
• "Until now, aerial photography had been used in glaciology only for mapping the glacier surface and the surface velocity field; other, much more expensive, methods have been used to determine the bed and mass balance."
• "This general approach offers the possibility of reconstructing past glaciologies for a situation where (1) the outline of the glacier can be reconstructed, (2) the ELA [equilibrium line altitude] can be determined, (3) the area under the ELA can be measured, and (4) there is some information on the winter balance and ablation gradient of the former glacier."