Ice on land
| A glacier is a mass of ice that originates on land, usually having an area larger than one tenth of a square kilometer. Glaciers store about 75% of the Earth's fresh water and cover 15 million square kilometers. If all land ice would melt, the sea level would rise about 70 meters worldwide. This image of the Franz Josef Glacier was taken in 1951 (courtesy World Data Center for Glaciology). See the subtopic to see how this glacier has retreated. The Kutiah glacier has surged the fastest, moving an average of 112 meters per day for three months. |
Credit: World Data Center for Glaciology; National Snow and Ice Data Center
For more info: http://nsidc.org/glaciers/gallery/FJ1951_retreat.html