Misadventures Issue 4
Words by CHARLOTTE AUSTIN Illustrations by NIKKI FRUMKIN
WHEN YOU’RE STANDING ON A GLACIER,
the ice is so blue that it hurts. Crampons squeak on brittle névé. There might be wind in your face, or rain or sun or snow. You can’t help but let your eyes sweep the landscape, tracing that undulating curve of relentless frozen power. There’s no denying it: they’re dangerous, beautiful, dynamic beings. Scientists currently estimate that 10% of the land area on Earth is covered with ice, storing 75% of the world’s fresh water. That’s down from a high of 32% during the last ice age, but it still equates to more than 15 million square miles. Like huge rivers of ice, those glaciers carve valleys, sculpt mountains, and reshape every landscape they touch.
Each glacier is unique, of course. There are ice sheets, like those found in Greenland, which are permanent layers of ice covering extensive tracts of land. There are ice shelves, which are slabs of ice that float on the sea—including the famous Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica, which is roughly the size of France. And there are the glaciers that form in the mountains, which are varied, dynamic, and plentiful. Mountain glaciers are on every continent, but in the United States alone they cover more than 30,000 square miles. You can find them in state parks, national monuments, and other public lands. They’re yours to hike, ski, climb, and explore, so here’s what you need to know.
Glacier icon by Ed Harrison
GLACIOLOGY 101 56
THE EXQUISITE ART AND SUBTLE SCIENCE OF GLACIERS
